Musings of a Merry Mad Monk

Will This Be Your Epitaph?

2006-10-29T08:49:00.002-06:00

"I was not a warrior. I never learned to fight for my freedom. I was only good at enjoying it."

It will be theirs.

Just When I Think I'm Back

2006-09-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

I'm gone again.

"This affair must hang in suspense no longer. Sweep the field with the bayonet."
-- T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson

Are You Still Mad?

2006-09-06T07:40:00.000-05:00

Yes? Good.

It's been almost 5 years since the cowardly attack upon our people and our nation -- to me, it seems only days ago.

This fight has really just started. It's not going to be over anytime soon. Maybe when the knuckleheads realize that when they fuck with the United States of America things end very badly for them, we will be able to see the beginning of the end of this particular struggle.

It is an epic battle between good and evil -- and in this world, good does not always win. But if we stay strong... if we maintain our warrior spirit, we will win this one for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We can't expect to look much beyond that.

The warrior spirit. I trust that it is still alive and well in this nation.

They need to be worried about what we might do...not the other way around.

And I can't help but add this thought: Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, et al. What have they contributed lately to humanity save misery and suffering. Would we really miss them if they were wiped off the map tomorrow?

I might miss the pyramids.

Trouble in the Wind for Security Firms

2006-09-01T06:45:00.000-05:00

... and potential trouble for securing this nation.

The trial lawyers are salivating:

Blackwater loses bid to move suit to federal court

Blackwater loses appeal in deaths of four in Iraqi city

Blackwater suit stays in N.C. court:

A wrongful-death lawsuit filed by families of Americans killed and strung up on a bridge in Iraq stays in a North Carolina state court, the federal appeals court in Richmond ruled yesterday.

Three judges of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided they had no jurisdiction to hear the appeal filed by Blackwater Security Consulting, the Moyock, N.C.-based company that employed the four dead men.

The families initially filed the lawsuit in state court. Blackwater wanted the case tried in U.S. District Court and tried to move it there.

But the federal judge found that his court lacked jurisdiction in the matter and sent it back to state court. Blackwater appealed.

The lawsuit makes wrongful-death and fraud claims.

This has been below the radar screen, but we need to start paying attention. This nation made a decision to maintain a small military -- we do that, in part, by contracting out more and more military-related work.

We cannot have our cake and eat it, too.

Either we radically increase the size of our military or change the laws pertaining to defense security consulting.

If we do nothing, the trial lawyers will tie our hands in defending this country.

Still Missing FREED: Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig

2006-08-22T16:38:00.000-05:00

Centanni and Wiig released from captivity

Steve Centanni

Olaf Wiig with his significant other (I suppose)

I'd never heard of Olaf Wiig previous to his kidnapping, but almost all of us military types have heard of Steve Centanni. He's not just a good reporter -- he's a good man... and a tough one... very tough.

We want both men back. Please pray for them.

More info:

Missing Fox News crew: Blogburst

Why Iran Does Not Worry Me

2006-08-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

Iran is a nation and nation-states can be made to not exist.

I'll further develop this thought at a later time.

For now, I really just want to say ...

I'm back.

Alive and Well

2006-07-07T23:52:00.000-05:00

Very.

My son is home.

Blogging will be nonexistent for the next 30 days or so.

Pursue, Prosecute, Punish Leakers

2006-06-23T11:36:00.000-05:00

The New York Times once again publishes classified national security information. Michelle Malkin has the latest here and here.

We can stomp our feet and holler at The New York Times -- and yeah I think they're culpable -- but classified information doesn't just fall from the sky into their laps.

Until the Bush administration gets serious about going after the people who are making unauthorized disclosures, our classified national security information will continue to be compromised and our enemies will continue to benefit.

Related:

Selling Out the Security of Our Nation
Unauthorized Disclosure
Able Danger: Tony Shaffer Talks...and talks and talks and talks
Slaughter Of The Innocents

One Damn Good Reason

2006-06-22T22:49:00.000-05:00

...to take your camera to the beach.

They just crawl right out of the Gulf and into your viewfinder.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Actually, I managed to get this exclusive shot just before she said, "That's like a totally small camera for someone who freelances for Travel Channel."

Nah. I'm lying. I wouldn't tell anybody that.

Really.

Army Raises Recruitment Age to 42

2006-06-22T13:58:00.000-05:00

Some may choose to look at this as desperation on the part of the United States Army. They may be right.

I choose to look at it as an opportunity to point out some facts that ~~should~~ might make a lot of you uncomfortable.

About 93% of Americans, age 18-42, have never served a day in the military.

There are about 115 million Americans age 18-42.

@ 5.1 million of them are veterans
-- @ 365,000 (20-24)
-- @ 670,000 (25-29)
-- @ 1,008,000 (30-34)
-- @ 1,332,000 (35-39)
-- @ 1,732,000 (40-44)
@ 1.4 million of them are on Active Duty in the Army (@ 490,000), Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard
@ 1.2 million are in the Guard and Reserves

@ 107 million Americans, age 18-42, have never served.

In other words, even accounting for the mentally and physically disabled, there are a whole bunch of people that are eligible to wear...

...combat boots.

Opportunity knocks:

GoArmy.com

Meet Diana Irey

2006-06-20T21:05:00.000-05:00

Diana Irey is running against Jack "Cut and Run" Murtha for Pennsylvania's 12th U.S. Congressional District House seat.

Lane Core, Jr., a freelance writer, interviewed Diana Irey last week. You can read about it here.

(Click on photo to enlarge... you'll be glad you did)

She is one of the most intriguing candidates to come along in quite awhile and she couldn't have come on the scene at a better time. This has become a critical national race in my humble opinion.

Lane's profile of Diana Irey.

Her website.

Diana Irey on FOX News Live (6-19-06)

Her Washington, D.C. press conference.

Veterans Support Diana Irey for Congress.

The Way Things Work in The Third World and Louisiana

2006-06-20T01:46:00.000-05:00

Pardon the redundancy.

The U.S. Congress gives Louisiana $12 Billion dollars (OUR tax dollars - from all 50 states) for Hurricane Katrina recovery.

The Louisiana legislature creates a Disaster Recovery Unit to spend that $12 Billion dollars through community development block grants (a recipe for graft).

Bryant Hammett, Jr. (Democrat-Ferriday [Little Port-au-Prince], Louisiana), Chairman of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, applies for a job in the new Disaster Recovery Unit which he helped create.

Grinnin' like a possum eatin' grapes

Bryant Hammett, Jr., who is tight with that national disgrace and thoroughly incompetent governor, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, alternately insists that:

a) he saw an advertisement for the job on a website.
b) a friend told him about the job.

Bryant Hammett, Jr., also the sole owner of Bryant Hammett & Associates LLC, a civil engineering and land surveying business that benefited from state contracts while he was Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, doesn't see a problem with applying for the job.

Neither does the Louisiana Board of Ethics (talk about oxymorons). The Louisiana Board of Ethics says it's OK for Hammett to take the job.

[Kinda reminds me of that old song: You ain't done nothin' wrong, but you ain't done nothin' right.]

Bryant Hammett, Jr. resigns his position (he was term limited to 2008) in the legislature which he has held for 15 years.

Bryant Hammett, Jr. gets the $140,000/year job as Infrastructure Manager/Senior Engineer for the Disaster Recovery Unit which will dole out the $12 Billion dollars.

Bryant Hammett & Associates LLC will be precluded from doing any work for the Disaster Recovery Unit, BUT the firm could be a subcontractor on jobs involving regular Community Development Block Grant funding and continue to do work for other state agencies AND local governments EVEN IF they (the local governments) receive Disaster Recovery Unit funding.

$12 Billion dollars taken involuntary from the pocketbooks of taxpayers across the nation and sent to Louisiana to be spent as Bryant Hammett, Jr. sees fit.

It's enough to make a rabbit spit in a pitbull's face.

Sources:
Legislator takes job to help rebuild state
Rep. Hammett to resign, will direct rebuilding
Ferriday legislator considers recovery job
Hammett Considers New Job
Hammett considers new job

If you want to learn more about how Louisiana works -- and we all should since we've given the state $12 Billion dollars -- then don't miss this excellent blog: Louisiana Political News Service

The Intolerant, Judgmental GM Roper

2006-06-19T22:01:00.000-05:00

... speaks for the intolerant, judgmental Merry Mad Monk and, no doubt, many others.

GM Roper offers clarity to an otherwise confused and politically correct society:

Tolerance, as foisted on the denizens of western civilization is an outgrowth of the '60s and '70s growth of "self esteemism" and psychobabble such as "I'm O.K., You're OK." Having participated in some of that dreck, I know whereof I speak, but it didn't take me long to figure out that "When everything is tolerated, then nothing is sacred and evil is unrestrained."

Tolerance: tol•er•ance pronunciation – tol-er-ens:

The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others."

Recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others - nothing is sacred and evil is unrestrained. Yes, these two concepts are greatly connected and should be, I repeat, should be a strong hint to the rational individual that tolerance is not the way to practice human relationships. Yet, there is room for tolerance, and that too should be obvious to the rational among us. For example, I am more than willing to tolerate the religious beliefs of others when those other's beliefs also tolerate the religious beliefs of others. As a Christian, I tolerate the beliefs of Hinduists, Confucionists, animists, Jewish folk etc. I'm intolerant to a large degree, though I accept their freedom to worship as they choose, of those who believe that their faith is the only "allowable" faith. I do not believe, for example, that as a Methodist, all Baptists are doomed to hellfire and brimstone. Nor do I accept that only the Roman Catholic faith is the only way to heaven. Nor do I accept that Mohammad is the ONLY prophet of Allah or even that Islam is the "one true faith."

I also don't accept any religion that says human sacrifice is acceptable, or that infanticide is "good" or that making burnt offerings to a statue is the same as any other faith. I do not believe that a faith has the obligation to convert everyone else on the pain of death or the imposition of dihimmitude. I do not accept any belief or custom that demands female circumcision so that the female cannot enjoy the act of sex.

I am not willing to tolerate the existence of a cult of murderers who kill in the name of Allah, or Baal, or any other belief system and this is because I am judgmental. Oh yes, I also believe that there is also nothing wrong with being judgmental. Read on

What Does North Korea Want?

2006-06-19T02:06:00.000-05:00

North Korea wants the entire Korean peninsula.

All the rhetoric, missile testing, missile launching, weapons proliferation, weapons sales, border infiltrations, threats, warnings, and propaganda are meant to support that goal.

Other than that, the only thing predictable about the North Koreans is that they are unpredictable.

What we must do is continue to be resolute... because what the North Koreans are really testing is our resolve.

Kim Jong-il does not doubt our capability to stop him. He doubts our resolve.

We need to remind this pissant that not only can we burn them to a crisp, but that we have the will to burn them to a crisp.

Anyway, I reckon I'll be up the rest of the night watching for this latest threat from North Korea.

RELATED:

Korea: The Unfinished War

Iraq, Iran & North Korea

North Korea: Ten Years Of DCI Testimony

Merry Mad Monks of the DMZ

===============================

UPDATE 6:15pm CDT:

Rice Warns North Korea Against Missile Test

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned North Korea on Monday it will face consequences if it test-fires a missile thought to be powerful enough to reach the West Coast of the United States.

"It would be a very serious matter and, indeed, a provocative act should North Korea decide to launch that missile," Rice said amid indications that the North Koreans could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any moment.

The senior U.S. diplomat said the United States would talk to other nations about action should the North go ahead, and "I can assure everyone that it would be taken with utmost seriousness."

The United States, Japan, Australia, South Korea and other countries have urged North Korea to abandon any missile firing, but there was no sign of backing down. U.S. officials said Monday the missile was apparently fully assembled and fueled, giving the North a launch window of about a month.

Unlike other preparatory steps the United States has tracked, the fueling process is very difficult to reverse, and most likely means the test will go ahead, one senior administration official said.

The precise timing is unclear, the official said.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said he was holding preliminary consultations with Security Council members on possible action if North Korea fires the missile, thought to be a three-stage Taepodong-2 with a non-nuclear payload.

"But we don't really know what the North Korean intentions are at this point, so I think we need to wait for the event," Bolton said.

What's it all mean? North Korea has an intercontinental ballistic missile assembled and fully fueled that can be launched anytime in the next 30 days. And that is not a good thing.

The Man on Page 602

2006-06-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

After 31 years, the mystery is solved.

I suspected as much.

(For Miss C, Miss H, Miss M and Miss J)

Good Dogs Having A Good Time

2006-06-15T18:25:00.000-05:00

"Did ya see how high Fluffy jumped when I nose-poked her?"
"Heh. Sleeping cats are soooo easy."

"Wow! She's still running in circles!"
"Yeah, we probably need to give her a little more space."

Should the Marine Corps Punish Corporal Belile?

2006-06-15T00:54:00.000-05:00

NO.

Can the Marine Corps punish Corporal Belile?

Yes.

Jim Hanson at Blackfive seems to think that marines and soldiers have the same rights as civilians.

They don't... and he should know better.

Hanson also seems to think that marines and soldiers have "off time", i.e. a time when they are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice?

They don't... and, again, Hanson should know better.

To suggest otherwise is to misinform his readers and the readers of those blogs who have excerpted his letter to the Marine Corps spokesman.

Having said that, I think the Marine Corps brass need to CAIR less.

Happy Birthday, Army!

2006-06-14T10:21:00.000-05:00

231 Years

The day began at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery ... honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

As always, a special birthday greeting to the soldiers of...

...where the rubber meets the road, the leather meets the dirt and the metal meets the meat.

Do you know which units the above patches represent?

Today is a good day to find out.

It Is A Hot Day

2006-06-09T11:15:00.000-05:00

But...

We be chillin'

(Yeah, I've been told: that's one ugly couch ... and that men should not make certain buying decisions without "proper" consultation, etc etc. It was on sale ["That should have been your first clue."]. I liked it ["Of course you did."]. And the salesgirl was pretty ["Figures."].)

It Is A Good Day

2006-06-08T11:19:00.000-05:00

An evil leader of evil men is dead.

Abu Musab al Zarqawi at room temperature.

Michelle Malkin has all the links.

Leave Her Alone

2006-06-07T22:31:00.000-05:00

As if she gives a rat's ass what you think, anyway.

Miss Ann, if the GOP tent is not big enough, you can come stay in my pup tent.

Murtha Must Go!: A New Blog That's Lookin' Good

2006-06-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

Check it out here.

Diana Irey is like a cool drink of water on a hot summer day.

If you haven't seen her D.C. press conference, you can watch it here.

Yet Another Moral Victory for the KOS Kids

2006-06-07T06:45:00.000-05:00

Republican Wins Bellwether House Race:

With 90 percent of precincts reporting, Bilbray had 56,130 votes or 49.5 percent. Busby trailed with 51,292 votes or 45 percent. "I think that we're going back to Washington," Bilbray told cheering supporters.

The race one of dozens of contests Tuesday in eight states was viewed by Democrats as an opportunity to capture a solidly Republican district and build momentum on their hopes to capture control of the House.

And how are the kids doing?

Its like watching a TBS movie for the 100th time...everytime an update comes through and our candidate gains its chump change votes....everytime the other candidate gains its in big fat chunks....

That one seems to suspect there something's hinky about living in the fever swamp. Most of the others remain blissfully delusional.

A Letter Home from Fallujah

2006-06-07T06:17:00.000-05:00

Via Alabama Improper, via Hillbilly White Trash... and at HWT's request, I'm reposting this letter from a United States Marine to his hometown paper:

Jun 2, 2006
COMMENT: Letter from Iraq: They're not supporting the troops
By Anthony Ippoliti

I am fortunate enough to receive The Ridgefield Press every few weeks and enjoy keeping abreast of the local issues currently pressing in our small town. I am a U.S. Marine Infantryman currently serving in Fallujah, Iraq, and my mother usually includes The Press in the many care packages she sends me.

Since we have very limited access to telephones, The Ridgefield Press is the primary means by which I receive local news.

Almost every week, I open The Press and find an article or letter to the editors denouncing the coalition effort in Iraq. Invariably, the individuals behind these anti-war letters and rallies mask their political agendas by asserting that they "support the troops but not the war." People like Vince Giordano, Paul Sutherland and Anne Stubbs are pictured in the April 13 edition of The Press carrying a yellow-ribboned coffin and signs that say "Bring Them Home Now." They read off the names of the dead and claim to "show support for our troops" while urging lawmakers to "bring them home." They believe that the U.S.-led coalition should never have entered Iraq and that the current effort is a never-ending quagmire that has made no progress. They believe that things are progressively getting worse and think that our forces should just pick up and leave.

They do all this under the pretense that they are supporting the troops. However, what they are really doing is using our lives and the issue of our safety and well-being as a means to achieve a political end.

My primary concern is the assertion that these individuals support the troops in Iraq but not our mission. It boggles my mind that this logic is actually utilized on a large scale.

Supporting the troops but not the war is like saying that you support filmmakers but not making films. One cannot claim to support an individual in a given profession but not support what the said profession entails. This is essentially a slap in the face to those in the service.

How protesting the job we are doing in Iraq while demanding our withdrawal constitutes supporting us is beyond me.

Furthermore, I am particularly interested in how these people support us, specifically. I have never once received a letter from an individual who claims to "support the troops, not the war." Not a single Marine I know has received anything that could be considered remotely supportive from any of these people or the groups they represent. We have received phone cards, hygiene supplies, food, etc. from members of state and local government, radio stations, schools, private individuals and organizations, but never once from any group claiming to "support the troops, but not the war."

I ask again: How can these groups claim to support our troops while telling us that what we are participating in is wrong?

How can they support us if they are essentially saying that our blood and sacrifices have all been given in vain?

How can they support us if they say that our comrades and brothers who have been wounded or killed in action have done so for a hopeless and morally questionable cause?

I reply to the questions I pose with a simple answer: They can’t. As a matter of fact, I assert with a considerable degree of confidence that their efforts make our already difficult job even more difficult. I’ll go so far as to say that their rallies and protests cost more and more servicemen their lives and limbs every day.
I support my assertion with evidence gathered first hand. I see the Iraqi people every day. The protesters do not. I speak with the Iraqi people every day. The protesters do not. I don’t sit behind a desk and do paperwork or resupply efforts in the military. I am an Infantry Marine and I walk the sewage-filled streets of this city every single day.

In Fallujah, the people watch Al Jazeerah. However, they also watch CNN. A lot of them fear that the United States will soon cut and run. The people of Iraq see when our country is divided. When they see rallies to "Bring The Troops Home," they see that as a sign that we will end our efforts prematurely.

Furthermore, they know that the insurgents will not end their efforts early. That leads them to the conclusion that when we leave, the insurgents will still be there. Therefore, if they help us, their lives and the lives of their loved ones will be in great jeopardy the minute we leave — if we don’t finish the job. Much that they see on American television leads them to believe that we intend to abandon our efforts before the new Iraqi government is capable of defending itself and its citizens.

The actions of these aforementioned organizations and the heavy media coverage their rallies often generate serves as fuel for the insurgency. Insurgents believe they can drive us out through the idea of "death by a thousand cuts." The longer they persist in their efforts, the more the American public becomes disenchanted with the coalition effort.

The insurgency sees this as a result. These criminals will continue to kill Iraqi civilians, Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army and coalition forces so long as they see that their efforts are alienating the American public from its military.

And for those of you that aren’t up to speed with the situation in Iraq, the insurgents attack and kill established public services (such as Iraqi police and Iraqi army) more often than they attack coalition forces. As a matter of fact, an explosive-laden insurgent blew himself up last week outside the Iraqi police station that is attached to our compound.

The insurgents aren’t fighting simply to drive America out of Iraq. They are fighting to destroy any semblance of the Iraqi government so that they can impose their will on its people.

Publicly protesting our efforts in Iraq fuels the insurgency. Doing it under the pretext of "supporting our troops" is disgraceful.

Let me now emphasize that I respect an American citizen’s right to voice his or her opinion in a public forum. Such a right is granted in the U.S. Constitution.
However, voicing one’s opinion in such an irresponsible way is something I do not support. Additionally, using deployed service members as a mask to serve your purely political purpose is downright shameful. If your desire is to protest the war, then protest the war, but don’t use me or any reference to our troops as a tool to bolster your purpose.

I’ll summarize by saying this: Organizations such as The Ridgefield Coalition to Stop the War do not support our troops. No matter what they say or what is printed on the signs they carry, they effectively do the opposite of support us. They downright hurt us.

Such organizations damage the morale of the men and women in the armed forces and progressively cause them to believe less and less in the mission at hand. The conditions here are difficult as it is. Opening a month-old edition of The Ridgefield Press and reading an article about an anti-war demonstration that uses our troops in an effort to mask its true cause doesn’t help.

Please do not feign support while effectively telling us that we are fighting for an unworthy cause. I think I speak for an overwhelming majority of our troops when I ask organizations like The Ridgefield Coalition to Stop the War to discontinue using Marines, soldiers, airmen and sailors as a means to serve a political end.

You are neither supporting us nor honoring us. You are doing the exact opposite.

Marines Humiliated by TSA Security Guards

2006-06-07T05:28:00.000-05:00

Yet another reason why there should be a house-cleaning at the Transportation Security Administration:

The Marine Corps is livid over the mistreatment of three Marines at the hands of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in Philadelphia last month.

According to a Marine Corps memo we obtained, three Marines were "humiliated" by TSA security guards while escorting the body of Marine Sgt. Lea R. Mills, 21, who was killed April 28 along with two others in Al Anbar province, Iraq, by an improvised explosive device.

Sgt. Mills' body was being moved from Dover Air Force Base through Philadelphia International Airport en route to her final resting place in Gulfport, Miss., on May 3. The three Marines who were accompanying the casket, Sgt. John C. Stock, Cpl. Aaron J. Bigalk and Cpl. Jason A. Schadeburg, were forced to remove their dress blue uniforms, belts and shoes, which were then scanned. They were then "patted down" by TSA inspectors.

To All The Girls Who Got A Magic Hat From Me

2006-06-05T19:09:00.000-05:00

Yours really is magic.

Honest.

Wayne Bullard, Your Hat Is Not Magic

2006-06-05T19:04:00.000-05:00

I didn't really kill that Czech officer for his hat back in '89.

I traded him a bottle of Jack Daniel's.

But you knew that already ... right?

Right?

Why Doesn't Kerry Just Sue the Swifties?

2006-06-05T18:52:00.000-05:00

We know why, don't we?

John Kerry Has Something To Hide

The Truth, John Kerry, and The New York Times

Is Your Will Broken? I Can Help

2006-06-02T23:06:00.000-05:00

Have you been reading or hearing lately, that your will is broken -- your will to support the war on terrorism? Did it come as a surprise to you? It came as surprise to me, too.

Are you getting sick of people pronouncing how weak-willed you are? Me, too.

I don't know who these assclowns have been talking to, but they haven't been talking to anyone I know.

I'm sure there are some weak-willed people among us and a few whose will is broken -- always has been, always will be.

Pardon me, while I address them:

Yo! you broken/weak-willed weenies. What is it exactly that has broken/weakened your will?

Is your work place about 6,000 miles from home, give or take a thousand?

Do you rarely, if ever, get a break from work, except when you're sleeping? And even as you sleep, do the occasional mortar rounds or rockets impact in your backyard?

When your work day ends, do you go home to a tent rather than the comfort of your house or apartment?

Are the outside daytime temperatures in your neck of the woods about 120º? (add about 30º if you're in an armored vehicle-- are you in an armored vehicle?).

Do you get chilled at night, chilled enough to make your teeth chatter -- even though it might be 75º?

Do sand and dust get in everything -- your eyes, your nose, your shoes/boots, your clothes?

Do you sleep in a sleeping bag on a small cot? On the ground?

Do you have little to no time for yourself -- even when doing the 3 S's (shit, shower and shave)?

Are you eating MREs?

Anything stopping you from: jumping in your car and going for a drive? A leisurely walk in the park? Going to a ballgame? The lake? The beach? Or just being lazy and lying in bed all morning reading the Sunday papers?

Have you been away from your loved ones -- your children, your wife or husband, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your girlfriend or boyfriend -- for months? Have you been away from them for a year?

Does the media -- ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, the Associated Press, Reuters, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, etc, etc -- distort what your work is all about? Do they incessantly report the "bad", but rarely, if ever, report the good things?

Do you have half the country doubting your ability to do your job?

Are there people that want to kill you any way that they can? Do you live with that 24 hours a day?

Have you lost buddies at work? Have you seen them die? Held them as they died? Have you seen your buddies wounded? Have you been wounded yourself?

Is home days and days...weeks and weeks...months and months away?

If you answered NO to most or all of those questions, then WHAT IS YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM?

Why do I ask? Because most of our soldiers and marines can answer YES to almost every question that I just asked you and their will is STRONG!

In fact, if you suggested otherwise to them, they'd be inclined to kick your pathetic broken/weak-willed ass!

Got that?

So shape up! Be an American!

Give thanks for your many blessings. And get down on your knees at night and pray that you can live up to the ideals which our brave men and women are fighting and bleeding and dying for.

If you can't shape up, then shut the fuck up ... and stay out of the way. Ya fuckin' weenies!

Haditha: Wait, Out.

2006-06-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

Not one person in Old Media or New Media knows the who, what, where, when, why, and how concerning the November 19th incident in Haditha, Iraq.

Not.One.Fucking.Person

That doesn't stop the speculation, though.

Keep this in mind: How many people blogging and commenting on this story have spent a day in uniform ... much less a day in a combat zone under fire? How many were there in Haditha that day?

More importantly, there is an on-going investigation. Actually, there are 2 on-going investigations:

1. Find out what happened at Haditha.
2. Find out why senior officials were not aware of the misconduct allegations until February.

It will probably be a few weeks before those investigations are complete. Until then it doesn't do anyone any good to speculate. In fact, it won't do any good to speculate if the investigation yields charges. If individuals are charged, they will be tried under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, in accordance with the Manual for Courts-Martial:

1. The accused must be presumed to be innocent until his guilt is established by legal and competent evidence beyond reasonable doubt;
2. If there is a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the accused, the doubt must be resolved in favor of the accused and he must be acquitted;
3. If there is a reasonable doubt as to the degree of guilt, the finding must be in a lower degree as to which there is no reasonable doubt; and
4. The burden of proof to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt is upon the United States.

Sound familiar? You bet your ass it does.

There's been a lot of hyperventilating recently in the blogosphere on this and any number of other issues -- and it's getting old. Every issue is NOT A FUCKING CRISIS. It's gotten to be about as bad as Old Media and the cable talk shows, specifically. What is up with that?

===============================

UPDATE

An Example of Hyperventilation at the Belmont Club

Specifically, this post. I picked the Belmont Club because I like reading what Wretchard has to say and it is one of the last places I'd expect to be affected, but many of his commenters are really coming off like a bunch of nervous nellies. They have all the answers, don't they? ... as they piss on our senior military leaders. I've served with a few of the men who the Belmont Club commenters are pissing on. They are some of the finest, most decent men you'll ever know and they are warriors.

I'll put our military leadership up against anybody in the world any day of the week, even the pontificating commenters at the Belmont Club. Just read the military biographies of these men and ask yourself if you think that any of the Belmont Club commenters come close to the education, training and experience of our military leadership:

SEC Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
GEN John Abizaid, Commanding General, United States Central Command
CMSgt Curtis L. Brownhill, Command Chief Master Sergeant, United States Central Command
GEN George W. Casey, Jr, Commanding General, Multi-National Force - Iraq
CSM Jeffrey J. Mellinger, Command Sergeant Major, Multi-National Force - Iraq
GEN Peter Pace, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
CSM William Joseph Gainey, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
GEN Pete Schoomaker, Chief of Staff, United States Army
SMA Kenneth O. Preston, Sergeant Major of the Army
GEN Michael W. Hagee, Commandant, United States Marine Corps
SGM John L. Estrada, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
LTG Walter L. "Skip" Sharp, Director, Joint Staff
LTG James T. Conway, Director, Operations (J3)
LTG Victor E. Renuart, Director, Strategic Plans & Policy

How many of the Belmont Club commenters can match any one of those men. Yet, they KNOW just what to do... cut and run? Quit and go home?

They need to spend some time talking with soldiers and marines who have walked the walk. They aren't whining about the war. They are re-enlisting, not quitting and running away. They have confidence in their chain of command -- especially their Commander-in-Chief.

So, the Belmont Clubbers can go ahead and bash President Bush and our senior military leaders if that makes them feel better, but they're at risk of contracting Bush Derangement Syndrome as they edge ever closer to the fever swamp of the moonbats.

Diana Irey Press Conference

2006-06-01T00:12:00.000-05:00

Ol' Murtha could be in real trouble. This lady is good -- a must-see video. You can watch it here.

Diana Irey speaking at press conference

Big & Rich: 8th of November

2006-05-31T17:55:00.000-05:00

A tribute to soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Republic of Vietnam, 1965. Introduction by Kris Kristofferson, former Army Captain and Airborne/Ranger helicopter pilot.

Roadtripping with Lizzie

2006-05-30T17:51:00.000-05:00

Let's get this one out of the way first.

Ferriday "Little Port-au-Prince", Louisiana...

...hometown of Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, Jimmy Swaggart, Howard K. Smith, Campbell Brown -- and Mayor Allen's Money Machine. Ferriday took in nearly $1 million dollars in speeding fines in 2005 -- not bad for a town of 3,700. The corruption continues. The good news is that the State of Louisiana raised the speed limit through the worst part of Ferriday from 25mph to 35mph. The bad news is that this pissed off Mayor Allen and his storm troopers ... so beware.

Lizzie the Legendary Leopard Dog...

...sleeps through the Ferriday speed trap gauntlet.

Speed good...

...faster, please.

The Bridge...

... across the Homochitto River marks the beginning of my favorite part of the drive -- through the Homochitto National Forest.

On Guard...

...for other furry critters such as squirrels, rabbits, foxes, cows, horses -- and Bigfoot.

"So, won't you smile for the camera?...

...I know they're gonna love it"

You can't sing. Back to furry critter watch...

"Look, Lizzie! There's Bigfoot!"

Now you're fucking with me...

Yes, I cut one just for you

The End

Memorial Day 2006

2006-05-29T09:46:00.000-05:00

And they who for their country die
Shall fill an honored grave,
For glory lights the soldier's tomb,
And beauty weeps the brave.

-- Joseph Rodman Drake

photos from Arlington National Cemetery

Ben Stein: They Did God's Work

Engineering the Future: Iraq and Afghanistan

2006-05-24T23:41:00.000-05:00

What other nation is capable of doing this?

US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Program in Iraq:

-- A total of 3,782 projects planned with a program value of $10.61B
-- A total of 861 projects ongoing at a program value of $2.46B
-- A total of 2,634 projects have been completed with a program value of $3.12B
-- A total of 64 Military Construction (MILCON) in support of US Forces with total values of $1.35B
-- 155,000 Iraqis are employed on reconstruction projects.
-- 181 local nationals work directly for Gulf Region Division - 25.7% of GRD workforce AND GROWING

USACE Program in Afghanistan:

-- Employ 8,200 Afghan nationals working construction projects totaling $1.1 Billion
-- The Afghan Army program is providing new facilities for up to 70,000 soldiers ($1.02 billon).
-- Border Guard and Police program is providing infrastructure and facilities near the Pakistan border ($120 million).
-- Counter Narcotics program in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan may expand to other central Asian countries in FY06 ($70 million).
-- The US/Coalition Forces program is located in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan (Bagram, Kandahar, Kabul)($350 million); Projects include airfields, buildings, and other infrastructure.
-- USACE is providing support/technical staff, hydropower/water resource studies, school/clinic refurbishment, roads, and women's hospital renovation. Potential for much more work in the near term ($16 M).

Source: HQ, US Army Corps of Engineers

Oh yeah... and the Corps has been busy doing other things, too:

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Environmentalism is Winning, Army Training is Losing

2006-05-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

Here's more info on the state of affairs from Joan D.B. VanDervort of the Army Training Directorate, Headquarters, Department of the Army.

But first...

A reasonable person might think that our military training would be exempt from most, if not all, environmental regulations. The fact is this: The military is subject to more environmental restrictions than any other entity in the United States of America. This is having a devastating effect on military training -- most especially, Army training.

Most of the environmental restrictions on military reservations stop at the reservation boundary. In other words, the civilian communities and land are not under such environmental restrictions as the military. You and I know why, too. There'd be an uprising. But in the military, you salute and say yessir... for the most part.

Where in the hell are the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee on all of this? I'll tell you where -- they are on their asses and they have been sitting on their asses for years while the environmentalists wreak havoc on military training.

We are at war, but it matters not to the environmentalists and the politically correct. In fact, they are doing the work of our enemies -- weakening our national security.

"If something affects training, it affects readiness. If it affects readiness, it affects warfighting. If it affects warfighting, it affects national security."

Who said it?.... why ol' Monk did. It's just plain ol' common sense.

Now, on with the show:

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Speaker Notes

Army
Deployments have increased 300% in the past 10 years
Work force reduced 40%

Navy
Ships deployed on any given day have increased 52% in the past 6 years
Work force reduced by 1/3

Air Force
Deployments have quadrupled since 1986
Work force reduced by 1/3

Guard & Reserve
Days served increased 13 fold over the past 10 years
Last year - 235,000 deployed overseas, average 19 days
325,000 deployed for counter drug ops & disasters, average 22 days

Speaker Notes

Our military forces must be able to move faster, shoot straighter and communicate better than our enemies – that is what wins wars. Our ability to develop and field winning weapon systems, and to train our people under realistic, challenging conditions, is what makes our Armed Forces what they are today.

We possess unique advantages – our nation has always dedicated the air, land, sea and frequency spectrum needed to keep our armed forces the best in the world, and we have the necessary political and cultural support to keep our forces strong.

The United States' military strength rests in large part on the foundation of our superior test and training capabilities. Failure to train properly has been shown in many ways to degrade military readiness. In conflict, inadequately trained soldiers die first, and improperly tested equipment fails when least expected.

The American people demand ready Armed Forces that win when called upon and come home to their families. Realistic training is essential to this mission.

Speaker Notes

All branches of the Armed Forces are faced with pressures from a variety of diverse interests. Tension exists between government agencies, special interest groups, environmentalists and native American tribes and ourselves, the military.

Our duty involves protecting current and projected need for the development and fielding of the next generation of weapons, tactics and training of our forces. This will involve more not less space specifically designated for these uses.

Since the inception of the training range system during and following WWII, the military has lost half of its space to conduct training. Encroachment, in its many forms has impacted Training and Readiness, and will continue to do so unless we are successful in protecting our assets.

We all know the problems we face in our individual areas. How these problems are dealt with are of great import to the rest of us. Agreements made in one area of the United States sets precedent for us all. This point is of paramount importance.

The need to identify what we require to complete our training mission and stop this downward trend in Readiness is critical. In order to protect these valuable assets, we all must acknowledge what is important. Then get our message heard, and prevail in shielding these assets from encroachment, shutdown or loss.

Speaker Notes

Threatened, Endangered & Sensitive Species (TES)

Land holdings in millions of acres is shown in green on this chart. The Burea of Land Management, US Forest Service, National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service land holdings far exceed that of DoD. Yet, DoD lands have more threatened and endangered species than any other federal land holder.

Ain't this slide grand? My take on it is that Army Training is going the way of the dinosaurs due to Environmental Correctness.

Speaker Notes

Encroachment tends to shrink the capability of installations to support both maneuver and live fire training at a time when doctrinal distances for maneuver units are expanding.

The doctrinal maneuver box for transformation brigades has been established as is shown here with Fort Hood placed to scale inside this maneuver box.

Although Fort Hood has not been identified as a site for a transformation brigade, as one of FORSCOM's larger installations, this points to the problem other smaller installations may experience in training the future force.

ENCROACHMENT TRENDS

Loss of training or testing space

-- Conflicts with seemingly inflexible laws or rules (such as ESA Critical habitat; MMPA harassment; MBTA permits) curtail access

Increasingly unrealistic training options

-- Cumulative effects of workarounds to satisfy regulatory dictates are "death by a thousand paper cuts"

Disproportionate compliance burden

-- DoD lands increasingly carry conservation responsibilities for surrounding areas

Evolving legal interpretations raise future concerns

-- Military training activities are increasingly being scrutinized under environmental laws designed for other contexts

DOD's POSITION

Balance National Defense with environmental mandates. [Ed. Which is exactly ASS BACKWARDS!]

Clarify existing environmental statutes, regulations and policies.

Promote DoD's ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and long-term range sustainment:

-- Seek expanded authorities for mutually beneficial partnerships that limit incompatible development and habitat destruction near our installations

-- Work with State governors, communities and NGOs to ensure more effective and compatible land use planning around military lands

Speaker Notes

These are just a few of the examples. By no means is this a comprehensive list of all the installations both in CONUS and OCONUS where our training is impacted by increasing environmental compliance restrictions heightened by growing populations pressures and special interests groups.

We have been particularly hard hit by compliance with the Endangered Species Act, Noise, and Clean Air requirements and we see an upward trend in the restrictions that are impacting training.

What looms on the horizon that could impact the Army's ability to carry out it's Title 10 mission is the application of certain environmental statutes to Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) and munitions on active ranges, specifically the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This issue is still new and not an environmental compliance issue that we have really had to face until recently.

Both CERCLA and RCRA application to UXO on ranges coupled with the recent application of the Safe Drinking Water Act to clean-up UXO present an imminent threat to training.

Impact on Training – Example 1

AIR QUALITY:

-- SMOKE & OBSCURANTS
== EMMISSIONS FROM MUNITIONS
-- DUST
-- PM 2.5 ENFORCEMENT
-- CONFLICT WITH ESA

Clean Air Act -
Restrictions on Smoke Training

Impact on Training

Air Quality Restrictions

Ft. Carson:
-- Prohibition on training with graphite smoke.
-- Prohibition on use of smoke w/in 3km along boundary

Ft. Hood:
-- Artillery fire, smoke, & riot control grenades prohibited w/in 100 meters of "core areas" = 46,620 acres

Ft Leonard Wood
-- Certain METL tasks cannot be trained [Ed. METL = Mission Essential Tasks List]

Impact on Training - Example 2

Endangered Species:

Critical Habitat: Designation limits use of maneuver space

Makua Valley: Training Restrictions based on NEPA & Jeopardy Opinion

Ft. Hood: 33% of training land is protected bird habitat
-- no digging; no tree or brush cutting
-- March - Aug dismounted maneuver restricted
-- Site occupations limited to two hours

Ft. Lewis: 72% designated critical habitat for northern spotted owl; no owls on installation [Ed. Do you fucking believe this? Believe it!]

Fts Bragg, Stewart, & Benning: training restrictions due to RCW [Ed. Red Cockaded Woodpecker]

Speaker Notes

Fort Irwin, CA: Critical habitat designation limits use of available maneuver space and prevents Army from training as it will fight.

Since 1992, over 22,000 acres of Fort Irwin has been designated critical habitat for the Desert tortoise and is not available for maneuver training.

In 1985, Army identified a requirement for additional land area at Fort Irwin and began land withdrawal process. The process has been delayed for over 15 years, primarily due to the presence of Desert tortoise (threatened) and Lane Mountain milkvetch (endangered). Congress authorized a 110,000 acre withdrawal on Dec 01 but use of the land is contingent on ESA Section 7 Consultation and NEPA documentation.

Congress has authorized $75 million to acquire and manage additional land exclusively for preservation of Desert tortoise and to mitigate impacts to the tortoise on NTC. (Only after the Army implements this mitigation will we be allowed to use of the 22,000 acres of tortoise CH on Fort Irwin.)

In addition, the Lane Mountain Milkvetch exists on significant portions of NTC and the land expansion – much of it directly in the path of proposed maneuver training corridor. These areas also have the possibility of being designated CH. USFW is currently evaluating what actions need to be taken. Further training restrictions and mitigation requirements are unclear at this point.

Speaker Notes

Based largely on the excellent habitat management programs documented in the Fort Carson Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP), USFWS chose not designate critical habitat for the Mexican Spotted Owl on the installation.

However, a federal district court in Arizona recently decided USFWS' approval of integrated natural resource management plans to provide adequate habitat protection in lieu of "special management considerations" to avoid CH designation is unlawful.

In light of this ruling, USFWS is likely to revisit the decision to exclude owl habitat on Fort Carson.
CH designation could result in additional training restrictions and additional requirements to enter into consultation for actions impacting CH.

Speaker Notes
Endangered Species on Fort Bragg: This slide describes the management requirements associated with Red-cockaded Woodpecker at Fort Bragg, NC. The small inset map illustrates the extent that cavity tree clusters cover Fort Bragg, NC.

-- The Army manages the RCW on 7 major training installations in the southeast. When first managed (1991), the restrictions were very severe and there was no maneuver training allowed within 200 feet around each cavity tree. This amounted to certain areas being taken out of training use. The restrictions introduced unacceptable artificiality to the way units would select their maneuver routes when training for tactical movements, assaulting objectives, and conducting attacks.

-- Through extensive study of the RCW, the Army was able to demonstrate that military maneuver was consistent with species protection. We essentially "proved the negative." The Army accomplished research establishing that military impacts on RCW are not as significant as previously believed. The Army has invested $48 million in RCW management since 1990. The net result of all this effort is that RCW populations have increased on all Army installations, and the restrictions on training have been reduced. This was all accomplished without critical habitat designation.

-- In the future, we hope to eliminate all area restrictions and only protect the trees themselves. This would maximize training realism and continue protection of the species.

The story of Fort Bragg illustrates two basic points:

1. Without balanced and thoughtful application, the requirements of the Endangered Species Act can severely restrict training at Army ranges.

2. The Army can work with regulatory agencies to strike the proper balance and manage resources for military training and species protection without the designation of Critical Habitat.

Impact on Training - Example 3

Cultural Resource Issues

Restrictions on digging defensive positions without cultural resource surveys
- Associated funding issues

Open cultural sites in training areas can impact freedom of maneuver
-- Ft Irwin 3500 acres restricted
-- Areas can't always be seen with night vision devises or thermal sights

Ft. Bliss has over 3,000 cultural sites off-limits to training!!!

Impact on Training - Example 4

Noise Issues

Over Past 5 Years, $60M in Claims Filed, $25M Paid

Problem Centers Around Urban Encroachment

-- Ft. Carson = $3.3M Noise Lawsuit
-- Noise as Training Distracter on USR (Ft. Stewart)
-- Limitations to Blast Type Noise at Night
-- "Quiet Hours" Imposed due to Civilian Complaints
-- Aviation Flight Routes Altered (Ft. Campbell)

Impact on Training – Example 5

UXO and Munitions Constituents
RCRA - CERCLA - CWA
-- SURFACE WATER
-- GROUNDWATER

Ft. Richardson:
Litigation sought to shut down live-fire.
-- Citizen suit under RCRA; CERCLA & CWA
-- Plaintiffs claim firing munitions in tng violates all 3 laws
-- Would impact 172nd Infantry BDE

MMR shut down of training under CERCLA
-- potential contamination of sole source aquifer

End of show

====================================

See also:
When Woodpeckers Rule The World
It's Not Just The Woodpeckers
Enviro-Assault On National Security: A Case Study

MosquitoCam® Exclusive

2006-05-21T18:36:00.000-05:00

Ya'll know that nanotechnology stuff that that ol' boy from Tennessee is always writin' bout?

Well, lemme tell ya I've been payin' attention and spearmintin' and stuff. Yep, I designed me a MosquitoCam® and that's how I can offer you this exclusive MosquitoCam® photo of what happened to Miss Beth this afternoon.

Click on photo to enlarge

Related

The American Thinker: Jesus and Muhammad

2006-05-21T16:38:00.000-05:00

Dr. James Arlandson provides an in-depth look at the differences between Jesus and Muhammad in a 2-part article for The American Thinker.

Jesus and Muhammad: Major Differences (1)

Jesus and Muhammad: Major Differences (2)

He offers 15 differences and discusses each. Below, I extracted the differences (minus the discussion). Click on the links above to read the articles in their entirety.

Some Muslims say that Jesus was a mere human messenger even within Islam—never mind that he lived six hundred years before Islam. He and Muhammad are virtually the same. Both preached peace, but called for the sword when necessary.

But in the final analysis Muhammad is the last and best prophet. He has the better revelation. If only we could see this! So goes the subtle strategy.

However, this list of fifteen differences between Jesus and Muhammad disagrees with this insidious message. The differences between the two are profound.

It is better to be clear than confused. The frequently preached message of Islam washes away clarity about Christianity and whitewashes its own message.

One: Personal sin

One suffered from sin. The other was sinless.

[...]

Two: Confronting Satan

One nervously seeks refuge from Satan. The other had complete confidence and authority.

[...]

Three: Small-scale violence

One killed mockers and enemies. The other rises above such violence.

[...]

Four: Religious freedom

One suppressed it. The other permits it.

[...]

Five: Large-scale Violence

One launched the first Crusade. The other ordains preaching alone.

[...]

Six: Martyrdom

One promises earthly and heavenly rewards for dying in a holy war. The other says his “martyrdom” promises his followers heaven.

[...]

Seven: Wealth

One took it by force. The other resisted this temptation.

Eight: Marriage

One allowed polygamy and had many wives. The other says one man and one woman is best.

[...]

Nine: Dealing with Sexual Sin

One ordered flogging and execution. The other offers forgiveness and restoration.

[...]

Ten: Miracles

One worked no miracles. The other works many of them, even today.

[...]

Eleven: Bible Prophecy

One is not mentioned or prophesied in the Bible. The other fulfills prophecy.

[...]

Twelve: The Spirit

One restricts and confuses the doctrine of the Spirit. The other freely offers the Spirit as a full Person.

[...]

Thirteen: Their Roles and Natures

One is only human. The other is both fully human and fully divine.

[...]

Fourteen: Their deaths

One died of sickness aggravated by poison. The other died on the cross for the sins of the world.

[...]

Fifteen: Occupied Tomb, Empty Tomb

One still lies in his. The other was resurrected.

[...]

Dr. Arlandson teaches introductory philosophy and world religions at a college in southern California. You can find more of his work at Answering Islam. Be sure to read his Why I write hard-hitting articles on Islam.

Diana Irey for Congress

2006-05-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

She's running against Jack Murtha.

Oh hell yeah.

Her website.

Her press conference.

Buying It On Basil Time

2006-05-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

Now young guns, pay attention to this advice that basil is giving away for free [I'd charge ya for it]:

Recently, mentioned that I got a PDA. And, no, the Wife wasn't happy with it. But, with a change in duties at work, I'm having to attend a lot more meetings, and a PDA comes in handy. What with the ability to synchronize with my calendar at work, and transferring documents that I can take with me as needed, and such. Still, the Wife wasn't happy with it. And I knew she wouldn't be happy with it. But I got it anyway.

Also, recently, I got a TiVo. And again, the Wife wasn't happy with it. But I knew she wouldn't be happy with it. Still, I got it anyway.

So, the question is, why would a guy go and buy something he knows he's gonna catch hell about?

Simple. I'm a guy. And that's what guys do.

The trick is knowing that you're going to catch hell about it … and timing things to minimize the effect.

Read on

Just make sure she doesn't read on.

Jack Murtha Is Proof...

2006-05-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

... that serving in Congress can turn even a once-tough, decorated, combat veteran Marine into a pussy.

Or maybe the old man is suffering from senility.

Or both.

Ahmadinejad: Intelligent and Dangerous Foe

2006-05-17T23:29:00.000-05:00

From Robert Ferrigno, the author of Prayers for the Assassin:

I had never heard of Ahmadinejad until he was elected president of Iran in late 2005. Then his speeches started getting international coverage, and it seemed like what he was saying came straight out of the pages of Prayers for the Assassin [ed. linked in the sidebar and here]. He blamed the Jews for everything, threatened to eradicate Israel, and, most interesting to me, he spoke of the imminent return of the Mahdi, the Twelfth Imam and the creation of a Caliphate (a major theme of Prayers) which would dominate the world. Ahmadinejad made it clear that he was willing to use nuclear weapons to achieve his spiritual and political goals. Most of the American press quickly pronounced Ahmadinejad a fool, a nut, a puppet of the Mullahs designed to frighten the gullible. I thought the press and the politicians were wrong then, and I think they’re even more wrong following the release of the 18-page letter Ahmadinejad wrote to president Bush a few weeks ago. Commentators on the left, right and every spot in between have found the letter risible, with Jon Stewart having perhaps the most fun with the flowery language used by Ahmadinejad to address Bush — “As your Excellency is aware…” Funny stuff, to be sure, particularly if you overlook the fact that Persian is a 2,000 year old language with a tradition of poetic imagery. Not to be a buzz-kill, or anything.

Rather than a source of entertainment, I consider Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be the most intelligent and dangerous foe the US faces. Not the Mullahs who currently hold power in Iran, and whose machinations put him in office. My reasons for concern about Ahmadinejad are based on the character and deportment of the man himself, his religious beliefs, and the “true” recipient of the letter ostensibly written to Bush. The common US media portrayal of Ahmadinejad as a grandiose bumpkin and the letter as mere rambling is a dangerous mistake. I would remind those making such assessments that Hitler appeared ridiculous for a long time, a skinny little man with a toothbrush moustache and a look of perpetual constipation. Idi Amin was also considered a buffoon, a late night comic’s easy joke. Ask the dead how funny these men are.

Read it all

Ferrigno's book is a must read. The companion website is awesome.

I Seriously Doubt This Drudge Headline

2006-05-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

BUSH TEAM WANTS PEACE TALKS WITH N KOREA

That it is going to be a New York Times Page One story tomorrow makes it even more suspect.

UPDATE:

Here's the NYT story U.S. Said to Weigh a New Approach on North Korea

Here's my initial take:

1. It's a recommendation from the dithering diplomats at the State Department, not a change in policy.
2. We might talk peace treaty IF North Korea gives up its nukes.

North Korea will view any departure from our current policy as a sign of weakness. Condi needs to get her people by the shorthairs and threaten to fire the next one who discloses internal discussions to the press. This is not a trial balloon from Condi. She's too smart for that. This is from some underling whose self-esteem is so low that he/she needs validation from the NYT.

UPDATE (5/18/06, 5:15pm CDT):

While Matt Drudge realizes that the MSM often use him to pimp a story, he doesn't seem to mind. Sometimes he just throws it up there to see if it'll stick. If he adds the revolving red-blue light, it's a good indication that he thinks the story is huge. If the story turns out to have legs, he will carry it for a couple of days with other reports from Reuters, AP, Breitbart, etc.

But if the story is a dog that won't hunt, Drudge pretty quickly let's it die. Thus, you will now see no trace of late last night's headline on his active page.

I wish he would be more discerning about his headlines and the red-blue light thing, but then he's the one with gazillions of hits a day and I'm just a monk.

RELATED:

From Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough, Inside The Ring, Friday, May 19, 2006:

Kim Jong-Hill

Bush administration officials say Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, a leading advocate of conducting peace talks with North Korea, has gone overboard in taking a conciliatory line on the regime in Pyongyang, as part of an effort to coax the communist regime back to the now-stalled six-part talks on its nuclear program.

One senior administration official said Mr. Hill's pro-North Korea bent has bordered on appeasement. Insiders say they privately are calling the diplomat in charge of the State Department's Asia policy "Kim Jong-Hill," after North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il.

Mr. Hill has sought to block or slow President Bush's tougher posture toward North Korea that includes placing more restrictions on Pyongyang for its illegal activities, including currency counterfeiting, illegal drug trafficking and other sub rosa activities.

Christopher "Kim Jong" Hill

Monk To Marry Mary Katharine Ham

2006-05-12T00:11:00.000-05:00

As soon as she says "Heck Yeah".

And why wouldn't she??

Shush!

So what brought on this Merry Mad Moment®?

This ratchere:

I am all sincerity when I say that my love for limited government is born of compassion. I went to inner-city public schools. As a result, I had a lot of experience with the ins and outs of social programs from an early age. I saw what they did to weaken the family structure--particularly the black family-- which in turn hurt my fellow students' chances of succeeding in school. I saw how the class warfare rhetoric of those who supported such programs was a contributing factor to the sad state of race relations in my city.

I recognized that a public housing program that gave away plaques and held ceremonies for people who had lived in the projects the longest might not be the best way to encourage citizens to take charge of their lives. And, I eventually realized that it was not wrong to wish more for people than a government handout when our country has so much more to offer. Because, from what I saw, the programs that sought to help many of the people I grew up with were the very things that hurt them most of all.

I really, honestly, truly believe that every American citizen and the light of the American spirit has a better chance of surviving and thriving outside the giant, clumsy snuffer the federal government likes to call "assistance."

Yes, people need help sometimes. They need a safety net, but I just think the federal government is very good at saying its helping and not so good at actually helping.

So, why is it so bad at it? I think it's because the federal government is so daggone big! Seriously, no one knows what's going on up here. It's so big that no one even bothers checking to see whether programs are working or not.

Some are pushing an idea-- that Bush, to his credit, has backed in the past-- to form a sunset commission, which would evaluate federal programs, identify the failing and the redundant, and then ask Congress to vote up-or-down on whether those programs should continue to exist. Many folks outside the Beltway would think we probably already do this. It's common sense, right?

Nah! Not in D.C., y'all. As of last year, these were some of the redundancies in the federal government, according to The Heritage Foundation:

- 342 economic development programs
- 130 programs serving the disabled
- 130 programs serving at-risk youth
- 90 early childhood development programs
- 75 programs funding international education, cultural, and training exchange
activities
- 72 federal programs dedicated to assuring safe water
- 50 homeless assistance programs

You think maybe, just maybe, there's something we could cut in there? You think just one or two of those programs might disappear and we wouldn't notice the difference? And, wouldn't improving the efficiency of those programs be good, not only for current and future taxpayers, but for the people the programs serve?

Read it all.

The Next Director of the CIA?

2006-05-08T04:27:00.000-05:00

For the Record:

If it's Mary Margaret Graham... we can kiss reform of the CIA goodbye.

One word best describes Mary Margaret: BUREAUCRAT. Her picture should be next to that word in the dictionary.

I can think of worse choices (David Shedd comes to mind) for Director, Central Intelligence Agency... but not much worse.

We (this nation) need a tough-as-nails leader and an innovative thinker at the CIA if we want to fix what's wrong with that agency. What we do NOT need is a BUREAUCRAT.

I'm not sold on General Mike Hayden. He was a good DIRNSA (Director, National Security Agency), but the CIA is another animal altogether. Some senators on the Senate Select Committee for Intelligence have expressed concern that GEN Hayden would be the wrong pick because he's military. That's not the concern I have.

Military or civilian -- we need someone who will kick ass on BUREAUCRATS and LEAKERS and who will let the clandestine side of the house do what needs to be done to help defeat the Islamists.

===============================

UPDATE: Today, the President nominated General Hayden.

RELATED 5/12/2006:

Jed Babbin talks with Richard Miniter about the CIA

Both of these men know what they're talking about.

Janet Hale, Department of Homeland Security

2006-05-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

Now ain't this a daisy? From Drudge comes this pointer to a Washington Post story that is just ... just ... something:

Prostitution Alleged In Cunningham Case, Investigators Focus on Limo Company

So how does Janet Hale fit into this, Monk? I'm gettin' to that part.

Our tax dollars are paying for a convicted criminal to provide limo service to senior officials of the Department of Homeland Security -- the same limo service that is transporting whores to hook up with congressmen.

Christopher D. Baker, president of Shirlington Limousine and Transportation Inc., has a lengthy criminal record that includes drug possession, attempted petty larceny, attempted robbery and car theft. Christopher D. Baker has had huge financial problems - both personal and business.

The Department of Homeland Security rewarded Mr. Baker with two contracts worth about 25 million dollars.

25 FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS.

Mr. Baker appears to have been the sole bidder for the contract under a government PRO-graaaaaaaaam that LIMITS COMPETITION to businesses in poor neighborhoods. How nice and politically correct!

Janet Hale is the Undersecretary for Management at DHS. She is responsible for budget, appropriations, expenditure of funds, accounting and finance; procurement; human resources and personnel; information technology systems; facilities, property, equipment, and other material resources; and identification and tracking of performance measurements relating to the responsibilities of the Department.

Janet Hale was the person who approved spending 25 FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS of OUR MONEY on a convict who has an extensive criminal history.

How Proud She Must Be

So yeah, I'm pretty pissed off at Janet Hale about that.

But what is just damn near unbelievable is that this involves the Department of Homeland Security -- at a time when we are at war with savages who just a few years ago slaughtered thousands of our fellow citizens. Savages who are NOT done with killing us. Savages who demand that we either convert to their twisted religious ideology or die by the sword of Islam.

How much easier can we make it for the savages of al-Qaeda?! Afterall, they are NOT stupid savages. Hell, just start a limo service in a poor neighborhood and Janet Hale and the Department of Homeland Security will award you 25 FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS to transport their senior officials.

Don't even get me started about why we're paying 25 FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS for limo service.

It's not hard to get our heads around that kind of money when we think of what "only one million dollars" will buy.

For instance, "only one million dollars" will buy about 25 of these:

Hell, Janet, just give me 25 of those bad boys and my retired buddies and I will transport your pathetic asses for free. We all have Special Background Investigations and we are all trained marksmen. What more could you ask for??

And Janet, if you're reading this and take me up on my offer, throw in one of these for the team leader (me):

500 horsepower, 8.3-liter, Viper-powered V-10, fire engine-red, Dodge Ram pickup truck

Selling Out the Security of Our Nation

2006-04-25T00:46:00.000-05:00

I spent 2 decades as an intelligence officer. I have never seen anything remotely close to this present trend of intelligence personnel deliberately leaking/blabbing secrets to the press.

To you sonofabitches who are leaking our national security information, KNOW THIS:

You aren't fit to be in the United States Intelligence Community and you aren't fit to enjoy the freedoms of this country. Your days of freedom are numbered. You are going to be brought to justice. The ongoing investigation of unauthorized disclosures at the CIA is just the tip of the iceberg. Each agency in the US Intelligence Community has been charged with rooting you out.

For those of you who are EVEN thinking about following in the footsteps of the despicable people who disgrace the US Intelligence Community and endanger this country, I want you to think again and think really hard.

The American people will have no sympathy for you. The media might give you your 15 minutes of fame, but beyond that the media ain't got a vote. Your butt-buddy reporter won't be able to help you.

The fine men and women of the USIC who bust their asses day in and day out, 24/7/365, doing their best to help protect us... well, they definitely won't have any sympathy for you for obvious reasons.

We The People are sick and tired of our national security being put at risk by our fellow Americans. We're demanding that our elected leaders take action. A few months ago, a fire was lit under some asses in the White House, the Senate and the House. They are feeling the heat and that's why you leakers (criminals) are starting to feel the heat.

Former and retired members of the USIC can help educate the public. We can get on our soapboxes -- big boxes and small boxes (like this one) -- to get the word out that there is never a good reason for unauthorized disclosure of classified national security information. We need to let the American people know in the plainest words possible that there are procedures in place for intelligence personnel to air their concerns without violating the law and without endangering national security. Going to The Washington Post or The New York Times is not among those procedures.

If an intelligence officer/agent/analyst believes it is necessary to raise an issue, he can go to his boss. If that doesn't work, he can go to his boss's boss and on up the chain. If that doesn't work, he can go to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and/or the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Both committees are made up of Republicans AND Democrats. In other words, he'll find someone to listen ... and he will not be breaking the law or compromising national security.

The United States Intelligence Community is made up of 15 agencies:

- Army Intelligence
- Navy Intelligence
- Marine Corps Intelligence
- Air Force Intelligence
- United States Coast Guard
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Defense Intelligence Agency
- Department of Homeland Security
- Energy Department
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- National Reconnaissance Office
- National Security Agency
- State Department
- Treasury Department

The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is the President's principal advisor for national security intelligence matters and he is the leader/manager of the United States Intelligence Community.

Who is the big boss of all this?

The President of the United States (through his National Security Council)

Who has oversight?

The United States Congress --- specifically:

the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

and

the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

The vast majority of people in the US Intelligence Community are great guys. They work hard to protect us. What they do is very serious business. The USIC is not the Social Security Administration or the Department of Agriculture. That's not a knock on those or other agencies. It's just to say that when mistakes are made in government agencies outside the USIC, the result is usually not disastrous for the nation. It is an unhappy fact that mistakes made by the USIC agencies are, inevitably, paid for in blood.

When USIC people "leak" (the legal and proper term is "disclose without authorization") classified information to the press, they are not making a mistake -- they are very deliberately selling us down the river. They are not only breaking the law; by giving away our nation's secrets, they are endangering our lives. Ultimately, we will pay for their treachery with our blood.

We are at war with ruthless enemies who want to bend us to their will. If our enemies think that slaughtering several million of us will help their cause, they will not hesitate to try. They are savages. Call 'em whatever else you want, but never forget the savagery they have demonstrated time and time again.

Our grandchildren will probably be fighting this war. It's not going away anytime soon. We will be hit again. It's going to happen as surely as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West.

We can't have people in our Intelligence Community making it easier for the savages to kill us.

Giving away our secrets has got to stop. The ones doing it must be caught, prosecuted, and punished -- severely. To the maximum extent of the law.

Related:

Unauthorized Disclosure
Able Danger: Tony Shaffer Talks...and talks and talks and talks
Slaughter Of The Innocents

===========================

Another way of looking at this:

Imagine that 5 years ago a terrible crime was committed against your family. It has haunted you ever since. If you stop too long to think about it, it tears you to pieces. You doubt you will ever get over it. You still grieve. You'll always grieve for her.

After you lost her, you were determined that nothing like that would happen to your family again. You did everything that you knew to do to protect your home and family. You did more than most people do.

When you had your home security system installed, you could barely afford it, but you felt strongly that you couldn't afford not to have it. A friend was there with you as the workers from the security company installed the various sensors and alarms. You confided in him that you weren't sure you could trust these men or anyone else; and he reassured you that you could and should trust these men and their company. He told you about the time when he worked with them...that he trusted them then -- he trusted them with his life -- and that he had no reason not to trust them now.

In addition to your home security system, you raised and trained two German Shepherds whose bloodlines were traced to the best security dogs in the world. You armed yourself with a shotgun, a rifle and several pistols. You made sure you knew how to use them. You and your spouse practiced firing your weapons at least once a week. You had the local police, fire and medical numbers on speed dial on your landline phones as well as your cellphones. You practiced "what if" scenarios. You had a safe room in your house....

Yet now, you wonder if any of that really mattered.

Two weeks ago, your house was burglarized. You and your children were away on vacation. You didn't learn about the burglary from the security company or the local police. You learned about it when you entered your house and reached to disarm the security system only to notice that it was already disarmed -- completely. Even the backup wireless system. Your electricity was off. Your landline phones had been disabled. Your two German Shepherds lay dead in the yard. Your house a wreck. Everything of any value gone.

Today, you learned from the police that they had charged two suspects with the burgalry of your home. That was the good news. The bad news was that police interrogation revealed that the suspects were aided by an employee of your security company -- a disgruntled employee who leaked the details of your security setup to a reporter for your local paper and the paper published the information ... on the internet. It was the same paper that, 5 years ago, covered the ghastly crime against your family -- the rape and murder of your daughter.

Can you imagine how you would feel? what you would want done? what you might want to do to those responsible?

It may not be the best of analogies, but I think it adds perspective.

Microsoft, Your Slip Is Showing (Passion)

2006-03-27T13:43:00.000-06:00

Microsoft recently announced that it's follow-on to Windows XP will ship later than planned. The revamped OS, Vista, is not ready. It won't be ready until 2007.

Some Microsoft employees, specifically the Windows team, are letting the world know what they really think about that slippage.

It's a thing of beauty... their passion, that is. More on that in a moment.

I've been a huge fan of Microsoft for a lot of reasons -- a big one: the people at Microsoft have changed the world. They continue, today, to chart an historical, world-changing course. How many people (outside the United States Armed Forces) can say that? And the change has overwhelmingly been for the better, IMHO.

I've never owned a MacIntosh. I did train on an Apple IIe once upon a time back when I was computer illiterate. My experience with the Apple IIe contributed immeasurably to my "remain computer illiterate and preserve your sanity by staying away from anything with a once-bitten apple thingy on it" attitude.

That attitude stayed with me for another 10 years. I saw my first Mac at about the same time I saw my first Windows-based PC. Somebody was working up briefing charts on a Mac for the monthly training conference. I was sitting nearby doing my charts the old-fashioned way: butcher paper and viewgraphs.

The guy on the Mac was mumbling about how much better Mac's graphical something or other was compared to Windows. It was all Greek to me. His slides sure were pretty, though. That's what I remember mostly... and me thinking, "Damn, that thing's got one of those 'once-bitten apple thingy' logos on it" ... and ... "For an infantry officer, he sure is acting pretty gay about that computer."

And oh yeah, the Commanding General was impressed by the 1st Cavalry Division patch and motto on each and every slide. That Mac guy started a revolution within the headquarters of 1st Cav -- a cheese revolution and by default, a Windows revolution.

The Army had mostly Windows PCs and anyone who wanted their slides to be as pretty as the Mac guy's needed to learn Windows and something called Harvard Graphics (I stuck with my butcher paper and handwritten viewgraphs during this revolution and was promoted to Major anyway). Briefings got so pretty that the mice used to stand around with little signs that read, "Please feed me. 1st Cav stole all the cheese." OK, I didn't actually see the mice holding up signs....

This was also the birth of the Mac vs (Windows-based) PC "war" for me. It bored me to tears back then and still does. Look, they're both great. You fall into one camp or the other mostly because you started out working on one or the other, loved one or the other -- or hated one or the other and switched to one or the other. That's about it, isn't it? Well, that ain't war. That's freedom to choose.

Unless, of course, you work for either Microsoft or Apple... then it's fully macking, thermo-digital, trench warfare.

And this partly explains the passion of the comments you will read on this post at Mini-Microsoft.

Skewering the Microsoft leadership. Calling for heads to roll. Frustration. Disgust. Dark humor. Cynicism. Optimism. Pessimism. Rage. Love. Hate.

Another reason -- big reason -- why the Microsoft commenters are so passionate: They give a damn. Whatever else you may think about their comments, their Give-A-Damn meter is registering in the Green. Sure, it may seem like I've got it ass backwards and they're pegged out in the dreaded Red zone.

I'm sure a few are indeed red-zoning, but what I see mostly are folks who want to to be the best. They want their team to be the best. They are proud people. They are winners. They hate the thought of losing -- in any endeavor... to any person or thing.

The people who work for Microsoft are not only some of the best minds in the computer industry, they give a damn about what they do. That is a good thing.

Whatever leadership/management problems are festering at Microsoft and within the Windows division, specifically (and there do seem to be problems), surely no leader/manager wakes up in the morning saying, "Lemme see how I can fuck up things today". [to which, I imagine, there are some on Mini-Microsoft who would reply, "Yes, they do. And stop calling me Shirley."]

It's more likely that the leadership/management problems can be attributed to the Peter Principle:

"In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence."

In this specific case, one might say that the road to Vista slippage was paved with the good intentions of some incompetent leaders/managers.

In other words, there's nothing broke that can't be fixed with competent leaders. If BillG is reading the comments on that blog, I hope he's not tone deaf. If so, he'll miss the good that I and (I'm sure) others see... and then he'll probably do something stupid like try to go after the blog owner and commenters.

Seems to me that it would be better for Microsoft if its workers felt free to vent on a blog on the company's intranet. Leadership needs this type of honest feedback. The organization would be better for it. And the Mac people would be munching on popcorn while watching "24" DVDs, rather than munching on popcorn while watching Microsoft folks munch on one another.

Meandering Monk Musings

2005-10-12T23:55:00.000-05:00

No, the gators didn't eat me.

I love the blogosphere and blogging, but it has (obviously) not been a priority lately. I left for a short trip to the swamps, then I returned to Bama only to make an unexpected/hurry-up trip back to the swamps.

I know, I know. I could've taken the time to leave a note between trips, but ...... hell, I barely remembered to load up Lizzie for the second trip. It's been kinda hectic, but life's like that at times. If it didn't have its ups and downs, it wouldn't be much of a ride.

I doubt I'll be blogging much in the next couple of weeks, but for the record here are my thoughts on some of the issues of the day:

Israel WILL take out Iran's nuke facilities if we do not. Do not doubt it for a moment.

Ronnie Earl should not be practicing law in the United States of America.

William Bennett probably could have used a better example, but he didn't.

Debra Burlingame is an American hero.

Either Judith Miller is hiding something or she is as dumb as a rock. I've read her stuff for several years and I don't think it's the latter.

Racebaiters such as Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, Charlie Rangel, and Maxine Waters have jumped the shark. Their tactics no longer work. I think most of the country has had more than enough.

Generals Abizaid and Casey said some pretty important things the other day when they testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Did anyone listen?

Why does Mississippi get left out of all the talk about hurricane aftermath? It's New Orleans, New Orleans, New Orleans. Mississippi was hit much worse. Southwest Louisiana got hit worse than New Orleans, too.

It is insane to give billions of dollars to Louisiana politicians. They are corrupt. They have always been corrupt. There is no reason to believe that they won't be corrupt 100 years from now. I say this with the confidence of having lived Louisiana politics up close and personal.

I don't need a law that says it's OK to kill someone before they attempt to kill me. I don't give a fuck what state, nation or continent it is. I'm gonna try my best to be the killer rather than the killee. What about you? So why the fuss over Florida's new law? I'll tell you why: we have too many sissies in this country.

I also don't need a law that says it's OK to shoot at pitbulls that are about to eat kittens. I missed. It was late at night. I was sleepy. My eyes aren't as good as they once were. But I saved the kittens and scared the shit outta the pitbulls ....and the neighbors. A .44 magnum tends to be pretty loud.

The EU wants to share in control of the internet. Piss on the Europeans. Let 'em build their own.

If you didn't watch TV, read a newspaper, or listen to talk radio for a couple of weeks, would you miss anything? Not much. Just like the soap operas. I saw The Young & the Restless for the first time in about 30 years. Guess what? Victor is still tall, dark, handsome, and rich and Nikki is still a vocally appreciative, horizontally accessible, verbally repetitive, light-haired detour off the information super highway.

Muslims in America who don't condemn Islamofascists are not our friends. They are enemies to be dealt with ... now or later.

Saudi Arabia is no friend of the United States. The President and others need to quit saying so.

That woman that President Bush nominated for SCOTUS seems OK to me. If W likes her, I like her. It's certainly stirred up folks. The biggest mistake that I've seen is the manner in which the President and administration officials, to include our beloved First Lady, have defended the decision. It is NOT sexist to be against the woman.

College football season is about at the midway point and ....

Bama is back! Roll Tide!

Hurricane Rita: The Big Shift

2005-09-22T09:28:00.000-05:00

Why you should always keep track of hurricanes:

(Click on photo to enlarge)

470 miles SE of Galveston

Moving West-Northwest at 9 mph

Maximum Sustained Winds: 170mph

Hurricane Force winds extend out to 70 miles

Tropical Storm Force winds extend out to 185 miles

Here she comes

Close up (Click on photo to enlarge)

Is modern-day imagery amazing or what?!

LTG Honoré: Don't Get Stuck On Stupid

2005-09-21T01:22:00.000-05:00

LTG Russell Honoré was on fire yesterday and he lit up the news media in classic Honoré fashion.

Radio Blogger has the transcript and The Political Teen has the video.

It's a beautiful thang. So much so that it inspired me:

Music Takes Me There

2005-09-14T10:35:00.000-05:00

I have almost always been excited to go to the swamps -- filled with anticipation of seeing family and friends. Didn't matter whether I was only 60 miles away or 6,000.

