Old Style: Beer, War, and Shaving

Almost done!

2007-07-11T14:49:00.000-04:00

I'm almost done! YAY! Its getting down to the home stretch and i'm starting to pull away from the pack!

War...what is is good for?

2007-06-13T00:43:00.000-04:00

Absolutely nothing? I'm not convinced thats really true. Ignoring Iraq for now, the thing i referring is the situation in Palestine. Hamas is duking it out with Fatah down there. The thing that interests me the most is that the first headline I saw of it was "Bloodly day in Gaza raises civil war fears" and now the UN is talking about urging for the restoration of law and order. Am I out of line to suggest we, gasp, let them fight it out?

Hear me out now, this isn't just Anti-Arab sentiment here. The problem in Gaza is that these two groups have very different opinions on what to do there. And violence is a part of both of their cultures so maybe its best not only for the rest of the region (like Israel that is safer when its enemies are fighting each other) but also for the Palestinians themselves so the individual people can have a real sense of responsibility for themselves. I feel for the average citizen there, but at the same time, its their job to run their country well and they are responsible for what happens.

The problem, as i see it, is that the people are not fed up with war because a real war always is stopped in the Middle East. Just imagine for a second you have two powers going at it, say its a civil war. Ethnicity is similar though not fully the same and they were under the same government for many years. Now imagine that this war was stopped so that the common folks could live more in peace and there peacekeepers enforcing a proxy border between the two states. Thats seems to be the solution put up today by the UN and other groups. Now imagine that situation named earlier was the US Civil War 150 years ago, and think where we would be now.

M1117

2007-06-11T10:26:00.000-04:00

I don't know who reads my blog but if anyone who does has any information about the performance of the M1117 vehicle i would appreciate it. The background on this vehicle is that it was intended as an MP vehicle but I know for a fact that there is a goodly number of them out here in Iraq and that the guys how use it tend to prefer it for convoy duty over the M1114 ( or Up-Armored HMMVW as its also called). Its a slant bottom 4x4 that boasts a .50 cal, a MK19 and a SAW. Seems to me that it performs the 'outside the wire' duty better than the HMMWV and i'm curious if there has been a doctrinal shift to use these more, although i don't have any performance data to know how well they actually work, just word of mouth. So if anyone knows how well they work, let me know!

New Laptop!

2007-06-03T12:48:00.000-04:00

Well, the Mac died. And when i say died, i don't mean it petered out, no it died a tragic, horrific, and as yet undetermined death. It has been giving me all sorts of problems lately but it didn't hit the wall until yesterday. It won't work at all as I think the harddrive has suffered some sort of total meltdown. The very sad, i lost everything that was on hard drive, including my music and even more importantly my pictures. The good thing is i have backups of most of them online and Sara has a bunch so thats good.

So i was planning on buying a new laptop anyway, even had it picked out and ironicly it was just ordered yesterday morning. It was an Asus F3T. Had the AMD duel-core processor but the big thing was the GeForce 7600 series video card. Problem was, now that the Mac died, i couldn't wait the forever it would take to have it shipped (they all take about 6 weeks i found out). So i got a new one from the PX instead.

Its not exactly what i had in mind when i was looking obviously, but its still a pretty neat laptop. Its a Toshiba A205. It has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 15.4 inch screen (which is pretty freaking awesome), a 160GB HD, 1GB ram (though that will be upped to 2 GB relatively soon). Thats the good, the only downfall is it has integrated graphics, which kinda sux. Its running Windows Vista Home Premium pretty well so far though, but i can't wait to get the ram.

So thats the fun story of today, much less serious than the previous post!

Why do we serve?

2007-05-31T11:59:00.000-04:00

What is the role of the military? I ask that as a somewhat rhetorical question but also with some sincerity. I was reading a post on the internet (courtesy of Instapundit) with a tempest brewing over a 30 second youtube clip from Fred Thompson and a reply to it. Some of the comments struck me so i thought i would write about it for a little bit. First, what Fred Thompson was speaking is a poem here:

It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the organizer, Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
- Father Dennis Edward O’Brian, USMC

The argument being made by the responder is that soldiers should be proud of their profession, but at the end of the day that is what it is, a profession. I wonder if thats true. Is serving in the military a profession, is it an additional job for the benefits and the money, or is it something more akin to a calling? Is serving in the military the same as another profession like being a writer, a politician, an engineer, or anything else? Is the military just pawns?

After being over in Iraq for getting close to a year now, I still don't know how to feel about it. I do know that I am thankful everyday for the rest of the people here with me, but more specifically, the full time combat guys here. My job over here is signal, most transmission side stuff and a good hunk of tech stuff too. Now my job isn't the safest job, and certainly I have a higher risk of bodily harm and injury and such compared to doing a deskjob, yet compare my job to those of the 11B, 13C, and many other combat jobs and mine is a walk in the park. Those are the guys that, day in and day out, are the ones who are patroling the streets, kicking in doors in Baghdad, etc etc etc. Those guys are the real rough guys that can take the dirty jobs that allow everyone else to sleep peacefully in their beds at night (to paraphrase). Those men are real heros to me.

But are they also pawns? I would have to say no, they are not pawns, because they do have the right to not do what they do. They volunteered to do what they do, as do all soldiers in the American military. We all chose to give up our constitutional rights so that we might defend those same rights when we come home.

I don't denigrate other professions, and there are certainly many others that are fully honorable professions to work in, most notably people who work as police, and firemen. They take a full risk of life to serve a higher calling of making a difference.

I guess my questioning comes from when i hear people say "I support the troops" and i ask how. Someone actually got offended at this question. I'm just curious how people's mindsets are when they say they support me, or the military in general. Most of the people i know in my unit don't want grand accolades. They don't want a parade, or ribbons, and they don't want to put on a stage. All the support I want, and i think this goes for alot of us, would like in recognition of our service is an occasional 'Thanks' and maybe a free beer at the bar.

In Baghdad

2007-05-24T09:09:00.000-04:00

Well i have been doing some traveling as of late so i am in Baghdad now. Its pretty decent down here, seen some palaces and such, and trying to go see the perfume palace tonight (its where saddam kept his hos...er...i mean his female companions). the Al Fau palace is pretty cook, not alot of spires but really cool architecture. So thats fun.

Its really hot out here lately though, which is a big poop. Its about 110-115 today and no signs its going to get cooler any time soon, quite the opposite actually. So yeah, if you wonder what iraq feels like, go find 10 hair dryers and point them all at your face, thats a pretty good approximation.

4 cool thoughts for today:
1) Its freaking awesome to be an Uncle, i can't wait to meet my little niece!
2) I saw Toby Keith in concert on Tuesday night and it was really cool. He played American Soldier and i alot of guys and gals there were tearing up. Thanks Toby Keith for making our day a little better
3) C-RAMS, i love this thing
4) Its realy odd to see HMMWVs driving down the street all up armored and then the doors have been taken off.

Oh yeah, I'm taking an advanced networking course down here in Baghdad. If ya'll didn't know it, i don't know basic networking but the instructors here have been really working well with me and everyone else so i will pass this course and actually really like this networking stuff. CCNA...doubtful, but hey, who knows?

Cool Military Equipment

2007-05-14T08:17:00.000-04:00

The AF has formed its first UAV wing. The 432 Wing is composed of 6 Predator Squadrons and 1 Maintenance. The really cool thing is that not only the original predator is being fielded, but also the new Predator B, aka the "Reaper." The Reaper is differnet from the original in that it wasn't designed as a recon UAV but instead it was designed directly for combat. I love this in that the new UAVs are being designed and fielded at a fairly rapid pace compared to how long it takes other services to come up with newer technology, such as the redesign for the HMMWV (though putting the Couger, Badger, and other IED ressistant vehicles into theater is pretty impressive).

Two week break

2007-05-14T07:59:00.000-04:00

Since Sara has been at SERE school, i decided that I wasn't going to blog for then since as far as I know she is one of the only people that bothers to ready my blog. Anyway, now that she is just about done with it, I think i'll start writing some stuff so check back regularly, whoever you are, for the updates.

Hillary Clinton (Linked)

2007-04-27T22:20:00.000-04:00

"We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good"

Thanx Stalin!

Funny Stuff (Linked)

2007-04-27T21:47:00.000-04:00

The General's Fault? (Linked)

2007-04-27T21:37:00.000-04:00

Perhaps the main problem with the war is that it was being sold as relatively quick, easy, and cheap while its actually a long and very important conflict.

If we've lost, whos won? (Linked)

2007-04-27T21:35:00.000-04:00

Why didn't they fight back?

2007-04-27T21:00:00.000-04:00

This should be my last article about the VT shootings, as there isn't much more to be said. Marc Danziger has an article that is pretty similiar in its feelings to what me and Sara talked about with each other after we heard about what happened. I just don't understand how you can sit there why a gunman fires 100 rounds into your classmates and think this is a good way to teach our kids to act. Are we so concerned with personal safely in our culture that we tell our kids that doing something in the face of violence to try and stop it will only get them hurt. I just don't understand how we can see that so many people did nothing to stop this and not see a problem. Personal Courage is an army value, but shouldn't we be teaching that it is a higher ideal for everyone?

Crazy drugs for crazy people? (Linked)

2007-04-26T22:35:00.000-04:00

Beyond Ridiculous (linked)

2007-04-26T09:47:00.000-04:00

This is exactly the reason that no one should trust the mainstream media. Ever. About anything.

Wiccan Headstones

2007-04-25T23:39:00.000-04:00

As my darling wife as pointed out to me, the VA has just changed its policy on head stones. Now, the Wiccan symbol will be allowed as a headstone, added to the other 38 symbols that were previously allowed. Yahoo News has the whole article.

To be honest, I was not really sure what to think about it at first, but after thinking it over, I don't know why the VA wanted to fight this at all. All i can think of it that if you put whatever you want up, you can use it to make political statements (since the gravestone is sometimes chosen by the family if its not clear). Even so, any religious symbol should be allowed on the headstone if you made it to the national cemetary. Its not for the VA or the US Government to judge what what is an appropriate marker of anyone's religious beliefs.

**UPDATE**

On further reflection, I am not sure why you arn't allowed to put up anything you want on your tombstone in the National Cemetary. I mean to get to the National Cemetary you certainly gave your life so why is the symbol you want to leave for the rest of the world controversial? IMAO makes light up some other symbols but in all seriousness, shouldn't i be able to put up what i want? Maybe i do want a Batman symbol up, perhaps I want to have another cross besides the normal one, say a Crusader's Cross. Its my flippin tombstone, shouldn't I decide whats on it?

New Stuffs!

2007-04-24T10:26:00.000-04:00

I found alot of really cool and intersting stuff in the past few days but i've been pretty busy and unable to post on blog lately so there is going to be alot of stuff in this one, and then some blurbs to tell ya'll about it.

If you wanna see some more articles similar to the one i wrote, but with much more eloquent authors, see the link below on why an armed populace is good thing.

Classically Liberal

To read more about the city i just left, go here to hear from the COL running the show now:

Can Petraeus Pull It Off?

If you are sick of politics and learning useful information that for some reason you find controversial, go here so you can see what a pretty well stocked Toolbox has in it:

Popular Mechanics

And if the silly Sheryl Crows Toilet Paper thing was interesting to you, then this is pretty fun as you can learn all about how much Toilet Paper the average person uses:

Poop Report

Finally, if you are actually concerned about Global Warming and you should be at least interesting in lowering our energy consumption cause its a good idea, check this out:

One Billion Bulbs

(Thanks to Instapundit for many of the links)

Money

2007-04-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

I was talking to some of my friends out here recently and apperently, alot of people do not investe money. And I, for the life of me, can't understand why. Its like people believe that the stock market works by some voodoo magic. I just don't get it. Inflation is typically around 3% a year. It will vary of course but thats a pretty fair standard to work with. However, most savings accounts at banks only pay about the same amount or less. In order to make money on your money, you need to outgain inflation.

There are of course many things you can invest in, but its odd that so many people don't. The easiest and safest is a money market account. The idea here is that you give your money to a bank or investment company and they invest it into guarenteed securities. The cost is almost always 1 dollar a share but the return is usually a little better than whatever your bank would give you in a CD. Its better cause its entirely secure, and you get a better rate than a personal CD, since the money market can leverage their larger mount of money into a better rate of return.

But you dont make significant gains over inflation with a money market, which is really a glorified savings account. To do that, the most common approach is to invest in ownership assests, the most common being stock. The S&P 500 is the index of 500 companies that are representative of the market as a whole, its a generally good indicator of performance. As a historical note, the S&P averages a return of 10.8% since its inception. Thats a significant gain of money. Consider this, based on those historical rates (dating back close to 100 years) the amount of money you invest will double in about 7 years. That means that if you start investing at my age (as most of the people reading this are) then any money you put in will double 4 times, or be 16 times the original amount. If you invest 10,000 now and leave it, then you have over 160,000 when you retire. Thats huge.

More on Gun Control (Linked)

2007-04-18T23:05:00.001-04:00

Why Guns are Important

2007-04-18T10:09:00.000-04:00

The Wall Street Journal has this to say about gun rights and control as relates to the Virginia Tech shootings. Make no mistake, I am absolutely horrified about what happened and feel very sad for teh victums. But thats just it, I feel that there was measures that could be taken that would have prevented them from being victims to enabling them to respond to the crisis.

An armed populace makes walking into a room and shooting a much more difficult affair. This guy at VT was able to walk in an kill 30 people in the classrooms as well as wound a large number as well. He did this with 2 different handguns that, judging by the reported size of the magazines, he would have had to reload each one at least once and probably more than once if he missed more than 1 or 2 times out of all his rounds. If you have ever reloaded a pistol, its almost impossible to do with one had so he had to stop firing and was vulnerable for a significant amount of time. Even if there was only one person that was able to carry in the classroom, he wouldn't even need to get into a gun fight, he would have had an oppertunity to completely handle the assailant while he was able to return fire. I only make this point to say that you don't need to be some kind of sharpshooter or anything else, just having a firearm there could have made all the difference.

As shown time and time again, if you are going to kill alot of people, regardless of reason, a gun-free zone isn't a bad thing to you. Its not like you are afraid to break that law but have no problem with a multiple homicide. Unless you are able to enforce a gun free zone for everyone, such as having every person go through a metal detector to go into any public place, then a gun free zone only keeps firearms, a legitimate tool for self protection, out of the hands of law abiding citizens. Think of it this way. I am a rational person, who is trained in the use of firearms by the United States Army and I shoot civilian guns (to include revolvers, pistols, shotguns, and rifles) fairly regularly. If I was in an area near you and someone you didn't know just came in and started shooting randomly at people, would you feel safer if i had a firearm on me or not? According to some people, you are less safe with me able to subdue the shooter and having to wait for police.

When i come home...

