Those who know me may see the seeds of some of my own background in this….
Military
069: A Link to the Future
In This Episode: When you really look into something that’s “obvious” and “common sense,” sometimes you’ll find that …the “experts” are wrong! This is the story of a man who was pretty sure the industry experts were wrong about something, and boy did it take him a lot of effort to turn that industry around. But he did, because his Uncommon Sense beat their common sense.
A Just War
A story by True contributor Mike Straw this week uses a powerful quote as a tagline. Mike, a retired career U.S. Air Force officer, posted a Twitter thread about his research for the tagline, and it was so good I thought I’d have him expand his introduction just a bit so it can be posted here. First, the story from True’s 10 May 2020 issue:
Every Day is International Women’s Day
No, this isn’t a trendy “International Women’s Day” post (but I love one tweet I saw: “There is absolutely no symbolism more perfect than International Women’s Day being 23 hours long.” —Elaine Filadelfo. Thanks, Daylight Saving Time!)
When an idea needs a special “day” to recognize it, and otherwise the topic is essentially ignored, then a “day” isn’t enough. For me, every day is International Women’s Day.
055: Resisting Uncommon Sense
In This Episode: Why isn’t there more Uncommon Sense?
035: To Boldly Go
In This Episode: To Boldly Go? No, this isn’t about Star Trek, but rather something even better: real life. This is the story of a 9-year-old with Uncommon Sense who was inspired to reach for the stars — and years later inspired a bunch of other kids growing up behind him.
032: “Give Me a Shot at It. I’m an Engineer”
In This Episode: The story of a man who wasn’t satisfied with mere success. He took Uncommon Sense to a new level in order to help others, yet refused to get rich from it.
A Short Personal Note
I’m a marked man.
Memorial Day: “Thank You For Your Service”
I don’t very often have guest posts on my blog, but this short essay from an old friend is worth the space here, and the small amount of your time it will take to read it.
Because They’re Not Capable
of Defending Themselves
What’s more patronizing: making a joke at someone’s expense, or the contention that the subject of the joke is not capable of defending themselves?
This week it’s war veterans who are not capable, or so some readers seem to be saying. Let’s start with the story — from True’s 8 February 2015 issue:
Know Thy Enemy
A Letter from Roland in Kent, England (where my family name comes from), really got spinning through my mind, because it really helps to put everything in perspective. Let me explain — starting with Roland’s letter (the italics are from the original):
Plane Crashes, Intelligence,
Dad, and Jack Williamson
You may have heard about the plane “crash” in Denver Saturday. A Continental jet taking off for Houston veered off the runway, went cross country for a bit, popped up over an airport service road, then collapsed on its belly and burst into flame. No one was killed.
Weird News Video #19 — Tomb of Stifled Patriotism
Episode #19: “The Tomb of Stifled Patriotism”, from True’s 12 October 2008 issue.
Our Kind of Hostage Problem
Sometimes a photo is just the thing to finish off a good story. From True’s 27 February 2005 issue:
Aid and Comfort
Any long-time reader of This is True has heard of my (in)famous “Get Out of Hell Free” cards, stickers, and T-shirts. They’re my reaction to people telling me to go to (or that I am going to) hell. They have been wildly popular with readers who enjoy being able to finally have a good response to those who tell them the same thing.
The Other Kind of Military Brat
A nice letter from Christopher, with the 21st Air Force in New Jersey:
Foomp!
Author’s Note: This story was originally published on the date shown — 4 January 2001 — in my joke mailing list, Randy’s Random, which morphed into a joke web site, which was later shut down. (Randy’s Random the web site is now a thought-provoking meme site.)
Museum of Geopolitical Insanity
My recent story on preserving a nuclear missile silo brought a fair amount of mail. Let’s start with the story: