Validating the post war comparison: the left responds

At a certain few points in the President's speech in London one could believe for a minute that his writer was not unfamiliar with the blogosphere, as I heard the echo of a few points I've seen touted here and there over the past few weeks.

Take for instance the comparison of post-war Iraq to post war Germany. As noted by the CINC:

Since the liberation of Iraq, we have seen changes that could hardly have been imagined a year ago. A new Iraqi police force protects the people, instead of bullying them. More than 150 Iraqi newspapers are now in circulation, printing what they choose, not what they're ordered. Schools are open with textbooks free of propaganda. Hospitals are functioning and are well-supplied. Iraq has a new currency, the first battalion of a new army, representative local governments, and a Governing Council with an aggressive timetable for national sovereignty. This is substantial progress. And much of it has proceeded faster than similar efforts in Germany and Japan after World War II.

Now, certainly the blogosphere can't claim to be the source of this comparison point; one could as successfully claim the patent for the wheel. But without a doubt Glenn Reynolds has been the internet clearinghouse for supporting information, having linked numerous other bloggers' commendable efforts to document and validate the similarities.

Jessica's Well, perhaps the first out the gate, with the Life Magazine article that became an internet phenomenon:

The troops returning home are worried. “We’ve lost the peace,” men tell you. “We can’t make it stick.”

A tour of the beaten-up cities of Europe six months after victory is a mighty sobering experience for anyone. Europeans. Friend and foe alike, look you accusingly in the face and tell you how bitterly they are disappointed in you as an American.

We have swept away Hitlerism, but a great many Europeans feel that the cure has been worse than the disease.

Then this from Instapundit's look at The Saturday Evening Post:

We have got into this German job without understanding what we were tackling or why. Imagine how incredulous we would have been if anybody had told us---even so recently as five years ago---that hundreds of thousands of Americans would be camped in the middle of Europe in 1946, completely responsible for the conduct and welfare of approximately 20,000,000 Germans?

No wonder so many Americans are asking, “What are we doing in Germany?” They can see that the Russians and British and French are initiating projects which promise some direct benefits to them in their zones. But when they look at our zone they see only headaches.

And most recently this on occupied Japan:

Tokyo endured [the] winter [of 1945-1946] on the workings of an illegal economy. The black market encompassed thousands of sellers and millions of buyers dealing in every commodity of daily life. It was also a vast jungle of lawlessness that began with thefts and led to gang killings, turf wars, and casual murders, becoming at last a criminal demimonde of immense proportions. It embraced all classes and kinds of people. <...> It was the beginning for many mobster organizations, some of whose descendants still operate today. In Tokyo there were eight major syndicates, each with its own piece of turf around the major train stations...They fought amongst themselves and against other gangs, the Japanese mobs battling constantly for territory against the Koreans and Chinese. Guns were plentiful, another result of looted army depots. Unable or unwilling to intervene, police let gangs have at one another, and the shootouts continued for several years into the Occupation.

True or not it's well within the realm of possibility, and perhaps likely, that members of "Team Bush" are more then passingly familiar with Instapundit (and perhaps even Jessica's Well, it being a Midland, Texas based blog). So some influence from that source may have contributed to that brief mention in the speech.

You see the similarities, yes? The above articles give you that feeling of deja-vu? Of course, all of them are wrong. Thus sayeth Richard Benedetto of USA Today in an article Comparing Iraq To Nations After WWII (originally subtitled President's analogy draws criticism):

"It is correct to say that it took two to three years to establish democratic government in Japan," says John Dower, author of Japan in War and Peace. "But throughout that period, you had a stable society and an intact (local) government. You had terrific misery and confusion in Japan, but no chaos like you have in Iraq."

Japan adopted its constitution nearly two years after the war ended and put it into effect a year later.

Bush's timetable for Iraq envisions establishment of an assembly by May to form a provisional government by June. That would be the end of the U.S.-appointed Governing Council. By 2005, Iraq would write a constitution and elect a democratic government.

William Hitchcock, author of The Struggle for Europe, says the situation in Germany was similar to the one in Japan. Allied bombs had leveled many cities, and millions were hungry and homeless.

"The German story of U.S. occupation is an amazing success story, but you would not know it six months after the war ended," he says. "It took time."

It was three years before Germany had a constitution and four years before democratic elections.

Iraq is not as devastated as those countries were. That means things Bush named, such as schools, hospitals and newspapers, were back in operation more quickly.

Iraq is different in other ways:

• Unlike the violent daily attacks in Iraq, there was no resistance to occupying forces in Germany and Japan.

• Germany and Japan formally surrendered, which gave the United States authority in their countries. Iraq did not.

• Essential government-run services continued after the war ended. Iraq has no such system.

Note the introduction of the concept that Iraq never surrendered, thus the US has no authority to be there, a none-too-subtle hint as to the slant of this "news story". (Hopefully this isn't another pointless meme-flag to wave for the Baathists, al Queda, and the American Left)

If the contrast points were valid in the context of the argument (is there a legitimate comparison?) one might still wonder why such effort is put into refuting 18 words (count 'em: 'And much of it has proceeded faster than similar efforts in Germany and Japan after World War II') of a 4025 word (trust me) speech.

