Musings of the Great Gonzo

My son left for Army boot camp this morning. He has chosen to serve his country and I could not be prouder of his choice in life. Service to one’s nation is perhaps the noblest call a young man can answer, it shows a willingness to become a stronger, better man and a desire to defend the nation which has provided so much. For several years I have written about our nation’s brave soldiers and how we should support them. Now, I have a more personal reason to call for that support. My son, my flesh and blood,the boy I reared as a single parent from the second grade until now – with noteable help from many others, including my wife even though she is not his natural mother -- is one of those courageous men answering the call to serve his country. I could not be more proud. Christopher has set out on a fantastic adventure, one that will test him dearly and stretch him to the limits of his abilities. But, in my heart I know he will succeed. I have faith in him. And even though I am n...

The American dream seemed to have come true for twin sisters in sleepy Lexington, South Carolina. They had a lucrative business with important government contracts. They were helping our troops in Iraq by supplying urgently needed parts for critical equipment. Their business was booming and the profits were astronomical. Too bad they were conning the American public of over $20 million dollars in the process. C&D Distributors bilked the military out of the money in shipping charges by exploiting a glitch in the payment processing system used to fulfill orders marked ‘priority.’ According to a story from Bloomberg Online, payments for orders with this designation were automatically paid by the computer without human oversight. When C&D discovered this they began taking advantage of the lack of oversight and charged exorbitant shipping charges. How exorbitant? Let’s just say that the $12.95 shipping charge added to your bill for Ginzu Knives pales in comparison. Shipping charges ...