2007-04-17T23:18:00.000-04:00

I was thinking it over and there are 2 things that I want to upgrade when i get back home from what i am currently working with.

The first is that I need a new laptop, pretty badly. My apple is now well over 2 years old and the desert has not been kind to it. The power cord is fraying and the battery is now non-existant. Add on to that the G4 is now pretty obsolete since apple now uses intel chips, i still can't find good software, and it crashes 2x a week (losing the date and time) it seems like now is about the time to let it go. The current front runner is the HP 6000 model with the Intel Dual Core 2 chip. Seems like a beast, we will see in about 4 months.

The second thing i want to upgrade is the personal hygiene. Most specifically the facial area. Obviously if you know me, you already know i take great pride in my shaving and i want to continue that and improve upon that and also work with some better cleaning and moisturizing. So in that vein, i have picked out a new shaving brush, soap, and razor that i want to get, and i'll be looking for better facial cleaners in the near future.

The razor being the most familar thing to most people, lets start with that. The one i want isn't new at all, and you can only get it on ebay. I want a Gillette Fat Boy razor. Why a razor thats 50 years old, no longer made, and similar to my Merkur Classic? Well, from all accounts i can read, there are two big types of double edge razors, the Merkur and the Gillettes. The Merkurs are supposed to be the slightly closer shave and the Gillettes a little less aggressive. The fat boy would give me a different kind of DE so i could find what i like best. It also has the advantage of being adjustable, which is pretty cool. I want something with a polished and classic feel so this seems to fit the bill, and its pretty cheap in ebay!

The brush i am looking for I havn't really made up my mind yet. Its hard because you are going totally on reviews and you can't try it out and take it for a test shave. The current ones in my mind are the ShaveMacs and the Superior brand brushes. The shavemacs are from Germany and are beautiful handles ones. I would get it in the best or the finest grade as i don't wanna spend huge amount of money for a silvertip, plus i like a little scruff from the brush. The Superiors are a small company in the US and they do the cool thing of making the handles individually out of Corin (used to make counter tops). Really cool idea and its totally unique. The prices are similar at about 50-65 a brush plus shipping. If anyone reading this is a shaving guru and wants to weigh in, advice is appreciated.

The last shaving item i want to get is a better soap. I am currently using the 1 dollar a cake soap from William's. Hey it was available at the PX. This might be the easiest way to get a better shave and the choices are from the 5 dollar ones from Classic Shaving to the 25 dollar soaps. Current ideas are to try one in the 12 dollar range. Luxury soap sounds cool to work with.

I'll probably get more used to better facial cleaning but i don' t know what to use for that so much right now but the Nivea for Men Double Action Face Wash really makes my face feel better. There has to be better than mass produced Target stuff if you look for it.

All about the ACU (Linked)

2007-04-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

An evaluation about the ACU the army uses. Personally, i like the Nomex suits and wish we got to wear them full time.

Back?

2007-04-17T21:45:00.000-04:00

Hey ya'll, I figure that since its been about a year or so since I have written anything (you know with the being in Iraq and all) that now seems like a fun time to try to get back into it. No promises of course but i'll try to write on here a little more often since it seems like a good way to let people know what i am up to, well what i can tell you at least. Enjoy it if its interesting!

Jimbo

Its JIM!

2006-05-21T18:25:00.000-04:00

So hey! Its me (actually me and not sara) typing this blog entry. Internet rulez!

So not much going here in Ft. Hood. The training right now has been pretty dull and not that eventful. I think that if you didn't know your job very well by the time you came here, you learned alot in the past 4 weeks. Me, however, is the master of the job that i do so i am less inclined to learn a whole lot from the training we have had. In fact, they have make me an instructor for a bunch of the classes so i get to share my knowledge with the rest of my crew. Good for them. Actually its exactly what needed to happen, but it would have been nice if it was more clear before we left that that is what was going to be going on, because its been pretty disorganized. I can't blame anyone really in particular, it just seems to me that the best idea would have been to mobilize all the 1SGs the whole time, then people would be doing their more normal jobs and the direction would be more clear. But its not been that bad and the learning curve is helpful if a little steep. We will roll with it in any case.

We get the weekends off here most of the time so thats been pretty nice. Not a whole hell of a lot to do here though. mostly its been drinking some and movies. There is a bowling alley on post but thats getting worn out pretty dang fast. Boring as hell here but at least its relaxing. I'm up to sleeping 10-14 hours a nite on the weekends. So if you are reading this, and you havn't sent me a letter yet, do so, so I have something to read. And thanx to all the people that have written me, keep doing it.

Thats about it so everyone needs to keep in touch! LATA!

Finally!

2006-05-02T17:11:00.000-04:00

Alright, guys, I finally have an address for Jim at Ft. Hood. Until Further notice he can be reached at:

SGT James Six
324 Signal Battalion, A CO RC
Ft Hood, TX 76544

I know he'll appreciate any letters or cards you want to send his way.

Wedding Pics

2006-04-26T11:34:00.000-04:00

Wedding pictures are up over at the wedding site for anyone who's interested.

No address for Jim yet, they're being slow about it. He's doing fine, but very busy. He gets to help develop a training matrix for the battalion and help instruct once they actually get going, so his life is overrun with meetings right now.

Thats all I know for now, I'll pass along more info as I get it.

Personal Update and New SOP

2006-04-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

For those of you still following this blog, there has been a lot going on in the past couple of weeks that hasn't been posted yet.

First off, this is Sara. Jim's deployment date got moved up to April 21st, so he's going to be unable to update himself for a while. We're still not sure if he's going to be able to have personal internet over there. So, for the time being, he's going to give me updates whenever he can, and I'll post them here for your reading pleasure. We're hoping for about once a week, so be looking for that.

Several things have happened along with the accelerated deployment date. He and I got married on April 8th, so we're officially old people now. The engineering department at Clemson is letting him graduate; they're going to mail his diploma to his parents. We also found out for sure that he's going to Iraq, somewhere around Baghdad. His orders have him active duty for 602 days (as of now), but we're hoping for about 17 months.

I think thats the big stuff. As soon as I get an address for him, I'll post it. It'll mean a lot to him just to get even short notes, so please send him something. I'll make sure to update as often as I can, and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Jim's Big News

2006-03-28T07:54:00.000-05:00

Back in clemson for what feels like the first time in a long while. And really, my drill weekend doesn't count so its been almost 2 weeks. And it seems like much longer to me. Break was good, not very relaxing at all. Actually good doesn't measure up. Perhaps great or outstanding would be a much better word. Why? Well, i'm getting married! Had a lot of time to think about it, and was thinking about it for a while anyway, and we decided to. No, I didn't make the official proposal yet, but since we are working with a really constrained time budget, we wanted to start planning now and the offical ringing part will come soon as possible. Yes its not the best plan in the world, but it works for us.

Wedding Plans:
The date will be on May 13th and we are looking at a ceremony time around 7:30 in the evening (Sara always did want an evening wedding). I am working on the guest list so if I talked to you about coming, make sure i have your address so that you can get an invitation. Also, to those of ya'll that don't get an invitation, we are not making a huge deal out of this and the wedding will be small so i don't mean to slight anyone its just that we can't have that many people come. My apologies. Oh and planning is alot of work. We got the dress taken care of, as well as my ring, and we think we have good progress made on the photography and invitations. The place for the ceremony, reception, and food are the big issues right now. We also got most of the wedding registry taken care of but not entirely. Thanks to everyone thats been very helpful.

First in a week

2006-03-22T11:13:00.000-05:00

Had several requests for some updating so here is what i got.

First lets look at the number of military deaths per that each president had. Its kinda telling. This is from Red State and Instapundit. Yeah i know the source is a little suspect but the data does not lie.

While every lost serviceman and servicewoman is certainly tragic and should be mourned, the actual statistics tell quite a different tale from the MSM and Democratic doom-and-gloom outlook. Comparing the numbers of lost US military personnel to past years, and past presidential terms, may even be a shock to supporters of the war.

Take a look at the actual US Military Casualty figures since 1980. If you do the math, you wil find quite a few surpises. First of all, let's compare numbers of US Military personnel that died during the first term of the last four presidents.

George W. Bush . . . . . 5187 (2001-2004)
Bill Clinton . . . . . . . . . 4302 (1993-1996)
George H.W. Bush . . . . 6223 (1989-1992)
Ronald Reagan . . . . . . 9163 (1981-1984)

Even during the (per MSM) utopic peacetime of Bill Clinton's term, we lost 4302 service personnel. H.W. Bush and Reagan actually lost significantly more personnel while never fighting an extensive war, much less a simulaltaneous war on two theaters (Iraq and Afghanistan). Even the dovish Carter lost more people duing his last year in office, in 1980 lost 2392, than W. has lost in any single year of his presidency. (2005 figures are not available but I would wager the numbers would be slightly higher than 2004.)

In 2004, more soldiers died outside of Iraq and Afghanistan than died inside these two war zones (900 in these zones, 987 outside these zones). The reason is that there are usually a fair number that die every year in training accidents, as well as a small number of illness and suicide. Yet the MSM would make you think that US soldiers are dying at a high number in these zones, and at a significantly higher number than in past years or under past presidents. This is all simply outright lies and distortion.

I'll have more later hopefully, but its off to the aquarium with Sara.

Beer, Beer, Beer... diddily...Beer, Beer, Beer...

2006-03-15T18:08:00.000-05:00

A long time ago, way back in history, when all there was to drink was nothing but cups of tea. Along came a man, by name of Charlie Mopps, and he invented a wonderful drink and he made it out of hopps...

Set a new record for drunken foolishness on saturday. And man was it great. I have not had a chance to get totally messed up that bad in a while. So i took that chance by keeping a drink on hand for most of the day.

Started with driving down to Beaufort on friday afternoon. First thing i did was to meet Mel at her highschool where she was coaching a softball game. Odd sport, i watched a batter get walked, and run directly to 2nd. I watched the corner infielders play halfway to the plate with 2 outs. And i watched a team play in shorts. Odd sport. Anyway, i digress. Still fun to watch. Well anyway, after the game was over me and Mel hit the first bar, more or less a hole in the wall, but homely place. Had an outstanding 'Bare Knuckle Brew' and then some Red Hook. Then we migrated to another bar, and continued to drink some more. Only did a single shot the whole night and it was a modified car bomb since the Bare Knuckle was a stout. We were out for a while and then Mel had enough for the night and that ended the drinking.

Day 2, Mel felt that she wussed out and was a lightweight so we attack the day with renewed vigor. Early breakfast was Waffle House then we went to the fields where Mel had to work with some of the team. They weren't there so we messed around with the lite-flite. Awesome machine. Neither me nor Mel had an easy time hitting the curve. Damn it moves. Anyway then we did the golf thing. I lost! To Mel! Damn! 51-49 though we both had 5 beers. Moved from there onto a bar called Bonkers and it was fun. Much more bikerish than i expected but it was good. Yuengling in a bottle and white russians. Another 5 more drinks there. Then we went back to mel's and drank playing Dr. Mario. Another there. Then we headed over to dinner and drank some more there. That was good pizza (it had shrimp) then we went to another bar and drank some more. Finally, Mel's mom and Rich showed up and drank with us, including watching Mel quit again. We got driven back where Mel passed out and i stayed up to talk to Mel's mom for like another hour.

Final count: 23 drinks for Jim, 21 for Mel.

Here's to Savannah!

The straight razor

2006-03-14T11:52:00.000-05:00

Well the shaving got better when i got the stuff to make my hot soapy lather. It was much less irritating to the skin, and it was the closest shave ever. Small problem though, I still don't have it down. I am having some serious issues with the neck shaving. I cut myself or i don't get it all every time. So I have decided to stick with my DE for now. It does such a good job.

Blonde Furry Lobster

2006-03-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

This thing is so cool! I want a blonde furry lobster!

Iran making weapons going to Iraq?

2006-03-07T14:37:00.000-05:00

I am really hoping that this turns out to be a false report, like so much in the media right now. But I am worried its not. If this is true, this is something that could convince alot of people in the country that military action with Iran is not a bad idea. I have written on Iran several times and my views are pretty clear. Even without this, i would consider bombing the oil and power facilities. Now i am not sure that a strike on the governmental buildings would be a bad idea. F-35 ready yet?

News Update

2006-03-07T10:52:00.000-05:00

A few updates in the world today.

1) Russia has offered Iran a deal that is much closer to what it is seeking and not at all what the US, France, the UK want. Russia apperently (although confirmation is not at present there) has offered to allow Iran limited amounts of nuclear enrichment on their soil, with the bulk of fuel coming from Rusia. The other countries have insisted on no enrichment in Iran. This marks a break between the big countries.

UPDATE: Russia is denying there is a compromise offered even close to this. See what i get for relying on the MSM

2) Bird Flu is back, and scaring lots of people

3) The Oscars sucked, and so did the ratings, down 8% and under 40 million for only the 2nd time in 20 years. Oh and according to liberal critics, if you didn't want Brokeback to win best picture, you are homophobic. Yippie.

4) Kirby Puckett is dead at 45

5) AT&T merged with BellSouth, huge ramification in the telecom industry

6) South Dakota has banned abortion, pretty much all of it. There is still the morning after pill, but no abortion unless the mother's life is in danger. Let the screaming begin on both sides...

7) I just had a job interview with CEMEX

Solomon amendment still there

2006-03-06T15:43:00.000-05:00

From the Supreme Court today, the Solomon amendment was ruled constitutional. It was an overturning of a ruling by the 3rd Circuit Court that ruled it was not. This means that any school recieving federal funding from the US government (not student aid) has to allow military recruiters at least equal access compared to civilian employers. This does not mean that the school can't say what they want, but that they have to at least allow access to the recruiters. Good for the Supreme Court.

The result from the 2nd attempt with the straight razor

2006-03-05T18:52:00.001-05:00

Well, got the straight razor a few days ago and made two runs with it thus far. The first run created a very nice shave but was marked with several problems. The first problem that occured was shaving the mustache area near my top lip. There isn't a very good way to hold the razor here and when trying to get the hairs right up against the nose, i cut myself twice. The other area of concern when shaving was the sides of my neck. Because i have to hold the razor in a certain way, I have a problem getting the side of my neck visiable in the mirror. Seeing what i am doing here is really tough and i had two decent sized cuts on my neck. Not the best thing ever. The quality of the shave in the other areas was quite good and very smooth. No razor burn either. And, well, the classic approach is just cool cause its a straight razor.

The second attempt was today and its about the same as last time. I got a nick on my chin and above my upper lip and a cut on my left side where the check moves down towards the neck. Its really more of a visibility issue at this point i think there though. The quality of the shave wasn't as good as my Merkur either sadly. It might have something to do with the lather because since my lather cake soap and boar brush and all are not here yet and i am stuck using Edge Pro Gel. Not bad for canned lather but I am hoping for a marked improvement. It might be that the straight razor will improve dramaticly when i have better lather but as of right now, the Merkur is leading for the best shave.