There are differences, but USA Today has missed the point. They could more effectively argue that "Germany" and "Japan" start with "G" and "J" while clearly "Iraq" is spelled with an I. Yes, Germany and Japan had been bombed into submission. The population was weak and demoralized with a significant number of draft-age men gone. Everyone needed shelter and food and the US was the only source of hope for survival. Generally this precludes even the angriest of vanquished combatants from taking pot-shots at the victors. This situation clearly does not exist in Iraq. (Because of US efforts, foresight, and humanity, I might add) But for those who "get it" the gist of the comparison argument is not academic, and is valid only in the context of supporting the "stay the course" position vs. the "cut and run" mantra perversely making it's way through certain quarters of the American population.

The point of the post-war comparison is akin to that nothing worth doing is easy concept that parents once instilled in their children. (And assuredly many still do.) But I believe that Mr. Benedetto and his USA Today editor (and the folks there that sign the paychecks) do 'get it' - and their reasons for attempting to cast doubt on an essentially minor supporting detail in one of the most important political speeches of this era obviously lie elsewhere.

Whatever their motives, they've proved the need to make the comparisons. There are those in our own country who would insist we can not overcome the degree of hardship we face in Iraq. Doubtless they state this in the full knowledge that they themselves could certainly not accomplish such a lofty goal. That's to be expected, but I ask that they please stand aside; there are those made of stronger stuff, those with a bit more intestinal fortitude who will carry this task to its conclusion.

USA Today's chooses to end their "news" article with an unsupported opinion:

"It is not, in fact, a great analogy," says Tom Engelhardt, a fellow of the liberal Nation Institute and author of The End of Victory Culture.

I'll add this insight on Mr. Engelhardt's worldview from the editorial review by Publishers Weekly on Amazon.com's site:

Freelance writer Engelhardt here traces the roots of American "triumphalism" back to early New England, where the massacre of Indians set the pattern for the self-justified slaughter of external enemies, a ritual that would be replayed endlessly not only in life but also in fiction, movies, toys and comics. In his sprawling meditation, he considers the effect of our "loss of enemy" when the Japanese surrendered in 1945. In his tedious recap of the Vietnam tragedy Engelhardt suggests that the American public's inability to view the Viet Cong as a savage, lesser adversary contributed to our becoming "the world's most extraordinary [because least expected] losers." The desire to create a Third World battlefield with maximum U.S. weaponry and minimum U.S. casualties was briefly satisfied, he contends, by the Gulf War with its seemingly bloodless, machine-versus-machine destructiveness. America, according to Engelhardt, is still yearning for a revival of our national identity via the victory culture, "the story of their slaughter and our triumph."

Far be it from me to refute a sprawling meditator, so I'll say indeed, it's not a great analogy. We've done far more and faster in Iraq, against greater opposition. Three cheers for our side, and thank you Mr. Bush.

To Mr.’s Benedetto and Engelhardt and others of like mind, another 'compare and contrast' topic: 'The difference between making history and making noise'.

Righteous Outrage: Beware the Wrath of Lileks

Lileks and I are on the same wavelength today.

You know what? Michael Moore is right. There are many Americans who are ignorant of the world around them. And they’re all TV news producers. Two big bombs in Istanbul, and what’s the big story of the day? Following around a pervy slab of albino Play-Doh as he turns himself into the police. I was stunned to discover last night that Nightline not only covered the Jackson case in detail, but bumped coverage of the Whitehall speech, which was the most important speech since the Iraq campaign began and arguably the most important speech of the war, period.

Hmmmm... come to think of it, I wasn't stunned by the supreme idiocy of the media. Disappointed, to be sure, just not stunned.

But he's got a lot more to say about a lot of things. All of which were on my mind already. I find myself shouting "Yes, yes, exactly!" when I read Lileks, but today for whatever reason that's especially true.

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London Calling:

The Forward Strategy of Freedom

I've already seen the CINC’s speech hailed here and there through the blogosphere as one of his best; I agree. Quotable throughout, but I note a definite ideological and introductory first half and a somewhat more brass-tacks second half. The shift occurs at the moment The Boss begins transitioning from historical ties to modern conflict, and takes a jab at old Europe:

Amidst Underwhelming Protest, President Bush Speaks in London

Today's raucous London protests bring to mind the San Francisco protests of last February. (Ahhh, February! The nadir, the halcyon heyday of the modern anti-war movement!).

From SF Gate:

San Francisco -- A survey using sophisticated aerial photography of Sunday's anti-war march and rally in San Francisco has produced results that indicate a far smaller crowd than the 200,000 protesters estimated by police and event organizers.

The results of the independent survey, commissioned by The Chronicle and SFGate.com, cast doubt on traditional counting methods and contradict the crowd estimate of 200,000, which was reported in this newspaper and news media around the world. Crowd size in a demonstration is important because organizers tend to use it as evidence of support for their cause.

In a series of detailed, high-resolution photographs, the aerial survey shows that around 65,000 people were in the area of Market Street and Civic Center Plaza at 1:45 p.m. Sunday, which organizers said was when crowd size was at its peak.

<...>

When told of The Chronicle's survey, Alex S. Jones, the director of Harvard University's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, said, "The number of people (in a crowd) is a mythical number, and now you're going to turn it into a fact, and that won't be welcomed."

Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning former reporter for the New York Times, added, "There's an old saying in journalism: People only see what they believe. This is an emotional issue, not a factual issue as far as most people are concerned."

<...>

Sunday's police estimates started with a calculation of Civic Center Plaza capacity made by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department in the mid- 1980s, which found the plaza holds a crowd of 43,000 people, said Deputy Chief Suhr.

The plaza stayed full throughout the day, even while marchers still filled Market Street, Suhr said. Based on previous estimates of crowd sizes on Market Street, he concluded the roadway and sidewalks had about 100,000 people on them.

