What is Rich?

I was just cruisin' around on the internet, looking at information on taxes. When I came across this...post...blog...whatever...

250k

So apparently, in the Bay Area 250k is still middle class? If anyone is from the SF Bay, please, lemme know how this is.

I mean, hell in Georgia, you begin middle class at about 25k; and end it somewhere towards 100k. If you make 60k a year, your pretty set.

In this lady's argument, she makes the point that living expenses, housing, childcare, etc can firmly put 250k a year firmly in the realm of middle class. And unless the average starter home is worth close to a million, I just don't see this as realistic.

I do however, think that more stratification of 'higher' incomes needs to be done. There is a definite difference between 250,000 USD a year and 25,000,000 USD a year. I mean, whats a factor of two between friends? But I would like to reiterate, if your at the 250,000 USD level, you shouldn't expect a break when it comes to taxation, in my opinion.

I would also like to note that the brackets are cumulative. Every dollar you make below 250,000 will be taxed at its appropriated place. Every dollar above, will be taxed at the new level. So given this, I don't see any reason why the taxes on 250,000+ shouldn't go up.

Just Saying. I made 30k a year going to Iraq, and there were plenty of people who made 25k or less getting shot at over there.

Ft Stewart

Awesome TDY times at Ft Stewart Georgia. And by awesome I mean alot of driving, a few overdrafts (my own fault), and general disappoinment. But its alright, just trying to get some extra promotion points in. And this was the reason I haven't posted in a few days.

But either way, everything is starting to turn around. Going to get some major travel pay, a good tax refund, and still deciding what I will be doing for my last year before leaving. I've decided though, if I do leave, I will leave for good (barring a huge war or whatnot). If I do stay, I will stay for good. I'm either in or out, because I want to either go ahead and move on, or keep cranking out points to retirement.

I plan to discuss it with a friend of mine over the next year. Within six months of my ETS date, Ill know for sure. Anyhw, off to the library for now! Peace!

Another Drill Down...

Something like 22 Drills left. I suppose it won't really sink in until I have less than five. I'm gonna miss the people, most definately. But I wont miss the BS work; or being skipped over for promotion many times since I was a PFC. Even when everything was in order, it seemed like the ball was dropped.

Needless to say, I am gad tha I am eligible for the Post 9/11 bill. I've got a goal set to raise my PT score, so that I can make E5 before I leave. But that probably wouldn't even keep me in. Though the investment so far as that its my only current retirement....

It really makes me think.

Either way; Im still fairly young. 23. Its still early enough in life to decide upon a totally different route, and persue that. Who knows, maybe my writing career will take off? Maybe, twenty years from now, I'll take a look back at this point in my life wit something like nostalgia.

Who knows...

Liberal Soldier & Educaion Benefits

After months, back and forth, back and forth, trying to get all my documentation in order, I finally got thrugh, and now have my Certificate of Eligibility. Tommorrow Im riding thetrain into town to sign up for classes for this summer!

Feels great to be back in the Driver's Seat again.

Liberal Soldier & Totems

I find it funny because, I've tried so hard in my time to rationalize religion, and then later to rationalize atheism. I think I'm caught somewhere in between, in a delicate...yet comfortable balance.

One of the things I've noticed about Soldiers, and many people of the same mindset (some whom I call adventurers; and some passionate true idealists from all political and religious spectrum) is a lingering sense of Superstition, no matter what religious or rational views one might hold. And I dont refer to things that I consider shallow, for example horoscopes. Alot of people read horoscopes, not really caring one way or another as to their truth.

What I find myself, and quite a few of my friends doing, is developing somewhat complex, deep rituals. Sometimes they are only important to us, and we might not tell anyone. But for us, at least for me, it is a viable part of the mission, whether others know it or not. Whether or not I admit it to myself.

If ever I walk outside my front door, I usually pop a ciggy in my mouth. But I usually do an odd little ritual that I've developed over my years. I look up, an I see what birds are flying about. The common ones, Pigeons, Sparrows, and the like don't really mean much to me. If I see an Eagle, something in my mind rings out that this will be a good day. If I see a hawk, it is neither good nor bad, but it will be a trying day, and I may not see why for months. If I see a vulture, it doesn't stop me from doing anything, but I am much more wary and open-eyed (at least so I don't step on the carcass its trying to get to). However, for whatever reason, the Crow/Raven is most important to me. If I see one about, and don't see a logical reason for it to be about, I assume, in my mind's eye, that something important will happen today.

