Austin, Texas Chapter
On Jan 20, 2009, our nation inaugurated it's 44th President, Barak
Obama. Much has been said and written about his cabinet
selection and the fact that he, too, had selected many of his rivals to be
in his cabinet just as President Abraham Lincoln did. It will be
interesting to watch and see how this 2009 version or a team of rivals
works for the benefit of our nation. We are fortunate that we live
in a country that allows for the smooth transition of power.
Although we missed getting together for our January meeting, we look
forward to our next meeting in February. Companion Stanley Bullard
has arranged for another great program for our group; so although we are
getting our year off to a late start, we will be starting it with a great
program. I hope to see all of you on February 12th.
MOWW Scripture and Commentary February 2009 (Chaplain Ernie Dean) When the psalmist says always
and for all time, he means just that. Constant love is stable, steady,
permanent. Faithfulness of God is a blessing that cannot fail, will not fail; it
is permanent!
Chaplain Ernie Dean
NURSING HOMES UPDATE 08:
Buildup
Battle
Aftermath
There are 2 theories to arguing
with a woman...neither works.
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and
to have the two as close together as possible. -- George Burns
BURN PIT LAWSUIT UPDATE 01: Joshua Eller, who worked as a civilian
computer-aided drafting technician with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing filed
suit against KBR and its former parent company, Halliburton, saying the
contractors exposed everyone at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, to unsafe water, food
and hazardous fumes from the burn pit there. Eller said service members,
contractors and third ¬country nationals may have been sickened by
contamination at the largest U.S. installation in Iraq, home to more than 30,000
service members, Defense Department civilians and contractors.
The Association for all Military Officers
Companion
Bulletin-February 2009
J. Robert Howard
Chapter Commander
COLDS: U.S. researchers reported on 12 JAN 09 that people who sleep less
than seven hours a night are three times as likely to catch a cold as their
more well-rested friends and neighbors. The study supports the theory that
sleep is important to immune function, said Sheldon Cohen and colleagues at
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Our next meeting will be February
12th with
Lu
Mitchell at the
Program
The program for the February MOWW is scheduled to be singer-songwriter Lu
Mitchell of Dallas, Texas. Ms. Mitchell has released 11 CDs ("Pocketful of
Wry," "I Am Not Martha Stewart," "Off Our Rockers,"
etc.) and her new DVD should be released in time for our February meeting.
A prolific songwriter, Lu has become known for her clever and witty social
commentary. Her songbook "Singing For Her Sanity" contains 65 of her
own original favorites about TV evangelists, doctors, garage sales and anything
else that tickles her sense of the absurd.
Music critic Grover Lewis once wrote, "Lu Mitchell is a funny gal who
cocks a saucy, irreverent eye at our mad, mad, mad world...like a banshee zonked
on truth serum..."
Several of our members, including Senior VC Stanley Bullard, were entertained
by Ms. Mitchell at a recent meeting of the Austin Knife and Fork Club and agreed
that the MOWW membership would find an evening with her most pleasant. Expect
some enjoyable music and a lot of laughs.
Inspiration Selection
Psalm 89 "A Hymn in Time of National Trouble" 1. O Lord, I will
always sing of your constant love. I will proclaim your faithfulness forever. 2.
I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as
permanent as the sky. 52. Praise the Lord forever!
Every nation goes through periods of joy and periods of sadness, just as each
of us does. A nation is a compilation of the lives of its people. Yet, we seem
to forget how intertwined our lives are. The people who make rash and
short-sighted decisions can dictate the path our lives take.
You and I need stability, support, and true friends, someone who exemplifies
a sustaining love. We may be looking in the wrong places, thereby missing the
one help that never fails-God!
The Bible gives us word after word of the goodness of God, but Psalm 89 is a
particularly clear and powerful representation.
It is healthy to confess our need for a holy relationship with God. Then to
add credence to our option, we repent-turn away from our sin and turn back to
God.
Verse 52 challenges us to praise the Lord forever! Amen and Amen. May it be
so!
Road Trip
Ervalyn and I had the opportunity to pay a social call on MG Charles and
Mrs./Dr. Shirley McGinnis during our sojourn in Northern Virginia, over
the Christmas and New Year's Holidays. They are long time, faithful
members of the Austin Chapter, MOWW and along with Colonel John Stavast
were instrumental in my joining the Chapter. Both are enjoying good
health, are active in their retirement community and love Williamsburg,
Virginia. Companion McGinnis is a USMA graduate and a retired engineer,
and his wife Shirley received her Doctorate in Anthropology from the
University of Texas. It was fun to visit them at their new quarters
at;1904 Patriots Colony Drive, Williamsburg, Virginia
23188-1420.
Andrew III
IRS COLLECTION POLICY UPDATE 02: As the nation sinks deeper into recession, the
IRS is offering to waive late penalties, negotiate new payment plans and
postpone asset seizures for delinquent taxpayers who are financially strapped,
but make a good-faith effort to settle their tax debts.
