I'm wholly prepared to give President-elect Obama the benefit of the doubt, which is much more than liberals gave George W. Bush at any time during his presidency. As Americans we all have an obligation to support the person chosen to occupy that office, for the good of our nation. If you ask me, THAT'S the change we need. I'm praying God grants Obama wisdom, and that the man makes use of it. I think he has the potential, and the good will behind him, to be one of our greatest presidents. At this time, with the situations we're facing, he certainly has his work cut out for him.

If by change he means getting us focused once again on the ideals which made America great in the first place, make room for me on the bandwagon. If he plans on taking personal responsibility even further out of the equation of achieving the American Dream, I see a dark future ahead. Time will tell, but since he hasn't even been sworn in yet, I'll keep my nay-saying to a minimum.

God bless our president, and God bless America.

How many times must we put this to a vote? Are judges once again going to override democracy and the majority vote of the people?

Marriage- (noun) the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.

That's from the dictionary. Remember that? It's that book that tells you what words mean. Marriage means a union between a man and a woman, pure and simple.

A gay man has the exact same right to get married as I do. Any man can marry any woman he chooses. A man, however, cannot MARRY another man. A woman cannot MARRY another woman. I know I'm arguing semantics here, but it's pretty amazing how dense people can be about this subject.

There is a REASON homosexuals want their unions to be recognized and called MARRIAGES. It has nothing to do with equal rights, which they already have under the law. Call them civil unions, domestic partnerships, etc., they carry the same legal standing as marriages, but aren't called marriage, for reasons already stated above.    

It's about legitimization of a lifestyle choice which, in the eyes of many Americans, is dangerous and immoral. Statement of facts doesn't make someone hateful, and as long as I know that, I'm free to ignore anyone who calls me hateful. I have gay friends. I disagree with their lifestyle choice and they are aware of my feelings. If I had a friend who had a problem with alcohol, I'd tell him about it. If my buddy was cheating on his wife, he'd get an earful from me. Call me judgmental, but I'd rather do what I could to help someone out of an immoral and dangerous situation than do nothing, or worse yet, condone or even support it.

On another note, gay is not the same as race. As a white man, I cannot ever be black or any other race. I was born this way. No course of action or inaction will ever change that. Gay, however, is a behavior. Sorry for sounding flippant here, but every day I don't have sex with another man is another day of not being gay. Simply being attracted to someone of the same sex doesn't make you homosexual. Different people are tempted by different things. We, as people, can control our actions through the use of a handy little thing our creator endowed us with called FREE WILL.

Does this make sense? It did to the majority of voters on Nov. 4th,  who in several states approved measures which reaffirmed what we already know...that marriage is between a man and a woman, and nothing else. 

A Day Downtown from Nick Kurtz on Vimeo.

My first attempt at a video blog/travel piece. A Day Downtown is about me, my wife and baby son taking a trip to the heart of Tokyo, Japan for a little shopping, sight seeing and "fine" dining. All video was shot with my Canon HF 100 HD Camcorder, then edited in Vegas 8.0, with a little help from Photoshop CS3. Hope you have as much fun watching as I did making it!

Music, in order:
Something Special, by Death By Chocolate
Jack Ain't Back, by The Jackais
Confianzas, by Gotan Project
Drop Your Weapon, by Crazy Penis
The Spirit of Summer (Dave Warren Remix), by Gazzara
El Capitalismo Foraneo, by Gotan Project
Rude Boy Rock, by Lionrock
Pussycat, by Minus 8

This is an excellent piece written by my dad about the current media darling presidential candidate...


The Politics of Words Without Substance
    By Gary Clifford Kurtz
     
     
    I cannot swallow whole the view of Lincoln as the Great Emancipator.
    ......BARACK OBAMA, Time Magazine, Jun. 26, 2005
     
    No one is forcing this down your throat, Mr. Obama. Mr. Lincoln was a great Christian man and the fact that you are able to be running for President is an insult to Mr. Lincoln's sacrifice and the blood of those men and women in our Civil War who fought to give you that right.
     
    I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.
    ......BARACK OBAMA, speech, Oct. 5, 2004
     
    An obvious reference to The War on Terror and an offense to all our Troops and their families. This shows a complete misunderstanding of the Radical Muslim agenda that will never rest until they are decisively dealt with.  Mr. Obama in his childish world-view believes he can sit down with tyrants and get them to behave. This shows he does not realize that there is such a thing as evil in the world, much the same way liberals thought they could sit down and reason with Hitler. This is why I do not want Obama choosing which wars are "dumb" or not.  Those who are ignorant of history condemn all of us to repeat it.
     
    No one is pro-abortion.
    ......BARACK OBAMA, Speech, Oct. 5, 2004
     
    Another naive statement.  Mr. Obama needs to know that we live in a Capatalist society where many are allowed to make money where they should not. Abortion is an industry in America. Planned Parenthood is a billion dollar business and  depends on abortion dollars to feed their own families. They are large contributors to the Democratic Party. You will not be able to deal with this lobby until you realize they are very "pro abortion."  (Note: Obama is for abortion on demand up to and including the illegal partial-birth abortion procedure).
     
     
    If condoms and potentially microbicides can prevent millions of deaths [from AIDS], they should be made more widely available. I know that there are those who, out of sincere religious conviction, oppose such measures. And with these folks, I must respectfully but unequivocally disagree. I do not accept the notion that those who make mistakes in their lives should be given an effective death sentence. Nor am I willing to stand by and allow those who are entirely innocent -- wives who, because of the culture they live in, often have no power to refuse sex with their husbands, or children who are born with the infection as a consequence of their parent's behavior -- suffer when condoms or other measures would have kept them from harm.
    ......BARACK OBAMA, speech, Dec. 1, 2006
     
    More confusion from Mr. Obama. We live in a country where condoms are easily available. Yet, fully 25% of the homosexual population in San Francisco is infected.  Even in America, where condoms are given to school children,  we have and epidemic of abortions, STD's, and  "unprotected sex"  with prostitutes.   Furthermore,  in societies where a woman cannot refuse sex, how can she make her master use a condom?
    Aids is spread globally primarily primarily in America and worldwide by bi-sexual and homosexual behavior and by those who visit prostitutes. and by the fact people just don't use them.  Until we are able to publicly acknowledge and truly realize this,  no amount of condoms will stay the course of this disastrous worldwide scourge.
     
    It's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.
    ......BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 16, 2006
     
    You, sir, are not that something bigger than ourselves that America needs to hitch themselves to. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Communism, Secularism, etc. are all "larger than yourself" beliefs. But all cannot be true at the same time. Atheism in its Communist form has been responsible for the greatest mass murders of modern times (Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Kim Il Sung, Fidel Castro to name a few). Islam, for example, produces nothing but dictatorships of fear and torture in today's world. You need to look at our world, and see which nations have developed to the kind of freedom you have, Mr. Obama, (i.e. the Judaeo-Christian heritage) and give credit where credit is due, not try to please (deceive?) all of us into thinking that all major religions or non-religions (atheism, secularism, etc.) are legitimate. During Black History Month, I hope you are noting that the greatest African Americans, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth and countless others gave credit to all they did to Jesus Christ. Our nation was founded by Christians and to continue to be great we must remain so. Indeed,  the African slave trade itself, which began with Arab Muslims (Mohommad owned slaves, Christ did not) and continues to this day began with Christians such as William Wiberforce.
     
    The evangelists' success points to a hunger for the product they are selling, a hunger that goes beyond any particular issue or cause. They need an assurance that somebody out there cares about them, is listening to them.
    ......BARACK OBAMA, The Audacity of Hope
     
    Jesus Christ is not a "product" nor does evangelism entail "selling" Him. This is an affront to all Christians who realize that only Christ can feed mankind's hunger. Mr. Obama. Those who know Jesus recognize that the "somebody out there" is not you, it is Him.
     
    I have led the pledge of allegiance several times in the Senate.
    ......BARACK OBAMA, defending himself in debate with John Edwards and Hillary Clinton on why he was photographed refusing to say the pledge in public.
     
    I am glad you  lead the  pledge when you feel like it and where most of us cannot see you. You insult our intelligence. We need a President who is proud of the pledge--not to mention the flag, which you also refused to wear on your lapel in the same picture. This is pandering to different audiences at different times for your own ambitions, Mr. Obama--and we see it.
     
