The Fort 2

A Christmas Salute from Fort Bundy

Bundy — 1999-12-23T04:00:00Z

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I IMAGINED
I'D FIND A SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

We at Fort Bundy salute all who have served and are now serving in the military, wherever you are.

Let's get something straight

Bundy — 1999-12-20T16:00:00Z

It seems that I managed to create a little hate and discontent with yesterday's update. Not really - the hate was already there and the discontent is always just beneath the surface.

Having said that, I'd like to say a few more things. As for my dislike of conc and rocket jumping, I'm entitled to my opinion. Those of you who are ready to hop on a forum and slam me for my opinion are some of the first ones to defend your right to your opinions. To those of you who are lurking the forums waiting for a chance to jump on something without at least trying to get clarification first - I say bite me.

On the other hand, I received several emails from people who wanted to discuss my post with me and we are having a nice dialog. Even though we don't necessarily agree on everything it often turns out that we agree on more things than we disagree. In fact, it isn't unusual to come to the conclusion that we are saying the same thing but in a different way. If anyone has a problem with what I say you are more than welcome to write me. I will respond. On the other hand, if you are just some slug who doesn't have anything better to do than hawk the forums looking for a chance to start a flame war - I say again: bite me. Most people have an idea what to expect when they come to this page. It is a TF/TFC (and TF2 when it comes out) community opinion/editorial page, people. It is NOT a news page, nor is it a feel-good page where I'll tell you what you want to hear. I don't address clans nor do I talk about leagues or matches. I stick to talking about public servers. If you don't like that, you should spend your time elsewhere. There are plenty of other pages out there.

Now, I'll spell it out to those of you who are looking to pick apart everything I say and I'll try to be as brief as I can: TFC IS NOT WHAT IT COULD BE! Sure, it's a great game. There is no denying that. It is head and shoulders above whatever is in second place. The resources (servers, news pages, etc) carried over from TF are second to none. But, sadly to say, too many of you have no idea whatsoever what you are missing. It seems to me that there is WAY too much emphasis on winning at any cost, and personal glory. Both of which drive people to do things that detract from the game - not only for others, but for themselves as well. The lack of Sportsmanship is evident in just about every pub game you join.

I, for one, KNOW that the game could (and should) be a lot more enjoyable. Before you condemn me for my opinions maybe you should stop and think that just maybe I know what I'm talking about. But it's more fun to shoot the messgenger, isn't it?

Let me put up a quote for you. I found this at Old Skewl - Team Fortress, the way it was meant to be..., a league dedicated to the way TF used to be. Read it and think about it.

Old Skewl, the name, the phrase itself, encompases all that this league is, what it stands for, why it was brought to life, what it means to us, and perhaps, to you. Some of us remember a time in Teamfortress when honor played on the battlefield. Mixed in with the blood and horror were grudging admissions to an enemy proven stronger. A time when a man would pick himself up off the ground and shake the hand of his foe. Many of you only came along long after that time had passed, and missing that time is a travesty in our opinion. So now, in honor of those long forgotten times of hero's and legends... I bring you 'Old Skewl'. A tribute to times past....play with honor.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Bundy — 1999-12-19T16:45:00Z

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". This opening phrase from Charles Dickens' classic novel of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities, can also be applied to describe the current state of the Team Fortress community.

It is the best of times in many ways. Hardware is available at decent prices, video technology is improving at an exponential rate, large hard drives are dirt cheap, cpu's are getting faster and faster and there is no end in sight. The AMD Athlon™ (currently at 750 MHz) is now in production at 1 GHz. That's 1,000 MHz. The NVIDIA™ GeForce 256™ chipset is capable of processing ten million polygons per second, motherboards are available that will support dual processors, major manufacturers are supplying systems loaded with Linux operating systems, and high-speed internet connections are becoming more readily available to the masses.

There are some excellent map makers who devote countless hours creating outstanding maps for us to play. HellFace, a personal friend of mine, is a good example of this. He has been making maps since the early TF days and is a prolific contributor to the scene. He also wrote a program (Vote) which permits the players to vote on the next map but unfortunately the latest release of TFC has a bug that doesn't let Vote work properly. His popular map, Darkness is being updated to Darkness2, and the interesting thing about his maps is that he actively solicits player feedback on forums, via email, ICQ, or any other means. To download his Darkness and Betrayed (I love that name) and to check his progress, go to DARK/BETRAYAL, his map page.

One of, if not the most positive things that I see now is the evolution of a group of players who are dedicated to team play and helping others. TeamPF. The TeamPF stands for Team Play First. THAT is what TF/TFC is all about, isn't it? I'll talk about DMFortress (Death Match with classes) later, but these guys are walking the walk. I have nothing but respect and admiration for what they have accomplished. Before I had to take an involuntary hiatus from the game several months back I was doing my utmost to promote Honor, Sportsmanship and Team Play. Even though I often felt it was for naught, the seeds I helped to plant took hold and grew. Folks like Totentanz, Kinlord, Gudlyf, Cheat_H8tr, EricP and many others I don't have room to mention here nurtured the ideal of Honor and Sportsmanship in an environment where wankers are the norm. I sincerely thank all of you for fighting The Good Fight™ in my absence. Upon my return, I found many references to something called "TPF" on the Planetfortress Forums. In fact, they have their own forum there. Make sure to go to the PF Forums and click on the TPF link. There you will find a great bunch of folks who are quite knowledgeable and are willing to help you with just about any problem you have. TPF are without a doubt the most helpful and accessible people in the game. Speaking of forums, the folks from Valve frequent the forums and answer questions. That shows their willingness and desire to see what the players think and to help them with their needs.

I can't possibly talk about the good things without mentioning Pinhead. Pinhead is one of the smartest people I know. He is a wealth of knowledge on many subjects but the one that he is most noted for is his indepth testing in pursuit of a better ping and how to reduce lag. Unless you are running on an OC3 you definitely need to visit Pinhead's page. Many thanks, Pinhead.

As you can see, there are the best of times in many ways. The community has grown a lot since the introduction of TFC and with this growth there are a lot of new players who have never played TF. Along with the new players there was a shift in the "identity" of the typical player. I, being an old school TF'er, welcome the influx of more mature players that have made a home with TPF and some of the clans. On the other hand, I can't say that I'm enamored with the physics of the Half-Life engine when applied to TF. I never even accepted rocket jumping, much less all the conc jumping that is part of the game now. The game has been bastardized to the point it is barely recognizable now, even though the eye candy is great.

It's time to segue into the second part of my post - that of being "The worst of times". Like I said in the above paragraph, the eye candy in TFC is outstanding, but it comes at a price. The bar has been raised in terms of baseline equipment requirements. I don't have a problem with it since I a) have a job, and b) don't mind spending the money to have good equipment. To paraphrase Scatterblak, another friend of mine, "Good players get good equipment". In other words, don't expect an old Ford Pinto to keep up with a Porche. The Porche will win every time, all else being equal. This also applies to your internet connection, but there is less you can do about that part. Let's face it - DSL and cable modems are not available to everyone. In fact, there are still a lot of places where 56K isn't an option. As far as the hardware part goes, there are many players who don't have the latest gear and have no way to get it. Since the public has become convinced they must get "the internet" for little Johnny, they have bought some pretty tacky units for their kids. These kids are quickly frustrated when they can't keep up with the rest of the pack and often become wankers who do their best to spoil everyone else's fun. I'm not saying that they are all that way, but come on - don't tell me it isn't a big part of the problem we have on public servers.

