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Wow... I haven't been here in forever...

does anyone miss me?

Hell... does anyone even REMEMBER me, for that matter...

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..

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Feels like a Monday.

More bitchin about our stupid new Civil Remedial Fees crap

So here are some of the Civil Remedial Fees I mentioned...
Current mood: tired
Category: News and Politics

Just so you know, here are some of the numerous "civil remedial fees" we Virginians, and ONLY we Virginians will have to pay, should we ever get tagged for any of the offenses, regardless of reason:

Driving on a suspended license - 1st offense.........750
3rd offense in 10 years.............................3000
aggressive driving (judgment call here)...............1050
Improper operation of a motorcycle
(another judgment call)..................................900
operate motor vehicle w/below standard tires
(whatever the hell THAT means)......................900
Not having a drivers license on you
(yeah, you better have yours)............................900
Learner's permit violation...................................900
Reckless Driving.................................................1050
DUI and related.................................................2250
Driving after drinking, under 21, regardless of BAC..2250
Various Driving Misdemeandors..............................900
Like Refusing Blood/Breath test for WHATEVER reason
Any Driving Felonies...........................................3000

And, remember, ALL of these fees are above and beyond the fines that we would get charged for these infractions... and NONE of them can be waived... EVER.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the bit about how long they will now keep track of our "bad driving points"....

11 years

no, I'm not joking.

FYI - Most insurance companies don't even keep track of that for more than 3 years...

and if we gather up 8 demerit points during those 11 years? We have to pay extra to keep the privilege of driving.

Those fees are $100 a year for as long as there are eight or more demerit points, plus $75 for each demerit beyond eight, up to a max of $700.

A speeding 0-9 mph ticket will get you 3 demerits. 10-19 gets you 4, if I am not mistaken. Other infractions generally score you 3-4 demerits, mmkay?

But don't worry - see, with a whole good year of driving, you get to add A WHOLE 1 POINT back for "good behavior". (You can, it must be stated, take a safe driver course for 5 bonus points... but you can only do that once every 5 years... or maybe they've changed it to 11 years too... I don't know for certain)


SOOOO... if you should, say, get 3 speeding tickets in those 11 years, you could end up paying an extra $175-400 PER YEAR until you get those points back to 8 or less. The max fee for demerit points is a mere $700 per year.

Of course, this only affects Virginians, so like I said, speed away, oh ye tourists!

Personally, I think the Virginia State Senate needs to be taken out back and beaten.

And before you misread me and think that I am simply complaining about not being allowed to drive "badly", I must reiterate my major complaints about this law.

1. The judge cannot waive a fee, even if the reasons are good (like my suspended license tale of woe from years ago)
2. It violates the specific amendment against "excessive fines" - since WE are THE PEOPLE and WE are obviously decrying these amounts, then certainly they must be viewed as excessive
3. The whole 11 years of tracking my driving record and only 8 demerit points before getting spanked?? You could get that over 3 years with, let's see, a ticket for malfunctioning equipment (like a headlight that is out), a speeding ticket and, say, a rolling stop. Over THREE years!! (if you get a ticket, you don't get that 1 big point back for good behavior, see?) Normally, most people would say that isn't really that bad of a driving record.... and God forbid you forget your driver's license in your other pants!!! (That'll be 900 bucks please, thank you)
4. It violates the constitutionality of equal protection under the law - this is truly my biggest issue - if we gotta pay, why shouldn't EVERYONE??
   

So there ya go... last I checked, there were some 60,000 online petition signatures. Keep 'em rolling in! Write your representative directly, too!

Highway Robbery

I'm sure by now that many of you have heard about the ridiculous new "civil remedial fees" that Virginia residents have to submit to when driving in their own, home state.

Now, several supporters of these fees simply say, "Well, don't drive like an idiot."

I can't agree with them more. People who drive like idiots do cause a lot of accidents. People who drink and drive cause a lot of accidents. Yes, they should be punished.

But (and again, it's a big but...)

They just don't get it.

The government is creating legislation that is unfair in its scope and outrageous in its structure, not to mention the major question about its very constitutionality.

