My Conversation with Bill

Bill XXX

Born- 1927
Enlisted in the Army - at 17 years old (1944)
Served in Europe in a Combat Unit


Met him at a Local Starbucks 7/19/2011



In he comes, the man with a cane and pushing a shopping cart, which he parks outside the entrance to the local Starbucks. Hobbling over to the barrista, he orders up a venti vanilla latte, and then proceeds to shuffle over and sit down in the overstuffed chair next to me. I took a look at him and figured that he was about my moms age (85), and because of that I wondered if he had ever served in World War II.

Now, for those know me, also know that I am not shy about striking up a conversation with total strangers. In this instance, however, I hesitated. I was not sure why. Perhaps it was because many of the older people that I try and talk to, seem to have lost it, or are hiding it, perhaps figuring that all the young people like me (55) simply have to learn about the world on our own. Or perhaps they think that we would not be interested.

After a while, however, the old man begins to talk to me. Speaking as clearly as any 30 year old, he tells me that he is 83 and that he came in to get a coffee for his wife and was taking a rest before crossing the street back to his house. Somewhere in the conversation he mentioned that when he was in the Army (my ears perking up now) they drank coffee all the time, but did not have anything like Starbucks. He also said that he used to drink a lot of beer too - but that was when he was young.

Alerting on his introduction of the Army into the discussion, I took my shot and asked him where he was stationed. Whereupon he told me his story.

“Oh yeah, I was in the army, I was a runner for General Patton in Germany during World War II. I enlisted when I was 17, and was shipped over there real soon. I was in the infantry, and was supposed to be in a foxhole, but somehow the Army found out that I was a long distance runner and that I had been doing that since I was a little kid.

They also discovered that I had a good memory, and after that, they assigned me as a runner ( and I mean that literally) to carry messages back and forth between General Patton and the other combat units during the fighting in Germany.

It wasn’t like it is nowadays, where you have radios and all that stuff. It was a situation where actual messages from one commander to another several miles away had to be read, committed to memory, and then delivered in person by a guy like me - a runner. Not only that, we had to memorize three messages - exactly. One of them was the real message, and the other two were fake messages so that if we got captured by the Germans we could give them a fake message.

To deliver a message meant we had to head out cross country in the direction of the other unit, and actually navigate through the combat zone during the fighting. Because a fighting line is not something straight, we had to travel behind enemy lines in order to reach our units on the other side. Because of this, we traveled in peasant clothes so as to not draw enemy attention. We also had to travel across our own units who were fighting with the Germans and so we never knew when we were going to be shot by Germans, or our own soldiers.

During one of those message runs, our squad came under attack by a German unit and we were pinned down pretty good. There was no way it looked like we could hold out, and so, our new 90-day Lieutenant, fresh from the States, told us that it was no use and that we had to surrender. We did not want to surrender as we were afraid of what the Germans would do to us, but the Lt. insisted. It was at this point we told him to go on ahead for himself if he wanted to be the first to try out his idea.

So then, up out of our position he went to surrender, where he was immediately shot dead by the Germans. After that we (all 12 of us) were captured by the Germans. After our capture, they stood us in a line, with me standing at the end, and proceeded to shoot us dead, one-by-one, right down the line. Now, we had one of our guys who was some sort of Indian, and he did not speak very well, but he was kind of a big fella, and when they shot the man next to him, he fell down as if he had been shot, and in doing so the knocked me to the ground. My helmet came off, and the German officer in charge, after having his men get the Indian back up and shoot him dead along with the other 11 of my squad, saw my blond hair and blue eyes and asked “Sind Sie Dutsch?”, to which I replied in my bad German that indeed I was German. Hell, if he had asked if I was Japanese, I would have agreed to that too.

And so it was, that out of all 12 of us, plus our Lieutenant, I was the only one that lived. I was sent to a POW camp, and about 4 months later, when the Germans had to retreat, I was liberated from the POW camp.”

At this point, I asked, just to make sure I heard him right, if me meant that all of his buddies were stood up and shot dead right in front of him like ducks in a row.