Other tributary marches and people in side streets pushed the number to between 150,000 and 200,000, he said. The crowd also had pushed the front of the march from First Street to Third Street before it began.

No officers were assigned to count the crowd.

"It's pretty much me," Suhr said.

In the aerial photograph of Civic Center Plaza, in which the area appears full, a count by Air Flight Service shows only about 20,000 people in the plaza at 1:45 p.m.

Greyhawk's rule on demonstrations:

Half the people at any large public gathering are there in the hope of getting laid. They are absolutely unconcerned with whatever the event is about, but will shout or chant enthusiastically if they think it will increase their chances of success by one zillionth of a percent. They will likely even take a turn holding up the giant puppets.

Here's Trafalgar Square London at 8PM local:

Now, that's no aerial photograph to be sure, but I'm thinkin' the square ain't too full. So either everyone completed their quest successfully and went home or else the 200k-strong anti-war movement just had other fish to fry.

Weather? From The Weather Channel:
55°F
Partly Cloudy
Humidity: 82%
Visibility: Unlimited
Pressure: 29.80 inches and steady
Wind: From the South Southwest at 7 mph

That's as good as it gets for London in November folks.

So as under the eyes of 14,000-odd watchful London cops a couple thousand drooling loonies protested and another couple thousand desperately sought someone with semi-straight teeth, a knowledge of personal hygiene, and a flat of their own, the President of the US had this to say:

"Americans traveling to England always observe more similarities to our country than differences. I've been here only a short time, but I've noticed that the tradition of free speech -- exercised with enthusiasm -- (laughter) -- is alive and well here in London. We have that at home, too. They now have that right in Baghdad, as well." (Applause.)

Slam dunk, boss. Well done.

All done!

Outrage

This:

TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters). - A senior U.S. army officer told a military hearing in Iraq Wednesday he was wrong to fire his pistol near a detained Iraqi's head but vowed he would sacrifice his life to protect his men.

His voice breaking with emotion, Lieutenant Colonel Allen West of the 4th Infantry Division said he had told the families of the men and women in his battalion before leaving for Iraq that he would bring them home alive.

West said he believed the detained Iraqi, a policeman called Yahya Jhodri Hamoody, had information about plots to attack American troops when he was brought in for questioning at Taji, just north of Baghdad, around August 20.

Other officers testifying in the preliminary hearing at a base in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit have said the plots included an imminent plan to kill West, the most senior soldier charged with assaulting Iraqis since the invasion last March.

The military has charged West with beating up Hamoody, firing a pistol near his head and threatening to kill him.

"I know the method I used was not the right method...I was going to do anything to intimidate and scare him, but I was not going to endanger his life," West told the hearing.

West said he watched his men beat Hamoody without intervening. He said he then went outside and fired a warning shot into the air.

Still unable to get information, West said Hamoody was forced over a sandbox which soldiers use to clear weapons.

"I placed my left hand against the side of his head and fired away from him," West said.

Hamoody then told of plans to set up a sniper position near a police station that West's soldiers visited, West said.

Asked by his defense lawyer if he would used such tactics to obtain information again, West, dressed in combat fatigues and wiping tears from his eyes, said:

"If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can.

"But that's what's going on out there in the streets here and that's how I feel about my boys. There is not a person in this room I would not sacrifice my life for."

After the incident, West lost command of his battalion of 650 soldiers. A number of them attended the hearing.

Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee (Tom Cruise): I think I'm entitled to them.
Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Jessep: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

More Friends to Call On

Welcome Cold Fury to the Friends of MilBlogs list. If there's anyone out there that hasn't visited Mike's place, now would be a good time.

Pete Nelson is a bit newer on the Blogging scene, and brand new on the Friends of MilBlogs too.

Meanwhile, Carnival of the Vanities is up at Peaktalk this week.

New Weblog Showcase

FREE MARKET FAIRY TALES is going to be a Big Blog. A free-market conservative friend-of-America Brit with attitude, gun pics, and healthy young rugby fans all over his Blog. What's not to like? (Ok, so he hasn't linked MilBlogs yet. Nobody's perfect.) This is the link to his New Weblogs Showcase entry. (Which of course means I'm voting for him.)

Bloggers, go vote for him now. Like me, you'll be able to say you helped "discover" him. The rest of you go visit and enjoy! (Did I mention the quality writing? The lively wit? The biting satire?)

SPEED DEMONS

From Stars and Stripes:

A recent study done by Quality Planning Corporation, a company hired by the insurance industry to analyze data such as driving patterns or uncover fraudulent claims, looked into the occupations of more than 1 million drivers in the nation. The results show that enlisted military drivers were the second leading offenders of speeding violations after students, and ranked sixth in the number of accidents.

<...>

Over an 18-month period ending in December 2002, QPC looked at 1 million records of data from all over the United States to analyze the accident and traffic violation of drivers and their occupations, said Tim Cox, with Zing Public Relations, a firm hired to release QPC?s study results. No data was collected on overseas drivers.

?Quality Planning works with insurance companies to help them better understand the composition of the people they?re insuring,? he said.

<...>

Insurance companies don?t determine if a 16-year-old high school dropout makes a better driver than a 36-year-old mother and real estate agent, Berry said. Instead, rates are based on a history of the number of claims filed by certain age groups, driving patters and crime rates in geographical areas, type of vehicles driven, and drivers? credit history, he cited as examples.

And what QPC does not do in its research is determine why certain demographics are more or less prone, Cox said.

