Morning Coffee (72)

It’s the last day of the second to last month in 2007, and we’re still here, sipping piping hot Coffee. Good for us. I really wish I could quit my job and just do spectacularly awesome Morning Coffee’s for a living. I’d be the Starbucks of the blogosphere; making delicious opinion lattes and wonderful cynicism frappucinos for the world to enjoy. But alas, I have bills to pay, and the Morning Coffee, for all its greatness, simply doesn’t bring in more than zero dollars a month.

American Legionaries – Unwitting Victims:

There is a site I visit once a day, maybe less, the main crux of which is nude women with tattoos and piercing. It’s classy stuff if you’re a biker or a goth. But lately, I’ve visited solely for their current events writers. They’ve got a pretty decent set up there. I think there are 30 writers or so who opine regularly. I call it pseudo-journalism, because they take themselves very seriously, but aren’t really bothered with things like journalistic integrity or other inconveniences. Much of what they write on isn’t really news at all, but a bunch of uber-liberal opinion (what do you expect from a site such as this?). Don’t get me wrong, a few cite sources (links), and most are intelligent and articulate. Some even make good points. Then, site members are semi-welcome to post comments about the articles, usually provided that you agree with the author and/or hive. Woe unto those who do not. My point though isn’t to explain the site or why I go there to read things, however. Let’s just say that I like being exposed to stupid, er…opinions different than mine. I digress…

There are so many “good” articles that it’s hard to pick just one about which to write. However, yesterday I read one about Al Gore’s meeting with President Bush. The author was wondering, in their snide, sarcastically demeaning way, what the topic of the conversation was between the two. His (her?) take was that Bush was a blithering idiot and merely wasted the regal Al Gore’s time, and he even provided us with a possible script of what took place. A discussion of the actual article is not worth my time, but it’s the comments posted below it that I want to address. A short back-story before I get to my main point. Some poster, a member of the Air Force, made mention to the audience at large to stop whining that their guy lost (which is what some were doing in their snide, sarcastic, hipster way). Well, wouldn’t you know it, the community jumped on this guy pretty good. He stated that he was glad Bush won (imagine the argument that elicited – robbed election, I dare say!), and that he was better off because of it, despite deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Then someone said, “well, you’re in the Air Force, why don’t you ask some soldiers and Marines!” He retorted that he knew soldiers and Marines and they too were okay with, *gasp*, doing their duty. Then someone whipped out the big guns…they pointed him to the Veterans Against the Iraq War (VIAW) website, as if that were the end-all, be-all of soldierly opinion and sentiment.

My point, which I’m taking overly long to make, is this, and I want to make this abundantly clear: we are not victims. Soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen are not victims being abused by some warmongering government. I know that liberals (who make up a majority of this particular site) like to champion victims; it’s in their DNA to find victims all over (I really think it’s some sort of compensation complex many have). That’s fine. Sometimes it’s necessary. But we (the aforementioned groups) do not need a victims’ advocacy, shouting loud for all to hear, lamenting about our plight – that being volunteering to be members of a military force and then having to go to war. It’s not a plight, folks. It’s a duty. One that the vast majority of men and women who serve carry out proudly, with honor, and with nary a complaint. You might even say that some of these men and women, young and old, actually desire war. I know that most people don’t want to hear that, but it’s true. Some of these men and women live for warfare, because if they didn’t we wouldn’t have all those handy manuals and, get this, the most proficient military machine (i.e. killing machine) in the history of warfare. Warfare is the ultimate team sport, so why should soldiers’ sentiments about it be any different than they have for thousands of years (the length of time dependent upon the weight you place on the fossil record).

But the fact is, some people, liberals mostly, want to make us into victims. “Bush is sending these people to fight in this unjust war!” The implication is that they’re being sent to die and that it’s against their will. Ignoring the justness of this war, these men and women are neither being sent to die (although some will) nor being sent against their will. When someone points out these facts, a liberal’s response is to simply point that person towards a group (VIAW) that does feel victimized, as if that segment of military society represents the whole. Not true. These people also like to point to the wounded (the more horrifically the better) and suggest that this is the fate of those who are sent to fight and die, against their will, in this unjust war. They are hijacking our wounded comrades to make political statements that border on misleading, if not wholly misrepresentative of the majority. These people also like to point to rare instances of bureaucratic ineptitude – such as the soldier who was asked to return his enlistment bonus because he was wounded and thus couldn’t fulfill the contractual obligations of his reenlistment – and suggest that this is the norm; that this is how our soldiers are treated and victimized by the rich, white, Protestant elite. Never mind that these errors are usually quickly corrected. It’s all evidence of victimization. It’s the liberals’ “white-man’s burden” to champion us.

