RIGHT FACE!

Stupid Nation!

2009-08-22T12:00:00.001-04:00

Just how stupid does our president think we are? This stupid!

The Obama team has a brilliant fallback plan — relying on the sheer dimwitted gullibility of the American public. How stupid do they think we are? Stupid enough not to be offended at how contemptibly stupid they think we are.

Taking Out The Trash, or Obama Faces The Truth,... Not

2009-08-22T11:57:00.000-04:00

The West Wing - Episode 13
"Take Out The Trash Day"
The title refers to the Friday press briefing wherein the White House releases information about several sensitive stories, thereby preventing discussion and reducing any probable impact in the media.

Donna: What's take out the trash day?
Josh: Friday.
Donna: I mean, what is it?
Josh: Any stories we have to give the press that we're not wild about, we give all in a lump on Friday.
Donna: Why do you do it in a lump?
Josh: Instead of one at a time?
Donna: I'd think you'd want to spread them out.
Josh: They've got X column inches to fill, right? They're going to fill them no matter what.
Donna: Yes.
Josh: So if we give them one story, that story's X column inches.
Donna: And if we give them five stories ...
Josh: They're a fifth the size.
Donna: Why do you do it on Friday?
Josh: Because no one reads the paper on Saturday.
Donna: You guys are real populists, aren't you?

After denying the truth, and CBO estimates, for months, the Obama administration will raise its 10-year budget deficit projection to approximately $9 trillion from $7.108 trillion in a report next week. The higher figure brings the White House budget office into line with outside estimates and gives further fuel to President Barack Obama's opponents, who say his spending plans are too expensive in light of budget shortfalls.

In other news, President Barack Obama left the White House on Friday for a 10-day vacation.

2009-08-19T07:24:00.000-04:00

I supported single-payer, before I was opposed to single-payer, before I supported single-payer, before...

Q: How do you know a politician is lying?
A: His mouth is open.

Quote of the Day - Barney Frank

2009-08-19T06:28:00.000-04:00

"Is Medicare bankrupt? No, it's not technically bankrupt. It needs more money."

Isn't that the definition of bankrupt?
"I'm not broke. I just need more money."

First he snubs the National Day of Prayer, now he denies the request of a rally to support the troops

2009-08-18T19:42:00.000-04:00

Obama Denies Flyover of 'GOD & Country Rally'—1stTime In 42Yrs

Since 1967, a flyover was authorized for the "God and Country festival" conducted annually in Idaho, an event honoring the fighting men and women of our country. That is, until this year when President Obama refused to authorize such a flyover.

"Old people may be slow, but they always show."

2009-08-18T05:44:00.000-04:00

Big Hollywood- Thank You, Old People

So, all in all – if it wasn’t for the elderly, the one thousand page-plus bill would have passed without anyone reading it. And that makes old people cool. They read it, so the rest of us didn’t have to. Thank them, and remember that one day you’re going to end up just like them - if you’re lucky.

Time To Throw The Bums Out

2009-08-16T18:10:00.000-04:00

What is the job of a Congressman? Is it to represent the views and desires of his constituents?

Apparently not in the great state of New York. When asked if he would vote for HR 3200 with it's government controlled, socialized, single-payer option he said, 'I will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful. I will vote against their opinion if I actually believe it will help them.'

Glad There's No Media Bias

2008-10-23T06:20:00.001-04:00

Tuesday on CNN's Situation Room, "reporter" Drew Griffin asked Governor Palin "[t]he press has been pretty hard on you. The Democrats have been pretty hard on you, but also some conservatives have been pretty hard on you as well. The National Review had a story saying that, you know, ‘I can't tell if Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, or all of the above."

When the Governor asked Griffin who wrote that, he couldn't (or wouldn't) say. The misquote was taken out of context from a piece by Byron York in which he wrote, "Watching press coverage of the Republican candidate for vice president, it's sometimes hard to decide whether Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, backward or - well, all of the above."

Rabid Attacks & Blind Rage

2008-09-18T05:52:00.005-04:00

(originally written on 9/4/08 in another forum.)

This whole attack on Governor Palin has got me so pissed I can hardly formulate a coherent rebuttal. If this were some pro-abortion, left wing femi-nazi (like Shrillary) the media would be giving her a pass. And demanding the entire country do the same.

They hate Sarah Palin because she represents real Americans, instead of what they imagine Americans should be. She doesn't fit into their anti-gun, pro-abortion, career-woman, PETA-loving, anti-business, anti-oil, tree-hugging, big government feminist mold, so she - and her family - must be savaged and destroyed.

Meanwhile, I have no doubt that real Americans are watching and taking note. First of all, we like Palin. It didn't take long to figure out that she is a fine American with character, courage, and strong family values. Much like most of us. Even my wife, who is no fan of Republicans, likes Governor Palin. For a person who considers Clinton and Carter to have been good Presidents, that's a pretty serious endorsement.

Second, Americans are not pleased with the despicable attacks of the Democrats, the liberals, and the left-wing, pro-Obama media. I think in the next 2 months we will see a huge backlash against the Obama/Biden campaign.

The ironic part of this is that the media, and the left, cannot fathom any of this. They are flabbergasted that we haven't fallen in love with Barry Obama. That we don't hate McCain and Palin. That we don't pile onto the governor and her family with them. They believe that because they say something we should believe it and blindly follow. Talk about not getting it!

McCain IS a "Cybersavvy Technologist"

2008-09-18T05:52:00.003-04:00

A few days ago I posted about this diversionary fiasco put forth by Obama & his campaign about John McCain and the Internet.

This is such a non-issue. (And here I thought the Obamaphiles wanted to run a campaign about "real" issues. You know the ones that impact the American people.) As I've said, I don't particularly want my President to be spending his time sending e-mails and updating his Facebook status.

For the record, Senator McCain has long been considered one of the Senate’s leading authorities on telecommunications and the Internet, even by The Left. He was called the “Senate’s savviest technologist” by Forbes magazine in 2000. During the presidential campaign that year, Slate’s Jacob Weisberg referred to him as the most “cybersavvy” of all the presidential candidates, including that famed inventor of the Internet, Al Gore. Weisberg went on to say that, as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, he had to "learn about the Internet early on, and young Web entrepreneurs such as Jerry Yang and Jeff Bezos fascinate him.”

And, whether you like it or not, in 2000, Forbes, Slate, and the Boston Globe all reported that McCain isn't proficient in the use of a personal computer primarily because the North Vietnamese broke his fingers and shattered both of his arms. By the way, not being able to actively use technology or have hands-on something doesn't mean he doesn't understand it. (Stephen Hawking comes to mind as an example of this truth.)

Oh, one more thing for the record, Bill Clinton sent exactly 2 e-mails while President. One of those was a test to see if he could press “Send.”

A Little Joke

2008-09-16T12:10:00.002-04:00

What's the difference between the media and a watchdog?

Rabies

Acknowledgment and apologies to James Taranto and WSJ's Best of the Web.

No Thanks, Saint Barry

2008-09-16T09:47:00.002-04:00

A few days ago I posted on the inane slogan making the rounds everywhere from the blogosphere to Facebook's Flair. It not-so-subtly compares Barry Obama with the Savior of mankind and Governor Sarah Palin with Pontius Pilate, the Roman official technically responsible for Jesus' execution.

In my opinion, this is just an extension of Obama's sycophantic cult of personality and their irrational belief that he is the Messiah come to save America, and the world, from itself. (Remember this self-aggrandizing nugget? "We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. ... Yes we can!")

My response to Barry, the somewhat unsuccessful community organizer: "I have a Savior. I need a President."

Insulting Governors?

2008-09-15T09:15:00.003-04:00

I'm really getting sick of those on the Left who insist on denigrating and disqualifying Governor Palin because Alaska just doesn't measure up as a state!

I mean, is it fair to say someone isn't qualified to lead this country because their state is 49th in population, less people than any state but Wyoming? Or because it was ranked 32nd among states in which to do business and has been said by experts to have "a really stagnant economy"? Or because only 11% of workers in the state are unionized? Or because it's the only state in the union not to require a balanced budget? Or because it has only 2 major airports? Or because it has some of the least restrictive gun control laws in the country, including being able to purchase or concealed carry a firearm without a permit or license? Or that more than two-thirds of the population identify themselves as Christians?

What do these things, or any others, have to do with how well the governor of that state could lead the country? Get real people!

Taking the Lord's Name in Vain

2008-09-14T22:37:00.004-04:00

I'm quoting the following by permission (with a minor edit) because I think it is such a flawless rebuttal of the recent nonsense comparing Obama with Jesus (and I don't mean those excellent McCain ads).

I just saw something that was about the stupidest sentiment ever.
Attention Sarah Palin:
Jesus Christ was a Community Organizer.
Pontius Pilate was a Governor.
Are you freaking kidding me?

No, I'm not arguing the Biblical accuracy of Pilate being a Governor...he was Governor of Judea. Fine.

What I am going to take offense at is calling Jesus a Community Organizer. It's a whole long road from traveling around to bring people the Word of God to "organizing." Although I'm sure Obama would like to be able to raise people from the dead (he'd get more votes), walk on water (sure would help to visit the idiots who refuse to evacuate ahead of the hurricanes), and turn water into wine (this is self-evident), I'm kinda thinking he'd leave the game long before taking on anyone else's sins. Referring to Jesus as a Community Organizer would be akin to labeling Hillary as a non-partisan moderate - it just ain't right, man.

Let me, perhaps, offer a better example of a Community Organizer:

* He organized people to fight the standards of the government he perceived as mismanaged and wrongheaded.
* He gathered supporters for the cause of regaining national pride through charismatic speeches and using inflated promises and statistics to gain followers.
* He wrote a memoir before ever really achieving anything in life.
* He was not actually a part of the demographic he sought to represent.

Who was he? Adolf Hitler.

Scared yet? Of course, no one on the Left will be able to grasp the logic of this. That's because they all know, Bush is Hitler!

The above is from Breakfast at Tiffany's

Tech Savvy?

2008-09-14T22:07:00.003-04:00

Who really gives a crap if John McCain (or any candidate) can use a computer? This is just SUCH a non-issue.

I want my leader to be way to busy with important stuff to be sending an e-mail or updating his Facebook status. Seriously!

Ugly Step-Sisters

2008-09-12T23:04:00.006-04:00

My wife came up with pretty good analogy tonight to illustrate the rabid mauling of Governor Palin by the Left-wing feminists.

Remember Cinderella? How her ugly step-sisters told her that if she just did all her chores she could go to the ball? She did everything they demanded, and more. She created a beautiful gown for herself, from their castoffs. And when they saw that, not only had she met their challenge with grace & grit, but she outshone them in every way, they attacked her. They ripped her dress to shreds and locked her away, banished from the ball. They were jealous of her beauty, her poise and her accomplishments. Because they knew, once Pince Charming saw Cinderella, they wouldn't get a second glance.