As an asside, Sara and Liz (Tom's Girlfriend) both compared our shaves at Military Ball and mine was dramaticly smoother by both accounts. Liz was noticeably impressed, but i think Sara is more used to me being smooth. Tom uses a high end model electric. Perhaps i can convince him to learn to use a safety razor.

Why the UN is more than worthless but horrid

2006-03-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

Mark Steyn is a well reasoned writer and had turned his eye towards the UN. And he kills it. Ruthlessly. Check out the criticism here if you want to get a very detailed account on why the UN needs to go. It has one part that really sticks with me cause its a good analogy.

It’s a good basic axiom that if you take a quart of ice cream and a quart of dog mess and mix ’em together, the result will taste more like dog mess than ice cream. That’s the problem with the UN. If you make the free nations and the thug states members of the same club, the danger isn’t that they’ll meet each other half-way but that the free world winds up going three-quarters or seven-eighths of the way. Indeed, the UN has met the thug states so much more than half way that they now largely share the dictators’ view of their peoples—as either helpless children who need every decision made for them, or a bunch of dupes whose national wealth can be rerouted to a Swiss bank account.

Does either theory or experience teach us that this is a good idea?

Please, Sir, I'd like some more...

2006-03-02T09:34:00.000-05:00

Got good beer yesterday. Went to Nicks last night with Sara, Jamie, and Dutt (now that i think about it, I'm going to make an efforr to start to call him Tom, he deserves a first name) and man we got good beer. Started off the night and I ordered a Red Hook, Sara got an Amberboch, and Tom got a Blue Moon. Nothing amazing but it was pretty good. Then Jamie showed up and the beer took a turn for the better. Jamie started himself off with a Heffer, and my second beer was a Hobgoblin. Mmmmmm, Hobgoblin. After I had that, we all started on the good beer. Sara's next beer was a UFO, always a good draft. Jamie, on my suggestion, got a Riggwelter and he might have found a new favorite beer. Tom, surprising all by getting a second beer, got a Black Sheep, and i finished up my nite sipping on a Wexford. It was a good day for premium beers for sure. And it stayed pretty cheap. In addition to the beer that ordered, I paid for Sara's and for Tom's first beer as well as ordering a double order (12 total) of cheese sticks. Total was just under 20 bucks for it all. Very good for food and 6 beers in my opinion. Andy totally rules and deserves the good tips i leave him. Next on my list is to try the fiddlers's elbow, never had it but heard it was good.

My sleepy little town

2006-03-02T09:07:00.000-05:00

There is a certain paper at clemson, the Tiger Twon Observer, that is engaging in an activity that is being discussed throughout SC. What are you doing you ask? Well, they are a conservative paper and in support of the 2nd amendment, they are selling raffle tickets to a WASC-10. A WASC-10 is the non military version of the AK-47, single shot and all. Similar to comparing an AR-15 to the M-4. This seems to be a contensious issue about whether this is a good idea. Me, I think its pretty cool. The money will go to help out with operating costs of the paper and 20% will go to forwarding democracy in Iran. You can read more about this raffle here

New direction for the blog?

2006-02-28T11:04:00.000-05:00

Well, this is post 141 on my blog. Thats in about 4 real months of solid blogging so i am averaging a little over a post a day. And after this period of time, i think its a good idea to reflect on what i have been writing about. After originally getting into a much more argumentative discussion with Madcow (aka Kent, who thought he would play off of the nick name i got from my sister 5 years ago), it has been much more of an informative posting site since then. I do try to give my impressions of news and stories, and do my best to supply actual fact. Nothing annoys me more than people who make accusations that are reputed to be true but are based on bluster and opinion. Or just plain wrong information, like mistaking a IFC for a Tank.

So where do I go from here? Thats something that i am not sure of at the moment and am working on deciding. I am going to keep talking about different current events and let ya'll see what i think of many of the main stream news sources. However I think i will try to limit the amout of posts that i make in regard to that stuff and while i will continue to be as complete as I can, I think i will try to make singular long posts or very short posts. Not the 5 good sized ones a day.

Also, there will probably be several other posts on different subjects. The first of these is going to beer, as often as I can. Its pretty sad that there isnt more posts on beer but i don't get to go out much anymore to get odd beers. Its usually the more same ones. So thats a little sad but I will do my best. Shaving, if you cant tell, has become one of my more favorite things to talk about lately. Since its becoming more interesting and important, thats gonna be high volume posting. Other than that, probably up to my whims of the moment. If there is anything that interests anyone who reads this, and I find it interesting, then i'll probably write about that too. Enjoy!

History of Modern Shaving

2006-02-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

This is reprinted directly from Classic Shaving's website. They have lots more useful stuff there that really looks shaving, and how to do it well. Enjoy!

In order to have a better understanding of the various safety razors presently available, the manufacturer's claims of what their products will do for you, and how a safety razor might fit into your life, it is really necessary to begin at the beginning - with the first safety razors.

The earliest safety razors, which were actually invented in the 1880's, were for the most part, high quality well-made products, they were not intended to be used and disposed of like modern razors. Even the blades were intended to have a long and useful life. Blades at the time were actually made of forged steel and looked like a "section" of a straight razor blade. They were re-sharpened when they became dull and went back into the rotation with several others. Together with the razor handle they would serve the owner for a lifetime.

It was with just such a razor that King Camp Gillette was shaving in 1895 when his revolutionary idea came to mind.

Gillette had been working as a salesman for the Crown Cork & Seal Co. of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. While employed there he learned his profession well. You see his employer was the inventor of the cheap, one-time-use crown style bottle cap that reigned as the standard for beer and soft drink bottlers worldwide until only recently when it was replaced with a screw-off cap. Gillette learned that the path to fortune was to invent a product that was not intended to be re-used, but instead used once and disposed of, assuring a steady stream of buyers and repeat sales.

Gillette's idea was that if he could develop a cheap and disposable razor blade that was viewed as an improvement over what was currently available, he could sell millions of them and the sales would keep on coming day after day - year after year.

The purpose of illustrating this concept is to point out that from the very beginning the disposable blade safety razor was not developed to be an honest improvement over what was available, only to "Look Like" an improvement. The safety razor had only been invented 10 years earlier and hadn't yet found its market. Gillette's real purpose was to seize market share by using clever (and often deceptive) marketing and thereby assuring a never-ending stream of sales for his products. What Gillette actually invented was the "Loss Leader" the concept of virtually giving away a product (the razor) in order to create a customer for the high profit replacement blades. Selling safety razors and blades (cartridges) has been all about profits ever since.

The original concept has never really changed right up to today. In the beginning it was the "Gillette Safety Razor" vs. all others. Since becoming the world leader in the industry, Gillette has been competing with itself as much as anyone, selling you on their "new" model over their old model by using the same tactics it once employed against its competitors. It is still only about profits.

What seems to have gotten lost in the razor wars is the shave. In today's sophisticated high-tech marketing the consumer is dazzled with important-sounding words and processes that are used to describe the "Shaving System" (nobody calls it a razor anymore) and how it was developed, how much money was spent in research, what it's made of, etc., etc. Little of substance is actually said about how or why it will improve your shaving experience.

The reality is that the razor is only one part of the actual process of shaving. The other parts are equally as important and deserving of just as much consideration as the razor or blade that you use. Beard preparation, soap or cream used to produce the lather, how the lather is applied, how the razor is weilded, and a score of other factors, all working in unison, are what determines the quality of the outcome. If you buy a safety razor - any safety razor, and depend on it alone, based on the maker's or seller's claims, to provide you with a good shave you will surely be disappointed.

It would be useful at this point to suggest that you also view with suspicion any manufacturer or supplier who is touting any "System" of products or practices that they claim will revolutionize your daily shaving experience - but only with the continued use of their system exclusively. Most such claims are unsubstantiated opinion at best and are intended only to promote the products made or sold by the claimant. Shaving is not rocket science, men have been doing it for centuries. Since long before Safety Razors, King Gillette, and the plethora of commercially available products presently being sold, men have experienced a wide range of shave quality outcomes. Then as now improvement generally follows learning how to shave, not spending more money.

All that being said, the modern safety razor does fill a need for many men. Today time and convenience are determining factors in how we structure our lives and schedule our time. The safety razor does offer convenience and makes the daily shaving ritual a faster and less complicated process. But like making any other choice it involves a series of trade-offs - cost for convenience; shave quality for simplicity; etc. By choosing the right razor for your needs your shaving experience will be enhanced and the resulting shave will be more satisfactory.

The Double-Edge Razor

Today the double-edge razor still represents the best value for most wet shavers. Its blades are inexpensive and widely available and provide two shaving edges thereby doubling the value. It will provide an exceptionally close and comfortable shave when used properly, and is 100% biodegradable. The razor handle itself is inexpensive, sturdy, and long lasting. The razor is available in a wide variety of styles to accommodate any special needs and there is a model to suit virtually everyone's style or budget.

This venerable model has changed little from the day it was first seen in 1903. Once the king of all safety razors, this was the model that most of our fathers and grandfathers learned to shave with and the model that Gillette's fortunes were founded on. Bearing in mind what King Gillette's original concept was based upon - his supplying the replacement blades, the double edge razor fell out of favor with Gillette when hundreds of other manufacturers both in the US and Worldwide began producing a wide variety of replacement blades that fit Gillette's razor. For no good reason other than to be able to control what blades went onto their razors, Gillette went in search of a replacement for the double-edge. Introducing -

The Two-Blade Razor

This second-generation safety razor and its subsequent "improved" models were made in several different versions by a variety of makers. The theory was that two blades would shave you twice as fast and twice as close with half the number of strokes needed. Its blade cartridge design offers quick and easy blade changes without the need to handle open blades. On the other hand, each different maker uses a different means to attach the blade cartridge to the handle making them non-interchangeable. The two closely placed blades routinely clog with lather and beard hairs rendering them ineffective. The cartridge itself is made from a non-biodegradable plastic and they can be costly both to make and use.

It was with this razor that the major razor makers, Gillette and Schick, declared war and began spending fortunes trying to out-do each other. For a while there was a new version of the twin-blade razor being introduced almost constantly by one company or the other. When finally it seemed that there was no more that could be done to improve (or re-market) the twin-blade it was time to introduce -

The Three-Blade Razor

The primary purpose of this Gillette Mach III "shaving system" was to one-up the two-blade competitor. This razor is in reality no different in performance than its two blade predecessor except for the third blade. Both the advantages and disadvantages are virtually the same, only multiplied by 50%. The cost-per-shave however is now reaching the point where blade cartridges are a major expense item. This fact may account for why it is currently the "most shoplifted item in the World."

Since the blade cartridge and handle of this "System" are very much integral, and producing a cartridge that would fit the handle would surely incur patent infringement litigation, the only way to compete effectively with a three-blade "Shaving System" is to develop -

The Four-Blade Razor

Now being introduced by Schick is the all-new revolutionary "Quattro Technologically Advanced Shaving System." Similar in many respects to Gillette's Mach III except this razor uses four blades in its cartridge.

In preparation for Schick's introduction of the "Quattro," Gillette has redesigned the "Mach III" and reintroduced it as the Mach III Turbo" again with little more than cosmetic changes and offering no real improvement in performance or value.

Again, in reality no particular advantages present themselves to the user but now the cartridge price and resulting cost-per-shave is nothing short of absurd.

After 100 years, multiple redesigns, hundreds of millions of dollars in development and marketing costs, and a thoroughly confused and frustrated consuming public the razor wars continue.

When shopping for a safety razor don't be misled or induced by the claims of whoever made it or is selling it. Use a bit of common sense. Ask yourself "what's in this purchase for me and what's in it for them." If you can't realistically see where the product itself will significantly benefit you, but buying it will serve the purposes of the maker or seller (either in the short term or long) maybe you should reconsider the purchase. Stick with what is proven to work well - A good double-edge razor with a quality blade, high quality soap or cream, a quality badger brush, and a bit of practice. You'll save money and enjoy the experience.

Old Core, Hard School Shaving

2006-02-28T07:56:00.000-05:00

New razor still isn't here. I am quite the pissed off man about that as its been a weeks since it shipped. Granted it was sent only first class with no tracking number, so i have no right to be, but its still there. Guess pissed isn't the right word, more of a dissappointed. I want to get it to get used to using it and i can't yet.

On a similar note, the shaving brush and such have been ordered. The brush i am getting is from Classic Shaving and it looks like this: Its not the badger brush that i really wanted, but to get those we are talking about 50 bucks for a decent one and they go up into over 100. I can't get that now though at some point having that with the ability to get a 'true' straight blade is on the list. The one i got is a pure boar bristle brush. Spose to be much better as regard to creating lather and holding water in the bristle compared to synthetics and more than good enough. The bowl I am getting is pretty hot too, its a covered black stoneware bowl in all black and its getting imprinted with the army seal. More than hot in my opinion. It looks like this:

Hopefully that stuff will be here soon but i am much more excited about the razor. Thats really not the way it should be as the lather has the bigger impact on my shave since i am using the DE. And since Sara has informed me of a store that has good shaving supplies, I am going to see the selection there and look for feather blades. If you don't know what feather blades are (and i assume no one does) its blades that are made by a company in Japan. They started out making surgical cutting tools like scapels but have lended their crazy sharp blade making ability to razors now. Their primary product is a very nice disposable bladed straight razor known as the "Artist Club." The blades are reported to be even sharper than you can get with a normal straight blade with honing and stroping. Like crazy if you even touch it to your skin it touches you sharp. Yeah, thats scary sharp. But they also make DE blades that will fit easily in my razor. Still pretty cheap and once you get used to shaving with a DE, its supposed to be a better shave and the blade is good for more shaves without losing the edge. That might be fun to use. Oh and here is a picture of the Artist Club:

Shaving

2006-02-26T14:25:00.000-05:00

With their massive media blitz, Gilette has come out with their new "shaving system" in the last few weeks known as the fusion. The latest and greatest in shaving. But how well does this sucker actually shave? Sadly, not that good. Friend of mine got this new razor and planned on using it. He used it exactly 4 times before giving it up. Why? Well its so larger than the head of the Mach 3 so it doesn't fit very well on the hard to shave parts like the nose and he chin. Also, he gets even more irritation than with the Mach 3. Add that on the fact that the new blades average 50 cents more per blade to a tune of 3-3.50 a pop, its a big waste of money for him.

Since his new razor just wasn't what he was looking for, I asked to borrow it and tried it with the last new blade. He wasn't kidding. Wow this razor is not worth anywhere close to the money. I just started to have my skin get back to normal after using the Mach 3 last weekend and now its gonna be another week from this new sucker. Everything that my friend said was true, its too big, irritates my skin, and really, doesn't make that close of a shave. It doesn't cut me, but it doesn't cut my hair either. And then i looked up how much they cost for blades, and wow. I give up on all the new systems of shaving.

