Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Uh oh, uh oh, he's in the roll
SpaceShipOne successfully completed the first of two space flights needed to win the X-Prize. More importantly, astronaut Mike Melvill escaped the flight unharmed.
The problem on this flight, just as in the craft's first space flight, is that it rolled uncontrollably. Fortunately, Melvill shut the engine down 11 seconds early and stabilized the ship. That fact is testimony to the advantages of hybrid rockets over solid rockets. Eat that, space shuttle!
I suspect there are serious problems with the stability of SpaceShipOne. It's odd design makes it squirrelly in the air, and without a world-class pilot like Mike Melvill, it will be uncontrollable. Despite Richard Branson's pronouncements about using SpaceShipOne to start his space tourism company, this ship is not yet ready to go operational.
Right now, SpaceShipOne creator Burt Rutan has a Monday date for the second X-Prize flight. If he wats to keep his ship intact and let his pilot survive, he will push that date back. The roll problem needs to be fixed. Under X-Prize rules, Rutan must fly his ship again within two weeks of the first mission. If the problem is to be fixed, this looks like a near-impossible time schedule to meet.
The X-Prize is now getting interesting. Canadian Brian Feeney and his "DaVinci Wildfire" rocket, launched from a balloon, could have a shot of winning the prize if Rutan is forced to delay for more than two weeks. However, Feeney's rocket has not been extensively tested, and I think it will be a miracle if he survives the flight. All of this means that it's two teams going up against the Jan. 1, 2005 deadline. If that doesn't constitute pressure, I don't know what pressure is.
The problem on this flight, just as in the craft's first space flight, is that it rolled uncontrollably. Fortunately, Melvill shut the engine down 11 seconds early and stabilized the ship. That fact is testimony to the advantages of hybrid rockets over solid rockets. Eat that, space shuttle!
I suspect there are serious problems with the stability of SpaceShipOne. It's odd design makes it squirrelly in the air, and without a world-class pilot like Mike Melvill, it will be uncontrollable. Despite Richard Branson's pronouncements about using SpaceShipOne to start his space tourism company, this ship is not yet ready to go operational.
Right now, SpaceShipOne creator Burt Rutan has a Monday date for the second X-Prize flight. If he wats to keep his ship intact and let his pilot survive, he will push that date back. The roll problem needs to be fixed. Under X-Prize rules, Rutan must fly his ship again within two weeks of the first mission. If the problem is to be fixed, this looks like a near-impossible time schedule to meet.
The X-Prize is now getting interesting. Canadian Brian Feeney and his "DaVinci Wildfire" rocket, launched from a balloon, could have a shot of winning the prize if Rutan is forced to delay for more than two weeks. However, Feeney's rocket has not been extensively tested, and I think it will be a miracle if he survives the flight. All of this means that it's two teams going up against the Jan. 1, 2005 deadline. If that doesn't constitute pressure, I don't know what pressure is.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Ayatollah Assahollah
There has been much talk of Iran's nuclear program. Many people are taking a very alarmist attitude towards it. I, for one, would rather take a cautious approach.
For starters, it must be noted that American credibility is at an all-time low because of Iraq. This is not a critique of the intellience behind the war, it is an assessment of international perceptions. This is why we need critical intelligence to prove to the world, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Iran's nuclear program is not the benevolent energy solution they claim. I suggest to our intelligence agencies that they set up a sting operation to sell nuclear weapon components to Iranian sources. Now that we have infiltrated the A.Q. Khan network and disarmed Libya's nuclear program, we may have an advantage in doing so.
Scariest of all scenarios is that Iran could build a small nuclear weapon and smuggle it into the United States. Again, it is important to get to the truth behind the rumors. A suitcase nuke is difficult to build, despite the ease in which a generic nuclear weapon could be assembled. The key here is precision and miniaturization. Does Iran have the skills to design a portable nuclear bomb? My judgement is that they lack the skills at this point in time. Iran's weapon designs probably are Chinese and Pakistani in origin, no thanks to Abdul Qadeer Khan's nuclear black market. In the near term, Iranian nukes will most likely be aircraft bombs and warheads for the Shahab-3 missiles (produced with much North Korean assistance.)
So the $10,000 question is how we go about disarming Iran. An Osirak-style strike is out. Iran's nuclear facilities are too decentralized to hit in one fell swoop, and Iran could also retaliate against Americans in Iraq, using either its conventional forces or its Madhi Army surrogates. Diplomacy has not shown good results with Iran, and our current diplomatic tactics probably will fare no better.
We could try to arrange a bargain, where Iran would disarm in exchange for Israeli nuclear disarmament. The problem here is that 1) there is no way of us controlling Israel, despite bin Laden statements to the contrary, and 2) it is hard to verify that Iran is disarming.
Many people have pointed out that invading Iraq has undermined our ability to deal with Iran. That is true to an extent (regarding Iranian retaliation,) but Iran could easily strike at the American military bases that previously existed in the Persian Gulf. Instead, we need to turn Iraq and Afghanistan into our advantage. We are nation-building in both countries; why not use that to put Iran in a vice?
Dealing with Iran will not be easy and will take a significant amount of effort and different strategies. Unlike North Korea, where nuclear weapons have not significantly altered the balance of power (due to North Korea's conventional weapon strengths,) nuclear Iran is highly destabilizing for both the middle east and the entire world. A nuclear Iran is pretty f***ing scary, but the world is pretty f***ing scary, too.
For starters, it must be noted that American credibility is at an all-time low because of Iraq. This is not a critique of the intellience behind the war, it is an assessment of international perceptions. This is why we need critical intelligence to prove to the world, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Iran's nuclear program is not the benevolent energy solution they claim. I suggest to our intelligence agencies that they set up a sting operation to sell nuclear weapon components to Iranian sources. Now that we have infiltrated the A.Q. Khan network and disarmed Libya's nuclear program, we may have an advantage in doing so.
Scariest of all scenarios is that Iran could build a small nuclear weapon and smuggle it into the United States. Again, it is important to get to the truth behind the rumors. A suitcase nuke is difficult to build, despite the ease in which a generic nuclear weapon could be assembled. The key here is precision and miniaturization. Does Iran have the skills to design a portable nuclear bomb? My judgement is that they lack the skills at this point in time. Iran's weapon designs probably are Chinese and Pakistani in origin, no thanks to Abdul Qadeer Khan's nuclear black market. In the near term, Iranian nukes will most likely be aircraft bombs and warheads for the Shahab-3 missiles (produced with much North Korean assistance.)
So the $10,000 question is how we go about disarming Iran. An Osirak-style strike is out. Iran's nuclear facilities are too decentralized to hit in one fell swoop, and Iran could also retaliate against Americans in Iraq, using either its conventional forces or its Madhi Army surrogates. Diplomacy has not shown good results with Iran, and our current diplomatic tactics probably will fare no better.
We could try to arrange a bargain, where Iran would disarm in exchange for Israeli nuclear disarmament. The problem here is that 1) there is no way of us controlling Israel, despite bin Laden statements to the contrary, and 2) it is hard to verify that Iran is disarming.
Many people have pointed out that invading Iraq has undermined our ability to deal with Iran. That is true to an extent (regarding Iranian retaliation,) but Iran could easily strike at the American military bases that previously existed in the Persian Gulf. Instead, we need to turn Iraq and Afghanistan into our advantage. We are nation-building in both countries; why not use that to put Iran in a vice?
Dealing with Iran will not be easy and will take a significant amount of effort and different strategies. Unlike North Korea, where nuclear weapons have not significantly altered the balance of power (due to North Korea's conventional weapon strengths,) nuclear Iran is highly destabilizing for both the middle east and the entire world. A nuclear Iran is pretty f***ing scary, but the world is pretty f***ing scary, too.
The Banality of Law
The purpose of law is to codify the obvious, that which is necessary to protect our basic rights of life, liberty and property. To that end, we have laws like "thou shalt not kill" and "thou shalt not steal."
However, mankind has also known what I lke to refer to as "the banality of law." These are laws that do not stem from the obvious and do not make an appreciable contribution to protecting our God-given rights. These are laws like "thou shalt not drive 65 in a 55 zone" and "thou shalt not shoot squirrels in thine own backyard."
There is a purpose behind laws that seemingly have none. That pupose is to empower the people who pass them. See how gleefully such acts of judicial excess are persecuted. The knowledge of obscure law gives a sadistic power to little men they would otherwise not have.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where too many "little men" run the show and few people are big enough to own up to personal responsibility. We live in a world of ambulance chasers and coffee-spillers and people who blame McDonalds for their own obesity.
To be a big man, there are two requirements. First, you have to take responsibility for yourself, try to live as you know to be morally righteous, and deal with the consequences. Second, we have to let others take responsibility for themselves, try to live as they know to be morally righteous, and let them deal with the consequences.
However, mankind has also known what I lke to refer to as "the banality of law." These are laws that do not stem from the obvious and do not make an appreciable contribution to protecting our God-given rights. These are laws like "thou shalt not drive 65 in a 55 zone" and "thou shalt not shoot squirrels in thine own backyard."
There is a purpose behind laws that seemingly have none. That pupose is to empower the people who pass them. See how gleefully such acts of judicial excess are persecuted. The knowledge of obscure law gives a sadistic power to little men they would otherwise not have.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where too many "little men" run the show and few people are big enough to own up to personal responsibility. We live in a world of ambulance chasers and coffee-spillers and people who blame McDonalds for their own obesity.
To be a big man, there are two requirements. First, you have to take responsibility for yourself, try to live as you know to be morally righteous, and deal with the consequences. Second, we have to let others take responsibility for themselves, try to live as they know to be morally righteous, and let them deal with the consequences.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Thunder Run II: Fallujah
Within the next few months, US and Iraqi forces will have to take back Fallujah. Unlike last April, when Marines fought house-to-house, took about a quarter of the city, killed over 600 Iraqis, and then were forced to hand it over to a brigade of insurgents, we will have to fight smarter next time.
The first step is cordoning off Fallujah and using psychological warfare against its inhabitants. Control of the roads into the city will be essential to ending the insurgent military buildup. Civilians should be encouraged to flee to refugee camps. Insurgents should be encouraed to surrender with their weapons.
The formation of Task Force 626, dedicated to hunting down Abu Musab al Zarqawi, is a welcome development whose time is long past due. This should have been done in February, before the security guard mutilations and before the insurgents strengthened their control over the city. The task force is now at a disadvantage because their access to Fallujah and the Zarqawi network is so limited.
The Marines can take Fallujah the hard, old fashioned way (fighting house to house,) or they can do it in the smart, Army way. Before the fall of Baghdad, house-to-house fighting was the only way to take a city. Now, the "Thunder Run" has gained believers as a new means of urban warfare.
In a Thunder Run, a column of armored vehicles charges through the city, draws out the enemy, and blasts them to Allah. Because the insurgents have total control over the city and they have booby-trapped it with improvised explosives, snipers, and guys with RPG's, the Thunder Run is an option again.
I will admit that the Thunder Run cannot take the city by itself. However, it can do a great deal of damage to the enemy so coalition forces (preferably the Iraqi army and national guard) can sweep the houses for weapons and enemy fighters.
The first step is cordoning off Fallujah and using psychological warfare against its inhabitants. Control of the roads into the city will be essential to ending the insurgent military buildup. Civilians should be encouraged to flee to refugee camps. Insurgents should be encouraed to surrender with their weapons.
The formation of Task Force 626, dedicated to hunting down Abu Musab al Zarqawi, is a welcome development whose time is long past due. This should have been done in February, before the security guard mutilations and before the insurgents strengthened their control over the city. The task force is now at a disadvantage because their access to Fallujah and the Zarqawi network is so limited.
The Marines can take Fallujah the hard, old fashioned way (fighting house to house,) or they can do it in the smart, Army way. Before the fall of Baghdad, house-to-house fighting was the only way to take a city. Now, the "Thunder Run" has gained believers as a new means of urban warfare.