I see the equipment/connection problems getting worse as new games are introduced. Take TF2 for example. I, for one, am convinced that your basic P200 with 64 Meg just won't hack it for TF2. It played just fine in TF, will barely work with TFC and probably won't be a player with TF2. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. I don't want to be unable to enjoy new things because someone else can't keep up. Unfortunately, ol' Dad probably won't see the need in buying Junior a new box just to play a new game. So Junior becomes even more frustrated and either drops out or joins the Dark Side. The games of today DEMAND a decent system and a good internet connection, no matter what their minimum specs call for in their press releases. Game developers are in a quandary because they have to appeal to the broadest group they can. I believe Valve will to their best to maintain the playability vs. eye candy/features situation they can. I'm sure we'll be pleasantly surprised.

TF is going through what may be called it's death struggles now. It is the opinion of many old school TF'ers (and myself) that TF is packed with cheaters and is quite newbie intolerant. The new players are drawn to TFC and have no inclination to even try TF - after all, TFC is the latest Big Thing®, is it not? For the record, I much prefer TF over TFC. As I said earlier, I don't care for the physics of the Half-Life engine when applied to TF. Additionally, the player models are larger (20% larger I think) and the maps "feel" smaller. This, when coupled with the different game engine physics, have enabled players to bastardize the classes to the point that defensive classes have become offensive classes. The Medic was NEVER intended to be an offensive class. Now he is a major part of any team's offensive cadre. What happened to healing your team mates? It is rare to see it anymore. I brought this up on a forum one time and was told that if you needed healing on defense you should go to the resupply locker and grab a health pack. Excuse me? Well, call it what you will, but that wasn't the intent of the class. Nor were Scouts intended to fly. The conc jumping mania that has become a stock-in-trade of Medics and Scouts have totally changed the makeup of the game. Soldiers use double rocket jump scripts to bypass the defenses on many maps while the Medics and Scouts simply fly over them. To my amazement, this is not only accepted but is condoned and encouraged!

My very favorite pet peeve is respawn "camping". You can visit nearly any forum and mention respawn "camping" and you'll be able to identify the less-than-honorable and wankers. Throw a rock in a pack of dogs and you're bound to hit one. heh. They come back with all the arguments about how it is a "valid tactic" and all that rubbish. Furthermore, they'll tell you that it is so easy to kill the offending "camper" that you have no reason to complain. Well, I'll tell you right now that the focus shouldn't be on whether it is a "valid tactic" or not, but whether it is the right thing to do. I could care less what two clans agree to do in a match - I'm talking about playing on public servers. There is no excuse to do that on a pub server. If these respawn camping assholes as so good, why to they insist on preying on players who can't defend themselves? If they are as "leet" as they would have you believe it seems to me they would "own ju" straight up without just getting cheap frags to make their kill/death ratio look good. Bah, I would ban them from the game for life if it were left to me. My isp is setting up game servers as we speak. I am likely to become the TF/TFC/TF2 admin for our server. Guess what? I'll ban you for life in a heartbeat if you wank on my server. Don't say you weren't warned. Not only that, but I'll publish your WON ID so other admins can ban you as well. heh.

I think this is the worst of times for our community because I don't see a lot of people actively condemning wankers and their lame practices. Even the TPF folks, whom I consider the most honorable group around, don't come out strong against wankers. Rather than condemn their actions, there is a general attitude of "tolerance" and mild disapproval. I say that you should call a spade a spade and be done with it. There is no doubt where I stand on this or any other issue and I'd like to see more people take stronger stands on issues that affect the community. Until wanking and respawn "camping" are deemed to be unacceptable they are here to stay. Until players stand up and speak out nothing will change. Until admins and rcon holders actually police their servers (yes, that was a deliberate choice of words), the assholes will have their way. I refuse to let them go unaccountable and so should you.