Staff Meeting
The next staff meeting will be at the call of the Commander.
At the end of fy 2007, Florida
had 186,000 military retirees while Texas only had 183,000 retirees.
Since Christmas, I've been reading "Team of Rivals, The Political Genius
of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It is about President
Lincoln's Cabinet. With 916 pages, it provides many details of Lincoln, Seward,
Bates, Chase, Stanton, and many others who passed through their lives from
1820 to 1865. The merits of putting all your rivals in your cabinet might
still be debated, the book is a treasure of life and politics during those
trying times.
Reviewing the troubles that our country faced in the 19th
Century helps to provide a little perspective with the problems that we've
gotten ourselves into in the 21st century.
I'm really surprised that key people didn't see that the train ride
we were on couldn't last. No country in history can sustain spending more
in taxes than it collects. No county can survive by exporting their jobs
which happens when the people buy most all their manufactured goods from other
countries. Before making that next purchase, think about where the money
will go and who gets the jobs. Sometimes we need to sacrifice our own need for a
cheap price for what's good for the country at large.
Enron cornered the electrical distribution market in
California and just about bankrupted the state. Those techniques were then
used to corner the oil market and drive those prices to the brink. Another
example of greed is the sub-prime mortgage
mess.
All these things happened because laws were
relaxed, laws were ignored, people made a lot of money or a
combination of the above. It's very disappointing that so many moral
compasses have been covered over with money.
My point is that
we need to learn by others mistakes and not make them again. Secondly,
it's going to get worse, but it will still not be as troublesome as what the
country went through during the Civil War..... J. Robert Howard
Pessimists see the glass as half empty.
Optimists see the glass as half full.
Entrepreneurs see an opportunity to fill a glass.
DISNEY’S ARMED FORCES SALUTE:
On 4 JAN the Walt Disney Company started its “Disney’s Armed Forces
Salute” offer. All active and retired military personnel, and
activated members of the National Guard and Reserve are included.
At Disneyland in California through 12 JUN 09 all
qualified members can receive one complimentary three-day pass valid for
admission to both Disneyland and
Additionally the qualified member can also make a one-time purchase of
adult or child three-day “Disney’s Armed Forces Salute Companion
tickets for up to five family members or friends for the price of a 1-day
Park Hopper ticket. For more information for the Disneyland offer call
(714) 956-6424.
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) said the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) new “Five-Star”
rating system unveiled 18 DEC is premature and problematic due to the fact that
it is premised upon a flawed survey system that does not measure quality, lacks
the inclusion of other important quality elements that help consumers make
informed decisions, and includes inaccurate data.
The Rand Corp. estimates that nearly 300,000 returning soldiers
suffer from PTSD(post-traumatic stress disorder) or depression and up to 320,000 have sustained
TBI(traumatic brain injury). The
Institute of Medicine has also recently underscored long-term consequences of
TBI including dementia, depression, impaired family relations, and
unemployment. According to National Alliance to End Homelessness, nearly one
out of four homeless (1-out-of-3 men) in America are veterans though they only
represent about 11% of the general population.
Metaurus River
The combined Roman force met Hasdrubal at the River Metaurus on the Adriatic
south of Ariminum. Nero's plan for a surprise attack in force was
thwarted when Hasdrubal's scouts reported that the trumpets had sounded
twice that morning at the consul's tent. Hasdrubal was also told that some
of the soldiers and horses were dusty as if from a long march. Aware that he
was facing both consuls and that he was outnumbered by the combined Roman
armies, Hasdrubal attempted to march off secretly to the north but missed
his way or was led astray by his guides and was brought to bay by the
pursuing Romans.
Forced to give battle, Hasdrubal deployed his army of 30,000 so to take
as much advantage of the local terrain as possible. His left wing rested on
the river Metaurus along a stretch that was too deep to cross. Hasdrubal
formed his Gauls along a ravine that covered their front. He placed his
Ligurians in the center with his best troops, the Spanish, on his right
wing. The Elephants were placed in front of his Ligurians and Spanish. There
appears to have been little cavalry and their position is unknown.
Facing him was the Consul Livius with about the same of troops and Nero with
his 7,000. Livius deployed his legions opposite the Ligurians and Spanish
and Nero deployed facing the Gauls. The Romans appear to have been unaware
of the ravine when they advanced.
Hasdrubal attacked with the elephants, followed by his right wing and
centre. The battle was hard fought and hung in the balance. Meanwhile Nero
found he could not get at the Gauls across the ravine. He therefore took
2,000 infantry and marched them across the Roman rear to fall on the Spanish
flank. This decided the battle. About 20,000 Carthaginians were killed
including Hasdrubal. Livius restrained his men from killing the fleeing
Gauls so that they would tell people what happened. This was the decisive
battle of the war.
Nero returned south and had Hasdrubal's head flung into Hannibal's camp
as an announcement of his defeat. Hannibal's hope of support in Italy was
dashed.
The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in
your pocket
If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh
at when you are old.
Will Rogers