But its more than just that. I just suppose my avian omens are the most vibrant bits of evidence about my superstition. But smaller things play a roll. I always wear the same hat, its like a security feeling. I wear a multi-colored 550 cord bracelete on my left wrist that I made myself in Kuwait. All of my tattoos have very deep and personal meaning to me (there are only two).

Alot of the same for most of my friends. I've met people before who get Tattoos because the sun was shining on a specific day, it seems. In truth, what better reason, I suppose? But still, it seems frivilous to me.

Little things like that.

What about you guys? Got any wierd rituals or superstitions you've never told anyone about?

Swine Flu

Okay, so this weekend, while at Ft Gordon, I got my 3rd consecutive vaccination for Swine Flu. Im not sure if it is or not, but I know I've gotten three shots, and when I request to know what they are injecting in me, all the medics have been like 'Swine Flu'.

Im pretty sure I picked up Swine Flue while at Ft Stewart last summer. It was hella gay.

Anyhow, I'm a little under the weather. But thats how the Army works? Any medics able to help me with this? Are there multiple schedules of Swine Flu, like with Anthrax?

I'm up to Schedule C with Anthrax...

Meh...just saying...

Further Relationship Advice From the Liberal Soldier

Too easy. Just don't get into one until your out. *mumbles about women problems and walks off*

*Runs back* And you crazy women, I'm just trying to do the best I can. Your ruining me for the future because how you treat me now. Blah blah blah.

*walks off*

Happy February

...Ugh.

This weekend I get an all-expense paid vacation to Ft Gordon for three days. To roll around in the mud, qualify, and eat DFAC nastiness. Well...maybe Gordon Short Order won't be so bad, and I know exactly where to go to get the best DFAC food...

I'll keep you posted.

Have a good weekend. Weenies.

Liberal Soldier & Work Ethic

Just a short blog post today, as I'm in the midst of writing a short horror story for submission. I've heard police work described as "Vast amounts of boredom, punctuated with short points of sheer terror." I can easily imagine that is accurate.

I think this same motto applies for the military too. However, it can be broken down into two parts, one for garrison, and one for war. "Vast amounts of boredom, punctuated by short periods of incredibly demanding work." Is how I would describe my garrison experience. And my other experience? "Vast amounts of hard work and discomfort punctuated by periods of sheer terror."

Got any war stories? Let me know.

Want to know more about joining the Army or the Guard? Email me.

The Liberal Soldier & Film

This one is a bit of more self-promotion. But its free, and wont cost you anything to watch, so why dont you take a look at my newest Short Film:

Four Roses

I shot this, after writing the script, with several certain members from my Company, Crimson Star Entertainment. Not my Guard Company or anything. Im in the 178th MP Co, for those of you who are familiar with GA Guard Units.

Anyhow, the whole film was produced on a budget of about $240, with alot of volunteer work from everyone involved. Its about a local building in Downtown Atlanta that many believe is haunted. Check it out!

The Liberal Soldier's Book

Just a little point of pride for myself. Got a copy of a book I've written, and published through a small vanity press associated with Amazon. And no, I don't consider myself 'Published' yet, this is just a spring board, hopefully giving me more notoriety so that publishers will take notice.

Anyhow, I've got my first copy of a book I made myself, and I'm quite proud of it. A small feat for some, it is important to me though. Through this maybe my sales will jump from about 10 a month to 20 or 30, that would be worthwhile.

The Liberal Soldier & Terrorism

Yet another blog post about Terrorism. I was just reading some old lady's reaction to the Christmas Day bombing attempt online. She was very concerned about the issue that he had tried to blow himself up using an underwear bomb, and how it would result in her having to get her crotch screened from now on whenever she went into the Airplane.

I dont mind that this is what she thinks about. I mean, I suppose thats expected from the American audience.

What happened to questions like the following:

How did this happen? Why did it happen?

I've read a little bit of the person's profile, and he seemed to be a young kid with alot of teenage angst, who put most of that blame on America. And sure, maybe the American media is partially to blame for alot of issues he had, as well as kids everywhere.