In case you were wondering, this is what i shave with:

Thats not it exactly but its pretty dang close. Its a single blade, double edged safety razor from Merkur. Its quite nice and pretty easy to learn to use. Finding good articles from websites like Classic Shaving helps alot as to technique. Soon, as in when it comes, I will start using a straight blade and one of the old style brushes in a mug for lather. Given my lack of free time and dedication that would normally be needed for straight blades, I am going in a slightly different direction. Its got a disposable straight blade. Cheating? Yes, probably. But the blades are only used for about 5 shaves and they cost almost nothing. Like a quarter or 20 cents a blade, so its a better shave with less irritation and much cheaper. Also better for the environmnet. Seems like a good idea to me and hopefully in a week er so i can write on how well its going. And really, which one of these two razors do you want to be seen shaving with?

Beer did you say?!?

2006-02-23T10:38:00.000-05:00

So I like beer, and Nicks has beer, somehow i seemed to forget this till lately. Don't ask me how as i don't know. Anyway, i am coming back to there more and more often. Went last nite and had a pair of delicous pints. First was a black and tan, expertly poured by Andy who had the guiness come out of the tap so slowly that there was no mixing at all. Awesome pour. Then i had a Highland Oatmeal Porter that was more than slightly delicious. Havn't had it in a while for sure. Then me and Jamie tried to decide what beer we would drink if we could only drink one kind forever more. I didn't think that hard as i pick the Yeungling as its the best all purpose beer. You can drink it anyway and at any time. I think that its going to be likely that next beer there will be the red hook, i am becoming more a bitter man lately, as far as beer goes at least.

Okay, i have a winner here

2006-02-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

If you ever played starcraft, got pissed off at the media, think armchair pundits suck dick for money, think that people who talk about the military and have no idea how big a platoon or division is, think congress is stupid, thought torture isn't always bad, or agreed with Col Jessup (Jack Nickolson) from A few good men...go here. Its freaking awesome and worth it.

The MSM suck, and here is why...

2006-02-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

Here is an article that was actually published on the washington post's website. It does a pretty good job of knocking out the failures. I will attempt to go a bit farther.

If we look at the last few weeks, the press has covered in different ways many stories but several of the them, the main ones, leave me a little flabberghasted. The cartoon one is the easiest so lets knock on that some more. The reasons were stated very well up front. The MSM cowered when confronted with showing images that caused the rioting in dozens of countries and even deaths. Shit, even the storming the embassies and the withdrawing of several diplomats. This is pretty big news, so doesn't it makes sense to show the reason this is happening? I mean thats what all the protests are supposedly about. And if you don't believe its really about the cartoons, thats great, but thats what is on the placcards and signs. So now we have a mommy media that is going to decide not only what is important but what we are allowed to see. Oh but of course, we area allowed to see images of Mary covered in shit, Sharon as a nazi etc. Whats the purpose of the news again, keep me informed? Great job, nothing like keeping me informed by telling me i cannot see things and make up my own mind.

Next wonderful story we have is the Cheney incident. How is this so big a story that it dominates news coverage for days. The man was shot by the vice president on a private hunting trip, and was in a stable condition the whole time. And in addition, it was even put forth by the man who was shot that he was at least partly if not mostly at fault. And the biggest story wasn't the shooting even, it was that nobody informed the press until 18 hours later. I mean wow, they followed the law by informing the local hunting regulation board and the owner of the ranch put it out 18 hours later, after Mr. Whittington was in the hospital and doing well. Apperently thats not fast enough for some reason I still don't understand. God forbid, the press needs to find out about stuff themselves. Also, lets also point out that the media couldn't get all the facts or have some of them right. We heard all kinds of wonderful statements like "shot him with BBs" (not even close since it was 6 shot, a BB is much closer to 0 or 1 shot). We heard that for a while the shooting was close range (30 yards is not close range for a shotgun). We also heard that it was a powerful shotgun (it was a 28 gauge, a very small shotgun with little power). We heard about the number one rule of hunting, to be sure of what you are shooting (good point but much less applicable in a quail hunt as the coveies are gone in about 1-2 seconds so maintaining position is paramount, this comes from my shooting instructor that hunts quail). All types of wonderful assertations but alot of them are made up or just wrong, all in a story that really has no real significance.

And then we have the wonderful idea of the new Abu Gharib photos. Even most of the people in Iraq are sick of this as it was A) 2 years ago roughly B) Already been fully investigated C) Sentences and punishments were already handed out. Yet this was a leading story, about stuff that happened 2 years ago. Now really "News" as much as "Inflaming hatred Olds." Oh but lets not forget, these images were widely shown and offending Muslims and inciting hatred be damned. Of course it makes the US look bad so we will keep rolling with it. Ridiculous. Totally freaking ridiculous.

I know its like beating a dead horse to show that the media is worthless at this point, but still, its crazy lately even more than usual.

Wow, lots going on...

2006-02-21T23:34:00.000-05:00

UAE deal, Iran still being douches even to the Russians, Harvard Prez resigns...

Lets start with the one thats the biggest deal, the United Arab Emerites is supposed to take control of the US ports. Yep, an ARAB country is going to be in charge of security of US ports. Yeah, I think my initial reaction was of disbelief and outrage. How dare Bush even THINK this is a good idea? So I did what i always do, i researched. Check this out,

The critical point is that Dubai Ports World won't be running the port of Baltimore, or any other U.S. port for that matter.

And on whose authority do we find that little nugget? Why a former rep and port authority advisor named Helen Bentley of Baltimore. Seems like a pretty reliable source. Her opinion is its all over nothing. UAE will be conducting the managing of the contracts, but union labor will still be doing all loading and unloading of the docks. Much ado about nothing really.

Whether this is it or not i am not sure. I am concerned with it for the way it looks and what the implication are but then i looked more into the UAE itself. Oddly, they are one of our very good allies in the region. Not only the government but the people like us as well. So we got that going, and perhaps the best way for us to show this isn't a "war on Islam" is that we have a friendly, allied muslim country doing exactly what any other country can do. It just seems to me (and i am guilty of this too) that we claim we need to be more out-reaching and help strengthen ties but then all of a sudden, we turn into a bunch of assholes when the government does just that. UAE has served with the US in many military conflicts and we have permanent military stations there. In addition, they pretty much hate Iran and remember very well that we have defended them before. Perhaps its not to much to ask that this country be treated as an ally and get our trust.

Back to Iran for a bit, their talks with the Russians have concluded with...more talks but in Tehran this time. Progress no?

Larry Summers, the president of Harvard, has resigned. If you remember from about a year ago, he put forth the idea that perhaps men were better suited to math because of scientific reasons (as a study found that men did better in math given all other equal variables). He was practically run out of town on a rail. God forbid ever actually think about even the remotest possibility. Never mind that the same feminists that ran him out will tell you (published works on in fact) that a single father does not have the same instincts and abilities as a single mother. Cause equal means women are at least as good if not better than men at everything...right?

This link here has interesting thoughts. I don't know i agree with it, though the logic is good. There is one point i take from it though.

The U.S., fortunately, is still on a demographic expansion wave and will be till at least 2050. But if the Islamists achieve their dream of nuking “crusader” cities, they’ll make crusaders out of the U.S., too. And this time, a West with a chauvinized America at its head would smite the Saracen with weapons that would destroy entire populations and fuse Mecca into glass. The horror of our victory would echo for a thousand years.

The sad fact is that if this war last long enough that we lose all sense of patience and sympathy for the masses of people in the ME, I could see this plausably happening. Not likely for sure but still there.

Bin Laden and many most of the Muslim world is still seething at the Crusades. Its a justification given not only by him but also the "Joe Sixpack" of the Muslim world. If this is still indeed the case, then is there really anything that we here in the US can change? Cause that means that they have hated the US for 700 years before there was a US, and that shit don't really make sense. If there is a real sense of victimization from the Islamic community and they are looking to take the fight to the West, they really need to look carefully, as even with all the faults and bullshitting we have been doing for years now, if the US military ever gets to take the kid gloves off, cities fall in hours. Its not done now as we don't want to kill thousands and millions of people. We could in minutes, even with conventional weapons. Mosques blowing up whenever militants go in them, fallujah not raided after giving civilians a chance to leave but leveled to the ground with carpet bombing from B-52s or MOABs to demolish everything. We are accused of actively disregarding caution or intentionally targeting civilians, but if we did, there wouldn't be opposition, it wouldn't have survived.

Quickies

2006-02-19T15:15:00.000-05:00

Reports are stating that Iraq may be trying to join NATO in the near future. I like it.

Cartoonists are still rioting, perhaps if we are expected to be tolerant of others, they should be tolerant of us?

Is the purpose of the UN to defend rights or to resolve conflict, cause pretty soon its going to have to be one or the other for just about everything.

Drinking it cool, except when you throw up on a cat...

Could this be where they went?

2006-02-17T13:50:00.000-05:00

Hmmm, makes you wonder if this is where they went? Taking bets...

Pappy Boyington

2006-02-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

The sad state of part of this country. "Didn't believe a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce." That is fucking bullshit, what a fucking piece of shit that woman is.

The Newer Generation's Views on Race

2006-02-16T10:58:00.000-05:00

I'd say that color-mute is a good thing. It appears that not everyone agrees. Check out this piece on my (apperently i am the Millienia Generation) generation's views on race. And i can understand the argument made by people who can see this as a problem, but i disagree with it.

What happened with Katrina

2006-02-15T18:26:00.000-05:00

We all know what happened with Katrina, as Kanye West put it, "George Bush hates black people." Okay, seriously this time, do we really know what happened? Well the house report was just published and can be found right here. Problem is that the are lots of issues with this report. Now i am not near good enough to put all this information out there in an order but, Popular Mechanics is. Note, this is a magazine that has no political tilt, and usually don't comment anything on politics. They tend to take a very different tone on the results and what should or could have happened and who is the fault. There take can be seen here.

Nick Coleman is a Jackass

2006-02-15T12:56:00.000-05:00

Midwest Heros is a TV spot that features the testamony of 3 individual soliders who served in Iraq. A LTC, a CPT, and a SSG so really we have 3 distinct views and its not just 'company line.' Okay, they did a TV spot trying to defend the Iraq War, that they just fought in as they all served tours there, and counter what they feel is negative news coverage. Is there anything wrong with that? I would say no. I can't imagine how thats a bad thing. But, oh, to Nick Coleman its spinning. Here is how it breaks down. Powerline has already made a full responce that fisks the column and shows Nick Coleman for the total fucking jackass that he is, and how he is the one spinning facts back and forth. BTW, a 'fisk' is a point by point refutation of a piece. Cool eh.

So thats already done and done really well if anyone is interesting in seeing it. The even better part is the reply of another Colonel. More specifically, a 59 year old LTC named Joe Repya. here is the whole text, which once again Powerline has posted. But since most of the people here don't read Powerline enjoy it!

I recently returned from Iraq and must respond to Nick Coleman's ("Iraq War Vets Spin...") column. Who is really spinning Minnesota? How about looking in the mirror, Nick! You conveniently failed to mention that your major "nonpartisan" source, Paul Rieckhoff, of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), was a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention and a New York State Chairman for Veterans for Kerry. Ex-Gov Jesse Ventura as an IAVA board advisor also "nonpartisan"? Sorry, we're not buying that either! Don't know what poll Mr. Rieckhoff was quoting but the Military Times 2005 Iraq Poll of our service members (released January 2006) has some interesting results. A staggering 73% of the respondents believe it's likely the United States will succeed in Iraq. Four of every five respondents said they believe media reports often are inaccurate. I suggest before you spin more misinformation on a subject you know nothing about, you actually visit Iraq and see for yourself. You radical liberals and Moveon.Org types have to get over losing the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections. No, the War is not going "swimmingly," but most service members that have recently been in Iraq will tell you we are winning. Unlike Vietnam, we won't allow you "cut and run" types to snatch Defeat from the jaws of Victory. The bottom line is most in the military know what is at stake in the War on Terror and believe you can't be trusted with our National Defense.

Joe Repya
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
101ST Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Fort Campbell, KY
A veteran of Vietnam, the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom

Hamas Charter

2006-02-14T10:03:00.000-05:00

Here is a translation of the charter of Hamas. Its about what you would expect.

Wow have I been slack...Complete Round-Up (Warning, its long but good)

2006-02-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

Wow, a whole week and no new posts from me? I'm aghast at myself for being so lazy. but then again, no one commented on anything i posted in the last two weeks so you will have to forgive me for it. It happens. Anyway not much has really changed in the world in the past week. Sure there have been some new stories about updating action, but very little is actually new. I could reiterate my stance on such issues as Iran, the cartoons and the other major stories but thats not all that interesting because i have stated them several times. So therefore, I will try to keep opinions like that to a minimum and post about more interesting, less contreversial things.

Lets start with the restates about silly things. Iran is restarting nuclear enrichment again, and has pretty much kicked all of the UN out of their country. While I support less use of the UN, this is going to provoke a harsher and possibly military responce from the UN security counsel. Israel and almost certainly the US will not allow the possibility of Iran having nuclear weapons. We can debate how to best keep that from happening or whether we are bein hypocritical here but thats the reality of the situation. Since that is the fact, and Iran seems to be doing all it can to either have nukes, or have the world think they are going for nukes, I am supporting military air strikes on Iran that will severely hamper their production abilities of nukes but also oil as that will pretty much "bleed the country dry." Stratigically, it forces Iran's hand and keeps them from getting any money and military power.

The cartoon nonsense is still going strong. I think this event has made me more cynical than i was before towards the Arab world. I know this is a manufactured crisis as the cartoons were first printed severa months ago and organizations decided to make a huge deal about it only lately but still, the fact that the collective muslim world (I realize not all but a significant minority if not majority) can be whipped into such a frenzy over a flipping cartoon baffles me. Everything that is done offends someone. I'm offended that an artist can take a portrait of the Virgin Mary and cover it with shit, pee on it, and call it art and then it gets displayed in a government art museum. I'm offended that people listen to Micheal Moore and Jane Fonda and they havn't been tried for treason. But guess what, i don't want to kill that artist or think i have that right. And as much as i hate micheal moore, i am not sending him death threats. Pissing people off and treating them like dirt is a right we all have unless it actually harms them and not just their sensibilities. Also, having a Holocaust cartoon responce is just as silly as the people who are advocating terrorism in responce. Its also pathetic and the world would not be worse if their genes were removed from the world. Here is quote from a columnist in Pakistan about the cartoons:

The newspapers repeatedly published the blasphemous cartoons one after another are totally responsible for the loss of several human lives and destruction of properties during the protests in different countries. If they have not provoked the sentiments of millions of Muslims by publishing the blasphemous cartoons, there would have been no question of demonstrations by the Muslims.