Here is the 8th amendment to our Constitution.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

But who is it, exactly, that determines what is excessive? Well, WE do... at least we, in theory, do so through our elected representatives.

"Basically, what we have here is a failure to communicate..." Our fine state legislators have somehow gotten it in their heads that we feel these fines are adequate and just.

Of course, let's not mention some of these fines, already extant in Virginia law:

Grand larceny - a FELONY. Has a fine of up to 2500. This, of course, can be waived, just like all other fines in the legal code. - I guess speeding is, oh, about equal to Grand larceny, eh?

Class 5 and 6 Felonies in Virginia carry a maximum fine of up to 2500, in fact... and 1 to 10 years in jail.

But every one of the fines can be waived arbitrarily by the judge.

NOT SO with these new "civil remediation fees".

And don't even get me started about that name... makes it sound like they are punishing children. How condescending must these legislators be to rule from on high and smack our wee hands for being bad. Bad driver! Bad bad driver! Here's a $3000 timeout for you.

I was at school and sent off a check for a ticket I received. Chesterfield County processed the check... but they sure didn't account for it in my DMV records. So I was riding around with a suspended license for 6 months, when I was tagged for it at a surprise check point one night.

Thank God this happened years ago, or I'd be kissing 750 bucks goodbye for no good reason.

Did I mention said fees can run up to $3000??

Did I mention that these fees ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BE WAIVED?

So you could, in theory, go commit grand larceny, be found guilty, get probabtion and no fine and walk.... but if you were driving on a suspended license (EVEN IF YOU WERE NEVER INFORMED IT WAS SUSPENDED), you would have to pay $750 PLUS court costs and fees?

But the REAL topper?

The BIG cherry on top?

The straw that really irks most of us
law-abiding Virginians, in fact?

IT ONLY APPLIES TO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS

So recklessly speed away, all you out-of-town visitors to our state. Drive drunk on our roads and you get a smack on the hand...

IF THEY EVEN PULL YOU.

Since we are now looking for highway revenue via these fees, who do YOU think will be pulled first? Do you really, REALLY think they'll stop some Jersey boy rolling by at 80mph on a 55mph highway, when he could nab one of us poor saps doing "only" 76 in a 55 zone? - and if you drive on I-95, you KNOW that traffic speed - which is the TRUE safe speed to drive - often runs in the 15-25 over the limit neighborhood...

Ummm... one lil other thing - That speeding 20 and over, which is NOT automatically reckless driving in Virginia, will get you smacked for $2250 my friend...

The 14th Amendment of the Constitution states:

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

And yet, here we are, Virginians... suffering from less than equal protection in our own freakin back yard??

Screw that.

Is THAT why we are a Commonwealth and NOT a state?

DAMMIT

Less than a week from the wedding....

we had to reschedule it.

The simple reasons follow:

1. project at work needed to be finished. ABSOLUTELY
2. family
3. friends

You wouldn't think it would be so difficult to have a "simple" wedding, right? Just simple "hop-on-the-beach-do-you-yup-do-you-yup" ceremony, right?

Well... how wrong I was.

New date? September 1st.

Now, I just gotta survive that long...

Tall Tale Tuesday

Hey, I just won

the MEGA MILLIONS LOTTERY!!!

okay, yeah... I'm lying.

who needs a day job?

Oh, that's right.

I do.

But if I could make enough money from music to pay all my bills AND get me and a family some health insurance?

Yeah, I'd be doing music. It's my love, my passion, and my creative release. It is what gets me through some of the days I've had at my day job. It is a total Jeckyll and Hyde situation - at work, I'm grumpy, irritable, arrogant, difficult to work with, tense, and not well pleased... probably not well liked either, given the description set before...

But when I'm playing music? I'm affable, bouncy, relaxed, upbeat, gregarious, and from what I've been told - funny and fun to be with.

But I guess that's what day jobs often end up being - all work and no play.

It's not that I don't do my job, though at times I really have to grit my teeth to make it through the day - but the atmosphere the company presents me with and the feelings they have engendered through our corporate step-parentage - ie. we're treated like black sheep, redheaded stepchildren at our office - doesn't exactly give me the motivation to come to work all happy and pleased.