And don't confuse me. Still t the forefront of my mind, is how did we let this happen? How did he not end up on a no-fly list, and certainly how did the chemical compound make it through scanners?

The only answer I have to that, is that maybe at times alot of people say things that seem anti-establishment, without meaning them. Maybe the key is to figure out what profile of human being will carry through on their anger. Otherwise, he should have been on a "no-fly" list. As a rationalist, this makes sense to me. The probably is ratio for each ethic & socio-economic background, for how many comments he can say before it becomes extremely likely that he is a violent offender/terrorist.

But that comes really close to scientific management, and has a major chance of infringing on civil liberties. What are your opinions on this story? What are your opinions on bending civil liberties to profile potential terrorists?

The Liberal Soldier & Directing

Okay, so yesterday was a first for me. CSE (my company) and I met at a local library to do some casting for a documentary that we are producing and plan to put on youtube. Casting was too easy. There was a decent turn out, and we got the roles filled.

So, then, we started our first day of shooting. The script itself is based on the Rufus M. Rose ghost story, based on the Rufus M. Rose House in downtown Atlanta. So I was acting as writer and project director, while Ed passed as the casting director and unit director.

Our first shots were monochrome of the guy that we got to play Rufus M. Rose. Everything went well, and we are scheduled for two more days of filming this weekend. After that, there will be some minor post-production (which I will start this afternoon), and then we can release the project to the world.

Should be great!

Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice by being Guard. Sometimes the bills can be a struggle, but I'd much rather be in the struggle, and have my freedom to do stuff like this. Not that Active guys don't but they have alot more stress daily, I think. Hats off to all my Active buds.

For more info on the project, check out my Ghost Blog on my profile!

The Liberal Soldier, NCOs, & Christmas Musings

Well, I have a lot of differing opinions on this topic. Being lower enlisted, I certainly do get to see the work side of an NCO, and as I am now one of the Senior E4s in my state, my commander wants to send me to BNOC, I'm starting to see the other side to it as well.

Firstly, let me say that the labor relationship within the Army is unique. It can be demeaning at times, and better than anything else at others. I think that the degree wih which you work with thes people is so much more than the common 'workday' that it creates a totally different environment than a 'work' environment.

I've even heard it somewhere said that NCOs are supposed to regard their soldiers as if they were their kids or something, and I think alot of those family bonds do exist. Overseas I had my section sgt, who we titled Grandpa, he was a Harley Riding Native American. I had another Sgt, who was in my Platoon who looked after me alot, who I suppose could have been something like a Father figure. And my direct line leader was like an older brother, and he saved my ass on more times than I can count.

So is this sort of labor relationship good? At first, you would think for soldiers, that this might be natural, and so thus it is good. However, I think it makes the management-labor relationship more 'intense', not neccessarily better or worse. It all depends upon the person wearing the stripes, as a fellow blogger pointed out recently. However one thing though, is living with and being around my superiors 24/7, you come to know the ins and outs of who they were, which meant their boons and their faults. Everything really.

I certainly think only in the situation of the Militar could this sort of patronizing labor relationship exist. Otherwise it'd be demeaning in a way. But since I know all of my NCOs come from the same mindset as myself, and passed my training at the least, it does give me great confidence in their abilities. I may have felt I was smarter than an NCO, but I have never felt I was more experienced than any of them.

But yeah, thats that.

Christmas?

Yeah, that too. I went with my mom to Candlelight Service this year. It was a bit odd for me, because I've been an athiest (or at least agnostic) for a bit of time now. However, I just keep my mouth shut, and sometimes try to think about what they are saying. I am very contemplative, so I do think about whats being said, even if I don't neccessarily believe it.

This year, our Pastor was contrasting the differences between Christianity and Islam. Specifically, in how we view righteousness. He contrasted this mainly with an inter-faith program he had on the radio involving himself an Imam from a local Mosque.

He referenced that our righteousness, assuming I am Christian, is a gift of god. That as long as we accept it into our hearts, we never have to really do anything for it. He contrasted this by poining out that the Imam used the term 'Works of God' alot. In his mind, the Muslim has to work for his righteousness.

At first, this shows a view of Christian as lazy sinners, who always get what they want, and only have to ask to recieve the gift of righteousness. Of course, when you search to the core of it, God is perfect, and therefore of course our righteousness would be a gift.