“'Forward, the Light Brigade!' Was there a man dismay'd ? Not tho' the soldier knew Some one had blunder'd: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & die, Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.” This prose, written by Lord Tennyson about in ill-fated charge during the Crimean War, is what it means to be a soldier. If a soldier (or Marine, sailor, airman) doesn’t know that this is what he is about while he wears the uniform, then he is in dereliction of duty; then he is the victim. But we signed up for this; without coercion we spoke the Oath of Enlistment with our right hand raised. From that point on, ours is not to make reply, nor to wonder why; ours is but to do or die, and into the Valley of Death will we ride, a duty about which we shall never cry.

The Religion of Peace:

If you have not read about Gillian Gibbons, a British school teacher who left her country to teach children in Sudan, I suggest you do so. You’ll be shocked, amazed, and appalled at the behavior of some of the practitioners of the “Religion of Peace.” Because her students named a teddy bear Mohammad she was under threat of death. Not by an unruly mob as is normally the case, but by a court. Now, death was not a sentence that was considered, but some suggested that it be. She could have received 40 lashes and a year in prison, but instead will serve 15 days and be deported. She’s lucky that cooler(ish) heads prevailed. She’s also lucky that she’s being deported, because some young Muslim with too much time on his hands would surely cut her head off because she “insulted” Islam. Do you know how many Muslims are named Mohammad? Hint: it’s more than a baker’s dozen. Since the bear was actually named after a student in class, how is this even a question? She’s lucky. I hope that this teaches some hard lessons to people who wish to Third World countries to help educate its populace.

Word of the Day: Malapropos (adj): Unseasonable; unsuitable; inappropriate. (Adverb): in an inappropriate in inopportune manner; unseasonably. Sort of like a death sentence for naming a teddy bear Mohammad.

On This Day in History: Elizabeth Hodges is hit by a meteorite after it bounced off her radio in her living room, giving her a mere bruise. She’s the only known person to have been hit by a space rock (1954). The famous (or infamous) Cleopatra died today (30 BCE). Also, 300 cities around the globe celebrate “Cities for Life Day”, during which these cities declare their opposition to the death penalty. Excellent, now let’s divide our death row inmates equally amongst these 300 cities. Each should net at least 10 or so murderers and/or rapists.

“When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wonder'd. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!” – Lord Tennyson, Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854.

Morning Coffee (71)

The Morning Coffee has been serving up hot, steaming cups of opinion and fact, sans cream and sugar, for almost 13 months now; 70-ish editions. The Coffee Pot was out of order for about six months, so if you take out that period of time, my numbers look a lot better – basically 10 editions per month. See, stats really CAN do anything. Anyway, the Morning Coffee is proudly back online, in blog form, and will be updated as I brew. It is current now, up to the most recent edition. Here’s the link: http://the-morning-coffee.blogspot.com. Someone check it, because I cannot do so at present. That also means that I cannot post the MC to the blog in the mornings.

Moving on. I was worried that I would suffer from performance anxiety with the new blog commitment, but it seems that there’s a lot to write about today, and I want to do each topic justice. Just don’t get used to the length or frequency.

Afghanistan Revisited:

Marine Corps Commandant General James Conway would like to draw down Marine forces in Iraq and redeploy them in Afghanistan. You remember Afghanistan, right? It’s that place right between Pakistan and Iran. It’s easy to forget about the first battlefield in the so-called War on Terror, what with all the excitement in Iraq. Besides, the Taliban were utterly wiped out right after 9/11, and Afghanistan is a stable democracy with a thriving economy based on the production and export of benign agricultural goods. Unfortunately, the entire last sentence is false, and Conway knows this. It appears that not many other people know this, however. The ones who do seem too focused on the political.