    Whenever I write a letter to a family who has lost a loved one in Iraq, or read an email from a constituent who has dropped out of college because her student aid has been cut, I'm reminded that the actions of those in power have enormous consequences--a price that they themselves almost never have to pay.
    ......BARACK OBAMA, The Audacity of Hope
     
    Senator John McCain has paid this price. To stick to your own words, Mr. Obama, you should be supporting him and not yourself. As far as college, whatever happened to working your way through college?  Hand outs for anything are never appreciated. My Dad worked his way through, I did and my daughter did while attending UCLA and my son is earning his while honorably serving in the military (and yes, he has also done a tour of duty in Iraq).  To use your slogan--"yes we can" -- and without you. Stop crippling people with hand-outs. Yes, I am far from perfect, but I am not running for President.
     
    In the end, no amount of American forces can solve the political differences that lie at the heart of somebody else's civil war.
    .......Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. - speech, Jan. 19, 2007.
     
    The War on Terror is not a "civil war." America has been succesful in containing the war to certain areas and not having to fight it on our own streets. This is no  "civil war" and it is an insult to the families whose loved ones were murdered Sept. 11, by extemists who believe their war is world-wide, not civil.  At the "heart", to use your word, Mr. Obama, the real civil war is the one waging in every man's own heart between good and evil. That you cannot recognize evil when you see it, disqualifies you to lead America's Troops.
     
    For the first time in my adult life I am really proud of America...
    ......Michelle Obama, speech, weekend of 2/16/08
     
    As I wrote in a recent letter published in the AV Press, this is an offense to Democrats and Republicans alike. Mrs. Obama is 44 years old, so for over almost the past quarter century she has said she has had nothing to proud of as an American. This is a period of from 1982 to 2008. This includes the Clinton administration. Even a conservative Republican could be proud when President Bill Clinton intervened militarily in Bosnia or when he signed into law much needed welfare change legislation. As for the rest of the years of Mrs. Obama's adult life, was she not proud of our successful effort to defeat Soviet communism that liberated millions of people in Eastern Europe? Was she not proud with the rest of us in the heroic effort on United Flight 93 that prevented another disaster on September 11? She has been proud of our nation at no time before they started voting for her husband? This is both frightening and an affront to all Americans whatever their beliefs. This is not a woman who can help unite our nation as her husband claims. That Mrs. Obama, who wants to be our First Lady, cannot feel the pride in America that millions of ordinary Americans feel every day is an insult to all of us.
     
    What Washington needs is adult supervision.
    ......BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, fundraising letter, Oct. 2006
    The most intelligent thing Obama has said to date. Mr. and Mrs. Obama's words and lack of actions show they are very naive and childish. Perhaps, this is much of their appeal?  That's OK if you're choosing a hair dresser, but not the President and First Lady.
     
     
    In conclusion, it is not hard to see, if you take the time to actually listen to the Obamas,  that they are very confused individuals who cannot possibly unite America. I am not ruling out the possiblity that they do not  feel themselves to be sincere, but they are sincerely wrong.  Youthful enthusiasm is no substitute for experience and maturity, both of which the Obamas lack. Barack is more to be pitied than blamed, though, for he was subjected by his mother to religious training in both the Muslim faith and Catholicism. Please think, would any of you send your young child to receive such inconsistent moral training?  Mr. Obama is a master orator who can whip crowds into frenzies without saying anything of substance. Who does not want change, Mr. Obama? This is a cheap slogan. Please tell us what change and how in a consistent, feasible manner. You'd be fine as a Hollywood celebrity, who sounds off much the same way as you do, but not as Commander in Chief of the Armed forces of the United States of America.


 (Gary Kurtz graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Political Science from Cal State University, Northridge in 1973. He was President of Cenit Graphics Inc. in North Hollywood, CA up until 1985 when he left for a successful seventeen year career with McKesson Corporation. He is the father of three adult children and a grandfather of five. He resides in Palmdale CA where is a local activist).

We need to show more sympathy for these people.