When you take this into account, you might see the Muslim as a sinner who is trying to be better/more righteous than other sinners. Thus the Muslim never earns his righteousness, he just seems better in self than others. However, though, as a righteous creature, your attempt to do the works of good should be paramount in your life. Whether or not you expect to get into heaven.

I took a bit away from this. Both want to be next to god, that much is certain. I think you can learn from both schools of thought. You should seek out to do good in his world, for good's sake, but never doubt that God will recognize you.

Well, if you believe in God, thats something you should consider.

The Liberal Soldier & Stop-Loss

Okay, so my experience with stop-loss is pretty simple, the unit that I went to Iraq with filled two of its positions with Stop-Lossers, one from Florida, one who was from Philadelphia or something. Im not quite sure how they were picked or anything, but they went along with us, and in all honesty, I didn't even think about them as Stop-Loss. I really didn't even know (because they were in a different platoon) until about four months into the deployment.

Firstly, lets get it out of the way. I don't neccessarily support the war, not to hard to tell from my blog title. But I did my job, and I feel I followed in the traditions of Jefferson and other Patriots of Liberal Persuasion. However, doing my duty, and agreeing with it, are two different things totally. Suffice it to say, though, I saw some sense in it, on some level.

Okay, as for Stop-Loss, yes I think it sucks. I mean your chilling on the couch one day, and the next thing you get a letter telling you that you've been re-activated with the sole intent of sending you into a combat zone. Or maybe, if your lucky, of filling in for a leaving unit on a post for a few months. That would actually be quite kosher. I wont lie, I saw that movie Stop-Loss and identified with it in some respects.

However, Stop-Loss, while it does suck, is apart of the contract. Maybe you weren't aware of it when you signed, but it shouldn't take long for you to learn about it in truth. Thats about as much as you can say about Stop-Loss, that it sucks.

A backdoor draft? No. At one point in time they had been of the mindset to agree to the contract, the contract stipulated stop loss policies, and was available to be read. So thus a person signs into stop-loss.

Do I believe that there is a bit of misinformation? Certainly. Im sure right now there is some young kid signing his contract without fully realizing anything about it. But it happens all to often, and the best you can hope, is that he learns his lesson, and learns from it.

Thats as much as I have to say for it. Yeah it sucks, and yeah if you ask me if I feel bad, I will say yes. Do I think its the same thing as a Draft, or Similiar to it? No. It has more to do with demographic recruiting than it does with the draft.

The Liberal Soldier: The Author

Im sure you guys...okay, some of you guys...well, maybe one or two of you...wonder what I do with my time. As I in the Guard, I'm not active Army, therefore my income comes from other places. Well, I've got very little vocational training, and I'm currently in a hiatus from college, though I plan to return full time in Spring of 2010.

So what do I do? Before I went to Iraq, I worked at UPS for several months, and that went okay. It was tough work, but it paid my meagre bills, and gave me enough disposable income to go and see my girlfriend. Its funny though, I totally look back on the situation, and realize that it should've been much different, as even though I knew I wanted my own company, I wasn't saving for it, or building to it.

I heard about a unit going to Iraq, and there were plenty of rumors that new soldiers would have to go anyhow. I can remember one Platoon Sergeant who tricked his whole platoon into signing for it. I won't get too much into that, but I signed, not because I was tricked, but because I wanted to save money to start my own business when I returned. Well, I was on the wagon for the majority of the deployment until personal issues complicated things. I returned with less than 10k in the bank, and wondering if my business dream would ever come to fruition.

Well what am I doing now, other than school? I've become a freelance writer, with my own company by which I self-publish stuff. While the company is profitable, its content is limited, and it definately does not pay my bills, and Im only hoping that the business grows, well I know it will, because I can see it happening. On average, I manage five book sales per month, so 1.25 per week. I've definately noticed an increasing trend from this. But Im lucky because Adsense picks up the rest of the tab for my hosting and content fees. So I do appreciate your interest in my blog!

But in addition to that, I do alot of freelance work. Between that and whatever menial jobs I can pull (newspaper delivery, insurance photography, courier), I make my living between class, and hopefully until my catalog of publishing is built up. I definately came back at the wrong time in the economy, I think.