In summary, now is the time for us to get our act together for the next Big Thing® - TF2. Just like I said before TFC hit the streets, we really need to make a decision on how we want things to go and act on it. I guarantee you that there will be another mass influx of people who have never played an online game in their lives, people who are refugees from Death Match games, and people who are just curious. The community will evolve (devolve?) and many changes will take place. It is up to US to influence it and help it achieve the level of gameplay we desire. I am so sick of joining a game and finding it is only Death Match with classes. The respawn "campers" are a classic example of this, but it is not limited to them. Have you ever entered a game only to find NO organized defense or offense? Of course you have. Have you ever entered a game only to be told "no caps!"? Of course you have. Have you ever entered a game only to find a team that is all soldiers, medics or scouts? Probably. Do you think this is fun? I don't. Do you think this is the way the game was intended to be played? I KNOW it isn't.

Much like a very wise man said about government: "The people get the government they deserve" - I will say that you'll get the gameplay you deserve. If you don't do something about it, you have no right to complain. If I've said something that has made you think, then I've accomplished my goal. If I've said something that you agree with, that's even better. If I've said something that has made you see things in a different light - well, that is great. I just hope that the Honorable folks who never participate on a forum, never write an editorial and who are letting someone else do the talking for them realize that it is also up to THEM to fight The Good Fight™.

I am not dead

Bundy — 1999-11-27T00:50:00Z

Contrary to what you may have heard, I'm not dead. Yet. I didn't join the Foreign Legion (too old), didn't join the Circus (don't like crowds), and didn't drown (hard to drown in the shower). Truth to tell, I haven't been able to do much online at all due to Real Life^©.

I want to thank everyone who sent me email while I was gone. I will answer you as soon as I can. I'm still limited as to how much I can do yet, but things are definitely getting better. I have a real PC again and don't have to use the Laptop-from-Hell and have a regular connection again. I even have a place to live! Imagine that.

Welp, consider this an official Bundy sighting while I regroup and tidy up around the Fort. It's good to be back. Thanks to Ben and Totentanz for taking care of things while I was gone.

Integrity, Character and Sportsmanship

Bundy — 1999-10-09T04:00:00Z

I once heard integrity defined as 'Doing the right thing even when no one is looking'. Integrity isn't like a jacket that you can take out of the closet and wear when you are going somewhere. You either have it, or you don't. Your integrity is something that no one can take away from you and can be considered one or your most valuable assets. You can't buy integrity, nor can you sell it. You can't always define it, but you know it when you see it (or the lack of it).

Integrity is one of the key components of your character. The way you deal with other people and situations is in great part determined by your character. Your character is formed by interacting with people and situations and can be developed (or strengthened) by striving to do 'the right thing'. Conversely, if you put yourself into situations where you allow yourself to do things that you know aren't right (even though no one is looking), your character will eventually suffer. It will erode. Just as you can strengthen your character, you can erode is as well.

What do integrity and character have to do with sportsmanship? Sportsmanship reflects your integrity and character. Specifically, when relating this to Team Fortress or any other internet activity (other games, IRC, chat rooms, etc.), you may feel that no one is looking. After all, you are using a 'Quake Name' that you picked for your persona. Some people really go to great lengths to develop their online persona. Some become well-known for one reason or another. But the thing about it is this - no one is really looking, are they? They don't know your real name, do they? They don't really know anything about you, do they? Besides, who the heck are they, anyway?

It is easy to feel anonymous when you play Team Fortress, get on an IRC channel, or whatever. But your character is showing every time you do it. Even if no one knows the 'real' you, you are either developing or eroding your character. Remember, that is the true test of integrity, doing the right thing EVEN WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING.

Sportsmanship, or the way you play the game, is really a reflection of your character. It is easy to see if you have integrity. It is easy to see if you are a cheeser and don't care one whit about what you are doing to other people. There are wankers everywhere, but there are also honorable players too. It just isn't right for the honorable players to have to put up with the antics that they do.