?It?s hard to draw conclusions from the data,? he said. ?For example, the professions of doctor and lawyer seem to be scoring high on speeding. For some people, it might indicate they tend to be arrogant or self-important or risk takers. The medical associations will say they are rather tired, fatigued and inattentive.

?It?s hard to know what?s going on here and that?s frustrating. At a minimum, it makes for interesting cocktail conversation,? he joked.

"Ha ha", he laughed. Grab your cocktails folks, I've a couple of points to note. Someone familiar with a military lifestyle might suggest the following hypotheses.

1. Military drive faster to work because the consequences of being late are greater then for non-military, both for the individual (federal crime) and perhaps for his mission (almost everyone is needed) Short-notice recalls where reporting in with full gear (ready to deploy) within 1 hour of telephone notification is not uncommon.

2. Off duty military folks are more likely to make long trips in limited time. Spending a weekend with family halfway across the country is not unusual. It's a bad idea, it's discouraged, but it happens.

This may be so, but a stereotype needs broken to some degree.

"Fireman," "policeman," "teacher," or "manual laborer", besides being individual occupations, all describe specialties of military enlisted people. Look at it this way; a military installation is a small town, with a police force, fire department, a transportation infrastructure and the people who maintain it (both roads and vehicles), lawyers, doctors, dentists,... need I go on? And the people doing those jobs are as diverse a group as the people who do them in your city.

Don't confuse this issue with Blackfive's Warrior Caste talking point; all those diverse folks working all those diverse tasks are bonded in a way the folks outside the gate will likely never be. Still, there's a wrongness in assuming a military member is a category like proctologist or insurance underwriter. The variety is too great. (Note I haven't even discussed the cross-service variations on the theme. Suffice to say from my experience the bond still exists, though the differences are quite real.)

Now the truly savvy will note that junior enlisted (about 45% of the force, DoD-wide) are about the same age (upper teens to early 20s) of the typical student. This suggests strongly that age, vs. occupation, is a better determinant of an individual's likelihood of speeding and or being involved in an accident. This is a generally accepted insurance industry fact anyway, but perhaps an inconvenient one if they are determined to raise rates for certain groups of drivers.

One could infer I'm calling into question the validity of the results of this study. I can't; I've yet to be able to determine from the reports on the subject or from Quality Planning Corporation's homepage exactly how this study was conducted, or what unit of measure is used to gauge "likelihood of accident". I can, however, state that their classification of "enlisted military" as a category similar to "architect" indicates a feeble corporate understanding of the subjects of their investigation.

From Quality Planning Corporation's on-line press release:

ACCIDENTS

Top 5 Occupations
1. Student
2. Medical doctor
3. Attorney/lawyer
4. Architect
5. Real estate agent

Bottom 5 Occupations
36. Homemaker
37. Politician
38. Pilot
39. Fireman
40. Farmer

SPEEDING VIOLATIONS

Top 5 Occupations
1. Student
2. Enlisted military
3. Manual laborer
4. Politician
5. Architect

Bottom 5 Occupations
36. Teacher/professor
37. Clerical/secretary
38. Law enforcement
39. Librarian
40. Homemaker

Commenting on the statistics, Dr. Daniel Finnegan, president and founder of QPC, noted, ?The numbers blow big holes in the conventional wisdom about which professions are accident-prone or dangerous drivers. Interestingly, it appears that it is educated professionals who are most likely to be involved in accidents. Fortunately for those unlucky enough to be involved in an accident, individuals from two professions which are most helpful after such an incident ? doctors and lawyers ? are the most likely to be on the scene.?

This also won't help dispel the rumor that cops don't write each other speeding tickets. Oh, and mothers, hide your children when the architects hit the streets!

If it Weren't for my Friends, I'd be Friendless!

Today is Friends of MilBlogs appreciation day. I urge all who pass by here to visit the many fine sites who've thus far "supported the troops" with a link to the MilBlogs page. You'll find them permanently listed there.

Blogrolling is still undergoing maintenance so I can't add etalkinghead and The Country Pundit to the friends of MilBlogs roll yet.

But I can thank them here, along with all the other good folks who've linked to MilBlogs. Take one of our banners and link yourself to 25 26 sites (welcome Magic in the Baghdad cafe) reporting from Baghdad to Europe to all over America.

Oh, and please make sure I know (via comments or e-mail) that you've linked up. At the end of this week (maybe future ones too) I'm buying a drink for a random member of that "friends" list. Just saying thanks.

Hope to see you here soon.

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen

I'll be taking the day off from Blogging today. (I try to once every week!)

Sixteen years ago today the now not-so-little middle hawk child was born. All these years later Im absolutely proud of my sweet sixteen, who has trooped aroud the world with dad, three continents, five states, and a hundred sad goodbyes.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Classics - they sure don't Blog 'em like that any more!

One week from the launch of MilBlogs and the reviews are flooding in from chat rooms, message boards, and comment sections all over the internet.

umm...i thought active duty don't really have free speech, which is why they can't criticize the president, for example.

If your're in the military and blogging you really have to consider the risk. You should only debate the topic with commonly known facts (news releases, etc). There is no reason to state who you are, what you do and where you have been. Just assume that nobody has a need to know because the whole world is reading.

We'll be careful guys. Honest. Some of us even have security clearances...

Actually we're part of a long tradition. As you should know, the first computers were developed for military use, and the first users immediately started Milblogs.

Dad first started the Gazette back in '46, as an answer to "Hitlerpundit" and "StalinBlog", the Left's early entries into the blogosphere.

