Enviably RabidRalph
Diane in her burgundy and gold Washington Redskins cap
being recognized for her service as a veteran at the
March 1, 2003 Patriot's Rally.
RabidRalph has traveled the world as a broadcast journalist for the Navy for nearly a decade. A decidedly cheerful but quiet person, RabidRalph is neither rabid nor ralph-ish. In fact, Diane (pronounced Dee-Anne) wouldn't remind you at all of a hysterical Ralph Nader or any other rabid Ralph you can think of. (The name has to do with a hyper pug belonging to a former roommate, one darling dog named "Ralph.")
The feisty namesake and his cheerful friend
Well, it's not much of a compliment to say someone isn't rabid or Ralph Nader! Let me explain again: Diane is very sweet and has, to my mind, a decided kind, composed and determined personality. She claims to be shy, but I dunno: she's definitely not shy about driving into DC and Freeping. Maybe it's the military training, maybe it's all that world travel, but she's got a solid, determined and calm personality. The sort of person that someone as hyper as me naturally envies! Frankly, she's the kind of person who's generally optimistic. When I interviewed her I found myself jealous of her - I mean admiring her for a number of reasons, so let's just review them all, shall we? And do keep in mind, as we proceed, that the Bible frowns upon jealousy.
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Her favorite Freep was the September 29, 2001 DC counter-Freep against the leftists, which she described as "great fun." This was the Freep where A.N.S.W.E.R. came to DC just over two weeks after 9/11, to protest the war against Afghanistan! These were very scary, weird-looking people. There were swarms of them and it took a line of mounted Park Police officers to prevent them from charging our numbers. Everyone knew ahead of time it was going to be tough. But look at this photo of Diane on the right in the calm before the storm.
Contrast her demeanor with my hidden face in the red t-shirt on the left, nervously hugging my boyfriend before the storm. She definitely has more optimism than the average person. Diane explains: "I looked around at the Freepers and everyone was smiling and joking and having a great time. We have fun signs like 'Welcome, Bin Laden Fan Club.' Freepers generally know how to have a good time."
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Diane has travelled the world as a journalist. **Warning: if you get envious easily, do not, I repeat, do not continue reading this section.** Diane joined the Navy in 1988 and worked as a broadcast journalist, covering the military for the Navy - covering just about everything--people, pilots, missions, programs, you name it. She was stationed at several overseas bases, including the Yokota Air Base, in Japan, Navy Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia, Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay, Crete, and then stateside at the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland (which is a very beautiful location). "It was a learning experience . . . I really enjoyed meeting different people."
She loved the ancient culture of Crete, with its beautiful surroundings. It's also a big vacation spot with Europeans from the mainland. She notes how much fun it was to sit in an outdoor cafe in the port city of Chania (HAHN-yah) and watch the people go by, and to relax, with a cool sea breeze blowing. Arghh!! Not jealous yet? Thinking "Oh fine, Crete, but I bet the work wasn't that glamorous." No can do: here's a photo of Diane, interviewing then Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Frank B. Kelso II, in December 1993, for her weekly military news show.
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photo of sunrise at Diego Garcia, taken by Diane
Listen to this unbearably enviable description of what it was like to work in Diego Garcia:
"I loved the weather. It's a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, surrounded by palm trees, and you can see the ocean from almost anywhere on the island. It was great to be out at any hour of the day or night and not need a coat."
I also am jealous of - did I say jealous? oops, I meant I'm very happy for - Diane's skill with a camera. The Navy trained her, and well, in photojournalism.
Here's a photo she took of the Maryland Statehouse in Annapolis from a Marine Corps CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter that was practicing "SPIE-rigging" (special insertion/extraction) whereby Marines are tethered to a long line at intervals and lowered into a drop zone where there is no space to land or too dangerous to land (and they're extracted the same way, by hooking themselves to the rope and being lifted out of hostile territory). The helo gave the Mids SPIE-rigging rides around Annapolis. "I tagged along inside the helo, strapped into the hatch with my camera. I shot the picture of the State House as we circled above Annapolis," Diane recounted.
And here's another example of her natural photography, a peaceful photograph of the Naval Academy cemetary:
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Diane's wit is also enviable. If you've seen her posts on line, she's got a pointed, often humorous way of posting. She lurks more than she posts, but, as she puts it, when she has something to say, she definitely says it. I think a good word to describe many of her posts is "spirited," as you may confirm with FR's handy "find in forum" feature. When the Washington Post listed Free Republic as a "supersite" among the "ultra-conservative" groups that were daring to criticize the Hollyweird/Garafolo people, Jim Robinson cheerfully noted on the FR thread on the article that he liked the sound of that--"supersite." True, but I posted that I was confused about what the Post meant in using the term "supersite." Here's RapidRalph's helpful explanation of the vast right-wing conspiracy the Post envisions occuring at our beloved Free Republic. LOL, don't forget to click that link, and learn about the Free Republic "secret access code." Who knew? I kept rereading that post and was just plain jealous - I mean wishful - that I hadn't posted that.
Diane likes photography, movies, bicycling, reading, and, well, America. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She came to America (legally) when she was young, and joined the Navy to get more work experience in TV news (she has a degree in TV communications) and to "pay back America for accepting me as a legal resident." She became a U.S. citizen in 1987 and "immediately registered as a Republican (who, in their right mind, wouldn't?)." Here's a delightful tale of her early forays in the news business.
"Ronald Reagan seemed like a nice man and I watched both election returns while I was in college. I had an internship at KJRH-TV in Tulsa, and I worked election night 1984. I came into work around 10 pm and the leftover staff seemed pretty tense and a little angry. I didn't know why."
Tsk, tsk, bet you do, now.
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Diane first found the website off of Drudge in 1998. Before coming out to Freep, she lurked around for a while, delightedly reading about the Get Out of Cheney's House" protests: "It tickled me that people were taking a stand and getting their voices heard." She finally joined in 2000.
"I guess the reason why I go to the website is . . . I have never seen an organized group of people who believe the same thing I believe (other than church) for social issues. I have never encountered an organized group of people that felt like me and weren't afraid to express those feelings and thoughts. . . . It is just amazing to have another news source besides what I'd been fed all the years of my life."
I appreciate having military veterans like Diane here at Free Republic. And I am grateful, like the rest of us who participate in the "vast" Free Republic "supersite," for just the reasons Diane gives:
"Everyone knows a little bit about something, no matter what is going. . . . . No matter what the subject is, someone has knowledge of what might have gone on, or the job function, or the industry, and I think it's just the greatest thing in the world to go there and gain knowledge from other people - from all over the world."
Doesn't that just hit the nail on the head? Free Republic lets you think. "You can certainly sort through the bias of both sides and come up with the truth for yourself. It's not as painstaking as it would be to read the Washington Post or to read CNN."
Well, it's never painful to read your posts, RabidRalph! Keep on posting and Freeping, because you are...
one of FR's Finest!
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