The next time you have a chance to 'do the right thing', do it. Not only will you feel better about it, you will be strengthening your character. When related to Team Fortress, you will be adding to the quality of the game plus you will be doing something that is very important. You will be leading by example. You will be putting yourself in a leadership role, even if you don't realize it. Believe me, it is very obvious to me when someone is leading by example. Leadership qualities, like character, are developed and strengthened by exercising them.

Right now there are new leaders emerging. This is a natural and normal progression. There are more and more decent and honorable players standing up and speaking out against the people who would rob them of an enjoyable game of Team Fortress by cheating or otherwise disrupting the game. I see more people stepping forth and assuming the mantle of leadership all the time, and I think it is great.

A lot of what I have said isn't directed solely towards Team Fortress. Much (actually all) of it applies to your everyday lives as well. What I have told you has taken me decades to figure out. I hope it will be of some value to you.

Note: I first published this article in January, 1998 and I think it's as timely now as it was then. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

An open invitation

Bundy, Teatime — 1999-10-07T04:00:00Z

This is an open invitation to send us your opinion on topics of interest. I know some of you would like to editorialize on certain issues that aren't particularly welcome on forums. Well, this is the place to do it. You can submit your material to any of us and we'll probably post it. Probably? Sure, you don't think we'll post crap from gakmastr do you?

Our first guest is a man of Honor and integrity and I'm really happy that he took the time to share his views with us. I have a great deal of respect for him, as does the rest of the community. I'll let him introduce himself...

A Dream To Some
Howdy all you people in TFC-land. This is Teatime speaking ...

Looks like good ol' Bundy not only suffers on CRS but also starts to lose his marbles. I mean: What else could have him so confused that he gives another old geezer like me the opportunity to blabber about such old-fashioned stuff like Honor, Sportmanship and Fairplay.

I think we are like those Knights of the Round Table in this movie "Excalibur", searching for the Holy Grail. Our Holy Grail is the ideal of Honor, Sportmanship and Fairplay, in which we seek the rejoice and prospering of TFC as a game everybody can enjoy. Hey, I have just seen this movie a week ago (for the tenth time I guess, this film rocks) and I remember one scene very clearly: On the evening before the battle against his sister Morgana and their son Mordred King Arthur is presented the vision of the wizard Merlin, awoken from the enchanted sleep Morgana had put him in. Approached by this vision Arthur asks: "Are you a dream?" whereas Merlin answers:

"A dream to some ... A NIGHTMARE TO OTHERS"

Have a nice day ...

And now for his first editorial. Enjoy.

Between a rock and a hard place
That's what standing in for Honor and Sportmanship sometimes feels like!

On the pubs you try to get the "obviously clueless" people to play the game right. "Obviously clueless" are not only those people named "Player", but often enough others who still haven't understood that TFC is more than just running around, killing other players and occasionally steal the flag.

In discussions on forums or newsgroups on the other hand I find myself condemning "rough" tactics like respawn camping, spamming or early scout rushes because the ordinary pub player can't deal with it.

So in game I piss off the group of the lesser skilled player who feel patronized and critized, while outside the game I piss off the more experienced players who also feel patronized and critized.

Both groups think I would want to tell them how to play the game.

Which is right because both groups miss that TFC on pubs is primarily about fun. Not only the fun the single player has but the fun the game is giving to everybody taking part. Let's call it the "overall fun".

The "overall fun" can be found when all partipicants play not only the way the game was supposed to (meaning to look for the team to succeed instead of looking for personal glory or having cheap fun by killing less experienced players) but also play it in a way everybody can enjoy it.

Skilled player will enjoy a hard game which challenges them. Less experienced player wouldn't enjoy such a rough game, as they are not up to that level of gameplay. On the other hand a skilled player won't find much of a challenge in a game with predominatly medium skilled players. The general level of skill should define the way the game is played. If the number of skilled players is high the game can be played harder. If the skill level is rather "medium" skilled people should try to adjust and refrain from tactics like those mentioned above. That means if Mr. Newbie finds himself in game with plenty of highly skilled clan-members he might consider leaving. If Mr. Kickass-Clannie finds himself in a game with a bunch of medium-skilled players he should either slow down a bit or leave to look somewhere else for a challenge.