Even as a college freshman, I'd get excited on Friday waiting for my brother -- who attended school down the road at our archrival -- to pull up in that arrest-me red '68 Torino. Homeward bound, windows down, volume up -- flying down the road, mis-hearing Manfred Mann singing "Blinded By The Light" (For the record, it was "Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night", not "wrapped up like a douche, you know they run her in the night").

Autumn's in the air as I get ready to head for the swamps and I was thinking back on those particular days gone by ... and the music that took us home.

Guess who just got back today
Them wild-eyed boys that'd been away
Haven't changed, had much to say
But man, I still think them cats are crazy
They were askin' if you were around
How you was, where you could be found
Told them you were livin' downtown
Drivin' all the old men crazy

Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man

I was a willow last night in my dream
I bent down over a clear running stream
Sang you the song that I heard up above
And you kept me alive with your sweet flowing love

Winter nights we sang in tune
Played inside the months of moon
"Never think of never..let this spell last forever"
Well, summer lover passed to fall
tried to realize it all
Mama says she's worried..growing up in a hurry

Well, woke up this morning with a wine glass in my hand
Whose wine? What wine? Where the hell did I dine?
Must have been a dream I don't believe where I've been
Come on, let's do it again

Love of two is one
Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared...saying don't be afraid
Come on baby...

Every time when I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone
it went by, like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way
Everybody's got the dues in life to pay

I know nobody knows
where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win

Bye, bye, its been a sweet love
Though this feeling I can't change
But please don't take it badly
'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame
But, if I stayed here with you girl
Things just couldn't be the same

Big Jim's been drinkin' whiskey
And playing poker on a losin' night
Pretty soon, Big Jim starts a thinkin'
Somebody been cheatin' and lyin'
So Big Jim commences to fightin'
I wouldn't tell you no lie
And Big Jim done grab his pistol
Shot his friend right between the eyes

So many people have come and gone
Their faces fade as the years go by
Yet I still recall as I wander on
As clear as the sun in the summer sky

I see my Marianne walkin' away

I, I love the colorful clothes she wears
And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair
I hear the sound of a gentle word
On the wind that lifts her perfume through the air

I want you, the right way
I want you, but I want you to want me too
I want you to want me, baby
Just like I want you

She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is the darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless

All your life you've never seen
A woman - taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?

Now here you go again
You say you want your freedom
Well who am I to keep you down
It's only right that you should
Play the way you feel it
But listen carefully to the sound
Of your loneliness
Like a heartbeat...drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering what you had
And what you lost...
And what you had...
And what you lost

Loving you
Isn't the right thing to do
How can I ever change things
That I feel

If I could
Maybe I'd give you my world
How can I
When you won't take it from me

Billy Mack is a detective down in Texas
You know he knows just exactly what the facts is
He ain't gonna let those two escape justice
He makes his livin' off of the people's taxes
Bobbie Sue, whoa, whoa, she slipped away
Billy Joe caught up to her the very next day
They got the money, hey
You know they got away
They headed down south and they're still running today

You don't know me but I'm your brother
I was raised here in this living hell
You don't know my kind in your world
Fairly soon the time will tell

You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see

From here I can feel your heartbeat
Oh you got me all wrong
You ain't got no worry
You just been lonely too long

I know what it means to hide your heart
From a long time ago

Why'd you tell me this?
Were you looking for my reaction?
What do you need to know?
Don't you know I'll always be your girl?
You don't have to prove to me you're beautiful to strangers
I've got loving eyes of my own
(You belong to me)
Tell her, tell her you were fooling
(You belong to me)
You don't even know her
(You belong to me)
Tell her that I love you
(You belong to meeeeeeeeeeee)

Stay away from my window
Stay away from my backdoor too
Disconnect the telephone line
Relax baby and draw that blind
Kick off your shoes, and sit right down
Loosen up that pretty French gown
Let me pour ya a good long drink
Ooh, baby don't you hesitate
'cause
Tonight's the night
It's gonna be alright

Flash light
Red light
Neon light
Ooh, stop light

She really gets me high (Bam-ba-Lam)
You know that's no lie (Bam-ba-Lam)
She's so rock steady (Bam-ba-Lam)
And she's always ready (Bam-ba-Lam)

It's alright if you love me
It's alright if you don't
I'm not afraid of you runnin' away honey
I've got this feeling you won't

Say there ain't no use in pretending
Your eyes give you away
Something inside you is feeling like I do
We said all there is to say

I've seen it before
It happens all the time
Closing the door
You leave the world behind
You're digging for gold
Yet throwing away
A fortune in feelings
But someday you'll pay

So baby let's sell your diamond ring
Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away
This coat and tie is chokin' me
And in your high society you cry all day

I've seen your picture
Your name in lights above it
This is your big debut
It's like a dream come true
And when you smile for the camera
I know they're gonna love it

I like your pin shot
I keep it with your letter
Done up in blueprint blue
It sure looks good on you
So won't you smile for the camera
I know I'll love you better

No one told me about her, the way she lied
Well, no one told me about her, how many people cried
But it's too late to say you're sorry
How would I know, why should I care?
Please don't bother tryin' to find her
she's not there

Beyond the Palace, hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you, Wendy, on the streets tonight
In an everlasting kiss

Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back
to the place I was before
"Relax" said the nightman
We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
but you can never leave

==========

And with that, I'm outta here.

Gators With A Sense Of Humor

2005-09-14T10:12:00.000-05:00

(Click on photo to enlarge)

========================================

UPDATE:

Truly a dark day on Black Bayou . . .

Not A Desperate Housewife: Blogging For Cody

2005-09-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Stacy, aka Not A Desperate Housewife, is devoting this week to her late-nephew, Cody.

4 years ago, Cody and seven of his friends were killed by a drunk driver.

Stacy shares her soul:

I was there the day he was born, June 30, 1980. I was so proud, I was an aunt. I remember our drive up to Wheatland, Wyoming vividly that day. It was beautiful and upon our arrival, he was there. So perfect, so exciting for my 11 year-old self. I gushed with emotion knowing that this was a spectacular chapter in life. Cody was the first grandchild born on both sides so he was special to many. I remember watching my eldest sister hold her baby and it was the first real example of mother and baby I had ever acknowledged.

In the coming years we often drove up to Wyoming to see them or they would come down to Denver to visit us. I watched this baby grow and felt more of a sibling attachment to him rather than aunt/nephew.

This was a boy that I loved dearly, he grew to be a spectacular young man. In the coming days I will tell you of his great accomplishments in his short 21 years.

More

The Gray Tie: Bush Hates White Woman

2005-09-13T03:27:00.000-05:00

Don't miss The Gray Tie's latest. She rocks!

It's Bush's fault that I am all alone these days. You see, Bush hates me. He hasn't come down here to give his obligatory photo-op with me, he hasn't come down here to hold my children, or to pinch their rosy and innocent cheeks while giving the thumbs up to the camera crew. Bush hasn't sent anyone down here on his behalf to see how we are getting along and to hand over a $2,000 debit card with which I can purchase $800.00 Louis Vuitton handbags. He really must hate me.

President Bush most certainly did not come down here before I was widowed to make sure that I had everything arranged and in place, like wills and insurance and papers in order, and to help prepare me for the awful, chilling and unsettling, but inevitable fate that was awaiting me. Bush hates me and it's all his fault.

Read it all, of course

Korea: Anti-American Riots

2005-09-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

Protestors clashing with riot police is nothing new in South Korea. It's been going on for 20 years. What is changing is the tone of the protests. They're becoming more and more anti-American.

Police block rioters brandishing bamboo sticks from approaching a statue of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur in Incheon's Freedom Park on Sunday.

When I see things like this, my first reaction is: Fuck 'em. Let's pull out and see how they like life under Kim Jong Il, the "dear" leader of North Korea.

Nice, huh?

But then I cool off. The anti-U.S. protestors don't represent the views of most South Koreans -- just as the anti-U.S. protestors here in the USA don't represent the views of most Americans.

Still, it's yet another example of some mighty damn ungrateful people.

And to add even more insult, the protest took place on September 11th.

From The Chosun:

Dozens were injured when groups calling for the removal of a statue of U.S. general Douglas MacArthur clashed with police in Incheon's Freedom Park on Sunday. The clashes came four days ahead of the 55th anniversary of the Incheon Landing of UN forces led by MacArthur that marked a turning point in the Korean War.

Some 4,000 members of progressive groups who had gathered in Sungeui Stadium in Incheon's Nam-gu started marching on the park at 1 p.m. to demand the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Korea and the removal of the monument to the U.S. general from Freedom Park. They arrived at the park around 4 p.m.

[...]

Participants tried to approach the statue wielding metal pipes and long bamboo poles and throwing eggs at riot police who had sealed off the area. When the protesters started slinging mud, police fought back brandishing shields, clubs and fire extinguishers. The clash soon descended into chaos, with both sides hurling stones that left many injured.

Some 20 of the protestors, including outspoken academic Park Beom-su of Kyung Hee University, were injured by stones thrown by police, and dozens of police sustained injuries in attacks with blunt instruments by the demonstrators.

September 11th: Four Years Ago Today

2005-09-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

We will never forget what happened to us on that September day.

There were many heroes that day. Here is just one of them:

You can read more about Rick Rescorla here.

Meantime Down At The Barbershop

2005-09-10T19:10:00.000-05:00

On a Saturday when Auburn is playing Mississippi State (Auburn 28 Miss St 0) and Alabama is playing Southern Mississippi, the talk was about 90% Katrina and about 10% football. 2 weeks after Katrina hit.

To anybody who knows anything about football season in Alabama, that is a good measure of Katrina's transcendency.

There were a couple of moments of note that had nothing to do with Katrina or football.

One involved Laura, but she made me promise not to blog about how all of us saw more than we were meant to see when she and her little boy jumped up to cheer an Auburn touchdown and her dear son lifted her skirt in celebration. Man, I mean he hiked it up high!

The other involved Max. Max did something really dumb.

There was this feller that pulled up in a pickup truck and in the back of that pickup truck was a dog the size of a shetland pony. Everyone was commenting on the size of that dog and how nobody would mess with that feller's truck or his dog.

Max, always one to stand out in a crowd (if not blessed with an abundance of common sense), says "I'm a-gonna go pet that puppy". To which Vern drawled, "Nice knowin' ya."

Well, Max ambles over to the back of that truck and proceeds to pet "that puppy" (a great big Great Dane).

Nothing happens. "That puppy" lets Max pet him.

Then Max takes a step back and turns to us with a big shit-eatin' grin on his face, as if to say, "See thar, tolt ya!"

When Max turns back toward the truck and takes a step forward to pet "that puppy" some more, "that puppy" put his mouth firmly over Max's head.

It was a Kodak moment.

"That puppy" let go of Max after a time (probably about 5 seconds) and Max staggered back toward the barbershop, blood trickling down the side of his face.

Yet another Kodak moment.

Vern did a "I told ya so". Max sheepishly replied, "Weren't the dawg's fault. I strayed into his space."

"Strayed?!", Vern shot back.

Something about the way Vern said that and the look on Max's face brought down the house.

Max was last seen making a wide berth around that truck with "that puppy", as he held his head with one hand and fished for his car keys with the other.

The talk then turned to the inadvisability of "straying" into a big dog's space . . .

Crystal People

2005-09-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

I live near the Gulf. I've stayed for Ivan and Katrina. Will I stay for others? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't take them lightly. I prepare. I can take care of myself. I don't depend on anyone.

I can live for weeks without "power" and without "hot meals" and without "clean water" (that's what iodine tablets are for).

When a hurricane comes, I can leave if I choose to. If the truck breaks down and it means walking, no problem. I've got a rucksack and I've got legs. I can probably out-walk most 20-somethings. I have a tent. It's strapped to the rucksack. It's my version of a "mobile home". I can live outside in all climates from the tropics to the tundra to the desert to the mountains to the oceans (white with foam). I'm OK with rain, sleet, snow, mud, dirt, sand, etc. And I have a .44 Magnum with lots of ammunition for anyone who fancies unburdening me of rucksack/"mobile home".

So if you see me on a rooftop or telephone pole surrounded by raging flood waters (not likely), don't cry for me; laugh at me. If you see my body floating on said flood waters, don't cry for me -- just shake your head.

I'm an American. I have the freedom to choose. I love freedom. I have great respect for freedom.

What I have no respect for are Crystal People. You know the ones. They're fine and dandy. You can see right through them. They shatter easily under pressure.

Crystal People want to be in charge. They want to run things, but they don't know how. They know very little about the things they want to run.

Crystal People will fuck up a wet dream.

We've got a lot of Crystal People in this country. The MSM is full of them, so is the Left -- and to be fair, the Right has its share.

99% of them wouldn't know hardship if it jumped up and bit them in the ass. You want hardship? Try Mexico or El Salvador or Honduras or any country in Central or South America. And that's just in this hemisphere.

To too many Americans, hardship is what the Crystal People tell them it is -- which usually means doing without ANYthing for ANY length of time.

Our grandparents and great-grandparents would laugh at the Crystal People -- or just shake their heads in disgust.

Crystal People think they know best. They're pretty quick to tell you so. Crystal People actually don't know anything worth knowing.

When Crystal People are in charge of the store, dependency is what they sell. Someone else will do it for you. You don't have to worry. You don't have to think for yourself. If you need to go from point 'A' to point 'B', Crystal People will tell you when, where, and how.

A lot of folks are more than willing to buy what Crystal People sell.

The problem with that is that Crystal People sell bullshit. And it is exposed as the bullshit that it is when disaster strikes. That's also about the time that Crystal People get that pig-staring-at-a-wristwatch look ... then they shatter and cry on national television and/or look for others to blame, while trying to cover their asses like a three-legged cat trying to cover shit on a frozen pond.

Most of the people who stayed behind in New Orleans were mentally and physically fit. They didn't have to be where they were when Katrina hit. They purchased tickets to be there from the Crystal People.

How long does it take to walk to higher ground? Not very long. What? A couple of hours of walking is hardship? Bullshit.

Didn't bring food and water with you because you depended on Crystal People to do it for you? Bullshit.

Decided to stay behind, but did not prepare because Crystal People would take care of you? Bullshit.

Think you are too poor to prepare? Bullshit.

Think you are right to lash out at the nation because your pathetic ass didn't prepare? Bullshit.

Then we have those who are truly not able to help themselves, but that distinction is lost on Crystal People.

The temporary shelters should have been used for the sick/elderly/disabled. The buses should have been used for the sick/elderly/disabled. Well, we now know the buses weren't used at all. And that's no surprise when you have Crystal People in charge.

I've got an emergency evacuation plan for New Orleans: If you can walk to the buses, KEEP WALKING, fucker -- the buses are for the sick, elderly and disabled. If you can walk to the Convention Center, KEEP WALKING, fucker -- this is not your shelter.

And an emergency security plan: Police WILL shoot (to kill) murderers, rapists, shooters, and looters. Police officers who desert WILL be prosecuted (don't have a law for this? write one). See how they like being buttboy at Angola.

In the early hours of a disaster, government can't do much more than what it should do -- take care of the ones who cannot take care of themselves.

If you are not sick/elderly/disabled, you take care of yourself. Be prepared to "rough it" for a few days.

Help will come. It always does. This is America. Live like you belong. Live like an American, not as a pathetic ward of the Crystal People.

Taking A Break ... but not yet

2005-09-09T11:10:00.000-05:00

I'll be off to Louisiana this weekend ... going thru southern Mississippi -- Lucedale, Hattiesburg, Columbia, McComb -- on my way. Had planned to leave today. Looks like Saturday or Sunday and back Tuesday or Wednesday.

~~I'm too pissed off about the post-Katrina politics to blog, anyway.~~.

Katrina Relief: Coonhunters For Christ

2005-09-07T13:25:00.000-05:00

Fellow Jerry Clower fans can just imagine Uncle Versie and Aunt Pet Ledbetter loading up Marcel, Ardell, Raynell, Burnell, Lanell, W.L., Udell, Odell, Claude, Newgene, and Clovis in the truck and a-headin' down the road to Janice.

Coonhunters For Christ Answer Call For Help:

JANICE - Food was running low in this Perry County community, so the Rev. Dean Cook turned to a reliable source for help - his fellow board members with Coonhunters for Christ.

It didn't take much, Cook said, for the nonprofit group to come through. A phone call to Tennessee, a few postings on the Internet and before long a 40-foot trailer was on the way with clothes, canned goods and diapers.

"A lot of people were worrying about red tape," Cook said of the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina. "Our spontaneous action helped us reach people quicker."

The members of Janice Baptist Church, where Cook is pastor, turned their sanctuary into a food pantry in the days after the hurricane. Glass jars of baby food were neatly stacked on the wooden pews alongside razors, shampoo, socks, ibuprofen and toothpaste. And, of course, plenty of Bibles.

As rural Perry County residents watched their water and food dwindle in the days after the hurricane, members of the church stepped up to fill the void.

"We couldn't get anything out of our politicians," said Bob Goolsby, director of missions for the Perry County Baptist Association. "So we started making phone calls."

The result was so successful that, according to Cook, the church has started shipping some of its own donated food to a kitchen run by the American Red Cross in Wiggins. About 300 gallons of vegetables were taken there over the weekend, he said, and more food was headed to Wiggins on Tuesday. In return, the Red Cross has sent meals ready to eat up to Janice.

Officials at the church said the rural area also has received help from the Janice Volunteer Fire Department, and from the Perry County Sheriff's Department.

BTW, you can get your

bumper sticker ... here.

Tammy, Tammy, Tammy

2005-09-07T00:15:00.000-05:00

It helps to keep a sense of humor. Tammy made me laugh with this one.

Katrina Relief: Ouachita Parish Officials Say No To Thugs

2005-09-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

The word from folks in Baton Rouge is that BR Town will never be the same because of the thugs showing up from New Orleans. Baton Rouge already had a significant crime problem. It will probably get much worse. Same for Shreveport.

Ouachita Parish is smart to get out in front of this problem.

From The News-Star:

As the chief law enforcement officer in Ouachita Parish, Sheriff Richard Fewell on Friday declared that the parish "could not and would not" accept buses filled with hurricane evacuees who supposedly raped, robbed and looted in the New Orleans Superdome.

"I don't want people who live here all the time to be the victims of the thugs coming out of New Orleans," Fewell said.

Fewell said his decision was a proactive measure to prevent the criminal activity that's occurring with evacuees in other parishes but emphasized that those in desperate need would still receive help.

The announcement came after rumors circulated throughout the day about whom and how many people would arrive at the Red Cross shelter at the Monroe Civic Center that has been set up to accommodate evacuees from Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast on Monday.

Law enforcement officials received conflicting reports. The first report was that 50 busloads of 40 people each were en route to Monroe from New Orleans. The second report was that 16 busloads of the elderly and infirm would arrive in Monroe for medical care.

Capt. Don McDonald, Louisiana State Police Troop F commander, confirmed that while they were initially told to prepare to escort 50 buses into the parish, that group had been diverted.

Local law enforcement officials, already stretched thin because of sending officers to southern Louisiana and increased security at the Civic Center, said they simply could not handle thousands more people.

At an afternoon new conference attended by officials from throughout northeastern Louisiana, including state legislators, members of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, West Monroe Mayor Dave Norris and elected officials from outlying parishes, Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Kim Golden affirmed what Fewell had said.

"The decision has been made that the renegade buses can be denied access," Golden said. "The only evacuees that will be considered will be sick, elderly and medical.

"We want to help everyone, but our first commitment is to our own citizens."

Katrina Relief: Calling in the Cavalry and the Airborne and the Marines

2005-09-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

Notes from Defense Department Briefing on Ongoing DoD Response to Hurricane Katrina, Lieutenant General Joseph Inge, deputy commander, U.S. Northern Command, Saturday, September 3, 2005

Lieutenant General Joseph R. Inge

[LTG Inge is one of the finest officers I've ever known. He is a soldier's soldier and a soldier's general. He has commanded at almost every level of the Army. He's Airborne/Ranger/Special Forces-qualified and ... he is still very proud of the Blue Ribbons his calves earned at the Virginia State Fair when he was a teenager]

Enormous effort underway to save lives, restore order, and begin what will be the greatest disaster recovery effort in our nation's history.

First and foremost concerns continues to be the immediate rescue effort.

- have reached thousands of Americans stranded on rooftops or trapped on islands or on solid footing

- will continue to scour the countryside and communities for those who might yet remain

- will continue until we are confident that every person in dire straits has been located

- large amounts of resources flowing into the area – food, water and medical supplies along with people --a heroic effort by any standard or measure. It will continue as long as is necessary.

U.S. Northern Command leads the DoD relief effort; great young Americans working around the clock to support the relief effort.

5,000 Active Duty troops on the ground and approximately 15,000 National Guardsmen. More are moving to the area.

- 20 million MRE meals are being delivered -- in the pipeline flowing there.
- tons of water.
- huge amounts of medical and logistics.

This effort will continue until it is no longer needed.

Will establish a safe and secure environment for those Americans affected by the disaster.

We place at the ready some of our nation's most capable military:

– 82nd Airborne Division: 2,500 paratroopers
- 1st Cavalry Division: 2,700 cavalry troopers
- 1st Marine Division: 1,000 marines
- 2nd Marine Division: 1,000 marines

The first wave of these troops will flow into the New Orleans area. Their purpose is to contribute to the effort to bring about a more stable environment, and to assist in disaster relief.

These are Title 10 [Active Duty] forces. They will not take on a law enforcement role, nor have they been directed in any way to do so. They will provide security. They will relieve National Guard guys to do law enforcement.

Their main effort will be providing relief to suffering people so that any type of thing that smacks of law enforcement can be done by the National Guard.

Active Duty forces will have standard rules of engagement for use of force:

- the right of self protection

- the right and authority to act should they witness an event that could cause loss of human life

In general, Active Duty troops will provide humanitarian assistance and the National Guard will handle any looting and rioting.

The main part of the Active Duty force will be on the ground within next 72 hours.

- 82nd Airborne troops should be on the ground by mid-afternoon [Saturday, Sept 3).

- 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, will be on the ground within the next 48 hours.

- Marines will be on the ground within 48-72 hours.

Katrina Relief: The Engineering Challenge

2005-09-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

Notes from Defense Department Special Briefing on Efforts to Mitigate Infrastructure Damage from Hurricane Katrina:

Lieutenant General Carl Strock, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, gave a brief rundown of what the corps has been doing and what some of the plans are to mitigate the infrastructure damage from Hurricane Katrina.

The Corps of Engineers is involved in 3 ways:

1. Support of FEMA under the National Response Plan: provide one of the emergency support functions called public works -- do debris removal, provide ice, water, emergency power, temporary shelter, fix roofs; provide command and control facilities and basically whatever else is needed in the area of public works.

2. As an agency of the federal government responsibile for civil works: restore deep draft navigation and fight flooding outside of the FEMA authorities.

3. Support of Joint Task Force Katrina: ensure the right kind of Army engineers flow forward to help LTG Honoré (Commander, JTF-Katrina). Ensure the Army Corps of Engineers, which is principally civilians, about 34,000 civilians, is made available to LTG Honoré in his military support to the effort.

Situation in New Orleans: 2 breaches in the levees on the Lake Pontchartrain side. Water levels in the city have stabilized. Not expected to rise. Some fluctuation based on the tidal influence from Lake Pontchartrain, but essentially the flooding has stabilized and the task at hand now is to drain the city and create the conditions where recovery can begin to take place.

Threefold approach:

1. Land. Work with the city, FEMA and other agencies to move construction equipment to the site by building causeways from dry land out to the site of the breach.

2. Water. Access to the area by water is difficult. Bridges across canals where the breaches are located cannot be lifted. No power. No direct water access to the breach point.

- Trying to seal off the mouth of the canal where it empties into the lake -- ongoing, very good progress.

- Once canals are closed, actual work on the levees will begin.

- Not critical right now, but storms are forming up in the Atlantic. Want to make sure levees are not open with another storm front approaching.

3. Aerial. Very limited aviation assets. Rotary wing is what is needed to put material into the breaches -- the very asset needed to do search-and-rescue and save victims.

- Dropping 300-pound sandbags in. Have the ability to do 2000-pound bags and larger. Sufficient quantity on hand.