Add to that the fact that the people whose company I have enjoyed working with, even through some stressful conflicts, have all quit and gone on to better, brighter skies and you're left with an uncool situation overall.

So here I come, Megamillions. The new winner you NEED to pick!

Hey, I could start a NEW company with THAT kind of cash!

Ahh...

dare to dream...

Ego

Which came first? Musicians or ego?

Let's discuss... you first.

In All Fairness

I've had a number of people complaining about fairness to me in the past week or so and I thought it might be a good idea to get it out of my system and see what anyone else had to say on the topic.

Fairness is a difficult thing to claim. Everyone can claim they were unfairly treated, when in fact they were treated exactly as stated in the rules, or exactly as they deserved, or exactly as they SHOULD be treated. Much of it is a matter of perception, methinks, and oft times it seems that some who claim unfairness simply don't understand the whole situation or the rules or the laws involved.

And I've been smacked on the head a few times by the law for that one... and even I have said that "it wasn't fair".

I've had a few situations where people have complained to me at my open mic for this, that, or the other. One person thought it was unfair that some other people played before them... another thought I gave them less time than the large group of people who just happened to play before them.

Well, in the latter situation, is it fair for me to give a whole band the same 20 or so minutes I give to any individual jammer when there are 5 of them playing in the band AND they came all the way from San Diego on tour and graced my little show with their awesomeness to promo their local shows AND they really rocked the house (and I'm all about making a good show first) AND they were very cool about it? And in the former, well, I think it was a matter of perception because the complainant was actually next-to-last to arrive and I adhere to the fairness of the "first come, first choice" rule.

At work, my entire division has been pretty unfairly treated by our parent company. Of course, from our perspective, that's undeniable... on the other hand, all they see up north is the dollars and cents... and they see no sense in treating us any better since our sales are in the toilet.

Of course, a smart man would have realized long ago that sales is something that a salesman does... and no sales? Well, who would YOU punish?

Right, the so-called salesman. Instead? They punished the one salesman who was actually making sales, limited as they were by them tying his hands together. And then they've punished the development staff ... which makes NO sense. Without a development staff, how are we going to deliver software in the WAY off-chance that our non-salesman actually manages to bullsh@t his way to a purchase order?

That's not just unfair. It's stupid.

But I guess that's just MY perception, eh? It's not my buck that's paying for us to get screwed down here, is it? Ahh well...

It was also recently stated that I had unfairly treated an ex. Now, in all honesty, for MOST of my exes? Well, yeah, probably so... but relationships are such a 2-way street and there is always a lot of tit-for-tat going on. But in THIS particular case? Not so.... and I won't even go into details about how unfairly I was treated that made us both exes in the first place. I'm just glad, honestly, that she's found a path to a smile and that it doesn't involve putting me under asphalt.

There was another situation from the way back machine. I managed to get in good with a local production company that ran a lot of the big name concerts in the Richmond area. Actually, it was a friend of mine who got us hooked in to this deal. What we did was brought them sushi from this great little local shop, and gave it to the production company. In return they gave us tickets and back stage passes. Cool, yeah? ( too bad the company went under around here! )

Then came the Metallica show (the big tour for their "black" album). 10 of us got involved in getting sushi and it cost us an average of 10 bucks each for our share (we all split the costs, cause that was fair). Unfortunately, there were only 8 backstage passes. Well, my friend and his brothers and their friends took 6 tix and passes, leaving me 4 tix and 2 passes.

I had my best friend with me, another good friend, and this girl who really wanted to hook up with me all along with me. That's 4 people and only 2 passes. I complained to my buddy who got the deal and his brothers said, well, first come, first served and they got to the sushi shop first.

Great.

So then I got to complain about fairness...

And then we got to the show and my best friend snagged one of the 2 passes, since she really did do a lot of the leg work for this deal and really got in good with the promoters (she's SCARY good at that sort of thing and has gotten me backstage to all sorts of events with her talent at talking to people and not taking "no" for an answer). So that was fair. And it was my friend who got the original deal, so that's one for me. My other friend started giving me grief about it and so did the girl who wanted to hook up with me.

Mind you, I never said one way or the other about reciprocating those feelings at the time.

