Introduction...

Hello,

My name is Joseph. I am called Joe or Merkley or Merk. I am a husband, a father, a dreamer, and a soldier, basically in that order. I am also an idealistic, and like most idealists, a fool. I joined the Army not long after 9/11. I did not join the Army for glory, or honor, or revenge. I joined the Army because, as I mentioned earlier, I am a dreamer, an idealist, and a fool. I joined the Army because I believe in freedom, truth, and justice. I firmly espouse the values of liberte, egalite, fraternite.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormons), and as such I consider myself a Christian. There may be those who argue with that assertion but that is of no significance to me. I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I believe him to be an example of perfect manhood. No man or woman has the right to judge the depth or sincerity of my faith. I seek in no way to defend or justify my beliefs. I know all too well that even the mighty and learned are unworthy of and incapable of sufficiently expounding and defending the truth. The Lord himself was often unsuccessful in convincing others of the veracity and justness of his "good-news", particularly in the case of those who considered themselves wise and learned in matters of religion.

Though I am a soldier, I am no lover of war. I am a lover of peace and freedom. I believe that the basic principles on which this country were founded were inspired of God. I believe every human being born into this world to be a child of the same God. I do not believe that the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the inherent rights of all people, regardless of national origin, gender, or ethnicity. I believe habeus corpus to be a divinely appointed and just right. I believe that torture is in all cases wrong. I believe that Americans, especially members of the United States Military, must treat all men, women, and children, to include the enemy, in a humane manner. I believe that anybody who promotes the denial of rights such as habeus corpus, who would advocate any practice that even borders on torture, who would deny constitutional and divinely appointed rights in the name of security, or justifies them as being necessary in the prosecution of the "Global War on Terror" is gravely mistaken and is doing much to support the cause of those terrorists we would seek to prevent, stop, and destroy. I believe that America will be great as a nation only if we hold ourselves to a ridiculously high standard. If we would be a light unto the world, a beacon of freedom and democracy, we must unwaveringly espouse and defend the principles of same. As I said, I am an idealist, a dreamer, and a fool.

My intent in starting this blog is to give me a clearinghouse for various thoughts and rants that might come to mind. If anybody reads what I have to write, good, I hope you benefit. If you disagree with something I have to say, I respectfully ask you to approach me in a productive manner. I welcome criticism, but please make it productive. I enjoy didactic and dialog. My only disclaimer is everything I write is based on my personal perceptions. I do not claim that my thoughts are representative of the LDS Church, the US Army, or any other organization to which I may belong or which I might mention.

Peace.