bobbiekroe's Blog

Hey blogging family,

I received this email and have passed it along to everybody I know but decided to post it here too. (This time I checked it out on snopes.  It is legit.  There are some rumors circulating about awful viruses that can get into your phone through typing in ICE, but they are apparently bogus.)  This could become just as useful as 911 once everybody is familiar with it.

I was on an ambulance crew for 7 years and it was a very real dilemma when our patient was not able to communicate with us.  Although the paramedic in the field is not likely to have or take the time to call somebody, once they get to the ER, it would be very helpful to know who to call.  So, here it is:

I'm curious what you all think of this letter. I for one am glad that someone stood up to the Hollywood elite that think that just because they are famous, people want their opinion on everything. Since it's the popular thing among actors right now to be politically opposed to the war, they feel that they have to get their publicity by adding their voice to the poll. Personally, I think it makes them look silly. All it does is show the world how clueless they are about what is going on in the lives of us ordinary working class people. Here's the letter. I'm proud the author is from Utah!

On Nov. 12, Ms Cindy Williams (from Laverne and Shirley TV show) wrote a piece for the Washington Times, denouncing the pay raise coming service members' way this year -- citing that the stated 13% wage was more than they deserve.

A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article below. He ought to get a bonus for this.

"Ms Williams:

I just had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our GIs earn enough" and I am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where this vaunted overpayment is going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears every month between DFAS (The Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and my bank account.

Checking my latest earnings statement I see that I make $1,117.80 before taxes. After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through the calculator, I come up with an annual salary of $13,413.60 before taxes, and $10,490.40, after.

I work in the Air Force Network Control Center where I am part of the team responsible for a 5,000-host computer network. I am involved with infrastructure segments, specifically with Cisco Systems equipment. A quick check under jobs for Network Technicians in the Washington, D.C. area reveals a position in my career field, requiring three years experience with my job. Amazingly, this job does NOT pay $13,413.60 a year. No, this job is being offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum... I'm sure you can draw the obvious conclusions.

Given the tenor of your column, I would assume that you NEVER had the pleasure of serving your country in our armed forces. Before you take it upon yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership for attempting to get the families in the military's lowest pay brackets off of WIC and food stamps, I suggest that you join a group of deploying soldiers headed for AFGHANISTAN; I leave the choice of service branch up to you.

Whatever choice you make, though, opt for the SIX month rotation: it will guarantee you the longest possible time away from your family and friends, thus giving you full "deployment experience." As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure to note the spouses and children who are saying good-bye to their loved ones. Also take care to note that several families are still unsure of how they'll be able to make ends meet while the primary breadwinner is gone -- obviously they've been squandering the "vast" piles of cash the government has been giving them.

Try to deploy over a major holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are perennial favorites. And when you're actually over there, sitting in a foxhole, shivering against the cold desert night; and the flight sergeant tells you that there aren't enough people on shift to relieve you for chow, remember this: trade whatever MRE (meal-ready-to-eat) you manage to get for the tuna noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything. This gives some flavor. Talk to your loved ones as often as you are permitted; it won't nearly be long enough or often enough, but take what you can get and be thankful for it.

You may have picked up on the fact that I disagree with most of the points you present in your opined piece.  But, tomorrow from KABUL, I will defend to the death your right to say it.

You see, I am an American fighting man, a guarantor of your First Amendment rights and every other right you cherish. On a daily basis, my brother and sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people like you can thumb your collective nose at us, all on a salary that is nothing short of pitiful and under conditions that would make most people cringe. We hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private sector because we can't offer the stability and pay of civilian companies.

And you, Ms. Williams, have the gall to say that we make more than we deserve? Rubbish!

A1C Michael Bragg, Hill AFB AFNCC

WAY TO GO, MICHAEL!!!

OK.  I feel like playing the antagonist today.  I've been looking at the blog entries this morning and it is just amazing to me the things that people choose to get worked up about.  A video of a rancher moving a stubborn steer with his van stirred outrage from well over 500 bloggers.  That poor guy has probably been sick all week from all the pins that people have been sticking into voodoo dolls of him. 