The Marine Corps was sent to one of the most troublesome spots in Iraq (al-Anbar), and after a time, their tactics yielded remarkable results. The Army has begun to use some of these tactics as well. But Afghanistan is growing increasingly problematic, with a resurgent Taliban in the southeast. Every year, poppy production sets a new record, and the government of Afghanistan is having a difficult time dealing with either by itself. With little attention paid to the Crossroads of Civilization by our leadership, we run the risk of losing whatever we’ve worked for there. The Corps would like to prevent this, and bring an actual combat element (a so-called “kinetic bent”) to bear in Afghanistan.

This plan is not received with open arms by many in the military and government. For one, some think that it’s the Marine Corps’ attempt to disengage from Iraq while the going is somewhat good and get involved in Afghanistan, taking a leading role in the theater that has the most public support. A mere PR move, basically. But in addition to this, there are fears that the military would lose a great deal of experience in dealing with the various factions in al-Anbar. Probably true. But perhaps more importantly, the Army would feel that it is shouldering the burden of Iraq alone, and if things got worse there, it would then shoulder the blame – alone. And if the Marine Corps went to Afghanistan and had the same success as it did in Anbar, well, that wouldn’t look good on the Army, and the Corps, which virtually never has the recruiting problems the Army has, would further endear itself to the American public and the public of Afghanistan.

The main-stage may be in Iraq, but along with the glory are the searing lights; the glare of public and governmental scrutiny. It seems as if the Army is worried that success might not be attainable (with or without the Marine Corps), and they want someone to share the inevitable blame that will be doled out to the military. The success the Corps had in Anbar merely builds the legend further. Near single-handed success on the side-stage (but nevertheless, in a WHOLE COUNTRY) by the Corps would make the Army feel bad. And we cannot have that. We cannot even run the risk of hurting feelings, no matter how important Afghanistan may be geopolitically, and let’s not forget, strategically. No matter the Corps’ goals and intentions, this is pure CYA. I doubt if the proposition will even be seriously entertained by the powers at be simply because, well, this sort of talk is bold and radical. See yesterday’s edition for snide remarks on the prospects for the bold and radical.

Side note – the US Air Force also feels bad that it’s not taking an active role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it’s worried that funds will be cut because of this. The latter is probably true, due to the unfortunate short-sightedness of our elected officials. But to address the USAF for a second, I suggest this: keep on practicing bombing things to devastating affect, and keep working to achieve air superiority against all enemies. I have a feeling we’ll be in need of your services in due time.

Army Recruiting Revisited:

I wrote a bit about this yesterday, but a new article by the Wall Street Journal has given me more to discuss. In this article, it is revealed that the Army has realized that it must assuage the fears of “mom and dad” before it can sink its hooks into America’s children. You know, like, “what will my kid do when he gets out of the Army”, that sort of thing. The Army has the answers, and the answers are slick.

The “Army Advantage Fund” (not to be confused with the “Army Disadvantage Fund” in which you are divested of your limbs in return for service) is being rolled out which will give enlistees money for the purchase of homes or the starting of businesses upon the completion of service. Do 18-year-olds think about mortgages and business ventures? No. But 45-year-old parents do, hence the desire to go after “influencers.” Not bad when you consider Col Sterling’s statement: “In marketing terms, the Army’s core product – military service – is a tough sell right now. That means the Army needs to develop new ways of reaching people. We need a new kind of competitive advantage.” That’s a fact. Serving your country, as discussed yesterday, just ain’t what it used to be. There’s simply no glory in it.

You may have noticed the Army has gone through a few recruiting slogans recently. “Be All That You Can Be” was a winner. But it apparently didn’t reach the “Me Generation.” So they moved onto “An Army of One” which sounded more like it belonged on a trailer of a Rambo movie. Since that one sucked, they started using “Army Strong,” as in, “you made him strong, we’ll make him Army strong.” Frankly, I don’t really know what that means. With the lowered standards, does it mean, “we’ll expose him to organized crime, gangs, arsonists, make him fat and morally bankrupt?” Of course, I exaggerate, but does anyone know what that means? With the Army Advantage Fund, the next slogan should simply be, “We’ll Give You Everything You Need. Period.” Never mind giving you the mindset necessary to make something of yourself when you leave, we’ll just give it to you.

