Celebrating Obama: Hold Your Horses

Recently, I've been seeing commercials on TV for Barack Obama commerative plates and commemorative coins. I've heard that several schools are renaming themselves after him. I've seen a report (but been unable to confirm) that St. Lois, MO wants to rename the historic Delmar Boulevard after him. I've even heard a rumor that a county in Alabama wants to create Barack Obama Day as a county holiday. Now, he's been named "Person of the Year" by TIME Magazine.

That's all well and good, but aren't we celebrating a bit to early?

Brack Obama hasn't done anything yet. Okay, he won the election and has appointed most of his cabinet, but he hasn't even been inaugurated yet. We have no idea how good or bad of a leader he will be, and yet we seem to be celebrating him as the greatest President since, well, Washington.

I won't deny that an African-American being elected President is nothing short of historic, and the occasion of his election should be celebrated, but really, this is going a bit too far. We don't know what he's going to do once he takes office. All I've heard from him are the same vague speeches about Hope, Change, and Equality, along with his Redistribute-The-Wealth rhetoric (Which is socialist. No, really, it is. Look the word up in the dictionary) and promises of so-called "Common Sense" gun laws . I don't know what exactly he's going to do once he takes office (though I can probably guess), and maybe he will turn out to be a good president. I don't know. But I think we should hold off on the celebrating until we know just what kind of a leader our 44th President turns out to be.

Why I Plan To Carry

A 21 year-old girl calls 911 to report she is being attacked by a stranger. The police arrive. 48 minutes later, after her attacker had brutally murdered her. You can read the full story here.

The police are supposed to protect us. That's their job. But, as this article clearly shows, they are not always around when we need them. You're being attacked, you call 911, then what? You need the police now, but they're minutes away if you're lucky. Ultimately, your own personal safety is your responsibility.

That's one reason why I plan on owning and carrying a gun (my age and present housing situation currently prohibit both). No one has a right to harm me or take my life from me, and I have a right to defend myself if someone tries. And I know for a fact that the police probably won't show up until it's too late.

A few months ago, somebody broke into the house around the corner from mine. The woman who lives there called 911, but by the time the police responded the guy was long gone. I wasn't home when the break-in happened; I actually wound up sort-of following one of the responding officers there. It was no more than five or six minutes from the second he turned on the lights and siren and blew passed me to when I drove past the woman's house as I turned onto my street, but that fast the guy (I think I remember learning that it was the homeowner's ex-husband; they'd just gone though a very bitter divorce) was in and out. Thankfully, the homeowner wasn't harmed. But she was lucky. Brittany Zimmerman wasn't.

Major Blog Renovation in Progress

As you've no doubt noticed, I've altered the blog's template again. I was tired of the old template and thought this one looked a lot nicer. I'll probably be fooling around with the color scheme and trying out new gadgets over the next couple of days. Let me know what you think about my experimentations.

I've also made some major changes to my profile as well. I'm just Raptor now, not jedi_raptor07. Image profile has also been changed. It's a peregrine falcon to fit with the Raptor name. The URL has also been changed. It didn't fit with the theme I had going with the rest of my URLs, so I decided to change it. That, and since my profile name has changed, I wanted the URL to be relevant to the new name.

Finally, I've deleted my Raptor's Reaction's blog. Honestly, I thought it was silly to have a dedicated blog for meaningful, intelligent posts while devoting my main blog to just pointless junk. I did integrate all of the posts from Reaction's into the main blog, so nothing was lost. Any new "reactions" will just be posted on the main blog. This change doesn't affect my movie review at all. That will remain separate.

That takes care of most of the major stuff (for now, anyway). I've made some changes to the sidebar and added a "Quote of the Day" gizmo above the posts as well.

What's the point of all these changes? Quite frankly, I was disappointed with the way the blog was, and I'm going to try and take it in a different directions. Hopefully now the posts will be more meaningful instead of the random junk I was posting earlier. This is most likely going to result in two major changes. First, I'll probably be posting more of the short microfictions that I put up occasionally. Second, the blog will probably be getting a bit more political in nature, so consider yourself warned.

Right now, I've taken the renovations about as far as I've planned to. However, this whole thing started out with me planning to do nothing more than simply changing the template, so we'll see what happens.

I Wonder What Amazon Thinks of Me?

Over the last year, I've made exactly three purchases from Amazon.com. First, for five books on the New Testament for my bible class. Second, for a textbook about movies and an a scene-by scene analysis of Psycho. Third and most recently, for an old Doctor Who series (for nerdjedi) and a three-disc Queen collection (for myself) Now, to make purchases from Amazon, like most online retailers (in my experience anyway) you have to create an account. After you purchase stuff, Amazon sends you these "Amazon Reccomends" emails that suggests items they think you'd like based on what you've previously bought from them. I can only wonder what those little gremlins who put together those emails think of me. "He likes books on religion, old horror movies, old British science fiction TV shows, and 80s rock bands. O-kaaaaaay....."

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

That Was Odd

Yeah, I have no idea why I wrote my last post. I wasn't even cheesed off about anything when I wrote it. Not even remotely agitated. Yeah. That was wierd.