“Sure, we were shot dead just like that. It was a war, and that was the way things were done. We did the same things on our side, and the Germans were just doing what you do in war. You can’t have a bunch of captured soldiers bogging you down in a combat zone with bullets flying all around, and everybody on each side knew that.”

After a reflective pause, he continues .....

“Yeah, after that, I was sent down to Dachau. You know Dachau don’t you? The camp had been liberated by that time, but all the prisoners were still there because there was noplace else to put them, and it was just a horrible situation.”

Another reflective pause ......

“And you know, many years later, that German Officer wrote me a letter telling me that his daughter was getting married and inviting me to the wedding. He sent me a plane ticket and money for all my costs to come.”

You mean, the same guy who had all your fellow soldiers killed, invited you to the wedding, and that you had kept in touch with him.??

“Sure - he and his soldiers were simply following their orders, and that was just the way it was in war. It is not all sweetness and nice in a war.”

So you went to the wedding?

“Sure I went.” “ Now I think also he wanted to hook me up with his sister, but that never happened.”

And thereafter our conversation turned to other things.

Never Give an Ape an AK47

Reminds me of what has happened to the United States Economy after Obama was given the presidency

Debt Ceiling Commentary

I saw  this in a headline this morning

Geithner: Debt showdown means tough choices


Yeah - It sure does mean tough choices - the tough choice for you f&(&^%ers to stop taxing me and spending my money on crap for your social engineering programs. War on This , War on That, War on everything = War on ME!

Thank GOD for the fact that we actually gave a debt ceiling. Can you imagine what mischief there would be without it?

These people in Washington and extending all the way down to the local government - regardless of party - , think that we exist for them and that all money really belongs to those that pull the levers of government.

What's Worse - The Government or The Doctor?

I just got off the phone with “Julie” in Medical Records at a local doctors office. She called to see if there was anybody they needed to contact to get records from prior to my upcoming doctor’s visit.


[Props to this doctor having his staff to do this beforehand. Sounds like they are running their practice as a business.]

She asked if I had any primary care physician (to which they should send or get records from), and I explained that I do not, and that this is on purpose. I continued, telling her that the “on purpose” part is that it is so darned difficult to get a doctor’s appointment in any reasonable time (no, 4 weeks is not reasonable), and then, after getting an appointment for a visit, say, at 9am, to be left waiting until the doctor gets around to seeing me which is almost NEVER at 9 am, or any reasonable time thereafter.

I told her that I am a businessman and my time is valuable too, and that while others may put up with such treatment, I do not. I further continued, saying that it is unacceptable for a doctor to not manage their practice and see people within a reasonable time, and that when I encounter such things, I get up and leave.

You see folks, while all of you are thinking such things, I just happen to be one of those that talks about it. (And one that would rather bleed to death than wait 2 hours on a doctor that can’t keep to a reasonable schedule) BTW - Can you imagine any other profession doing this?? Can you imagine what Southwest Airlines would look like financially if they engaged in such practices??

And NO, I do not want to hear about how the doctor can’t determine in advance how delayed he will become because that each patient needs variable amounts of time. That is a load of crap. Doctors generally do not give any patient the time they need, and the modern doctors office is all according to the doctor’s needs (or the doctors business ignorance) and not the needs of the patient. To prove it have YOU ever tried to “stay” with your doctor over YOUR 15 minutes of allotted time or tried to give your doctor your list of questions, or even tried to have a free-form discussion with your doctor?

No? Well, just try it sometime, and see how you are herded out or how your doctor gets fidgety and starts ushering you to the door.

Regardless of this excuse about not knowing how much time each patient may need, the doctor is supposed to be running a business, and it is his job to “load plan” with extra float time/capacity, so that the lettuce is not left waiting in the heat to wilt because he wants to cram 12 patients into a morning according to a 15 min per patients so as to maximize HIS income. What part of the “Do No Harm” does the profession not understand?

Doctors of the world, do you not realize that there are people out there that detest you because of how you treat them like cattle? Sure, you can get away with it, and perhaps that is why you continue to do it, but that does not make it right. In addition, do you not realize that there are those that would pay more for better service?? Do you not realize that there are those that will eventually try to use the government to force you to pay a fine each time you are late in seeing a patient?