Honor:

This is a great story; one of the shining examples of honor and courage. Bill Krissoff’s son, Marine Lt (1^st or 2^nd I don’t know) Nathan Krissoff, was killed in Iraq. Bill is an orthopedic surgeon with a well-off practice, and he wanted to honor his son by joining the Navy as a combat surgeon. Can you believe this?! A 61 year old man leaving a life of luxury because he wanted to honor his son who died in combat while serving his nation. But, he’s 61, and a bit too old. What to do?

In Reno, Bill was in a room with a bunch of families who also lost loved ones in Iraq. They were meeting with Bush. The President asked if there was anything he could do, likely a question for which he wanted no answer. But he got one from Bill: “Yeah, there is one thing. I want to join the Navy medical corps and I gotta get some help here.” The Navy called him three days later; his waiver was granted. Bill has been commissioned a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy. Unbelievable courage and honor. It’s what we need more of.

Word of the Day: Kvetch (intransitive verb (also used as a noun)): to complain habitually.

On This Day in History: The UN General Assembly passed UN Resolution 37/37 which stated that the Soviet Union should withdraw forces from Afghanistan (1982). Clearly, that worked, since the Soviet Union stayed until 1989 – what a waste of time – a mere suggestion Perhaps a resolution stating that the sun should not set would be worthy of UN consideration.

“...the glorious memory of brave men is continually renewed; the fame of those who have performed any noble deed is never allowed to die; and the renown of those who have done good service to their country becomes a matter of common knowledge to the multitude, and part of the heritage of posterity.” – Polybius. If only this were the case…

“The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits.” – Plutarch

Morning Coffee (70)

Good morning, and Good Coffee to you. Welcome to the 70^th edition of Morning brew. Now on with it…

The Broken Army:

You may have heard that our Army is broken, or is at least being broken, by the two-front war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But how true is this? We know that our politicians, from both sides of the political spectrum, are keen on crying wolf, and our media is keen on echoing their sentiments. Democrats WANT the Army to be broken, or at least perceived to be broken, because it proves that Bush’s policies are failed, and in turn, he’s responsible. Furthermore, if they can pin on Bush the breaking of the US Army, they can undermine an area that is generally seen as a Republican bulwark. All this, while interesting, is not really germane to the question, and the answer to that question is, “Yes, our Army is being broken.”

The Boston Globe yesterday reported that the Army’s October recruiting goal had been met. October is the first month of a five-year plan to add 65,000 new soldiers, which the Army claims it can do two years early by “beefing up recruiting efforts” and offering prodigious bonuses to reenlistees. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Meeting goals and offering bonuses.

Not so. According to the Globe, at least 1 in 5 recruits required a waiver to enlist, be it physical fitness waivers to “moral character waivers.” The numbers are astounding: physical deficiency waivers have increased from 4.1% in 2003 to 8.6%, criminal waivers (for anything less than homicide, rape, and drug trafficking) have increased from 4.6% to 11.2% in the same time frame. In fact, 12.3% of the 6,400 enlistees signed in October required waivers for criminal activity. Over twelve percent! Can you imagine fully 20% of our Army being either physically inferior to their peers or morally repugnant? Bring out your arsonists, burglars, aggravated assaulters, fat bodies…we’ll take ‘em. And get this, you can test positive for marijuana twice and cocaine once...wait for it…during the recruiting process, and still sign up. Not in the past, but during the actual process to enlist in the US Army. Unbelievable, isn’t it? I guess that’s what happens when you have an unpopular war and an erosion of civic virtue. Do we really want people as morally bankrupt as arsonist defending our nation? Do we want people physically incapable of carrying a radio doing the same? Do we want to serve with those types of people? My guess would be no. But numbers is what counts here, not quality.