Next task is to de-water the city. Will breach levees on the Lake Pontchartrain side and let gravity take control to move the water out to sea -- most effective and efficient way.

How long will it take? Dependent on the size of the breaches the engineers make in the levee. A small breach takes longer to drain. The larger the breach the more vulnerable you are to other events. Must be very careful about how the dewatering operation is done.

As that begins, engineers will go back in and work on the pumping stations. When the pumping kicks in, that will complete the process. Then the levees will be closed and that should create the conditions for recovery to begin.

Navigation. Closed from Mobile to west of New Orleans.

- Gulf Intercoastal Waterway is open except for about a 10-mile stretch. Anticipate that it will be completely open soon.

- The channel from Baton Rouge to the sea buoy outside of New Orleans has been surveyed and found free of obstructions. Can move vessels in and out of New Orleans.

- Challenge is the navigation aides. Working with the NOAA Navigation Response Teams and the U.S. Coast Guard to reestablish aides to navigation -- buoys that can be seen by the navigators and pilots as they move back through.

- Will not be able to do night operations for some time to come.

- River pilots have to actually run the river themselves and assure themselves that they understand the situation before they'll bring vessels in and out of the port.

- Working in a similar fashion at all the ports from New Orleans to Mobile, to survey the ports and then get them open as quickly as possible.

Addresses a couple of points that have been in the press lately.

- Engineers have done everything they can to protect New Orleans and to respond to a disaster like this.

- A higher rate of funding for flood protection projects would not have stopped the disaster.

3 main projects are being worked in the New Orleans area. Since 2002, Army Corps of Engineers have contributed more than $300 million to these projects:

1. work on the shores of Lake Ponchatrain
2. Southeast Louisiana or SELA project, which is focused on work inside the levees and protecting the system from flooding and restoring drainage
3. the west bank projects on the other side of the river

(Click on photo to enlarge)

New Orleans is protected by a series of 13 levees, over 300 miles of levee.

Red = significant flooding, levee breaks
Green = minor flooding.

Multiple parishes involved here; not just Orleans and Jefferson Parish.

Could this have been avoided? Levees were designed to protect from a Category 3 hurricane. Intensity of Katrina exceeded the design capacity of the levee.

Why Category 3 and not 4 and 5?

Design was based on engineering assessment/risk assessment. Project was designed about 30 years ago. It was based on a 200 or 300-year level of protection -- i.e. Category 3 might be exceeded every 200 or 300 years. That is a .5 percent likelihood. So, a 99.5 percent assurance that design would be OK. Unfortunately, the .5 percent happened.

Bottom line: Army Corps of Engineers and local officials knew the capacity of the levee system, and that is exactly why the mayor and the governor ordered the evacuation of New Orleans, because they knew that if a Category 4 or 5 hurricane were to strike New Orleans, that this levee system could not be relied upon. Had they not done that, the losses could have been even more significant.

Q&A with the "Blame President Bush/Blame America" Mainstream Media. It's rather long. You can read it at the link. I really liked LTG Strock's answer to this question:

Q: Were you surprised when it happened. I mean --

LTG STROCK: Was I surprised when it happened?

Q: Yeah.

LTG STROCK: You know, I really don't express surprise in my business. We look ahead at what we think is coming. We try to prepare for it, and then we respond to it. We don't sit around and say, "Gee whiz"; we get to work, roll up our sleeves and go to work.

Katrina Relief: For Kids

2005-09-03T00:59:00.000-05:00

If you live in the South, you most likely will have Katrina refugees near you.

Jett [All blogged up and nowhere to go] Superior shows us a way to help:

Katrina Kids Relief

Jett Superior is awesome!

Alright now, you corporate readers out there...I know you're there. Sitemeter tells me so. Jett's idea is something that everyone should want to sponsor. Shoot an email to your PR dudes. You can be proud that it was you that got your company involved.

[that's right, you House and Senate staffers, I know about you, too -- why don't you guys ever comment? hmmmm? Now that I think about it, your bosses would actually look good on C-SPAN (a rare thing) sponsoring a resolution supporting the Katrina Kids Relief effort]

Let's spread the word and the toys.

A few words from Jett (read more here):

What I want to address is a purely psychological need, a comfort need. I want to put some toys in the hands of kids that don't have anything to their names. I know, as a parent, if I have five bucks in my pocket, I will spend it on my children ninety-five point nine percent of the time before I spend it on myself. Just about every parent does that. It hurts when our children have to do without. It's distressing.

There are one-hundred fifty children down the road from me with NOTHING. There are likely, by all accounts, more coming up from down south. I plan on going to the local KBtoys and purchasing a veritable assload of twenty-dollar gift cards. I want to supply each child sitting in that convention hall a gift card. Then I want to load them and their parents up and take them shopping so that they can purchase whatever their heart desires for them to clench in their chubby little fists. I've already collected six-hundred dollars locally with just a few phone calls. I've lined up transportation so that I can take six to eight families at one time to shop.

The benefit of all this is threefold: Some of the Katrina Kids will have something to hang onto physically and anchor them, their parents will not be hard-pressed to spend funds that could go elsewhere, and maybe their children will be occupied/distracted enough with their toy(s) to give mom and/or dad a wee bit of a break.

Let's call this Katrina Kids Relief. If there is anyone who reads this and wants to pull a logo button out from their magical digital hats, I'd sure appreciate it, as I am a technotard of the highest order. If things get big enough (and they CAN, if you link and write and spread the word!), I'll maybe set up a seperate site and think of branching off into other areas of Katrina Kids' needs.

Katrina Relief: Beth Is Back

2005-09-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

Which Beth?

This Beth:

Now I'll warn you. I have more to say that's not so nice. Some of those fuckers in New Orleans have put a damper on my feelings of charity. If it weren't for the fact that the VAST majority of people did evacuate and the fact that I have blood in Mississippi, I might be a tightwad about this whole thing because of the absolute mayhem and BULLSHIT those looter animals are doing during a crisis. I've never been so disgusted in my life. And NO, obviously I'm not talking about those people who are taking food and water/drinks, I'm talking about the assholes with the Nikes and TVs and racks of clothes and toys from everywhere…not to mention the looted pawn shops, liquor stores, etc. etc. etc. Those vile scum are an embarrassment to AMERICA, not just New Orleans; the whole world sees this stuff happening. How many people do you think might see that insanity and say "I'm not helping them"?

I'm also mad as hell about the people who DID NOT evacuate, and instead of being thankful that they're alive, they're bitching about not being taken care of fast enough. Guess what: most of them didn't have to be in that situation. Furthermore, there's still a rescue effort ongoing for those people–some of those who have already been rescued or escaped death are just going to have to accept responsibility and deal with the consequences–which means wait until everyone is safe that can be saved. I know people are busting their asses to save every life they can; no one is slacking off. And then you have people attacking and shooting at helicopters and vehicles that are supposed to help them evacuate now? What. The. Fuck. I know they're desperate to leave, but I'll say again, what the fuck?! I know I'll be vilified for saying so, but I have little sympathy for the people that refused to evacuate, knowing that a Category 4/5 hurricane was headed straight for them. "Oh, we made it through Betsy/Camille so we thought we'd be OK." Stock up the cooler with beers and "ride it out." Stupid fuckers. That's just stupid, stupid, stupid. I know there are some who couldn't for one reason or another, but even so, I distinctly remember hearing on TV that people were being taken out of New Orleans and elsewhere via bus or train if they had no transportation. And they DID have the Superdome, which was probably the worst possible way of evacuating, but it's better than sitting on a roof with no food or water, waiting for a Coast Guard chopper–or dying. Worst of all, those people with CHILDREN that didn't evacuate. They ought to be locked up in jail for child endangerment. Period. I know it can be expensive to evacuate, but it doesn't HAVE to be that way. There were places who offered shelter in Baton Rouge, Jackson, and elsewhere. And I have the most scorn for those who had no excuse (i.e. illness, disability, no money)–rescuers had to risk their lives to take care of those fools when the sick and infirm should honestly have been the first ones helped. I thought I was going to puke when on Monday night, I saw on Fox News that there were people partying on Bourbon Street, dancing around Shepard Smith. Meanwhile, there are STILL people in hospitals in New Orleans, with generators draining diesel for their last gasps of life.

You'll want to read it all

Katrina Relief: The Interdictor

2005-09-02T09:53:00.000-05:00

The Interdictor is a former soldier holding down the fort in New Orleans and . . .

"Fighting for the preservation of civilization against the barbarian hordes."

Sample of dispatches:

Wednesday, August 31st, 2005

4:23 pm

Ok, we went down to the ground floors to lock down the building tight since a couple of people holed up with us took off. While we were down there we surveyed a huge area of the CBD.

Flooding in the CBD: Poydras is flooded from near the west side of the Superdome down to Baronne street. All of the side streets are flooded too down that way. Baronne is the last flooded street as you head to the river. Poydras is clear from Baronne to the river.

There is no water that we could see from Poydras to the interstate starting at Baronne and going all the way to the river. Headed toward Canal St. from Poydras, I saw no flooding at all from just past Baronne to the river. That's a huge area of the CBD without water on the streets. That's way better than the warnings we got.

Looting: The police are looting. This has been confirmed by several independent sources. Some of the looting might be "legitimate" in as much as that word has any meaning in this context. They have broken into ATMs and safes: confirmed. We have eyewitnesses to this. They have taken dozens of SUVs from dealerships ostensibly for official use. They have also looted gun stores and pawn shops for all the small arms, supposedly to prevent "criminals" from doing so. But who knows their true intentions. We have an inside source in the NOPD who says that command and control is in chaos. He reports that command lapses more than 24 hours between check-ins, and that most of the force are "like deer in the headlights." NOPD already had a reputation for corruption, but I am telling you now that the people we've been talking to say they are not recognizing the NOPD as a legitimate authority anymore, since cops have been seen looting in Walmarts and forcing people out of stores so they could back up SUVs and loot them. Don't shoot the messenger....

Personal: Securing a 27 floor high rise with no elevator support is not fun. I am totally worn out. I am gonna chill for an hour, eat dinner, then perform maintenance. But never fear, Outpost Crystal and Team SOTI have knuckled down and will never quit. Never. We are prepared to go all the way to see this thing through.

Thanks again for all the support and love. One day this will all be over and ancient history, but I'll never forget the kindness of strangers. Keep the less fortunate people in your thoughts and prayers.

Thursday, September 1st, 2005

12:11am

New Orleans Police Department Status: The situation for the NOPD is critical. This is firsthand information I have from an NOPD officer we're giving shelter to. Their command and control infrastructure is shot. They have limited to no communication whatsoever. He didn't even know the city was under martial law until we told him! His precinct (5th Precinct) is under water! UNDER WATER -- every vehicle under water. They had to commander moving trucks like Ryder and UHaul to get around. The coroner's office is shut down so bodies are being covered in leaves at best or left where they lie at worst.

They don't even know their own rules of engagement. He says the force is impotent right now. They have no idea what's going on, no coordination, virtually no comms, etc. the National Guard is gonna air drop a radio system for them with 200 radios? They are getting very little direction.

The 3rd District bugged out to Baton Rouge because they flooded out.

His quote: "It's a zoo."

More first hand information direct from him shortly. He's trying to recover.

I am not trying to be an alarmist, but until we get a military presence of signicance in the city, the roving gangs of thugs own the streets.

Thursday, September 1st, 2005

12:35am

More from the Police Officer. I'm typing as fast as i can while he talks to us:

He's only hearing bits and pieces. The people in the city are shooting at the police. They're upset that they're not getting help quickly enough. The fireman keep calling because they're under fire. He doesn't understand why the people are shooting at the rescuers. Here it is 5 days ago the Mayor said get out of town and nobody went and now they're pissed.

The National Guard was at the Hilton, but now the Hilton is evacuated. When they said the CBD was gonna get 6 feet of water, it seems like everyone evacuated.

He turned the corner onto Canal Street and it looked like a flea market. People breaking into every store, going to the neutral gound (median) and trading and selling everything.

They broke into Winn Dixie Monday Night. Do they steal food? No. Cigarettes and liquor. Store was a mess. All the meats were going to waste so the districts went over there to salvage food for officers. Many cops have been eating MREs.

The Iberville Housing Projects got pissed off because the police started to "shop" after they kicked out looters. Then they started shooting at cops. When the cops left, the looters looted everything. There's probably not a grocery left in this city.

Over 30 officers have quit over the last 3 days. Out of 160 officers in his district maybe 55 or 60 are working. He hasn't seen several since Sunday. HQ is closed, evacuated. No phones to contact them.

"HQ, be advised, we're going 10 7."

"Ok, y'all coming back on???"

"We don't know."

Thursday, September 1st, 2005

11:50am

In case anyone in national security is reading this, get the word to President Bush that we need the military in here NOW. The Active Duty Armed Forces. Mr. President, we are losing this city. I don't care what you're hearing on the news. The city is being lost. It is the law of the jungle down here. The command and control structure here is barely functioning. I'm not sure it's anyone's fault -- I'm not sure it could be any other way at this point. We need the kind of logistical support and infrastructure only the Active Duty military can provide. The hospitals are in dire straights. The police barely have any capabilities at this point. The National Guard is doing their best, but the situation is not being contained. I'm here to help in anyway I can, but my capabilities are limited and dropping. Please get the military here to maintain order before this city is lost.

Thursday, September 1st, 2005

5:24pm

Jesse Jackson

Dear Sir:

Respectfully, I submit that you should shut the hell up. Looting and lawlessness IS the problem. The National Guard choppers are BEING SHOT AT. The NOPD are BEING SHOT AT. You want to focus on the levee? So do they, but check this out: THEY CAN'T UNTIL THE MOB STOPS ATTACKING THE RESCUE OPERATION.

I know you're looking at this situation with concern for the racial implications of the deterioration of civilization out here, but this is bigger than whether people are going to be racists after this is over. This is about rescuing the masses i.e. life and death.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and blame your stupid comments on your lack of knowledge of the situation. Don't prove me a fool for doing so.

Regards,

Michael Barnett

Katrina Relief: JTF Katrina Briefing

2005-09-01T23:54:00.000-05:00

Notes from Special Defense Department Briefing with Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, Lieutenant General Russell Honoré, 1 September 2005:

Mission: establish Joint Task Force Katrina and provide command and control of Department of Defense assets in the Joint Operational Area (Louisiana & Mississippi).

Priorities:

- search and rescue, life-saving operations
- provide food and water
- evacuate individuals from New Orleans to the Astrodome in Houston.

Current Situation:

- Mississippi: from the Gulf of Mexico to about three miles North, most of the infrastructure is destroyed. North of that line to I-20 in Mississippi, most of the infrastructure is severely damaged. Much larger area than Louisiana with a lot more isolated/dispersed communities.

- New Orleans: primary threat is flooding -- prohibits surface transportation. Isolated communities are surrounded with water up to five to six feet. Many people have been evacuated to the Superdome area, many are on high streets, and a part of the population took refuge in tall buildings.

- Roughly 60,000 people in New Orleans. A large number of them are at the Superdome, but people are still scattered in communities in isolated areas.

- Security is being provided by the New Orleans police and Louisiana National Guard.

- 4,700 National Guard currently in Louisiana; 7,400 by end of day (Thursday); 8,600 by Friday; 12,000 by Saturday.

- 2,700 National Guard currently in Mississippi; 6,000 by end of day (Thursday); 9,500 by Friday; 12,000 by Saturday.

- National Guard units are on the road flowing in to New Orleans and Mississippi.

- Between 3pm Wednesday afternoon and midnight, 600 patients from the Superdome area had been flown to area hospitals for onward movement and care.

- Helicopter capability has been increased -- two battalions from Fort Hood arrived Wednesday. The Coast Guard and Louisiana National Guard are coordinating the effort to synchronize the helicopters and their distribution of patients.

- Significant naval presence. The Bataan is moving to Biloxi to support the operations in Mississippi.

- United States Air Force is providing strategic lift to bring in units, supplies, and equipment. Primary re-supply areas into Mississippi are the Gulfport Airport and Meridian; in Louisiana, it's the Belle Chasse Airport and the New Orleans International Airport.

- Louisiana Governor has marshaled school buses from throughout the state to transport people to the Astrodome. FEMA is providing 500 buses to transport people to Astrodome. Started moving people by bus to Astrodome Wednesday evening. Operation will continue until New Orleans is completely evacuated.

Lieutenant General Russell L. Honoré is also Commander, First U.S. Army.

He previously was Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Homeland Security, U.S. Northern Command until June 1, 2004.

Other assignments: General Honoré was the Commanding General, 2d Infantry Division, Korea; Vice Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.; Deputy Commanding General/Assistant Commandant, United States Army Infantry Center and School, Fort Benning, Georgia; and the Assistant Division Commander, Maneuver/Support, 1st Calvary Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He has also served as the Brigade Commander, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia; Senior Mechanized Observer/Controller ("Scorpion 07"), National Training Center (25 Rotations); and Commander, 4th Battalion, 16th Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Germany.

General Honoré's awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (four Oak Leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (two Bronze Service Stars), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal (one Bronze Service Star) the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon (4), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi), the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award. Qualification badges include the Expert Infantry Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Joint Staff Identification Badge.

Katrina Relief: Central Louisiana

2005-09-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

Keep in mind that we're in the early stages of rescue/evacuation. Here's a small sample of what's going on in one place as the rescued stay-behinds are bused in.

Alexandria police Chief Daren Coutee asked Gov. Kathleen Blanco today to try to arrange weapons and drug searches of people fleeing New Orleans before loading them on to buses and shipping them to Central Louisiana.

That request is in the wake of arrests made in Pineville early today on two occupants of three filled buses that showed up unannounced at the closed Wal-Mart building, which was converted into a shelter Wednesday afternoon.

Today, Pineville police Chief Jay Barber said two men were arrested, one on a weapons charge, another on possession of about one pound of cocaine.

Coutee also asked Blanco to "decontaminate" before they're bused by washing the New Orleans refugees, who are "covered in debris."

This morning, Barber said firefighters were ready to help "decontaminate" the new Wal-Mart shelter after the early morning arrival of the three buses.

By noon, Pineville's fire department set up showers in the rear of the Wal-Mart building, Barber said.

more...

Katrina Relief: Mississippi Highway Info

2005-09-01T14:17:00.000-05:00

UPDATE (Wednesday, September 7, 2005):

Unexpected Stops and Delays Likely Jackson County - I-10 over Pascagoula River - Two-Way Traffic on Westbound Lane

Last Updated on 9/6/2005 8:34:24 PM
Route: I-10
County: Jackson [30]
Begin: 9/6/2005 8:00:00 AM
End: 10/17/2005 5:00:00 PM
Description: I-10 Eastbound traffic will be crossed over to one lane of I-10 Westbound for several miles in Jackson County. This traffic change will be in effect for at least 5 weeks as crews work to repair bridge over Pascagoula River. Motorists should take alternate routes to avoid traffic congestion.

Road closure, expect major delays and detour routing Harrison County - STATEWIDE Road Conditions (9/6 - 9/12)

Last Updated on 9/6/2005 4:26:08 PM
Route: US-90
County: Harrison [24]
Begin: 9/1/2005 4:30:00 PM
End: 9/13/2005 10:00:00 PM
Description: MDOT has cleared all state highways for travel except Hwy 90; however, the Highway Patrol discourages non-emergency travel in the Gulf Coast region.

To get the latest highway info for Mississippi call:

Mississippi Traffic Information Line: 1-800-222-6362

===================================================

~~According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation the following highways are among roads closed due to Hurricane Katrina search and rescue efforts:~~UPDATED (See Above)

-- U.S. 98 from Hattiesburg to Mobile
-- U.S. 49 from Seminary to Gulfport
-- Miss. 63 from Lucedale to Moss Point
-- Interstate 59 from Laurel to Louisiana
-- U.S. 84 from Collins to Waynesboro
-- I-10 from Louisiana to Alabama
-- U.S. 90 from Louisiana to Alabama
-- I-110 from I-10 to U.S. 90
-- Miss. 605 from I-10 to U.S. 90
-- Miss. 607 from I-10 to Stennis Space Center
-- Miss. 43 from U.S. 90 to I-10 for hospital use
-- Miss. 57 from U.S. 90 to I-10 for hospital use

You will be asked to show identification to emergency personnel in order to access these roads.

Katrina Relief: In My Little Town

2005-09-01T12:10:00.000-05:00

My hometown is a poor little place (pop @450) in the swamps of North Louisiana, located in one of the poorest parishes in the state. The main employer is the school system and it seems to be employing less people each year. What once, not too long ago, was a 1A football powerhouse no longer has a football team. People tend to move to where the jobs are.

My little town is usually not a destination, but a place to pass through on the way to Baton Rouge or Monroe. The closest place with both a Wal-Mart and a McDonald's is 30 miles away -- a blessing depending on how you look at it.

But to my little town they come from all over South Louisiana and South Mississippi. Katrina refugees. The First Methodist Church, alone, is sheltering 50 people.

This is happening in towns large and small throughout the more fortunate parts of Louisiana and Mississippi and throughout the South. Hundreds of thousands of people need food, water and shelter and these churches and communities are doing what they can -- which does not include employment. These people not only lost their homes, many now have no source of income. Katrina took care of that, too.

As Federal relief and recovery efforts mature, many will probably be re-located to military bases and temporary mobile home villages. But for now, they are depending on us to help them and we will do what we can.

Today is Hurricane Katrina: Blog for Relief Day. Thanks to Hugh Hewitt and NZ Bear and Glenn Reynolds for coordinating this.

Find out more at TTLB Katrina Relief and Instapundit's roundup page

You can make contributions at Katrina Relief: Log Your Contribution

I encourage contributions to The Salvation Army and Operation Katrina Soldiers Relief Fund

More updates here and here.

Katrina: After The Storm

2005-08-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

UPDATE 2 (Wednesday, 11:50pm Central):

Long day spent cleaning up. Not done yet. Thankful that I have something to clean up.

If you want to know more about how DHS and FEMA respond to emergencies/disasters see:

National Response Plan - Base Plan

National Response Plan - Full Plan with Annexes

I think it's a good idea for us to be familiar with the National Response Plan. For example, it helps to know what a Joint Field Office is and what it does and where it is in the chain of command and who it consists of and what you can expect from it. And how a Joint Field Office is different from a Joint Task Force.

The Pentagon is standing up Joint Task Force Katrina. Its HQ is being established at Camp Shelby, Mississippi -- near Hattiesburg. JTF Katrina will be one of the largest military operations on this continent since the Civil War.

I spoke with relatives in Prentiss, Mississippi earlier today (cellphone to landline). They confirmed that Hattiesburg and Laurel are heavily damaged. They have no power in Prentiss and have not seen the images or video of the Gulf Coast -- many Mississippians haven't. My cousins who evacuated from Pascagoula had not heard any details. If you live on the coast, you expect there to be damage when a hurricane hits, but you don't expect there to be nothing left.

There are people in rural areas that are cutting their way out. There are others cutting their way in as friends and family mount their own search and rescue operations. It is slow-going. All the roads are blocked by dozens of downed oak and pecan trees and powerlines.

People outside Mississippi have much more information on Katrina's aftermath. If you have family/friends in Mississippi, they're waiting to hear from you. I have had no success calling out on landline (from Alabama). Calling out on cell to landline takes several tries, but you can probably get through. Cell to cell is better if the person with the other cell has been able to re-charge their batteries with a cigarette lighter adapter or a generator. Let them know that a massive rescue and recovery effort is underway. Tell 'em about JTF Katrina.

If you live in the South, you probably have a gun or two or a dozen. Keep one or two nearby and be vigilant. It's getting pretty hairy in some places. For those outside the South who do not understand, we are generous people, but we tend to shoot thieves/looters/burglars rather than "dialogue" with them. We don't give a fuck about root causes.

======================

UPDATE 1 (Tuesday, 11:15pm Central):

Just a couple of thoughts before I catch up on sleep.

We need to give FEMA, the military, and state and local agencies time to plan -- because they're really still in the planning stages and will be for a couple more days. Some things can't wait for a plan and they will deal with those things as necessary.