So it is with the Left-wing feminists. They said that women could have it all. But they forgot to mention that in order for achievement to be accepted, a woman must follow their rules. And Sarah didn't. She did it all on her own. She became mayor and governor, while raising children and being devoted to her husband and her God. She is a successful, beautiful, confident woman who loves, respects and cares for her husband and her children - even the baby they think she should have murderded.

The problem is, the Left-wing feminists, and the Left in general, look just as ugly as those step-sisters. And most people are finally understanding just how petty, insecure and hypocritical they really are. And, with any luck at all, their blind, raging hatred of Governor Palin, a self-made, feminine, anti-feminist will likely cost Barack Obama & Joe Biden the election.

360° Media Coverage

2008-09-12T23:00:00.002-04:00

Couldn't find the next frame that shows Sarah, on a snowmobile, blowing these vermin away with the rifle of truth.

Dork vs. Babe

2008-09-12T22:59:00.005-04:00

Obama doesn't have a chance if it's just about image. And it isn't.

A Successful Woman Threatens the Feminists

2008-09-12T12:25:00.002-04:00

Feminist Army Aims Its Canons at Palin

The Leftist assault on Sarah Palin continues and intensifies. The most feminine, successful and charismatic woman in politics is just not feminist enough for the Left, and nothing is off-limits, not even a 4 month old baby.

"It works like this: If you don’t agree with feminist scolds, you’re not a real woman, even if you’re a very feminine working mom. But even if you’re an actual man — never mind a childless feminist who looks like a Bulgarian weightlifter in drag — you’re a “real woman” solely because you nod your head like a windup clapping monkey every time you read the latest editorial in Ms. Recall how they christened Bill Clinton the “first female president,” too."

Why Obama & the Dems Are Scared

2008-09-11T12:16:00.000-04:00

"McCain is a threat to the Democrats chances of victory. But Palin is an existential threat to the existence of the Democratic party. To have the top woman in American politics be pro-life and be a conservative is a threat to the very core constituencies that make up the Democratic Party. It would be like the head of a labor union that's pro-Republican running for President. It undermines that constituency and they're terrified of that." - Dick Morris

Seven years Gone by

2008-09-11T07:48:00.002-04:00

No "Where I Was..."
No "Have we forgotten."
Just a simple, but true, message.

Yes, She Did Say "No"

2008-09-10T12:22:00.000-04:00

Yes, Palin Did Stop That Bridge

"But, you know, when you've been taking all these earmarks when it's convenient, and then suddenly you're the champion anti-earmark person, that's not change. Come on! I mean, words mean something, you can't just make stuff up." -- Barack Obama, Sept. 6, 2008

Mr. Obama has shown little restraint on earmarks until this year. He is vulnerable on this issue, and he knows it. That is why he is lashing out at Mrs. Palin and trying to hide his own record.

Mrs. Palin is one of the strongest antiearmark governors in America.Her record is solid and inspiring. She will help Mr. McCain shut down the congressional favor factory, and she has a record to prove it.

Obama's Plan (to Tax Your A$$ Off)

2008-09-08T12:16:00.000-04:00

According to the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Obama's proposals outlined in his convention speech will cost the federal budget around $377 billion in the year 2013, based on his own figures, including the optimistic claim that he can save $75 billion a year by closing tax loopholes and $55 billion by initiating a phased withdrawal from Iraq.

The Committee estimates that Obama's promises to extend most of the Bush tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 and lessen the bite of the Alternative Minimum Tax will likely cost the U.S. Treasury around $400 billion a year.

Joe Biden on Meet the Press

2008-09-07T12:15:00.000-04:00

I had a couple of thoughts while watching Joe Biden & Tom Brokaw double-team Governor Sarah Palin yesterday.

1. Biden's very first comment referred to his position as Co-chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Just in case we forgot that debating foreign policy legislation allegedly gives him much more experience than actually governing a town and a state.

1. Biden complained about Palin not answering any questions or giving any interviews yet. He has been the nominee for VP one week longer than her, and yesterday was his first Sunday morning news appearance since.

2. Biden thinks he's ready to debate Gov. Palin because he lives with "smart women" (his wife & daughter) and because he works with "many smart, tough women" in the Senate.

3. Biden repeatedly referred to Gov Palin as a "smart, tough politician." I assume he wants to plant that word in our minds, since most of us know politicians are what's wrong with this country. He has been a career politician for 38 years, since 1970. Gov. Palin was first elected 12 years ago. So, who's the real "politician"? Maybe he just doesn't consider himself "smart" or "tough".

4. Biden used Obama's cliche "above my pay grade" in response to a question. Can't these guys form an independent thought or make a decision? (At least it wasn't on the same "when does life begin" question as his boss.)

5. Rather than acknowledge the contribution of "the surge" to improving conditions in Iraq, Biden tried to take the credit by saying the changes were the result of implementing HIS suggestions.

6. Biden didn't see anything inappropriate in getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from, and his son getting a job with, a credit card company while he lobbied for a bankruptcy bill that was very good for them and very bad for consumers.

7. He spun and spun and spun (very unconvincingly) trying to squirm away from the question of his support for abortion, when he admits he believes that life begins at conception.

Overall, Brokaw was much more objective and balanced than I expected, while managing to toss Biden plenty of softball questions and very little tough follow-up.

Cindy's Inspiring Too

2008-09-05T12:20:00.000-04:00

Cindy McCain RNC Video Montage

Cindy McCain has led an inspiring life of service, as a teacher and humanitarian. Skip to 3:40 in this video to see what I mean.

Skewering Palin

2008-09-03T12:19:00.000-04:00

Palin the Impaled
"Palin is everything liberals have always purported to want for women — freedom to choose, opportunities for both career and family, a shot at the top ranks of American political life. ... what’s perfectly clear is that feminism today is not about advancing women, but only a certain kind of woman."

Teach Me to Trust

2008-08-08T21:56:00.004-04:00

So, just before I retire I get a lead from a friend on a contracting job that seems like a perfect fit for me. In fact if you took what I did for 10 years at Barksdale and wrote a job description from it, that was it. So, I interview for it and the gov't leads like me so much they're willing to wait 5 weeks and they cancel all the other interviewees. And I negotiate and get a great salary.

And I start work. And pretty quickly I can tell something isn't right. I can't do what I was hired to do, because everytime I try to move forward on something my boss blocks me. "Don't tell them they can do that." "Don't go ahead with that until we talk about it." "Let's sit down and discuss this." Only, we never talk about any of it and we never discuss it. I get blown off. I get left hanging. I get mixed messages. And I can tell it's not good. I tell my on-site supervisor all these issues and she says, "I haven't heard anything bad, so don't worry." And I know that's the wrong answer, but the pay is great, so I hang in there and try to do what I know I need to, even though I know I'm destined to fail.

So, 10 days ago two guys from the corporate come out to discuss some concerns the gov't lead has expressed. And I tell them about the issues I'm having, and I point out that I've discussed these things with the on-site supervisor. And she sits there and doesn't say a word. And I know right then I'm screwed. But the guys give me their advice on how to fix the situation and I say I'll do what I can. But I know.

So I continue to try and do my job. I coordinate what I need to coordinate. And I gather the data I need to gather. And I answer the questions I get asked. And I impress everyone else I deal with and develop a rapport with the ones she says are difficult and hard to work with. And somewhere, deep down, I know it doesn't matter. And I know she's blaming me for the stuff that isn't getting done because she won't let me do my job. Because she couldn't manage her way through a revolving door. Her leadership style is non-existent. And she's too hung up on the personalities that she doesn't like and the politics of the organization. In 20 years in the Air Force I've seen incompetence promoted and rewarded, but this lady takes the cake. And I know I'm going to pay the price.

So this morning, I'm working away, and the on-site supervisor walks in my office and drops the bomb. And she reads me the termination letter. And she asks for my badge & my parking pass. And she treats me like a complete stranger, which makes And they watch me pack my desk and they walk me to my car. And I drive home and break the news to my wife.

And I know this is for the best. Because I was never going to feel fulfilled there, no matter how much they paid me. And God was opening other doors of opportunity for me 3 days ago. Before I ever had a clue I was going to be cut loose by a compnay that I was told "treats you like family." Yeah, right! And I interviewed for another position less than 4 hours after the family stuck me up against a wall and put a bullet through my brain. ANd I have friends who are already working in their companies to find me something. And I'm waiting to see where this leads and I know it will be good. But I'm afraid before that it's going to hurt like heck.

So God, I feel like Mother Theresa. "I know God won't give me more than I can handle... sometimes I just wish He didn't trust me so much!"

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the Lord.

Happy Anniversary To Me

2008-04-04T09:32:00.007-04:00

4 April 1988 - 4 April 2008

Twenty years ago today my wife dropped me off at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Dallas, Texas. We wouldn't see each other again for nearly 6 weeks. Basic training seemed to drag on forever. Tech school at Keesler AFB, MS seemed to drag on forever. 1995, the year I spent in Korea, seemed to drag on forever. And yet, looking back, the past twenty years have seemed to fly by.

I have visited or lived in about 20 countries, and walked on every continent except Antarctica. I have shaken hands with Presidents, Generals, Ambassadors and Medal of Honor winners. I have helped render final honors to veterans and offered my respects and condolences to their families. I've helped those whose lives were torn apart by natural disasters. I helped with the recovery efforts for the Challenger space shuttle. I was on hand to make sure President Bush received the very latest and best intelligence information on September 11th, 2001. I've slept in a palace that was Uday and Qusay Hussein's hunting lodge. I've experienced a tactical take-off in a C-130 from Kandahar, Afghanistan with G's so heavy I couldn't raise my arm. I've flown in Blackhawks over Korea, El Salvador & Germany, Afghanistan and Iraq and I've ridden in a convoy from Ramadi to Al Taqaddum at dusk. (Let me tell, when your predeparture briefing includes the HMMWV gunner pointing out where the ammo and his spare 50-cal barrel are, "in case I call for it," you develop a new perspective on military service.)

In less than two months I will start terminal leave and in less than three months I will officially be a retiree. (By the way, if you know anyone who's looking for a VERY experienced information systems security/system administration professional with a security clearance, let me know.)

I haven't quite decided how I feel about not being in the active duty military. I'm not going to think about it today.

Random Rant

2008-02-29T09:10:00.004-05:00

Matt Drudge is a hack and an ass. Somebody should sue him or lock him up.

Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsor is a warrior prince and a hero.

By the way, Jon Snow sucks too.

Bush continues to use fear to shred the Constitution as he attempts to continue his illegal, warrantless wiretaps. "Waist deep in the big muddy and the big fool says to push on."

Oh, from the same news conference it's clear that our President is clueless & disinterested:

Question: What's your advice to the average American who is hurting now, facing the prospect of $4 a gallon gasoline, a lot of people facing --

(If you could see the video, Bush gets this perplexed "What the..." look in his eyes for a split second.)

Bush: Wait, what did you just say? You're predicting $4 a gallon gasoline?

Q:A number of analysts are predicting --

Bush: Oh, yeah?

Q: -- $4 a gallon gasoline this spring when they reformulate.