In a Thunder Run, a column of armored vehicles charges through the city, draws out the enemy, and blasts them to Allah. Because the insurgents have total control over the city and they have booby-trapped it with improvised explosives, snipers, and guys with RPG's, the Thunder Run is an option again.
I will admit that the Thunder Run cannot take the city by itself. However, it can do a great deal of damage to the enemy so coalition forces (preferably the Iraqi army and national guard) can sweep the houses for weapons and enemy fighters.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
A PRAYER FOR HAITI
Please ask The Big Man to send a little help for poor Haiti. Hurricane Jeanne, for all our worries over what it may do to us, killed 1500 people in Haiti. That's on top of the fact that Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries to begin with. Sometimes I feel that I should do a humanitarian mission in Haiti. Then again, I'm just one man, struggling against an entire vicious cycle that may never end for poor Haiti.
LOST MY LIBERAL
My radio show looks like it is DOA because my liberal co-host wannabe decided that he didn't have the time to do it. I would like to say that he was pulling the typical Democratic tactic of making a promise he can never keep and then backing away. Yet I cannot. I realize that many Democrats are not like that, and there are probably plenty of Republicans who aren't true to their word.
My choice is simple: find a new liberal co-host fast, or tell the radio people that I will not do my show, and disappoint poor Dorn by telling him that I will have no show to let him appear on. Unless he wants to BE the liberal co-host...
WAYNE'S WORLD
We went to "Wayne's World," the paintball establishment in Ocala. A fun time was had by all.
To begin with, everybody was using blue balls. I found this highly ironic, as blue balls are the symbol of Embry-Riddle.
In the second game I found myself hiding behind the same pipes that the Major was; however, I got my arm in a fire-ant nest and it got chewed. Then I got shot in the opposite hand.
The final game was supposed to give us a chance to use all of our ammo, and the players could re-spawn until all their ammo was gone. To begin with, I shot one of my own guys in the back a few times because we were bunched up and he stepped in front of me. To make it up to him, I let him finish off my last four shots. I got hit twice on the left shoulder and once on the right. I also felt a direct hit to the naughty bits, but there wasn't any paint to indicate that was the case.
With a little help from my friends, I broke a $5 to get change for the laundry. I washed my good pair of desert camo pants that I wore during paintball, and much to my chagrin they didn't totally come clean. Mostly it was grass stains and white paint from the 12 all-stars that played against our group of 57 cadets.
TALKING TURKEY
The debate of the week was, "Where is the control systems professor from?" His name sounded Greek, so I asked Theo the Greek about it. Theo then admitted that he already asked the professor where he was from (a gutsy move on Theo the Greek's part.) It turns out he is from Turkey, like many of our other professors.
So why is that relevant? It isn't. It's 100% useless information. But I happen to enjoy trivial things.
Another trivial fact about him: for the last two classes, he wore a gray shirt with green, black, and white stripes. He dresses like an engineer, alright. We need to unleash Queer Eye's Fab Five on him.
THINKING WITH YOUR PIKE
I subsidized the Pi Kappa Alpha ("Pike") party this weekend because I owed Nate Dog and Dirty Dave for storing my junk over the summer. All of a sudden, members of the Pikes who would normally wouldn't give a rat's rear end about me are acting nice because they want me to cough up the beer money. Such is the phoniness of the unwashed masses.
Nate and Dave wanted me at their party, but I had to stack it up this way: there were over 50 people, plenty of floozies, and lots of beer. None of those things really float my boat. I had to take a pass. If I had to do college over again I still would not become a frat boy.
STINKY SOX
The most disappointing part of the summer has been the Chicago White Sox. They quickly leaped into first, then sank like a rock. It begs the question, "Why do the Sox stink?"
The decline in victories corresponds directly to the moment when Frank Thomas ended his season with an injury. However, that conceals the reality of the tenuous grasp the Sox held over their division. The team relied on having two of the Al's best hitters, Thomas and Paul Konerko, to overcome their terrible pitching.
As much as I like Ozzie Guillen as manager, I think he hurt this team with an insistence on a five-man rotation. The Sox only had two decent pitchers to begin with (Esteban Loaiza and Mark Buherle,) so why make teams face three crappy pitchers every five games instead of two crappy pitchers every four games?
Compounding their problem, they traded the hot-hitting catcher, Miguel Olivo, for pitcher Freddy Garcia. The sad irony here is that Garcia is disappointing and clearly not the solution for the Sox' pitching problems. Further, they lost the offensive boost that Olivo provided, digging themelves into a deeper hole.
Acquiring Jose Contreras gave the Sox their best pitcher. However, they had to give up their former best pitcher, Esteban Loaiza, to get him. The only difference is that Contreras makes a whole lot more money. Again, the wisdom of Sox GM Kenny Williams comes into question.
Maybe the Sox should adopt the Cubs' old slogan of "Wait 'til next year." Alas, the Sox will need to hang on to Magglio Ordonez and Frank Thomas, and perform some voodoo magic to keep both of them healthy. They will also have to shell out serious cash to get some better pitchers (which has been the bane of the Sox for a long time.) Essentially, the Cubs will win the World Series before the next Sox playoff appearance.
Please ask The Big Man to send a little help for poor Haiti. Hurricane Jeanne, for all our worries over what it may do to us, killed 1500 people in Haiti. That's on top of the fact that Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries to begin with. Sometimes I feel that I should do a humanitarian mission in Haiti. Then again, I'm just one man, struggling against an entire vicious cycle that may never end for poor Haiti.
LOST MY LIBERAL
My radio show looks like it is DOA because my liberal co-host wannabe decided that he didn't have the time to do it. I would like to say that he was pulling the typical Democratic tactic of making a promise he can never keep and then backing away. Yet I cannot. I realize that many Democrats are not like that, and there are probably plenty of Republicans who aren't true to their word.
My choice is simple: find a new liberal co-host fast, or tell the radio people that I will not do my show, and disappoint poor Dorn by telling him that I will have no show to let him appear on. Unless he wants to BE the liberal co-host...
WAYNE'S WORLD
We went to "Wayne's World," the paintball establishment in Ocala. A fun time was had by all.
To begin with, everybody was using blue balls. I found this highly ironic, as blue balls are the symbol of Embry-Riddle.
In the second game I found myself hiding behind the same pipes that the Major was; however, I got my arm in a fire-ant nest and it got chewed. Then I got shot in the opposite hand.
The final game was supposed to give us a chance to use all of our ammo, and the players could re-spawn until all their ammo was gone. To begin with, I shot one of my own guys in the back a few times because we were bunched up and he stepped in front of me. To make it up to him, I let him finish off my last four shots. I got hit twice on the left shoulder and once on the right. I also felt a direct hit to the naughty bits, but there wasn't any paint to indicate that was the case.
With a little help from my friends, I broke a $5 to get change for the laundry. I washed my good pair of desert camo pants that I wore during paintball, and much to my chagrin they didn't totally come clean. Mostly it was grass stains and white paint from the 12 all-stars that played against our group of 57 cadets.
TALKING TURKEY
The debate of the week was, "Where is the control systems professor from?" His name sounded Greek, so I asked Theo the Greek about it. Theo then admitted that he already asked the professor where he was from (a gutsy move on Theo the Greek's part.) It turns out he is from Turkey, like many of our other professors.
So why is that relevant? It isn't. It's 100% useless information. But I happen to enjoy trivial things.
Another trivial fact about him: for the last two classes, he wore a gray shirt with green, black, and white stripes. He dresses like an engineer, alright. We need to unleash Queer Eye's Fab Five on him.
THINKING WITH YOUR PIKE
I subsidized the Pi Kappa Alpha ("Pike") party this weekend because I owed Nate Dog and Dirty Dave for storing my junk over the summer. All of a sudden, members of the Pikes who would normally wouldn't give a rat's rear end about me are acting nice because they want me to cough up the beer money. Such is the phoniness of the unwashed masses.
Nate and Dave wanted me at their party, but I had to stack it up this way: there were over 50 people, plenty of floozies, and lots of beer. None of those things really float my boat. I had to take a pass. If I had to do college over again I still would not become a frat boy.
STINKY SOX
The most disappointing part of the summer has been the Chicago White Sox. They quickly leaped into first, then sank like a rock. It begs the question, "Why do the Sox stink?"
The decline in victories corresponds directly to the moment when Frank Thomas ended his season with an injury. However, that conceals the reality of the tenuous grasp the Sox held over their division. The team relied on having two of the Al's best hitters, Thomas and Paul Konerko, to overcome their terrible pitching.
As much as I like Ozzie Guillen as manager, I think he hurt this team with an insistence on a five-man rotation. The Sox only had two decent pitchers to begin with (Esteban Loaiza and Mark Buherle,) so why make teams face three crappy pitchers every five games instead of two crappy pitchers every four games?
Compounding their problem, they traded the hot-hitting catcher, Miguel Olivo, for pitcher Freddy Garcia. The sad irony here is that Garcia is disappointing and clearly not the solution for the Sox' pitching problems. Further, they lost the offensive boost that Olivo provided, digging themelves into a deeper hole.
Acquiring Jose Contreras gave the Sox their best pitcher. However, they had to give up their former best pitcher, Esteban Loaiza, to get him. The only difference is that Contreras makes a whole lot more money. Again, the wisdom of Sox GM Kenny Williams comes into question.
Maybe the Sox should adopt the Cubs' old slogan of "Wait 'til next year." Alas, the Sox will need to hang on to Magglio Ordonez and Frank Thomas, and perform some voodoo magic to keep both of them healthy. They will also have to shell out serious cash to get some better pitchers (which has been the bane of the Sox for a long time.) Essentially, the Cubs will win the World Series before the next Sox playoff appearance.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
WORD ON THE STREET
The readership of this blog is expanding. Loyal readers, thanks for being there. Continue to spread the word. The Impossible Scissors revolution has begun.
RESIDENCY EVIL
There's a shady guy who's registering people to vote in front of the student center. He has these sloppy signs drawn up and taped to his table, and he doesn't seem all there. Most importantly, I think he's telling out-of-state students they can vote in Florida. The truth is that they can't. I had to shell out ten bucks at the courthouse to get my residency changed to Florida just so I could carpet-bag in this state (like Alan Keyes.)
I will soon call the county elections supervisor to check up on this guy and see if my voter registration went through. I hope he's not a party operative or another bad example of election crookedness in Florida.
SPACE STUFF: SPACEDEV DREAM CHASER
Astro Nick wants me to talk about space stuff. This will be my first in a series of "space stuff" posts.
SpaceDev, the company that built SpaceShipOne's hybrid rocket engine, wants to get in the rocket-plane market for themselves. Their proposed "Dream Chaser" has a lot of people buzzing.
I first saw a paper on their concept in April 2003. They want to use a hybrid rocket because it's reliable like a solid rocket, but it can be shut down like a liquid one can. Their spacecraft is based on NASA's now-defunct X-34, except that it will take off vertically like most rockets do.
I liked the X-34 and was disappointed by its cancellation, but I'm having doubts abut re-using the design for SpaceDev's new ship. For one, it has fairly large wings. This means more dead weight on the ship. The wings were necessary on the X-34 because the fully-fuelled ship, with its engine still burning, needed to pitch upwards after being dropped from its L1011 airliner mothership. The Dream Chaser can probably glide back to base using smaller wings designed to support the weight of the ship after the fuel is burned. The only advantage I can see to big wings is that you can get back to base if you have to abort the mission before burning off your fuel. Still, there will be serious issues of getting the center of gravity in the right place for a safe glide.
SECRET PLANS
John Kerry is frightening national guard members by saying that President Bush has a secret plan to mobilize them if he wins the election. The plan must be so secret that President Bush doesn't know about it yet.