* They travel miles in the heat.
* They risk their lives crossing a border.
* They don't get paid enough wages.
* They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.
* They live in crowded conditions among people who speak a different language.
* They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day every day.

I'm not talking about illegal Aliens; I'm talking about American troops!  Doesn't it seem strange that many Democrats and some Republicans are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support the troops and are now threatening to de fund us?

Happy Thanksgiving from Iraq everyone! I hope you make the most of any time off you may get and spend it in the company of loved ones enjoying the blessings God has given you. I'm sure the members of our congress will, they get two whole weeks off during Thanksgiving, some of which I'm sure will be spent thinking of a way to force the US military to abandon our mission here. One of the things I'm thankful for? They haven't succeeded yet in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

I'm drawing close to the end of my tour here, and I just wanted to take a second to thank all my friends and family who have been so supportive over the last 6 months. You haven't been supporting a doomed cause. In my short time here I've seen some dramatic changes for the better take place, usually not long after somebody in congress says it can't be done and we should stop trying. Morale is going up as we're finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The main enemy, al-Qaeda in Iraq, has been severely weakened, and more and more Iraqis are taking up arms against them every day. The next biggest enemy, unemployment (a major fuel for insurgency), well, we're starting to tackle that too, by rebuilding infrastructure and making it safe for Iraqis to go to work. These are things I've seen, which is why I still think we should stay until we're sure the Iraqi's don't need us anymore.

I feel proud to know that 10 or 15 years down the road, Iraq isn't going to look anything like it does today, and that I had a small hand in making it a better place and an ally of America. This Thanksgiving, thousands of miles away from my loved ones, I'm thankful for family and friends who have supported me and my fellow service members, kept us in prayer, and not given up on us.

I miss my wife terribly, and she's VERY pregnant at the moment, but I'll be home soon. I'll be home for Christmas. Most of the men and women serving over here right now won't be. Tragically, some of them won't ever see home again. Which is why we need your support. We need to know you're still with us in spirit, if not in body. While we're here on foreign soil and in enemy territory, we need to know that we'll be given every advantage and backed up in every way, so we can focus on the mission and not be worried if we'll run out of toilet paper next week. Cutting our funding isn't the way to bring the troops home. Pushing us toward mission accomplishment by showing a united front is. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Love,
Nick

11 October 2007...

Last week was pretty nice, an all expenses paid trip to Doha, Qatar for four glorious days of R&R. If you have the opportunity to go during your deployment, I highly recommend it. I didn't see too many dudes sportin' War Whiskers down there, but it was probably 95% Army troops there. Maybe they just don't read Air Force Times. All in all it was a very relaxing time, and the MWR crew and facilities were top notch. The only down side was traveling back to Baghdad, which left me more exhausted than I was even before I left. We were coming back right as Iraq's rainy season was kicking off I guess, because our plane got struck by lightning on the way to our 1st stop, Balad. So a 30 minute stop turned into a 15 hour layover because the bird was damaged and they canceled the rest of our mission. But we eventually made it back safe and sound to Baghdad.

I think it goes without saying that the hardest part of deploying isn't doing the job, but leaving your loved ones behind. I can't say if this has been an especially tough deployment for me since it's my first, but it's been particularly difficult because I've missed a lot of firsts. Mine and my wife's first wedding anniversary. The first time she felt our unborn son move inside her. Depending on how long it takes me to get back to my home station in Japan after my deployment is up, I may not be there when he's born. Luckily, I've gotten to see a couple pictures of him from ultrasounds, and I have to say, the little tyke is already starting to take after his old man. But even as I think of the sacrifices I'm making to be over here, I know they pale in comparison to what many of my fellow servicemen and women have had to deal with. Even in the face of all that, things I see over here from time to time keep me believing that it's all worth it.

A few days ago one of the broadcast journalists I work with did a story here in Baghdad on what is called a "Model Muhalla." A muhalla is basically a small neighborhood, the basic units that make up the districts and city of Baghdad. Coalition soldiers are focusing security and reconstruction efforts on some select muhallas which, after they're revitalized, serve as examples to surrounding neighborhoods of what the future can hold. Seeing the footage of what can only be described as a vibrant urban setting with bustling markets and laughing children was a real inspiration to me. The reality is that the bigger picture in Iraq doesn't look much like what I saw in that video of that small section of Baghdad. But the optimist in me believes it is still possible for the rest of the country to one day share the happiness that I saw on those people's faces. We can do little to stop someone who decides to cause chaos by blowing them self up as an act of perceived holy retribution or vengeance. But if we can continue to show people a better way to live, maybe they won't make that decision in the first place. Success in that endeavor is what I one day hope to be able to tell my son that I was a part of.