So pretty much, the newspapers are at fault cause they MADE the people riot. Everyone should know that riots ensue when you say anything bad about the prophet. Stupid Newspapers, its all THEIR fault!!!

Other news, Cheney accidentally shoots a hunting buddy. Wow, this must be the biggest news story of the century! The dude who was shot got sprayed with bird shot (I assume as they were shooting birds). And now of course the press is bemoaning the fact that the president didn't release a statement. Or that nothing was put out for 18 hours. Um, just a thought...who cares? Really what is the significance of this story? So there was an accident that someone got hurt but not that seriously in. All we are getting is wonderfully sarcastic hacks putting out silly columns that just make them look like idiots. Here is one example, here is another one, and yet again, here is another one. Of course we can assume just about everyone writing knows nothing about hunting to know what happens when a quail covey bursts out. But thats besides the point as at last check, there are 2, 559 articles about this incident on Google News but 922 for Iranian Enrichment. Good to know where priorities in news rooms are.

In other international politics news and the like, we have the UN report on Guantanamo Bay and they have stated they think some of the procedures are torture. Shocking report eh? Of course the investigators turned down the oppertunity to actually visit the camp and see for themselves, relying on hearsay instead. Smart. They claim that force-feeding prisioners on a hunger strike is torture as a main point, along with prolonged solitary confinement. I tend to agree on the first point that this practice should stop. If they want to starve, let them.

Hamas is going to lose funding from Israel most likely. Yes, Israel has been funding the people that are trying to kil them Crazy world isn't it? The EU and the US will probably follow suit. Some people think this will just increase the hatred and spread more attacks. Well, it might. But I fail to see why Israel should be obligated to appease people who want to kill them with money, when they are being attacked even when they give money.

Back to Iran for a second, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan met with Bush Monday. The 2 issues that are of real importance is Annan pleading for more negotiations on Iran and for US help in Darfur. I am totally with Annan on the second and think we should do much more to stop the genocide in Sudan. As for the first, this is a quote from Annan "We need to be able to work to resolve it, and I hope there will be no steps taken to escalate the situation." Annan's position is naive to me. If the other side will not meet with your conditions, and you cannot accept theirs, there is nothing to negotiate. Its that simple. The only issue is do we care enough to force our solution. Since Iran is going ahead with their plan, we can either stop them, or not. I don't see another way out of this.

Okay enough of that nonsense, lets look at more interesting stuff. This is freaking awesome. Batman gets to beat the shit outta Osama, freaking right. He has his priorities straight. The dark knight fucking rules.

According to this report shark attacks are declining. Some people think its because shark populations are declining, but thats a guess. The idea of fighting back at the attacking shark and it working is really cool. Take that shark, POW!

In case someone on here reads this blog and doesn't really know me, i am throwing a shin-dig at Howl at the Moon in baltimore on Friday, Feb 17th. 5pm, say my name and get in free!

Went to nicks for the first time in a while last nite. I needed a beer and Sara did too. Oh yeah, it was as good as i remember. Don't get me wrong, I love Keith St. but its not really quite the same kind of bar. The 2 pints of amberboch were great, and i cant wait to get more from there and re learn my love for the bar that ushered me into legal drinking.

I have a new drink at parties lately and its not just beer. Beer is good but fro caloric reasons, and because i want to get drunk faster than beer can provide most of the time, i doing alot of white russians. I make them fairly strong as most know, but I definitely need to use good vodka for it. Grey Goose was the liquor of choice over Xmas break but Ciroc is my new favorite. Expensive, yes, but its freaking amazing, good enough to drink straight, as shown by my girl. Crazy is what that is.

Tuesday's Quickie or "How the world changed in 5 days"

2006-02-07T08:36:00.000-05:00

Well, didn't blog for a full 5 days, wow, i'm suprised even for me. Much of the reason is that i have been on my desktop getting it up to snuff and also playing a bunch of games. No, thats not fair, mostly its been pretty much guild wars. Anyway, looks like a bunch of stuff happened so here is what we got going on:

Lets start with the big one: The cartoons! I mean really...WTF! This whole issue drives me up a freaking wall. If you don't know what the deal on this is yet, some cartoonist in Denmark made, you guessed it - cartoons, and they depicted the prophet Mohammod in, shall we say, a less than favorable light. Yep, thats it. They are pictures of the prophet with a turbine that is made to look like a bomb etc. Seems perfectly reasonable for rioting and attacking embassies of Denmark right? What a fucking joke. Only Arab Islam. I was offended by having paintings of the Virgin Mary covered in shit, and that was even subsidized art in an art gallery, but no one rioted over that. You had a few crazies i am sure that did retarded shit, but i am pretty sure (no make that definite) that there wasn't any condemnation from, well, any government or mass organization. No one called for booycotts of goods, or attacked people, riots, embassy attack etc. This is fucking ridiculous in my mind. Freedom of speech is one of the paramount issues in this country. That works both ways. You can say what you want, and i can call you a fucking moron for saying it. I can be highly offended by what you say, but you should still be able to say what you like. Now that doesn't apply to having you say whatever you want enabled by me, but if you use your resources, you can use them to put forth whatever point you want. Kent, wrong as he often is in my mind, should be able to say whatever he wants, and if i don't want to put it on my site, he can post his own blog. Its freaking ridiculous that I, or anyone else, should have to respect the laws of Islam regarding showing pictures of the prophet.

The next major issue, Congress is still talking about the NSA 'wiretaps'. OOOOOOOOO fun. Newest development is the questioning of Sen Durbin by Paul Meringoff. Don't know if you know, but he is one of the primaries for Powerline. But forget about who asked the question, the important thing is what he asked. As everyone who understands the FISA court and the laws behind it knows, FISA contains an exception that says if Congress authorizes it by another means, you can bypass the FISA court. No one argues this, on either side of the issue because its black and white. The question asked to Sen Durbin was

"Why, if the Democrats disagree with the administration's understanding of what AUMF authorizes, they don't present clarifying legislation telling the administration that its interpretation is incorrect. This would enable the Senate to vote on whether it thinks listening to calls from al Qaeda to the U.S. is a necessary and proper measure to prevent another attack."

Durbin didn't answer the question, at all and said that is just now how things work as well as asked who Paul was working for. The AP noted him as being clearly flustered. Its just funny to me that this option would clearly get to the heart of the problem instead of just being an issue to bitch at.

From his own website, this is text of a letter from Sen McCain

Dear Senator Obama:

I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership’s preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions.

Thats gotta leave a mark.

Thursday's Quickie

2006-02-02T09:40:00.000-05:00

Well, we have had the confirmation of Alito, and the first thing he does is deny an execution request. GOD! My civil liberties are being trampled! No, seriously people, we all need to get over this paranoia nonsense, its just silly that we go nuts over what really doesn't make that much of a difference.

Next issue was the State of the Union address. Of particular importance to me is the American Competitiveness Initiative. This is a very good thing for business but even more for my side of engineering because that is where the solutions to the problems being seen comes from. Hydrogen fuel cells, lower emissions, and all types of power consumption and conversion are dealt with by engineers, particularly Mechanical. So i like alot of this energy talk because its importance both domestically and internationally but also from a business stand point for me. Oh, I am really waiting to see proposals for new nuclear power plants come online. And before anyone makes silly comments about nuclear meltdown scenarios, lets review a few things. Nuclear reactors have had exactly one large safety incident, and that was in Russia. Yeah it was bad because there was zero containment in a heavy water reactor and they had no fail-safes. 3 Mile Island you say? Actualy there was an overheat in the reactor and its did what it was supposed to do and shut down. First fail-safe worked perfectly. No radiation leak, no danger of meltdown. There was several other fail-safes behind it as well that were all working. Now, its even safer as the entire reactors are shielded, and the technology is so different that there is no real way to have a meltdown because the reaction is never self sustaining. Thats a recent development. So i support it highly because its cheaper, more available, and safe.

In Science news, there is a 10th planent in the solar system. Kinda. Its under debate but its larger than Pluto so it can't really be a moon. Cool eh?

The new computer is up and running, though it has issues at the moment. The problem you ask? Freaking Windows XP x64. Sure the operating system is decent, but there are like no drivers for anything. I can't run my new TV card on it! Microsoft, you suck.

This is just disgusting

I think this is being blown out of proportion. Freedom of expression and speech mean that you will have to hear offensive things. Otherwise, if we are not allowed to be offended, all ideas have to be censored since everything will be considered to be offensive to someone.

Lastly, since the US, EU, and Israel are going to stop funding the Palestinian Authority (yes money goes to palestine from israel), Arab countries are saying they will pick up the slack. Excuse me if i am doubtful, but since more Arab countries are more than strapped for cash. These economies as a whole are in the toilet so any significant amount of money would be extremely hard to get. So i am saying, don't plan on it.

Two ways of looking at something

2006-01-31T11:18:00.000-05:00

I read two articles today on the exact same subject. The first was in the LA Times, and the other was an update by Strategy Page. Its very interesting to see how they are different.

The LA Times sees the growing number of promotions of junior officers in the Army as a bad thing. They cite anonymous "experts" that think the quality of the officers is going down. They even found a retired general to quote "What we don't want to do is come out of [these wars] and lose what we lost after Vietnam." Reminds me of a quote i heard, that i can't recall who said, that said "The best thing a retired general can do it to shut up" The issue with this quote is that the majority opinion is that the officers that did stay in made the US Army so good. Stormin Norman was one of these and was the atypical example of those that stayed in to make the Army the one that showed up in Gulf War 1 and 2. So this is the LA Times view and how they choose to present it.

Next we have the other view. There view is that its not necessarily a new phenomanon since its been occuring for over a decade because of polices. They back up this idea with data by the way. Their point is that the people that stay in, the captains and LTs are going to have much more experience than most of the commanders right now. They are going to have more combat experience, which is essential. The marines have found this out that the best commanders are the ones that are near the front and know combat first hand. Cause they were the ones that were shot at 10 years ago directly. Their view is that the people that get out are the least qualified or least motivated to be in and the Army will be better for it.

It strikes me as odd to see how two different publications choose to present an issue.

Tuesday's Quickie

2006-01-31T09:23:00.000-05:00

Alito filibuster is broken, badly... 72-25 with 3 members not voting. Man, that's gotta sting, I mean thats not even a show of force in the end by the democrats. Shit, the latest polls in the public are 2-1 for confirmation. Even more embarrassing that Kennedy and Kerry both said they are sure they are not going to win the filibuster but wanted to make a statement. The statement was that you got your ass kicked guys. Vote should be today I think, and Judge will be Justice.

Next issue we have to deal with is Iran. A few days ahead of the IAEA meeting, the 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have agreed to recommend taking Iran to the Security Council. This is a big development for Iran because Russia was formerly helping them out and deflecting a good deal of problems. Now thats less of the case. Iran has called this the end of diplomacy if it happens according to CNN. Iran has been attempting to push this move off by threatening world oil prices, but strangely have stepped off this platform. This might be a tactically bad move since it loses their only good advantage, but strategically it might be good because that would force the world to react much faster.

Bush's State of the Union speech is tonite. Its said to be much more low key than last years. Probably a good idea since the social security reform idea was DOA. See this cool link here on the State of the Enemy. The only really important thing on the domestic side of the address for me he is going to touch on is energy. Since I am now taking a course in "Energy Sources and Utilization" this impacts me pretty good. I am hoping to hear about a concerted effort to put new nuclear power plants online and different options for transportation. Nuke power isn't really an option there, but natural gas as well as hydrogen, even more bio-diesel are all options I want to be explored a lot more. I would be thrilled to see the US cut its energy dependence of Petroleum in half in the next 10-20 years. We currently use 27 Quadrillion BTUs worth of energy from petroleum each year, and half of that is imported. If we get out of that market into a new source, that would do great things for environmental and political problems. Especially with India's and China's rising demand for it.

As we all know now, Hamas won the elections. Now comes the sticky problem. Funding. As in Palestine, most of the money comes in the form of aid. 900 million of that comes from the US and EU combined and additional comes from the United Nations and Russia for the primary amount. All 4 countries have said that funding will have to be review unless Hamas 1) Recognizes Israel's right to exist, and 2) Must renounce the use of violence against Israel. Both of these things are part of the founding charter of Hamas which has taken credit for several hundred deaths of Israeli citizens from suicide bombings. Hamas has come out and said they will "Not be blackmailed into making any changes or concessions." Further complicating issues is that the EU and US have designated Hamas a terrorist organization. That makes it pretty much illegal to send them any money at all and if the UN still wanted to, it might be illegal for the US to fund the UN. Very sticky and a lose of money there could have either really good (cause it will cause a total rethinking process of the Infitada) or really bad effects (lots of starvation and even more hatred of everyone else). Next few should be interesting.

So thats the big news for now, enjoy it, hate it, spit on it. It'll probably all change tomorrow!

Bush breaks 50%

2006-01-30T11:05:00.000-05:00

I hope to have more up today even with my crazy schedule but here is a fun quick tidbit. Bush broke 50% in the polls. I still have lots of reservations about the man when it comes to alot of his policies, but considering his contempory challengers on the left and right, I think this is good news. And, as Instapundit notes, Bush hasn't done much lately and the people with the most face time in the past week are Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. Why does the democratic party let these people be their spokespeople? It would be like having Pat Robertson (even though he will never be elected anywhere) speaking for the Republicans. Its downright silly to me.

The new computer!

2006-01-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, so i know this laptop is only a little over a year old, but i decided to go with a new desktop. Really i'd say there is 4 reasons: some good, some bad. The first reason is that my gf just got a new desktop over Xmas from her brother cause he replaced his and she just bought a new laptop. Yeah i know, computer envy is a bitch though. The second reason is that I really wanted to have a Windows based PC for the connectivity and the options for software. The third is that when i am at clemson, i can get alot of programs for free or very very cheap that i would otherwise have to pay for. So i really wanted to get it now. The fouth, and best reason, is that since the G4 is gonna be out of date pretty soon given the switch to intel based processors for MAC and a desktop is alot more powerful and upgradable, it seemed like a good idea to take care of my needs for several years. I can now afford it as well thanx to my student loans (repaid by the army) and income tax refund. Thanx to all the peeps who helped me pick it out and who will help my building it. Now, on to the specs!

Processor: Athlon 3200 series Venice with 1GHz Front side Bus, clock speed is 2.2 GHz
Motherboard: Asus 939 chipset that supports SATA and PCI express
Hard Drive: 160GB Seagate drive with SATA interface
Optical: Lite-On DVD reader and Lite-On DVD writer with lightscribe
Memory: 2 x 512MB Modules from Corsair for 1 GB
Sound Card: Chaintech 7.1 channel 24-bit sound
TV Tuner: Digital/Analog tuner from Kworld
Monitor: BenQ 19" LCD with digital input
Case: Rosewill silver case with dual fans, and 400W power supply

I'm a fan, and with the 939 chipset, i can upgrade the processor later if i feel the need and the graphics card will be easily upgradable if games outrun it. The fun part for me is that with the digital tuner and new monitor, its going to replace all my old equipment and be a total entertainment center for TV, DVDs, music, and computing.

Friday's Quickie

2006-01-27T12:06:00.000-05:00

Apologies over no posts yesterday, I was busy as hell trying to get all the school stuff done as well as pick out components for a new desktop. I'll get to that in a bit. So looks like 2 big issues in the news right now. The first being Hamas and the second being Alito.

Lets start with Alito. Despite attempts by senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy to drum up support for a filibuster, its almost a certainty that Alito's bid for a Supreme Court Justice spot will occur on Tuesday and he will be confirmed. According to ABC News, 52 of 55 Republicans have endorsed Alito and 3 Democrats with 1 more leaning. Five additional senators have said they will not endorse a filibuster. The there is not the 40 votes needed for a filibuster and there is the 50 votes needed for confirmation. Its down now to an open and shut matter with confirmation virtually guaranteed. Now we will see if the gloom and doom of many on the left comes to fruition.

The next major issue, and depending on your point of view much more major, is the issue of Hamas winning and outright majority in the Palestinian elections. I don't have any specific links at the moment but the issue is concerning on many sides. First of all, Hamas is an Islamist organization that has the destruction of Israel in its founding charter. That is concerning on many levels. They have made very subtle hints at possibly negotiating talks but most experts consider this to be just window dressing on the eve of the elections. The fatah movement, the party that lost to Hamas and formerly was in charge of Palestine, has said they will not be a part of the government. Hamas still has the majority, but is losing a large player in politics and experience. Israel has said they will not negotiate with Hamas. The US and the EU have said they will not negotiate with Hamas and could cut off all funding. Hamas itself is unsure what to do because they didn't plan on being elected to a majority but was hoping to be a minority voice with representation, instead they are running the country. My opinion is that Hamas will have too choices, either be much more moderate, or risk isolation and possible destruction by Israel. Time will tell on that one.

Iran is still an issue with an interesting new development. Russia has put forth a plan that will allow Iran to enrich its own uranium, on Russian soil with international monitors. India and China have supported this plan but Iran, after originally being much more warm on the idea, has not said it would accept this. The idea will be presented in the IAEA meeting on Feb 2nd.

As to reports of the Army being stretched, GEN Casey, in charge of the troops in Iraq, has stated that the forces are indeed stretched, but that they are not overstretched. He says that while the Army does not want to keep up this rotation forever, and would have trouble meeting a new large conflict with current deployments, the situation in Iraq is fully tenable.

Google has been accused of highly abetting the Chinese government in censoring what is allowed there. Mostly because its true that google has agreed to censor certain things on its service there. This is totally new for google in that they have touted themselves of never censoring before then. There might be more than just a public backlash as the government is looking to this. They have called google, and other large internet companies like Cisco, to a human rights caucus to discuss this practice. ABC New reports that there is possible legislation in the form of a code of conduct being purported.

I don't know how much I buy into this theory being proported by Mr Sada, but the NY Sun is reporting that he claims that Iraq's WMDs were moved to Syria. At least Sada would be the one to know as he was the #2 man in charge of the Air Force. He claims they were moved out by civilian aircraft. As I said, I would not be surprised in the least if he was lying but its something to consider, since there is no reason for him to lie at this point.

This from Defense Tech, the marine air has been running a large number of missions in Iraq. Marine air gets little attention but this is a shout out to how important and effective there job is, providing close air support is greatly appreciated by grunts on the ground like me.

Thanx and ask for help

2006-01-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

I just wanna say thanx to everyone that either reads or ecspecially comments on my blog. I have no problem writing what i think since i tear through the news anyway but its gratifing for me to hear others opinions on my stuff as well. So i encourage everyone that reads my thoughts here to comment, I try to respond to everyone that writes something. Also i am looking for a hand from the more computer savy peeps here as i am trying to put together a pretty decent windows desktop in the next month. Any input would he very very awesome!

Wednesday's Quickie including shit from Cindy

2006-01-25T18:17:00.000-05:00

I got it! I got it! I can finally say i have caught Cindy Sheehan in a direct lie. Thanks to CounterPunch for the link to the interview. Here is the money quote from the interview:

He wanted to be a Chaplain's Assistant in the military, but when he got to bootcamp, they said that specialty was filled, so he would have to be a humvee mechanic or a cook, and he chose to be a humvee mechanic--and that's what his specialty was the day he was killed in Iraq.

Now I am a military man so i feel well qualified to call myself an expert here in that THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE. Why? Well because you pick your MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) before you sign your contract. You find out what jobs are available, pick your time to enter basic training (and you can pick where if you are not locked into a specific time period). They can tell you what jobs are available, where you will be going to train for them and how long it is expected to take. I have on my orders, which I got to pick, that i would go to Benning on May 15th, expected to get to Ft. Gordan on July 26th (not sure if thats exact) and then graduate on October 2nd. I got put on a different track because of the place of my reserve post so mine took 2 weeks longer. But this is how it is always done when you get to MEPS. Your MOS cannot be changed without your approval once you sign your contract to take it. You don't sign your contract without a MOS on it that cannot be changed without your approval. It is true that you can be put into another job when in theater such as manning a checkpoint or patrols but that happens only in theater and usually isn't done that much. No one argues that is what happened to Casey Sheehan. So this little story is a lie, it CANNOT be true. The rest of the interview is long but if you have the time, its a larf to read it all.

As an update to the post from yesterday on Joe Stein, i have the interview he conducted with Hugh Hewitt. Its pretty good and the link is here from Powerline. Watching Hugh Hewitt interview this guy and call him on his shit is fun, but the end it really telling. This is a man that has not even done his research to see what the reality of what is going on in Iraq or Afghanistan. He says that he is not an expert, but then he states that nothing of value is accomplished. Its like not opening your eyes and telling people that there are no buildings in front you. If you don't do your research, how can you even make a claim or come to a position? Unless he has an inate bias...

What sports car are you? I am a Dodge Viper! I tend to think i am more of a old style Dodge Charger but thats not bad. Thanks to Instapundit for providing the link. Go here to see what kind you are!

Two new articles from Stratagy Page. First, it appears that the hailing of the M-240B might be a bit premature as there is a new M-60. The company that makes the M-60 has changed around the aged design and has fixed the jamming issues and the barrel issues. The new barrel gets hot alot slower. Even better is that it can fire much better, the demonstration fired for over 1 minutes straight repeatitly with no jams, rough for a full auto. The second is the huge market for the T-72 tank. You can look up the history of this cold war relic on any search engine but the cold fact is that it is good looking and impressive against most other none modern tanks. Its good for bullying poor neighbors but also for keeping from being bullied. It would get its ass handed to it by any good modern tank like the Abrams.

Last point i want to make is more of a question. What do we do about Iran, if anything. I see 4 options. The first is to do nothing more than we are currently doing. Talks, rhetoric, depending on the EU3. The second option is economic means. If you know anything about the history of sanctions, you should know that sanctions are less than effective. The 3rd option is an invasion. This would be highly effective, as its virtually impossible to stop the US in the field and if done correctly, there would not be an occupation as much as go in, destroy the government and nuke facilites, and get out. Risky though for many reasons. The 4th option is to just bomb them, particularly the power, oil, and suspected nuke facilities. With our impressive air dominance, this is a low risk option in military terms but does carry political risk. It is likely to work as to shut off energy and power, as well as their only real export for cash, the nuke program essentually stops dead in its tracks. It does leave the government in power right now though. I support the 4th option as of right now, in effect roughly 6-12 montsh from now assuming no breakthroughs.

Tuesday's Quickie

2006-01-24T17:46:00.000-05:00

Well lets start off with another great one from the LA Times. Joe Stein to be exact. I can only make one good comment about the whole thing, at least this is a flaming liberal who lays it all out on the line. No false fronts, no lies, just saying what he really means this time. Check out the whole thing, thanks to Mudville Gazette, here. My favorite money quote is this:

I know this is all easy to say for a guy who grew up with money, did well in school and hasn't so much as served on jury duty for his country. But it's really not that easy to say because anyone remotely affiliated with the military could easily beat me up, and I'm listed in the phone book.

Its almost ironic in that he says this yet he knows that it won't happen. He is safe in his little, eglitarian world and he knows it. So of course its easy for him to say it, he is protected by the law. But he is still an elitest, unpatriotic punk in my opnion.

In case you havn't heard, the liberal government of Canada, often making headlines by being confrontational with the US, is out. The conservatives Tories have been voted into power. The march of conservatism continues...

Alito makes the open Senate after today. He passed by a 10-8 vote along party lines. Confirmation vote should occur within the week.

After much probing on possible rendition flights, there is still no proof it occured. Just idle chatter and speculation. Apperently, unsubstantiated rumors that have been probed several times with no evidence is news.

Monday's Quickie

2006-01-23T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well, recovering from drill this weekend is helpful, 4 hour naps usually do it. Yeah I know IM a bastard. It did help to make me feel better since I have been sick for a while. Everyone looking for an update on my deployment status, I'm don't really have one. I am still on the list to get deployed in the August time frame and we are training for it, but we have heard nothing more about being placed directly on alert status or on when we can expect to see orders. So, guess its more likely as time goes on and nothing changes but no real change.

Oh and to anyone who knows servicemembers who have been deployed, I could use input on what people are requesting in care packages because I am working on a list of stuff I would want people to send me. Any input would be helpful cause I am really bad at knowing what I will want. Thanks

Okay on to the news of the day. I'm gonna try to expand what I look into here and take what interests me (hence the truck) so ill be throwing other crap in there.

The Palestinian elections are underway and Hamas seems to be polling very strong, perhaps not only getting a few seats but also a large interest in their representative body. Everyone knows that Hamas has been a major sponsor of the terrorism against Israel, directly planning more than 60 suicide bombings and being involved in many others. Now, with their new polling, they are being a bit more conciliatory on their tone and supporting negotiations with Israel in limited circumstances. Read Zahar's comments (a spokesman) here. Israel and the US, as well as Britain, have said they will not support a Hamas government and will not dialogue with it. It makes me wonder if this, combined with Israel's elections, will set off a more more intense conflict. Iran working towards (possibly) getting nuclear weapons does not help this situation in the slightest.

Bush has told pro-life protesters that they are working for a noble cause in a phone call. Bush has never made it a secret he is pro-life but the move is important in that it comes a day after the 33rd anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision and during the confirmation process of Alito. Why he would do this is unknown exactly but it puts even more pressure on the issue. I, personally, don't understand all the fuss on the issue when its obvious its a matter of opinion and not science when life starts. A comprimise here seems to be the most logical solution but neither side wants to give an inch. I think it would be much more useful to argue useful issues. I think most of the country would be willing to split the difference and say that abortions are legal up to 4.5 months er so. Its very hard to make a case that the fetus is alive in the first trimester, but its also very hard to make the case its not alive in the 3rd, so a comprimise somewhere in the 2nd seems like a good legal idea. Actively encourage other options but make it availabe for 4-5 months in. Any reason this would be a bad idea?

The Steelers and the Seahawks have both rolled to massive victories in their conference championship games. Two run-first offenses that have very potent, and increasily effective, passing games with posed quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. After seeing how these teams have played, does anyone really think they aren't the best teams? I had my doubts about these teams during the regular season, but am gonna gloat that i called both of these games on friday and saturday. Now just more waiting, and i'm pulling for the Steelers, cause i love the way the organization is run, and because they piss all over the ravens!

Two new weapon developments are underway for the military. The first is an awesome, anti-armor cluster bomb that can devestate whole brigades and regiments. It splits into small high-velocity "shells" that can penetrate the thinner armor on the top of tanks and other vehicles. Check out the details on it here. Its pretty much the same idea as what Tom Clancy termed the "J-PIG" in "The Bear and the Tiger." You really gotta wonder how good his connections to the pentagon are since he called this one. The second is the "Metal Storm" cannon. You think the A-10's Gauss cannon is fast (and it is since it creates more thrust when firing than the engines), this sucker is ridiculous. 240,000 shots per minute. Yep, thats no typo. It can only fire in very short bursts but the number is phenominal. The details are located here. Its purported uses are going to be on UAVs and to intercept projectiles. Perhaps a large model on ships? Thanks to Defence Tech which has the links used.

Good news, Bad news

2006-01-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

Well, we missed Zawahiri it seems but we got one of the primary bomb makers for Al Qaeda. According to reports, and it will probably take another week for this all to shake out, it seems we got 3-4 other high level operatives along with the bomb dude. In addition, we also probably killed the entire family that was in the house and possibly other women and children. Tragic that women and children had to die to get this guy.

This does beg the question of whether or not the raid, in Pakistan, was worth it. The Pakistan problem of it being in their border is pretty easily seen as it would have been better to let them know before hand but then its possible you lose operational surprise. That is an unfortunate case but its the bottom line.

The question of whether or not killing up to 14 bystanders to get these 4 guys is a totally different question. The first thing i would look at is: whose fault is it that they were there? Is it the US's fault that the bystanders were killed because we fired the missle (probably from a Predator), is it the terrorist's fault for being near bystanders and putting them in harm's way, or is it the family's fault for having freaking Al Qaeda operatives over in the first place? I

n my opinion, the primary fault is with the parents of the children and the family. When you invite terrorists over to dinner, its unreasonable to expect that you will be safe. There are men with millions of dollars on their heads and that the US is actively hunting, if you sympathize with them, and harbor them, then you are a legitimate target. The primary fault here is with the people doing this. That for me is most of the blame, probably about 95%. The terrorists and the US both have a much smaller blame here but i would say that both share that. You can blame the terrorists for alot of other things. They are evil, dispicable men that want to use violence, mainly against civilians to force their own political agenda of Islamic Fasicism onto the world. But I don't think they are too responsible because its seems they were invited there. The US can't let terrorists hide behind sympathizers and must take risks. We didn't want to kill the bystanders but even if we knew they were there you have to think the raid would have happened anyway because it could save so many more people by having this guy dead. Even more is we got Zawahiri. So really, its a tragic event that children and women who are held completely in check by their husbands, people with no say in the situation, are killed but in the end you have to blame the male head of the family for that in my opinion.

