April Fool's Day 2012

Just a reminder:

It is good to always tell the truth with love.

"I was only joking" can contain an intentional barb of hurt.

A partial truth is still a lie.

Public humiliation has destroyed many a friendship.

Avoid malicious activity.

Honor others and extend the gift of dignity.

Be kind tomorrow. Greet each person with a smile.

Bless and do not curse.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Word of God Speak

This about sums it up.

"The last thing I need, is to be heard.... but to hear, what You would say."

Word of God, speak.

This is my prayer today.

Click on Link


Tammy Swofford

Sending Unarmed American Combatants into a Conflict Zone

Link Here

I propose we send in the nuns. Somali gunmen shot an unarmed Italian nun in the back in Mogadishu a couple years ago. Afghan military forces shoot our men in uniform in the back of the head when they are unarmed.

I propose the Pentagon request the Vatican supply a battalion of consecrated sisters to assist us in Afghanistan.

But wait! We will not provide every uniformed American military combatant with a weapon. We will provide "Guardian Angels" to watch over them whilst they sleep.

There are reasons the PTSD is so severe. Some of it has to do with the manner in which our men and women are no longer allowed to wage war and due to limp and unhealthy policies generated for an asymmetrical battlespace.

I propose that the Pentagon be cleansed. Deeply and thoroughly. Then cleanse the State Department. To the baseboards. Also cleanse the White House. Election is a'comin.

Send in the nuns. Bring our troops home.

How do we inform American families if their child was merely an unarmed sacrificial lamb, a poster child for "good will" when there is none in Afghanistan? How do we express our "gratitude" as a nation to the parents who have learned that the child who took and kept an oath, was betrayed by the unhealthy policies of men who also had the same oath pass their lips?

How many remember the number of days in which American embassy personnel were in captivity in Tehran because the US Marines at the embassy were ordered to lay down their weapons?

444

Fifty-two hostages were taken. Most of them were in captivity for 444 days. Our blame was in asking a U.S. Marine to lay down his weapon in a hostile environment.

Please talk back. Tell me how you feel regarding unarmed combatants in a highly volatile geopolitical environment? How do you feel about our sons and daughters sleeping at night in a combat zone without their weapon next to their rack?

LCDR Tammy Swofford, USNR, NC

Fakhra Younus: Physical Disfigurement which Reflects Cultural Disfigurement

She was in the early years of adulthood when her husband doused her with acid.

For a decade, she endured each surgery which was followed by the next look in the mirror which noted the same thing - the glimpse of cultural darkness at its worst.

Her former husband is a free man. Only until the Day of Judgment. Freedom is a temporal state. Guilt is forever.

Extensive research documentation shows Pakistan as a nation which places women at risk.

One woman. One face. One nation.

What is Pakistan prepared to do?

Article link

Tammy Swofford

The Face of Hope

Readers,

Beyond the insensitive and cavalier attitude of those who crafted the ad for Belvedere Vodka, as noted in the prior post - are decent gentlemen such as Omar Garcia.

I have known him for many years. He has a tremendous interest in women's health issues in underserved regions and has been active in providing after-care programs for victims of human trafficking.

Please take a moment today to consider the tremendous good which is accomplished when men of moral strength stoop to help the weak.

Link to online journal post of Omar Garcia

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Belvedere Vodka: Drink to Forget your Sexual Assault

Oh wait a minute! I got it wrong! Drink Belvedere Vodka and enjoy a nice round of sexual assault.

We could move into "tales from the crypt" very easily. But in general, ladies do not spill their guts regarding sexual assault, whether it ranges from a grope to a full-throttle rape.

Unfortunately, many such incidents are fueled by alcohol and loss of inhibition with a concurrent aggression toward the physically weaker of the species.