The garrison grows stronger

Bundy — 1999-10-05T07:40:00Z

Fort Bundy grows even stronger as yet another honorable Warrior strengthens the staff here at the Fort. ben and I were very pleased indeed when this person agreed to suit up and do battle with us. I won't say who it is just yet, but you will find out very soon. He'll be posting in short order, just as soon as his FTP access is worked out. This is another fine addition to what is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the effort to promote Honor, Sportsmanship and Teamplay. You may be surprised when you see who it is, but I guarantee that you won't be disappointed

I need to lay in some more supplies though. ben sure has grown fond of the Geritol and cough syrup...

A Salute to Cobby

Bundy — 1999-10-05T07:40:00Z

I just want to take the time to say thank you to Cobby. Cobby moderates the forums for GSI. She's the person who has been doing such a fine job of moderating our TF/C forums. But she doesn't only do that, she is also responsible for all the forums on the network. It seems to me that she spends a little extra time on our forums though, and that's special. Not only do we have the benefit of having a really good person helping us, it also means that she finds our forums more enjoyable than some of the others. That's quite a compliment.

And just so you'll know, Cobby is the person we can thank for removing gakmastr from the forums. Forever. Anybody who has see that maggot in action knows what a blessing it is to have him gone for good. You can thank Cobby for that. How about taking a minute to tell her you appreciate it. It doesn't cost a thing to tell someone "Thank you". I'm sure she'd appreciate hearing that you appreciate her hard work. You can send your note here.

Thanks, Cobby. We're glad you're here!

This WILL make you mad

Bundy — 1999-10-04T21:05:00Z

...or at least it should.

* * * WARNING! * * *

Do NOT read this unless you are willing to become extremely angry.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

* * * WARNING! * * *

Ok, I warned you. The followning was sent to me by an old friend of mine. I think it is worthy of repeating here although it isn't directly TF related. However, it definitley relates to Honor - or the lack of same.

This deals with Hanoi Jane Fonda. Read on...

Unfortunately many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Ms. Fonda betrayed (not only the idea of our "country") but the men who served and sacrificed during Vietnam Please take the time to read and forward to as many people as you possibly can. It will eventually end up on her computer and she needs to know that "we will never forget". Lest we forget..."100 years of great women" Jane Fonda should never be considered. The first part of this is from an F-4E pilot. The pilot's name is Jerry Driscoll, a River Rat. There are few things I have strong visceral reactions to, but Jane Fonda's participation in what I believe to be blatant treason, is one of them. Part of my conviction comes from exposure to those who suffered her attentions.

In 1978, the Commandant of the USAF Survival School was a former POW in Ho Lo Prison-the "Hanoi Hilton". Dragged from a stinking cesspit of a cell, cleaned, fed, and dressed in clean PJs, he was ordered to describe for a visiting American "Peace Activist" the "lenient and humane treatment" he'd received. He spat at Ms. Fonda, was clubbed, and dragged away. During the subsequent beating, he fell forward upon the camp Commandant's feet, accidentally pulling the man's shoe off-which sent that officer berserk. In '78, the AF Col still suffered from double vision-permanently grounding him from the Vietnamese Col's frenzied application of wooden baton.

From 1983-85, Col Larry Carrigan was 347FW/DO (F-4Es). He'd spent 6 years in the "Hilton"-the first three of which he was "missing in action". His wife lived on faith that he was still alive. His group, too, got the cleaned/fed/clothed routine in preparation for a "peace delegation" visit. They, however, had time and devised a plan to get word to the world that they still survived. Each man secreted a tiny piece of paper, with his SSN on it, in the palm of his hand. When paraded before Ms. Fonda and a cameraman, she walked the line, shaking each man's hand and asking little encouraging snippets like: "Aren't you sorry you bombed babies?" and "Are you grateful for the humane treatment from your benevolent captors?"