Anyway.

Finals are over, so that means I'm off for the next month! Sweet!!! Plans? Not much, really. I'm probably going to spend most of my time rewriting More Than a Job, which I've re-titled as Justice Delayed. I re-read it a few weeks ago, and while I love the characters, the basic premise (Pierce as a hitman) was just too cheesy, especially since I'm going to try and have it published once I finish writing it. Aside from that, I really don't have all that much on my plate.

So, yeah, not much going on in my world.


Still no idea why I wrote that last post.

10 Things That Really Cheese Me Off

In no particular order...

1. Che Guevera T-Shirts. This man helped to incite violent revolutions in Guatemala, Cuba, Gongo, and Bolivia, ordered the deaths of thousands simply because they disagreed with his political views... and you want to put him on a T-Shirt?
2. Verizon. We upgraded to FiOS this week, which is cool, but now Verizon is calling us and telling us we ordered a whole lot of extra packages that we didn't order and that we owe them more money that we really don't. We'll get it sorted out, but it's still a royal pain in the @$$.
3. Liberal Fanatics. I like a lot of Democrats. I have several good friends who are outspoken proponents of the Democratic Party. It's the rabidly politically correct, bailout-everyone, ban-all-guns, Christian-muzzling, George-Bush-is-evil types that drive me up a wall. Especially the ones who refuse to even let the other side speak (This means you, Ms. O'Donnell)
4. Christmas Carols in November. Don't get me wrong, these seasonal songs have their place: the two weeks before Christmas. Not the day after Halloween. You want to start playing them after Thanksgiving, that's fine. But 24/7 for two months straight? I swear, if I hear It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year or Have a Holly Jolly Christmas one more time, I'm going to completely lose it.
5. The Big Three. They spend the last 30 years digging themselves into a hole, and now they expect Washington to bail them out at the taxpayers' expense? No way, Jose. Maybe it they'd built cars that people actually wanted to own, they wouldn't be in this mess.
   
6. Nintendo Power. I used to really like this magazine. Heck, I've been a subscriber since the 5th grade. Since they switched publishers last summer, though, the magazine has really started to suck. Now it's like almost every other generic game magazine; ads, a few previews, ads, a major review of a game or two, more ads, maybe an interview with a developer, even more ads, a lot of 2-paragraph micro reviews, still more ads, general bragging about how great they are, and, oh, did I mention ads?
7. The Mainstream Media. Our economy is in the crapper, Somali pirates are hijacking at least one ship a week, Russia changed its constitution in a way that will allow Putin to remain in power, Venezuela recently purchased several billion in new weapons from Russia, yet these barely seem to rate a 30-second blurb while reporters camp out in front of a hospital for days waiting for Brangelina's babies to be born. Plus, most of them don't even bother to check the facts on their stories any more. Dan Rather ring a bell?
   
8. Frivolous Lawsuits. Actually, people who won't take responsibility for their actions in general make me mad, but it's when they turn around and sue that my blood really starts to boil. If you spill hot coffee on yourself, you should clean yourself up, not clean out the company who sold you the coffee. My personal favorite: the couple who sued New York City's Metro Transit authority after they were hit by a subway train while making out on the tracks.
9. Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. Two more magazines that I really used to like. I've been "borrowing" my dad's issues of PopMech since I was 8, and I subscribed to PopSci since I was in middle school. However, that was before they went politically correct, i.e., green. Now, most of their articles are about some new technology that is going to replace fossil fuels or save the planet. I've got no problem with that, but there's more to science than green technology, especially when most of it is either decades away or will never work to begin with. Even nerdjedi is sick of PopSci now.
10. Writers who publish online but don't finish their stories. Now this really cheeses me off. I cannot tell you how many times I've come across a really great story on FanFiction.Net or FictionPress.Com or some similar site and follow the story for months, only to have the author suddenly abandon it for another story because they're bored with it or suddenly got a new idea. ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! Finish the story, **** it!!! I want to know how it ends!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    

Ford Fiesta: A Subcompact... Amphibious Assault Vehicle?

Starts off like a standard Top Gear review, but trust me, it gets interesting towards the middle.





Go Marines! Even if you are from Formerly-Great Britain!

I promise, this is the only Top Gear video I'll post for a while.

Also, I am now officially cheezed off at YouTube. Now that they've gone widescreen, the videos no longer fit perfectly in blog posts! Boo! *throws rotten tomatoes at YouTube*

Pearl Harbor Day

December 7, 1941

A Date That Shall Live In Infamy.

2,402 Killed.

We Shall Never Forget.

The Truth About College

How true, how true. Except during finals week, of course. Then, money suddenly becomes a nonissue.

Sanity, or Good Grades? Hmm... I think I'm leaning towards the latter.

Happy (Late) Thanksgiving

First of all, let me say a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers. I'm a few days late, I know. Things have been absolutely crazy around here for the last few weeks.

My grandmother was in a car accident about two weeks ago, wound up in ICU with bleeding on the brain, and has been living with us since she was discharged. She's doing much better now, thank the Lord. If you would please keep her and the rest of the family in your prayers, I'd really appreciate it.

As if that wasn't enough, finals are next week. Ugh. I've got lots of long-term stuff coming due in the next two weeks, so I'm gonna be busy as heck (worked pretty much 11 hours straight nonstop today). Didn't get as much done as I wanted to over break either, with cousins from both sides of the family up. Fortunately, I'm keeping a decent (if hectec) pace, so everything should get finished in time.

Yeah, so...

Pics of the new 2010 Mustang are out. I didn't like it at first, but I think it's starting to grow on me. What do you think?

Veterans' Day, 2008

World War I ended 90 years ago today. 40 million people were killed in the four years of nonstop warfare.

Untold millions, both soldiers and civilians alike, have given their lives in the pursuit of liberty. Do not let their sacrifice be forgotten, and never forget that freedom is not free.



If you can read this, thank your teacher.If you can read this in English, thank a Veteran.

You Won't Believe This!

Olny srma t poelpe can raed tih s.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!

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Alas, I didn't come up with this, it was part of an email someone forwarded to me. It's still cool, though.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies, 2008 World Champions!



Way to go Phils! Can't wait for next season!

Black Belt Patriot

If given the option, Chuck Norris would rather rely on his .357 Magnum than his roundhouse kick.



That should tell you something.

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On a more somber note, my uncle passed away unexpectedly this past weekend. Please keep my family in your prayers as we head through this difficult period.

Are You Kidding Me?

Get a load of this. I was in the Sporting Goods section of my local Wal-Mart tonight, and you're not going to believe what I saw.

I came across a half-row of ammunition. I know, real shocking. Yeah, well, they had big boxes of 12-Gauge shotgun ammo just sitting on the shelves in cardboard boxes. It wasn't 00-Buckshot, but you still would not want to stand in front of it. Now, conversely, they had boxes of dinky .22 rimfire ammo, the kind that's only powerful enough for squirrel or frog hunting, locked inside an armored cabinet.

Are you kidding me? Lock up the dinky little bullets that have a hard time downing prairie dogs behind a half-inch of armored glass, but leave cases of manstoppers on the shelf for anyone to grab? And before you yell at me, it's easy to hide a sawed-off shotgun under a jacket.

I Need Your Help!

I haven't posted in a while, this is true. It's just that... *sigh* I haven't really been motivated. School's been keeping me kinda busy (though not half as busy as nerdjedi. I swear, I'm in college and I don't have half the work he has), but still, I have had free moments every now and again. I just... haven't been inspired, I guess.

Okay, so now that I'm posting anyway, what do I have to talk about... ?

Well, I went paintballing over the weekend. That was a lot of fun (even if I did get shot a lot). Only downside was that I had to rent a marker, since I don't play enough to justify buying one. The one I rented was kinda lousy, kept jamming and misfeeding. It's a good marker if you take care of it (It was a Tippmann 98 Custom, if that means anything to you), but it had obviously been heavily used and the field probably hadn't done regular maintenance on it. How do I know? I've played twice before at two different places, rented the same type of marker each time, and the first two times they functioned flawlessly. Yeah, if I start playing more, I'm definitely going to buy my own gear. That is, of course, assuming airsoft doesn't become more popular around here, but I'm not banking in it.

The new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, comes out next month. Can't wait for that. I've seen a few trailers, and it looks awesome. Even better than Casino Royale. And it looks like there's even a halfway-decent car scene in this one, too. Sweet.

Anyone remember Codename: White Knight? Well, I finally finished it. I'm serious. I worked on it all summer, and I finished a few weeks ago. Its on hiatus for a while (still needs revisions), but having worked on it for nearly three months straight, I'm gonna leave it alone for a while. In the meantime, I'm going to be undertaking a major revision (actually more like a minor rewrite) of my other novel (and prequel to White Knight), More Than a Job. I'm also working on a brand new novel totally unrelated to the other two. Actually, I could use your help with that.

Okay, so in my new (as-yet-untitled) novel, the hero drives an old Pontiac GTO Judge muscle car. The only problem is, I can't decide what model year he's going to own. Specifically, I'm torn between the 1969 and the 1970 models. Which to you think looks coolest? Here they are:

1969:


1970:


I've put a poll in the sidebar, please vote on which car you like best. Thanks.

Oh, and I've also added a lot more to my review blog. Head on over and check it out.

I Can Has LOLs?

Just thought I'd share some lols I made courtesy of the icanhascheezburger lol builder.





You won't see these on any of the lol sites because I don't have an account.

Oh, and just a quick bit of news: Raptor's Reviews is going to be updated at least twice a week now. Last week was The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, check back by Wednesday for Apocalypse Now.

Never Forget

Never Forget.

Never Forget The Men, Women, and Children Who Died That Day.

Never Forget The Sacrifices That Countless Men, Women, and Children Have Made Since That Day.



9.11.01 - 9.11.08

Reviews are back

Hey there!

Just a quick heads-up. My film-review blog is back up. I actually have to maintain it for my Art of Film class, so expect regular updates. To start off, there's a brand-new (if somewhat short) review of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960)

Also, I gave the blog a new URL. You can check it out here. Enjoy.