AAFES Gas Prices

As I was filling my gas tank, and wanting to shoot myself, I went over the gasoline situation here in my mind. It wasn't a pretty process. The gasoline on base here in Okinawa is peddled by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES. They are the mafioso-like organization that has its fingers in any sale of worthwhile goods or services to military personnel here. I was wondering (I often wonder about things that I cannot change), why the gas prices here on base are so high. I won't state exactly what the price is, because it is indeed below the "national average," but suffice it to say that it's higher than it should be.

AAFES procures its gasoline on Okinawa from the Defense Logistics Agency, which procures it from Japanese sources. That gasoline is NOT subject to U.S. federal taxes by law. Congress, however (Democrat led?), has waived that law, and has subjected the overseas sale of gasoline to U.S. federal taxes. The cost of that gasoline is based on an annual contract. That means that the mafioso bids on it once a year and pays that price for gasoline all year long. Perhaps I'm missing something, but that indicates to me that AAFES should charge the same price for gasoline all year long. There I go applying common sense again...Can't have that! Alas, AAFES changes its gasoline prices weekly, based on the U.S. national average price...Can you say "shafted?" I knew you could. What does the cost of gasoline in the U.S. have to do with the cost of gasoline in Japan? Nothing, you say? Me too.

Whenever pressed about the issue, AAFES spokespersons (aka: dolts that can read a script) mumble things like, "Our prices are below the national average!" and, "Our prices are carefully agreed upon by our board of directors." Really? We all see clearly through the first tap dance; what about the second? Can anyone really convince me that said board of directors has no interest in AAFES making a huge profit? One particular dolt claimed that 32 percent of AAFES profits are used up in expenditures to "enhance the shopping experience" of its customers. In other words, a third of their profits go back in their own pocket, instead of being returned to the customers. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have cheaper gasoline than see AAFES employees get shiny new nametags, and a brighter neon sign above the entrance.

Like any business that has the job of "supporting" the military, AAFES is well versed in providing canned "answers" to tough questions. Unfortunately, their answers consist of steaming piles of manure. These answers may be sufficiently complex enough to baffle a "journalist," but those of us with functioning brains aren't buying into them.

AAFES article #1
AAFES article #2

Japanese Signs

I've seen some crazy signs since arriving here in Okinawa. Here's a sample of some. I've seen one of these, but the others were simply found online. They keep the spirit of the odd translations though...WTF with the chick on the bear? Maybe that one means "no girls with axes riding bears."

Week In Review

I guess this will be a "double whammy" review, since I didn't do one last week. Twice the bang for your buck! Let's see, what happened last week...it's a bit of a blur. Bob roamed the neighborhood last Friday evening and met some people that were partying (on a Marine base? What are the odds?). What happened this week?

I'm still attending the SNCO Academy Advanced Course. Only four more weeks to go! The physical training (PT) each day is fun and challenging, so that's a plus. The academic portion isn't really challenging, except for the sheer amount of it in any given period. We have an exam every Monday, which covers all of the topics of the previous week. Having the weekend to study is a huge advantage. Our "Class Commander," or the senior Marine in our class, is a complete idiot. Students are beginning to just laugh at him now, and we're all wondering why he hasn't been fired yet. Oh well, he does provide us with entertainment.

My ribs are not completely healed, but they're much better than they were. The PT program at the academy is probably not helping the healing process, but that's just the way it is. No big deal; it's just pain. Some of us are fond of saying that, "pain is just weakness leaving the body."

We planted some flowers in front of our house. Well, my wife planted some flowers in front of our house, and they're doing well. Our front yard looked pretty barren prior to that, and it looks pretty nice now. We put the flowers in little flower boxes that look as if they were designed to go on a window ledge. This will allow us to drag all of our flowers inside when the typhoons come. Our neighbors, on the other hand, will simply have their flowers scoured down to bare dirt by the typhoons.

This Sunday is Mother's Day (don't forget guys!). The weather here is supposed to be crappy, so I guess I won't be taking my wife to do much of anything that day. I'll just be doing, well, I don't know what I'll be doing. I'll be doing whatever she desires me to do. I suspect that it will involve cooking and cleaning, but that's just a guess. I had ordered a very small gift for my mom, but it only got here yesterday, so there's no way it will reach her by Sunday. Oh well; she'll get it a bit late. It's not necessarily a Mother's Day gift anyway, just something small that my wife and I both though was very neat. I'll put something up about it after she gets it (don't want to ruin the surprise).