How well I recall him (after many later upgrades) having all night writing sessions at the building of the Berlin wall and the launch of Sputnik. And I'm convinced that his relentless attack on the Beatles is probably the only thing that stopped them from becoming the most popular rock band in the history of the world.

But ooh how only too soon after the glory days of the moon landing was he covering the tragic downfall of Nixon. (Oh how those loonies at the McGovern-ment Blog gloated!)

Back then of course, there were no graphics online, so Bloggers had to send large colorful posters to one another to remind them to visit from time to time. I recently ran across dad's old set while cleaning out a closet.

Hope you enjoy them. They sure brought back memories to me.

Bet you didn't know all this, did you?

Like Glenn Reynolds said, "You can learn all sorts of things from reading those blogs."

Magic in the MilBlogs Ring

Magic in the Baghdad Cafe is a member of MilBlogs, but can't add the Ring html to their site. Since I can't link them that way yet, I'll tell you about them like this.

From the site's about post

Bear, in Chicago, has a sister, in Iraq, who emails him letters.
Her name is Major Pain (not really, but well earned none the less).
Bear shares the Major's letters with you.

Major Pain is a nurse. She wears army boots.
She is near Baghdad at an Army hospital.
She has a rather, um, 'unique' sense of humor.
She is a terrible speller.
And we love her.

And Bear just got a new e-mail from his sister. Two, actually with amazing stories to tell.

She's been helping helicopter crash victims. Go on, click the link.

Update: Magic is now in the ring.

Quick Links

Visit Random Nuclear Strikes and Friend-of-MilBlogs own Michael Medved Fans soon and read several great posts on an anti-protest. Start with the linked ones and keep going. Great stuff, lots of pictures; anti-American demonstrators attempting to protest deploying troops sent running by counter-protest. God bless America!

I found those links via Swanky Conservative, a Navy Reservist and new MilBlogs member who also sent me this much needed Navy-based MilBlogs banner:

Have you linked MilBlogs yet?

I found this next guy through Sarah, who's trying to grok Germany (as am I).

David tells me he's German, living in Germany, and an economist who spent a couple years in America "doing econometric research, and that's when I learned to love the country."

He adds
"My blog is a modest attempt to counter or correct the anti-American reporting of German media. Well, that at least was the original concept. Now, I'm more into telling Americans about German media. On some days more than 90 % of the blog visitors are from the US."

Davids Medienkritik is a bi-lingual blog reporting on the German media for Americans. I'll be visiting regularly.

Danke, Sarah! Gracias, elgato!

You never know what you might find when you run a lap around MilBlogs, but I know you'll find lots of great stuff.

Fisher House

From Military Update by Tom Philpott:

``It’s unbelievable that places like this exist,’’ said Brian Alaniz, 29, a Navy hospitalman who lost part of his right leg and suffered other wounds just four days after President Bush ordered the invasion last March.

Brian isn’t referring to Iraq. What he wants to talk about are Fisher Houses. He knew nothing about them before he was wounded but he saw first hand what comfort zones they are for military families when loved ones need care at military medical centers, or select VA hospitals, far from home.

The usual mix of Fisher House guests are active duty families, many of them with children needing special care, and an older population of retirees, veterans and their spouses. About 8500 families a year use Fisher Houses, stay an average of 12 days and pay daily room rates of $8 and $12.

This year, so far, families of 200 wounded service members from Iraq and Afghanistan have joined the mix. Fisher Houses for them are a kind of sanctuary to help transition from war to rest of their lives. For these guests, rooms are free, said Jim Weiskopf of the Fisher House Foundation. Their stays can run into weeks or months, given the long road back for some.

I've had Fisher House as a banner link for a while now. They are also associated with the Intrepid Fallen Heroes fund, both having been started by Zachary Fisher. Read about his amazing life here.

There's a Fisher House at Landstuhl, the US Army Medical Center here in Germany where the injured from Iraq are sent for care. It's a Godsend for those families coming over from the states or elsewhere to be with their loved ones, likewise for those military families in Europe with a child in the hospital.

Click the banner to visit Fisher House on line.

Blogroll Hack

From Blogrolling:

Blogrolling has been the victim off a malicious hack in the past 9 hours. The blogroll links have been restored from an offsite backup from Saturday. I'm tracing the cause off this now and the site may go offline at some point today while I make changes and collect evidence. All new links since Saturday afternoon have unfortunately been lost due to this. I'll post more here as I know it.

Posted on 8:31 AM by Jason

Who's in Charge? A Plea for Adult Supervision

It's a good thing there's no wars going on right now, as some "unnamed Senators" are in a pi$$ing match over general officer promotions.

From the Huntsville (Alabama) Times:

The leadership of key Army commands in Huntsville is caught in a game of political brinkmanship while the U.S. Senate works out its partisan differences.

The promotion of Maj. Gen. Larry Dodgen, current commanding general of the Army Aviation and Missile Command on Redstone Arsenal, to a three-star general is one of several Army promotions being held up by an unidentified U.S. senator.

Dodgen was set to turn AMCOM command over to Brig. Gen. James H. Pillsbury sometime this week and move over to command the Army Space and Missile Defense Command, or SMDC, which employs more than 1,000 people in Huntsville. Lt. Gen. Joseph Cosumano, current SMDC head, is rumored to have retirement plans, but neither the Pentagon nor SMDC will confirm that.

Those command changes and promotions have been placed on hold in a secret move by a single senator. By law, the Senate holds the power to approve general officer promotions, and just one senator can block, or "hold" as the maneuver is called in the Senate, these nominations.