Good idea, wrong problem

2006-01-19T07:52:00.000-05:00

Its definitely too early to be blogging, but then again its way to early to be in class but i am there anyway. So this will at least keep me awake and it will also let me disseminate some more interesting news. Since both parties have put forth plans to work on ending the corruption, i see this as a very good thing. The party in power is usually the one what is focused on because they can effect more changes. Common sense really. This whole lobby scandel involves 5 congressmen last time i checked, 3 Republicans, and 2 Democrats. I'll try to look up names later but don't hold your breath. Really, the democrats plan here seems better, as i am not a fan of lobbiests in the first place. But there is still the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.

What i think really needs to be done isn't to limit the contact with lobbiests and the small kickbacks, although this does help. The problem i have is the total motivation behind the effort. The root cause if you will. The reason that lobbiest can do so much and peddle so much influence is that the congressmen can support their special interests without seeming too. Its the whole culture of spending and pork projects that is the problem. When you can slip a few million here and a few million there, or even worse tack riders onto existing legislation that has nothing to do with what is being voted on, then its easy to slide stuff around. Until this problem is tackled, the measures that are being taken by both parties will help, but not end the corruption in Congress.

One last post for they day on: Why the NYTimes Sucks

2006-01-18T19:44:00.000-05:00

Well, i'm gonna take a cue from Powerline on this one, and look at the same issue that they have posted on. Since some of the people that read my blog (shout out to all 4 of ya!) don't think that Powerline is a good site and makes baby Jebus cry, I'll not link them but try to look at the story in my own way. If you read the NYT article, you will see that the majority of the article goes on about how unlikely it is that Saddam could buy uranium from Niger. The NYT gives the impression that with so many doubts, and there were plenty, about whether Saddam could get the uranium that the "16 words" that Bush had in his speech were a lie.

They entirely miss the point. The point isn't whether he COULD get them, but that he TRIED to. Neither this memo, from the State Dept. nor Wilson's trip, which if you read the accounts of his testimony to Congress you will see it did the opposite and showed that Iraq was more likely trying to get his hands on uranium enrichment technologies. And of course the latest rehashing also must say that the source was entirely British, was said to be British, and the British still hold fast to their report that Saddam did try, and failed, to get uranium from Niger.

I hate to beat a dead horse yet again, but the facts of the Niger situation are not really in dispute if you look only at what occured instead of posturing. And yet again we have the NYT to thank for writing an article that questions facts with vague accusations and paints a totally untrue picture. Its like me trying to give you all the reasons the sun goes around the earth even though anyone that looks for the facts can plainly prove me wrong. I can cast all the doubt on it I want, and give you lots of doubt if you don't know any better, but the facts are still the facts.

Laura vs. Hillary: Coming soon to Pay per View!

2006-01-18T18:15:00.000-05:00

I mean really, can you be any more of ass than Hillary? I mean you lose any bit of high ground you have when you accuse the senate of being run like a plantation. Well some people (cough, cough, KENT) might think its true but the majority of people wont stand for that kind of crap. So we got Hillary, and also Nagin saying the city is gonna be chocolate. I don't wanna draw conclusions from only 2 democrats making racially charged statements or assertations.

Bad news in Africa

2006-01-18T18:06:00.000-05:00

More problems with former colonial nations, and worse, more problems with the UN not being able to decisively act in a situation. They held the mob back with warning shots and tear gas, but they had to give up the bases that they occupied. The UN needs to be able to deal with situations like this with more than just "great concern" and either needs to get the fuck out or impose a solution that guarentees the safety of the peacekeepers.

IAEA calls emergency meeting

2006-01-18T13:33:00.000-05:00

Well, negotiations in their current form seem to have failed, and pretty miserably at that. The EU3 has called off negotiations with Iran. Now, even after Iran has proposed restarting them, the EU3 has pretty told them to go fuck themselves because there is nothing else to talk about. The EU3 want nuclear fuel to be supplied from another country, Russia being an option but would accept strict monitoring of any enrichment processes. Iran sees either of these options as unacceptable and want to freely enrich uranium with little oversite. Neither side is willing to give in to the other side so negotiations are done. No use talking neither side is willing to comprimise. The IAEA will meet starting Feb 2nd and will most likely refer the matter to the UN Security Counsel for possible sanctions or other actions. Britain, France and the US all support doing whatever it takes to resolve the situation and China has stated it prefers negotiations but will not veto any sanctions. Russia is taking a more pro-Iran tone but has not said it will veto any actions the Security Counsel decides to take.

Motivated by Beer

2006-01-17T10:06:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling motivated by the term "beer blogging" term used by Greta (Hooah wife). So much so that I'm gonna post on a beer i had recently. Its a Sam Adams brew, odd since i thought i had about all of them. They have a white ale that is pretty good, though might be a bit exotic tasting for some who are used to more standard beers from Sam. The white beer style is not one of my favorites from the start so its tough for me to really endorse this beer cause i don't think its the best representative of the white ale family. I am more of a fan of the blue moon family of white ales than this Sam Adams offering. Its their seasonal beer so it won't be around as much, but i really only look for the sesaonal in fall to winter with the october fest and the winter warmer. However i did have a very good beer recently that most people have not had the option to try. Murphy's Red is a quality ale. Mike gave it to me at Keith St a few days ago when i asked for a random beer and man was i pleased. Its a smooth ale that comes in a can, not a bottle, with a dark red look to it. It is not a sweet beer for those looking for a malty taste but is also lightly hopped so the real subtle flavors come out. Its gives me a real earthy feel to it and drinks moderately heavy. Definitely a sipping beer. I highly recommend it and if anyone else had it, leave me your feedback on it.

Posting on Semi-Auto

2006-01-17T07:57:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the hot stories of the day and weekend so far. Apologies for no posts in the last few days but I have been either busy, drunk, or sick. Feeling much better today be I am certainly still sick.

Clarence Allen, a 76 year old man tried and convicted in California for murder, was executed. His appeal was denied both by the state supreme court and Gov. Schwarzenegger. Both of the bodies said that the circumstances of his crimes had not changed and that the serving of 23-24 years on death row were not punishment enough since the sentence handed down was death. The BBC has a link here.

The big three in Europe: France, Germany and the UK, are pushing for a referral of Iran to the UN Security Counsel. Earlier, Iran stated that a referral would be tantamount to war. After months of wrangling, Iran has broken UN seals and has not resolved issues that have arised with the IAEA. Russia, who is building the reactor that Iran is trying to get, is resisting the move by the Big 3. It should also be noted that Russia has a vested interest in not seeing Iran in the Security Counsel as Iran is a large trading partner of Russia, especially weapons. Here is a link.

Alito's vote is being delayed one week. As far as I understand the procedural rules of the Senate, unlikely, this is a standard issue delay that works for only one week. The judiciary committee will vote on Alito on the 24th and the full-floor debate will occur the following day. A vote to confirm by the judiciary committee is expected easily as 10 members have already said they will vote to confirm. The big question is whether the democrats will use the filibuster option on Alito.

Should be my last wiretapping post, but I just wanna show the craziness going through the head of Al Gore. Here is his statements regarding his desire to see an independent counsel. Now you really have to think he missed the boat on this issue that is a good month old. It also doesn't help that pretty much every serious legal mind has said that it is legal. Now there is an argument, and maybe a very good argument, that the President SHOULD NOT have these powers but given legal precedent, stated on this blog weeks ago, the President does have the power to do set up the monitoring that he has. Gore even came out in favor of a similar program when he was vice, if anyone wants to know about it, google the clipper act.

There will be new elections coming up in Israel. With Sharon suffering his serious health problems and being in a coma, it is becoming clear that he will not return to office. His new political party might have enough of the vote to keep a similar vision for the ME in sight but we will not know for a few more weeks. Its very likely however that if Sharon's new party does not win, a hard line right party will take power. Israel is accepting the transition of power away from Sharon according to Reuters, as you can read here

We are seeing a very different approach to foreign relations from Germany in the past few months since Merkel has taken power. Schroder was very much in agreement, or if you are more cynical like me subservient, with the desires and policies of France and Russia. Merkel seems to be much more involved with the US and UK positions though even there she is not creating very close ties. She seems to be taking Germany toward a more leadership role that does not want to blindly follow any other country, even though she is more open to relations with the US and UK. The independent shows the more prickly relations with Russia here

There is a cabinet reshuffle going on in Taiwan right now with the minority party that holds the presidency losing popular support. Not an area of huge concern right now but could develop into it.

Not a post on politics or how to best kill people, but a truck!

2006-01-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

Did anyone other than myself and bobby see the new truck that ford has designed and showed off at the detroit car fair? Its freaking amazing. First, it sits on the F250 frame, one of the best frames out there for driving as its strong as shit as well as being very sturdy. The stiffness is very good with enough damping you don't feel every bump. The new front end on this Super Chief looks as impressive as the Ram's and thats always good. And the 24 inch rims....holy hell thats alot of traction on the road. Freakin hot!

And the engine, i mean, whats not to like about an engine that takes ethanol, gas, or hydrogen and still has 10 cylinders to put out well over 330 HP? And its more efficient than the current engine with hydrogen being the bet it can do. Rumor has it that even if the truck isn't made, the engine will still be used with smaller ones as well. Yay for R&D.

Lastly the interior. Whats not to like. Its as nice as a Mercedes, BMW, or a Lexas, in a bad ass truck. The back might be more comfortable than the front. In a PICKUP no less! An ottoman for the lounger in the back, jesus, i don't even need an appartment, i can just live in the truck.

I have alot of doubts on whether the truck, in this form, will be made. The least it can cost my my figures is in the 40s with a 50 or 60 price tag more likely. And we all know that sux. But the fact that they are looking at it at all makes me filled with glee. Even a smaller truck similar would be hot. I don't have it now but if i had that kinda coin, as i hope to in a few years, i could see trying to get one.

No relience on foreign courts

2006-01-12T09:14:00.000-05:00

This quote by Alito is one of the best i have read in a while.

"I don't think it's appropriate or useful to look to foreign law in interpreting the provisions of our Constitution," Judge Alito said in response to questions from Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, in the third day of the judge's confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"I think the Framers would be stunned by the idea that the Bill of Rights is to be interpreted by taking a poll of the countries of the world," Judge Alito said. "The purpose of the Bill of Rights was to give Americans rights that were recognized practically nowhere else in the world at the time. The Framers did not want Americans to have the rights of people in France or the rights of people in Russia or any of the other countries on the continent of Europe at the time; they wanted them to have the rights of Americans."

The innovation of drugs

2006-01-12T09:06:00.000-05:00

Its funny to me some of the stats on medical drugs. While the majority of the story is about Germany, there is another very important part of the story. The US produces approx 70% of the new crop of drugs that are saving lives. 70% is a large number. We heard enourmous amounts of hand wringing during the 2004 election year about the massive costs of drugs for people, ecspecially the elderly, but those same companies that are charging for these drugs are the same ones that sink all the money into research. And we are having some people that think we should get the generic companies drugs from Canada. This seems to me to be contradictory since it kills the research. Do you support the majority that can get the new wonderdrugs or do you believe that the generics are okay since they are cheaper with the possibility that the drug companies that produce all the new innovations are gonna have to cut back or drop their research from lack of funds?

Doesn't this seem to happen every year?

2006-01-12T09:03:00.000-05:00

I swear it does. Tragic when people trying to do a religious duty kill themselves and others. Unlike the assholes that like to take sniper rifles to babies and blow up schools, there people were trying to peaceably worship and now are dead.

Post on Armor

2006-01-12T08:10:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: On Stratagypage, the guys there have put out a full breakdown of exactly how much weight a soldier or marine on patrol is carrying. You can find the full link here. I don't think people realize that people on the ground are carrying in excess of 100 pounds and still expected to be at full effectiveness. If you really wanna see if an idea is good or not, see if the Special Forces uses it and then see why they do or do not. Thats usually a pretty good judge. Armor for troops is obviously a good idea, but more isn't always the answer, cause mobility and just less weight to reduce fatigue can be just as or even more important.

Interesting post on body armor for marines. They talk specifically about marines but the same applies to the army or any other service with ground personel, as the navy and airforce do have people on the ground. It makes you think that if a guy thinks its a better idea to wear less, and its his life, and not yours that he is risking, then he should be able to do so. I am not really sure what the counter argument to this would be that is very convincing. I spose we could always use the old "soldiers and marines are stupid because they were duped into enlisted and don't know what is in their best interest and arn't old enough to decide anything for themselves" idea. Then again, since most of these people are in cause they WANT to be there, and got in knowing we were going to war or reenlisted, and in addition, the college degree percentage is bigger than its ever been. Well you gotta think they know what they are doing. I mean me, i don't know if mobility or armor is the better defense. Eventually, know how much i would wear, there is gonna be something big enough to poke a big hole in it. Perhaps killing them first is the best idea and that means mobility. Guess we will find out.

Amazing and good news the MSM DOESN"T WANT YOU TO SEE!

2006-01-12T00:26:00.000-05:00

This is the kind of stuff that you never see in the MSM that should be reported

Iran continues on...

2006-01-11T17:33:00.000-05:00

Well, Iran seems to be taking this hardline stance about nuclear enrichment to the brink. Now its not just Israel, the US and the UK that are concerned but other countries. At this point they have broke the UN seals and are in direct violation of treaties and the IAEA. Now if you do think the UN has a purpose, and is useful at all, how can you see letting this stand? I understand no one else wants another war, but it you back down in the face of threats when clearly Iran is in violation of the UN regulations, and is pushing all-in, then what is the option but to force consequences, sanctions being the probable first step. All credibility of the UN is down the shitter if this does not get resolved soon.

Canada wants to ban Space Weapons

2006-01-11T17:27:00.000-05:00

Canada wants to ban space weapons. In related news, I want a treaty to ban ugly people. Is it the same thing, no, but its close. Why the hell would Canada have any stake in this or would anyone listen to them, they don't have a space agency! They don't even have a horse in this race yet they think they should have a say in how its run...why?

How coverage breaks down

2006-01-11T13:53:00.000-05:00

Here we have two posts, the first is from a US media organization and the second is from Aljazeera. The facts are the same but you seems to get a different impression. I do know that this is a minor point considering the debacles i have seen before including the .50 cal incident, and its really semantics, but if you let the little stuff go, the larger stuff is just that much easier. The thing i am nothing here is the use of alleged. Al describes the attacks as alleged when he has admitted to doing them, was seen doing them, and was convicted. Its not really alleged. He even said he would do it again. Alleged...my ass.

Newsday

Aljazeera

I'm Back

2006-01-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

Well, break is over so i will start to have time to put up more posts on interesting stories and sorting through the news for important and silly things. Hope i can do better than last year. My schedule is pretty good for anyone who doesn't know it. I am off every monday and friday. And wednesday i have rifle shooting from 230-5 and international diplomacy from 615-930. Tuesday and Thursdays suck though. Straight from 8-630 every one and the only good class is Yoga. Yeah Yoga. It should be fun.