There are so many things that need to be done for New Orleans, alone. It will be a major, months-long operation if the city is to be saved. It'll take a Red Adair-type to do it. Red Adair killed over 600 burning Kuwaiti oil wells in just 6 months. I remember thinking that it would take years to cap those wells. I wasn't thinking big enough.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast communities are destroyed. That is clear to anyone who has seen video footage, but the destruction goes well beyond the coast. Hattiesburg, Columbia, and McComb and all the little surrounding towns and communities have suffered extensive, and in many cases, catastrophic damage.

The death toll is going to rise. The misery is going to increase. The rest of the nation is just now waking up to the magnitude of this disaster. This is a national disaster. This is going to impact all sectors of our economy. It's going to impact our national security.

Now could we all please accept that it was a fucking hurricane that brought this destruction. If there's anyone out there who can't accept that, stay the fuck away from my neck of the woods because if you start that "Bush's fault" bullshit, we will hurt you. I mean it. We're not in the mood.

======================

I had some power and puter problems. The power was restored much faster than the puter. Alabama Power & Light workers are the best in the nation. They are bringing power back in record time, plus they are preparing to send help to Mississippi.

We got hit hard here -- harder than Ivan. But that's about all I'm gonna say. It doesn't feel right to be talking about the damage here while just down the road there is Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport, Bay St Louis . . . yes, they're still there -- it's just that they are unrecogizable. I've never seen such destruction.

They were beautiful little places on the Gulf Coast. As a little boy I had dreamed of living in Gulfport or Biloxi. They'll recover, but it won't ever be the same. You can't replace 100-150 year old homes -- not with anything that has the same character.

And then there's New Orleans. As bad as it is, it could have been much worse for New Orleans. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of people could have been killed had Katrina hit them head-on or to their West. Apparently, some of the 100,000 stay-behinds weighed that risk against the opportunity to loot.

A word about looters: shotgun.

This is not even the peak of hurricane season. We have more to come.

Katrina: Category 4 Landfall

2005-08-29T07:01:00.000-05:00

UPDATE 10 (Monday, 10:36am Central):

Not surprisingly, we've had a few power hits. Off for 10 minutes or so then back on, lights flickering and such.

The winds are just incredible. Hurricane Force in Mobile and Baldwin counties, worse in Mobile County.

Sustained winds at about 80mph with 100mph gusts in Baldwin County, south of I-10.

Extremely powerful, shocking gusts.

Of course, it's much worse in Pascagoula, Biloxi and Gulfport, but I don't think anyone expected it to be this bad this far to the East.

Conditions continue to deteriorate here and will worsen in next 2-3 hours.

=====================

UPDATE 9 (Monday, 8:07am Central):

Blinding rain. Powerful winds. A couple of trees are down in the neighborhood. It looks like a hurricane on the Bay. Keep in mind that I'm blogging from about 140 miles from the center. Katrina is packing an incredibly powerful punch.

I just heard on the radio that Pascagoula, Mississippi is getting hammered by the East Beast. I wonder about Biloxi and Gulfport.

A transformer just blew out --- we won't have power for much longer.

The Bay looks like the ocean... big waves.

=====================

UPDATE 8 (Monday, 7:35am Central):

I just let Lizzie out to pee and Doc made a dash for the backyard. I wish I had video of that poor decision on Doc's part. Just about the time he hit the middle of the yard, a strong gust hit and Doc did some kind of 180º cat backflip manuever before bringing his sorry ass back to the house ... all in about 1.5 seconds.

And just like a cat, he is now staring accusingly at me.

=====================

UPDATE 7 (Monday, 7:00am Central):

About an hour ago Katrina made landfall at Plaquemines Parish in SE Louisiana.

Mark Sudduth of Hurricanetrack.com is thinking that Katrina will move on a path just East of New Orleans. That would be some good news.

In Baldwin County, south of I-10 and about 140 miles from Katrina's center, we are being pounded by exceptionally powerful Tropical Storm Force winds, with higher gusts. It's gonna get worse between now and about noon.

Heck, she feels like she's coming right up the middle of Baldwin County and if we didn't have the wonders of modern technology and hurricane tracking, I'd swear that Katrina had made a direct hit on the coast of Alabama.

I don't even want to think about what it's like closer to Katrina.

I need more coffee.

Katrina: Potentially Catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane

2005-08-28T14:20:00.000-05:00

UPDATE 6 (Monday, 1:00am Central):

Katrina remains a CAT-5. Katrina is 80 miles South of the mouth of the Mississippi River; 140 miles South-Southeast of New Orleans.

Maximum Sustained Winds: still 160mph with higher gusts.

Minimum Central Pressure: 908 MB (a little good news -- higher than previous report; indicates slight weakening.)

Coastal Storm Surge Flooding: expected to be 18 to 22 feet above normal tide levels near and to the east of where the center makes landfall. Locally as high as 28 feet along with large and dangerous battering waves.

Storm surge is going to be a big problem East of the center -- all the way to the Florida Panhandle. Mobile Bay will probably experience 12-15 ft surge.

Hurricane force winds extend out to 105 miles.

Tropical storm force winds extend out to 230 miles.

TSF winds are really starting to blow in Baldwin County south of I-10. It'll be worse by daylight.

Time to catch some Zzzzzzzzs. Back later.

=============================

GOOD GUY ALERT (Sunday, 11:19pm Central):

Mark Sudduth of Hurricanetrack.com

Check out his commentary and videos. He is the best tracker out there.

(and this makes up for the Idiot Alert which may have caused you to lose your supper or blow coffee on your monitor and keyboard)

=============================

IDIOT ALERT (Sunday, 11:04pm Central):

I think I just saw an idiot who some of us know as H.M. being interviewed by a local New Orleans TV station. For those not familiar with said creature, you don't want to know. Trust me.

=============================

UPDATE 5 (Sunday, 10:33pm Central):

~~"but the Tropical Storm Force winds have stopped as if someone flicked the OFF switch."~~ Well, she turned the switch back ON. Winds are starting to pick up again.

=============================

UPDATE 4 (Sunday, 10:00pm Central):

Katrina remains a CAT-5. Expected to make landfall at CAT-5 or CAT-4. Katrina is 105 miles South of the mouth of the Mississippi River; 170 miles South-Southeast of New Orleans.

Maximum Sustained Winds: 160mph with higher gusts

Minimum Central Pressure: 904 MB (again, not good -- an Air Force Reserve unit reconnaissance aircraft will be reaching the center of Katrina very shortly.)

Coastal Storm Surge Flooding: expected to be 18 to 22 feet above normal tide levels near and to the east of where the center makes landfall. Locally as high as 28 feet along with large and dangerous battering waves.

Hurricane force winds extend out to 105 miles.

Tropical storm force winds extend out to 230 miles.

It's gotten very quiet and calm in Baldwin County south of I-10... for what it's worth .. I'm not sure if that means Katrina is in the process of turning more Northwesterly ... but the Tropical Storm Force winds have stopped as if someone flicked the OFF switch.

=============================

UPDATE 3 (Sunday, 9:00pm Central):

Katrina is about 110 miles South of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving at 11mph toward the North-Northwest. A turn to the North is expected over the next 24 hours.

Maximum Sustained Winds: 160mph with higher gusts.

Minimum Central Pressure: 904 MB (not good -- the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm. Pressure has dropped since last report.)

Coastal Storm Surge Flooding: expected to be 18 to 22 feet above normal tide levels near and to the east of where the center makes landfall. Locally as high as 28 feet along with large and dangerous battering waves.

Hurricane force winds extend out to 105 miles.

Tropical storm force winds extend out to 230 miles.

Infrared at 8:15pm CDT -- This is not good for the Big Easy or the nation. Katrina is tracking to hit either head-on or to the west of New Orleans.

Tropical Storm Force winds are now arriving in Baldwin County, south of I-10.

This reminds me of the evening before Ivan hit -- which is pretty incredible considering we're about 145 miles East of New Orleans.

Not sure if we'll have power much longer -- lights flickered for the first time.

=============================

UPDATE 2 (Sunday, 2:00pm Central):

Katrina is about 165 miles South-Southeast of New Orleans, moving at 13mph toward the Northwest. A turn toward the North-Northwest is expected over the next 24 hours.

Maximum Sustained Winds: 175mph

Minimum Central Pressure: 906 MB

Coastal Storm Surge Flooding: expected to be 18 to 22 feet above normal tide levels near and to the east of where the center makes landfall. Locally as high as 28 feet along with large and dangerous battering waves.

Hurricane force winds extend out to 105 miles.

Tropical storm force winds extend out to 205 miles.

Infrared at 12:45pm CDT

Category Five Hurricane:

Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr). Storm surge generally greater than 18 ft above normal. Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 ft above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within 5-10 miles (8-16 km) of the shoreline may be required. Only 3 Category Five Hurricanes have made landfall in the United States since records began: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Hurricane Camille (1969), and Hurricane Andrew in August, 1992. The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane struck the Florida Keys with a minimum pressure of 892 mb--the lowest pressure ever observed in the United States. Hurricane Camille struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast causing a 25-foot storm surge, which inundated Pass Christian. Hurricane Andrew of 1992 made landfall over southern Miami-Dade County, Florida causing 26.5 billion dollars in losses--the costliest hurricane on record. In addition, Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 was a Category Five hurricane at peak intensity and is the strongest Atlantic tropical cyclone on record with a minimum pressure of 888 mb.

At approximately 1:30pm CDT, East-bound traffic on the Bay Way (I-10 over Mobile Bay) was heavy and moving at about 40mph. A lot of Mississippi tags. West of the Wallace Tunnel, East-bound traffic was backed up about 3 miles and moving at about 5mph.

Remember, wherever the center makes landfall, it's the area to the East that is in the most danger. The Beast from the East winds are incredibly destructive. And the storm surge will inundate that area as well.

And another reminder: while Katrina appears headed for New Orleans, anything can happen in the last 2-6 hours. In other words, Katrina could jog back to the Northeast and hit Gulfport head-on which would be very bad for both Gulfport and Biloxi. Katrina could even hit Biloxi head-on. In that case, Moss Point and Pascagoula sustain significant damage -- even Mobile.

And no, I have not ruled out the bitch turning back on Mobile or Baldwin County. Not likely, but a possibility that I just had to throw out to give the locals happy thoughts.

Katrina: Category 4 and Strengthening

2005-08-28T07:46:00.000-05:00

UPDATE 1 (Sunday, 8:30am Central):

Katrina is now a CAT-5 Hurricane.

So I come back from walking Lizzie the Legendary Leopard Dog, and see that Housewife has brought us up-to-date. Katrina is a monster.

Unrelated note to you know who you are: Don't make me start calling you "404 Not Found".

===========================

Katrina is about 250 miles South-Southeast of New Orleans, moving at 10mph toward the West-Northwest.

Maximum Sustained Winds: 150mph

Hurricane force winds extend to 85 miles
Tropical storm force winds extend to 185 miles

Infrared at 6:15am CDT

Headed right for New Orleans.

This could be one of the worst disasters in our nation's history.

Hurricane Katrina is CAT-4 and gaining strength and growing larger -- approaching the size, strength and reach of Hurricane Ivan before Ivan made landfall. Ivan slowed down to a CAT-3 about two hours before he hit.

Even if Katrina slowed down to CAT-3, it will not be enough to save New Orleans should Katrina continue on her present course. New Orleans, which is below sea level, will be inundated with storm surge as high as 20 feet.

This is a very, very serious situation.

According to The Times-Picayune:

Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish's emergency management director, gauged the threat in terms that chilled New Orleanians old enough to remember the summers of 1965 and 1969: Katrina was following Hurricane Betsy's track, he said, with the strength of Hurricane Camille.

A computer model run by the LSU Hurricane Center late Saturday confirmed that. It indicated the metropolitan area was poised to see a repeat of Betsy's flooding, or worse, with storm surge of as much as 16 feet moving up the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet and topping levees in Chalmette and eastern New Orleans, and pushing water into the 9th Ward and parts of Mid-City. High water flowing from Lake Pontchartrain through St. Charles Parish also would flood over levees into Kenner, according to the model.

Also flooded would be much of the north shore below Interstate 12, including Slidell, Madisonville, Mandeville and Lacombe, according to the model.

And the model doesn't take into account the 5 to 10-foot waves that would be on top of the surge, which could top levees all along the south shore of the lake.

By mid-afternoon, officials in Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, Lafourche, Terrebonne and Jefferson parishes had called for voluntary or mandatory evacuations.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin followed at 5 p.m., issuing a voluntary evacuation.

Nagin said late Saturday that he's having his legal staff look into whether he can order a mandatory evacuation of the city, a step he's been hesitant to do because of potential liability on the part of the city for closing hotels and other businesses. [Ed. Does this tell you anything about the people who run New Orleans?]

"Come the first break of light in the morning, you may have the first mandatory evacuation of New Orleans," Nagin told WWL-TV.

St. Tammany officials ordered evacuations of the parish's low-lying areas by today at noon.

Contraflow in effect

State Police activated the state's redesigned contraflow plan Saturday at 4 p.m., allowing traffic to use both sides of Interstates 55, 59 and 10 to evacuate New Orleans to the north, east and west after early afternoon traffic left westbound lanes of I-10 backed up bumper-to-bumper for miles in the 93-degree heat. Within hours, however, the contraflow system seemed to have alleviated much of the logjam.

The Crescent City Connection and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway suspended toll collections to move traffic more quickly.

Those leaving the city by air found Louis Armstrong International Airport busy, but all airlines operated with normal schedules Saturday, airport spokeswoman Michelle Duffourc said.

But would-be passengers expecting to make a last-minute departure today may be hard-pressed to find a flight. Delta Airlines already had suspended all flights today, and United Airlines was planning to suspend its afternoon flights.

Duffourc said other airlines probably will make their decisions based on how quickly the weather deteriorates.

"My guess is most will fly till midday," she said.

Go West, Katrina, Go West

2005-08-27T11:46:00.000-05:00

The weather is beautiful here. There was a hint of Autumn in the air for a few minutes earlier this morning. Of course, we have quite a few hot days to go, but the mornings and evenings should start to be a little more pleasant -- unlike the past 3-4 weeks. The humidity was bad this summer, especially about an hour after sundown ... then all night and into the morning. The waterfront and coastal areas usually benefit from Gulf breezes during the summer .. at least enough to make us glad we don't live further inland -- not this year. It was nicer 100 miles inland.

Katrina is out there stirring up trouble. When she hit South Florida, she was a Category 1 hurricane and she reminded everyone that a CAT-1 can be a beeatch. She is now a CAT-3 and could strengthen to a CAT-4.

She's about 350 miles SE of Dauphin Island, moving West at about 7mph and is expected to make a turn to the NW ... striking anywhere between Gulfport, MS and Lake Charles, LA.

New Orleans had best get their ducks in a row. That city has been on its ass with hurricane preparation. Ordering 100,000 body bags from FEMA a few days before Hurricane Ivan is NOT preparing for a hurricane ... that is negligence bordering on criminality. There's little indication that they've made any progress since last year.

I'm gonna go catch up on blog reading.

Michael Yon: What The Others Wish They Were

2005-08-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

A superb writer. A courageous reporter. A good man.

I hope he lives a long life, but the fact of the matter is this: He might die while doing what he's doing in Iraq. And what he is doing is nothing less than heroic. He is risking his life to tell us about the courage and valor of our warriors. Every American should listen up. Every reporter/journalist should take notes and strive to be at least half as decent as Michael Yon.

Michael Yon doesn't have to be there dodging bullets, but there he is -- up front, where it's never very crowded.

If you want to know our warriors, read Michael Yon. If you want to learn something about combat that you will find in few books, read Michael Yon. If you want inspiration, read Michael Yon. If you're a reporter/journalist, not only read Michael Yon ... make a promise to yourself that you will do better than you're doing now. He is bringing honor to your profession.

Gates Of Fire is his latest report. Don't miss it.

I Reckon Ya'll Know What This Means

2005-08-20T09:11:00.000-05:00

yep, to the swamps ... for awhile.

Aiight, AAH -- I know ya got tired of looking at the gators last time so here's some variety:

Diamondback Rattlesnake

(Click on photo for Close-Up)

And here's something to ponder -- whatever happened with the spiders under Windsor Castle. Ya'll remember that story back in Summer 2001? I don't think the UK press has ever done any follow-ups. Now mind you, I haven't googled recently. Bringing this story back to light just occurred to me about 10 minutes ago as I was thinking: OK, OK ... so they don't like my gators... hmmm... I got sumpin for 'em!

Mystery Spider Discovered At Windsor Castle
June 25, 2001 8:00 CDT

According to a recent report by The Guardian, there is an unknown species of spider on the loose in the bowels of Windsor Castle. These mysterious arachnids are said to be up to three inches long, venomous, with jaws strong enough to puncture human skin.

The spiders were first seen two weeks ago in an underground maintenance tunnel in Windsor Great Park, not far from the Queen Mother's weekend residence, Royal Lodge. An entomologist is now trying to identify them saying they could be either a new, underground-dwelling species or one previously thought extinct.

British Telecom engineers doing maintenance work at Windsor opened a manhole cover and found the rust-red and black spiders swarming all over the place.

"They're large and there are many of them," said a BT spokesman. "Our engineers were not attacked, but we have stopped work until we know exactly what they are."

Graham Smith, of the conservation organization, Project-Ark, has taken samples to study. He described the spiders as an "extremely exciting find".

"The species is certainly venomous, and the jaws are strong enough to penetrate the human skin. It will take a few days to work out how dangerous they are," said Mr. Smith. "There could be literally thousands and thousands of them. It would be no surprise if they are living underneath Windsor Castle itself."

Remotely operated cameras will be deployed in the tunnels around the castle to find out more. Samples of the spiders' webs are also being analyzed.

Residents of the park have been warned not to touch until more is known.

...warned not to touch? As if.

RIP: Jess Nicks

2005-08-19T23:32:00.000-05:00

Stevie's dad.

I am a huge fan of Stevie Nicks and have been for about 30 years. What red-blooded American male of my generation is not? She and her family are tight-knit and she had a great relationship with her father.

From The Arizona Republic:

Aug. 17, 2005 12:00 AM

NORTHEAST VALLEY - Jess Nicks, father of Fleetwood Mac singer and Paradise Valley resident Stevie Nicks, died Aug. 10 from heart failure. He was 80 years old.

In addition to Stevie Nicks, he is survived by his wife, Barbara, and son Christopher.

Nicks, a longtime Valley resident, was the owner of the now-defunct concert venue Compton Terrace, which he built in 1979 after retiring as president and chairman of Armour/Greyhound.

[...]

A longtime sufferer from heart disease, Nicks, who had undergone three heart operations, was also involved with the Arizona Heart Institute, serving as chairman of the board for three decades.

Despite illness, Nicks appeared July 20 at the groundbreaking of the Arizona Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Research building.

Along with his daughter, he helped raise millions of dollars for the institute. Stevie and Fleetwood Mac performed numerous benefit concerts for the organization, ranging from an intimate private performance in 1996 to a recent concert with Don Henley on Aug. 5 at the Dodge Theatre.

Some great bloggin' goin' on out theah

2005-08-18T23:32:00.000-05:00

Jett at All blogged up and nowhere to go gives some tips on mixtapes (she knows how to do it and she tells it funny) and a warning to Horny Little Toadboy. That boy might not understand the concept of "Danger Close", but that's exactly where he stands with Jett "If You Think I'M Bad, Just Piss Off Her Daddy One Good Time" Superior.

AlphaPatriot has written the best post on the Gaza pullout, Israeli Pride; Israeli Angst, that I have seen on the net.

An American Housewife is all over the ACLU. If the ACLU had a tenth of her common sense, we'd all be happier.

Janette and Stacy are showing up in some Google searches that remind us that there are some sick puppies out there on the net.

Susanna at cut on the bias is such a smart writer. I wish I could write like her. Check out her posts on:

a Birmingham, Alabama mother who joined Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas; the local Birmingham media's coverage of it; and Susanna's scathing email critique of said coverage

the consequences of opening marriage to other configurations of sentient beings

Absolute insanity over NYC police recruit salaries

and her thoughts on Alabama Minutemen off to help in Arizona ... heck, just read everything she writes :)

Jo is slamming the ACLU. Man, I tell ya these ACLU blogbursts are great!

Alabamian over at Red State Diaries points out that Birmingham is the 19th most liberal city in the United States ahead of New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. (pssst... they're liberal over there, but I like 'em).

Rightwingsparkle has some news about Cindy Sheehan .. and some good advice.

spacemonkey is a funny dude. I'm addicted to the The Flying Space Monkey Chronicles.

Check this out at Stop The ACLU: The ACLU calls school board members terrorists. They better watch out. The folks in Tangipahoa Parish will serve them up at the next Cochon de Lait.

The 'Grub Street' Plumber talks with his 95 year old grandmother about Hiroshima.

The Gun-Toting Liberal didn't think he knew what to blog about today. He quickly got over his case of blogger's block and got on a ranting roll. Another liberal that I can't help but like :)

Varifrank notes his 1st Anniversary as a blogger. He's one of the best.

Able Danger: Tony Shaffer Talks...and talks and talks and talks

2005-08-18T12:15:00.000-05:00

Below is the link to and the text of Standard Form 312 (Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement). It is a document that everyone who works with classified information MUST sign.

Standard Form 312

But first . . .

The more I hear from LTC Tony Shaffer, the more he seems to me to be a loose cannon. I got kinda ill when he informed the nation that he had met with DOD officials and he feels sure they want to get to the bottom of this. My first thought was who the fuck does this guy think he is?! Then he goes on the Michael Savage radio show . . .

Look, I don't know Shaffer, but I know the type after 2 decades of being an intelligence officer.

He is way out of line. The information he is divulging to the world (yes, to include our enemies) is not helping solve whatever intel problems there are.

All those writing about how credible Shaffer sounds are forgetting that he is a military intelligence officer who ain't supposed to be sounding any kind of way unless he is reporting to his chain-of-command or testifying before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence or the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which oh by the way, are the proper channels to air his concerns.

Hell, you shouldn't even know his name. As for all this talk about anonymous sources and the need to come forward -- wouldn't even be an issue, if he had testified before either of the intelligence committees. He would have remained anonymous and the source would have been the Chairman of the committee, IF the committee agreed that this information was for public disclosure. That's the way things are supposed to work. If the American people don't like the way things are supposed to work, then we can call for change.

But Shaffer is hitting every talk show out there. This guy won't shut up. I'm starting to hear the Mighty Mouse theme, "Here I Come To Save The Day", when I listen to Shaffer.

What exactly has the public learned about Mohammed Atta that we didn't know days after 9-11? That he was living in this country? Old news. That the intel community knew about him? Old news (how else do you think the public knew the hijackers' names within days)? That there were information-sharing problems within the intel community? Old News. That Jamie Gorelick's "wall" contributed immeasurably to the failure of information-sharing? Old News. That the 9-11 Commission was more about political theater than problem-solving? Shazaaaam!

And don't get me started about Congress abrogating their duties/responsibilities by appointing commissions and panels. Members of commissions and panels are NOT our elected representatives! 9-11, most especially, was not something to slough off on a commission of people outside our elected government. The absurdity!

No, the only new light that LTC Shaffer has shed on anything is the operational details of a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information program. He's out there telling anyone who will listen.

He's definitely getting his 15 minutes of fame. He also seems to be relishing it. He's too blind to see that most of the people writing and talking about him now will forget his name about 3 seconds into the next big story. And a lot of the talking and writing is about finger-pointing and politics and has not a fucking thing to do with national security and improving our intelligence community.

Do we want our intelligence officers/agents/analysts doing what Shaffer is doing now? Is that what we want? If so, we are collectively losing our minds.

Tell ya something else, Curt Weldon should be ashamed of himself for his political grandstanding. This is stuff that should be discussed in closed hearings before the intelligence committees. I'm sick and tired of these types. They do nothing to help solve problems; in fact, they just create more.

And I can't emphasize enough how important the chain-of-command is. LTC Shaffer is operating way outside that chain and the implication is that he could not trust the Colonels, Brigadier Generals, Major Generals, Lieutenant Generals, Generals, the Secretary of Defense, and his Commander-in-Chief, the President.