So I had to hear them complain about fairness. Of course, they were invited last minute cause we had the 2 extra tix, and they didn't do any work for the sushi so they basically got $30 tickets for only 10 bucks. So how unfair was it, really?

All in the perception.

In the end, they managed to get 2 more backstage (Snake Pit) passes and we all enjoyed the show from under/in the stage and got to watch Lars and all the rest of them hammer out the heavy metal from WAY close up.

And I got an autographed drum stick out of it.

Sweet.

So, alls well that ends well, I guess.

the challenge

What follows is not the most cohesive entry I've ever written, but the drugs they gave me to keep me mobile, upright, and keep my lungs and back from exploding are being NO help with that.

Rewind it a few days though and between fits of coughing my brain cells out of my head, I managed to go see my niece graduate from college this weekend while at the same time enjoy, for the most part, a miniature (and all too short) family reunion.

My favorite first nephew, or at least the oldest one, and I have had an ongoing smack-talk fest about our billiards skills. It has been going on for years, but the last time we managed to be in the same pool hall, much less the same state, was four years ago.

It was a draw.

No, really.

Okay, well... I did manage to win a few and we both had large laughs as we both flirted with the cute waitress at the bar.

That was a weird experience, flirting with a waitress with your much younger nephew... but, hey, it was fun.

He currently lives in Texas and serves in the Army, for those interested in the details, while here I am in RVA (Richmond, Virginia, for those not in the know with the lingo) so our chances to play are few and far between. He has been serving our nation in Iraq for the past 7 months and we've been "harassing" each other about that 9-ball rematch for months with fine little jabs as these:

So when you get back, make sure you're ready for another lesson.
Exercise your back... cause you're gonna bend over all those times to rack 'em.
I'm ready to play - the extra money will make a nice down payment on my next new car.

You get the idea.

Well, he managed to get lucky and his short 15 days of leave would occur right when my niece was graduating from JMU and everyone in the fam just happened to be able to get free for this one weekend.

Next thing you know, it became a family reunion.

It's nice to see family - it's really nice to see how easily we fall back in to the same old family routines we had from the way back time - after dinner kidding, the younger generation jumping up on the getting old one for some rasslin', hootin, and hollerin... and discussions of bad jokes past and times aplenty fill the rooms with warmth of memories of hearth and home...

Ahhh... reminiscing... both my brothers and their wives and all the kids... Even the newest youngest one has started to come out of his quiet little shell and show he does indeed come from the same obnoxious, arrogant, funloving family tree.

And, of course, with my first nephew back in the same state, well... we were gonna get to settle the smack talk for real. He even brought his own sticks to his flight so he'd be well-armed.

And wouldn't you know it? Security changes from 9/11 have caused such a ruckus in what is allowed and NOT for luggage.

His pool cues?

Not allowed.

I guess they're afraid he would knock the pilots balls into a corner pocket or something...

Anyway, we had to deal with the Lords of Lost Luggage as his sticks had to come over on a completely separate flight, arriving some 3 hours after the rest of the family. These are the people who claim complete and total ignorance as to the true location and/or nature of your lost luggage. Plausible deniability, I say, in case they happen to like whatever happens to be "missing".... either that, or they are the ones who send lost luggage to the place where ball point pens and single socks go...

And as the black sheep of the family, I got to stay behind and wait for Nick's Sticks to arrive.... but, hey, Nick waited with us.

It was really nice getting to chill out on my deck for a few hours, just sitting in the beautiful sun, drinking beers with my nephew. He's a good kid... and chicks dig him.

Bonus. Almost as good as taking a puppy to the park, having him with me at the bar.

Oh, and the rematch?

A draw.

And I've been informed that the rubber match has to be held in Texas, his home turf.

Great.

Anyone here know how to speak Texan?

