Rest in peace Aridog.

As some you might know a valued contributor to this blog has passed. Richard Thompson who went by the handle Aridog passed after a long illness.

You will have remembered many of his no nonsense posts. Dick was a veteran and a hard headed realist.  But with all of that he was an idealist and had vast compassion for others. Especially people of other cultures and faiths. Sometimes when I would go off on a rant he would comment and make me stop and think about what I was saying. He was one of the view commenter's who was worthing listening to because he had walked the walk.

Getting to know someone on the internet can be tricky. Some people presume to know you and what you think. What you are. But we all many things. Not all of them are displayed in blog posts or comments. Don't get me wrong. You can tell a lot about a person. For example you can tell that Dick was a gentleman and a patriot. I especially loved  his stories of his time in the Service and his hard won experiences.

Dick was a generous and loyal friend. A family man. Above all a patriot. He will be sorely missed. There is one phrase I always think of when I think of Aridog: "We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

Rest in peace my friend. God bless you and your family.