Anyhow, if you are interested in Sci-Fi and other cool stuff, check out my company:

Crimson Star Entertainment

And our new WebComic, which just came out:
Knight Spectre

The Liberal Soldier & Irony

Hey everybody. Just checking back in.

My writing career is doing better. I've got a new deal for a vampire themed murder mystery game that Im writing with a company. Should be interesting. Click my Crimson Star Entertainment link to learn a bit more about me.

Okay, so now your thinking, okay, how is this ironic? Well that part isn't, its just a little self-promotion, for those curious. What is ironic? Literally, not a week after posting that blog post about my ex Fiance, she has emailed me. Reluctantly, I went to visit her the day after Thanksgiving, and later at her college.

At the end of the day, I still feel strongly about her. Im not saying I will let anything come of it, but she is incredibly hot. And despite alot of her selfish tendencies, I think deep down she is a good person. In so much that she is an innocent one.

So...that is irony...irony pie right back in my face. She seems to regret things. And I do have to admit, at this point in time, she is still so hot, and will make more money than men, unless my writing career takes off. Which of course I will be trying to make happen while I continue my schooling.

Somehow, at the back of my mind, I always wonder if there is an ulterior motive. Supposedly she learned my true value because of a string of bad relationships. Im dont know. However, Im not too attached to her at this point, so it wouldn't really bother me much.

Okay, lastly, I would like to put out a call for my other writers and bloggers. I would like to make an amatuer examination of the NCO model, as opposed to other work/management models. This can be from a personal point of view, social, or economic. I will pick four posts, and will include them in a blog about such. Included, of course, will be a backlink to your own blog.

So, email me your thoughts at emperor@crimsonstarentertainment.com I look forward to reading the entries!

The Liberal Soldier and Thanksgiving

I will return with a good post after the Thanksgiving Holiday! Make sure to check out my video blog, and subscribe. Over the next few days, Im going to release at least two new videos for you guys to gawk at.

I really hope yall have a great Thanksgiving Holiday!

The Liberal Solider & Community Service

Just a tiny blog today. I really dont have much to blog about. Im supposed to be working on my manuscript anyhow.

So I went to do community service yesterday. I went to this lady's house, and she had like forty dogs. I dont want to make her sound ecclectic or crazy or anything. She seemed like a normal person...just doing what she loved. Or maybe, what she was qualified to do.

Either way, alot of the dogs were older, certainly not in their primes. And it made me come to think. I'm only twenty-three years old, and I can't help but feel as if the best times in life have already gone by. I'm not quite sure.

Maybe it is mostly due to my Ex. My self-esteem crashed, nose-dived really, after she left me. And I swear she did her best to make me feel horrible about myself. We both said bad things while we were fighting, but after we were done, as my self-esteem plummeted, she never went out of her way to help me feel better. I remember saying something where I thought I was becoming less intelligent, less than two months after we broke up. All she had to say was that I said it, not her. So even in the aftermath of it all, she was more concerned with how she would seem, rather than what existed between us.

I dont know. You always seem to only remember the best of yourself. And Im sure I did plenty of bad things, stupid things. But I can remember in any situation where she needed help, I tried to help her, as much as I could.

Either way, I'm better off without her. I know this, though I will admit, I think of her more than I should. I think this will continue until I find the next love of my life, and she breaks my heart too. LOL

At least I wont be as stupid with the next one as with this one.

The Liberal Soldier: Iraqi Heartbreakers

Okay, so my last post catching yall up. This is a bit old, as I came home about six months ago (a little more than that, really), but I suppose yall want to be caught up.

Well I did my service in Camp Bucca Iraq for about a year, after a very intensive train-up at Fort Dix, NJ. Fort Dix was actually a decent place to be stationed, but for the most of the time we were there, we were at the FOB, which is a training ground used to prepare us to go to Iraq. I can still remember vividly, the training that we underwent, and standing outside talking on the phone to my ex-fiance, despite frigid temperatures.

We ended our stay at Dix right before St Patrick's day, and we were given a chance to fly home for a four day liberty. I made my way home as quickly as I could and spent four wonderful days with my fiance, and saw my family before I would leave for Iraq. These are some of the fondest memories I so far have in my young life, and I'm disappointed to say, probably the best memories I will ever have, considering the way things are going right now.