Apparently, neither could he trust any member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence or House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

He's out there, waaaaaaaaaaay out there.

Anyway, here's the agreement he signed, that everyone who works with classified information signs:

(All emphases are mine)

CLASSIFIED INFORMATION NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN (Name of Individual - Printed or typed) AND THE UNITED STATES

1. Intending to be legally bound, I hereby accept the obligations contained in this Agreement in consideration of my being granted access to classified information. As used in this Agreement, classified information is marked or unmarked classified information, including oral communications, that is classified under the standards of Executive Order 12958, or under any other Executive order or statute that prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of information in the interest of national security; and unclassified information that meets the standards for classification and is in the process of a classification determination as provided in Sections 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4(e) of Executive Order 12958, or under any other Executive order or statute that requires protection for such information in the interest of national security. I understand and accept that by being granted access to classified information, special confidence and trust shall be placed in me by the United States Government.

2. I hereby acknowledge that I have received a security indoctrination concerning the nature and protection of classified information, including the procedures to be followed in ascertaining whether other persons to whom I contemplate disclosing this information have been approved for access to it, and that I understand these procedures.

3. I have been advised that the unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized retention, or negligent handling of classified information by me could cause damage or irreparable injury to the United States or could be used to advantage by a foreign nation. I hereby agree that I will never divulge classified information to anyone unless: (a) I have officially verified that the recipient has been properly authorized by the United States Government to receive it; or (b) I have been given prior written notice of authorization from the United States Government Department or Agency (hereinafter Department or Agency) responsible for the classification of the information or last granting me a security clearance that such disclosure is permitted. I understand that if I am uncertain about the classification status of information, I am required to confirm from an authorized official that the information is unclassified before I may disclose it, except to a person as provided in (a) or (b), above. I further understand that I am obligated to comply with laws and regulations that prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.

4. I have been advised that any breach of this Agreement may result in the termination of any security clearances I hold; removal from any position of special confidence and trust requiring such clearances; or the termination of my employment or other relationships with the Departments or Agencies that granted my security clearance or clearances. In addition, I have been advised that any unauthorized disclosure of classified information by me may constitute a violation, or violations, of United States criminal laws, including the provisions of Sections 641, 793, 794, 798, *952 and 1924, Title 18, United States Code, * the provisions of Section 783(b), Title 50, United States Code, and the provisions of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982. I recognize that nothing in this Agreement constitutes a waiver by the United States of the right to prosecute me for any statutory violation.

5. I hereby assign to the United States Government all royalties, remunerations, and emoluments that have resulted, will result or may result from any disclosure, publication, or revelation of classified information not consistent with the terms of this Agreement.

6. I understand that the United States Government may seek any remedy available to it to enforce this Agreement including, but not limited to, application for a court order prohibiting disclosure of information in breach of this Agreement.

7. I understand that all classified information to which I have access or may obtain access by signing this Agreement is now and will remain the property of, or under the control of the United States Government unless and until otherwise determined by an authorized official or final ruling of a court of law. I agree that I shall return all classified materials which have, or may come into my possession or for which I am responsible because of such access: (a) upon demand by an authorized representative of the United States Government; (b) upon the conclusion of my employment or other relationship with the Department or Agency that last granted me a security clearance or that provided me access to classified information; or (c) upon the conclusion of my employment or other relationship that requires access to classified information. If I do not return such materials upon request, I understand that this may be a violation of Section 793 and/or 1924, Title 18, United States Code, a United States criminal law.

8. Unless and until I am released in writing by an authorized representative of the United States Government, I understand that all conditions and obligations imposed upon me by this Agreement apply during the time I am granted access to classified information, and at all times thereafter.

9. Each provision of this Agreement is severable. If a court should find any provision of this Agreement to be unenforceable, all other provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

(Continue on reverse.)

10. These restrictions are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with or otherwise alter the employee obligations, rights or liabilities created by Executive Order 12958; Section 7211 of Title 5, United States Code (governing disclosures to Congress); Section 1034 of Title 10, United States Code, as amended by the Military Whistleblower Protection Act (governing disclosure to Congress by members of the military): Section 2302(b)(8) of Title 5, United States Code, as amended by the Whistleblower Protection Act (governing disclosures of illegality, waste, fraud, abuse or public health or safety threats); the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 (50 U.S.C. 421 et seq.) (governing disclosures that expose confidential Government agents), and the statutes which protect against disclosure that may compromise the national security, including Sections 641, 793, 794, 798, 952 and 1924 of Title 18, United States Code, and Section 4(b) of the Subversive Activities Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. Section 783(b)). The definitions, requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions and liabilities created by said Executive Order and listed statutes are incorporated into this Agreement and are controlling.

11. I have read this Agreement carefully and my questions, if any, have been answered. I acknowledge that the briefing officer has made available to me the Executive Order and statutes referenced in this Agreement and its implementing regulation (32 CFR Section 2003.20) so that I may read them at this time, if I so choose.

(SIGNATURE) (DATE) (SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER)

STANDARD FORM 312 (Rev. 1-00)
Prescribed by NARA/ISOO
32 CFR 2003, E.O. 12958

Able Danger: There's Something Happening Here

2005-08-17T13:06:00.000-05:00

But what it is ain't exactly clear.

I don't know the details of Able Danger. If I did, I certainly would not say so. I don't talk, write, whisper or blog about intelligence operations.

I signed a nondisclosure agreement.

So did LTC Tony Shaffer, the military intelligence officer who is now talking.

A lot of people jumping on this story don't know jackshit about intelligence operations; the people who do know a thing or two about intelligence operations aren't talking -- not in a public way -- except for LTC Shaffer.

I watched the video of his appearance on Fox News. It didn't sit right with me... I don't know if it was the guy's demeanor or just the fact that he's way out on a limb .. I could almost hear it cracking.

He went public? On Fox News? National television? A military intelligence officer talking about a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information program? Outside the chain-of-command? Or are we to understand that he is speaking for the U.S. Intelligence Community and the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States? I don't think so.

I'm not necessarily questioning what he said, but rather how he went about it. He broke the law for one. Hell yeah, he did. You just don't go on national television and blab about intelligence operations.

There are procedures for disclosing intelligence information. Going on Fox News is not one of them.

Power Line had called for the source of the Able Danger story to be identified saying that the source's credibility could not be established otherwise. Maybe the Power Line lawyers will now represent LTC Shaffer. If so, I recommend that they familiarize themselves with sections 641, 793, 794, 798, 952, and 1924, Title 18, United States Code, and the provisions of Section 783(b), Title 50, United States Code.

This whole thing has the feel of keystone cops. Not the Able Danger unit, but the unauthorized disclosures about the unit.

Again, I'm not commenting on the substance of his remarks. I'm very familiar with the politics involved, the "Gorelick Wall", etc, etc. I'm just saying that something about the way the information is being disclosed is not computing.

I agree with Austin Bay. It's time for President Bush to speak up.

Catching Up

2005-08-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

I'm catching up on 10 days of missed blog reading and I reckon I loaded up too many tabs in Firefox -- I had like a hunnert loaded up -- and my puter froze. It probably didn't help that I had about 10 other applications running, not including those that run in the background that I'd kill if they weren't completely necessary. Before the puter froze, the screen displayed some retro-strobelight action. It was pretty cool.

BTW, if you aren't using Firefox, you should be (nevermind what I did above. that was my fault, not the fault of Firefox). You won't go back to Internet Explorer ... or maybe not until Bill Gates decides that Internet Explorer needs to be modernized -- he hasn't updated Internet Explorer in years really except for patches. I have this vision of the IE development team bombarding one another's cubicles with paper airplanes as they surf the net with Firefox.

I'm still catching up. It takes me awhile. I've got a system. It'd help if I'd use it, but I can't help clicking on just about any link that any of ya'll have pointed out and then I follow that to other links that other bloggers have pointed out and before I know it, I'm somewhere I didn't think I'd be and about 2 hours behind where I planned to be ... not that that's bad -- it's kinda how I like to travel when I'm not in a hurry. Take this rural road to the next rural road. The interstate gets ya there, but it's like reading the first and last chapters of a book.

Which makes me think of something else.

When you're traveling somewhere at night, passing through little towns or driving through the countryside, and you see the glowing, curtained windows of a house, do you ever wonder about the people who live there?... what they're doing at that moment? And then do you think about the millions of houses and millions of families and just wonder about it all as you think of Earth as the little blue ball that it is... kinda suspended out there in the diamond-studded black velvet vastness of space .. tilted, rotating, revolving ... just so ... and that if it didn't do what it does just so, there wouldn't be any lit, curtained windows to wonder about?

Aiight, now that I've got that pass-the-dutchie moment behind me, back to reading -- system or not.

I think that is...

2005-08-14T11:07:00.000-05:00

pee-pee on his shoes.

I'm back ... more later

Later Gators

2005-08-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

I'd often heard that Tennessee has its share of alligators. I was doubtful until I saw this one in a pond just outside Knoxville:

I'm not impressed. Hillbilly gators just don't look as threatening as swamp gators:

... even when swamp gators are sleeping:

He looks dead, but he ain't. Free Advice: Don't kick "dead" alligators or they will eat your Yankee/tourist ass. Swamp gators will, anyway. I'm not sure what a Tennessee Hillbilly Gator would do. Heck, they're probably used to being kicked and other stuff [dueling banjos playing in the background].

. . . back in a few days .. Tuesday probably .. maybe I can find a puter to blog from, but don't hold me to it.

Monk: Jimmy Carter Disgraceful

2005-08-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

In response to Carter: Guantanamo Detentions Disgraceful.

By MERRY MAD MONK
Lower Alabama News Department
Monday, August 1, 2005; 12:32 PM

LOWER ALABAMA -- Monk said today that former President Jimmy Carter is an embarrassment and gives extremists an excuse to attack the United States.

Monk also criticized Carter's criticism of the United States as "unnecessary and unjust."

"I think Jimmy "Peanut" Carter is a disgrace to the U.S.A.," he told anyone who would listen. "I wouldn't say he's the cause of terrorism, but he has given impetus and excuses to potential terrorists to lash out at our country and justify their despicable acts."

Monk said, however, that terrorist acts could not be justified, and that while Jimmy Carter "may be an aggravating factor ... he's not the basis of terrorism."

Jimmy Carter has long accused the U.S. government of unjustly detaining terror suspects at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base on the southeastern tip of Cuba. Hundreds of terrorists have been held indefinitely at the prison and have not been able to kill more Americans.

"What Jimmy Carter thinks about Guantanamo Bay does not represent the views of the American people," Monk said. "I'm embarrassed about him, I think he's wrong. I think he does give terrorists an unwarranted excuse to use the despicable means to hurt innocent people."

Earlier this month, Monk called for Jimmy Carter to shut up, saying he was an embarassment to the United States. He also said that the United States needs to make sure Jimmy Carter stays on his peanut farm in Georgia.

Carter, who won the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, has been an embarrassment to the United States for years.

"I thought then, and I think now, that Peanut's criticism of the United States was unnecessary and unjust. And I think the premises on which it was launched were false," Monk said.

Army Morale and Reporters With No Sense Of Irony

2005-08-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

About 2 weeks ago, Robert Burns reported that a majority of soldiers in Iraq say morale is low. I meant to blog about it at the time, but didn't get around to it. So here goes.

The Army Medicine report he cites is hardly earth-shaking if you take the time to read the whole thing and consider that the report is mostly talking about combat service support and National Guard and Army Reserve personnel.

It's no surprise to most military folks that morale is highest in the units that are highly trained and that face the most danger. When's the last time you heard about low morale in the Rangers or Special Forces? When's the last time you've read a story about Regular Army infantry soldiers complaining of low morale?

It's also no surprise to most military folks that morale is generally lower in combat support and combat service support units -- or that National Guard and Army Reserve units generally don't share the same level of morale as the Regular Army.

Most news reports about low morale are almost without meaning. "Army morale low" is one-over-the-world-handwave bullshit. It tells us almost nothing. Pretty much standard fare for the mainstream media.

Here are some headlines that would grab my attention:

"82nd Airborne Division Suffering From Low Morale"

"1st Cavalry Division Struggles With Morale Problems"

"Infantry Soldiers Say Low Morale Is Impacting Unit Missions"

Not that the underlying story would be accurate, but if it were I would start being concerned.

So I take media reports of low morale with more than a grain of salt.

Even so, imagine, if you will, living in these conditions:

- Your work place is about 6,000 miles from home, give or take a thousand.

- there's no such thing as an 8-hour day or a 40-hour work week. You rarely if ever get a break from work, except when you're sleeping and even then "work" (such as mortar rounds fluttering in -- they sound just like a covey of quail taking flight) can disrupt that. When your shift ends, you don't go home to the comfort of your house or apartment.

- The outside daytime temperatures reach about 120º -- add about 30º if you're in an armored vehicle.

- You get chilled at night, chilled enough to make your teeth chatter -- even though it might be 75º.

- Sand and dust get in everything -- your weapon, your eyes, your nose, your boots, your uniform, your sleeping bag (there's some break from that if you are lucky enough to sleep in a fixed facility as opposed to a tent or no tent).

- You have little to no time for yourself -- even when doing the 3 S's (shit, shower and shave).

- While you get plenty of food, it is not necessarily what you would choose to eat at home. Delivery is a chow truck. Dining-in is what you do when the chow truck gets there. Dining-out is eating MRE's on top of your vehicle.

- You have very few of the small conveniences that most all civilians take for granted. You can't jump in your car and go for a drive or walk in the park or go to a ballgame or go to the beach or just be lazy and lie in bed all morning reading the Sunday papers.

- You miss your loved ones -- your children, your wife or husband, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your girlfriend or boyfriend. If you have children, imagine being away from them for a year. Imagine what that, alone, is like.

- The younger you are, the more you think you're missing out on things back home and the more susceptible to homesickness you are.

- If you're lucky enough to get internet access from time to time (it really is a new world), you're hard-pressed to find anything good being reported about what you're doing -- unless you read the blogs. The milblogs know and get the word out, but you know most Americans don't even know what a blog is. They get their news from the mainstream media.

- You rarely have doubts about your mission, but you often doubt whether the folks back home really appreciate what you're doing.

- There are people that want to kill you any way that they can. You live with that 24 hours a day -- when you're driving down the road in your HMMV or helping the locals with a problem (maybe supplies for a hospital) or pulling an engine pack on a Bradley (or any of the thousands of ordinary tasks performed by soldiers of different Military Occupational Specialties) or just trying to get some much needed sleep.

- You may have lost buddies. You may have seen them die or even held them as they died. You've seen others wounded. You may have even been wounded yourself.

- You know that if you're lucky enough to make it home, home is days and days; weeks and weeks, months and months away.

Now tell me -- how would your morale be? Piss poor to the point of pitching a fit and telling everyone to go fuck themselves and that you just want to go home?

Or could you overcome all the negatives and have a generally positive outlook?

Sure you could -- if you are trained and well led. Trained to standard on hundreds of common and special tasks that would overwhelm the average civilian; trained to be mentally and physically tough; trained to work as part of a team; trained to accomplish your mission under conditions that most civilians cannot imagine. Led by men who truly lead by example; led by leaders who you trust to smartly lead you through the valley of death.

It's always interesting to look at how Robert Burns and his ilk have reported on Army problems in the past.

I'll tell you when morale and readiness were really a problem across the board in the Army: during the drawdown years of the Clinton Administration. After 8 years of Clinton, the Army was not a happy place.

Did Robert Burns or any MSM reporter write about morale problems when the Army was slashed from 18 to 10 divisions? when over 300,000 soldiers were sent packing? when thousands of mid-grade officers and noncomissioned officers with over 15 years of service, but less than 18 were given the boot without retirement? when political correctness indoctrination nearly paralyzed professional relations between male and female soldiers? when Consideration Of Others Training very nearly trumped combat training? when Army operational tempo (missions) skyrocketed to 300% even as the Army was being cut nearly in half? when young officers were leaving the Army in droves? when 20 out of 22 Army Training Centers were given a C-4 rating (that's an F)?

One reporter did -- Rowan Scarborough of The Washington Times.

Tom Ricks of The Washington Post was handed a huge story on a silver platter and declined to write about it. The same goes for national security/military reporters at every other major daily -- and Mr. Robert Burns, military writer for the Associated Press.

Of course, after Scarborough broke the story (stories, actually), the others started to chime in. Scarborough's work had a direct impact on the 2000 Presidential campaign. Clinton and Gore had been saying everything was rosy. They had slammed then-Governor George W. Bush for suggesting that there were military readiness problems. Rowan Scarborough's reporting took us behind the curtain and got to the truth of the matter. When Scarborough was done, Clinton-Gore didn't have a leg to stand on.

No thanks to irony-free Robert "Low Morale" Burns.

I Shoulda Said ...

2005-07-31T10:43:00.000-05:00

. . . "back in a few days". ~~I was actually back in a couple before I was back in a few.~~ Damn that sounded too much like John Kerry. Anyway, I've been on the road a bit lately and when I got home from the first trip, I thought about blogging -- and that's as far as I got when it was time to hit the road again.

Making a trip is even more fun with Lizzie. She is such a good listener. She just sits there listening to me ramble on ... until I start singing. She cocks her head from side to side, then licks my face as if that might stop me and when that doesn't work, she nips my ear -- and that does tend to get her point across. She seems to be telling me that she's pretty sure that Hank did not do it this a'way.

She prefers my running commentary on the scenery and other drivers. I'm afraid she's learned a few bad phrases, such as "put the fucking cellphone down!" I'm trying to check myself on that .. the bad language, that is .. but then it's not so much the words as my tone of voice. The first time I blurted that out, she looked at me as if to say: WhatdidIdoWhatdidIdo .. Idon'thaveafuckingcellphone .. Idon'tevenknowwhatafuckingcellphoneis. Then I felt like shit for making her think I was referring to her, so I petted her and told her that it's ok, girl, not you, you're a good girl, and then she licked my face and all was well in the world again.

She was in bad shape when I found her/she found me. She was malnourished, skinny, and hungry and had ticks, hot (raw) spots, and a thin, patchy coat. She smelled like the swamp water she'd evidently been traveling through.

She is much better now -- gaining weight, free of ticks and hot spots, and growing a beautiful new coat. She smells better, too.

Ain't she purdy?

She's learned "sit" and we're working on "stay" and "search". She's also learned other new words such as:
ball, tug, socks, gator (a stuffed toy .. but now that I think about it, teaching her to associate the word "gator" with a warm-n-fuzzy toy is probably not a good idea), Mobile Bay (she wags her tail and leans forward in the seat), biscuit, snausage, puperoni ... plus, bacon, eggs & grits (she approves of me sharing) and truck (she loves to ride) ... oh, and let's not forget "put the fucking cellphone down!"

Maybe I can teach her to growl when she sees drivers talking on cellphones. And maybe I can teach myself to growl instead of cussing. Probably easier to teach her to cuss.

The cats have accepted her. Doc, fully; Wyatt, begrudgingly. And she has accepted them, although when Doc started grooming her this morning, Lizzie pulled her head back and cocked her ears at weird angles. I don't think she was quite ready for that -- and no, I couldn't get to my video camera soon enough.

I've got a lot of blog reading to catch up on. I love reading blogs. There are so many interesting, talented people out there writing about this and that. I asked myself this question the other day: When was the last time you read the newspaper/magazine journalists you used to read all the time? With the exception of Ann Coulter and Michael Barone, and reporters, Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough, I haven't read, on a regular basis, any of the nationally-known journalists in a long, long time.

Anyway, I'm back for a couple of days before I leave again for a few days.

Swamp Bound

2005-07-21T11:46:00.000-05:00

Back in a couple of days . . .

/

Putting Dignity Back Into Graft

2005-07-21T11:26:00.000-05:00

Ferriday, Louisiana is the hometown of:

Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, Jimmy Swaggart:

First cousins to one another -- their mothers were sisters

the late Howard K. Smith:

and the beautiful Campbell Brown:

What Ferriday has become should have Jerry Lee kicking out the footlights, Mickey singing the blues, Swaggart praying for Ferriday's redemption, Howard K. rolling over, and Campbell Brown investigating.

Ferriday has become a dump, a cesspool and one of the most notorious speedtraps in Louisiana .. and thus, the United States.

So far this year Ferriday has collected over $400,000 in traffic fines. The mayor seems to be shooting for $1 million before the end of the year -- that's about $840,000 more than the annual average of $160,000 before the present mayor took office.

To some, the new mayor's motto seems to be:

"Put Dignity Back Into Graft"

Mayor Allen's Money Machine

Oh, and Ferriday's population? About 3,700. A pissant of a place on a major route (US 65) to a major tourist attraction -- Natchez, Mississippi.

If you're coming from North Louisiana, you have to pass through Ferriday to get to Natchez. On the other hand, if you're coming to Natchez from South Louisiana, you have to pass through Woodville, MS -- another speedtrap, but nowhere near as bad as Ferriday.

I suppose you could go way out of the way to get to Natchez, but why should anyone need to do that?

I could very easily bypass Ferriday, but I don't. I like to live on the edge. Besides, it's interesting to see a piece of Haiti in the USA. Ah, the sights and smells of Ferriday, Louisiana -- Little Port au Prince!

The extremely low speed limits should be punishment enough. I mean to make anyone drive that slowly (25mph) through such an asshole of a place is sadistic.

Businesses are starting to react to Ferriday's new notoriety. At least one, Imogene's Restaurant, has moved to nearby Vidalia. Imogene says the move was due to lower rent in Vidalia. Well, the atmosphere is much better there, too. Wal-Mart is considering moving, but insists it has nothing to do with Mayor Allen's Money Machine.

Stories abound about drivers who swear they were not speeding and police who refuse to let the accused see the radar reading. Some have even claimed that the Ferriday Police Department are big on racial profiling -- of white people. I don't know about that, but I rarely see anyone but whites pulled over.

Will the Louisiana State Police or Attorney General eventually investigate? I doubt it.

Maybe it's something the U.S. Justice Department will look into. I mean, afterall, if people are being harassed based on race, that does seem to fall within the federal civil rights statutes.

I propose a billboard kinda like this on all roads leading to Ferriday:

Meantime, people should avoid doing business in Ferriday. Don't spend money with the businesses there. If enough people start doing that, then maybe the pain threshold will be reached.

Ferriday actually has potential to be a nice place, but they've chosen to be just another banana republic. I'd be ashamed to call Ferriday home.

Jerry Lee, Mickey, Jimmy, Campbell? Ya'll hear me?

Ann Coulter on the Supreme Court Nominee

2005-07-20T13:36:00.000-05:00

I don't intend to blog much about Supreme Court justices. In fact, this might be the one and only post. Zillions of other blogs are doing it, to include the many lawyer-bloggers. I like reading about it and staying informed, but it ain't something that I get all fired up about. I reckon President Bush and his folks will nominate good people, although no one can be sure what a person will do when they sit on the high bench -- especially when that high bench is the highest.

I like Ann Coulter. While I don't agree with her all the time (only about 99.9% of the time), I pay attention to what she has to say. She cuts through the bullshit like the 3rd Infantry Division cutting through the Republican Guard. She has a wonderful sense of humor -- and she is, more often than not, right on target.

Miss Ann is not fully embracing the President's first Supreme Court nominee:

So all we know about him for sure is that he can't dance and he probably doesn't know who Jay-Z is. Other than that, he is a blank slate. Tabula rasa. Big zippo. Nada. Oh, yeah...we also know he's argued cases before the supreme court. big deal; so has Larry fFynt's attorney.

But unfortunately, other than that that, we don't know much about John Roberts. Stealth nominees have never turned out to be a pleasant surprise for conservatives. Never. Not ever.

[...]

The only way a supreme court nominee could win the approval of NARAL and Planned Parenthood would be to actually perform an abortion during his confirmation hearing, live, on camera, and preferably a partial birth one.