Now Kerry is saying that Bush will re-instate the draft, re-iterating a charge made earlier by DNC attack dog Terry McAulliffe. Yet Donald Rumsfeld has repeatedly made passionate speeches against the draft. The only person to publicly support a draft is ultra-left-wing Rep. Charlie Rangel, who naively thinks that politicians will not authorize more wars because their sons would be drafted. Appraretly he was too stoned to remember Vietnam, when the sons of the powerful avoided Vietnam through the national guard (Pres. Bush & Jack Kemp,) got easy assignments (Al Gore,) weasled out of ROTC commitments (Clinton,) or ran to Canada like pussies.
I don't like the current situation we have where guardsmen and reserves are being over-deployed, but I don't think a draft is necessary. Congress should cut back the reserves and guard, then put up the money to recruit more active-duty soldiers and Marines. The draft should be viewed as the last resort when recruiting has failed. Despite the ngoing, intense war in Iraq, there is no sign that we can't recruit more good men. If George Washington taught us anything, it should be that we need a standing army and cannot rely on militias. I do not want to demean our reservists (as I know one reservist currently in Iraq and one who got back from Iraq a bit over a year ago.) I just want to spare them the difficulties of balancing the demands of a full-time civilian with those of a full-time soldier.
TWISTED SISTERS
The Iraqi Islamic militants may get their wish, as Iraq's government wants to release two female high-value detainees. They have comically been nicknamed "Dr. Germ" and "Mrs. Anthrax." I find the moniker "Mrs. Anthrax" deceptive, as that would imply her husband was "Mr. Anthrax." Instead, he got the equally-funny name "Missile Man."
I am afraid that this move will be interpreted as caving to the terrorists' demands, since they savagely murdered two American engineers and will do the same to a British engineer if the detainees aren't released. And even if the two women are released, there is no guarantee that the Brit will be spared.
Yet there may be a good reason to release the two. If they are not part of the "Dirty Dozen" (Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid, Tariq Aziz, etc.) who will be tried and hanged, and if they have given up as much as they know about Iraq's WMD programs, terror ties, and such, there is no reason to hang on to them any longer.
The ruthless side of me wants to charge the two women with a crime that, upon conviction, would carry the death penalty. That would get us some leverage with the terrorists, so we could arrange a swap on equal terms and show that we have some balls. However, the final decision rests in the hands of Iraq's government, and we will have to respect that.
The readership of this blog is expanding. Loyal readers, thanks for being there. Continue to spread the word. The Impossible Scissors revolution has begun.
RESIDENCY EVIL
There's a shady guy who's registering people to vote in front of the student center. He has these sloppy signs drawn up and taped to his table, and he doesn't seem all there. Most importantly, I think he's telling out-of-state students they can vote in Florida. The truth is that they can't. I had to shell out ten bucks at the courthouse to get my residency changed to Florida just so I could carpet-bag in this state (like Alan Keyes.)
I will soon call the county elections supervisor to check up on this guy and see if my voter registration went through. I hope he's not a party operative or another bad example of election crookedness in Florida.
SPACE STUFF: SPACEDEV DREAM CHASER
Astro Nick wants me to talk about space stuff. This will be my first in a series of "space stuff" posts.
SpaceDev, the company that built SpaceShipOne's hybrid rocket engine, wants to get in the rocket-plane market for themselves. Their proposed "Dream Chaser" has a lot of people buzzing.
I first saw a paper on their concept in April 2003. They want to use a hybrid rocket because it's reliable like a solid rocket, but it can be shut down like a liquid one can. Their spacecraft is based on NASA's now-defunct X-34, except that it will take off vertically like most rockets do.
I liked the X-34 and was disappointed by its cancellation, but I'm having doubts abut re-using the design for SpaceDev's new ship. For one, it has fairly large wings. This means more dead weight on the ship. The wings were necessary on the X-34 because the fully-fuelled ship, with its engine still burning, needed to pitch upwards after being dropped from its L1011 airliner mothership. The Dream Chaser can probably glide back to base using smaller wings designed to support the weight of the ship after the fuel is burned. The only advantage I can see to big wings is that you can get back to base if you have to abort the mission before burning off your fuel. Still, there will be serious issues of getting the center of gravity in the right place for a safe glide.
SECRET PLANS
John Kerry is frightening national guard members by saying that President Bush has a secret plan to mobilize them if he wins the election. The plan must be so secret that President Bush doesn't know about it yet.
Now Kerry is saying that Bush will re-instate the draft, re-iterating a charge made earlier by DNC attack dog Terry McAulliffe. Yet Donald Rumsfeld has repeatedly made passionate speeches against the draft. The only person to publicly support a draft is ultra-left-wing Rep. Charlie Rangel, who naively thinks that politicians will not authorize more wars because their sons would be drafted. Appraretly he was too stoned to remember Vietnam, when the sons of the powerful avoided Vietnam through the national guard (Pres. Bush & Jack Kemp,) got easy assignments (Al Gore,) weasled out of ROTC commitments (Clinton,) or ran to Canada like pussies.
I don't like the current situation we have where guardsmen and reserves are being over-deployed, but I don't think a draft is necessary. Congress should cut back the reserves and guard, then put up the money to recruit more active-duty soldiers and Marines. The draft should be viewed as the last resort when recruiting has failed. Despite the ngoing, intense war in Iraq, there is no sign that we can't recruit more good men. If George Washington taught us anything, it should be that we need a standing army and cannot rely on militias. I do not want to demean our reservists (as I know one reservist currently in Iraq and one who got back from Iraq a bit over a year ago.) I just want to spare them the difficulties of balancing the demands of a full-time civilian with those of a full-time soldier.
TWISTED SISTERS
The Iraqi Islamic militants may get their wish, as Iraq's government wants to release two female high-value detainees. They have comically been nicknamed "Dr. Germ" and "Mrs. Anthrax." I find the moniker "Mrs. Anthrax" deceptive, as that would imply her husband was "Mr. Anthrax." Instead, he got the equally-funny name "Missile Man."
I am afraid that this move will be interpreted as caving to the terrorists' demands, since they savagely murdered two American engineers and will do the same to a British engineer if the detainees aren't released. And even if the two women are released, there is no guarantee that the Brit will be spared.
Yet there may be a good reason to release the two. If they are not part of the "Dirty Dozen" (Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid, Tariq Aziz, etc.) who will be tried and hanged, and if they have given up as much as they know about Iraq's WMD programs, terror ties, and such, there is no reason to hang on to them any longer.
The ruthless side of me wants to charge the two women with a crime that, upon conviction, would carry the death penalty. That would get us some leverage with the terrorists, so we could arrange a swap on equal terms and show that we have some balls. However, the final decision rests in the hands of Iraq's government, and we will have to respect that.
Monday, September 20, 2004
UP IN SMOKE
Saturday night I saw two guys smoking outside the student village. The smoke smelled suspiciously sweet. One guy asked me how I was doing, then asked if I was "on a mission." I didn't know if he was remarking about my purposeful gait or if he suspcted I was a Narc. Were they smoking the wacky weed? Probably, but I cannot say for sure, as nobody has taught me exactly what Mary Jane smells like.
GEORGE WILL?
The most flattering complement I have received is that I am the "young George Will." Wow. Things like that could give a guy a big head.
DEEPER INTO THE BUSH
Robert Novak has some shocking news about what the next four years might be like if President Bush gets re-elected. He claims that the US will quickly leave Iraq after their elections. Say it ain't so, George!
Obviously, we cannot and should not stay in Iraq forever. However, we should at least have some goals to meet before we can leave. For starters, Iraqi security forces should have to meet manning and proficiency standards, a task that won't be met until April 2005 at the earliest. Abu Musab al Zarqawi and his terror network, Tawhid and Jihad, must be driven to destruction. The Iraqi Dirty Dozen should be given speedy, tansparent trials before they are publicly executed. And the Moqtada al Sadr problem should be fixed.
These goals should be even more urgent in light of today's brutal beheading of an American contractor in Iraq. As long as high-value prisoners are sitting in Iraqi jails, the insurgent scum will continue abducting our guys and using them as bargaining chips before butchering them. In the current hostage standoff, the jihadis want female detainees like "Ms. Anthrax" released.
Cutting and running (a la Ford in Vietnam, Reagan in Lebanon, and Clinton in Somalia) is never a good precedent. Ford's decision to not intervene in the Easter offensive ended the promise of South Vietnam and led to the brutality of communist rule and re-education camps. Lebanon and Somalia could only have reinforced he desire of Islamic militants to attack the United States, as it showed them that the United States would retreat in the face of terrorism.
Other scary tidbits in the Novak article include the appointment of Paul Wolfowitz as defense secretary. AAAGH! For all of Rumsfeld's faults, at least he is a realist. Wolfowitz not only has the same faults as Rumsfeld, but he is hopelessly naive and idealistic (just like the entire neo-con philosophy.)
BOOK EM, DANO
I love Amazon.com and its affiliated shops. I saved over $17 on a new textbook, and I get big discounts on all of the newest books. They have an awesome selection. Three cheers for Amazon!
DA BEARS
DaBears finally beat the Green Bay Packers, and in Green Bay to boot. The Bears haven't beaten the Pack since 1999 or 2000 (it's been so long that I forget,) so the win was particularly sweet. Coach Lovie Smith is the man, delivering on his promise to the hungry Bears fans.
MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (AGAIN)
The school year restart was today. It wasn't very different from the first beginning of the semester, except that I was very sleepy. Nineteen days have passed
Saturday night I saw two guys smoking outside the student village. The smoke smelled suspiciously sweet. One guy asked me how I was doing, then asked if I was "on a mission." I didn't know if he was remarking about my purposeful gait or if he suspcted I was a Narc. Were they smoking the wacky weed? Probably, but I cannot say for sure, as nobody has taught me exactly what Mary Jane smells like.
GEORGE WILL?
The most flattering complement I have received is that I am the "young George Will." Wow. Things like that could give a guy a big head.
DEEPER INTO THE BUSH
Robert Novak has some shocking news about what the next four years might be like if President Bush gets re-elected. He claims that the US will quickly leave Iraq after their elections. Say it ain't so, George!
Obviously, we cannot and should not stay in Iraq forever. However, we should at least have some goals to meet before we can leave. For starters, Iraqi security forces should have to meet manning and proficiency standards, a task that won't be met until April 2005 at the earliest. Abu Musab al Zarqawi and his terror network, Tawhid and Jihad, must be driven to destruction. The Iraqi Dirty Dozen should be given speedy, tansparent trials before they are publicly executed. And the Moqtada al Sadr problem should be fixed.
These goals should be even more urgent in light of today's brutal beheading of an American contractor in Iraq. As long as high-value prisoners are sitting in Iraqi jails, the insurgent scum will continue abducting our guys and using them as bargaining chips before butchering them. In the current hostage standoff, the jihadis want female detainees like "Ms. Anthrax" released.
Cutting and running (a la Ford in Vietnam, Reagan in Lebanon, and Clinton in Somalia) is never a good precedent. Ford's decision to not intervene in the Easter offensive ended the promise of South Vietnam and led to the brutality of communist rule and re-education camps. Lebanon and Somalia could only have reinforced he desire of Islamic militants to attack the United States, as it showed them that the United States would retreat in the face of terrorism.
Other scary tidbits in the Novak article include the appointment of Paul Wolfowitz as defense secretary. AAAGH! For all of Rumsfeld's faults, at least he is a realist. Wolfowitz not only has the same faults as Rumsfeld, but he is hopelessly naive and idealistic (just like the entire neo-con philosophy.)
BOOK EM, DANO
I love Amazon.com and its affiliated shops. I saved over $17 on a new textbook, and I get big discounts on all of the newest books. They have an awesome selection. Three cheers for Amazon!
DA BEARS
DaBears finally beat the Green Bay Packers, and in Green Bay to boot. The Bears haven't beaten the Pack since 1999 or 2000 (it's been so long that I forget,) so the win was particularly sweet. Coach Lovie Smith is the man, delivering on his promise to the hungry Bears fans.
MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (AGAIN)
The school year restart was today. It wasn't very different from the first beginning of the semester, except that I was very sleepy. Nineteen days have passed
Sunday, September 19, 2004
THE MORE YOU GNOW ABOUT GNOSTIC GOSPELS
Last night I read a translation of the Gospel of St. Thomas after being inspired to do so by the movie "Stigmata." The movie itself was okay but could have been done much better if they didn't have such an obvious agenda of demonizing the Catholic church.
The biggest message I got from the Gospel of Thomas is that Jesus advocated a Buddhist-like philosophy. The kingdom of heaven is both inside us and around us, and it can only be found by joining the inside and outside. For me, this is much like the concept of Nirvana, and this idea does have an influence over my life, constantly forcing me to evaluate myself as part of the grand scheme of the universe.
The Jesus of Thomas tells his disciples that heaven does not lie in the sky or in the sea. My question is how that verse meshes with the ideas of the afterlife in Jesus' s day. Did people of the time believe in heaven as a place in the sky? Or did they think of it as an "underworld," as was common in Judaism and Greco-Roman mythology? This verse makes me think that Thomas was written long after Jesus, written so that a European audience would accept it.
Much has been said about how this gospel was repressed because of its controversial messages. For one, this gospel is NOT an admonition against organized religion. In fact, Jesus tells his disciples to keep the sabbath, which I assume means to attend worship services. One message of that gospel that would have been repressed (by the early church) is Jesus's declaration of the equality of men and women. Such a thought was anathema to the culture of the day, and it's the reason why Mary Magdalene's role in Jesus's ministry was obscurred by the church for so long (although we must not give into the baseless belief that she was the wife of Jesus.)
Then again, there are times when I doubt this gnostic gospel, re-discovered in Egypt in 1945, is really the words of Jesus. Some of the advice he gives in Thomas makes absolutely no sense. "Blessed is the lion who becomes man when he is eaten by man, but cursed is the man who makes the lion man when consumed by the lion." WTF, man? Without any corroboration, we have a duty to remain skeptical of the gnostic gospels. This philosophy is similar to what made Martin Luther strip the apocryphal books from his Protestant Bible.
PLACES WHERE YOU CAN'T PUT A KERRY STICKER
There are some cars which are just plain hypocritical to stick Kerry bumper stickers on. This would include any SUV or any import car.
John Kerry has consistently railed against the exportation of American jobs, an effective populist tactic. Yet why am I seeing his bumper sticker on the backs of Kias?
John Kerry is against the tax break for people who buy large vehicles like trucks and SUVs. Then why did I see a Hummer with twenty Kerry stickers on it?
I think the message here is that most Kerry voters don't like Hanoi John very much, but they will vote for the most electable non-Bush candidate.
Are there any cars where it would be inappropriate to stick a Bush sticker? Hybrid cars, maybe. Bush supporters don't tend to favor these impractical engineering marvels, yet President Bush has still supported tax breaks for them.
Really, I don't see much point in politicizing our cars. Will I treat you better because we like the same candidate? Will I run you off the road into a ditch because we don't agree on who should be president? And then you will have to peel the sticker off after the election, or else you will look like a dork.
THE CLELAND CONSPIRACY
A plausible scenario about the fake CBS documents is emerging. The forger is allegedly retired Texas National Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett, a rabid Bush-hater who contributes to the rabidly anti-Bush website democrats.com. The middleman then would be former senator Max Cleland, who coordinated the operation with the Democratic National Committee and its "Operation Fortunate Son." CBS and its poor Democratic tool of an anchorman, Dan Rather, were used like the Democrat tools they are.
The Republicans need to go on the attack if they can blow the cover off the relationship between the DNC and the forger. The Democrats have done their best to portray the Swift Boat Vets as Republican tools, so the Republicans have every right to fire back that the Democrats used CBS as its own 527 to spead fake documents that could hurt the president. In all fairness to the Swift Boat Vets, their vendetta against Hanoi John stretches back over thirty years and has litle to do with partisan politics, aside from the fact that Republican partisans have given them money.
It cannot be overstated that Burkett has no integrity when it comes to his offensive against the president, or else his stories about "sanitizing" the president's guard record in 1997 would have been corroborated. He's not a very good liar, either. The CBS docs were very weak forgeries. The old Texas ANG records would probably have been put on microfilm long before Burkett claimed to see paper documents in the garbage.
Last night I read a translation of the Gospel of St. Thomas after being inspired to do so by the movie "Stigmata." The movie itself was okay but could have been done much better if they didn't have such an obvious agenda of demonizing the Catholic church.
The biggest message I got from the Gospel of Thomas is that Jesus advocated a Buddhist-like philosophy. The kingdom of heaven is both inside us and around us, and it can only be found by joining the inside and outside. For me, this is much like the concept of Nirvana, and this idea does have an influence over my life, constantly forcing me to evaluate myself as part of the grand scheme of the universe.
The Jesus of Thomas tells his disciples that heaven does not lie in the sky or in the sea. My question is how that verse meshes with the ideas of the afterlife in Jesus' s day. Did people of the time believe in heaven as a place in the sky? Or did they think of it as an "underworld," as was common in Judaism and Greco-Roman mythology? This verse makes me think that Thomas was written long after Jesus, written so that a European audience would accept it.
Much has been said about how this gospel was repressed because of its controversial messages. For one, this gospel is NOT an admonition against organized religion. In fact, Jesus tells his disciples to keep the sabbath, which I assume means to attend worship services. One message of that gospel that would have been repressed (by the early church) is Jesus's declaration of the equality of men and women. Such a thought was anathema to the culture of the day, and it's the reason why Mary Magdalene's role in Jesus's ministry was obscurred by the church for so long (although we must not give into the baseless belief that she was the wife of Jesus.)
Then again, there are times when I doubt this gnostic gospel, re-discovered in Egypt in 1945, is really the words of Jesus. Some of the advice he gives in Thomas makes absolutely no sense. "Blessed is the lion who becomes man when he is eaten by man, but cursed is the man who makes the lion man when consumed by the lion." WTF, man? Without any corroboration, we have a duty to remain skeptical of the gnostic gospels. This philosophy is similar to what made Martin Luther strip the apocryphal books from his Protestant Bible.
PLACES WHERE YOU CAN'T PUT A KERRY STICKER
There are some cars which are just plain hypocritical to stick Kerry bumper stickers on. This would include any SUV or any import car.
John Kerry has consistently railed against the exportation of American jobs, an effective populist tactic. Yet why am I seeing his bumper sticker on the backs of Kias?
John Kerry is against the tax break for people who buy large vehicles like trucks and SUVs. Then why did I see a Hummer with twenty Kerry stickers on it?
I think the message here is that most Kerry voters don't like Hanoi John very much, but they will vote for the most electable non-Bush candidate.
Are there any cars where it would be inappropriate to stick a Bush sticker? Hybrid cars, maybe. Bush supporters don't tend to favor these impractical engineering marvels, yet President Bush has still supported tax breaks for them.
Really, I don't see much point in politicizing our cars. Will I treat you better because we like the same candidate? Will I run you off the road into a ditch because we don't agree on who should be president? And then you will have to peel the sticker off after the election, or else you will look like a dork.
THE CLELAND CONSPIRACY
A plausible scenario about the fake CBS documents is emerging. The forger is allegedly retired Texas National Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett, a rabid Bush-hater who contributes to the rabidly anti-Bush website democrats.com. The middleman then would be former senator Max Cleland, who coordinated the operation with the Democratic National Committee and its "Operation Fortunate Son." CBS and its poor Democratic tool of an anchorman, Dan Rather, were used like the Democrat tools they are.
The Republicans need to go on the attack if they can blow the cover off the relationship between the DNC and the forger. The Democrats have done their best to portray the Swift Boat Vets as Republican tools, so the Republicans have every right to fire back that the Democrats used CBS as its own 527 to spead fake documents that could hurt the president. In all fairness to the Swift Boat Vets, their vendetta against Hanoi John stretches back over thirty years and has litle to do with partisan politics, aside from the fact that Republican partisans have given them money.
It cannot be overstated that Burkett has no integrity when it comes to his offensive against the president, or else his stories about "sanitizing" the president's guard record in 1997 would have been corroborated. He's not a very good liar, either. The CBS docs were very weak forgeries. The old Texas ANG records would probably have been put on microfilm long before Burkett claimed to see paper documents in the garbage.
Saturday, September 18, 2004
ALL QUIET ON THE TIKRITI FRONT
A recent Washington Times article confirms what I had suspected for about a month or more: the town of Tikrit, home to Saddam Hussein's Tikriti clan, has been well-pacified. This ties in with my theory that Ba'ath loyalists have given up their fight, and the burden of the insurgency has fallen on angry Sunnis and Islamic militants.
There is a step-by-step plan to take back Iraqi cities, particulalrly in the SUnni triangle. Tal Afar, Samarra, and Tikrit are being pacified. Recent fighting in Ramadi has also been part of this plan.
The big problem is Fallujah, the capitol of the insurgency. The bombings in Fallujah seem to have stirred up more anti-American fervor, with unknown damage done to the Zarqawi network and the Sunni oligarchy in Fallujah. I'm torn strategically on whether this strategy should continue. But it's also clear that Iraqi forces must re-take the city, and right now they are not ready. I like the idea of cordoning the city off and waiting until sufficient numbers of enemy fighters have given up before re-taking it. I also wonder whether a "Thunder Run," or armored strike, could get Fallujah to capitulate. After all, it worked on Baghdad in April 2003. Maybe the factors tht made it work then are still in play now.
A recent Washington Times article confirms what I had suspected for about a month or more: the town of Tikrit, home to Saddam Hussein's Tikriti clan, has been well-pacified. This ties in with my theory that Ba'ath loyalists have given up their fight, and the burden of the insurgency has fallen on angry Sunnis and Islamic militants.
There is a step-by-step plan to take back Iraqi cities, particulalrly in the SUnni triangle. Tal Afar, Samarra, and Tikrit are being pacified. Recent fighting in Ramadi has also been part of this plan.
The big problem is Fallujah, the capitol of the insurgency. The bombings in Fallujah seem to have stirred up more anti-American fervor, with unknown damage done to the Zarqawi network and the Sunni oligarchy in Fallujah. I'm torn strategically on whether this strategy should continue. But it's also clear that Iraqi forces must re-take the city, and right now they are not ready. I like the idea of cordoning the city off and waiting until sufficient numbers of enemy fighters have given up before re-taking it. I also wonder whether a "Thunder Run," or armored strike, could get Fallujah to capitulate. After all, it worked on Baghdad in April 2003. Maybe the factors tht made it work then are still in play now.
Friday, September 17, 2004
IVAN: FACT VS. FICTION
We lost an entire week of school based on what I feel was a premature decision to evacuate for Ivan. Perhaps it was prudent to order an early evacuation, but no man may truly know, and hindsight is usually 20/20.
I stayed with Smitty in Daytona for the week. During this time he exposed me to rudimentary horsemanship, which I had avoided since my dude ranch experience in Jan. 1995. This time I could appreciate the hard work of the dedicated horse-lovers and the power of these majestic animals. We are far removed from the times when man relied on the horse to enable his tsandard of living. It's important that we return to our roots so we can appreciate the future.
COLUMBIA, REVISITED
A large piece of Columbia, the escape hatch, was found recently in Newton County, TX. I'm sure this will not be the last piece of Columbia debris we identify. Hopefully each of these events will make us remember what used to be, and inspire us to accomplish what is yet to come.
We lost Columbia and her precious crew at a difficult point in our nation's history, only adding to the difficulties he had and those yet to come. I vividly remember the way I felt during those trying few months. We saw great sadness and destruction, but in the midsts of destruction and eventually war we saw a glimmer of hope.