Bush: That's interesting. I hadn't heard that.

Bush needs to hire some advisers who'll tell him the truth, because I've been hearing the $4 a gallon thing for weeks. "Oh, yeah?" "That's interesting." Are you kidding me!?!?!?! It's obvious the President doesn't fill his own tank, or even pay for the gas. It's also obvious that he couldn't care less.

Tancredo?!?! Oh no!!!!

2008-01-12T20:52:00.001-05:00

This is a little disconcerting. Well, looks like I line up ok with my #3 match. Seriously, if you look to the right here you can see who I support.

64% Tom Tancredo
59% John McCain
58% Barack Obama
58% John Edwards
57% Hillary Clinton
56% Chris Dodd
54% Bill Richardson
53% Mike Huckabee
51% Mitt Romney
45% Ron Paul
45% Joe Biden
45% Fred Thompson
43% Rudy Giuliani
41% Mike Gravel
34% Dennis Kucinich

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Thanks to my friend Rich

Makes You Miss Phil Ochs

2007-12-29T01:08:00.000-05:00

(Click the arrow)

Two Pakistans? Not Really

2007-12-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

It's time to wake up America and get out of bed with the bad guys!

-------------------------------

There is the Pakistan of our fantasy. The burgeoning democracy in whose vanguard are judges and lawyers and human rights activists using the “rule of law” as a cudgel to bring down a military junta. In the fantasy, Bhutto, an attractive, American-educated socialist whose prominent family made common cause with Soviets and whose tenures were rife with corruption, was somehow the second coming of James Madison.

Then there is the real Pakistan: an enemy of the United States and the West.

The real Pakistan is a breeding ground of Islamic holy war where, for about half the population, the only thing more intolerable than Western democracy is the prospect of a faux democracy led by a woman - indeed, a product of feudal Pakistani privilege and secular Western breeding whose father, President Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, had been branded as an enemy of Islam by influential Muslim clerics in the early 1970s.

The real Pakistan is a place where the intelligence services are salted with Islamic fundamentalists: jihadist sympathizers who, during the 1980s, steered hundreds of millions in U.S. aid for the anti-Soviet mujahideen to the most anti-Western Afghan fighters - warlords like Gilbuddin Hekmatyar whose Arab allies included bin Laden and Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the stalwarts of today’s global jihad against America.

The real Pakistan is a place where the military, ineffective and half-hearted though it is in combating Islamic terror, is the thin line between today’s boiling pot and what tomorrow is more likely to be a jihadist nuclear power than a Western-style democracy.

In that real Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto’s murder is not shocking. There, it was a matter of when, not if.

It is the new way of warfare to proclaim that our quarrel is never with the heroic, struggling people of fill-in-the-blank country. No, we, of course, fight only the regime that oppresses them and frustrates their unquestionable desire for freedom and equality.

Pakistan just won’t cooperate with this noble narrative.

Whether we get round to admitting it or not, in Pakistan, our quarrel is with the people. Their struggle, literally, is jihad. For them, freedom would mean institutionalizing the tyranny of Islamic fundamentalism. They are the same people who, only a few weeks ago, tried to kill Benazir Bhutto on what was to be her triumphant return to prominence - the symbol, however dubious, of democracy’s promise. They are the same people who managed to kill her yesterday. Today, no surfeit of Western media depicting angry lawyers railing about Musharraf - as if he were the problem - can camouflage that fact.
------------------------------

Read more at the link.

Tell-tale E-mail?

2007-12-28T06:34:00.000-05:00

"Nothing will, God willing happen. Just wanted u to know if it does in addition to the names in my letter to Musharaf of Oct 16nth, I wld hold Musharaf responsible. I have been made to feel insecure by his minions and there is no way what is happening in terms of stopping me from taking private cars or using tinted windows or giving jammers or four police mobiles to cover all sides cld happen without him." - Benazir Bhutto, Oct. 26, 2007

Murder!

2007-12-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

Our political process may not be perfect, but at least our
candidates don't run around murdering the opposition.

Benazir Bhutto
1953-2007

Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men!

2007-12-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there's doubt, true faith in you

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there's despair in life let me bring hope;
Where the is darkness, only light;
And where there's sadness, ever joy.

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive;
And in dying that we're born to eternal life.
- Prayer of Saint Francis

"It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! God bless us, every one!"
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Torture Myths

2007-12-24T07:52:00.001-05:00

Todays Washington Post has an excellent column by Darius Rejali on the "efficacy" of torture. R. Rejali is a Poli-Sci professor at Reed College in Portland, Oregon and an expert on government torture and interrogation. He is author of 3 books, contributor to several others and the author of numerous others.

I wish I could post the entire WaPo column, but here are some highlights:

"5 Myths About Torture and Truth"
#1. Torture worked for the Gestapo.
Actually, no. Even Hitler's notorious secret police got most of their information from public tips, informers and interagency cooperation. That was still more than enough to let the Gestapo decimate anti-Nazi resistance in [occupied countries] and the concentration camps.
It's surprising how unsuccessful the Gestapo's brutal efforts were. They failed to break senior leaders of the French, Danish, Polish and German resistance. ...the number [of successes] is small and the results pathetic, especially compared with the devastating effects of public cooperation and informers.
2 Everyone talks sooner or later under torture.
Truth is, it's surprisingly hard to get anything under torture, true or false. [In France] between 1500 and 1750, [despite brutal, barbaric, inhumane methods] the number of prisoners who said anything was low, from 3 percent in Paris to 14 percent (an exceptional high). Most of the time, the torturers were unable to get any statement whatsoever.
The Japanese fascists, no strangers to torture, said it best in their field manual, which was found in Burma during World War II: They described torture as the clumsiest possible method of gathering intelligence. Like most sensible torturers, they preferred to use torture for intimidation, not information.
3 People will say anything under torture.
Well, no, although this is a favorite chestnut of torture's foes.
In fact, the problem of torture does not stem from the prisoner who has information; it stems from the prisoner who doesn't. Such a person is also likely to lie, to say anything, often convincingly. ...and the CIA's own 1963 interrogation manual explains that "a time-consuming delay results" -- hardly useful when every moment matters.
4 Most people can tell when someone is lying under torture.
Not so -- and we know quite a bit about this. ... Ordinary folk have an accuracy rate of about 57 percent, which is pretty poor considering that 50 percent is the flip of a coin. [Police] accuracy rates fall between 45 percent and 65 percent -- that is, sometimes less accurate than a coin toss.
In fact, most torturers are nowhere near as well trained for interrogation as police are. ... And, not surprisingly, they make a lot of mistakes.
5 You can train people to resist torture.
Supposedly, this is why we can't know what the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques" are: If Washington admits that it waterboards suspected terrorists, al-Qaeda will set up "waterboarding-resistance camps" across the world. Be that as it may, the truth is that no training will help the bad guys.
Simply put, nothing predicts the outcome of one's resistance to pain better than one's own personality. Against some personalities, nothing works; against others, practically anything does.

The thing that's most clear from torture-victim studies is that you can't train for the ordeal. There is no secret knowledge out there about how to resist torture.

And yet these myths persist. "The larger problem here, I think," one active CIA officer observed in 2005, "is that this kind of stuff just makes people feel better, even if it doesn't work."

Veto Power

2007-12-23T22:52:00.000-05:00

...and we can't have that!

Yes, It's Torture

2007-12-16T21:53:00.001-05:00

More on waterboarding and torture. As discussed in my last post I've been taken to task by "Phil" and "Greg" over my views on waterboarding and other forms of torture. In short I say waterboarding is torture and torture is inhuman, immoral and unAmerican.

There are several questions one may chose to consider when pursuing this debate. I will consider these over several coming posts.

1. Is waterboarding torture?

The federal criminal code defines torture as "the intentional infliction of severe mental pain or suffering." Waterboarding is an interrogation tactic in which a person is exposed to the beginning stages of drowning. It causes severe physical suffering in the form of reflexive choking, gagging, and the feeling of suffocation. It can cause damage to the lungs, brain damage, injuries from struggling against restraints, and death. The experience and sensations are so intense and terrifying that the person will do or say anything to put a stop to it. This is the testimony of many experts, including US servicemen and intelligence agents who have undergone the technique as part of their training.

More than 100 law professors declared waterboarding to be torture and a felony punishable under US law. John McCain says it is torture. The US Department of State recognizes it as torture. In 1901 a US Army major was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for water boarding a Filipino insurgent during the Spanish-American War. In 1947 the United States sentenced a Japanese officer, Yukio Asano, to 15 years hard labor for waterboarding a US civilian. In 1968 the US Army launched an investigation, which resulted in court-martial and discharge, into the "fairly common" practice of waterboarding NVA soldiers in Vietnam. In 2006 the DoD even prohibited the use of waterboarding by U.S. military personnel in an Army Field Manual. The US is signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture which states, "No exceptional circumstances whatsoever ... may be invoked as a justification of torture."

It is ovious that waterboarding meets the definition of torture and that torture violates not only the character, but the laws of the United States. It takes a great deal of hypocrisy and disingenuousness to pretend that waterboarding is anything other than inhuman, barbaric torture.

Having An LOL Day

2007-12-16T08:12:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love those days where something happens that not only proves you right but also just makes you laugh out loud?

Over a month ago I posted a short blurb giving my views on waterboarding. The post generated no response at all until a few days ago when "Phil" and "Greg" both showed up to declare that waterboarding is not torture - which is false - and that, even if it is, torture is an effective means of gathering intelligence - which is also not true.

The discussion sidetracked into a debate on whether it was necessary to use atomic bombs on Japan to force their surrender. (It probably wasn't.) Both Phil & Greg continue to insist that in order to defeat the monsters we are fighting we must become inhuman monsters ourselves. To prove their points they called upon examples from General Sherman's burning of the South to Michael Savage to the Talmud. Greg even quoted Abraham Lincoln.

Well, sort of. Greg wrote, "Abraham Lincoln said it best when he said 'We fight on their level. With trickery, brutality, finality. We match their evil. There is no honorable way to kill. No gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war except its ending.' "That might be a great quote, except President Abraham Lincoln never said any such thing. The quote is rather a line from Star Trek episode #77, "The Savage Curtain" by an actor portraying Lincoln.

Next he'll be quoting Harrison Ford or some other famous "President" to back up his arguments. I can't wait. I've got some President Jed Bartlet quotes all ready to fire back with.

IISS Summit in Bahrain

2007-12-15T11:12:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to accompany the new Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen at the International Institutue for Strategic Studies Regional Security Summit in Manama, Bahrain. Since my team arrived a few days early to make sure everything was setup for the Chairman I had the opportunity to do some shopping and a little sightseeing.

Al Fateh (or Grand) Mosque

Guest Palace

They're everywhere!

Pearl Roundabout

You can see the rest of the pictures from my trip at my Flickr page.

Insight From One Who Knows

2007-12-14T23:13:00.000-05:00

This was originally posted here in October of 2006. In light of recent comments on my waterboarding post it's obviously time to post it again.

