This Last Weekend I Learned...

So this past weekend I had a UTA, which means I did my one weekend a month for the Air Force Reserves in which I got to pretend I'm still in the military. To sum it up, on Saturday I got to go on a KC-10 (that's a plane that refuels fighter jets in the air) and watch it refuel some F-22s (I might post some pics later, I might not). Then on Sunday we had some training that everyone had to go to and after that a group picnic. What a tough life the reserves is.
Anyways, on to what that training was about...
As technology moves on and people move with it, more and more people are getting in to social media (such as facebook) and blogging. This includes a lot of people in the military. This has been creating some problems for the military. And a big one of those problems is that there's people out there that think if they read a blog or look at the facebook (or similar site) of some random military member, the thoughts or feelings they may come across there are shared by all military members or are in some other way endorsed by the military. And this has led to some people getting in trouble. So in order to cover my ass and severely lessen my chances of getting in trouble, I need to state the following:
While I am a member of the US Air Force Reserves, any thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. expressed by me on this page/site are in no way endorsed or supported by the US Air Force, the US Air Force Reserves, any US military branch, or even the US government itself. These are my thoughts and feelings and I speak for no one else within my chain of command or whom I may work with.
That being said...
If you're dumb enough to think that some random military member speaks for the whole military (or even just some branch of it), please remove yourself from the gene pool (suicide isn't needed, I'll settle for castration). One great thing about the US military is the large variety of people that make it up. And being there's a lot of people from different backgrounds and lifestyles, there's going to be a lot of different thoughts and feelings involved in it all. I can't imagine someone being dumb enough to think random Sgt. Doe speaks for a whole set of military people on their facebook, but apparently those idiots are out there.
If any branch of the military wishes to speak officially about something, they do so on their official websites or through a designated spokesperson with credited media sources. When I get on my virtual soapbox and whine about things, that's all me (which is how it should be; I don't want those guys getting credit for my genius).
As I've said before, I've been getting a lot more into politics lately, which means I'm likely to talk more about politics (though I'll still try to throw in some whining about women on occasion so things don't seem to out of the norm). Those thoughts will be my thoughts only and have nothing to do with my military service.
If you need further clarification on all of this, bang your head against a brick wall a few times and I'm sure that'll clear everything up for you. Or at least entertain those around you.

So Much as I Haven't Been Blogging Lately...

It's not that there hasn't been anything to write about; just nothing new.
For a good while, I've found myself paying more and more attention to the news; especially political news. I don't know if this is a side-effect of growing older or I just have that much more free time these days (don't worry, I still make sure to play plenty of video games).
And I've come to a few conclusions.
I don't just fear for my country, I fear for the whole world (that means every country). I don't think there's a government out there that hasn't lost touch with the majority of their population. On top of that, the levels of corruption being found in governments these days is disgusting. Don't get me wrong, I've never been so naive as to think government corruption didn't exist, but it seems to go completely unchecked these days. And the kicker of it is that we have government officials determine the guilt or innocence and any possible punishment for those suspected of corrupt actions. I'm not sure that could be any more backwards of an idea.
Then there's the whole us vs them shenanigans going on, as in it's just one party against another. This whole republican vs. democrat thing is old. Time and time again these idiots vote along party lines even after saying they don't agree with a bill. It's so comforting to know our "leaders" have just enough back bone to keep them erect and nothing more.
The average (for lack of a better term) citizen is better qualified to perform brain surgery than to vote. Time and again it seems people go to vote knowing next to nothing about candidates or ballot measures. Then they get there and just vote based upon some thirty second commercial they vaguely remember or what some celebrity said would be the "right" way to vote. Or worst of all, and I don't know how people do this and live with themselves, they go go with the "winning team" mentality, meaning they'll vote for who/whatever they think is going to win. Look, if you don't know much of anything about who or what is on the ballot, stay home. I know they give those cool little stickers at most voting sites that you get to wear proudly stating you voted, but you're really not doing anyone any favors by voting.
Then there's people willing to fight over political differences... I wish they would. And I hope the fight ends in them killing each other. Political beliefs, just like religious ones, can be very personal. And everyone is entitled to their own. Fighting someone because of different political viewpoints is like saying they're not entitled to their own. Which makes you an ignorant prick. (Note: Just because everyone is entitled to their own doesn't mean everyone is right, there is a difference). There's a lot of people I don't agree with on a lot of different things, and yes, it can be aggravating at times. But it's not worth fighting over. Usually it's not even worth trying to have an argument over as minds aren't likely to be changed by such arguments.
Anyways, as much as I could expound upon all of a lot of this, especially the last paragraph, this blog is long enough. And I have video games to get back to (and I'd like to say that StarCraft 2 may be one of the best video games I've ever played).