[ Thursday, March 06, 2003 ]
...mid afternoon, Thursday
...I've a "cyber-friend" on the SunSpot bb I frequent.
...He's a staunch conservative..... and one of the most thoughtful people I know..
...I'll let him speak for himself... in this capture from his recent post on SunSpot..
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U.S. Military Works to Avoid Civilian Deaths, Collateral Damage
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 5, 2003 -- The U.S. military will go to great lengths to limit civilian deaths and to minimize damage to nonmilitary facilities should war with Iraq be necessary, U.S. officials say.
"If force becomes necessary, it is clear that coalition forces would take great care to avoid civilian casualties," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said during a Pentagon press conference today.
A senior U.S. Central Command official had earlier briefed reporters in the Pentagon on the steps the military takes to avoid or minimize collateral damage. He explained collateral damage can take two forms: injuries or deaths among noncombatants and damage to property.
Link: The full article
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As some of you may know, I recently joined the ranks of the unemployed for the second time in three months. I was unemployed for a little over two months, then was hired by a small, but good family owned company. Unfortunately, after just a less then a month, the owner informed me that he had miscalculated and just could not afford the cost to his payroll. Hence, he had to "let me go".
I will not lie.
I am very troubled by these events, and greatly concerned as to how I am to derive an income, while providing a service that is needed and appreciated.
That brings me to the reason for what I am writing.
Some of you also are aware that I had started to construct a website dedicated to news, information, and opinions dedicated to subjects related to the War on Terrorism.
This website is www.TheWarOnTerrorism.com.
It is meant to be unique, as it is to be non-partisan. It is not meant to support or forward any particular agenda or point-of-view. It is meant to feature links to news stories, opinion articles, opinion polls, and other websites where research can be performed. It is also dedicated to providing links to tributes and memorials to the fateful events of "9-11". In short, it is meant to be a "web portal" that provides "one stop shopping" for information regarding the War on Terrorism.
Some people may ask, "What's the big deal? The internet is filled with similar web sites, and had plenty of 'bloggers' already".
That is a fair and valid question.
The answer is that this website is meant to be a tool for "the common man". While much of the content featured will come form other well established sources, it will also feature opinion articles written by "everyday, ordinary people". The same people will have the opportunity to submit links to news articles, opinions articles, opinions polls, and various web sites, which offer information regarding the War on Terrorism. Web polls will regularly be featured. Naturally, an online forum will be available to visitors. Again, it is to be a website "for the people", and dedicated to topics related to the War on Terrorism.
Some people may then ask, "That sounds like a good idea. So why isn't the website yet fully constructed and in full operation? If it were, I would use such a valuable tool to stay informed and express myself. I would even be willing to tell others about it, if it was a good as it sounds."
The answer to that question is that it is very time consuming to be the Webmaster, Administrator, and Chief Researcher for such a website. In order to be properly done, it is a full time job. It is currently the effort of only one person; myself. A person who is also a "everyday, ordinary person". I am not a journalist or a part of any special interest group. I have no sponsorship from any organization. However, I am very familiar with modern military history, as well as being intimately familiar with military matters. I am also well versed in areas such as terrorism, security, international geo-politics, and domestic politics. I am a former Sergeant, United States Marine Corps, and have studied such subjects for the majority of my life. Hence, I have insights and knowledge that cannot be found within the resident staff of most other news organizations and websites. They turn to people like myself for information and answers. This being the case, I inherently know what kind of information to seek out and present on the website. Information that will be readily available, easy to understand, and most importantly, all in one place.
My questions to those pondering why they should visit the website, and why it is different, would be, "Why invest valuable time performing research to get information regarding the War on Terrorism, that someone else will get for you, and present in an easy to understand and 'user friendly' format?" and "Why deal with web sites and organizations that have to turn to people like myself for answers?"
The site will be simple in construction to make it "load" as quickly as possible, and to make navigation intuitive. It will absolutely be professional in appearance. However, you will not have to deal with distracting "bells, whistles, and gimmicks". It is meant for those who have limited time to find what they need, and who are serious about staying informed about the most important subjects that have faced the United States, and the world, in many generations.
"Okay, I am convinced! However, I must ask what this has to do with your current unemployment situation?"
As I have explained, to operate such a website properly is a monumental task. It is definitely a full-time job. To be completely honest, it is something I would love to be able to do full-time, and be able to derive an income. I feel that I could achieve such a goal, and provide the valuable service I have already outlined, by having certain parts of the website available to only those who have a paid membership. I have some ideas of which portions of the website would be open to "members only", as well as receiving daily e-mail "briefings" of the latest news stories, as well as a weekly news letter summarizing and analyzing the news stories from the past week. Naturally, members will have a great deal of input into what is offered to them. After all, it is "their website", and they are paying customers.
At this time, I have decided upon setting the contribution or an annual membership at $25.00 (U.S. currency). Please keep in mind that this is far less then the annual membership to most other websites, and it is not to supported any organization or group that may have an agenda, which some people would rather not support.
The reason that I am presenting this to all of you at this time, is that it will take the investment of my limited funds to set up the website to provide these services, including a secure method to pay, online, using a secure credit/debit card. It will also require additional bandwidth and memory.
That is the complete official "pitch".
Now, please allow me to bring this concept to you on another level.
This is something within my skill, talents, and capabilities to make a reality, and to be successful; not only for myself, but for those who would be interested.
I need a job, and I have a marketable asset and service to offer.
I don't want to end up unemployed, homeless and destitute. That could actually happen in the not too distant future, and to be frank, it scares the living hell out of me. I don't want to beg, and I don't want to be "a bum". I just cannot bring myself to ask people for a "hand-out". However, I do not have any reservations in asking people to allow me to provide to them a valuable asset and service, for a fair price.
I am "floating" this idea to all of you to learn what reaction I might receive, and to gauge the level of interest in such a website. I have set an initial goal of one hundred people, who are willing to commit to becoming paid members. If I can find at least that level of support, I will immediately make the appropriate investment and get to work for on making this website a premier source of news, information, and opinions regarding the War on Terrorism.
So now the final question would be, "Brother, can you spare a dime?"
I will resume constructing the website, for the time being, in anticipation of achieving this goal, and making this venture a success for all parties involved.
Thank you for your valuable time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Carl Lee Wheless, Jr.
Former Sergeant, United States Marine Corps
Founder/Webmaster - www.TheWarOnTerrorism.com
To visit the website go to: [url=http://www.TheWarOnTerrorism.com]www.TheWarOnTerrorism.com[url]
To give your input or to indicate if you'd be willing assist, please post your thoughts on the online forum for the website (This message will be posted there, as well): [url=http://members4.boardhost.com/clockwise/msg/20482.html]Online Forum: "Talk About the War on Terrorism"[url]
.........thanx, sarge......
capnmike
gonzoliberal [3:58 PM]