For every woman who has ever suffered through the indignity of what is shown in the image for the Belvedere Vodka ad - for every woman who has ever been groped by a man lacking the decency to even introduce himself before handling the real estate - to every woman who has ever been cornered on an elevator, pinched, slapped, squeezed or..... raped..... a good stiff drink of Belvedere might lessen the pain.

Link to article

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Sunday Praise

Enjoy!

Click on link

ARSENAL: Book Review

Readers,

I will post reviews of _Arsenal_ here, as they come in. The first one is done. I am grateful for an initial vote of confidence. smile

Review I

Review II

Review III


Smiling,
Tammy Swofford

New Swofford website

Mohamed Merah: Kandahar Prison Escapee

Remember this?

Link to blog

The man suspected of bringing a wave of terror to France was part of the escapee population of the earlier Kandahar prison break in June of 2008.

I am putting Al-Qaedah as the meta tag for this post. Educate yourself. We face a virulent ideology which believes shooting little Jewish girls in the head whilst holding them by the hair is adjudication for societal ills. Mohamed claims he will surrender later today. Yeah. Wearing a suicide vest. The man is a bomb maker. What is he doing right now with his "freedom"? Hmmm

Tammy Swofford

The C.I.A. Bomber

Readers,

Here is the commentary for Daily Times.

Click here

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Joel Shrun: Targeting of a Christian in Yemen

The above, is the picture accompanying the news of the death of a Christian in Yemen. It is taken from a jihad portal. Joel Shrun was killed in Taiz, Yemen today.

The assailant approached his vehicle on a motorcycle and gunned him down. The warning is simple enough: Joel committed the crime of (possibly) sharing his Christian faith with Muslims.
For that he was put to death. Perhaps the message which is so lacking within Muslim-majority nations will never be fully expressed because of incidents like this one. The Bible uses the word love 714 times. A God of love is a unique aspect of the Christian faith.

For God so loved the world.... What a beautiful thought.

ARSENAL

My first novel is beginning to launch. Press kits and books are being sent to power bloggers and the radio media market.

Here is a link from one powerful blogging personality:

_Arsenal_

The novel is now available on Amazon:

Click here

For those who follow the Friday commentary for Daily Times, it will soon make an appearance. There has been a small procedural delay.

Tammy Swofford

New Swofford website

Reminders for Those Who Send to War

War must be entered with a distinct awareness that conflict shatters the souls of men.

War must be maintained with a careful understanding as to how multiple deployments affect both the soldier and his family unit.

War must be ended when goals cannot be achieved and a victory claimed.

Better a simple declaration of the truth than a prolonged and false hope.

War is a season of temporary violence which is allowed to address tyranny and threats to a nation.

We have been at war for a decade now; within two theaters of operation during most of this season. It is testing the souls of men beyond their mental and emotional capacity. Pray for our troops. Pray for wisdom for our Pentagon and elected officials to tenderly consider the need to bring our troops home - the need to enter a season of peace for our vast military community.

Pray for the father who suffered tremendous loss at the hands of one of our soldiers.

Pray for the soldier who will now be faced with the penalty for his actions. He will be punished based on the physical evidence.

Who will comfort his children?

Click on link

Tammy Swofford

Red Bull Pulls Jesus Ad

Really?

Here is the link

In all honesty, I thought it was cleverly done and had a little chuckle when the Son of God said "Jesus" when he slipped.

Christianity does not have a doctrine for the defense of God.

He is "I am" and His state of being is not dependent on my clanging sword. He was, and is and is to come.... nothing changes the fact. My faith, is not threatened by Red Bull.

Christianity allows a bit of spiritual relaxation, otherwise known as "grace".

Let us learn to extend that grace to others.

Smiling,

Tammy Swofford

U.S. Soldier Kills Afghan Civilians -

When reading the Taliban statement that the death of Afghan civilians will be retaliated with beheadings of our soldiers my thoughts turned to our troops today.

I went over to a Taliban site which is in the Pashto language. Yep. Across the banner at the top, pictures of the deceased children. One of our own went rogue and committed gross criminal acts. What he did shows the depths of human depravity and mental imbalance.