Believing this HAD to be an act, they each palmed her their sliver of paper. She took them all without missing a beat. At the end of the line and once the camera stopped rolling, to the shocked disbelief of the POWs, she turned to the officer in charge...and handed him the little pile. Three men died from the subsequent beatings. Col Carrigan was almost number four. For years after their release, a group of determined former POWs Including Col Carrigan, tried to bring Ms. Fonda and others up on charges of treason. I don't know that they used it, but the charge of "Negligent Homicide due to Depraved Indifference" would also seem appropriate. Her obvious "granting of aid and comfort to the enemy", alone, should've been sufficient for the treason count. However, to date, Jane Fonda has never been formally charged with anything and continues to enjoy the privileged life of the rich and famous. I, personally, think that this is shame on us, the American Citizenry. Part of our shortfall is ignorance: most don't know such actions ever took place. Thought you might appreciate the knowledge.

To whom it may concern:
I was a civilian economic development advisor in Viet Nam, and was captured by the North Vietnamese communists in South Viet Nam in 1968, and held for over 5 years. I spent 27 months in solitary confinement, one year in a cage in Cambodia, and one year in a "black box" in Hanoi. My North Vietnamese captors deliberately poisoned and murdered a female missionary, a nurse in a leprosarium in Ban me Thuot, South Vietnam, whom I buried in the jungle near the Cambodian border. At one time, I was weighing approximately 90 lbs. (My normal weight is 170 lbs.). We were Jane Fonda's "war criminals." When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi, I was asked by the camp communist political officer if I would be willing to meet with Jane Fonda. I said yes, for I would like to tell her about the real treatment we POWs were receiving, which was far different from the treatment purported by the North Vietnamese, and parroted by Jane Fonda, as "humane and lenient." Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees with outstretched arms with a piece of steel rebar placed on my hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane every time my arms dipped. I had the opportunity to meet with Jane Fonda for a couple of hours after I was released. I asked her if she would be willing to debate me on TV. She did not answer me, her husband, Tom Hayden, answered for her. She was mind controlled by her husband. This does not exemplify someone who should be honored as "100 Years of Great Women." After I was released, I was asked what I thought of Jane Fonda and the anti-war movement. I said that I held Joan Baez's husband in very high regard, for he thought the war was wrong, burned his draft card and went to prison in protest. If the other anti-war protesters took this same route, it would have brought our judicial system to a halt and ended the war much earlier, and there wouldn't be as many on that somber black granite wall called the Vietnam Memorial. This is democracy. This is the American way. Jane Fonda, on the other hand, chose to be a traitor, and went to Hanoi, wore their uniform, propagandized for the communists, and urged American soldiers to desert. As we were being tortured, and some of the POWs murdered, she called us liars. After her heroes-the North Vietnamese communists-took over South Vietnam, they systematically murdered 80,000 South Vietnamese political prisoners. May their souls rest on her head forever. Shame! Shame!

(History is a heavy sword in the hands of those who refuse to forget it. Think of this the next time you see Ms. Fonda-Turner at a Braves game)

I've given up on looking for an outpouring of moral outrage over this. But I, for one, will not forget and will certainly never forgive Hanoi Jane. May she burn in hell.

Not a good day

Bundy — 1999-10-02T05:25:00Z

I had big plans for finishing that TF Patrol© and post it today. But it wasn't meant to be. I did, however, get a lot done on it at work (SHHHH!) and put it on a floppy so I could finish it after work. Well, the laptop-from-hell decided it wouldn't recognize the floppy drive. I'm doing good to have it recognize the keyboard half the time, so it wasn't a real surprise. Disappointing though, to be sure.