I watched the movie The Kingdom, starring Jamie Fox. It wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't exactly a good movie either. It got the point across, I suppose. It certainly pissed me off. You can just watch the first 30 minutes of the movie, and get plenty pissed off (which is probably the point of the movie).

Well, until next time, stay safe and shoot straight.

I Recall Idiots In Fall

I recall, Central Park in fall...oh wait. This isn't a musical? Crap. Sorry.

I recall a blog that I had almost forgotten about, and it's called Wear Red on Fridays. I'm not sure why I neglected to add it to my list of "favorite reads" when I started this blog, but I did. I was negligent in my duties as a rational adult! It's a fine project, and I encourage it.

In going back through some of the comments on the Wear Red blog, I found a couple of choice idiots that were in need of some "tender loving care." I couldn't give them what they truly needed, but I could get a good laugh out of their comments. Here's a couple of samples (my comments are in italics):

"You should watch how you refer to MARINES. We dont like being called JARHEADS!!!!!!"
-Johnny

I'm not sure what kind of drugs "Johnny" is smoking, but Jarhead is a term of endearment among Marines.

"Hello,
Why red? I just ask because it seems clear that red has become the unofficial color of the American Republican party. This seems to indicate that this movement purposefully tries to ambiguate support for the Iraq war (which the Republican party is almost unanimously in support of) and support for deployed American solders. Also, don't we already support our troops by way of taxes?"
-Timmy

What a piece of work this guy is! How dare we "support" anything beyond paying taxes? Last time I checked, taxes were not voluntary! Am I missing something? Am I missing the mark by calling this guy a dumbshit? I think not.

"ummm...am I missing something here? How does wearing a shirt support our troops? What sacrifice does that ask from us for those who stand to sacrifice everything?"
-Jay

Yep; you're missing something Jay. Some of us like it when the civilians actually show some pride in our military! Take care about stepping in front of fast moving trucks and buses Jay!

I'm not sure when being stupid came into fashion, but it sure seems to be en vogue now. I hope this trend ends soon, because I don't want to be on the receiving end of a doctor, dentist, lawyer, pilot, etc, that has the intelligence of these folks!

Okinawa Battle Sites Tour

As part of the SNCO Academy that I'm attending, I was fortunate enough to go on the Okinawa battle sites tour today. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

This first one is one of the countless entrances to the elaborate tunnel system that can be found atop "Hacksaw Ridge." 2,500 Marines and Soldiers lost their lives taking that ridge. Some of the tunnels went as deep as 130 feet underground.



This next picture is of a Japanese machine gun that was recently unearthed behind the Taco Bell on base (Camp Foster, to be exact). Any time that construction projects take place here, some type of war relics are usually dug up.



The next picture is of the actual Japanese flag that was flying atop Shuri Castle until it fell to U.S. forces. It was signed by various unit commanders. It, and many other artifacts, can be viewed at a historical collection on Camp Kinser. Unfortunately, the Marine Corps is doing nothing to support this historical exhibit, and it exists due to donations alone.



This last picture is taken from atop Shuri Castle. Most of what you see had to be rebuilt, due to damage sustained during the battle.



I enjoyed the tour, but a few pictures can hardly do it justice. Read up on the Battle of Okinawa; you won't be disappointed.

Weird Things Meme

Hammer has an interesting meme up on his blog. I decided to give it a whirl. Here's seven weird things about me:

-I almost never remember my dreams, but will often wake up knowing I had a bad one. When I do remember them, it's only very brief little images and pieces.

-My sense of smell is impaired. I'm not sure when it started, but it's been gradual, I guess. I can smell just fine, but I struggle to identify certain smells. Something along the lines of, "That has a sweet smell, but that's about it," is the norm.

-I despise feet. I'd rather pick up a steaming turd than touch somebody's feet. Am I a closet Muslim?

-I can identify many aircraft by their sound. That's not really weird, but my wife says it is. Rotary wing aircraft don't count, since most military folks can identify those by sound. This probably all stems from my childhood fascination with military aircraft (I'm still a child in that regard).

-I look at really nice guns the way some guys look at really nice cars.

-I still view being a garbage man as a cool job (those trucks crush stuff...almost as cool as blowing things up).

-I have an unnatural fear of horses. I'm not sure what phobia that might be, but I think I have it. I'd rather fly in an airplane (which I hate), than be in a corral with a horse. This one really stinks, since horses are really neat critters, and I have a love of all things Cowboy.

Stupid People, or Moments of Stupidity?