Back to the beginning of this story, I then asked “Julie”, if they had gotten yet the records off a remote monitor device that they had wanted me to wear. She, after all the preceding. told me she did not know ...... and that I would have to call back and ask somebody else in the office if they had gotten them.

Wait ... SHE is in medical records, and now in typical doctor’s office illogic and arrogance wants ME to waste MY time to call her office back and speak to someone else about M..E..D...I..C..A..L R..E..C..O..R..D..S.????

As you can imagine, I went ballistic on this and told her that I am not going to spend MY time calling them back and that it was THEY that needed to call ME.

Follow Up - to their credit I got a call a short time later and they report that they did get those records. But that is not the point is it?

Post-Script - No wonder old people want to commit suicide. They would rather do that than see a doctor.

Gourmet Hot Dogs? - You Better Believe It!

~ Art Koenig
San Antonio, Texas

“Gawd man, I have never done drugs, but this must be what cocaine feels like.” So said me, the guy cramming another bite of one of Chef Kris Martinez’s Rocker Dogz into my mouth.

Never in a million years would I have thought such a thing existed - out of a club vendor’s food cart no less, but that is exactly the way it went down Friday Night at the Lava Lounge on N. St Marys Street in San Antonio, where I was doing photographic coverage on the wild and crazy Beyond the Canvas Body Painting event.

Heaven on Earth ~ A Rocker Dogz (Thai Kickboxer Rocker)

At first, I was just trying to get the lay of the club while waiting for the painter’s models to show up, and after I made the circuit, I wandered back to the front, where I struck up a conversation with Kris Martinez, who turned out to be the owner of Rocker Dogz.

He was dressed in a white chef's-jacket, looking like he just stepped out of one of those Food and Wine magazines, and he was standing in from of his stainless steel vendor cart. At first, I wondered what that was all about - I mean usually when I see a club vendor they are dressed pretty much like me when I think nobody is looking. (Think tatters and tears with grease spots on the tee shirt.)

Being a curious sort, as we street scene photographers are, and asking what kind of "drug" he was pushing from the cart, and looking for a shot (photograph opportunity), he replied “Gourmet Hot Dogs”. Aww come on, I thought, a gourmet hot dog? That was like me telling viewers on my Facebook profile that I look like Tom Cruise.

We talked a bit and while doing so, Chris offered to fix me up one of his Rocker Dogz. I declined, saying that I did not want to get all filled up before the photo shoot at the club. He insisted, saying that he would do it just to show me what it looked like. I replied OK, go ahead and I can see if it makes for a street scene shot.

As Kris goes about making my dog, (Thai Kick Boxer Rocker ) the first thing I see is a bun that has toasting marks on the outside of it . Hummmm ... This looks like a good sign is what was going thru my head. Next, he lays in a plump dog having some sort of glaze to it, and then what does he do but start putting on some Thai red cabbage slaw, some pickled things that turned out to be pickled Serrano peppers, and then laying into the top of it with some sort of dressing.

Presenting it to me, all wrapped in its foil boat, he said "Here it is the Thai Kick Boxer Rocker". Seeing as how he had gone to all that trouble .......I took it, sat my camera aside, wrapped down the foil a bit, and plowed ahead.

What struck me was an unbelievable combination of tangy sauce, the crunch of the cabbage and then the taste of the dog spices and glaze. After that first bite, I took another, and just then I was starting to feel the heat from the pickled serranos. Thereafter, the tastes got even better.Holding that dog and looking at it, shaking my head, and licking the drool off my chin I blurted out to Kris the lead to this story ...“Gawd man, I have never done drugs, but this must be what cocaine feels like.”

Big smile on his face he says ... I told you so. Man was he right.


Rocker Dogz by Chef Kris Martinez

To be found outside Lava Lounge Friday and Saturday night and also doing corporate events and perk parties for staff.


Rockerdogz business number is (210)467-8066.

ROCKERDOGZ “GOURMET STREET DOGZ" page on Facebook under category of restaurant/café.