Definitions to help you through the weekend...

pre-business - what the smart geek will tell you he is studying instead of engineering.

the one - a mythical beast that exists only in fairy tales and in the minds of schizophrenics.

the other - what one calls his/her significant other when they realize that my definition of "the one" is correct so far...

the one right now - what generally happens in bars late at night, after several rounds

a girl with a great personality - see above

a really nice guy - see above

"let's just be friends" - "you just might be the one, for all I know, but you just seem like (a really nice guy / a girl with a great personality) so it won't like happen... not even if you were the one right now."

f**kbuddy - an alternate version of the other...

cropdusting - the art of farting in a location and walking away, leaving a trail of... scent to catch the unwary. Most often done in grocery or retail stores, the cropduster often stays at one end of the aisle to see what effect his chemical dispersion has on its victims, intended or otherwise.

cock-blocking - Causing interference between a predator and his intended victim, pre coitus. Acting in such a manner as to eliminate any chance of said predator of scoring.

wingman - the one who gets to pick up the OTHER person at the table where the hottie is sitting, or at least prevent the intended target's wingman from properly protecting his/her interests and/or safety. Unfair treatment of a wingman can easily lead to cock-blocking by said wingman, so be kind to your wingman.

mating call - when the blonde says, "I'm SOOOO drunk." Can also cause the spontaneous eruption of cock-blocking occurrences across an entire room.

My apologies to all for the lameness of this post, but it's the best I could come up with on such short notice and with only a few minutes on hand to make some crap up (and borrow things I've heard, of course)... feel free to add to this list. Perhaps I will make a compendium of it and create a new subsection of the Wiktionary with just these types of words and phrases... could be fun.

Have a great weekend all! I got a ton of birthday/reception/pool parties to go to...

after I mow my lawn.

Dammit.

So...

I've been taking a beating from numerous people these past MONTH for a decision I made after a REALLY long 2 and a half year sojourn in life. It wasn't a decision lightly made - I mean, come on, it took over 2 years - nor was it made as a statement or anything else. It certainly wasn't one of the most popular decisions I've ever made - of course, popular decisions are never hard ones, except perhaps on the individual. When the individual makes a choice that is UNpopular is when they truly must test the character of their conviction in the face of those who oppose...

and so it is with me.

But you would think that after a month of it, it would let up.

I guess not.

The worst part about decisions like this is that it unfortunately can be the thing that draws the line on the map, dividing those who wish to be your friends through the good and bad times, and those to whom you were apparently no more than a convenience, oddity, entertainment, or somehow otherwise useful. Sad, but true.

or perhaps it is my viewpoint about friendship that is skewed.

It is quite possible.

I've had friends who hated other friends I had. It was never a comfortable situation for me, but as one who always takes the devil's advocate role, I've found that the truth is found in the middle, and perception truly is what makes the demarcations as clear as they seem to be... but the truth is almost always some other shade of pale. But I could keep both sets of friends, if only because I am ever the one who hopes those oft-foolish divisions can somehow be mended with the passing of time...

sometimes even I am the optimist, rather than the realist I claim to be.

I would simply deal with them as individuals... I kept them separate... I avoided the topic of the "enemy" and simply kept them compartmentalized that way until I could find opportunities to try and mend those broken and shattered fenceposts.

I suppose that's why it hurts the most when those who call you friend turn their back on you when times like these arise...

but I guess there is something to be said for those of fair weather... cause at least you can enjoy the sunshine sometimes when the ones who hold you up in the storm are out at sea...

And Just So We're Clear on This

I know Yoko got all sorts of media attention and publicity. It's amazing what one can accomplish by riding on the coattails of a famous genius. At that level of public appeal or notoriety, even BAD publicity is GOOD publicity.

Just look at Courtney Love. We "know" she had Kurt killed, don't we? And Anna Nicole Smith? Those breasts earned her large bank and the ability to actually have a television show which was popular just for her drug-addled antics!

Yoko was probably not the first.

But she's probably still one of the most famous/infamous.

She killed the Beatles.

Well, she probably didn't kill the Beatles ACTUALLY, but she certainly provided the fuel and drive to break the camel's back and drive a wedge around our famous genius John Lennon.

It doesn't take an honorary doctorate or even a grammy won on a coattail to figure THAT out...

I Got Yoko Ono'd

That's right. I got Yoko Ono'd right out of the band.

be my, be my, be my Yoko Ono Whoa-whoa-whoa

How ironic that not just a week or so ago we considered learning that song at one of our fun two-man practices... and now, whoa, irony.

