Mick

Now that I have at long last put two and two together, I vividly recall what a beautiful area that is that you live in tsap. And you are coming up on a wonderful time of the year. I still have some old photos that I took along the drive from the area around Camp David on up into south central Pennsylvania. Really breathtaking, even in the dead of winter. I was up there in late January. Living in the South, and especially after I moved to Miami, I made it a point to take my vacations in the winter so I could get some frigid weather and mucho snow. On that particular trip I drove up to DC to visit some old friends at Georgetown, then drove up to Camp David and on up to Bedford. From there, I drove over through the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, on through New York and mountains in the east, up to Burlington, Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain. Lovely trip if you don't mind some icy roads.That building that looked like a coffee pot was a little eatery as I recall. I wanted to go there to chow down, but was on a tight timeline. I know you guys are pretty far west of Harrisburg, but are you anywhere near the Amish country? I believe that might be a little closer to Philly. Lovely country tsap, and I'll bet it is all the more lovely with your honey by your side.

Tsap, what with my 60th birthday in my rearview mirror for a couple of years, my synapses, what few I didn't burn out in the 60's, ain't firin' as good as they used to. And as for dendrites, they are nothing more than a fond memory, a wisp in the fading light of yesteryear. Anyway, I say all this because it just dawned on me that a number of years ago, maybe late 70's, I drove right through Bedford County. I was on my way to Vermont for a winter vacation, but took a side trip up through the neck of Maryland and on into Pennsyltucky. I was doing a story for a long defunct regional magazine that hired me free-lance and paid me well. The story was on the Whiskey Rebellion, which as I recall, took place in your neck of the woods there. I visited a place where George Washington quartered his troops. The other thing I remember, at least I think it was in Bedford, was a building that looked like a huge coffee pot. It looked mightly weird as there was about two feet of snow on the ground and sitting on top of the white blanket was this huge coffee pot. Was that in Bedford, or did I hallucinate all that?

Tsip, stap, pist, past...it's all the same to me Douggie. The last time I was serious was back in 19 and 62...that experience showed me that the main thing is that we all have a good time and laugh a lot as we make our way through this wacky life. I found the name tsap seui inside the decoder ring I got out of a box of Extra Chocolate Kap'n Krunch cereal. After I woke up on the floor from the sugar buzz the cereal gave me, I looked inside my new decoder ring and saw the name. Didn't know what it meant, actually thought it was a coded message from David Bowie's Spyder Men on Mars, but figured it would be a good stage name on Candle. tsap seui Well I'll be dipped in dog doo.....and all this time I was a'thainkin' tsap seui was some sort of Pennsyltucky hog call or sumpin'

Congrats on gettin' that green card. It's amazing tsap how it took four and a half years to get her here and just 18 days to get the card. Our guvmint shore gotta a strange way of doin' thaings. If you ever drift down toward the Tennerbama line, let us know. We'll go out an paint the town......both buildings!

Happy Anniversary Griz!!! Wishing the two of you a great future and also wishing you a speedy recovery from your surgery.

Way, Way, Way, Way back when, one of our early members actually got a response and was on a segment of Lou Dobbs old show on CNN. As I recall, it was generally ok but was presented in somewhat of a "mail order bride" angle and didn't do much good. Wolfman, who knows if BH is in the bushes.Could be. Letter writing can help and members have tried various angles with the media. As a retired journalist, however, I can tell you that generally problems with a particular consulate won't get you very far unless it ties in with a bigger picture somehow.