If that was all that went wrong I wouldn't think much about it. After all, I know it's a POS. I should have known something was up when I went to work this morning. I had to go in early, before sunup. I have to drive about 30-40 minutes on very hilly and winding road. After I avoided the second deer I thought I was home-free. That's when I went around a tight curve and hit the tree branch. I didn't see it until a nanosecond before it hit the windshield.

*THWAAAAK*

This is a couple of miles past the second deer, remember. I freaked and thought I had hit an entire tree or something. It turned out that it was just a small limb on a pine tree that someone else had taken out with their rent-a-car. It didn't even break the windshield, but Avis is going to have a hard time with the driver's seat

So I get to work only to find out that someone changed the schedule and didn't bother to tell me. Hey, I'm already AT WORK at 0500 and they decided to slip things for a couple of hours. So I was in early with nothing much to do. Good time to work on the story, right? Wrong. The other POS that I'm using is an HP Kayak. If anyone's ever used one, they will immediately start twitching and frothing at the mouth when they hear the name. With this one the video comes and goes, kinda like it's shorting out the monitor or something. I finally sat there and watched it. I managed to put in a my Door's CD and listened to LA Woman while the video put on a dazzling display for me.

Eventually I survived the day and started the drive home. This is a very dangerous time to drive here because of all the tourists. Those suckers don't have any idea that someone is behind them and has to take a leak! Man, it was brutal. So I manage to pass this carload of blue hairs and come around another bend to nearly rear end this guy who had stopped in the road to take pictures. He was leaning out the driver's window, you know, trying to take a picture over the top of his car? Well, I came up behind him with the binders on. I guess it scared him because it looked like his foot came off the brake and he started to roll back toward me. Yeah, he was holding one foot on the brake while he was half out the window. How do I know he was a tourist? Well, the camera and the Aloha shirt were pretty good clues, but parking in the middle of the road was a dead give away.

Speaking of dead, about this time along came that car full of angry blue hairs that I had blown blown by just minutes before. *sigh* I put the windows up, turned the air conditioner on and listened to G. Gordon Liddy for a few minutes. Eventually the blue hairs and the Aloha shirt joined up and went back in the other direction. Thank God for small favors.

Blue hairs, you ask? Why do I call them blue hairs? Come on, everyone's seen a blue hair! You know, the little old grandma type ladies who try to bleach their hair white - but it comes out blue? Sure you've seen them. I really like the ones who don't have a lot of hair to begin with, the real thin hair. So they bleach it blue and when they get a light behind them it looks like a bald woman with a fuzzy blue light around their head. I get a real kick out of that. Now Hal, on the other hand, likes them that way. Says they are the frisky ones. Whatever.

When I get home, the POS laptop won't read my floppy and I didn't want to start over with the story. That's when I read my email. Let me tell you, the day went downhill from there. I spent nearly an hour writing a scathing reply to a particular individual only to decide that I should wait a day before I mail it. It's a good one, but once I mail it I can't get it back. I may still send it, but at least I feel a little better now.

That brings up something I would like to ask you. Have you ever been in a situation when someone would find ways to make thinly-veiled snide comments? Then when you say something about it, they get this "Who, me?" attitude? That really frosts me, I don't know about you. I'd rather someone get in my face and tell me that I suck than to be a woos and pretend they didn't say what I heard. Maybe you've seen me in action, maybe not. I will say this, though. I can hold my own in a p*ssing contest. Before it's over, someone is going to have a wet pant leg and I don't think it will be me.

I apologize for rambling like this but I wanted to welcome you to the resurrection of the Fort. Now that ben (gotta teach that guy about initial caps) is onboard you should get an update every now and then. I still have RL© issues that aren't conducive to a regular update schedule but I'll do what I can. Meanwhile, make yourself at home.

Speaking of updates, you can expect that ben and I will tell it like it is. We've already got some topics that you are sure to feel strongly about - one way or the other.

Thanks for stopping by! Y'all come back now, y' hear?

heh