Exactly one week ago today a family and a community buried an honorable man who was brutally murdered under circumstances that were probably avoidable.  A couple of posts last week questioned some of the circumstances leading up to this incident as well as the public's response to it and garnered a whopping 16 comments.  Since the funeral we have heard virtually nothing mentioned about it whatsoever despite the fact that nobody knows whether anything has been done to change the policy that put this man's life in danger in the first place and, if not, continues to jeopardize the lives of more public servants in our community. 

While discussing that issue with one concerned blogger, I checked out his newsroom to find that 4 months ago he posted a heartfelt call to patriotic Americans to speak out against all the "political correctness" plaguing our society today, and to let our voices be heard in behalf of the values that our country stands for.  He received 4 responses, including mine.

I find it more than a little disturbing that more concern is shown to a future steak than to our friends and neighbors, our community, and the fate of our nation.

I am concerned about the number of people that are pointing the finger at the Corrections Department for the transport policy that allegedly resulted in the death of Officer Anderson.  When a tragic incident such as this happens, everyone wants to blame someone-- surely SOMEBODY must be at fault-- as if that will somehow make the hurt easier to bear.  In truth, it only gives a focal point at which to direct anger.  And somehow, we feel if we can pinpoint the blame, that will make the senselessness of the situation make sense.

It is easy to look at something in hindsight and say, "they should have known better", as if anyone could have predicted this outcome and avoided it by better planning.  The fact is there IS someone to blame-- and only one someone-- and that is Curtis Allgier, not the Corrections Department.  When a criminal mind wants to commit a criminal act, it doesn't matter what policies, procedures, precautions, or laws are in place.  They will find a way around them.  They will exploit good people who do not think the same way a criminal thinks.  Most of us cannot comprehend the way a mind like that thinks and therefore we would be at risk regardless of what safety measures are in place.

Perhaps policies need to be reviewed and revised, but no amount of precautions will ever eliminate these kinds of tragedies completely.  The reason is because a criminal breaks the law.  Period.  So what difference does it make WHAT the law is?  If they want to do something outside the law they will take advantage of any opportunity to do so.

This is my first entry.  I just started this blog this morning and what prompted me to start it was the sad incident of the shooting of Officer Steve Anderson yesterday morning.  I went into FoxNews website to see what I could find out about the incident because I had only heard about it second hand, actually when I showed up at the Utah State Prison to fulfill a committment that I had there and found it in lockdown.  (My husband and I are service missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Mental Health Forensic Facility at the prison). 

One of the news stories speculated about the corrections department policy of having only one officer present while transporting a prisoner.  At the end of the story, Sandy Riesgraff said that it was the first time a corrections officer had been killed in the line of duty in 20 years-- the last one being Officer Fred House who was killed in the Singer standoff in 1988. 

My son-in-law is Brian Jones, the oldest son of Officer David Jones who was killed in the line of duty in January 2003 in Escalante, Utah when he pulled over a truck for a DUI and was shot down by the passenger of that truck.  My first thought upon hearing that news story last night was that I really hoped that none of the family of David Jones heard that story.

I do not at all mean to diminish the anguish of Steven Anderson's family or of the family of Fred House.  But to hear a comment like that, which I am certain was an unintentional oversight, especially when I have witnessed first-hand the devastating impact the loss of their father/husband/brother has had on the Jones family was really sad for me.  David Jones left behind a loving wife and 5 children ranging in age from 6 to 22 years.  Also many friends and associates.  Indeed, I remember the entire state's police departments and highway patrol officers turned up to escort the procession of his funeral.  I'm sure the loss of one of their own had tremendous impact on all of them as well.

I don't really blame Sandy.  Reporting the news is a daunting responsibility and certainly mistakes will be made.  I'm sure reasonable effort is made to verify the sources of news, but sometimes in a really big breaking story I think there may be more concern about getting the story out than about absolute accuracy in every word that is said.  It's just a shame that sometimes those overlooked details can have lasting hurtful effects on people.

What more can be done about it?  Not sure.  What do you think?