Sometimes it takes a minute or two to decide if someone is truly stupid, or if they're simply doing something stupid during a momentary lapse of judgment. An incident this week made me ponder this, and caused me to reflect back on some of the indicators that I have seen in the past in other people*. Here's a few:

-A man stands on the soft convertible top of his car to hang a Christmas decoration on the edge of his roof. He's a large man. What do you think happens? If you guessed that he ripped through the fabric of the car top, you get a cookie! Stupid man, or momentary lapse?

-A man changes the oil in his truck. After draining the oil from the oil pan, he begins adding quart after quart of new oil to the engine. He cannot seem to figure out why it's taking more oil than usual...and eventually notices the oil running down his driveway into the gutter. If you guessed that he forgot to reinstall the drain plug, you get a cookie. This same man dumped his pan of used motor oil in his front lawn, and was shocked (shocked I tell you) that it made a big dead spot in the lawn. Stupid man, or momentary lapse?

-A man is preparing to grill some steaks. After firing up his gas grill, he waits a few minutes, only to have his wife ask him, "Is the grill hot yet?" He checks by placing his hand directly on the cooking surface of the grill (yep, it was hot). Stupid man, or momentary lapse?

This week's incident was much less dramatic, but still cause for head shaking. I'm currently attending (as mentioned below) the Staff NCO Academy Advanced Course. They make us buy nifty looking green t-shirts with Gunny chevrons on the back to wear at PT (physical training, aka: legal hazing). In order to make things simple, we passed around a roster with everyone's name on it, and we were told to put the quantity, style (cotton or mesh), and size of t-shirts that we wanted on the roster. When the roster came around to me, I couldn't help but notice that one individual had simply written "green" next to their name. No quantity, no style, no size. Granted, all of our t-shirts that we wear to PT are indeed green, so I suppose it was a good guess on his part, but it was still a keen indicator of possible stupidity.

*Disclaimer: I have deliberately left out incidents of my own stupidity. Rest assured that there is no shortage of them. That simple fact is what causes me to ask whether it's true stupidity, or a momentary lapse in judgment. In addition, did anyone notice the error in the graphic above?

Week In Review

It's been a frustrating week here in The Land of the Rising Sun. We underwent the below mentioned CGRI at work, and we did well (some other victims didn't do as well), and I had some frustration in dealing with my administrative section. As is typical of all admin sections, ours is full of people that either don't give a damn about the folks they're supposed to support, or they are simply idiots (more the latter than the former).

With spring in full swing here, my wife and I went to the Monkey Man store (Japanese version of Home Depot) and bought a bunch of flowers to plant out front. We hadn't done much of that since moving in here, since it was November when we made that move.

My ribs are still not 100%, but they're getting there. This injury is lingering and generally being a pain in the ass.

My father had surgery on Friday. At his age, it's no small affair. He's doing fair, but cannot keep any chow in his belly right now. I'll be rooting for his quick recovery.

Next week, I'll be starting the Staff NCO Academy Advanced Course. It's a professional military school that is part of the natural progression for senior NCOs. I guess after two and a half years, I'll finally learn how to be a Gunny!

How was your week?

Two Shootists

I've come across a neat new blog. It's a blog that has not just one author, but two! They both appear to be active duty military, but I'm not sure which branch (more reading might reveal that). They blog about political topics, and they're pretty good. I particularly like the word "shootist" in the title (it hearkens to one of my favorite movies).

I was pleased to see that it's not just a "two man circle jerk." They don't sit there supporting each other. In fact, they appear to not be entirely in agreement. This could get interesting.

Check these guys out at Shootists' Scribblings. I'm betting a shiny new nickel that these guys will go far.

Commanding General's Readiness Inspection

Have you ever felt like you were being examined under a magnifying glass? That's how I'll feel on Monday.

We found out this afternoon (Friday), that we'll be undergoing a 'CGRI,' or Commanding General's Readiness Inspection, on Monday. Old timers will remember them as CGI's, or IG's. This is when a bunch of folks show up and inspect everything from your troops' underwear (yes, really), to your unit's training records. It's a grand old time for everyone!

I'm not real worried; my stuff is in proper order, and my young Marines know what the heck they're doing (I'm lucky like that).

One nifty little quirk that one can expect when one of these inspections comes along is the "unwritten hit." By that, I mean that inspectors are fond of hitting you on things that cannot be found in any order or regulation. They just pull something out of their hat, and believe that it's right. That's where us almost-smart guys come in. We're here to stand up and say, "With all due respect, that's a load of crap."

All in all, it will be a really fun time (if you believe that, I've got a bridge that I'll sell you). What really will be fun is seeing certain people run around as if their hair is on fire...maybe they should have been doing things the right way all along.