27 September 2007...
    There's nothing incredibly difficult about growing a mustache. You just let it happen. The difficulty lies in constraining the whiskers, setting boundaries and keeping them within regulations. Let them grow too long, your boss is gonna hem you up. Make a mistake while trimming, and the 'stache looks even more ridiculous than you intended. (Yes, if you have a mustache, you intentionally look ridiculous.) You can't let some whiskers grow however they please while holding others to the standard. The same concepts apply to any democratic form of government. Iraq's elected leaders face the difficult challenge of trying to get several million people with varied backgrounds and beliefs to unite under the same designation: Iraqi. To do this, they have to show all the people that they will be treated equally under the law. A Kurd will be entitled to the same rights and benefits as a Shi'ite, and same for the Sunnis.
    The government also has a responsibility to protect smaller groups who are discriminated against. Middle Eastern countries are not known for their religious tolerance, and this institutionalized discrimination has a way of reinforcing and encouraging their citizen's own prejudices. As Iraq is not yet capable of governing on its own, many extremists are taking the opportunity to reshape the country as they see fit. Segregation is rampant in many areas out of necessity, as sectarian violence polarizes the population. You hear about the Sunni and Shia Muslim divide, but lost in the shuffle are Iraq's many Christians. While a comparatively small segment of the population, they make up a disproportionately large percentage of Iraqi refugees, and face brutal persecution from those who pervert the teachings of the Koran from a message of peace into one of hatred and violence against any who don't subscribe and submit to their narrow viewpoint.
    I met a Christian man this week who is a convert from Islam, and he has a ministry here for persecuted Christians. In my off time I'm helping him make a video for his ministry, and already it feels like it may turn out to be the most rewarding thing I do during my time here. I believe that for Iraq to succeed as a true democracy, the leaders need to buy in to the idea that has been such a boon for Western civilization...that all men are created equal. I believe they can, and hope they will. The seeds are being planted. Iraq's developing security forces, army and police, are a true melting pot. Like minded men and women from all over the country are setting aside their religious and tribal differences to serve together to ensure that the future of Iraq lies in Iraqi hands. They're helping us fight al-Qaeda, and quelling sectarian violence in some areas by serving as an example that people with different views can work as one for a shared vision of a united Iraq. My prayer is that Iraq's elected officials will take advantage of the American blood spilled to afford them the opportunity to do the same.  

20 September 2007...
    I got to thinking this week that the War Whiskers movement, although a noble cause, is rather sexist. I want everybody to be able to stand up and support the troops and what we're trying to accomplish over here, whether they can grow a mustache or not. I didn't mean to leave the ladies out when I started this whole thing. So, I think I've come up with something women can do to join the movement... Battle Bangs. Uniquely feminine accouterments which set you apart from the crowd, bangs are just enough of an attention grabber to get your friends to take notice and ask, "Why?!" Much like this ridiculous mustache of mine.
      I think we at AFN Iraq can lay claim to being the "most mustachioed" news crew on television. 7 out of 8 broadcasters in the section are sporting War Whiskers, and were it not for a lack of luck in the puberty department, our lone holdout assures us he would join in if he could. So if you happen to catch Freedom Journal Iraq on TV sometime and notice the trend, it's because we're supporting Iraq's burgeoning democracy and freedom by doing something which, for us, is similarly challenging and unprecedented.   
    It's been a pretty tame week here in the International Zone. Come to think of it, things have quieted down a lot since the first month I was here. We used to get attacked practically every day, with volleys of several mortars and rockets. But lately it's been really calm, and Ramadan is supposed to be the month they try to make a statement. I wouldn't go so far as to call it safe here, but I do think things have taken a turn for the better in Baghdad. Let's hope this trend continues!