Did he display signs of needing a psych board evaluation which were ignored? His history was already littered with troubling signs of a soldier in distress before sent on his 4th deployment.

Pray for our troops today. Pray for the families of our troops.

Tammy Swofford

Abu Qatada

Latest commentary for Daily Times here:

Abu Qatada


Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Rush Limbaugh: Jeff Crouere Unsheaths his Sword

Readers,

Jeff sent me his excellent piece this morning. Whilst I merely attacked Rush for word usage, Jeff paints the canvas with the broader stroke.

I did note that President Obama stated that he would not like to have his daughters insulted for being good citizens. I am hopeful, that being a "good citizen" does not require agreeing with policy interventions by the current administration which attack our Constitutional rights to freedom of religion. The Constitution does not guarantee any freedom regarding contraception access and reimbursement by a third party. smile I do believe that the Obama administration will be judged harshly by future historians as being one of the most highly agenda-driven and lobby-subjugated presidencies in our history.

Jeff Crouere commentary here


Tammy Swofford

Rush Limbaugh: A Slut by any other name.... is called a woman

I finally took about twenty seconds to scan an article related to Rush Limbaugh and his potty mouth. Never liked the guy. Like him even less now.

Several years ago, being rather naive, I asked a male acquaintance the burning question of the moment: "What is the difference between a prostitute and a slut?" Without a pause, the answer was given to me quite simply. "Tammy, a slut doesn't clean up between clients." I took another sip of coffee and said, "Oh.... errr.... o.k."

My sons have been taught many simple truths regarding women. I have always wanted them to understand that women are special. While never using the word "slut" with my sons, I did give them the following guidance: While not all women are ladies, all women are to be treated like ladies. Even a prostitute, craves a bit of dignity. Yes, I have honestly had these discussions with my progeny.

I think Jesus kinda had the same line of reasoning, don't you? He understood that a basic need of mankind, is the need for dignity. It is the gift we extend to the other - not because they necessarily deserve it, but to remind us of the kind of people we want to be in life. I don't even really know anything about Sandra Fluke. She doesn't fascinate me. But yet I do not want her called by a rather derogatory term.

Rush Limbaugh picked up the wrong stone on this one. There is no need to call any woman a slut. Call them by their given name. Address the issue you find offensive. But do not slap a woman with the "S" word.

Tammy Swofford

Religious Sensitivity

Here is the Daily Times article for this week:

Link here


Tammy

Gay Fatigue: Exploitation of the Unconvinced

Keep your tongue in your mouth and your hands on the table.

Yes, we need the etiquette police out and about as the gay population increasingly flaunt their sexuality in public manner. The image of a military man lap-dancing and thigh-hugging his partner after a deployment gave me a jolt. It is not an image wanted by military husbands and wives. Personally, I had a sense of shame. Obviously, there is no line to be drawn for wearing the uniform and doing so with both a sense of honor and modesty.

My dining dollar should not be accompanied by a side show of fawning gay or straight couples. Take it home or to the car. But do not force me to be engulfed in the mini-drama of your romance. The restaurant management which asked a lesbian couple to leave was doing so at the direction of their paying customers who complained that their dining experience was being marred. It is no different than the expectation that dining out should not be endured with a screaming and inconsolable baby at the adjacent table. Dining out should not be accompanied by unwanted behavioral distractions. Eat quietly, enjoy a good laugh, don't be a fool.

Is anyone else suffering from gay fatigue? Hardly a television program (NCIS on Tuesday), awards program, or talk show can manage to shy away from a topic which is overwrought with angst and human drama. I want to be entertained. Not manipulated.

I am an American who considers homosexuality a sin. That belief, does not count for hatred. It counts for conviction. I have gay friends. That does not change my conviction. But gay or straight, keep you tongue in your mouth and your hands on the table in public. We all, believe in decency.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com