A lot of people would like to see the draft implemented in order to solve this problem. Many of these people also have a hidden agenda: they want the burden shouldered by everyone equally. Generally, they say things like, “Jenna Bush should have the same chance of serving as X.” Whatever. Not the point. These morons actually think that if Jenna Bush or Senator Schmuckateli’s son was in uniform, George wouldn’t have gone to war in Iraq and Congress wouldn’t have authorized the war. That’s purely absurd. Do they really think that those types of people would serve in line companies? No. They’d be in some rear-echelon unit serving fake eggs, no matter how badly they might want to actually fight (see Prince Harry, for example). The death or capture of Jenna Bush or Jon Schmuckateli would be a huge propaganda coup for our opposition. Thus, that portion of their argument is stupid. You might say, “Well, they have something there, what with the numbers and all.” True. True they do, if numbers is all that matters (see quote at end and uncountable historical examples to the contrary). But you’d still have plenty of waivers, this time they’d be waivers to get out of service. And would the quality of draftees be better than those who volunteer? Probably not. For how long are they pressed into service? These questions are moot; conscription is not viable unless we’re being invaded by aliens or the Chinese. I would rather have 20 highly-motivated volunteers and/or veterans (more than one term of enlistment) than 100 maybe-motivated conscripts who are trying to get by while serving their two years and then getting out.

I have two ideas (plus one) that might work to solve our manpower issues; use them individually or together. Neither will ever be placed into effect because they’re too radical and controversial, and we all know what sort of leadership we get when you try to implement radical, controversial changes (unfortunately, we’ll never see a Gracchus or a Marius, that’s for sure).

1.) For those who like the draft, I call this, the “back-door draft” (I await your laughter). You don’t draft anyone, but you make all federal aid (like student loans) contingent on having served in the military (or civil service) in some capacity for a minimum of two years. On top of that, you offer the GI Bill and college funds for those who serve. Since you can’t get a job serving hamburgers anymore without a degree, this should help a little. Sure, there are holes in this (what about the disabled and the rich), but I have answers to most of them, and if I don’t, well, they don’t pay me for this anyway. I’m not getting into it all here.

2.) All members of the active duty force are tax exempt. You heard me: Tax exempt. State, local, federal. I’m not talking about sales tax though. If you were to do this, I think you’d have to TURN AWAY potential recruits. The quality issue would be also be moot, because you could select who you wanted. Reservists would not be exempt unless they were activated, at which time they too would be exempt from taxes. Sure, there are also some wrinkles to be ironed out of this plan as well.

3.) Glorify military service. I know the liberals will hate, certifiably HATE this one. Okay, everyone knows that military members are heroes, and that we all support them, yadda, yadda. It’s bad to not do so (or is it simply political suicide?). But what we do is pay mere lip service. Celebrate real heroes (like the guys that earn Medals of Honor, not Jimmy who sat in an air conditioned building for four years), read citations in schools, that sort of thing. Celebrate the honor of military service. Encourage businesses to give 10% discounts to military members and veterans. For Romans (and many other groups), serving the state was an honor; fighting was an honor. You couldn’t even secure public office without having served, and many an office was won because of the placement of battle scars (on your back meant you fled, on your front meant you faced your enemy). Warriors were looked upon favorably. People wanted to serve and fight. When those virtues were abandoned, so too was Rome. I’m not saying we go as far as my Roman friends, but we seem to lack even an ounce of those characteristics. The teaching of American glory is frowned upon in our schools, and woe to the teacher who reads a Medal of Honor citation to 5^th graders.

Obviously, finding a perfect answer is difficult, but surely, there has to be solutions more creative than simply lowering standards. In a perfect world, everyone would want to serve his or her country, but that’s not the case. The world stopped being perfect about 4.5 billion years ago (plus or minus a few billion). The prosecution rests.

Word of the Day: Incongruous (adj): 1. lacking in harmony, compatibility, or appropriateness; 2. inconsistent with reason, logic, or common sense. Sort of like lowering the standards for our Army.

On This Day in History: Magellan’s ships reach the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first Europeans to do so (1520). Also, the first American automobile race takes place in Illinois – 54 miles in 10 hours (1895). 28 November is a slow day…

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"Men are seldom born brave but they acquire courage through training and discipline - a handful of men inured to war proceed to certain victory; while on the contrary numerous armies of raw and undisciplined troops are but multitudes of men dragged to the slaughter."

“The courage of a soldier is heightened by the knowledge of his profession.”

Both quotes – Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus’ Epitoma Rei Militaris, written in the mid-300s as a plea for reform in the Roman army. We need a Vegetius.

