User:SpartHawg948

About Me
My name is William, I am 25, and I am a Staff Sergeant (SSgt) in the US Air Force Reserve. I live in Santa Clara, California, and I LOVE Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2!!! I aim to do whatever I can to improve this site, as I feel it's a great resource. Also, I am an admin, so if anyone has any questions or needs help with anything, please just let me know!

Also, not to put too fine a point on it, but I have no patience whatsoever with crybabies, whiners, speculators, and boors. If you are going to be rude to someone else, plant purely speculative info, or insult others but then start crying when someone calls you on it, you WILL be hearing from me.

Now that the seriousness is taken care of, it's my goal to make this the most informative site possible, while also keeping it a nice, friendly environment for users. Any assistance in furthering that goal is, of course, greatly appreciated, and I try to acknowledge people for their efforts as much as possible. So I hope you all enjoy the site, and hopefully you'll be hearing from me (for something good, of course!)

Words to live by

 * "Let him who desires peace prepare for war"- Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus (more commonly known as Vegetius) from De Re Militari
 * "An armed society is a polite society"- Robert A. Heinlein
 * "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent vice of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries"- Winston Churchill
 * "Communism is the death of the soul. It is the organization of total conformity- in short, of tyranny- and is committed to making tyranny universal."- Adlai Stevenson
 * "The best laws cannot make a constitution work in spite of morals; morals can turn the worst laws to advantage."- Alexis de Tocqueville
 * "The world is not going to be saved by legislation."- William Howard Taft
 * "A man has to live with himself, and he should see to it that he always has good company."- Charles Evans Hughes

Featured Quote
This section will just be for quotes I like that aren't necessarily as concise and pithy as the ones featured above. They don't even necessarily have to be relevant to anything, I may just choose quotes from sources I like (such as George S. Patton, who provides the first of these) or works I like (such as the Anabasis by Xenophon). Good times!


 * "Religion assures us that our afflictions shall have an end; she comforts us, she dries our tears, she promises us another life. On the contrary, in the abominable worship of atheism, human woes are the incense, death is the priest, a coffin the altar, and annihilation the Deity." -- François-René de Chateaubriand, 19th Century French writer and diplomat, considered the father of French literary Romanticism.

Featured Bio
Saint Thomas Becket (or simply Thomas Becket to you non-Catholics) was a 12th century English statesman and clergyman most well known for his tenure as the Lord Chancellor of England, and later as the Archbishop of Canterbury, a role in which he distinguished himself fighting against increasing politicization of the Church in England. In other words, he was one of the earliest proponents of separation of Church and state.

Becket was born sometime around 1118, in London, a landlord who himself was the son of a knight. Thomas spent much of his youth at the estate of a family friend, learning to ride a horse, hunt, joust, and other such gentlemanly activities. He also benefited from an extensive education in both civil and canon law beginning at age 10, which he received both in England and in France.

Upon his return from France, Becket distinguished himself in the service of Theobald of Bec, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Theobald sent Becket on many important missions, mostly to Rome, and rewarded his loyal service by naming Becket Archdeacon of Canterbury and Provost of Beverly. Eventually, he so impressed Theobald that, when the post of Lord Chancellor of England became vacant, the Archbishop recommended Becket to King Henry II. Henry approved, and in 1155, Thomas Becket was appointed Lord Chancellor of England.

Henry II was without a doubt and absolute monarch. It was his goal to do away with anything that infringed upon his ability to do whatever he wanted within his kingdom. One of his main targets was the Catholic Church, which had long been the recipient of special privileges under the law. Becket, totally loyal to his monarch, carried out the King's instructions to the letter, vigorously enforcing the land tax laws against all landowners, including clergymen and churches. This served to create much distrust of Becket within the Church. This trust was exacerbated by the fact that Becket was one of the King's closest friends, and would often engage in the many frivolities and pleasures which the King indulged in, cementing Becket's image as a carefree and secular playboy.

In 1162, Becket's old friend and mentor Theobald died, leaving the position of Archbishop of Canterbury vacant. King Henry saw this as a perfect opportunity to further reduce the Church and increase his own power. He requested that the Church name Becket Archbishop, which the leaders of the Church in England agreed to. However, this did not have the effect that Henry intended. Upon assuming the highest spiritual mantle in England, Becket underwent a remarkable transformation. Becket resigned the post of Lord Chancellor and began to assert the rights of the Church. This created a rift between the two friends. In 1164, Becket was asked to sign a series of constitutions that would weaken the Church and its connection to Rome while giving the king more power. Becket refused. Henry responded by having Becket brought up on trumped-up charges of contempt of royal authority and malfeasance while Lord Chancellor. Knowing that Henry meant him harm, Becket fled to France.