<...>

"The members do this for a variety of reasons sometimes. In these cases, sometimes the member is known, sometimes the name is not known. In this case, the name isn't known." (Mike Brumas, spokesman for Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Al)

<...>

According to the Associated Press, the senator blocking the military promotions is thought to be acting in retaliation for a separate hold placed by an unnamed Democrat on an Army general's promotion.

Maj. Gen. Robert Clark was nominated by President Bush for his third star and a promotion. However, the nomination has been criticized by Democrats and gay-rights groups, because Clark presided over an Army post where a soldier thought to be gay was murdered.

If approved by the Senate, Clark would become a lieutenant general and the commanding general of the Fifth U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Clark is currently the acting commanding general there.

Do I need to comment?

Blogrolls down

Looks like blogrolling has been hacked. The linked blog is an innocuous looking on-line diary, perhaps chosen at random by hackers. Please don't click.

Wounded Blogger

No time - follow this link to story of Mil Blogger wounded in Iraq.

The War the Left Forgot

A letter from an Army Major in Afghanistan, in Power Line:

"I would like to make one more observation if I may. Since I have been in Afghanistan, I would say that, on average, I know of about one U.S. or coalition soldier getting killed every week. However, I see almost no news reports on these deaths - and my wife at home does not either. My point is that per capita (with 10 - 15k soldiers in country), we are taking as many, or more hits than Iraq, yet no press coverage. Given this fact, it seems to me that the mainstream media are controlling public opinion by which information they cover. The liberals have a difficult time saying they are against the war in Afghanistan, but can oppose Iraq because the decision to attack wasn't as clearly obvious - thus only report the bad stuff in Iraq - at least this is my take.

Must read. As I've said, a great Blog, even though they pointed me to this. The Dems have recovered. Bush is done for.

"Beat that dead horse!" He preached to the choir

Perhaps my final word on the "Chickenhawk"debate. I know, it's done to death, but I've something new to add, hear me out.

As a military guy stationed overseas it has meant much to me to have stateside Blogs to read over the past year, to get a feel for the mood of America, the mood that isn't reflected in mainstream media.

I'm have no problem whatsoever with some of the anti-war crowd, insofar as that outspoken but misguided minority proves to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that Freedom of Speech, something I defend, is not in danger in America - even as they ironically protest otherwise. Thank you for validating my efforts. Now please stop helping kill my brothers in arms.

I'm eternally greatful to the so-called "chickenhawks." Those who present their case for all the world to see via the internet, subjecting themselves to ridicule from that same misguided Left who would silence them forever if they could only get the majority of Americans to recognize their inherent inborn superiority.

In John Cole's comments I offered to buy any "chickenhawk" blogger a drink when I return stateside. Mike from Cold Fury pointed out I was digging myself a deep hole with such an offer. He was giving me a good-natured joshing, but I was serious, and his comment made me realize I'd better not wait to get home. Too many bloggers.

I appreciate you guys, and over the next year or so it's drinks on me.

I'll find you, big blogs, small blogs, in between. Four each month, around the weekends, a drink in the tip jar. I've already started.

Military guy buys drinks for "chickenhawks". The loony lefties will hate me for it. But they're not gettin' my Bud Lite.

Last word; by the power vested in me by Tom Tomorrow I left this in comments at Winds of Change:

Even though I'm a staunch moderate I've finally been convinced by the anti-war Left on this issue; everyone who doesn't wear a military uniform can henceforth only Blog about cats.

I mean, only if they have a cat.

Here's a story...

From CNN, on Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal, born 6 months after his parents left India for America:

Jindal, who is married with one child, was born Piyush Jindal before he changed his name to a character on "The Brady Bunch" television show. His parents immigrated to the United States in the early 1970s, and he was born in Baton Rouge.

Not sure whether CNN does any fact checking, but that seems like Blog fodder to me.

Something about the Democrats loosing a southern state to a 32-year old "Indian-American" named after a Brady Bunch character, and who has never before held elected office.

But I just can't think of anything.

History Lessons

Check out the cool WWII poster I found. It's authentic, and now you can click it and enjoy the latest updates on the story!

You know you want it...

Click it and get it.

No guns jamming here...

The troops are coming home, and stories are beginning to be told. This from WSJ via Power Line Blog:

"When American troops were attacked on April 7 on a road to Baghdad, a battle broke out at a dot on the map Army commanders called 'Objective Curly.' Eighty U.S. soldiers, expecting little resistance, were met by 300 well-armed Iraqi and Syrian fighters. Grenades and bullets flew for eight hours. The U.S. counterattack killed an estimated 200 enemy fighters, according to the commanding officer who oversaw the battle. The American team had never trained or fought together, but all its men got out alive. The team was headed by Capt. Harry Alexander Hornbuckle, a 29-year-old staff officer who had never been in combat before. He was later awarded the Bronze Star, with a V for valor, for his efforts that day.

You know you want to read the whole thing!

Good stuff from top to bottom, Power Line is another excellent blog I thought I had on my Blog Roll long ago. Nope! But I fixed that!

I LOVE LA

The Louisiana governor's race is in the homestretch.

BATON ROUGE — A class of 30 LSU political science majors said there was little doubt about the winner of Wednesday night’s final gubernatorial debate going into Saturday’s election.

For most of the students, this was the first time they had seen Bobby Jindal and Kathleen Blanco in a “live” setting and not in well-rehearsed and edited campaign ads. Political science professor Robert Hogan incorporated the debate into his night political science class for juniors and seniors.