Morning Coffee (69)

It has been over six months since I last brewed a pot of Morning Coffee, much to the chagrin of my vast readership. Can you believe it? Six months. Well, here we are. Don’t get used to it, because who knows when the Coffee Pot will next be dusted off to brew what you need.

English: Why Speak It?

I just read an article about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) suing the Salvation Army because a store in Massachusetts required its employees to speak English. Below is a link to said article (which I encourage you to read so you know what it is we’re discussing here). It seems stupid that we’re even discussing such a thing. I simply don’t see the problem with saying, “It’s English, it’s our common language. If you want to be able to work in my shop, you’ve got to be able to communicate with my customers, most of whom happen to speak English exclusively.” I don’t see how that’s racist or, as Rep Charles Gonzales states, “If it is not relevant [to job performance and safety] it is discriminatory, it is gratuitous, it is subterfuge to discriminate against people based on their national origin.” The EEOC contends that the firings of two Spanish employees from the aforementioned Salvation Army was illegal because “the English-only policy was not “relevant” to job performance or safety.” Really? So, being able to communicate effectively with and sell things to customers is not related to job performance? What about safety? If a store was burning down or being robbed, the ability to communicate with customers might just become an issue of safety.

Moving on, Rep Joe Baca, who chairs the Hispanic Caucus was even more irate than Rep Gonzales. He yelled, “This is against me! This is against me personally!” I respectfully disagree with the honorable Representative from California. He can speak English. If he couldn’t, it’s somewhat unlikely that he’d have even been elected to his post. Why? Well, I happen to think that his election to the office which he currently holds is tacit admission by his constituency that the ability to communicate in a common language is vitally important. Rep Baca, who we know speaks English, was elected in part by folks who are probably not happy with the prospects of being forced to learn English. So they elected someone who can effectively communicate their wishes to the nation at large: an English speaker.

http://opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110010881

A Visit to Deutschland.

Last week I was in Ramstein, Germany for business. I’ll tell you, Germany is quite the place. Of course, most of Europe is great if you’re interested in the things that I am. In the course of just two days, I was in four buildings with a combined age of nearly 5,000 years. I took a day trip to the city of Trier, about an hour away from my hotel. The city, billed as the oldest in Germany, was originally founded in 16 BC by the first Roman Emperor, Augustus. It was known then as Augusta Treverorum, or “City of Augustus in the Land of the Treveri.” The Treveri was a Gallic tribe conquered by Julius Caesar. I got to visit the Porta Nigra, a city gate dating to 200 CE which was saved from destruction by a Greek monk named Simeon who decided to take up residency in the Porta in 1028. Had he not done so, it’s quite likely that the Porta would have been destroyed and its sandstone reused in the Middle Ages. I also visited the Cathedral of Trier, which was most impressive, having been started in the 300s CE and built upon by successive rulers. Constantine’s Basilica, despite having the gaudy addition of some 18^th century CE abomination on one wing, was still impressive, though it is now a Protestant Church. I was able to see the Roman Baths in Trier as well. Wonderful sights. The next day, I had the chance to visit two castles. I was able, for a small fee, to really walk around one castle, built in 1162. It’s interesting to me the differences between American and European perspective of historical sites. We would have had most of the castle barred off and would have subjected tourists to monotonous tours for exorbitant fees. Not so in Europe. These sites are everywhere, and are perhaps taken for granted. But because of this, I was able to have free reign inside a 1,000 year old castle. Other interesting things included the famous Autobahn, getting inside of a Concorde and a Tu-144, a large marble foot (remnants of an old statue of Constantine), and, well, just being in Germany. I also picked up my first Roman coin, one with Constans’ head on it, minted in Trier sometime around 340 CE.

Since I’m rapidly running out of “Morning,” I’ll go ahead and send this now. Not a real strong reentry into the Morning routine, but it’ll do.

Word of the Day: Deleterious (adj): harmful; destructive; pernicious.

On This Day in History: Christopher Columbus, in 1493, sets foot on the island he saw the day before, naming it San Juan Batista. This island would later be named Puerto Rico. And the Natives said thanks!

Songs I’m Currently Into: RATM “Know Your Enemy”, Maroon 5 “Harder to Breath”, Exeter “Emasculated Truth”

“I’d rather be first in a village than second at Rome.” – Julius Caesar.