"Some believe that certain controversial interrogation techniques are acceptable. But after nine years in the Soviet Gulag, and 400 days in punishment cells, I know that sleep deprivation, exposure to cold, and enforced hunger are forms of torture.

"Maintaining our principles in the face of terror is sometimes dangerous. Abandoning those principles would be even more dangerous.

"Still, I am deeply concerned that some of those who insist that America not cede the moral high ground do not recognize that America stands on the moral high ground.

"Those who would use abuses at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo Bay to accuse America of being no different than the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, or Sadaam's regime have lost all sense of moral clarity.

"America is different because your citizens can protest without going to prison. America is different because your courts can defend rights and your press can expose injustice. America is different because your Congress can hold hearings and because your people can hold your leaders accountable. America is different because America is free.

"In standing up against torture, I hope that all Americans will remember the profound moral divide that separates the free world from the world of fear and work to advance abroad the very principles you so rightly cherish at home."
- Natan Sharansky, Soviet Jewish dissident and anti-Communist, human rights activist and author of "Fear No Evil"

How Much Deeper?

2007-12-10T20:23:00.000-05:00

Every time I read the papers,
That old feeling comes on,
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
- Pete Seeger, 1967

Torture or not?

2007-11-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

Who thinks "waterboarding" isn't torture? Show of hands, people. Now, are you people freaking nuts? As it has been explained by experts (i.e., those who've experienced it) it is basically simulated drowning. Now, I'm not a great swimmer. In fact I'm a pretty poor swimmer, and there've been times, especially when I was younger, that I found myself in over my head. Literally. I can remember the sheer terror of those moments. The fear. The panic. The frantic, desperate struggle to get my heard back to the air. Now if someone forced that kind of experience on me, I'd sure call it torture.

Second, those who've experienced this, even in a "safe"' training environment have declared that they would have done or said anything to make it stop. Anything. That makes any information gained from such tactics dubious at best. Given all the above why is there any debate on this subject?

Iraq/Afghanistan - July 2007

2007-07-25T12:55:00.000-04:00

I spent last week (15-21 July) chasing General Pace around Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany. Our trip took us to Baghdad, Ramadi and Al Taquaddum in Iraq; Bagram, Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar and Qalat in Afghanistan; and Nurnberg, Schweinfurt, Stuttgart and Ramstein in Germany.

This was a troop visit and I expect it will be one of General Pace's last big trips before he retires in October. At every stop we made he held a town hall meeting with the troops and in Germany he met with family members of deployed troops and visited our wounded at Landstuhl Medical Center. His message was simple: "Thank you." At every stop he also shook hands with and gave one of his coins to EVERY person. He answered all questions and took pictures with anyone who wanted one.

On this trip the Chairman was accompanied by two other big names: Retired Marine Colonel Harvey C. 'Barney' Barnum, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, and Sergeant Major William J. 'Joe' Gainey, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman. They both also spoke to the troops. It was a really busy trip but I did have time to take some pictures. A few of them are below.

This is one of the reasons we have to fight.
Me with some Afghan children at the Governor's home in Qalat.

General Pete Pace, CJCS & me.

At Multi-National Division Baghdad HQ.

With Colonel Barnum.

Outside Uday & Qusay Hussein's old hunting lodge where we spent the night in Baghdad.

With Sergeant Major Joe Gainey.

Strapped into a UH-60 Blackhawk over Iraq.

With Jim Garamone, DoD reporter.

Sweating on a C-130 on the ramp in Jalalabad.

With Colonel Katie Haddock, General Pace's PA officer.

With the General's Exec in a Blackhawk over Afghanistan.

Good to go in the back of the C-130.

Pics from Afghanistan

2007-07-11T15:14:00.001-04:00

Okay, I finally got my pictures from my Afghanistan trip developed. Wal-Mart didn't put them on CD like I asked so I had to scan them. So more than a month after my return (and right before another big trip) here they are. You can click on any of them for a larger image.

This first pic is looking away from the main gate of Camp Eggers, up what is called Dragon Alley. I took this just after a torrential rain so the streets are wet.

The pic below is of the dormitory we stayed in during our visit. It is called Douglas House. There were about 20 of us sharing a big open bay room filled with wooden bunk beds.

This is me in front of a plaque honoring Captain Daniel Eggers who the base is named for. He was killed near Kandahar in May of 2004.

Me again on the flight line at Kabul International Airport. Behind me is the C-17 that we flew home on. Since we were supporting the Secretary of Defense on this trip we all wore civilian clothes. I didn't even have to pack uniforms.

This is a group of Belgian soldiers moving through the airport at Kabul. Note the soldier carrying the flag & the guitar.

After we left Kabul we flew down to Kandahar. While we were there we met a guy who drove us around the flight line and showed us one of the biggest helicopters in the world that the Canadians are leasing from the Russians.

This flag is on a pole in the center of a hole made in the airport roof by one of our JDAM's.

Another view of the hole made by the bomb.

A close up of the sign.

After we left Afghanistan we spent a night at Manas Air Base near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The sign behind me says Manas International Airport.

From Manas we went to Ramstein for another night of crew rest. I got to sit in the cockpit for takeoff on the way back to Andrews. Very cool! I haven't finished that roll of film yet. I have more pictures of the bases and Ramstein that I may try to scan and post later.

That's A Surprise

2007-06-26T12:14:00.000-04:00

You scored as Socially Conservative Republican, Social conservatives share a belief in traditional morality and social mores and the desire to preserve these in present day society, often through civil law or regulation. The government should use its influence in the public square to support traditional family values.

Socially Conservative Republican

100%

Foreign Policy Hawk

90%

Pro Business Republican

65%

Libertarian

60%

Old School Democrat

55%

Green

25%

New Democrat

20%

What's Your Political Philosophy?
created with QuizFarm.com

(By the way, is that picture of Bush supposed to be scary?)

2007-06-25T12:02:00.000-04:00

The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory. - George Orwell, 1946

2007-05-30T07:14:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm in Afghanistan for a little while. Took about 2 days worth of air travel to get here, including the worst flights I've EVER had. A word of advice, never fly Azerbaijan Airlines.

Here's a picture of one of the main streets on base here.

All in all it's not too bad, although you know you've really stepped into another world when the captain who picks you up at the airport gives you a description of the suspected suicide bomber you need to keep an eye out for.

Here's a picture of a typical room. The one I live in isn't typical since I share it with about 20 other guys, it has no TV, and no wall locker or dresser. Not too bad, except at 0300 when you've got to go. The latrine is about 50 yards away in another building.

I'll post more later and get some pictures of my own up as soon as I have some.

What's It Worth?

2007-05-24T07:48:00.000-04:00

Cindy Williams is a principal research scientist in the Security Studies Program of theCenter for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. You may remember her for a piece she wrote in January, 2000 for the Washington Post titled "Our GIs Earn Enough" in which she criticized proposed military pay raises.

I just read a piece she wrote last summer for the Cato Institute's Regulation called "Paying Tomorrow's Military" in which she makes a great deal of sense regarding military pay, benefits, and particularly the value (or lack of value) of "noncash benefits." Ms. Williams makes the case that so-called "noncash benefits" such as commissaries, on-base housing and the military healthcare system are not worth what they actually cost taxpayers.

"The military’s most expensive case of overuse is the Defense Health Program (DHP). ... DOD’s subsidy of health care benefits for those beneficiaries significantly exceeds the subsidies civilian employers typicallyoffer their workers or what the DOD provides its civilian employees. ... One result is that beneficiaries of DHP use 40 to 50 percent more health care than people in comparable civilian programs. ... The result for taxpayers is expensive. Health costs come to about $33 billion—eight percent of DOD's budget—in 2006,and by 2015 they can be expected to rise to $64 billion—12 percent of dod’s budget—absent changes in policy. Taxpayers spend 55 cents on health care for every dollar of cash compensation offered to military personnel, compared with less than 10 percent among private-sector employees."

She does offer some recommendations to solve the problems she identifies.

Decision makers should consider the following recommendations:
Convert in-kind benefits to cash.
Increase the beneficiary share of costs for the defensehealth program.
Improve the cost-effectiveness and responsiveness ofgovernment-operated businesses providing goods andservices to military personnel and families.
Make the costs of in-kind benefits more transparent.
The most useful change would be to convert as many in-kind benefits as possible into cash benefits. Installation-centered benefits like family housing, subsidized military grocery stores, and on-base child care centers would be especially appropriate forsuch “cashing out.” Another area where a cash alternative would be appropriate is in the Defense Health Program. Giving active duty families a choice between DHP and a cash allowance would allow them to take advantage of less expensive plans while reaping a cash reward, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollarsa year according to the Congressional Budget Office."

Thanks A Lot!

2007-05-24T07:25:00.000-04:00

"Troops don’t need bigger pay raises, White House budget officials said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy laying out objections to the House version of the 2008 defense authorization bill.
"The White House’s Office of Management and Budget said in a statement of administration policy issued last week, as the House was debating the [2008 defense authorization] bill, that it “strongly opposed” the 3.5 percent raise. President Bush has proposed a 3 percent raise, and OMB officials said the higher increase is “unnecessary.” The policy statement also opposed the larger 2006 through 2012 raises, which the House Armed Services Committee had passed in hopes of shaving the gap between average military and private-sector pay to 1.4 percent by 2012." - Military Times

Yeah, thanks for your support. The administration is busy trying to stop high-interest payday loan shops from ripping off our military but not too concerned with addressing the thing that drives us to those places.

Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, [says] someone at the White House should have thought about the message it would send to troops. “I really want to know who the knucklehead is who said 3.5 percent is too much.”
Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., an Iraq war veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee [said] if anything, the 3.5 percent raise isn’t enough. “It is not the raise they deserve.”

365 And A Wake-Up

2007-05-01T13:43:00.000-04:00

I marked the occasion of going over 19 years of total active federal military service back on April 4th. I was on leave at the time and remembered it. But, I didn't realize until lunch today that I will be eligible to retire exactly one year from today.

I was having lunch at Hard Times Café in Arlington with my minister, Kurt, and my friend, Justin. We were talking about what I might like to do after I retire when I realized the date and said that I had exactly one year left. Justin, who's a project manager for DMJM, immediately said, "Give me your resume." (Yeah, I love living in a town where you can't mention you're retiring from the Air Force without people asking for your resume!)

So, one more year. I have less time left in the Air Force than I spent in Korea. (1 year and 10 days thanks to an imcompetent orderly room.) I never imagined when I enlisted over 19 years ago that I would do this for nearly half my life thus far. When I enlisted my plan was to do four years and out. I was going to learn about computers, get my GI Bill money, and get out. But something always kept me going for another tour. Sometimes it was pride in the service, sometimes it was the job, and sometimes it was just job security. And here I am at the other end of a career getting ready to move on to something better, I have no doubt.

So, Are You For Tyrants?

2007-04-30T11:36:00.000-04:00

Today's forecast called for beautiful weather so I wasn't too surprised to see a handful of "peace" protestors standing outside the Pentagon when I got off the Metro.