The crew of Columbia would want us to hold on to that hope and breathe life into it. The time of great difficulty is nowhere near over. But should we survive the inferno and the stresses, as Columbia did not, we may build a better future. I want a future where people of all faiths can live together, protected by our mutual respect and common goals and values. I want a future where more people enjoy freedom, constrained only by self-discipline and personal responsibility. Most importantly, I want a future where we explore to the edges of existance and the farthest reaches of human potential.
THUNDERBALL vs. SUM OF ALL FEARS
During the course of the cold war, several nuclear weapons were lost by the Americans and Soviets. The most well-known incident was a mid-air collision between a B-52 and KC-135 in which seven of eleven crew members were killed, and one of four bombs was recovered after several weeks in the Atlantic Ocean (which is re-enacted in the excellent movie "Men of Honor.")
The second-most famous incident was a mid-air between a B-47 and F-86 in 1958 off the Georgia coast. Unlike the later incident, this one had a much happier outcome. All crew involved survived, although the unarmed bomb was lost in the ocean. Yet it looks like this last bit will soon be fixed.
A team led by an retired Air Force Colonel has found a large, radioactive object in the area where the bomb was jettisoned. The Air Force, Defense Deparment, and Department of Energy will investigate further and eventully determine whether to recover the object.
The scariest scenario is not a "Thunderball," where terrorists snatch a lost nuke off the ocean floor, but a "Sum of All Fears" where one is acquired from the black market or built from scratch with outside assistance. Some reports in books and on right-wing news sites suggest that al Qaeda affiliates have indeed gotten a suitcase nuke from the Russians, possibly through the Chechen mafia and using proceeds from heroin sales.
Such is the difference between American and Russian ideas for delivering small nuclear weapons. The Americans deployed mini-nukes for attacking enemy troop and tank formations using the "Davy Crockett" recoilless rifle. The Soviets were content to use secret agents to take a chunk out of an American city using their suitcase nukes.
We lost an entire week of school based on what I feel was a premature decision to evacuate for Ivan. Perhaps it was prudent to order an early evacuation, but no man may truly know, and hindsight is usually 20/20.
I stayed with Smitty in Daytona for the week. During this time he exposed me to rudimentary horsemanship, which I had avoided since my dude ranch experience in Jan. 1995. This time I could appreciate the hard work of the dedicated horse-lovers and the power of these majestic animals. We are far removed from the times when man relied on the horse to enable his tsandard of living. It's important that we return to our roots so we can appreciate the future.
COLUMBIA, REVISITED
A large piece of Columbia, the escape hatch, was found recently in Newton County, TX. I'm sure this will not be the last piece of Columbia debris we identify. Hopefully each of these events will make us remember what used to be, and inspire us to accomplish what is yet to come.
We lost Columbia and her precious crew at a difficult point in our nation's history, only adding to the difficulties he had and those yet to come. I vividly remember the way I felt during those trying few months. We saw great sadness and destruction, but in the midsts of destruction and eventually war we saw a glimmer of hope.
The crew of Columbia would want us to hold on to that hope and breathe life into it. The time of great difficulty is nowhere near over. But should we survive the inferno and the stresses, as Columbia did not, we may build a better future. I want a future where people of all faiths can live together, protected by our mutual respect and common goals and values. I want a future where more people enjoy freedom, constrained only by self-discipline and personal responsibility. Most importantly, I want a future where we explore to the edges of existance and the farthest reaches of human potential.
THUNDERBALL vs. SUM OF ALL FEARS
During the course of the cold war, several nuclear weapons were lost by the Americans and Soviets. The most well-known incident was a mid-air collision between a B-52 and KC-135 in which seven of eleven crew members were killed, and one of four bombs was recovered after several weeks in the Atlantic Ocean (which is re-enacted in the excellent movie "Men of Honor.")
The second-most famous incident was a mid-air between a B-47 and F-86 in 1958 off the Georgia coast. Unlike the later incident, this one had a much happier outcome. All crew involved survived, although the unarmed bomb was lost in the ocean. Yet it looks like this last bit will soon be fixed.
A team led by an retired Air Force Colonel has found a large, radioactive object in the area where the bomb was jettisoned. The Air Force, Defense Deparment, and Department of Energy will investigate further and eventully determine whether to recover the object.
The scariest scenario is not a "Thunderball," where terrorists snatch a lost nuke off the ocean floor, but a "Sum of All Fears" where one is acquired from the black market or built from scratch with outside assistance. Some reports in books and on right-wing news sites suggest that al Qaeda affiliates have indeed gotten a suitcase nuke from the Russians, possibly through the Chechen mafia and using proceeds from heroin sales.
Such is the difference between American and Russian ideas for delivering small nuclear weapons. The Americans deployed mini-nukes for attacking enemy troop and tank formations using the "Davy Crockett" recoilless rifle. The Soviets were content to use secret agents to take a chunk out of an American city using their suitcase nukes.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
MUSHROOM CLOUD IN NEED OF EXPLANATION
The big news of the week could be a large explosion in North Korea. There was intial speculation that it was a nuclear test, which I find unlikely because NK has too few nukes to be wasting them in nuclear tests.
Alternate explanations include an explosion at an arms factory, a failed missile test, or, as NK officials claim, the demolition of a mountain for a hydroelectric dam. If it was a nuclear test, the U.S. should be able to detect the fallout from a ground station in South Korea or from a C-135 derived recon plane.
John Kerry is now trying to use the North Korea issue against the Bush Administration; his ignorance towards the true nature of the North Korea threat reveals why he is unfit for command. North Korea probably had nuclear weapons in the early 90's, they cheated under Jimmy Carter's Agreed Framework, and they will do anything to deter threats against their sovereignty. At least George Bush opened our eyes to North Korea after the conciliatory attitude of the Clinton administration.
John Loftus, former DOJ prosecutor, was on Fox news saying that our immediate course of action on North Korea should be a naval blockade to get China to pressure the North and prevent the spread of weapons. He also feels that Iran is a more immediate threat, with its goal of producing 29 nukes in a decade. His solution to Iran is a trade embargo. The difficulty there is the ineffectiveness of embargos. Look no further than Iraq, where humanitarian relief funds were stolen and misappropriated by the Iraqi government, the people were malnourished, and America's treacherous former allies sold them weapons.
TRICKY DICK RETURNS
Fox news had an interview with Christopher Cox, the grandson of Richard Nixon. Mr. Cox comes across as being very bright and articulate, albeit a bit of a toolish Republican. He was asked about the way his grandfather would have handled Iraq, and Cox simply said that we were winning and cited the positive benefits for Lbya, Jordan, and the people of Iraq.
I would have liked Cox to give a deeply intellectual answer that would have compared Nixon's "Vietnamization" to Bush's "Iraqization." The difference is that President Ford did not have the guts to back up the South, prematurely set free by the U.S., during the Easter offensive of 1975.
SOMEBODY GIVE JOHN KERRY A CLUE
John Kerry says that the recently-expired assault weapons ban will help terrorists. The claim would almost be funny if this dork wasn't seeking the presidency. If terrorists can get AK's in Afghanistan for under $50 a pop, why bother flying to the US to pay our prices?
THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE SILENT?
GlobalSecurity.org had an insightful article about recent casualties in Iraq. The central observation is that the Army has been very forthcoming about casualty and evac information, while the Marines are content to say things like "Corporal Smith was killed while conducting security and stability operations in Anbar province." The Marines are being somewhat secretive. There are legitimate reasons for doing so, yet it may be beneficial to come out with more info. The American people have been denied so much information about Iraq by our lazy and militarily-ignorant media. The Marines should not contribute to this information vacuum.
The big news of the week could be a large explosion in North Korea. There was intial speculation that it was a nuclear test, which I find unlikely because NK has too few nukes to be wasting them in nuclear tests.
Alternate explanations include an explosion at an arms factory, a failed missile test, or, as NK officials claim, the demolition of a mountain for a hydroelectric dam. If it was a nuclear test, the U.S. should be able to detect the fallout from a ground station in South Korea or from a C-135 derived recon plane.
John Kerry is now trying to use the North Korea issue against the Bush Administration; his ignorance towards the true nature of the North Korea threat reveals why he is unfit for command. North Korea probably had nuclear weapons in the early 90's, they cheated under Jimmy Carter's Agreed Framework, and they will do anything to deter threats against their sovereignty. At least George Bush opened our eyes to North Korea after the conciliatory attitude of the Clinton administration.
John Loftus, former DOJ prosecutor, was on Fox news saying that our immediate course of action on North Korea should be a naval blockade to get China to pressure the North and prevent the spread of weapons. He also feels that Iran is a more immediate threat, with its goal of producing 29 nukes in a decade. His solution to Iran is a trade embargo. The difficulty there is the ineffectiveness of embargos. Look no further than Iraq, where humanitarian relief funds were stolen and misappropriated by the Iraqi government, the people were malnourished, and America's treacherous former allies sold them weapons.
TRICKY DICK RETURNS
Fox news had an interview with Christopher Cox, the grandson of Richard Nixon. Mr. Cox comes across as being very bright and articulate, albeit a bit of a toolish Republican. He was asked about the way his grandfather would have handled Iraq, and Cox simply said that we were winning and cited the positive benefits for Lbya, Jordan, and the people of Iraq.
I would have liked Cox to give a deeply intellectual answer that would have compared Nixon's "Vietnamization" to Bush's "Iraqization." The difference is that President Ford did not have the guts to back up the South, prematurely set free by the U.S., during the Easter offensive of 1975.
SOMEBODY GIVE JOHN KERRY A CLUE
John Kerry says that the recently-expired assault weapons ban will help terrorists. The claim would almost be funny if this dork wasn't seeking the presidency. If terrorists can get AK's in Afghanistan for under $50 a pop, why bother flying to the US to pay our prices?
THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE SILENT?
GlobalSecurity.org had an insightful article about recent casualties in Iraq. The central observation is that the Army has been very forthcoming about casualty and evac information, while the Marines are content to say things like "Corporal Smith was killed while conducting security and stability operations in Anbar province." The Marines are being somewhat secretive. There are legitimate reasons for doing so, yet it may be beneficial to come out with more info. The American people have been denied so much information about Iraq by our lazy and militarily-ignorant media. The Marines should not contribute to this information vacuum.
Monday, September 13, 2004
A RESPONSE TO 911
Last Saturday I didn't have the words to respond to 911. Today, I do.
AN OPEN LETTER TO OSAMA BIN LADEN
Dear bin Laden (aka Son of a Bitch,)
I am writing to ask what kind of crack you were smoking prior to 911. Perhaps you were chewing khat, the shit that your swarms in Mogadishu chewed as they desecrated the bodies of two brave soldiers sent to bring some order to that messed up country.
What do you think you would accomplish by destroying the World Trade Center and Pentagon? Didn't you see that crappy Jerry Bruckheimer movie from earlier in that year, "Pearl Harbor"? Maybe your raging anti-Semitism has blinded you to Hollywood, which is a shame, as they occasionally make a movie that teaches people a lesson. In this movie, the United States is struck by the empire of Japan when she is unprepared. Rather than taking one lying down, the United States strikes back.
There is a difference between your goons and the empire of Japan, however. The Japanese attacked a military installation and killed people who had some chance of defending themselves. Instead, you attacked office workers, airline passengers, firefighters, and police. If you have such a huge problem with the American military presence in Saudi Arabia, why didn't you attack them there? Obviously, it is because you are a pussy. You have no honor, something I cannot say about the Japanese of old. Your suicide tactics are the same, but your targets are not. Americans will rise to the defense of their homeland and their loved ones. For that, there can be no forgiveness, and we will show you no mercy.
Because of your cowardly actions, you have destroyed the standing of Islam in the western world. Muslims are now viewed with more suspicion than ever, your sympathizer Saddam Hussein is in prison, and the Taliban no longer has control of Afghanistan. None of your "problems" are solved. The American military has an even greater presence in the land of Islam. The elements of America that you despise, such as the vapidness of our popular culture, have only gotten worse. US-Israeli relations have only been strengthened, particulalrly because your compatriot Yaser Arafat has been marginalized and the Palestinian people cheered in the streets to celebrate your shameful massacre. Miltants acting in your name have killed hundreds, perhaps thousands of decent Muslims in Iraq at your urging.