Though pursued by agents of King Henry, Becket found safe haven in the court of King Louis VII of France, who greatly admired and respected Becket. Becket also sought the aid of HH Pope Alexander III. However, while the Pope agreed with Becket in theory, wanted to take a more diplomatic approach when dealing with the problem, as opposed to Becket, who wished to use the rite of excommunication against his enemies. Eventually, however, this began to change, and by 1170, the Pope was beginning to seriously consider excommunicating King Henry. The King panicked, and offered to let Becket return to England. However, this reconciliation was not to last.

In 1170, the King's heir was coronated (while his father still lived) in York, a breach of Canterbury's ancient privilege of coronation. Becket responded by excommunicating those who had been responsible for this violation of Church law. The three who had been excommunicated fled to King Henry, who angrily yelled "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Four of his knights seem to have interpreted this as a royal command, and took it upon themselves to go to Canterbury. They entered the Cathedral, armored but unarmed, and demanded that Becket go with them at once to answer for his actions before the King. Becket refused, as they had no legal right to demand any such thing, or to compel him to do so. The four then rushed outside and collected their weapons, and re-entered the Cathedral, where Becket was conducting vespers. The knights rushed the Archbishop and murdered him. Despite the murder being carried out in full view of multiple witnesses, the King did not order their arrest, nor did he confiscate their lands. However, after the four were excommunicated by no less than HH Pope Alexander III, Henry did order them to serve as knights in the Holy Lands for fourteen years as penance.

Becket was first buried beneath Canterbury Cathedral, then moved to a new shrine in Trinity Chapel. Both these sites were popular pilgrimage sites. In fact, the classic work The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer revolve around a group of pilgrims on their way to Becket's shrine. Unfortunately, the shrine was later destroyed by order of King Henry VIII, who also ordered that Becket's bones be destroyed and that all mention of his name be obliterated.

Three years after his death, Becket was canonized by HH Pope Alexander III, and today he is also recognized as a Saint by the Church of England. Becket serves as the patron saint of secular clergymen, as well as of several locations in England.

Tongue-in cheek thought of the, ah, who am I kidding? I'm not gonna change this daily...

 * Well kiddies, I'm off to enjoy the musical stylings of what is arguably the greatest band ever to come out of Germany, so I won't be back till later. So, until I get back, in the words of Principal Seymour Skinner... well, actually, I'll let you find out what he says for yourselves. Later! :P SpartHawg948 00:25, August 2, 2010 (UTC)