Here's a few of the things I'd like to walk over and say to them if I had as much right of free speech as they do.

"You're welcome."
"Thank you for making use of the freedoms those of us who work here are defending."
"Welcome back!" (These people can only be found in perfect weather. Rain, snow or cold keeps them indoors. Aren't you glad the Defense Department doesn't operate like that!)
"I'm sorry to see there's only nine of you out today. Where's Cindy?"
"Do you find it ironic or hypocritical that you are protesting the very people and establishment that protects your right to protest?"
One held a sign that said, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. "I do love my enemies. But I love you more."

Seriously, these people and their lack of critical thinking skills aggravate me, but at least they are making use of the freedoms that I work every day to provide for them. So I appreciate their efforts to let me know that my service isn't in vain. After I retire I'd love to come by and chat with these people and try and get inside their heads … or at least under their skins.

DISCLAIMER: The photo above is a generic protest photo and not of my particular protest buddies. Hard to snap a pic 20 feet from the front of the Pentagon.

The Bird Feeder

2007-04-30T10:42:00.000-04:00

Got the following form my good friend TJ.

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quite, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: you child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

Who Said It and When?

2007-03-25T19:43:00.000-04:00

"Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should be just; it must also be philanthropic. Nor is it sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the free and inoffensive use of his faculties for physical, intellectual, and moral self-improvement. Instead, it is demanded that the law should directly extend welfare, education and morality throughout the nation.

"This is the seductive lure of socialism. And I repeat again: These two uses of the law are in direct contradiction to each other. We must choose between them. A citizen cannot at the same time be free and not free. "

Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius

2007-03-16T19:45:00.000-04:00

You scored 350 out of 350 possible points, or 100.00%
A+
Not only should you vote, you should consider a career in politics.
-----------------------------------------
What I find troubling is that more people got Paris Hilton & Christina Aquilera right then the Senate Majority leader or the UN Secretary General.

How Dare He!!!

2007-03-15T07:36:00.000-04:00

"I'm so mad I could spit!" Among the many fine qualities and attributes that I acquired at the feet of my father and mother were certain colloquialisms and vernacular. So, I quote my dear father, "I'm so mad I could spit!"

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Pete Pace has incurred the ire and wrath of the radical, rabid, homophiles of the liberal Left by voicing his opinion (and echoing the opinions and teachings of 4,000 years of religious thought and belief) that homosexuality is "immoral behavior." As expected, this comment sent the Left into whining, frothing, snarling hysterics. Among the milder epithets used to describe General Pace are "bigot," "neanderthal," "jackass," and "moron." All this from the self-appointed, self-righteous defenders of "tolerance." (See the article and comments in the title link.)But the real issue here is not whether homosexuality (or any other behavior) is immoral or not. The issue is whether General Pace has the right to a particular opinion and whether or not he has the freedom to express that opinion publicly, or whether he should be denigrated and punished for voicing that opinion. General Pace exercised his right of free speech as he is entitled to do. He expressed a personal belief as he is entitled to. A belief he is certainly entitled to have. Or do the homophiles think only their beliefs and opinions can be freely held and expressed. (Never mind, that's a rhetorical question.) And the irony is he was expressing support for a policy that came through the actions of the posterboy of liberalism and immorality, President Clinton.

General Pace said that he supports “DA/DT” which is the established law of the land (courtesy of President Clinton & a Democrat-controlled legislature) and current military policy. He gave his reasons why he supports it. He apparently has had no problem abiding by and enforcing that policy, even though he believes homosexuality is immoral. Were public law to be changed and homosexuals allowed to serve openly there is no reason to doubt that he would continue to support and apply military policy based on those changes. I believe that, if he could not in good conscience do so, that he would step down.General Pace should not have to apologize for having and stating a personal opinion. He should not be expected to resign or be relieved. He should not be castigated by those who disagree with his opinion. Had General Pace said that, in his opinion homosexuality is not immoral and that “DA/DT” is a discriminatory policy and homosexuals should be allowed to serve openly no one on the “Left” or the “gay rights” side of the issue would be howling for his ouster. He’d be applauded and held up as a champion of diversity, tolerance and progress. And those supporting him wouldn’t care one whit how contrary to public law and military policy his opinion was.
(By the way, my personal opinion is that gays SHOULD be allowed and encouraged to serve, along with anyone else who is physically able and mentally competent. I’ve been willing to put my life on the line for nearly 19 years so sign ‘em up. I've served with airmen who are homosexual and their devotion to duty and job performance is equal to most and better than some.)

Songs of Freedom

2007-01-01T09:40:00.000-05:00

Ckick the arrow twice.

Wreaths At Arlington

2006-12-14T10:13:00.000-05:00

Today I had the honor of participating in the Arlington Wreath Project. For the past 15 years the Worcester Wreath Co. of Maine has donated Christmas wreaths to be placed on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. It was a fairly small affair for the first 14 years.

But last year an Air Force photograph and the internet changed all that. Thanks to one of those "forward this to everyone you know" e-mails and this photo there were about 600 volunteers this year.

Fortunately there were also 5,00 wreaths. My friends and I got to lay out about 6 of them each.

Read an article about this years wreath laying here.

Read about more about the Project here.

See an awesome video about it here.

Party With The Big Boys

2006-12-09T10:11:00.000-05:00

Tonight Kim and I feel like we must have made it to the big time.

We were invited to attend a Christmas party at the home of General Peter Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He and his wife have a beautiful home on Fort Myer, VA that overlooks the Potomac River and downtown DC.

Great food and good friends as well as a fantastic bluegrass trio playing Christmas carols. Yeah, if I could change one thing about my career I'd have gotten an assignment to the Pentagon way before 18 years.

RightFace! Reprint

2006-10-27T06:42:00.000-04:00

Anybody who knows me at all knows that I love my father dearly and am intensely proud of him, especially his military service. What follows is a post I made in August of 2005. I reread it the other day and feel it is worth posting again, not because of my brilliant writing but because of the example it gives of determination and initiative.

-------------------------------------
I was browsing around today, looking for something else, when I came across an article so ridiculous and ill-informed that I had to comment.

The article is a rather bland, unconvincing piece titled, "Gunning For College" by Beth Shulman. It can be found, believe it or not, at TomPaine.com. Ms. Shulman is the author of "The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans." (While I agree with the title premise, I'll bet I disagree with her on the how and why.) If you wish to read the entire article I've linked it above. I will pick and choose my "favorite" passages for comment.

Ms. Shulman opens with an emotional appeal,

"What should you have to sacrifice to get a college education in the United States? Isn't it hard enough to get good grades and high SAT scores? Should you have to risk your life as well?"

A good question. My father used his GI Bill benefits to help pay for his college education. Benefits earned, in part, during six months of front-line combat in some of the bloodiest days of the Korean War. He also bears the scars and permanent, partial disability of five combat wounds.

My father earned his GED in the Army. Since he was disabled his tuition and books were paid for via his GI Bill. He received a living allowance of $200 per month. My father completed his Bachelor's Degree in just three years. Because of his high grades, his fourth year was credited to his Master's Degree in Education Administration, which he completed in only five summers. During that time he was asked to do his Master's thesis on "A Comparison of the Legal Requirements for Teachers in Texas and the Other States." It became part of part of the largest study, at that time, of "Teachers and Education in Texas," commissioned by the Texas Legislature.

My father lived with my mother and their three small children in a house of three small rooms on 5 acres south of Burleson, Texas. They raised much of their own food plus eggs and milk. His commute to Texas Christian University was 70 miles round-trip. He further contributed to his own education by working weekends as a limousine driver between Fort Worth, the Amon Carter Airport, and Dallas. Two twelve-hour shifts every weekend. He was only paid 12 dollars per shift, plus tips. There were hardly any tips. Between runs he studied. My mother did most of the work at the farm but my father did help with milking and other things. That, Ms. Shulman, is what you have to be willing "to sacrifice to get a college education in the United States."

Of course, my father also didn't drive a brand new car, have the latest home entertainment or computer equipment, designer fashions or spend his money "clubbing" every night, so he probably sacrificed more for his education than most students are willing to today.

"And as the cost of attending college rises, the financial benefits of enlistment in the U.S. military may entice potential recruits.
Certainly, the numbers are clear about the value of college. Without a college education, it is hard to make a good living in America today. Yet the cost of college has priced many young men and women out of the market. It is no accident that military recruiters are out scouring America's working-class suburbs, offering enlistment bonuses to high school graduates. A promise of college tuition is very enticing to teens whose parents just don't have much money."

Educational benefits have long been used to attract recruits. They also help to offset the low pay that military members are willing to accept in exchange for the honor and privilege of serving their nation. Shulman says it's "hard to make a good living" without a college education. It's also "hard to make a good living" without determination, initiative, hard work, and personal responsibility. Not coincidentally those are also necessary to achieve a good education. Just ask my father about that.

What Shulman says next really gets my hackles up.

"America needs to find ways to guarantee college for everyone, whether they become soldiers or not. ... If we believe in equal opportunity in America, we need to ensure other options. ... We need to ensure that all high school students who qualify for college can go, regardless of their family financial status."

What? Guaranteed college for everyone is a constitutional right? That clause is missing from my copy. (Along with the "right to privacy" that makes abortion a right.) Guess what, Beth. America has "found ways" to guarantee college for everyone. America does "ensure other options." You can apply for financial aid, you can apply for the thousands upon thousands of scholarships available, you can serve in the military and take advantage of tuition assistance and the GI Bill, you can - hold on to your hats folks - get a job and pay your own way. (Gasp!) There's a novel concept.
"With these large payoffs from college, the military enlistment bonuses seem like a lifeline for high school graduates who otherwise couldn't afford to go to college. Yet do we really want a society in which the only way for young men and women to afford the cost of a college education is to agree to risk their lives?"
As I pointed out there are other ways to pay for college besides what Shulman refers to as the "lifeline" of military service. And in answer to her rhetorical question, no, what we want is a society that is so noble and right that good men and women are willing and eager to devote their lives, and even give their lives, to ensure that this society continues. Thank God, that is what we have.

"Certainly, many young men and women enlist today out of a patriotic desire to serve their country. But for others, signing up for America's armed forces may be the only way they see to get the money they need for a college education and for the future good job it will make possible."

I'm happy to see Ms. Shulman make at least passing deference to the primary reason that most of the military people I know serve. Patriotism. A love of their country, flowing from a belief in, and devotion to, the principles on which she was founded. Patton said, "The highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one's country." For me, that sums up the primary motivation for military service. It is an obligation that I owe for the many opportunities and liberties that life in this country affords me. It is a privilege that I am worthy to bear the responsibility of ensuring that those opportunities and liberty continue for myself, for my children and for future generations. What it is not is "a way to get money for a college education." I realize many view it as nothing more than that. This is obvious by the number of spineless individuals in the military who suddenly and mysteriously become "conscientious objectors" whenever the winds of war begin to blow. Anyone who joins the military out of a need or desire to get money for college is misguided and makes a serious mistake.