The course you have chosen has lead to a path of personal destruction for you. You are on the run, and Afghanistan's authorities have made it clear that you are not welcome there. Even Pakistan has become less friendly towards you. I look forward to the day when you are found. I hope that you will be captured alive, to deny you the martyrdom you cherish. I will take delight if you are tortured in un-Islamic ways that rob you of your dignity. You should be shaved and forced to eat the meat of unclean animals. You should be stripped naked and repeatedly sodomized by sweaty men. Until this day comes, America will not rest.
Disrespectfully yours,
The Impossible Scissors
Last Saturday I didn't have the words to respond to 911. Today, I do.
AN OPEN LETTER TO OSAMA BIN LADEN
Dear bin Laden (aka Son of a Bitch,)
I am writing to ask what kind of crack you were smoking prior to 911. Perhaps you were chewing khat, the shit that your swarms in Mogadishu chewed as they desecrated the bodies of two brave soldiers sent to bring some order to that messed up country.
What do you think you would accomplish by destroying the World Trade Center and Pentagon? Didn't you see that crappy Jerry Bruckheimer movie from earlier in that year, "Pearl Harbor"? Maybe your raging anti-Semitism has blinded you to Hollywood, which is a shame, as they occasionally make a movie that teaches people a lesson. In this movie, the United States is struck by the empire of Japan when she is unprepared. Rather than taking one lying down, the United States strikes back.
There is a difference between your goons and the empire of Japan, however. The Japanese attacked a military installation and killed people who had some chance of defending themselves. Instead, you attacked office workers, airline passengers, firefighters, and police. If you have such a huge problem with the American military presence in Saudi Arabia, why didn't you attack them there? Obviously, it is because you are a pussy. You have no honor, something I cannot say about the Japanese of old. Your suicide tactics are the same, but your targets are not. Americans will rise to the defense of their homeland and their loved ones. For that, there can be no forgiveness, and we will show you no mercy.
Because of your cowardly actions, you have destroyed the standing of Islam in the western world. Muslims are now viewed with more suspicion than ever, your sympathizer Saddam Hussein is in prison, and the Taliban no longer has control of Afghanistan. None of your "problems" are solved. The American military has an even greater presence in the land of Islam. The elements of America that you despise, such as the vapidness of our popular culture, have only gotten worse. US-Israeli relations have only been strengthened, particulalrly because your compatriot Yaser Arafat has been marginalized and the Palestinian people cheered in the streets to celebrate your shameful massacre. Miltants acting in your name have killed hundreds, perhaps thousands of decent Muslims in Iraq at your urging.
The course you have chosen has lead to a path of personal destruction for you. You are on the run, and Afghanistan's authorities have made it clear that you are not welcome there. Even Pakistan has become less friendly towards you. I look forward to the day when you are found. I hope that you will be captured alive, to deny you the martyrdom you cherish. I will take delight if you are tortured in un-Islamic ways that rob you of your dignity. You should be shaved and forced to eat the meat of unclean animals. You should be stripped naked and repeatedly sodomized by sweaty men. Until this day comes, America will not rest.
Disrespectfully yours,
The Impossible Scissors
Saturday, September 11, 2004
911
It's been three years since the nation was attacked and 3000 people were killed. There's not much more to say that hasn't been said, aside from a request to remember those we lost and to take preventative action so it never happens again. We must stay true to Darryl Worley and never forget what happened on that Tuesday when our innocence was demolished.
IVAN THE TERRIBLE
Hurricane Ivan is coming, the third mini-cataclysm for Florida in a month. Man, this is frustrating me. Having three hurricanes in close succession does make you wonder about climate change. I will be leaving the dorm soon but staying fairly close to home because I don't expect Daytona to get hit hard.
COMING OUT OF THE DARK
Charles Robert Jenkins, the American soldier who allegedly defected to North Korea in 1965, is back in US custody in Japan. Hopefully the experience will provide us with answers and closure for long unanswered questions.
Jenkins' family and supporters think he was kidnapped rather than deserting, and they point to inconsistencies in his desertion letter as proof. Maybe they are right, but we will have to make Jenkins spill his guts to find out.
The more nagging question is whether American prisoners are still held in Stalinist North Korea. There was plenty of evidence when the armistice was signed in 1953 that certain pilots (who flew bombers and high-performance jets) had been taken to the Soviet Union for interrogation. After the Soviet Union collapsed, more information came to the surface about Amerians from the Korean War, imprisoned by both the North Koreans and the Soviet Union. An American soldier of Korean descent, who was acknowledged as MIA, is listed by name in a Soviet document.
I would probably be skeptical that American prisoners were still alive in North Korea, over fifty years after the armistace, except for one exceptional event. Last year around Christmas, a man escaped North Korea into China. He was a South Korean national, and he had been held as a POW FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS. Such is the depravity of the Stalinist state. No wonder why Kim Jong Il is the butt of so many jokes in the upcoming Trey Parker-Matt Stone flick "Team America: World Police."
Maybe Jenkins knows nothing that will answer the POW problem, hence the reason why North Korea released him. On the other hand, he could have the vital information we need, and for that he should be rewarded with lenient or nonexistent punishment. Should he give us the goods, we should not cover up the Korean War POW problem in the same way that "Hanoi" John Kerry and John "Keating Five" McCain covered up the Vietnam POW issue.
THE GENESIS TUB
NASA suffered what appeared to be a major setback Wednesday: the Genesis spacecraft, returning to earth with partcles from the solar wind onboard, crashed in the Utah desert after its parachutes failed to deploy. Yet every cloud has its silver lining, and Genesis may be dubbed a success after all.
First, I present the bad news: NASA's Stardust spacecraft, which will return samples from the tail of comet Wild 2, is quite similar to Genesis and may have the same kind of control problem which failed when the time came to deploy the parachutes.
The good news is that the sample containers, though crushed, may still be usable. Contamination is an obvious concern (as pointed out by spacedaily.com's curmudgeonly op-ed man, Jeffrey Bell,) but hopefully NASA can meet the expectation it has set of fulfilling most or all of the science objectives.
WHO THE F*** IS MARCEL MATLEY?
He's the handwriting expert who thinks the memos purportedly typed by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian are real. It's interesting to note how his defense of Killian memos parallels a piece Matt Drudge found where Mr. Matley defends Vince Foster's allegedly-forged suicide note. In both cases, he stressed that repeated copies of the letters made them lose quality. Well, well, if that's not a no-brainer.
Matley points out that the typeface and superscripts were in use during the period and have been found in other Texas ANG documents. That still does not prove the documents are genuine. There are some spacing issues that don't mesh with other Texas ANG documents. The text in the document does not agree with other evaluations that the Lieutenant Colonel wrote about 1Lt George W. Bush. The Major General who was cited by CBS news was both misled and misquoted, according to a recently-published report. Finally, anybody who is associated with the armed forces knows that 1) unsigned memos are rare and 2) official correspondance is not usually taken home and kept for posterity.
If the documents are real (a supposition that I find unlikely,) it is the first evidence that President Bush, as an ANG pilot, disobeyed a direct order. Logically, what did 1Lt Bush have to gain from disobeying a direct order (to get the flight physical) and losing his flight status? The Bush defenders would argue that he left flight status because there was a glut of pilots after Vietnam began winding down, and the Air Force was glad to accept voluntary resignations from flight status. I have heard stories from other individuals about friends who went to school on Air Force ROTC scholarships at the time and separated from the service before their commitment ended. In short, the Air Force had too many officers back then. I get the sense that the Air Force has gone full-circle, facing yet another officer glut after recovering from a period when pilot retention had hit rock-bottom.
It's been three years since the nation was attacked and 3000 people were killed. There's not much more to say that hasn't been said, aside from a request to remember those we lost and to take preventative action so it never happens again. We must stay true to Darryl Worley and never forget what happened on that Tuesday when our innocence was demolished.
IVAN THE TERRIBLE
Hurricane Ivan is coming, the third mini-cataclysm for Florida in a month. Man, this is frustrating me. Having three hurricanes in close succession does make you wonder about climate change. I will be leaving the dorm soon but staying fairly close to home because I don't expect Daytona to get hit hard.
COMING OUT OF THE DARK
Charles Robert Jenkins, the American soldier who allegedly defected to North Korea in 1965, is back in US custody in Japan. Hopefully the experience will provide us with answers and closure for long unanswered questions.
Jenkins' family and supporters think he was kidnapped rather than deserting, and they point to inconsistencies in his desertion letter as proof. Maybe they are right, but we will have to make Jenkins spill his guts to find out.
The more nagging question is whether American prisoners are still held in Stalinist North Korea. There was plenty of evidence when the armistice was signed in 1953 that certain pilots (who flew bombers and high-performance jets) had been taken to the Soviet Union for interrogation. After the Soviet Union collapsed, more information came to the surface about Amerians from the Korean War, imprisoned by both the North Koreans and the Soviet Union. An American soldier of Korean descent, who was acknowledged as MIA, is listed by name in a Soviet document.
I would probably be skeptical that American prisoners were still alive in North Korea, over fifty years after the armistace, except for one exceptional event. Last year around Christmas, a man escaped North Korea into China. He was a South Korean national, and he had been held as a POW FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS. Such is the depravity of the Stalinist state. No wonder why Kim Jong Il is the butt of so many jokes in the upcoming Trey Parker-Matt Stone flick "Team America: World Police."
Maybe Jenkins knows nothing that will answer the POW problem, hence the reason why North Korea released him. On the other hand, he could have the vital information we need, and for that he should be rewarded with lenient or nonexistent punishment. Should he give us the goods, we should not cover up the Korean War POW problem in the same way that "Hanoi" John Kerry and John "Keating Five" McCain covered up the Vietnam POW issue.
THE GENESIS TUB
NASA suffered what appeared to be a major setback Wednesday: the Genesis spacecraft, returning to earth with partcles from the solar wind onboard, crashed in the Utah desert after its parachutes failed to deploy. Yet every cloud has its silver lining, and Genesis may be dubbed a success after all.
First, I present the bad news: NASA's Stardust spacecraft, which will return samples from the tail of comet Wild 2, is quite similar to Genesis and may have the same kind of control problem which failed when the time came to deploy the parachutes.
The good news is that the sample containers, though crushed, may still be usable. Contamination is an obvious concern (as pointed out by spacedaily.com's curmudgeonly op-ed man, Jeffrey Bell,) but hopefully NASA can meet the expectation it has set of fulfilling most or all of the science objectives.
WHO THE F*** IS MARCEL MATLEY?
He's the handwriting expert who thinks the memos purportedly typed by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian are real. It's interesting to note how his defense of Killian memos parallels a piece Matt Drudge found where Mr. Matley defends Vince Foster's allegedly-forged suicide note. In both cases, he stressed that repeated copies of the letters made them lose quality. Well, well, if that's not a no-brainer.
Matley points out that the typeface and superscripts were in use during the period and have been found in other Texas ANG documents. That still does not prove the documents are genuine. There are some spacing issues that don't mesh with other Texas ANG documents. The text in the document does not agree with other evaluations that the Lieutenant Colonel wrote about 1Lt George W. Bush. The Major General who was cited by CBS news was both misled and misquoted, according to a recently-published report. Finally, anybody who is associated with the armed forces knows that 1) unsigned memos are rare and 2) official correspondance is not usually taken home and kept for posterity.
If the documents are real (a supposition that I find unlikely,) it is the first evidence that President Bush, as an ANG pilot, disobeyed a direct order. Logically, what did 1Lt Bush have to gain from disobeying a direct order (to get the flight physical) and losing his flight status? The Bush defenders would argue that he left flight status because there was a glut of pilots after Vietnam began winding down, and the Air Force was glad to accept voluntary resignations from flight status. I have heard stories from other individuals about friends who went to school on Air Force ROTC scholarships at the time and separated from the service before their commitment ended. In short, the Air Force had too many officers back then. I get the sense that the Air Force has gone full-circle, facing yet another officer glut after recovering from a period when pilot retention had hit rock-bottom.