Anyway i had an amusing musing this early afternoon when i walked in the library. I saw a bunch of people reading textbooks and novels, they all looked like freshmen and sophomores, and i thought to myself, "most of these people will be reading the same spot 1 week before exams because they slacked" And its so true cause i saw it last month. Funny eh?

So with a brief glance, it looks like, Sharon, Alito, and Iran are gonna be the big news stories right now. I will try to get up some good stuff on them by tomorrow at the latest. I should have something on Alito today cause the hearings are going on and they are pretty interesting from a few standpoints. If anyone has anything else that they want me to post on or that looks interesting, let me know.

Busy

2005-12-26T16:50:00.000-05:00

Well with the holiday's i will be very busy for a few weeks so don't look to seeing any new posts until after new years and maybe not till i get back to school

Saddam's Trial

2005-12-23T13:15:00.000-05:00

So now Saddam claims he has been both physically and mentally tortured. Whoopie. Now I am sure that there are groups that think we need an investigation into whether this was true. The whole credibility of the United States could be at stake here i mean. But really, does anyone actually believe this. Assuming for a moment that all torture is wrong, is there any actual proof. I mean really, do we have to hear every ridiculous allegation that comes from his, and other people's mouths if its bad about the US? I mean we have no proof of this, the Red Cross has attentively looked at Saddam's condition and found nothing. Not a single doctor will testify that he was beaten or "phychologically abused." What the hell does that mean anyway? Perhaps he is having a breakdown since he can't torture people himself anymore so thats torture to him? But then again, since we are sooo ready to believe the words of the most heinous people on the planet, perhaps he is smart for making allegations.

Another thing here is his lawyers. I am still disgusted that Ramsey Clark is defending this man. I know that everyone needs to have representation, at least here in the US, but the attorney general for Clinton? That just sends beyond the wrong message and shows you where people's true loyalties lie. Oh and here is a money statement from one of his lawyers:

"The Americans informed us that a security firm wanted $7 000 to protect us to and from the airport but we rejected the offer and told the Americans we would hold them responsible for our safety," Ghazzawi said.

This is just silly. We won't pay what it costs to keep us safe, but we will hold you responsible. Fucking lunatics. If you try to defend a mass murderer of your own free will, and won't pony up the cash you so easily have for protection, then you have no right to hold the US responsible. Perhaps it would have been much better for that dude who found Saddam in the spider hole to just have arranged Saddam's meeting with the Almighty. Oh wait a second, the US doesn't do that!

The 3 Iraq Options

2005-12-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

Here are the three Iraq options. Now its seems to me that the best option was the third. It might not be the best option on everyone else's menu, but lets stop the lying about the reasons for war and actually look at the situation.

Twas the night before Xmas...from Santa's Point of View

2005-12-21T14:48:00.000-05:00

Attributed to Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan

Twas the night before christmas,
he lived all alone,
in a one bedroom house made of
plaster and stone.

I had come down the chimney
with presents to give,
and to see just who
in this home did live.

I looked all about,
a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents,
not even a tree.

No stocking by mantle,
just boots filled with sand,
on the wall hung pictures
of far distant lands.

With medals and badges,
awards of all kinds,
a sober thought
came through my mind.

For this house was different,
it was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier,
once I could see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping,
silent, alone,
curled up on the floor
in this one bedroom home.

The face was so gentle,
the room in such disorder,
not how I pictured
a United States soldier.

Was this the hero
of whom I'd just read?
Curled up on a poncho,
the floor for a bed?

I realized the families
that I saw this night,
owed their lives to these soldiers
who were willing to fight.

Soon round the world,
the children would play,
and grownups would celebrate
a bright christmas day.

They all enjoyed freedom
each month of the year,
because of the soldiers,
like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder
how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas eve
in a land far from home.

The very thought
brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees
and started to cry.

The soldier awakened
and I heard a rough voice,
"Santa don't cry,
this life is my choice;

I fight for freedom,
I don't ask for more,
my life is my God,
my country, my corps."

The soldier rolled over
and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it,
I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours,
so silent and still
and we both shivered
from the cold night's chill.

I didn't want to leave
on that cold, dark, night,
this guardian of honor
so willing to fight.

Then the soldier rolled over,
with a voice soft and pure,
whispered, "Carry on Santa,
it's Christmas day, all is secure."

One look at my watch,
and I knew he was right.
"Merry Christmas my friend,
and to all a good night."

Quickies

2005-12-21T14:07:00.000-05:00

Yet more evidence that the wiretapping bullsh*t was not only legal but necessary. This from Max Boot of the LA times.

For instance, in August 2001, FBI agents in Minneapolis stumbled onto Zacarias Moussaoui, one of the Al Qaeda plotters. The 9/11 commission later concluded that a "maximum U.S. effort to investigate Moussaoui … might have brought investigators to the core of the 9/11 plot." But officials didn't seek a warrant to search his laptop because they lacked "probable cause" under the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. FISA is the law that Bush is now accused of circumventing.

I'm still miffed that no one in the MSM seems to be talking about the problem of these leaks. We heard all about Valerie Plume, an agent that worked relatively openly in Langley as an analyst for months, with special investigations on who leaked her name. Does anyone really think that comprimised national security? But then we have actual national security programs, such as the rendition, the agressive techniques, the wiretapping, and the idea of (with no proof) of secret prisons. All of this was revealed by the MSM and apperenly there is no questioning of if that hurt our national security. Which its very likely to do. I'm really sick of stuff like that.

AHHHHHH! As if the nuclear weapons they are trying to build isn't enough, the civil liberties are being trashed! This should give everyone a reason that we need to invade right now!

Iran Bans Western Music

More from the crazy woman, Cindy Sheehan. Apperently, the press didn't give her enough coverage. I think she really might be totally, mentally, unhinged.

Cindy Speaks!

More shite from those crazy Iranian Government Sponsered Propagandaists:

Money Quote: "In 1883, about 150 French children were murdered in a horrible way in the suburbs of Paris, before the Jewish Passover holiday. Later research showed that the Jews had killed them and taken their blood."

Iran Propaganda

More great ideas from democrats.

The I word

I think you really have to wonder about the timing of the release of the wiretapping stuff. The NYT had it for a year. They were explicitly requested not to report the classified information. They didn't for a year then they did immediately after the Iraqi elections. The timing is odd isn't it?

State of the Union

2005-12-20T22:20:00.000-05:00

Can't really agree more with the sentiment of SGT Stryker. Even more so when we see the comparison of how much the press is talking about the leak here and what was leaked compared to the Valerie Plame scandel. Can we say "intentional malicious double standard?" I knew you could.

Legal Wiretapping

2005-12-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

Just checked from powerline for a legal analysis of the wiretapping saga. They point to this particular piece of evidence.

For now, let me simply quote the November 2002 decision of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, in Sealed Case No. 02-001:

The Truong court [United States v. Truong Dinh Hung, 4th Cir. 1980], as did all the other courts to have decided the issue, held that the President did have inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches to obtain foreign intelligence information. *** We take for granted that the President does have that authority and, assuming that is so, FISA could not encroach on the President's constitutional power.

And those are cases that deal with electronic intercepts inside the United States. A fortiori, intercepts outside the United States that coincidentally sweep in messages sent from America would seem to be obviously within the President's inherent Article II powers. So far, I have found no authority to the contrary.

Seems open and shut to me. Perhaps better done through FISA, or further explained, but not illegal in the slightest.

The MTA Union Strike

2005-12-20T16:37:00.000-05:00

I don't have a whole lot of input that can be added to the MTA Union strike. However i do have some. First, the MTA has in its collective bargaining agreement from before, and i all contracts given, that the union will not strike because it is such an important part of the city. I don't know but would suspect that the union got concessions from the MTA to make it this way. So its illegal.

Also I think the problem is that the union is not understanding the situation. They are pointing the budget surplus and saying well, you have all this extra money, how are you going to ask us to cut benefits for all future employees? On the surface, thats a reasonable question. But the MTA is offering a 10% increase in pay over the next 3 years; they are worried about the long term situation of rising benefits and healthcare costs. Its a problem that is occuring in many sectors because people are living longer and healthcare costs are exponentially increasing. Earning has not kept near pace with retirement costs in the past 30 years.

A similar situation is occuring at GM. Many of my professors used to work there and still know many of the current engineers and they are convinced that the only way to right the ship is a massive total firing with new contracts.

So not really sure what the best answer is. If people live longer and more things are treatable (making them live even longer) then retirement is gonna cost more and more every year, assuming retirement age isn't pushed outward. Is it reasonable that companies are expected to keep paying for these costs? Where does that money come from?

Update:
The MTA has a website if you want to read what their position is, check it out here
Not to be outdone, here is the unoffical webblog of the Union here

Update on Wiretapping

2005-12-20T13:42:00.000-05:00

Well, since the issue is being vetted completely in the press, lets look at the argument. It seems a main one isn't that its illegal as much as its a departure of the norms. But, as Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds posts, its not so much a departure from the rational. Under Clinton, in 1994, the deputy attorney general Gorelick (note the commissioner of the 9/11 Committee) states in his testamony to the House Select Committee on Intelligence that the president "Has inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches for foreign intelligence purposes." He goes on to say that the president needs only feel that the person is a threat to conduct a warrentless search. This might be wrong, but its the argument that has been used for over a decade. I do note that it does seem unsettling and that its fairly obvious that Bush has used it more after 9/11. I am just thinking that we are looking at the wrong thing of "OMG Bush is killing our civil liberties!" to whether this actually is legal or right.

Democrats Blundering?

2005-12-19T17:23:00.000-05:00

Real Clear Politics brings up the idea that perhaps all the emphasis on Gitmo, Losing in Iraq, the Patriot Act...etc... might really be hurting democrats. I tend to agree. If you want their version, its pretty good, but i am gonna try to put it in my own words from how i see it.

The mistake is that its all criticism, but not constructive. I liken it to being the guy that watches you work on your house and points out everything you are doing wrong, but doesn't tell you how to fix it or do it better other than call a professional. As far as I can tell, there is no real clear plan by the democratic party (note: I said party not individual politicians). You have Murtha saying that Iraq is a failure that is unwinnable and needs to have "redeployment" as soon as possble with everyone out in 6 months. There is no telling where we will redeploy to, what types of units are staying, how we are supposed to help with infrastructure, no mention of what we do about the areas that are not ready yet to be fully taken over by Iraqi police, etc. Its almost like its just vague ideas but no concrete plan of we do "a" "b" and "c". I mean we have attacks on the patriot act but no alternative to it even when there is a consensous we need something. We have hear all about the attrocites of Gitmo but there is no mentioning of what we got from using aggressive techniques. Pretty much all we hear is bitching. It almost seems like, ecspecially with the torture allegations, that the left is more concerned with the rights of terrorists than it is protecting US citizens and servicemembers.

Given this lack of alternatives, i believe that the country is sick of it. We have the president saying that things are wrong but we have a plan and can point to particular instances of success. Elections, numbers of battalions that take the lead, etc. When presented with this evidence of positive success, and contrasted with the constant negativity and gloom and doom from the left side, it looks more and more not only out of touch but just plain defeatest. Its one thing if we are just trying to paint a rosy picture here but its a far more accurate one as well. I think that it shows a large disconnect, kinda similar to what happened to the right 2 years ago er so when Iraq was painted as better than it was. I think my major problem with it is that if you are going to err, wouldn't you want to do it in a positive way? I mean thats my opinion. The democrats just seem to bitch that stuff is wrong but then we never see and real alternatives or a plan that will lead us to victory instead of just running away, somthing that the people on the ground in Iraq, are vehemently against.

Wire Tapping

2005-12-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

I'm not gonna like to a wiretapping articel given how easy they are to find. I see this as 3 issues involved.

The first issue is if this is illegal. The idea being that Congress can pass a law making anything illegal is wrong because the president has a lot of powers that are not overseeable by congress. I don't know if this is one of them but that is what seems to be argued here. It's more than a bit dodgy, and i would have been much happier if, in say 2004 the prez came out and said we are doing this program, at least to congress as a whole.

The 2nd issue is tha there seems to be an outcry from several democratic congressmen. But, by their own admission, there had been 2 briefed directly. Its not like this program was entirely unknown. Graham's denial of knowledge is tenuous at best because he essentually is saying a private meeting with 3 other top ranks and the vice prez, in the vice prez's office, that was sealed was to discuss no change in policy. That doesn't pass the bullshit test. And Pelosi even admits knowing about it even though she states she had serious misgivings. Neither challenged it as illegal.

The 3rd point that we should be looking at is where the hell did this leak come from. There have now been 2 serious leaks from the CIA (or another intel agency) that have directly brought national security programs into the spotlight. This is a serious problem and needs to be looked into alot. We get a great investigation into the Plame scandel but when there are other alligations, typically against the white house, there is never a question of investigating the leak. Its pissing me of about that.

The New Super Carrier

2005-12-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

Here is a break down of costs and the inprovemnts of the new class of carrier that we are planning to build. Looks like a definite improvment to me since it encorportates alot of new tech with a very good existing superstructure and design.

Why we are winning in Iraq and its a good thing

2005-12-16T11:37:00.000-05:00

Read the whole thing, its pretty good. Contrasting what we have lost and gained in the war, the alternatives, and why its important.

The military isn’t broken. Unlike after Vietnam when the Russians, Iranians, Cambodians, and Nicaraguans all soon tried to press their luck at our expense, most of our adversaries don’t believe the U.S. military is losing in Iraq, much less that it is wise now to take it on. Instead, the general impression is that our veteran and battle-hardened forces are even more lethal than was true of the 1990s — and engaging successfully in an almost impossible war.

Shout out to Joe Biden

2005-12-15T12:26:00.000-05:00

Yep, I'm calling you out Joe. More like a shout out. Nice Job. A few weeks ago i hammered Joe Biden on his op-ed but I have to give him his properes here for showing up in Iraq during the election. I don't care why here was there or if it was politically motivated or how he will use it later in his possible presidential run, at least he is there and he is recognizing the success of the elections. Good job, Joe.

FAT PENGUINS!!!!!

2005-12-15T11:57:00.000-05:00

That is freaking awesome. Now just get these same guys to come to Congress....

Problems with the JSF

2005-12-15T11:25:00.001-05:00

If you don't know about the F-35 JSF deal, here you can see alot of the problems that are occuring. Its a tricky situation to just roll over ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) because there is alot of legitimate concern. At the same time, Britain has been the best ally of the US in recent times. Hard to say who is right on the issue, though the author of this article certainly has an opinion. Personally, I think that we would have to have a guarentee to not share arms data with other members fo the EU community. In this case however, not knowing a whole hella lot about the F-35 specs, I think that there isn't a whole lot that we need to protect in the plane. The F-22 is another matter and thats why we won't sell it to anyone.