Ms. Shulman proves the folly behind enlisting to get money for college by this statement:

"Although the demand for a college education has increased as its potential returns have soared, Kane shows that the increase in U.S. college attendance was disproportionately among wealthier individuals. Over the past two decades, the richest quarter of Americans increased their college enrollment by 12 percent, while those at the bottom rose by only 5 percent, expanding an already large enrollment gap."

So, all these poor, underprivileged kids are enlisting to get money for college, yet college enrollment in this group has risen a mere 5 percent? Somebody needs to tell these kids to find another way to get money for college.

I think Ms. Shulman is probably citing the wrong statistics. She needs to look at college enrollment among the military's junior enlisted ranks. I'll bet it's a lot higher than 5 percent. I'd also like for her to explain the high percentage of enlisted members who come into the service already having earned a degree, as well as those who stay long past their initial term of service, even after earning one, or several, degrees.

Could it be that there is more motivating military service than just college money? I am happy to report, for America's sake, that the answer is a resounding, "YES!"

The Agenda Behind Appeal For Redress

2006-10-26T14:38:00.000-04:00

Do a little research on Jonathan Hutto of Appeal For Redress (AFR) and you'll find that he has not been up front about his past. He has been in the Navy only since 2004. In the late 1990's he was Membership Program Coordinator for Amnesty International.
In 2001 Hutto was co-speaker with Glova Scott of the Socialist Worker's Party at an anti-police demonstration in Washington, DC. Hutto was billed as representing Amnesty International.

The "grass roots" Appeal For Redress is sponsored by Veterans For Peace, Military Families Speak Out & Iraq Veterans Against The War, three radically anti-American pacifist groups. Active duty military members are being encouraged to lend their good names to AFR by MoveOn.org. These same organizations have close ties to "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan.

Referring to the US military Hutto said it is "an institutional culture laced with discriminatory behavior based on race, gender, sexual orientation and geography.” He also praised “the movement of soldiers and sailors against the occupation of Vietnam was pivotal in ending U.S. Imperialist aggression against the Vietnamese people.”

Hutto claims that none of the members of AFR are "pacifists, conscientious objectors, or anything that would go against the military contract." However the organizations that sponsor AFR include conscientious objectors and other activists. AFR's counsel of record, J.E. McNeil, also runs the Center for Conscience and War, a group dedicated to defending conscientious objectors. A PR firm has also been approached about publicizing AFR by David Cortright, a "peace" activist associated with the anti-nuclear proliferation group SANE/Freeze as well as the Fourth Freedom Forum and Win Without War.

Hutto and AFR need to come clean about their agenda and their politics. I'd also like to see someone ask Hutto, given his past associations, what his motivations for joining the US military were.

AF Memorial Dedication

2006-10-20T21:34:00.000-04:00

Had a great time working at the Air Force Memorial dedication this past weekend. Got to get my picture taken with some real bombshells, too. These lovely ladies are WASPs (Women's Airforce Service Pilots). During World War II they flew airplanes in non-combat situations to free up the men for warfighting.

Incidentally, the photos on the wall behind us are of the same two ladies.

Korea - 1995

2006-09-01T22:54:00.000-04:00

When I was stationed in Korea in 1995 I spent a lot of time at the Osan Hospitality House. It was a place where Christians could get together for fellowship. One of the best things (besides the meals and cribbage games) was that there were nearly as many Koreans as Americans.

I am to the left of center in the blue, black & white shirt and just to my right is one of my best friends, Mike.

This is George and Lillian Davis, who ran the House and took care of all of us.

Another dear friend, Rick Maxwell, big-hearted biker.

When leaving Korea it was tradition to have your picture taken "riding the Mustang" (Osan's mascot) on the back of an A-10 fighter.

More Pics

2006-08-26T21:31:00.000-04:00

Here's a picture from about 16 years ago.
Goodfellow AFB Honor Guard Airman of the Quarter.

And a picture of me with CMSgt Paul Airey,
first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.

Some Newer Pictures

2006-08-12T21:49:00.000-04:00

March 2004, NCOA Graduation

My hero & me.

June 2005, when I was working on the 8th Air Force Commander's Action Group. Good times.

Northern Virginia Weather

2006-08-07T11:20:00.000-04:00

Something my wife & I have both noticed about this area is the lightning and thunder. Now, we had some pretty heavy thunderstorms back in Texas and Louisiana but nothing to match these. I think we've yet to see a "mild" thundershower. When we get them they are full force. The volume and intensity is like nothing I've seen, at least not on such a consistent basis. It doesn't bother me too much since I've never really been very afraid of nature's light shows (wind and flooding is a little more disconcerting) but it tends to wake the kids up when it happens at 4 AM.

Which brings me to the one drawback I've found to using the DC area's mass transit system. Since my bus stop is about 1/2 mile from my front door I got pretty well drenched walking this morning. The good thing was I had my Gortex jacket and pants which kept the rain off. The bad thing it was warm enough that I started to create my own rain inside the suit. Worse was when I found out that my gym bag is not water resistant so I got to work out in shorts and shirt with a few wet spots.

But, if the occasional drenching at the hands of Mother Nature is the biggest complaint I've got about Virginia then life is still pretty darn good.

Some Old Pictures

2006-08-04T22:07:00.000-04:00

One thing about moving, you find a lot of stuff. Here's a couple of pics from antiquity.

Circa 1988

ALS Graduation - 1992

"I Wish I Hadn't Said That"

2006-07-26T15:12:00.000-04:00

I learned something before 6:30 this morning: Discretion is sometimes the better part of valor ... and free speech!

On my way in to the Pentagon from the Metro I noticed an Air Force Staff Sergeant looking lost. I asked if she needed any help and she said it was her first time at the Pentagon. Turns out she's here TDY (temporary duty) from Texas. Also turns out she's here to serve on the current Uniform Board. How did she get lucky enough to be selected? Well it seems she wrote a letter to the Air Force Times a while back giving her opinion on the proposed t-shirt for the new Airmen Battle Uniform (tan with Air Force on the back). She described it to me as "hideous." Anyway next thing she knew she had been picked to serve on the Uniform Board that's meeting here.

So the take away is, don't write a letter to the Air Force times complaining about anything the Air Force is doing. Somebody may be watching.

Much Ado About Not Much

2006-07-18T09:41:00.000-04:00

As expected, the media is making a big stink, so to speak, about President Bush's latest unscripted moment. The China Daily prints a duplicitous headline: "Bush Curses Hezbollah During G-8 Luncheon" He didn't, though he would have been right if he had.

So what did he actually say? "The irony is, what they really need to do is to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit, and it’s over.” Big deal. I'll bet money you've heard worse at work or school. I hear worse on the bus or walking down the street. Most of us have probably said worse.

And what's with all this bogus righteous indignation from the left anyway? Aren't they the defenders of free speech? If it's good for Howard Stern and Janet Jackson then why not W? Hypocrisy, thy name is liberal nutcase.

Our kids are subjected to this kind of talk almost daily. My wife has to hear it in stores and restauarants. So please, don't expect me to get worked up over the President using this vulgarity in a private, candid conversation with a friend and ally. You want to get mad? Get mad about the media eavesdropping on two world leaders' discussion. I'm not nearly as worried about the NSA's surveillance of telecommunications as I am about the media's delight in telling us everything they hear. This was just a candid lunchtime chat. But in recent months the media has revealed classified information and programs, damaging our national security efforts.

The media wants to make a major issue out the imaginary outing of a "covert" agent who was telling all her friends and neighbors she worked for the CIA. At the same time the New York Times admits to revealing classified government programs and efforts. To quote the greatest President of the 20th century, "under World War II circumstances, [they] would have been charged with treason."

If there's a story here it isn't the President's language. I'll go so far as to say that Bush's choice of expletive will endear him even more to most Americans. As always, his demeanor and language, rustic though they may be, reassure us that he is more like us than most in politics. You can picture Bush chatting with you just the way he chats with Tony Blair. And that's a good thing.

Settling In

2006-07-18T07:57:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted. I expected as much since I just moved halfway across the country, changed duty stations, and changed jobs. As I said in the previous post we left (after 10 years!) the first week of June. Took us four days to drive across the country to the D.C. area. Long days and hotel beds...nuff said! On the bright side I did get to visit with my big sister who lives in southern Virginia.

So, I got checked in to my new unit at the Pentagon, got a great house (at a good price) in the area, and started trying to navigate the mass transit/commuter quagmire.

Some bad things:
Gas prices - 3rd highest in the US after CA & HI;
Commuting - one hour commute on bus/rail as opposed to walking 2 blocks to the shop, thank God for mass transit as the highway commute would be longer;
Churches - they're very different in the North, after 10-plus years at a big, friendly congregation we are struggling to find somewhere where we can fit in and continue to grow and serve;
Unpacking - boxes everywhere.

Good things:
New job, new training, new people, high-visibility, travel;
Schools - my kids will be going to some really good schools now. (There's a reason Louisiana is in a tie for last place in education!)
Purging - after 9 years in one house we accumulated a lot of stuff. Got rid of a one-car garage full of stuff before the move and getting rid of even more as we unpack.
Looking forward to my new job, even though it means tons of training as it will be a lot of stuff I've never worked with in my career field. Should be interesting and exciting since I'm not only learning some new comm gear but I'll also be providing direct support to some very high level folks within the DoD. Not to mention the added bonus of lots of travel around the globe.
I'm sure it will get routine after a while but right now just coming in to the Pentagon to work every morning is the coolest thing I've done in quite a while.

Hopefully I'll be able to get back to more steady blogging now that things are settling down.

On Our Way!

2006-06-08T23:57:00.000-04:00

After 10 1/2 years with the Mighty Eighth Air Force at Barksdale AFB, La. I'm on my way to a new assignment at the Pentagon!

We finally left Barksdale yesterday afternoon after finally getting everything squared away. (Took about 2 1/2 days longer than planned. Thanks to Clay and Eric for their help in getting things wrapped up so we could get on the road.)

Spent last night in Memphis with our friends and brethren C & V at their gorgeous farm. He just retired from BAFB too. Drove nearly 400 miles to Knoxville tonight and on to Southern Va. tomorrow. Will be in the capitol area on Tuesday.

Memphis Pyramid

Hernando De Soto Bridge in Memphis

Knoxville Skyline

All Played Out

2006-05-20T09:01:00.000-04:00

Attention liberals, left-wingers and bleeding hearts. The Race card is played out. Time to stop playing it.

The latest example of playing the race card inappropriately is, as my friend Clay points out, Senate MINORITY Leader Harry Reid. "This amendment is racist," Harry said about legislation to officially make English our national language. "I think it's directed basically to people who speak Spanish."

No Harry, it's directed at, among other things, the nonsensical practice of trying to accomodate every immigrant (or illegal alien invader) who doesn't want to make the effort required to get along in this country. If it's racism to stop tranlsating every legal document or form into Spanish then it's racism if we don't tranlate them inot EVERY one of the hundreds of other languages immigrants (or illegal alien invaders) speak. If not, why not? Of course it isn't racism and the solution, of course, is to have ONE national language for this country. And the logical choice is English, for many reasons.