Menu Follows

Thai Kick Boxer Rocker
All beef hot dog glazed with sweet chili sauce, topped with sliced tomato, pickled Serrano peppers, mustard, Thai red cabbage slaw drizzled with mint and cilantro lime sesame vinaigrette


The "Chicano style" Rockero
All beef hot dog with savory homemade chili, roasted poblano queso blanco, pico de gallo, caramelized Spanish onion with fresh thyme, chile de arbol salsa roja and a drizzle of Mexican crema


Italian Stallion Rocker
Grilled Italian sausage topped with grilled peppers & onions, parmesan cheese, mustard and drizzle of balsamic reduction and chopped Italian parsley

Bitter Clingers

Remind me again just who the "Bitter Clingers" are??

Frog Boiling 101

I read this interesting piece this morning and it gave me pause to consider the natural progression of all government and the reasons for citizens to be constantly on watch and suspicious of any taxes, and any government program,  for any reason.

HARTFORD, Conn. April 20, 2011 - Do boaters in the Constitution State deserve to be taxed more? Governor Dan Malloy's proposed 2012 budget adds significant new tax levies for boaters and proposes to eliminate the state boating fund and divert boating registration fees and tax dollars - paid by boaters - into the state's general fund. BoatUS says these changes could threaten the state's vibrant boating industry, and lead many cash-strapped residents to quit boating. Connecticut boaters are urged to send a message to their state legislator this week by going to BoatUS.com/gov/ctaction

As can be surmised, the natural progression of government is to spend more than it takes in and to spend on unnecessary things, and then, instead of cutting spending, simply blame the revenue side, and go out and seek devices that allow you to collect more. Now, the best way to “get more” is NOT to institute a pervasive across the population tax. No, that would excite the passions of too many, and so what is done, as in any good military operation, is to segregate the population into groups, find an attribute unique to that group and then tax the group based on that attribute



For example, if a city want to raise more money from homeowners, they can first start by finding an attribute that gives them a small enough “taxation group”that will be below the critical mass which would incite riot and blowback. Maybe they would institute a special tax on all those like me that have artificial turf in their front yards  - claiming increased fire hazard, or reduction of green plant’s or some other made up reason.

Now, because of human nature, my neighbor will not storm city hall on my behalf, and indeed will welcome a tax on my yard because it keeps his taxes low.

After this tax on me in rolled into place, the government can  then add another tax against my neighbor's swimming pool, the other guy's 3 car garage, and other people's incandescent lights, stand alone mailboxes, etc. By the end of things, everything is taxed and the citizens are in chains. (Pretty crafty those in government can be, huh?)


Back to Connecticut. This was surely sold as a modest tax to cover the cost of supporting the boating infrastructure, and surely was sold under the “promise” that the revenues would be used for boating purposes. Now, once the mechanism of boiling the frog has been put in place, and the infrastructure for collecting and paying the tax has been implemented without revolt, the government moves into Phase II of the shakedown. This phase consists of raising the taxes and diverting the monies to the general fund where they will be used for other things. Phase III will come when they raise taxes on boats again, under the promise of course that this time their money will have to go into a boat trust fund and this time really, really will not be diverted .... that is, until they want to divert it again.

Lest you think this happens only to boaters in Connecticut, think again. I happens to motorists in Texas whose hiway fuel tax money has been diverted, leaving the state hiway department having to curtail projects. It has happened to engineers in Texas, where, in addition to paying a registration fee, they are now required to pay another general fund fee that is spent elsewhere by the state.

This, all my good readers, is the nature of the STATE. Although at first the state is “by the people, for the people, of the people”, those elected to the functionary positions within the government soon turn to mischief and they inexorably pervert that ideal of “by the people, for the people, of the people” into the ugly reality of people being “of the state, by the state, and for the state.”


This natural tendancy to grow and devour is why we have a constitution - a document that tells us how our government is to be constituted, such constitution (makeup and structure) of the state being that of a state with shackles placed on it. Not to put too fina a point on things it is because the framers knew that a state, unrestrained, would end up devouring the very countrymen that created it in the first place and the people wopuld end up serving the STATE instead of the other way around.


BTW - If you want to see it in fiction set with an array of archetypal characters just read Ayn Rand’s - Atlas Shrugged. If you want to see this in action - just look around.





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