I've since vented and now I'm just sad. I feel sad for lots of people, including myself, who had to somehow get swept up in a drama that never should have been - as most drama never should be - a drama that was pent up full of annoyances, grievances, frustrations, questionable choices, misconceptions, misperceptions, and a few flat out lies to give it a nasty bite...

the end result is still the same
without a band I so remain
my question still is what's been gained
the cheese being rubbed out like a stain?

Sad.

And who really lost here? Maybe everyone. Lots of people seem to be making themselves out to be the victim here... myself included. But who really lost here? Well, I definitely did. And some made sure they'd lost what was left of my friendship. And maybe I count myself a better friend than I really am... probably so. I think we all like to think of ourselves as being really good at being a friend... so who knows? I know in some ways, I really am a crappy friend... but I also know I do have your back when it counts.

And maybe that's enough.

Maybe.

It's enough for me.

And who knows? Maybe I've gained something I never thought to notice before.

My manhood.

Could be. News at 11.

Song in the Key of Key-rap

So once again, it looks as if my band's very existence is threatened.... along with friendships that are years old. And for what?

I suppose you could say it's my stupidity. Maybe it's my overabundance of "guydom"/lack of "manhood" - those of you who know Lloyd Dobbler know of which I speak.

I should have said something then about all that I knew then. Should have been direct and confronted all parties and gotten everyone together... but I played like a guy and just let it slide.

In retrospect, that was a REAL stupid move.

Ahh well... maybe I'll go into more detail later. I am just so tired of this unnecessary KEY-RAP!

Some People Need to be slapped. Really

I've heard a number of people saying some of the dumbest, most annoying things about the men and women who choose to serve in the armed forces.... the biggest loser said the following:
"...if your son's job [in the marines] is so damned important, then why isn't he dead yet?"

No. I am NOT kidding.

And this came from a suburban d00d who works at a local Sam's Club as a... what did he say? Technical Advisor/Forklift Operator. To me that reads as "STOCK BOY". But I'm not here to insult him directly. Oh no, cause there are several people who said many nearly as idiotic things - like the one boss who threatened to fire a man whose son was about to go back to Iraq because it was his third tour of duty, or the one woman who said to one distraught mother that she shouldn't be so worried cause it's "just like sending her own son off to college."

Umm, excuse me?

I don't recall seeing too many IED's and dogs with explosives loaded up their hoo-hole the last time I took a class at VCU or Va Tech. I don't remember seeing a lot of sandbags surrounding the campus compound to deter snipers and insurgents. Biggest thing I saw were sobriety checkpoints and plenty-o-pretty girls. I'm also thinking the ratio of women to men at your typical base in Iraq is quite a bit worse than your standard co-ed university, eh?

It astounds me how some people think. Now, this is what I said in response to the blog where I read several of the things these people said:

People who say these things live a nice, sheltered life. They live in America, where all things should be happy and wonderful and the biggest problems in their lives generally deal with the following:

• Where to go Friday night?
• is their spouse/significant other cheating on them?
• Does s/he like me?
• Golly, I don't like my job.
• What am I gonna eat tonight?

And while these earth-shattering issues confront many of us all the time, as well as the boys who have taken their voluntary service in the military, it is a sad sign that these people don't live in the whole, real world. They live in their own little space and nothing else matters except how it affects them. Their unfortunate and selfish narrow-mindedness is an unfortunate side effect of living in a nation where we take our freedoms for granted. Freedoms that others volunteer to protect and keep for us. These punk bitches and misguided , naive idiots don't have the guts or the gear to understand that there really is a much wider world out there and that things "out there" can affect them just as readily. Without what these boys do, we wouldn't have the freedom to say these simply pathetic, stupid, and downright insulting things to or about them.

Politics or no, the fact that these boys all volunteered to serve, full well knowing that the possibility of being deployed in a dangerous combat zone, means that the ONLY thing we should do is support them and respect them for doing that which we cannot or will not do for ourselves.

Period.
No discussion.
That's all there is to it.

Jack Nicholson said it best in these lines from A Few Good Men:

"Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to."