 * So yeah, unless you are (or were, gotta respect the vets) in the military (preferably the U.S. Military, but other nations services are cool too), don't use my rank in any sort of attempt to scold or lecture me, or let me know I somehow don't meet your ideals. And no, the college kids in the ROTC and the high school kids in the JROTC don't count. Those kids (and they are just kids, especially JROTC) are just playing make-believe until they actually enter the military (assuming they do at all, as many don't). They have not one iota of a clue what the actual military is like. In fact, most officers in general don't. Most are blissfully ignorant of what goes on in the enlisted world, which is why generally, the best officers are prior enlisted. They have some idea of what impact their decisions have on the people who are actually effected. But hey, I'm getting off track here. So basically, if you aren't (or weren't) in the military (the real military, not the "let's play dress-up and pretend" military), don't knock the rank, or insinuate I'm not living up to it. That's just plain rude and disrespectful. SpartHawg948 23:13, July 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * Just got done watching another documentary (what can I say? I'm a sucker for these things), and this one was pretty interesting, albeit in a disturbing/confusing way. It's called Crossing the Line, and it's about James Joseph Dresnok, one of five American soldiers who deserted to North Korea in the 1960s. Dresnok may or may not be the last American defector in North Korea. Of the five who defected in the '60s, two are dead, one got out not too long ago and now lives in Japan with his wife, a Japanese woman who was kidnapped by North Korea in the '70s, and one (Dresnok) is still alive. Another soldier defected in the '80s, but according to Charles Robert Jenkins (the one living in Japan), he just... disappeared. The North Korean government claims he drowned. However, Jenkins maintains that he didn't, and that he was actually paralyzed after suffering an epileptic stroke, and that after that, Jenkins never heard from him again. Anywho, it's disturbing because of how deluded this Dresnok guy is. He lives a pretty good life in North Korea, and seems to have no problem living large due solely to the fact that he's an American, while millions of North Koreans are starving. He even boasts about how, during a massive famine in the '90s when over a million North Koreans are believed to have starved to death, he still got his full rice ration, every day. Doesn't even bat an eyelash. This guy is something else. I can't even imagine defecting to that hellhole. Anyways, it is still an interesting documentary, so I'd recommend it. SpartHawg948 10:11, August 1, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, just finished yet another documentary. This one was called Shoot Down. For those not familiar with the story (as I wasn't till watching this), on 24 February 1996, three U.S.-registered Cessna Skymaster light aircraft operated by a humanitarian group known as Brothers to the Rescue (also known as Hermanos al Rescate) were flying north of Cuba. This group was formed by Cuban exiles to help refugees fleeing the repressive regime in Cuba. On a few occasions, it had violated Cuban airspace, sometimes intentionally, including one incident in which they dropped leaflets on Havana. However, on this day, the planes were flying over international waters. One plane did very briefly and inadvertently cross into Cuban airspace. Suddenly and without warning, a Cuban Air Force MiG-29, upon receiving orders from HQ, intercepted and shot down two of these unarmed civilian aircraft, the two that had never entered Cuban airspace. Both were shot down in international airspace 10 miles from Cuban territorial airspace. All four crew-members died instantly. To put this in perspective, shooting a Skymaster down with a MiG-29 is the equivalent of using a grenade to kill a ladybug. A Skymaster has no hope of outrunning or outflying a MiG. The documentary features audio of the Cuban pilots cheering and mocking the civilians they had just murdered. It's a good, albeit infuriating and pretty depressing, documentary that I would highly recommend. SpartHawg948 23:01, August 1, 2010 (UTC)
 * Interesting fact- the Cerberus Daily News report from the fourth indicates that as of 2185, the Pope is HH Leo XIV. While they are correct that this is not a papal name that has been used (the last Leo was HH Pope Leo XIII), it is interesting to note that Leo XIV is the regnal name of one of the more recent antipopes, persons elected by unrecognized groups in opposition to the Pope and his Cardinals. Leo XIV (the real one) is an Argentine man named Oscar Michaelli who was 'elected' by thirty four unconsecrated episcopi vagantes, or 'wandering bishops' not in Communion with the Church. Antipope Leo XIV 'reigned' from 24 March, 2006 till his death on 14 February 2007. While it is not impossible that a future Pope (a real one) would use the name Leo XIV (as this has happened before, with for example there being two Antipope Benedict XIVs before the true Benedict XIV, it's still interesting to note. SpartHawg948 00:31, August 5, 2010 (UTC)