“Jindal smoked her,” said Darrell Kropog of Hammond, summing up the feelings of many of his classmates. “You can tell he thinks even faster than he talks because he never paused” in his answers.

Or perhaps not, as stated in this from WaPo:

Louisiana Governor's Race Douglas Brinkley Eisenhower Center for American Studies Thursday, November 13, 2003; 10:30 AM

In Saturday gubernatorial runoff election, voters in Louisiana will choose between Republican candidate Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, a 32 year old son of Indian immigrants, and Democrat Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a 60-year-old veteran of Louisiana politics

Who is leading in the latest polls? How are the two candidates different? What are the national implications of Saturday's outcome?

Douglas Brinkley, director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans, was online to discuss the Louisiana governor's race and Saturday's runoff election

<...>

New Orleans, La.: Recent polls have indicated about 20 percent of voters are undecided. Historically, how have these voters influenced elections? Do they typically swing toward one party or the other, or do they stay home?

Douglas Brinkley: Historically they stay home, but this is not a normal election. According to a south Eastern Louisiana university poll 24 percent of Democrats have crossed over to support the Republican Jindal. A University of New Orleans shows that 6 percent of Republicans are crossing over to Blanco. The point is not everybody is voting along straight party line.

Alexandria, Va.: What are the latest polls?

Douglas Brinkley: It is essentially a dead heat. There are two different important polls - one giving Jindal a slight edge, the other giving it to Blanco. It is a down to the wire election.

My prediction, Jindal 55, Blanco 45. About the same as every other recent governor's race.

Update: Wrong! And I admit I was way too optimistic. I'll let others post-mortem.

More Vote Rocking

A follow-up to yesterday's post about Rock the Vote's Democratic candidate worship session being broadcast in my son's classroom.

My son explained this about why he and his classmates (18 year olds who will vote next year) were not impressed with the selection of Democratic presidential wanna-bes:

"They (the candidates) all claimed that troop morale is low, that the soldiers don't want to be over there. They all said we should leave Iraq right away."

Now, I recognize that only most, not all of the Dems feel that way, but for a teenager his accuracy was typical. Still I explained to him that some were in favor of us staying. Then I asked him how his classmates felt about it. Many of them have parents deployed in Iraq, indefinitely, and the rest are well aware that their mom or dad could go any time.

"They think those guys are all full of crap. Everyone made fun of them."

"Everyone?" I asked him, mindful of his previous mild exaggeration, "Even those with a deployed parent?"

"Yea, even them. One girl in my class works at Landstuhl (the large Army Medical Center here where the wounded in Iraq are recovering) and she says that they say it will all be worth it."

"Say again?"

"The wounded, she says they say it will all be worth it."

End of conversation.

Rock the vote? You bet they will. The kids are all right.

New MilBlogs Banners are Here

"Wait a minute... wait just one #$%# #$^& minute! What is that in your hand? A jelly donut? You have got to be kidding me! You are sitting here eating a jelly donut at my beloved web site! Put that %@#$ thing down right now, grab your mouse and take one lap around the MilBlogs web ring! You will by God feel like a true American when you are done, I assure you! And then get your $^% over to the MilBlogs page, download one of our many fine banners, and link the ring! Move move move..."

Chucklelinks for Chickenhawks

The Smash/Tom Tomorrow debate has really made its way around the internet, and with some humorous results. Take a look at how Chris Muir at Day by Day (always funny) and Mary at Exit Zero (a new-to-me blog, well written and beautifully designed) have responded. Worth your time, guaranteed!

NEW ENTRIES

New entries today will be posted below the MilBlogs post. Thanks for taking the time to scroll!

MilBLogs Want You!

We Want You!
(To Join MilBlogs, that is)!

MilBlogs is open to any blog operated by a current Active Duty, Guard or Reserve member of the US military. Veterans, spouses, or other close relatives of eligible participants are also welcome if a significant amount of their content is devoted to military issues. Sites devoted to military issues but not operated by people in the above described categories may also be considered for membership. Non-blog web sites are also eligible if they meet the same criteria. Non military sites are not left out. You're invited to join our "Friends of MilBlogs" Blogroll.

One purpose of the MilBlogs Ring is to promote awareness of the individuality and humanity of the members of the US Armed Forces. Members are aware of the liklihood of difference of opinions between fellow members, and although we may not agree with each other on everything we say we will fight for the rights of each other to say it.

We mean that literally.

Read here for all the details.

A FREE PRESS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY...

Know why Misha fisks things like this? So I won't have to.

U.S. Troops More Hostile With Reporters
By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - With casualties mounting in Iraq, jumpy U.S. soldiers are becoming more aggressive in their treatment of journalists covering the conflict.

Media people have been detained, news equipment has been confiscated and some journalists have suffered verbal and physical abuse while trying to report on events.

Refresh my memory, is it the reporter or the soldier that brings us freedom of the press?

NEW WEBLOGS SHOWCASE

eTalkinghead gets a vote from me on New Weblogs Showcase this week. Just what I needed, another fine Blog to demand my time!

The Misleading Statements of a Misleading Misleader is the showcase entry, but I also liked Caskets and the War.

Check him out. Vote for him if you can.

FROM THE HALLOWED HALLS OF HOYAVILLE...

The Carnival of the Vanities is at Dead Ends this week.
You know the drill.

Rock the Vote

True story:

The kids get home from school and my son (HS Senior) starts telling me (rare!) about his Government class today. Bear in mind these are voting age kids, in High School on an overseas US military installation:

Son: We had to watch these nine Democrats debate today.

Me: What do you mean, had to?

Son: We watched it on TV in class...