It means nothing that Roberts wrote briefs arguing for the repeal of Roe v. Wade when he worked for Republican administrations. He was arguing on behalf of his client, the United States of America. Roberts has specifically disassociated himself from those cases, dropping a footnote to a 1994 law review article that said:

"In the interest of full disclosure, the author would like to point out that as Deputy Solicitor General for a portion of the 1992-93 Term, he was involved in many of the cases discussed below. In the interest of even fuller disclosure, he would also like to point out that his views as a commentator on those cases do not necessarily reflect his views as an advocate for his former client, the United States."

This would have been the legal equivalent, after O.J.'s acquittal, of Johnnie Cochran saying, "hey, I never said the guy was innocent. I was just doing my job."

And it makes no difference that conservatives in the White House are assuring us Roberts can be trusted. We got the exact same assurances from officials working for the last president Bush about David Hackett Souter.

I believe their exact words were, "Read our lips; Souter's a reliable conservative."

To The Moon and Beyond

2005-07-20T07:37:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it has been 36 years since the "Eagle" landed and Neil Armstrong first walked the lunar surface.

It's been almost 33 years since Gene Cernan, The Last Man On The Moon, and the crew of Apollo 17 explored the moon.

Since then, "no human being has set foot on another world, or ventured farther upward into space than 386 miles -- roughly the distance from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts."

That is going to change. It'll take us a few years, but we're going back to deep space and the moon -- and from there, to Mars and beyond.

"Inspired by all that has come before, and guided by clear objectives, today we set a new course for America's space program. We will give NASA a new focus and vision for future exploration. We will build new ships to carry man forward into the universe, to gain a new foothold on the moon and to prepare for new journeys to the worlds beyond our own."

President George W. Bush
NASA Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
January 14, 2004

Goal 1: Complete the International Space Station by 2010

"We will finish what we have started, we will meet our obligations to our 15 international partners on this project. We will focus our future research aboard the station on the long-term effects of space travel on human biology. The environment of space is hostile to human beings. Radiation and weightlessness pose dangers to human health, and we have much to learn about their long-term effects before human crews can venture through the vast voids of space for months at a time. Research on board the station and here on Earth will help us better understand and overcome the obstacles that limit exploration. Through these efforts we will develop the skills and techniques necessary to sustain further space exploration."

Goal 2: Develop and test a new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, by 2008, and conduct the first manned mission no later than 2014.

"The Crew Exploration Vehicle will be capable of ferrying astronauts and scientists to the Space Station after the shuttle is retired (2010). But the main purpose of this spacecraft will be to carry astronauts beyond our orbit to other worlds. This will be the first spacecraft of its kind since the Apollo Command Module."

Goal 3: Return to the moon by 2020, as the launching point for missions beyond.

"Beginning no later than 2008, we will send a series of robotic missions to the lunar surface to research and prepare for future human exploration. Using the Crew Exploration Vehicle, we will undertake extended human missions to the moon as early as 2015, with the goal of living and working there for increasingly extended periods. Eugene Cernan, who is with us today -- the last man to set foot on the lunar surface -- said this as he left: "We leave as we came, and God willing as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind." America will make those words come true.

Returning to the moon is an important step for our space program. Establishing an extended human presence on the moon could vastly reduce the costs of further space exploration, making possible ever more ambitious missions. Lifting heavy spacecraft and fuel out of the Earth's gravity is expensive. Spacecraft assembled and provisioned on the moon could escape its far lower gravity using far less energy, and thus, far less cost. Also, the moon is home to abundant resources. Its soil contains raw materials that might be harvested and processed into rocket fuel or breathable air. We can use our time on the moon to develop and test new approaches and technologies and systems that will allow us to function in other, more challenging environments. The moon is a logical step toward further progress and achievement."

Goal 4: Human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond.

"With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon, we will then be ready to take the next steps of space exploration: human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond. Robotic missions will serve as trailblazers -- the advanced guard to the unknown. Probes, landers and other vehicles of this kind continue to prove their worth, sending spectacular images and vast amounts of data back to Earth. Yet the human thirst for knowledge ultimately cannot be satisfied by even the most vivid pictures, or the most detailed measurements. We need to see and examine and touch for ourselves. And only human beings are capable of adapting to the inevitable uncertainties posed by space travel.

As our knowledge improves, we'll develop new power generation propulsion, life support, and other systems that can support more distant travels. We do not know where this journey will end, yet we know this: human beings are headed into the cosmos."

NASA Space Shuttle Program: Rocket Science and More

2005-07-18T22:08:00.000-05:00

The finer things in America only interest the mainstream media to the extent that they love to criticize and attack those things.

NASA, in my humble opinion, is one of the finer American institutions. Problems? Yes. Fixable? Yes. Heroic mission and people? Definitely.

The MSM are so predictable ... and boring ... and tiring. I suspect very few of them know anything worthwhile about our space program. I doubt they care.

NASA has some issues. Make no mistake about that. The Space Shuttle Program has some very big issues. How many people know that the shuttles are not, even yet, "fully operational" craft? And they are old and getting older.

For people who want to know more about the issues surrounding the space shuttles, I highly recommend the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report. It should be required reading for anyone commenting on NASA and the Space Shuttle Program, particularly.

The CAIB went further than most investigations:

In order to understand the findings and recommendations in this report, it is important to appreciate the way the Board looked at this accident. It is our view that complex systems almost always fail in complex ways, and we believe it would be wrong to reduce the complexities and weaknesses associated with these systems to some simple explanation. Too often, accident investigations blame a failure only on the last step in a complex process, when a more comprehensive understanding of that process could reveal that earlier steps might be equally or even more culpable. In this Board's opinion, unless the technical, organizational, and cultural recommendations made in this report are implemented, little will have been accomplished to lessen the chance that another accident will follow.

Below are some funding figures extracted from the report. They don't necessarily speak for themselves (you'll need to read the report for details), but they do give a snapshot of one of many factors affecting NASA and the Space Shuttle Program.

And below those, I've pasted the table of contents of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report to give you a better idea of what's in it. You can download it here.

(Click on photos to Enlarge)

Changes in federal spending

NASA Budget

NASA Budget as percentage of federal budget

WHAT THE EXPERTS HAVE SAID

Warnings of a Shuttle Accident

"Shuttle reliability is uncertain, but has been estimated to range between 97 and 99 percent. If the Shuttle reliability is 98 percent, there would be a 50-50 chance of losing an Orbiter within 34 flights ... The probability of maintaining at least three Orbiters in the Shuttle fleet declines to less than 50 percent after flight 113."
- The Office of Technology Assessment, 1989

"And although it is a subject that meets with reluctance to open discussion, and has therefore too often been relegated to silence, the statistical evidence indicates that we are likely to lose another Space Shuttle in the next several years ... probably before the planned Space Station is completely established on orbit. This would seem to be the weak link of the civil space program -- unpleasant to recognize, involving all the uncertainties of statistics, and difficult to resolve."
-The Augustine Committee, 1990

Shuttle as Developmental Vehicle

"Shuttle is also a complex system that has yet to demonstrate an ability to adhere to a fixed schedule."
- The Augustine Committee, 1990

NASA Human Space Flight Culture

"NASA has not been sufficiently responsive to valid criticism and the need for change."
- The Augustine Committee, 1990

Space Shuttle Program Budget

Space Shuttle Program Workforce

Columbia Accident Investigation Board

VOLUME I

In Memoriam
Board Statement
Executive Summary
Report Synopsis

PART ONE: THE ACCIDENT

Chapter 1: The Evolution of the Space Shuttle Program
1.1 Genesis of the Space Transportation System
1.2 Merging Conflicting Interests
1.3 Shuttle Development, Testing, and Qualification
1.4 The Shuttle Becomes "Operational"
1.5 The Challenger Accident
1.6 Concluding Thoughts

Chapter 2: Columbia's Final Flight
2.1 Mission Objectives and Their Rationales
2.2 Flight Preparation
2.3 Launch Sequence
2.4 On-Orbit Events
2.5 Debris Strike Analysis and Requests for Imagery
2.6 De-Orbit Burn and Re-Entry Events
2.7 Events Immediately Following the Accident

Chapter 3: Accident Analysis
3.1 The Physical Cause
3.2 The External Tank and Foam
3.3 Wing Leading Edge Structural Subsystem
3.4 Image and Transport Analyses
3.5 On-Orbit Debris Separation – The "Flight Day 2" Object
3.6 De-Orbit/Re-Entry
3.7 Debris Analysis
3.8 Impact Analysis and Testing

Chapter 4: Other Factors Considered
4.1 Fault Tree
4.2 Remaining Factors

PART TWO: WHY THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED

Chapter 5: From Challenger to Columbia
5.1 The Challenger Accident and its Aftermath
5.2 The NASA Human Space Flight Culture
5.3 An Agency Trying to Do Too Much With Too Little
5.4 Turbulence in NASA Hits the Space Shuttle Program
5.5 When to Replace the Space Shuttle?
5.6 A Change in NASA Leadership
5.7 The Return of Schedule Pressure
5.8 Conclusion

Chapter 6: Decision Making at NASA
6.1 A History of Foam Anomalies
6.2 Schedule Pressure
6.3 Decision-Making During the Flight of STS-107
6.4 Possibility of Rescue or Repair

Chapter 7: The Accident's Organizational Causes
7.1 Organizational Causes: Insights from History
7.2 Organizational Causes: Insights from Theory
7.3 Organizational Causes: Evaluating Best Safety Practices
7.4 Organizational Causes: A Broken Safety Culture
7.5 Organizational Causes: Impact of a Flawed Safety Culture on STS-107
7.6 Findings and Recommendations

Chapter 8: History as Cause: Columbia and Challenger
8.1 Echoes of Challenger
8.2 Failures of Foresight: Two Decision Histories and the Normalization of Deviance
8.3 System Effects: The Impact of History and Politics on Risky Work
8.4 Organization, Culture, and Unintended Consequences
8.5 History as Cause: Two Accidents
8.6 Changing NASA's Organizational System

PART THREE: A LOOK AHEAD

Chapter 9: Implications for the Future of Human Space Flight
9.1 Near-Term: Return to Flight
9.2 Mid-Term: Continuing to Fly
9.3 Long-Term: Future Directions for the U.S.in Space

Chapter 10: Other Significant Observations
10.1 Public Safety
10.2 Crew Escape and Survival
10.3 Shuttle Engineering Drawings and Closeout Photographs
10.4 Industrial Safety and Quality Assurance
10.5 Maintenance Documentation
10.6 Orbiter Maintenance Down Period/Orbiter Major Modification
10.7 Orbiter Corrosion
10.8 Brittle Fracture of A-286 Bolts
10.9 Hold-Down Post Cable Anomaly
10.10 Solid Rocket Booster External Tank Attachment Ring
10.11 Test Equipment Upgrades
10.12 Leadership/Managerial Training

Chapter 11 Recommendations

HeBeSheBeWeBe: Ebonics Be Real in San Bernardino County

2005-07-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

Yo, check dis numba out, homies. Da San Bernardino Sun be reporting:

Ebonics suggested for district

By Irma Lemus Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO Incorporating Ebonics into a new school policy that targets black students, the lowest-achieving group in the San Bernardino City Unified School District, may provide students a more well-rounded curriculum, said a local sociologist.

The goal of the district's policy is to improve black students' academic performance by keeping them interested in school. Compared with other racial groups in the district, black students go to college the least and have the most dropouts and suspensions.

Blacks make up the second largest racial group in the district, trailing Latinos.

A pilot of the policy, known as the Students Accumulating New Knowledge Optimizing Future Accomplishment Initiative, has been implemented at two city schools.

Mary Texeira, a sociology professor at Cal State San Bernardino, commended the San Bernardino Board of Education for approving the policy in June.

Texeira suggested that including Ebonics in the program would be beneficial for students. Ebonics, a dialect of American English that is spoken by many blacks throughout the country, was recognized as a separate language in 1996 by the Oakland school board.

"Ebonics is a different language, it's not slang as many believe,' Texeira said. "For many of these students Ebonics is their language, and it should be considered a foreign language. These students should be taught like other students who speak a foreign language.'

Texeira said research has shown that students learn better when they fully comprehend the language they are being taught in.

"There are African Americans who do not agree with me. They say that (black students) are lazy and that they need to learn to talk,' Texeira said.

Len Cooper, who is coordinating the pilot program at the two city schools, said San Bernardino district officials do not plan to incorporate Ebonics into the program.

"Because Ebonics can have a negative stigma, we're not focusing on that,' Cooper said. "We are affirming and recognizing Ebonics through supplemental reading books (for students).'

Beginning in the 2005-06 school year, teachers will receive training on black culture and customs. District curriculum will now include information on the historical, cultural and social impact of blacks in society. Although the program is aimed at black students, other students can choose to participate.

The pilot program at Rio Vista Elementary and King Middle schools focuses on second-, fourth- and seventh-grade classes. District officials hope to train teachers from other schools using the program as a model.

Board member Danny Tillman, who pushed for the policy, said that full implementation of the program at all schools may take years, but the pilot program is a beginning.

"At every step we will see positive results,' Tillman said.

Tillman hoped the new policy would increase the number of black students going to college and participating in advanced courses.

Teresa Parra, board vice president, said she worried the new program would have an adverse effect. [Ed: no shit, Sherlock]

Read more

This is a great example of liberal (and racist) thinking. It makes me want to throw up.

Those Wacky Google Guys

2005-07-14T21:47:00.000-05:00

So there I was ... fondly recalling Mrs. Haley reading to us about the adventures of Little Britches many, many moons ago. (Yeah, yeah. My mind is a funny thang).

So I google Little Britches using Google Print where you can "Search the full text of books (and discover new ones)":

(Click on photo to Enlarge)

Emily Books Cancun

2005-07-14T18:09:00.000-05:00

... or that's where she appears to be headed.

Say It Ain't So, Duke

2005-07-14T17:45:00.000-05:00

Duke Cunningham is in hot water:

Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., under investigation for his dealings with a defense contractor, will not seek re-election, Republican officials said Thursday.

These officials said the eight-term lawmaker planned a formal announcement later in the day in his home state. They spoke on condition of anonymity, citing Cunningham's desire to make his own public statement.

Cunningham, a Vietnam War veteran and eight-term lawmaker, has been shadowed by questions concerning his relationship with Mitchell Wade, the founder of MZM Inc., a defense firm.

Wade purchased Cunningham's 3,826-square-foot house north of San Diego in 2003, then put it back on the market and eventually took a $700,000 loss when he resold it a year later. During that span, home prices in San Diego County rose an average of nearly 25 percent.

At the same time, MZM Inc. was increasing its federal contracting business.

Cunningham is a member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, both of which oversee the kind of classified intelligence work MZM does for the military.

The congressman also faces questions about the arrangement under which he has lived on a yacht belonging to Wade and moored in Washington.

The congressman has said that instead of rent, he has paid at least $13,000 to cover dock fees and other expenses at the club since April 2004. Living on Wade's boat for free would violate congressional ethics rules.

Cunningham has denied any wrongdoing.

Excerpts from Duke's official biography:

In 1966, at the age of 25, Cunningham joined the U.S. Navy and became one of the most highly decorated pilots in the Vietnam War. As the first fighter ace of the war, Cunningham was nominated for the Medal of Honor, received the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, the Purple Heart, and several other decorations.

Duke's experience in Vietnam and his background as an educator prepared him well to train fighter pilots at the Navy Fighter Weapons School -- the famed "Top Gun" program at Miramar Naval Air Station. As Commanding Officer of the elite Navy Adversary Squadron, Cunningham flew Russian tactics and formations against America's best combat fighter pilots. Many of his real-life experiences as a Navy aviator and fighter pilot instructor were depicted in the popular movie "Top Gun."

He's got some 'splaining to do ... if his lawyers will let him. Duke Cunningham should have known that even the appearance of impropriety is gonna cause trouble. This looks bad for Duke's otherwise tremendous reputation.

As Drudge would say:

Developing . . .

UPDATE:

Complete text of Duke Cunningham's statement:

In recent weeks, serious questions have been raised about my conduct in office. First and foremost, I want my constituents to know that I have acted honorably and honestly. I recognize, however, that I showed poor judgment in selling my home in Del Mar to a friend who does business with the government. At the time of the sale, I failed to adequately consider how this transaction might be perceived by others who don't know me. However, my work in Congress is and has always been directed at programs and policies that I believe are in the best interest of our nation and my constituents. I have always felt a duty to this country and its people -- a duty that motivated me to volunteer for the Navy, serve in combat in Viet Nam, and run for office. I would never put the interests of a friend or a contractor above the interests of my country. I trust that the facts will bear out this truth over time.

I welcome any and all appropriate investigations. I have faith that any investigation of these allegations will confirm that I have acted honestly. My constituents know me to be the same fighter that has always fought for this nation, whether in uniform or in the halls of Congress. They can be assured that I will continue to defend both my reputation and their interests in Washington.

Because there is now a legal inquiry underway, I do not think it is appropriate for me to publicly address all of the specific questions that may be the subject of that inquiry. However, I do want to explain my relationship with Mr. Wade, the sale of my home in Del Mar, and my support for human intelligence programs in the U.S. military. From this point forward, any further questions should be directed to my legal counsel.

Mr. Wade and I have been friends for many years and continue to be friends today. Though I first met Mr. Wade in connection with his work as a defense contractor, Nancy and I came to know Mitch and his wife Christiane personally over the years. My family and I have socialized with the Wades on numerous occasions. The Wades have also occasionally asked Nancy and me to support important charitable causes with which they are affiliated and we have willingly done so. This includes the Sure Foundation, which offers financial assistance to refugee children dislocated by war or civil unrest. Nancy and I have been pleased to assist the Sure Foundation's important mission with our time, charitable contributions and political support. I want my constituents to know that, despite my personal friendship with Mr. Wade, I gave his company, MZM, no preferential treatment.

MZM provides highly classified human intelligence support to the U.S. Military. While I am not at liberty to discuss the specifics of MZM's classified work, I can say that in 2003 MZM was actively seeking space for its operations close to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. Mr. Wade shared with me that his company hoped to acquire space where he could locate highly secure communications equipment along with quarters for employees visiting from other cities. I informed Mr. Wade that Nancy and I were contemplating selling our home in the Del Mar Heights neighborhood, which is close to Miramar. After learning about the size and location of our property, Mr. Wade advised me that MZM would be interested in purchasing our house. I understood that MZM wanted the property for use as an office and as corporate housing until such time as MZM could locate more secure facilities for its operations at one of the military installations in the San Diego area. However, my understanding was that MZM would retain ownership of the property for use as corporate housing even if Mr. Wade was able to locate a more secure facility for their office operations at Miramar.

Elizabeth Todd, a realtor with the Willis Allen Company in Del Mar, set the asking price for our home. Ms. Todd and her husband are friends of mine and as a friend, she was kind enough to research the sale prices of similar homes in my neighborhood. Our home in Del Mar Heights was located in a desirable area west of Interstate 5 between the highway and the ocean. It was a large, two-story home measuring 3,826 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a limited ocean view from a loft on the top floor. My understanding is that the asking price recommended by Ms. Todd was very close to the average sale price per square foot of other homes sold in my neighborhood in the six months prior to the sale. Based on the information provided by Ms. Todd about comparable sale prices in my area, I thought the asking price was fair and reasonable. When I gave Mr. Wade the asking price, he requested that I provide him with evidence of comparable sales to substantiate the price. I then asked Ms. Todd to send Mr. Wade the information he requested and my understanding is that she did so. After reviewing the information provided by Ms. Todd, Mr. Wade confirmed that he wanted to purchase our home in Del Mar Heights for use by MZM.

I did not list my home in Del Mar Heights for sale or hire a real estate agent to sell the property because Mr. Wade had already indicated an interest in the property and, like most people selling their own home, I hoped to avoid the additional costs associated with selling a house through a broker. Again, I recognize that I showed poor judgment in not listing the house publicly for sale. I should have given more thought to the perception that it might create.

Recent press reports have incorrectly suggested that I secured a government contract for Mr. Wade's company or that I improperly influenced the awarding of contracts to MZM. These reports are simply false. I do not have the authority or ability to award a contract to Mr. Wade's company and no single Member of Congress, no matter how influential, can dictate to the Armed Services who will be awarded contracts. In fact, my understanding is that the Defense Department awarded MZM a contract in May 2002, a full year and half before Mr. Wade purchased my home in Del Mar Heights. I advocated funding of a human intelligence program that was supported by the military, and confirmed with the Defense Department that the program had significant value to military effectiveness. Funding for this program was also supported by the full House Appropriations Committee, both Houses of Congress and the President. In short, I categorically reject any suggestion that I secured a contract for Mr. Wade's company or that I supported funding of this important human intelligence program because MZM purchased my home in Del Mar Heights.

Finally, recent news reports have questioned whether it was appropriate for me to live on a boat owned by Mr. Wade while I was working in Washington. It is important to note that I first came to Congress in 1991, and I only began living on Mr. Wade's boat in roughly April 2004. Mr. Wade and I agreed that, in return for me staying on the boat, I would pay the monthly dock fees and maintenance costs associated with keeping Mr. Wade's boat at the marina. There was nothing improper about my arrangement with Mr. Wade because I paid these monthly fees and costs in lieu of rent. Based on the records that I have been able to locate to date, I have paid well over $8,000 for the dock fees and well over $5,000 for service and maintenance. My attorneys are collecting the full payment records now and will make them available when they are all gathered.

I am deeply saddened by this distraction from my regular duties. However, I intend to focus my time and attention on the needs of the people of the 50th district. I ask only that my constituents reserve judgment until any investigation is concluded and I have had the opportunity to defend myself against these false allegations.

This year will mark the 36th year that I have stood in service to this nation ñ first as a young man volunteering to join the U.S. Navy at a time of war and great unrest, and more recently as a United States Congressman. I have had many proud moments in my career.

I am most proud of the work I do for and with the people of my district.

I continue to lead Congress' work to dramatically increase federal funding for health and medical research ñ promoting both our national healthcare needs and the economic health of our local bio-technology industry.

I work for economic security in San Diego and our vital national security through funding for important defense and homeland security programs that have created and protected jobs for thousands of my San Diego County constituents. And through road, rail and other transportation funding, I work to help get hard-working San Diegans home to their families as quickly as possible every day so they can continue to enjoy all the life that our beautiful region has to offer.

Perhaps most importantly, I believe the work I am doing with educators and policy makers nationwide to improve education in San Diego and across the country will help lead our children to a better life than their parents enjoy today.

I have always done this job in the interest of my nation and my constituents. And I want the people of California's 50th Congressional district to know that my drive to continue this work on their behalf is as strong today as it was when I first ran for Congress 15 years ago. I have always been humbled by the faith that my district has had in my leadership, and I will continue to work to earn their respect and endorsement.

Quote of the Day

2005-07-14T12:16:00.001-05:00

Well, maybe not ... but it's fun to think so.

How Can We Fool Them Today?

2005-07-10T20:15:00.000-05:00

How can we fool them today?

Rush Limbaugh long ago said that that was the first thought of the Clintons when they woke each morning. It does seem to be a defining characteristic of the Left.

Matt Drudge gives us the latest example as he reports on MoveOn.org's Washington, D.C. house party:

In a desperate bid to sanitize his house party and control how its attendees would be perceived by the POST, the MOVEON host emailed talking points to his guests. A copy of those talking points was obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT.

Fazio warned his guests: "Its very important that if you talk to the reporter, you stay on message. Remember, it is quite possible that our event will be the one the POST uses to represent the entire MoveOnPac effort this weekend."

The key message for the event: "The momentum is finally shifting away from extremism. We will not accept a extremist nominee. This is not about conservatism vs liberalism or Republicans vs Democrats, this is all about extremism vs moderation and we're on the side of moderation."

The MOVEON host reminded his guests: "We don't want to come across as leftist, liberal activists. We want to come across as we are- regular folks who are finally saying enough is enough to the extremists; that we're not falling for their extremist rhetoric anymore and we're finally going to expend the effort necessary to get our country back."

Fazio: "Please stay on message and just know that ANYTHING you say can be taken out of context and used against the effort."

One last suggestion from Fazio to his liberal MOVEON party-goers: "Oh, because a photographer will be here, might I suggest we put away our ‘Bush is a Liar’ t-shirts. Let's look like they do."

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