 * To demonstrate how highly I value the official Mass Effect forums as a source of... well, of anything, I finally made my first post ever there a minute ago. Nothing special, just decrying the lack of support for the #1 Badass of ME2 (after Shepard, of course), Zaeed Massani himself, for ME3. Personally, I really want Zaeed to be a squad member in ME3, as he's one of my all-time favorites. But anywho, back to the point. The forums struck me as even more silly and juvenile than ever. People talking about 'Mass Effect erotica groups', and hoping that other contributors would get shot, and all sorts of classy stuff like that. What a truly valuable resource. I can't believe we try to avoid associating with them. SpartHawg948 02:30, August 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * So yeah, kind of a big day for me. It's been 7 months since ME2 released, and I've done I don't even know how many playthroughs, and I just today chose the Paragon ending for the first time. What can I say? I'm a Renegade at heart! :P SpartHawg948 07:24, August 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, time to record another momentous first in the annals of Spart-dom. Today I can say that for the first time on this wiki, a blog has been created for the sole purpose of griping about yours truly. My ears are burning! :) Seriously though, I have no idea what is being referred to by saying I 'chewed out' someone. Trust me. I'm a Sergeant. I know how to chew someone out. I have never chewed anyone out on the wiki. Doing so properly would violate site language policies. And as for pissing people off, if I was really a jerk, I'd have plenty of fodder to get petty jabs in at the user I'm apparently pissing off just by looking at his user page. But I hold back. After all, the Christian thing to do is to 'turn the other cheek', isn't it? SpartHawg948 02:48, August 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh, on another note, stumbled across an interesting site the other day. It's the Mass Effect 2 Faces Database. I'm sure that many of you kids, being much more net-savvy than this (technologically) incompetent old coot, have known about this site for a while, but if not, it's a decent resource for some cool looks for your Commander Shepards. SpartHawg948 02:55, August 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * Gotta love it. There I was, driving home from the bank, and what do I hear on the radio? Why, I hear none other than the Illusive Man, telling me all about how my Bay Area Midas is here to help me, and how I can get an oil change, tire rotation, and a visual brake-check all for the low-low price of $19.95. Thanks Illusive Man! I guess now we know what he's doing when he isn't talking to Shepard or plotting his revenge on those who have wronged him! :P SpartHawg948 22:33, August 16, 2010 (UTC)
 * So, a little while ago I discovered and played the demo for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2, which comes out next month. Now, to be honest, while I absolutely love the first one, this game totally slipped my radar. I hadn't heard anything about it till today. That said, it's now near the top of my 'OMG! I can't wait! I HAVE TO HAVE IT!!!' list. It was awesome! All sorts of new stuff that wasn't in the first one, such as in-flight refueling and landings on carriers and at fixed installations. Plus, it wasn't in the demo, but apparently other cool s*** will be in the game, like UAVs, and the mother of all flying gun mounts. No, I'm not talking about the A-10. Something with (if it's even possible), even bigger guns. The AC-130 gunship (I believe in-game it'll be the AC-130U 'Spooky'). This game promises to be awesome!!! SpartHawg948 04:14, August 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * So, this isn't inspired by any recent events or anything, it's based on looking back at some past incidents. I dislike a lot of things, as some people here know by now, I'm sure! :P Want to know what I dislike more than most other things? When someone who happens to be an admin or bureaucrat or whatever on one wiki (or even several) comes onto this wiki, or another where they are just a regular editor, same as anyone else, but they decide that 'Since I'm an admin on ___ wiki, I know how things need to be done, and I'm going to do it here', and then starts making all sorts of changes that are actually counter to local policy, or begins telling other editors who are doing things right that they are wrong. I can't stand that. You don't go into someone else's house and begin pushing them or their family around, or begin messing with the furniture. When I'm on other wikis, I don't hide the fact that I'm an admin here, in fact I usually note it on my user page, but I also expect no special treatment, and I follow local customs and such. As such, I expect the same from others, but sadly don't see it that often. Again, this rant (let's call it what it is!) was not motivated by anything specific or recent, just some musings from a grumpy old man. SpartHawg948 01:35, August 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * I meant to add something else there, but then I forgot. I should point out that, on the other hand, we've had several individuals who are admins from other wikis come onto this one and offer helpful advice and suggestions and all that (and I'm really thinking of one in particular), which is totally different from coming in and throwing their weight around, saying 'This is the right way, not the way you're doing it'. I'm all for admins from other sites offering help and advice, just not blustering in and imposing their own vision of order. We've had both, and I greatly prefer the former to the latter. SpartHawg948 01:40, August 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * People, before you piss and moan about major issues, please get the facts straight. Please! It's not hard to do a little thing called 'fact-checking'. And on a related note, leave the arm-chair general routine to people who actually have some experience. Surprisingly, the people who tend to be most knowledgeable about what the military is and isn't doing are... people in the military. Funny how that works, isn't it? SpartHawg948 04:58, August 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * Some interesting tidbits I just learned. The odds of a soldier on either side during the American Civil War of: Being killed in combat - 1 in 65. Being wounded in combat - 1 in 10. Dying of disease - 1 in 13. Average height? 5'8". Average weight? 143 lbs. Average age? 25. Just some facts learned while watching The Civil War by Ken Burns. SpartHawg948 23:32, August 20, 2010 (UTC)
 * This just in: The Moon is shrinking! That's right, Earth's moon is getting smaller. And given that this contraction has only started relatively recently, I can think of only one plausible cause: Global Warming! Quick! Someone call Al Gore! We've gotta save the Moon! SpartHawg948 05:08, August 22, 2010 (UTC)