Hey Mick: I appreciate your kind words and thoughtfulness in posting them. As I told Tsaper, it was our pleasure to try to provide something very special for him and his family upon their initial arrival home upon American soil. As a vet and after all that he has gone through in his life, I felt the call to reach out to him and do what little I could to welcome him and his beautiful family home. He sure as hell didn't get it 40 years ago. In addition, I was very moved by Tsap,s past post about his encountered with that immigration official Alpha Hotel turd and all his insulting remarks and innuendos to a guy who was just trying to find peace and happiness in his life ... a guy who was, and remains as sincere as hell ... a guy who was just playing THEIR stupid "red tape" game and doing all he could to find his personal piece and happiness ... and an guy who deserves to be respected because of the sacrifice he made in placing his life in harm's way to give this punk the right to insult him the way he did. You just don't do that to a veteran who has served his country faithfully and hororably ... who has survived the ordeal of combat service in South East Asia ... even if it was 40 years ago. I understand this customs guy had no way of knowing any of this about Tsap ... but Tsap deserved respect as an ordinary citizen in any event ("ordinary" ... hell ... we all know he is something special and if you ever have the privileged of meeting him you will know that "special" is an understatement!) OK ... so we're older. We're gray haired. We're a little slower. We're sometimes not as sharp as we used to be but ... damn ... that is no reason for disrespect by anyone ... and especially by a government official whose salary we pay! It goes beyond unacceptable ... and is in my eyes ... unforgivable. I don't know if any of you gentlemen here have had the pleasure of being in an airport when one of the "Liberty Bird" airplanes arrive at the terminal and the World War II veterans deplane and are escorted through the terminal with an honor guard. I just happen to catch one of these last year. I was in Reagan National Airport here in Washington, DC waiting to catch a flight up to New York to make a connecting flight with Air China to Beijing when I noticed a commotion and heard a lot of applause and cheering a few waiting areas away from the one in which I was waiting. When I went over to see what was going on I saw a sea of people extending down both sides of an open isle through which frail, old and feeble men were being wheeled in their wheel chairs in an endless line ... coming through the arrival gate and being pushed from behind by a younger person wearing a "Freedom Bird" tee shirt and ball cap. Each wheel chair had a small American flag flying over it and each vet had a ball cap on with things on the front such as, "World War II Veteran", "Iwo Jima Veteran", "Battle of the Bulge Veteran", "5th Marine Veteran", "8th Air Force Veteran", "1st Division Veteran" etc. Some of these veterans were walking slowly next to their wheel chairs ... still too proud to have to depend on anyone for anything ... but all waving to the crown and acknowledging the special attention they were receiving ... and most of them with tears in their eyes. I asked a person who was obviously an event official what was going on and she told me that this was a special flight ... one of many ... for World War II veterans to bring them to Washington, DC to see their new World War II Memorial. She told me that that the flight and all accommodations were provided free of charge to each veteran and to members of their families. These men were in their upper 80's and 90's and wanted to see THEIR memorial before they passed on. It was so very moving to see the appreciation that these men were still receiving from old and young alike ... even after all these years. My friend, THAT is respect! Well deserved respect!! It is that same type of respect that Tsap should have received from that customs dork in New Jersey... the same type of "Welcome Home" he should have received and did not get upon his arrival home. So ... welcoming him home the way he should have been welcomed home was just our way of saying THANK YOU to a fellow vet who I knew would appreciate and understand our gesture. And as I said ... it was our true and sincere pleasure to do so. Mick, I don't know you but I will tell you this ... I hold ... and will forever hold all you combat medics, corpsman and nurses in a very special, deep and private place in my heart. You guys were the BEST of the best. You want to talk about courage and heroism under fire ... you guys were it ... a very special breed indeed! Thank you then ... and thank you now, Mick! Lest we forget! Thanks for the kind words, Eagle - they mean so much to me and all who served. You mentioned the WW II Vets. Two years ago, I had the honor of writing a story on the Honor Flights and helped foot the bill for my Dad to go to DC (He is 91 now) on a Flight from Sarasota, Florida. My Dad was a medic (drove an ambulance) and hit Omaha Beach on Day Three of the Normandy Invasion. He laid a brick in his pants when his only son wound up as a medic as well. Again, I appreciate what you did for Tsap. He surely deserved it.

Wow, Randy! That was an interesting read, even at 4 am on a Sunday morning. It is fascinating, first of all, how the court has swiftly reacted to this problem. Usually, things move a bit more slowly in the Middle Kingdom when it comes to these kinds of changes in the law. I guess their has been an increasing outcry on the part of the parents of male children who have been taken in by the matrimonial gold diggers.....thanks for posting this.

Musta been nice for the few moments it lasted. I have a friend living in the city where I used to teach who recently got back on Facebook by purchasing the use of a proxy. She says it is quite expensive. How much does it cost if you don't mind my asking and is it a legal purchase? If you don't want to post it on the board, feel free to pm me. Thanks.

WELCOME HOME TSAP AND FAMILY!!!!!!! So glad this long-awaited dream has finally come true for you, tsap. And yes, it was great to read about Screamin' Eagle and his special welcome home for you. If ever a man deserved it, it is you. I don't know you Eagle, but from the bottom of this old 91A10 Combat Medic's heart, thanks a bunch for thinkin' of cuzin' tsapper. Get some rest and I'll see if I can surface that Stevie Ray post you didn't get to see while you were in China.

Well tsapper.....I figure you is on U.S. soil by now. Hope you surface soon. I know the two of you are tired, but take that snorkel off for a few minutes, take your meds, and say hello to all us bozos on this here bus. B)

Sounds like a great concert for sure. Frampton came out of a group called Humble Pie if I am not mistaken. I saw him back in the late 70s after he had gone solo and played in Nashville. I remember he played a really long set back then as well and brought the house down with the song (I forget the name) that begins with "Woke up this morning with a wine glass in my hand." I think it may be "Do You Feel Like I Do?" He played on the same bill that night with Edgar Winter and Mott the Hoople.