Those for whom English is a "second language" should be insulted that our media and government think they are too stuipid or inferior to learn English. They should be proud to be here and part of that pride should inspire them to learn the language it takes to succeed and excel in this country.

English is not a race. Neither is Spanish. That's like me being accused of racism because I post against Muslim terrorists. (Yeah, it's been done.) Islam is a "religion," not a race.

Racism is things like not hiring blacks, or latinos, or anyone else because of their ethnicity. Racism is not allowing blacks to vote. Racism is making blacks use separate restrooms and water fountains.

Words have meanings. And you don't get to change those meanings to suit your political agenda. This is a lesson our president needs to learn when he tries to call amnesty a "path to citizenship."

So Harry, put that race card back in your sleeve where you got it. It won't play on this hand.

Where They Really Work

2006-05-19T20:06:00.000-04:00

Until today it was my contention that, rather than doing jobs Americans simply are unwilling to do (as illegal alien supporters claim) alien invaders instead keep wages low by doing those jobs for less. But today I was proven wrong by a recent Pew Hispanic Center report.

According to the report (The Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S.) illegals are not doing the jobs Americans won't. In fact, a great many of them are taking jobs in some not so lowly occupations that rightfully belong to American citizens.

Almost a third (31%) of illegals are employed in non-professional, service occupations, such as, building and ground cleaning and maintenance and food preparation and serving. Nearly 1/5th (19%) are employed in construction or mining. 15% are in production, installation and repair and a mere 4% work in farming. (So much for the lie that our agriculture industry will screech to a halt without these bums!)

The report further shows that these criminals are taking quite a share of these jobs away from real Americans. They represent 24% of all workers employed in farming occupations, 17% in cleaning, 14% in construction and 12% in food preparation industries. They also make up a very large share of all workers in some occupations. They take up 36% of all insulation positions and 29% of all roofing and drywall installation jobs. They also steal 27% of all butcher and food processing employment.

So, if they're NOT doing the jobs that are "beneath" real Americans, as the liars in government and media would have us believe, then why the heck do we need them? If all they're doing is taking jobs from real Americans, why not send them all back where they came from?

There are 12 million of these sorry freeloaders in our country. I can afford to send one back. Now I just need 12 million friends to chip in. Who's next?

Keep That Sense of Humor!

2006-05-19T19:42:00.000-04:00

This is too cool...
(Click the arrow twice)

Time to Fight Back

2006-05-19T17:12:00.000-04:00

What can we do? What can a good, conservative, patriotic, principled, Constitutional constructionist American do? The Republican party has abandoned us. Under Bush they have become the party of big-government. The party of illegal alien appeasement. Too many Republicans are weak on defense and the war on terrorism. They are weak on pro-life issues. They are weak on Social Security reform. They are weak on campaign finance.

So what can we do? Use the only real weapon we have that they should fear. We can vote. We can vote the bums out and vote men and women of principle in.

You see, the Republicans in office know what we know. That not voting for them in November is like throwing your vote to the Democrats. So they are secure in the knowledge we will support the lesser of two evils. Because the only thing worse than a government of pseudo-Republicans is a government of bona fide Democrats. So instead of voting for them in November when we have no choice, vote against them now while we still do.

Vote for people like 21-year-old Mark Harris. He just won the primary for the Pennsylvania 42nd District against a longtime incumbent Republican.

If you're in Utah's 3rd District vote for John Jacob against Chris Cannon who's held the seat for 10 years. In those 10 years he's sold his country out on the issue of illegal aliens. Cannon wants to give illegals the same dicounted college tuitions that state residents receive. Throw the bum out!

The Republican Party in Washington has turned it's back on the real Americans who put them in power. They did it after the Revolution of 1994, and they've done it again. It's time to stage our own revolution.

"...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed..."

2006-05-18T20:32:00.000-04:00

My Creed
by Edgar A. Guest

To live as gently as I can;
To be, no matter where, a man;
To take what comes of good or ill
And cling to faith and honor still;
To do my best, and let that stand
The record of my brain and hand;
And then, should failure come to me,
Still work and hope for victory.

To have no secret place wherein
I stop unseen to shame or sin;
To be the same when I'm alone
As when my every deed is known;
To live undaunted, unafraid
Of any step that I have made;
To be without pretense or sham
Exactly what men think I am.

To leave some simple mark behind
To keep my having lived in mind;
If enmity to aught I show,
To be an honest, generous foe,
To play my little part, nor whine
That greater honors are not mine.
This, I believe, is all I need
For my philosophy and creed.

Why We Love Them

2006-05-18T15:25:00.000-04:00

Our military is the best of America. And the Marines are the best of our military. Whether defending our freedom, comforting one another, or helping orphans in Thailand, they represent what is greatest about this country.

Semantics?

2006-05-18T08:08:00.000-04:00

Remember when illegal aliens were called, well, illegal aliens? When did they become "illegal immigrants?" Immigration is a legal process by which one moves to another country. There is nothing legal about these people. Worse yet is the term "undocumented worker."

I suggest a change. Lets call them what they are. Unwelcome colonists. Or better yet, foreign invaders.

Comment moderation, last refuge of liberal cowards.

2006-05-15T22:05:00.000-04:00

Right and left are black and white!

2006-05-10T19:49:00.000-04:00

Amusing Behavior

2006-05-10T07:30:00.000-04:00

I'm always amused when liberals expect us to be concerned if we offend them and disagree with them. They act so amazed and sanctimonious, so wounded. You can almost hear them huff, "Uh! Is there no room for discussion?"

No, there isn't, you're wrong. Why do they think agreement between liberals and conservatives is a lofty goal? If I could agree with you I'd change my position. If I didn't think you were wrong then I'd be a liberal too. You're wrong! How can you expect me to agree with you!

We can't even "agree to disagree." That would mean I think it's okay for you to be wrong. It's not. You have the right to be wrong, but it's not okay.

If you hate Bush with a rabid passion and I think he's doing a fair job (certainly better than the alternatives could,) where's the "room for discussion?" If you think the government should be bigger and doing more and I think it should be smaller and doing only what the Constitution allows, where's the "room for discussion? " If you think we shouldn't be in Iraq and I think we should be in Iraq and Iran and Syria, where's the "room for discussion?" If you think the murder of a child is a woman's "right to choose" and I think it should be a crime, where's the "room for discussion?" If you think Christian's religious beliefs should be kept behind closed doors and I think we need more of it, everywhere, where's the "room for discussion?" If you side with people who say "Conservatives are fascist nutjobs," where's the "room for discussion?"

The most amusing part of this is liberals think we want to find common ground to agree with them. We're right, you're wrong. Where's the "common ground?"

Who You Callin' A Chickenhawk?

2006-05-03T17:22:00.000-04:00

From the brilliant mind of Frank at IMAO:

Q. What's a chicken hawk? Is it like some sort of half-hawk, half-chicken?
A. Actually, it's a hawk that eats chicken. And rats.
Q. So why do supporters of the war get called "chicken hawks" like its an insult?
A. Well, the short answer is some people are morons.
... Many liberals, in their diminished mental capacities, like to have a word or phrase to shout over and over in lieu of the mental preparedness needed for an actual debate of issues. Fighting tyranny is a complicated issue, and, rather than admit they’re on the side of tyranny, many liberals will try to avoid debate altogether in any way possible.
Q. Liberals seem to use the phrase "chicken hawk" against people who aren't in the military? Do liberals want a government where decisions are only made by those in the military?
A. No, they hate the military.
Q. But they say they support the troops!
A. And you can train a parrot to say the same thing. That doesn't mean anything.
Q. So what would happen if someone in the military tried to debate them on the issues?
A. First, the liberal would try to find some way of discounting the military service so that the person is still, in their bloodshot eyes, a "chicken hawk" by their understanding.
Q. It doesn't sound like there is any point in trying to debate anti-war liberals.
A. There really isn't. The best idea is to carry a water bottle with you, and, when a liberal starts shouting a repetitive phrase at you, spray him in the face. If timed properly, the liberal will associate annoying phrases with getting sprayed in the face with water and thus stop his bad behavior. This will take patience, as liberals are harder to train than dogs since they lack a natural sense of loyalty.
...
Q. Why would the media front be important?
A. Unfortunately, as hard as our military men and women fight, they can still lose by the American public turning against the conflict and convincing whiny politicians into pulling everyone out. That's because we've still yet to learn the main lesson of the Vietnam War.
Q. Which is?
A. Don't lose wars. Otherwise, people - especially the enemy - will declare any conflict "just like that other war America lost" and be certain America will pull out if enough pressure is put on the American people. This means much more fighting is needed to convince the enemy we are serious.
Q. Do the liberals want American troops to fail?
A. Pretty much. You can feel their barely restrained glee as the troop death toll goes to a number the find significant - usually a round number. They then use the death of our brave fighting men and women against the very things they fought and died for.
Q. They sound like ghouls.
A. Only if you go by the strict definition of what's a ghoul.
...
But don't question their patriotism.
Q. Why not?
A. I was being sarcastic. Go ahead and question it.

Go over and read the whole thing. It's genius. You'll love it!

E Pluribus Unum?

2006-05-03T15:49:00.000-04:00

A word to the illegal immigrants (They are criminals, not "undocumented workers!") and all others who wish to reap the bounty of this best and greatest country in the history of our Earth. Our first national motto was "E pluribus unum," Latin for "From many, one" or "Out of many, one." The literal translation is actually "One out of more."

The phrase comes from a poem, "Moretum" by an unknown author. The subject of the poem is a recipe of cheese, garlic and herbs and "color est e pluribus unus" describes the blending of colors into one. In other words, the colors become one so that they are inseparable. What a beautiful image of the dream of America.

What does E pluribus unum mean to America? Simple. We come from many countries, many cultures, many religions, many languages and many different ethnic roots. But in this country we must become one people, with one language in which to communicate and one rule of law to govern us. From many, one. "We the people..."

That rule of law requires that to be a citizen of this country and to enjoy the full benefit of what she offers there are procedures that must be followed. Those procedures do not include swimming or wading across the Rio Grande. They do not include being smuggled across our borders under the hood of a truck. They do not include crawling through a barbed wire fence in the dark of night. If you do those things you are hear illegally. You are a common criminal. You are not entitled to a single one of the benefits America's citizen's enjoy. You are entitled to a free trip back to the border you illegally came across. Period. You are not a part of "From many, one."

You do not deserve amnesty and automatic citizenship, any more than those criminals who received it from President Reagan in 1984. You do not deserve to compete in the job market with those who came to this country legally, earned their citizenship and swore their allegiance to America. You do not deserve to receive social services that those people who were born here receive. You do not even deserve to be incarcerated in one of our jails or prisons. Above all, your children do not deserve to automatically be American citizens. They to deserve to be sent back wherever you came from. They are not a part of "From many, one."

