It is a good trade…

The post is open and I am looking to move some things. Photo from yahoo.

 

Hey Y’all,

 

I have had a very short weekend interrupted by two long weeks and without getting too technical into how the pay system works at my job, it easier to explain that this week I am working some overtime. I was doing this in an attempt to stock pile some money for a rainy day but truthfully I and the family have been dreading this extra week of work. I really just like to work my schedule and leave the overtime to others. I am so fortunate that they still like me, even when I yell at the kids for being kids. In all ways, I am blessed.

 

My kids have mad skills. They can take a bunch of colored rubber bands and make something. Photo from yahoo.

 

I got home very late of Friday evening, like bed time late after flying the night before and grabbing four hours of sleep before ridding in the back of the tube of death cross country towards home. The kids were great and were more than willing to crawl into the big bed with my wife and I as I collapsed for an hour before by body woke up ready for another all-nighter. I got up and ate some food before returning to bed only to find my nine old daughter on my side of the bed and my six year old son spread eagle in the middle of the bed. My wife was coiled up on her side. I could have scooped the kids up and carried them to their rooms but my back couldn’t stand the thought of that and my heart couldn’t stand the idea of breaking up the happily sleeping three so I went to the guest bedroom. It was a good trade.

 

This is just one example of what they can do. If the price is right, I will trade this one of a kind, special, lucky bracelet. I have worn mine for almost three days and nothing bad has happened to me. Dang that is lucky. Photo from yahoo.

 

Our house is wonderfully comfortable, cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Until last Monday anyway because the downstairs air condition froze up a couple hours before a Memorial Day cookout guests were to arrive. The AC guy showed up Friday and after he re-charged the downstairs unit, he looked at the upstairs unit. According to his professional opinion, the coil is shot. But all things work for good because I’m working a little overtime, we will have some extra cake to cover the AC. It was tough to leave the house this afternoon but honestly, it is a good trade.

 

How many air conditioning units equal one bracelet? I might even take two units for that special bracelet. Photo from yahoo.

 

Because of the short weekend, I was out of the news cycle until this afternoon. Waiting on my flight, I watched the press conference for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from the hands of the Taliban. Quickly coming up to speed on the story, thanks to CNN, it seems that the US traded five Taliban leaders for the Sergeant. Predictably, the right side of the political spectrum isn’t fully on board with the prisoner swap and there are charges that the Administration broke a law by trading the prisoners and not giving Congress thirty days’ notice of a transfer out of Gitmo.

 

Welcome home. Photo from yahoo.

 

Our nation has a long standing policy of not negotiating with terrorists. In principal, I agree with that philosophy but the reality is that we consider about half of the third world to be terrorist nations and in many of those nations we have a considerable amount of men and women in harm’s way. This is not the first prisoner swap the nation has ever done. We do these things all the time and other than the politics, there is nothing new here because swapping prisoners has been going on since the days of the caveman. I am sure the media will have an intellectual orgasmic experience debating this new action by the President.

 

People will say we gave up five hardcore dudes for one enlisted Army soldier who walked away from his post in the middle of the night. There are questions about his allegiance to the country, about the videos that he was a part of and what his motivations truly are. But, we are the only nation in the world that cares for the lowest ranking troops. Do you think China of Russia would make this trade? No way, and that is one reason why American troops can operate with moral certainty because we truly live by the motto of “No one gets left behind.” I am happy that he is back with friendly troops and he is being properly cared for in only the way that American soldiers care for their own. No matter what he did, no matter if he is convicted of being absent without leave (AWOL) or if they pin the Medal of Honor on his chest. He is an American fighting soldier, who spent five years in captivity and now he is home. It is a good trade.

 

Until next time, keep on rockin.

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