Friday, September 10, 2004
THE NEXT "MOTHER OF ALL BATTLES"
My predictions of Abu Musab al Zarqawi's imminent defeat now appear premature in light of the situation in Fallujah. The Fallujah brigade's disbandment lead to the creation of a six-man oligarchy. It would now appear that the disenfranchised Sunnis (particulalrly the former soldiers, who are not necessarily Saddam loyalists or Islamic militants) are on al Zarqawi's side.
Recent fighting in Samarra and Tal Afar highlights the interim government's desire to reassert its authority in these rebel strongholds. Ramadi will probably be the next target if Samarra can be pacified without too much difficulty. This all leads up to what may prove to be the "Mother of All Battles" in Fallujah. The forces of the United States and Iraq's secular government will battle the Islamic militants and the world's most dangerous terrorist, Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Possibly not since the Battle of Hastings has so much been riding on one battle.
BUSH PILOT
The momentum is clearly in President Bush's corner, even though I'm skeptical of the significant Bush leads in recent polls (as I remain skeptical of all polls.) That's why John Kerry and his Fedayeen of 527 groups are launching an all-out assault. First we get new allegations of the president's Air Guard service, then we get Kitty Kelley reprinting the incredibly thin cocaine allegation in her new piece of yellow journalism.
The basic facts surrounding President Bush's guard service are not in dispute. He enlisted in the ANG in 1968, graduated in the upper middle third of his flight training class, and flew the F-102, which was apparently a handful when airborne. In 1972, he worked for an Alabama Senate candidate, and he missed drills during May through December of that year after allowing his flight status to lapse. In Spring 1973, he made up his missing time and was discharged honorably in 1974.
The controversy SHOULD be over whether then-1Lt George W. Bush had formerly obtained permission to transfer to Alabama and miss the time in question (which adds up to one weekend a month for the afforementioned months, plus two weeks during the summer of 1972.) Yet the Democrats keep insisting that the president somehow deserted his unit, even though he returned after the period in question to make up the missing time.
Nobody should assert that there was anything heroic about the president's guard service; he wanted to be a pilot but didn't want a guaranteed trip to Vietnam (it should be noted that the Texas ANG had actually done a stint in Vietnam prior to Bush's enlistment.) I don't think that even the most toolish Republican activist will say that George Bush's ANG service was heroic. However, it should not be taken lightly, either. Flying is dangerous duty, particulalrly with an obsolete airplane like the F-102.
TREACHERY
Bill Gertz is back with a new book, "Treachery." It exposes the arms deals between the Iraqis, Islamic militants, and other baddies with our so-called allies, France, Russia, and China. People who regularly read Gertz probably won't find anything new in the book, but I still commend Mr. Gertz for exposing America's former allies as the arms whores they are.
READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL
The political football of the month will be the report from Charles Duelfer's Iraq Survey Group. For all astute citizens who do not rely on the major TV news networks for information, the findings should not come as a surprise. The report will probably reveal the following:
1) Iraq was in possession of old chemical weapons, particularly mustard, sarin, and cyclosarin.
2) Iraq maintained the ability to make chemical weapons and had stockpiled chemical feedstock for doing so.
3) Iraq had active programs for building missiles and unmanned aircraft, with potetial WMD applications. Iraq had also dealt with North Korea on acquiring No Dong missiles. Iraqi missile components had been sold as scrap just before and during the invasion.
4) The Mukharabat, Iraq's intelligence agency, conducted biological weapons research up to the eve of war.
5) Iraqi insurgents have been recruiting WMD scientists and trying to make their own chemical weapons.
6) Iraqi nuclear scientists had been called out of retirement and employed on technical projects that would keep their skills sharp.
7) Iraq had indeed inquired about obtaining uranium from Niger.
8) Missing pilot Michael Scott Speicher is probably dead, and may have never been captured by Iraqi authorities.
The report' s not a definite win for either Bush or Kerry, so both sides will spin it. Team Bush will say that active WMD programs are proof that Iraq was a gathering danger, worthy of pre-emption. Team Kerry will say that the report proves that Iraq was a far-term danger. They may even charge that Team Bush manipulated the memory of Scott Speicher to bolster the case for war. On the last charge, I would happen to disagree, as the evidence for his survival (as leaked by Bill Gertz, for what it's worth) was compelling. Yet this charge could be very damaging for President Bush and could cost him Republican voters if it is not nipped in the bud soon.
Sayonnarra, Drew
"The Drew Carey Show" capped off nine years on TV with the final two episodes last Wednesday. Drew's crude humor used to bring me great enjoyment, until the show tumbled down the paths of increasingly implausible storylines. By the time Drew had two wives in the Spring 2001 season finale, it was clear that Drew jumped the shark. Yet the contract with ABC demanded the show go on. So the writers dropped Kate from the series, added Christoper Titus's TV girlfriend, and disposed of great characters like Nigel Wick, Steve Carey, and Mrs. Lauter.
Drew's final season wasn't the funniest, but it attempted to restore some dignity to the series. Drew and Mimi seemingly bury the hatchet. Drew knocks up Titus's girlfriend. Drew's dad falls to his death from a ladder. The episodes weren't as funny, but at least they were believable. The finale had a sense of "let's restore the good times," as Mr. Wick came back to reclaim the department store. Drew gets married for the bazillionth time as his son is brought into the world. It wasn't as good as the "Frasier" finale, but it worked.
My predictions of Abu Musab al Zarqawi's imminent defeat now appear premature in light of the situation in Fallujah. The Fallujah brigade's disbandment lead to the creation of a six-man oligarchy. It would now appear that the disenfranchised Sunnis (particulalrly the former soldiers, who are not necessarily Saddam loyalists or Islamic militants) are on al Zarqawi's side.
Recent fighting in Samarra and Tal Afar highlights the interim government's desire to reassert its authority in these rebel strongholds. Ramadi will probably be the next target if Samarra can be pacified without too much difficulty. This all leads up to what may prove to be the "Mother of All Battles" in Fallujah. The forces of the United States and Iraq's secular government will battle the Islamic militants and the world's most dangerous terrorist, Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Possibly not since the Battle of Hastings has so much been riding on one battle.
BUSH PILOT
The momentum is clearly in President Bush's corner, even though I'm skeptical of the significant Bush leads in recent polls (as I remain skeptical of all polls.) That's why John Kerry and his Fedayeen of 527 groups are launching an all-out assault. First we get new allegations of the president's Air Guard service, then we get Kitty Kelley reprinting the incredibly thin cocaine allegation in her new piece of yellow journalism.
The basic facts surrounding President Bush's guard service are not in dispute. He enlisted in the ANG in 1968, graduated in the upper middle third of his flight training class, and flew the F-102, which was apparently a handful when airborne. In 1972, he worked for an Alabama Senate candidate, and he missed drills during May through December of that year after allowing his flight status to lapse. In Spring 1973, he made up his missing time and was discharged honorably in 1974.
The controversy SHOULD be over whether then-1Lt George W. Bush had formerly obtained permission to transfer to Alabama and miss the time in question (which adds up to one weekend a month for the afforementioned months, plus two weeks during the summer of 1972.) Yet the Democrats keep insisting that the president somehow deserted his unit, even though he returned after the period in question to make up the missing time.
Nobody should assert that there was anything heroic about the president's guard service; he wanted to be a pilot but didn't want a guaranteed trip to Vietnam (it should be noted that the Texas ANG had actually done a stint in Vietnam prior to Bush's enlistment.) I don't think that even the most toolish Republican activist will say that George Bush's ANG service was heroic. However, it should not be taken lightly, either. Flying is dangerous duty, particulalrly with an obsolete airplane like the F-102.
TREACHERY
Bill Gertz is back with a new book, "Treachery." It exposes the arms deals between the Iraqis, Islamic militants, and other baddies with our so-called allies, France, Russia, and China. People who regularly read Gertz probably won't find anything new in the book, but I still commend Mr. Gertz for exposing America's former allies as the arms whores they are.
READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL
The political football of the month will be the report from Charles Duelfer's Iraq Survey Group. For all astute citizens who do not rely on the major TV news networks for information, the findings should not come as a surprise. The report will probably reveal the following:
1) Iraq was in possession of old chemical weapons, particularly mustard, sarin, and cyclosarin.
2) Iraq maintained the ability to make chemical weapons and had stockpiled chemical feedstock for doing so.
3) Iraq had active programs for building missiles and unmanned aircraft, with potetial WMD applications. Iraq had also dealt with North Korea on acquiring No Dong missiles. Iraqi missile components had been sold as scrap just before and during the invasion.
4) The Mukharabat, Iraq's intelligence agency, conducted biological weapons research up to the eve of war.
5) Iraqi insurgents have been recruiting WMD scientists and trying to make their own chemical weapons.
6) Iraqi nuclear scientists had been called out of retirement and employed on technical projects that would keep their skills sharp.
7) Iraq had indeed inquired about obtaining uranium from Niger.
8) Missing pilot Michael Scott Speicher is probably dead, and may have never been captured by Iraqi authorities.
The report' s not a definite win for either Bush or Kerry, so both sides will spin it. Team Bush will say that active WMD programs are proof that Iraq was a gathering danger, worthy of pre-emption. Team Kerry will say that the report proves that Iraq was a far-term danger. They may even charge that Team Bush manipulated the memory of Scott Speicher to bolster the case for war. On the last charge, I would happen to disagree, as the evidence for his survival (as leaked by Bill Gertz, for what it's worth) was compelling. Yet this charge could be very damaging for President Bush and could cost him Republican voters if it is not nipped in the bud soon.
Sayonnarra, Drew
"The Drew Carey Show" capped off nine years on TV with the final two episodes last Wednesday. Drew's crude humor used to bring me great enjoyment, until the show tumbled down the paths of increasingly implausible storylines. By the time Drew had two wives in the Spring 2001 season finale, it was clear that Drew jumped the shark. Yet the contract with ABC demanded the show go on. So the writers dropped Kate from the series, added Christoper Titus's TV girlfriend, and disposed of great characters like Nigel Wick, Steve Carey, and Mrs. Lauter.
Drew's final season wasn't the funniest, but it attempted to restore some dignity to the series. Drew and Mimi seemingly bury the hatchet. Drew knocks up Titus's girlfriend. Drew's dad falls to his death from a ladder. The episodes weren't as funny, but at least they were believable. The finale had a sense of "let's restore the good times," as Mr. Wick came back to reclaim the department store. Drew gets married for the bazillionth time as his son is brought into the world. It wasn't as good as the "Frasier" finale, but it worked.
SONG OF THE SOUTH
I want to inform the "yankee" readers of this blog about the way the south really works. For starters, I had to travel north (to western North Carolina) to experience the south. Florida is not "the south." Florida is a sanitized version of the south, meant to not offend northern sensibilities.
The steroeotype of southerners is that they talk funny, work blue-collar jobs, live on farms, let their pets roam free, watch Jeff Foxworthy, and divide their Sundays between going to church and cheering for Dale Jr. during NASCAR races. For many of them, the stereotype holds true. Yet these characteristics of a southerner should be viewed with respect rather than contempt. They see virtue in hard work. They are loyal to their families, and yet they would also give the shirts off their backs to help strangers.
The gulf between "red state" and "blue state" mentalities is very wide, yet there is much positive to be found in the red states. The shameful actions of a few have been twisted to overshadow the underlying, noble values of the south. Ultimately we should not pigeon-hole ourselves into the "red state" or "blue state" archetypes; it is up to us to pick and choose the best aspects of both mentalities.