In 1954 President Eisenhower initiated "Operation Wetback" to stem the invasion of America by 1 million illegals per year. We forcibly sent many thousands back and many more left on their own. Reagan's 1984 amnesty for 3 million illegals opened a floodgate in our borders. Today there are more than 12 million people in this country who have no right to be here. President Bush himself, who supports another amnesty travesty, admits that one in every 12 illegals has a criminal record. Amnesty for them means that 1 million criminals are granted the same rights and freedoms American's enjoy. It means 1 million criminals are set loose to prey on American citizens.

Our country is not sectarian. It is not exclusive. It is not restrictive. We accept all who are willing to abide by our laws. Those laws include immigration laws. My great-great-grandfather came to this country in 1853 to escape famine and revolution in Germany. My other ancestors came over before that. And they became citizens legally, in accordance with America's laws.

I welcome immigrants. They are the strength of this nation. I am glad my own forbears wanted a better life and came to America. If they hadn't I wouldn't be here. This is a wonderful nation with unlimited opportunity. And in spite of the fact that much of the world has a rabid, virulent hatred for this country people are still eager to come here and become citizens. It is not hard to become an American citizen. Is it too much to ask that it be done legally?

Proof of Life

2006-05-02T12:06:00.000-04:00

Gen Carlson & Me

Me reenlisting

Wing CC & Me

AOG CC & Me(NCO of the Year!)

Me at NCO Academy

Another NCO & Me

Snow Day!

2006-04-26T23:40:00.000-04:00

Fantastic news. One of my very favorite thinkers and commentators, Tony Snow, has been named by President Bush to serve as the White House Press Secretary. Apparently part of new Chief of Staff Josh Bolton's personnel changes, Snow might seem an unlikely choice for the post. He has called Bush "something of an embarrassment," and referred to his "listless domestic policy." He also claimed that Bush has "a habit of singing from the political correctness hymnal." So much for sycophants!

Snow is a conservative and Washington insider who should bring a fresh perspective to the Bush White House. He has spent 25 years working in every form of news media. He served as a speech writer in the first Bush White House. Snow should what it takes to develop a rapport with the press, as well as what it takes to tell them off.

Here's hoping he does well. Good luck, Mr. Snow!

Frum Fumes About Plame & Blame

2006-04-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

I am trying to wrap my mind around the idea that revealing the name of Valerie Plame - an effectively retired midlevel CIA operative who had helped her husband into a career-enhancing mission - is the biggest security breach since the Rosenbergs; while meanwhile Mary McCarthy's alleged leak - which revealed to al Qaeda the whereabouts of some of this planet's most dangerous killers while plunging into crisis US relations with some of its closest Eastern European allies - is honorable whistle-blowing. - David Frum

The Deputy DIDN'T Do It

Check It Out

2006-04-24T21:50:00.000-04:00

A Soldier's Diary by Captain Dan Sukman

The War on Rumsfeld

2006-04-24T20:18:00.000-04:00

Some thoughts relevant to the current controversy, from those on both sides of the battle.

"I am convinced that the best service a retired general can perform is to turn in his tongue along with his suit, and to mothball his opinions." - General of the Army Omar N. Bradley

"The Rumsfeld vs. General Officer battle has run its course. Both sides have their points, but it's time for the media frenzy to end. It has become a distraction from the war on terrorism, the establishment of peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, and good order and discipline. ...
"As we fight among ourselves, our enemies and some politicians relish the friction within our military establishment. Not understanding an American military that serves a democratic governance, our enemies see the rift between our civilian leadership and general officers in the defense establishment as weakness and the beginning of the deterioration of our will to prosecute the war. Politicians and journalists love the negativism." - Lt Gen David Grange (USA, Ret.)

"I have been extremely troubled by the efforts of a group of retired generals to force the resignation. ... President Bush is right to keep him in his post. It is the President's decision -- and his alone. ...
"It would discourage civilian leaders at the department from having frank and candid exchanges with military officers. And, today, at a time of war, such an effort sends exactly the wrong message both to our troops deployed abroad and to our enemies who are watching for any signs of weakness or self-doubt." - President Gerald Ford

"This is about the moral bankruptcy of general officers who lived through the Vietnam era yet refused to advise our civilian leadership properly. I can only hope that my generation does better someday." - Anonymous Special Forces Major

"It's about asking the question: 'Who lost Iraq? Who gets blamed for the fiasco?' The officers remember Vietnam, and their attitude is: 'Never again; we're not going to be left holding the bag.' So these guys - and I think they speak for others - have fastened on Rumsfeld as a scapegoat. ...
"I know that people in the antiwar camp are happy to get the help, but they have to realize that they're playing with fire here. They may rue the day if military leaders decide that they should have a vote on who gets to be secretary of defense." - Lt Col Andrew Bacevich (USA, Ret.)

"These generals are no doubt correct in asserting that they have spoken to and speak on behalf of some retired and, even more important, some active-duty members of the military. But that makes the generals' revolt all the more egregious. The civilian leadership of the Pentagon is decided on Election Day, not by the secret whispering of generals. ...
"It is precisely this kind of division that our tradition of military deference to democratically elected civilian superiors was meant to prevent. Today it suits the antiwar left to applaud the rupture of that tradition. But it is a disturbing and very dangerous precedent that even the left will one day regret." - Charles Krauthammer

Do You Qualify?

2006-03-21T16:31:00.000-05:00

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Traitorous Media Whores

2006-03-18T12:52:00.000-05:00

Retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner reveals insights and
knowledge of sensitive military plans regarding Iran to CNN.

STYX ROX!

2006-03-05T03:14:00.000-05:00

If you love the music of STYX please go see my post at my other blog, It's All About The 80's!

See The Real Iraq

2006-02-26T07:47:00.000-05:00

Recently I posted about Michael Totten's blog. He has been travelling in Iraq. He has some great reporting and some fantastic pictures, so please go over and take a look.

On The UAE Deal

2006-02-26T07:37:00.000-05:00

"This has raised the obvious question of whether we want our ports, through which a nuclear bomb could come, handled by a country two of whose nationals flew into the South Tower on 9/11 and which has a history of laundering money and nuclear secrets from bad guys to worse guys. ...

The greater and more immediate danger is that as soon as the Dubai company takes over operations, it will necessarily become privy to information about security provisions at crucial U.S. ports. That would mean a transfer of information about our security operations -- and perhaps even worse, about the holes in our security operations -- to a company in an Arab state in which there might be employees who, for reasons of corruption or ideology, would pass this invaluable knowledge on to al Qaeda-types." - Charles Krauthammer

Convince Me

2006-02-24T07:09:00.001-05:00

When Nixon said, "I am not a crook," he was lying.

When Clinton said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky," he was lying.

When Johnson told us our patrol boats in the Tonkin Gulf were the victims of unprovoked attacks, he was lying.

So why should we believe President Bush when he tells us this port deal with Dubai Ports World has been thoroughly examined and represents no threat to our safety and security?

Why Morales Should Die

2006-02-24T06:32:00.000-05:00

This what Terri Lynn Winchell's murderer did to her in 1981.

Morales suddenly cinched his belt around Winchell's neck and began strangling her. She fought back fiercely. The belt broke, so he pulled out the hammer and began bashing her head. She screamed ... and attempted to fight off the attack, ripping her own hair out of her scalp in the struggle. Morales ... smashed her 23 times in the head, crushing the base of her neck and bloodying her arms and hands as she tried to ward off the blows. ... Morales dragged the still-unconscious Winchell face-down across the road into a vineyard ... stripped her of everything but her sweater and bra, which he pulled up to her neck. Then he flipped her onto her back and raped her in the dirt. Just before he headed back to the road, he plunged his knife four times into her chest to make sure she was dead.

Now, tell me again why Michael Morales deserves to take even one more breath? He's stolen air from the rest of us for 25 years too many.

2006-02-23T18:24:00.000-05:00

Hillary Clinton ... wants Dick Cheney to give exact details. You know like, "How do you shoot someone and make it look like an accident?" - Jay Leno

(Vince Foster could not be reached for comment.)

One can only hope ... Cheney will be hounded from public life the way [Ted] Kennedy was all those years ago. One would hate to think folks would just let it slide and three decades from now this Cheney guy will be sitting on some committee picking Supreme Court justices and whatnot. - Mark Steyn

(Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.)

2006-02-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks to TechniGuy!

PETA to Cheney: Good work!

2006-02-19T00:19:00.000-05:00

"...we hope that Vice President Dick Cheney and the whole hunting fraternity will reconsider hunting for the benefit of both humans and animals." - PETA Press Release

PETA is right! Because hunting does benefit both humans and animals.

Through the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 hunters have contributed over 4 billion dollars for the benefit of wildlife species. This money has gone toward the purchase of millions of acres of public lands for the benefit of wildlife.Through membership and support of more than 10,000 clubs and organizations like the NRA, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Quail Unlimited, hunters create $300 million in revenue per year for wildlife conservation.Hunters and fishermen also provide the funding for almost 75% of the annual income of the conservation agencies of all 50 states. License fees and excise taxes charged to sportsmen on arms, ammo and other gear raises another $200 million per year. That's a lot of money for wildlife conservation.

Hunting is a wildlife management tool and prevents degradation of environment and habitat types. Excessive numbers of large herbivores (deer, elk, moose) can cause negative effects such as increased soil erosion, reduced tree seedling growth and decreased songbird populations. In many cases hunting is the only practical way of reducing and preventing these negative trends.

In the 1990s, Fox Chapel, PA discovered the deer population had exploded. They discovered they had 103 deer per square mile, or more than ten times what they considered the ideal herd size. The only sensible way of controlling the herd size was by hunting. Since the hunting program began deer numbers have been reduced by nearly 50% and auto/deer collisions have dropped by 75%. The herd size is still much higher than the 5-10 per square mile ideal size, but the situation has improved.

So thank you, PETA, for pointing out what many of us have known all along. Hunting benefits both humans and animals!

Thanks to Doll for pointing me to the press release!

Everyday Is Flag Day

2006-02-17T23:20:00.000-05:00

"At home in America, when today reaches them it will be Flag Day. For us who wear the uniform every day is Flag Day. It is said that there will be no more wars. We must pretend to believe that. But when war comes, it is we who will take the first shock, and buy time with our lives. It is we who keep the Faith...We serve the Flag."
From "The Sand Pebbles"

Thanks to Every Day Is Flag Day

Photos Not News, Nor Newsworthy

2006-02-16T11:12:00.000-05:00

Australia's Special Broadcasting Service has broadcast previously unreleased photos from Abu Ghraib. Photos that, while more graphic and disturbing than those previously seen, were taken three years ago. There are no "new" images. All of them were turned over to U.S. military auhtorities in 2004. Punishment has been meted out. The issue should be closed.

Why is this news? Is there any motive behind this release other than the obvious, to evoke controversy and outrage? Especially in light of the recent uproar over the Danish cartoon fiasco?

More importantly, the Iraqi government is not happy with the release of the pictures. "Why use them? Why show them?" asked Human Rights Minister, Nermine Othman. "We have had enough suffering and we don't want any more."