I arrived back at Ft Dix and prepared to leave for Iraq. However, unlike the rest of my unit I was tasked to stay with some of the Unit's equipment for an extra two weeks, because it had to be guarded by someone. I will admit, I honestly think spending an extra two weeks in Ft Dix Garrison, I must've gained 10 pounds. I ate a bit more than I had during train-up, as I only had time really. We went to see movies, we tried to sneak into an air force DFac, in general, it wasn't a bad experience.

We flew to Kuwait, which gave me the awesome chance to stop-over in Spain, before heading all the way to Kuwait. We stayed in Camp Buehring for about a week, before we headed north, to Iraq. In Buehring, despite what other soldiers say, there is alot to do. They have a three MWR tents, a movie theator tent, a 24-hour dfac, and a big PX. So its pretty easy to get what you need to occupy yourself whether your goin for free, or on a budget.

Once in Iraq though, my days melted all into one long workday. Day after day went by, and all I did was count down untill leave arrived. I was actually doing quite well, I was saving money for a business I was going to open, I had started taking online classes and succeeded in passing them, and whatever was asked of me in terms of work, I did with no complaint and to standard, although I was struggling with Physical Training at that point. My friends and I had some great experiences, and we came up with some interesting ideas. There were some tough times, a few attacks at the begginning and a few other events, but things died down near the summer, and I was waiting for leave.

I had waited until near the end of the deployment to take my leave. I would rather come back to the deployment with as few months left as possible. And I was so excited to finally get home. However, this joy and elation lasted a grand total of four days. After having helped my ex-fiance with money every month so she wouldn't be so stressed, I even gave her money so she could go on two trips, and a grand to buy books and a laptop. When your together with someone, you think of it as a partnership, and you can't even imagine that they would betray you. So for me this was natural. I wasn't giving her money, I was investing money in our future together. Either way, four days into my leave, I'm not sure why, and still have no clue as to what led her to this, but she dumped me. Ironically, she did this approximately four days before I was going to propose to her at the Georgia Aquarium. Needless to say, the rest of my leave sucked.

I wasn't happy to return to Iraq, I wouldn't have been happy if I had stayed home either. I remember that she didn't even bother to call me the day I was going back. We kept communicating through til the end of the month, before a huge argument. I was just amazed at how callous she was, that she could go from loving me to not loving me in a day it seemed. And within the week, it seemed like she really didn't care whether I lived or died.

I continued to do my duty, as it was all that I had left for those final few months, but my spending habits got way out of control. I think this was a slight fore-shadowing of what was to come. But thanks to whatever grace may be watching out for me, I made it home safely. When I first got home, I did contact her. This lasted for about a month, before I finally severed all ties, nearly completely.

However, after coming home, I struggle with the motivation to do things. Im now in a bit of a state of depression, and I came home and associated with the wrong people. For the first two months, I drank, and drank...and drank. My spending recovered a tiny bit, but I certainly would've been better off had I not been an idiot in my last two months overseas. I continued in my little spiral of negativity, which finally came to an abrupt end, almost exactly six months after my fiance had broken it up with me. This end was an arrest, and a charge for possession of marijuana, misdemeanor. I'm not a big drug user, and the only reason I had it is because this gir I was going out with at the time smoked, and so I sorta got caught up in that. However, I made the conscious decision to clean up my act.

Since that time, my life has had its ups and downs. Over the summer I was back in School, however, this didn't last long as there was a processing error at the VA when I tried to return for this fall. However, I then took it upon myself to fill my court order, except for Community Service, which I'm hoping to fulfill in the next three weeks (forty hours in three weeks, not impossible, but certainly hard).

After I get my court order handled, I think I will finally be able to return to normalcy. While I do take responsibility for my own actions, it is very easy to point out that a more direct cause of my "wild behavior" was the breakup. And from it I've learned an incredible lesson that can't be reproduced. I will never again love or trust a female to the degree that I loved and trusted before this. There were so many different ways she could have handled the situation, but she didn't try any of them. I can now look back, and say, we both had our problems, but the selfish way with which she handled me...there is a special place for people like that. As of now, I don't communicate with her. I dont wish anything for her, good or ill. I wouldn't even want her to come back to me begging or anything. Given how badly she messed my life up, I can prevent that, but not letting it happen again.

Thanks for listening.

-Emperor