Wadi Stones

I have two stones that I found on separate occasions in a wadi in Iraq in 2004. That was the year that killing and mayhem in Iraq markedly increased with roadside IEDs and VBIEDs. It was a horrible but unremarkable escalation of violence against occupiers, tribes and sects. On one, a large three-sided stone, I wrote, "Simplify" On the other, smaller stone, more akin to a stone you'd use to skip across a stream or lake surface, I wrote on one side, "Love Life." On the other side I wrote, "Dream." They have been on my toilet tank cover since I returned. They are the first objects I see every morning when i wake and the last things I see every night before bed. Ten years later, those words from a younger and wiser war-fighter me, written on wadi rocks with a black Sharpie, continue to inform my life. And for what it's worth, those wadie stones inform the lives of my employees; they just don't know it.

It's only #derp if you're an uninformed asshole.

My VA position on 13 November 2011:

“@NYTimeskrugman: Vouchers for Veterans, and Other Bad Ideas http://t.co/S9syxUNk” keep your fucking paws of my awesome VHA, #mittromney!
— YGBSM (@YGBSM) November 14, 2011

This guy, @n8sebaka calls me out 2 and a half years later:

@YGBSM #derp cc: @NYTimeskrugman
— n8sebaka (@n8sebaka) May 22, 2014

But I've had serious issues with my VA care for months. This was one of my last VA tweets:

the VA is evil. i am done with them. i'll manage my care elsewhere. http://t.co/8vo0LbLr1n via @starsandstripes
— YGBSM (@YGBSM) May 20, 2014

It's only #derp if you're an uninformed asshole. My recent TL is unequivocal (and incriminatory).

Even Farhad Manjoo can change his mind

I'm the guy who long defended Amazon against charges it was ruining literary culture. Today I feel like a dope. http://t.co/RVqv2UBKxl
— Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) May 23, 2014