MOUNTAIN HOME
My generous hosts showed me an excellent time during my exile in North Carolina. I got to see Mount Mitchell, a breathtaking, historically significant peak (the tallest in the eastern US.) In fact, the rolling hills of the counryside commanded my awe the entire week (as did Galena, IL when we went there in July 2002.)
The closest I ever came to Switzerland was a tiny, charming village in North Carolina called "Little Switzerland." Everything had a Swiss feeling, particularly the inn. Aside from the lack of snow, watchmakers, and neutrality, one could almost believe they were in Switzerland.
On Labor Day, we went to a company picnic. That was almost a new experience for me. Back when Mother could actually hold down a job, we used to go to her company picnics until her company cancelled them to cut costs. We've never been to Father's company picnics, but I understand that they are quite lame. Even still, none of these picnics were held on Labor Day. If we give our laborers a day off to celebrate the importance of their jobs, the company may as well throw the party for them. By the way, if you are in the market for door skins, always go with the fine products from the Jeld-Wen company.
All of this would have turned out to be a nice vacation had we left on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, the rain started to pour in and wouldn't stop. The creek in front of the house flooded and we evacuated to a motel--the roads around which were eventually washed out. I didn't get back until Thursday, but I bided my time by watching "CSI," "Family Guy," and "Futurama."
THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS
Have you ever observed the way that dogs fight cats? The dog's most powerful weapon is his bite, so he goes for the knockout by biting down on the neck of the cat. The cat then rolls to his back, assuming the defensive position. Not only does the cat bite back, but he uses his paws to claw his way out.
The lessons to be learned are many. The dog is at a disadvantage because he refuses to use his full arsenal of attacks, particularly his own claws. The cat is not afraid to use every weapon at his disposal, and he always has the advantage because he takes the superior defensive position.
I want to inform the "yankee" readers of this blog about the way the south really works. For starters, I had to travel north (to western North Carolina) to experience the south. Florida is not "the south." Florida is a sanitized version of the south, meant to not offend northern sensibilities.
The steroeotype of southerners is that they talk funny, work blue-collar jobs, live on farms, let their pets roam free, watch Jeff Foxworthy, and divide their Sundays between going to church and cheering for Dale Jr. during NASCAR races. For many of them, the stereotype holds true. Yet these characteristics of a southerner should be viewed with respect rather than contempt. They see virtue in hard work. They are loyal to their families, and yet they would also give the shirts off their backs to help strangers.
The gulf between "red state" and "blue state" mentalities is very wide, yet there is much positive to be found in the red states. The shameful actions of a few have been twisted to overshadow the underlying, noble values of the south. Ultimately we should not pigeon-hole ourselves into the "red state" or "blue state" archetypes; it is up to us to pick and choose the best aspects of both mentalities.
MOUNTAIN HOME
My generous hosts showed me an excellent time during my exile in North Carolina. I got to see Mount Mitchell, a breathtaking, historically significant peak (the tallest in the eastern US.) In fact, the rolling hills of the counryside commanded my awe the entire week (as did Galena, IL when we went there in July 2002.)
The closest I ever came to Switzerland was a tiny, charming village in North Carolina called "Little Switzerland." Everything had a Swiss feeling, particularly the inn. Aside from the lack of snow, watchmakers, and neutrality, one could almost believe they were in Switzerland.
On Labor Day, we went to a company picnic. That was almost a new experience for me. Back when Mother could actually hold down a job, we used to go to her company picnics until her company cancelled them to cut costs. We've never been to Father's company picnics, but I understand that they are quite lame. Even still, none of these picnics were held on Labor Day. If we give our laborers a day off to celebrate the importance of their jobs, the company may as well throw the party for them. By the way, if you are in the market for door skins, always go with the fine products from the Jeld-Wen company.
All of this would have turned out to be a nice vacation had we left on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, the rain started to pour in and wouldn't stop. The creek in front of the house flooded and we evacuated to a motel--the roads around which were eventually washed out. I didn't get back until Thursday, but I bided my time by watching "CSI," "Family Guy," and "Futurama."
THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS
Have you ever observed the way that dogs fight cats? The dog's most powerful weapon is his bite, so he goes for the knockout by biting down on the neck of the cat. The cat then rolls to his back, assuming the defensive position. Not only does the cat bite back, but he uses his paws to claw his way out.
The lessons to be learned are many. The dog is at a disadvantage because he refuses to use his full arsenal of attacks, particularly his own claws. The cat is not afraid to use every weapon at his disposal, and he always has the advantage because he takes the superior defensive position.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
STONE OF SHAME
I'm wondering why the university actually trusted its students with a rock they were allowed to paint. Yes, it is called "Spirit Rock," but today it was adorned with a crude rendition of genitalia. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I am glad that I do not represent my generation because of stunts like this, although such sophomoric acts probably kn ow no generational bounds.
MAHDI ABOUT YOU
The Washington Times reported yesterday that Moqtada al Sadr's militia, the al Mahdi army, murdered and mutilited perhaps 200 Iraqis during their recent revolt. It also went on to say that most of the militiamen were murderers and other criminals who were released by Saddam in 2002 through early 2003.
Are the allegations true? I can't say for sure, but I can say that we should treat them as truth. Hopefully this Washington Times story (perhaps "leak" would be a better description) is a hint of what is needed to cut down al Sadr: an old-fashioned smear campaign. If President Bush and Senator Kerry weren't so bsy smearing each other, maybe they could be joining forces against one of America's real enemies.
ZARQAWI AT THE BREAKING POINT
Many Americans feel right now like we are pounding sand in Iraq with no hope of success. Yet I guarantee that the Islamic militant network in Iraq feels the same way.
Zarqawi's letter from early 2004 indicates that if he fails in preventing the establishment of an American-backed government, he will pack his bags and move on to another arena. Rumors have circled for at least a month that Zarqawi wants to move his base of operations outside Iraq after a series of bombings against his safehouses in Fallujah. Additionally, Chechnya appears to be a widening arena in which Islamic infidels are waging war against the infidels.
My prediction is that Zarqawi is looking to get out of Iraq. He may bow out gradually, or he may try to save face with some kind of spectacular, one-shot attack. But I also believe this hinges on the presidential election. If George W. Bush stays, Zarqawi knows that his situation will stay the same, or even get worse now that the president's hands are untied. If Kerry (the unknown quantity) gets in, you can expect Zarqawi to test his resolve. If Kerry doesn't flinch, Zarqawi will eventually leave. But I think he interprets Kerry's desire to internationalize the Iraq mission as a sign of weakness.
We've already seen Jacques Chirac, Robin Cook, Hans Blix, Fidel Castro, and Kim Jong Il give their support to John Kerry. Will Abu Musab al Zarqawi be adding his name to the list of foreign leaders who support John Kerry? If he does, he will be in good company.
I'm wondering why the university actually trusted its students with a rock they were allowed to paint. Yes, it is called "Spirit Rock," but today it was adorned with a crude rendition of genitalia. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I am glad that I do not represent my generation because of stunts like this, although such sophomoric acts probably kn ow no generational bounds.
MAHDI ABOUT YOU
The Washington Times reported yesterday that Moqtada al Sadr's militia, the al Mahdi army, murdered and mutilited perhaps 200 Iraqis during their recent revolt. It also went on to say that most of the militiamen were murderers and other criminals who were released by Saddam in 2002 through early 2003.
Are the allegations true? I can't say for sure, but I can say that we should treat them as truth. Hopefully this Washington Times story (perhaps "leak" would be a better description) is a hint of what is needed to cut down al Sadr: an old-fashioned smear campaign. If President Bush and Senator Kerry weren't so bsy smearing each other, maybe they could be joining forces against one of America's real enemies.
ZARQAWI AT THE BREAKING POINT
Many Americans feel right now like we are pounding sand in Iraq with no hope of success. Yet I guarantee that the Islamic militant network in Iraq feels the same way.
Zarqawi's letter from early 2004 indicates that if he fails in preventing the establishment of an American-backed government, he will pack his bags and move on to another arena. Rumors have circled for at least a month that Zarqawi wants to move his base of operations outside Iraq after a series of bombings against his safehouses in Fallujah. Additionally, Chechnya appears to be a widening arena in which Islamic infidels are waging war against the infidels.
My prediction is that Zarqawi is looking to get out of Iraq. He may bow out gradually, or he may try to save face with some kind of spectacular, one-shot attack. But I also believe this hinges on the presidential election. If George W. Bush stays, Zarqawi knows that his situation will stay the same, or even get worse now that the president's hands are untied. If Kerry (the unknown quantity) gets in, you can expect Zarqawi to test his resolve. If Kerry doesn't flinch, Zarqawi will eventually leave. But I think he interprets Kerry's desire to internationalize the Iraq mission as a sign of weakness.
We've already seen Jacques Chirac, Robin Cook, Hans Blix, Fidel Castro, and Kim Jong Il give their support to John Kerry. Will Abu Musab al Zarqawi be adding his name to the list of foreign leaders who support John Kerry? If he does, he will be in good company.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
THE COMING GLOBAL SUPERSTORM
Hurricane Frances continues its swath of destruction, with Daytona clearly in its sights. Tomorrow morning I'm leaving for North Carolina, thanks to the generosity of a few. Hopefully Riddle (and the rest of Florida) will make it through safely. Maybe there's a chance the Hurricane will take a drastic shift south of the peninsula. Maybe it will hit a cold spell and slow down. Maybe I'm just fooling myself.
POUND FOR POUND
After discussing this with several people, I've decided that the British pound is excessively inflated. Right now the pound is worth about $1.79. However, the cost of everything in Britain has the same numerical value as items in the U.S., except that the dollar sign has been replaced with the pound.
Normally I would not be complaining about this, because I have little reason to buy things sold exclusively across the pond. However, the cheaper, softbound "international" editions of textbooks are sold there, and not here (by decree of greedy textbook companies who love gouging Americans.) Between the cost of the inflated pound and the shipping, it may just be better for me to stick to my hardbound books.
YOU AND THE CAP'N MAKE IT HAPPEN
I was surprised today when I actually read the citations accompanying the combat flags in our detachment building. One of the flags (from Jan. 2003) had flown on a KC-135 over Afghanistan, and the co-pilt was none other than "Cap'n Matt." I had met him at Robbins in June 2002, when he was still getting time in the KC-135 simulator. He admitted to being a Riddle grad in 1998 and teased me for being a "Riddle Tool." I think that the experience may have been what prompted this kind gesture towards our detachment.
Riddle Tool, you say? Guilty as charged!
Hurricane Frances continues its swath of destruction, with Daytona clearly in its sights. Tomorrow morning I'm leaving for North Carolina, thanks to the generosity of a few. Hopefully Riddle (and the rest of Florida) will make it through safely. Maybe there's a chance the Hurricane will take a drastic shift south of the peninsula. Maybe it will hit a cold spell and slow down. Maybe I'm just fooling myself.
POUND FOR POUND
After discussing this with several people, I've decided that the British pound is excessively inflated. Right now the pound is worth about $1.79. However, the cost of everything in Britain has the same numerical value as items in the U.S., except that the dollar sign has been replaced with the pound.
Normally I would not be complaining about this, because I have little reason to buy things sold exclusively across the pond. However, the cheaper, softbound "international" editions of textbooks are sold there, and not here (by decree of greedy textbook companies who love gouging Americans.) Between the cost of the inflated pound and the shipping, it may just be better for me to stick to my hardbound books.
YOU AND THE CAP'N MAKE IT HAPPEN
I was surprised today when I actually read the citations accompanying the combat flags in our detachment building. One of the flags (from Jan. 2003) had flown on a KC-135 over Afghanistan, and the co-pilt was none other than "Cap'n Matt." I had met him at Robbins in June 2002, when he was still getting time in the KC-135 simulator. He admitted to being a Riddle grad in 1998 and teased me for being a "Riddle Tool." I think that the experience may have been what prompted this kind gesture towards our detachment.
Riddle Tool, you say? Guilty as charged!