Don't worry about atair Donkey, tsap.......we took care of it. It wuz kinda "bonded" tuh thuh bathtub bottom, so we had tuh yank on it a tad and, well, one thaing led to another and one uh my buddies got kinda wound up or, as we'd say downcheer in Tennerbama, "farred up" and he ast us tuh give him uh few minnits alone inair wiff thuh rubber donkey. Oh, I jus saw this wuz posted in AOS instead uh Twisted......sorry bout that....I'll have tuh PM you wiff thuh detales uh whut happined tuh the donkey. Suhfice tuh say, a little duct tape goes a long way, and I hosed her down and shipped it tuh Don as a retarmint present.....

Git yore lil rabbit and son and git on home ol hillbilly cuz. I took thuh libberty uh havin' a cupple uh muh buddies go on upair tuh Pennsyltucky and git all emair latex critters outta yore place. Thaings oughta be clear unlest you got uh few stashed away tuh whar we culdn't find em. Also, we cleaned awl emair rusty beer cans outta thuh bed of atair '71 Dodge pickup settin in yer frunt yard.....tried tuh scrub awal emair terbaccky stains offin thuh porch, but some thaings done set in too deep....you can jes tell her it's uh fancy art deco mowteef are sumpin likatriteair......

Wow! David is so right on with what he is saying here and he has explained these subtle concepts very well. When I lived in China it took me a while to figure all this out, even with Li explaining the subtle language differences to me. I often call Li "Xiao Hua" (Little Flower) but never, ever, Xiao Lao po! I recall one time an American teacher who lived in our building, a young guy about 24 years old, once referred to his fiance's sister with that phrase and all hell broke loose because the two girls mother was present. He meant to say something else, was trying to impress the mother with his newly-learned Chinese. Boy, did he screw up! Basically called his fiance's little sister his second wife or mistress. David, thanks for posting that. I could have never explained it that well.

My experience with Tennessee branches of government agencies, like Social Security, Veterans Adminstration, etc. is that they don't have a clue about much of anything. When we first tried to get Li's Social Security Card, they asked if she had a green card. We explained that Adjustment of Status had been applied for, showed them the letter, documentation, etc. Their response after reading the material was: "We can't give her a Social Security Card." "Why not?" "She is here illegally." "How can you say that?" "She doesn't have a green card." "Of course not. The letters we just had you read explains that." "There are two types of immigrants," she said. "Legal immigrants and illegal immigrants. Legal immigrants have a green card." "I think you are mistaken." "Does she have a green card?" "No." "Then she is illegal." We drove back across the border to the Social Security office in Huntsville, Alabama. No problems at all. Applied for the card and out the door in less than an hour. In my work for the newspaper over the years, I had the occasion to interview more than a few agency supervisors for various departments in Tennessee and my experience was pretty much the same: they didn't have a clue, especially if it involved immigration issues.

Fascinating stuff there to be sure. Lots of info and didn't have time to read all of it. The attitudes of my students toward sex was fairly open and I remember on more than a few occasions stumbling over groping couples in the dark when Li and I would take late night walks around the lakes on our campus. Whenever I stumbled over one of my students, especially the females, they were highly embarrassed. One of my students, again a female, once stated quite directly at a discussion in my apartment ( she was talking to the boy she was dating) - "If you want a virgin, go over to the kindergarten."

I don't think you have completely disqualified yourself, but with your history of four marriages and recent divorce with Chinese wife, it will raise red flags for sure. Someone suggested a good immigration attorney and in your case that might be wise. Don't mean to be negative, just realistic. Were any of the three marriages prior to the Chinese lady to a foreign woman, requiring a visa?

Thanks for sharing the details of that story and the holiday, David. I think it will add a lot to many of our members' holiday.

Fantastic, indeed. Go git that thar viser!!!!

Great news and a big Congrats on the pink. Sounds like you guys were very well prepared.

It may be that many universities will expell students who get married, period - whether it be to a US citizen, Chinese citizen, or Grey Alien. I know the university where I taught did not allow students to marry and, as it was founded and largely funded by a very wealthy Chinese businessman, it was considered one of the most liberal universities in China. It was a state run school, like most universities, but this businessman contributed heavily to its operation as a way of giving back to his hometown. Like I said, it may be marriage in general that is the issue, not just marriage to an American. I left China in 2003, so things may have loosened up a bit since then.

Good Lord AZ, so good to hear from you!!!! Sorry to hear things didn't work out in the long run, but ten years is a good run in many ways. For those who don't know AZ, take a look at his membership date of December of 2002.....He was one of the original Black Hole Gang and, if my memory is correct, one of the last folks to be released from the Black Hole. Ah, those were the days, huh Wolfman? Hope all goes a lot more smoothly this time around. Stay in touch my old friend.

Dan is the man!!! He is the glue, as is Randy and others who have the answers and suggestions to so many who need help. We've got a great family here!! tsap seui You beat me to it Tsap. I was gonna say exactly that. Both Dan and RandyW are tremendous assets to this forum and both are very knowledgeable and generous with their time and advice here. Ditto! These two guys are invaluable and their selfless service to this community is an example to us all....

Congrats and best wishes.