Me: Watched what, exactly?

Son: "Rock the Vote", it was stupid.

Me: What did your classmates think of it?

Son: Oh they all thought it was dumb. Except this one annoying girl who says Bush is an idiot. But we all agreed they were losers.

Me: Why did you think so?

Son: They wouldn't give straight answers to any of the questions. They just kept dodging and changing the subject.

Me: They never said anything worthwhile?

Son: Well, finally someone asked whether they liked Macs or PCs and they answered that.

He did not know about this story. I swear to you this conversation is reproduced here as it happened, mere moments ago.

I still have a lot of follow up questions...

And while on the subject, I sure think this non-partisan organization looks awfully uh... Democratic to me.

I think they'll be unpleasantly surprised at the results of voting by the young people next year.

More on the scandal "rocking" Rock the Vote (for those who didn't click):

... During the program, which was taped at Boston's Faneuil Hall, Alexandra Trustman stepped up to the microphone and said: "I'm a freshman at Brown University. And going to college this year, I was confused with an important decision. My mom advised me one way, my dad the other. And so my question for you all is - and it's not quite boxers or briefs, but - Mac's, or PCs?"

Audience members then learned of the candidates' preferences, from former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's personal computer, to Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman's hand-held wireless, to the Rev. Al Sharpton's playful "politically correct Mac."

But the question wasn't part of a conversation with young America at all. Trustman's question was a plant from CNN.

In a column published Monday in the Brown Daily Herald, Trustman tried to deflect her fellow students' derision. The question was dumb, they said. The question, from its topic to its formulation, was the invention of a CNN producer, she wrote.

As she recounted the episode in her column, Trustman said she was called by a CNN producer and told what to ask. When she suggested a broader query on technology, she was cut short. (Though she wrote she was frustrated that student journalists hadn't sought her perspective before criticizing her, Trustman declined to respond to messages via e-mail and telephone seeking interviews for this column.)

"He took a look at my question and told me I couldn't ask it because it wasn't lighthearted enough and they wanted to modulate the event with various types of questions - mine was to be on the lighthearted side," Trustman wrote. "The show's host [CNN's Anderson Cooper] wanted the Macs or PCs question asked, not because he was wondering about the candidates' views of technology, but because he thought it would be a good opportunity for the candidates to relate to a younger audience."

She continued: "At this point it was clear to me that the question would be asked regardless of whether I was the person to ask it. ... [T]he opportunity to be involved in Rock the Vote outweighed any criticism I thought would come from the question."

And it was the only question a group of 18 year olds thought was answered truthfully. Draw your own conclusions.

WHEN CHICKENHAWKS ATTACK!

The Smash/Tom Tomorrow debate (now linked by Instapundit with our MilBlogs launch) reminded me of the very reason I started this weblog a few months back.

From one of my first posts:

Has anybody noticed that in this go-round satire is used by the conservative side, while feeble jokes and slogans (..."Buck Fush" - that's convincing!) seem to be the main heavy artillery of the more pompous liberal establishment. (Political satire...requires a target that in a way invites the attack due to the ridiculous nature of their position. This is why (the left) can't use it in this current situation... Note "Bush is a big fat dummy" is not satire) How the brightest of the left must wince in pain when seeing clearly the truth between the lines of every "news" story (on ScrappleFace).

...I submit the precursor to Greyhawk's Theory is Greyhawk's statement on satire in political debate. The side that can use satire is close to the truth. A side whose attempts at satire inevitably backfire probably needs to re-examine their motives.

Greyhawk's Theory on Satire Backfire? Hmmmmm....

Interesting, to me at least, that Glenn obliquely tied me into something that actually was one of my original inspirations for blogging, but he made the connection for a different reason altogether.

Actually, the memory kicked in while I was entering this comment at Dean's World, in response to his insightful observations of the situation:

Parody and satire work best when the target is worthy, with some fundamental flaw in their thinking or action that when exposed via a skilled humorist reveals them for the misguided buffoons that they are. (This can be done without rancor if one avoids attacking the fundamental character of the individual.)

For so many years the Right has been the target of so many such jokes, and perhaps deservedly so. Now I'm quite convinced the Right is often mocked out of habit without any real examination of the issue that is being mocked.

Satire and parody work best now when pointed Left. Witness the success of ScrappleFace.

As further illustration I offer the decline of Saturday Night Live as a comedy program over the past few years. Can't wait to see that Sharpton episode though, maybe they'll reverse the trend!

"Greyhawk's Theory" referenced above, was (is) this:

"The liberal view in the liberal vs. conservative debate can not survive the immediate "printed" media that is today's web." --Greyhawk's Theory

Nonetheless, the liberals will not go away.
--The Terwilliger corollary

I would re-state the same today using Left and Right in place of liberal and conservative. Good folks like Dean long ago convinced me that the Left has converted "liberal" into something meaning exactly the opposite of its long accepted use. I am a liberal.

Now as to the MilBlog/Chickenhawk thing, let me make this clear: I'm anti-war. You may know someone in Iraq, I learn every day about another friend I've got over there, and my turn may come. War gets people killed, and good people are now very dead because of one man's vanity. That Saddam Hussein forced my nation to war will anger me forever, and here's an example of the type of anti-war rally I'd attend.

Those out there who are anti-war for the purist of ideological reasons, I salute. Those who would be "anti-war" for personal or political gain I refute.

Tommy, can you hear me?

Smash's linked 'Tom Tomorrow' comic features a quote that makes me wonder: is this a swipe at ScrappleFace? Cheeto Eaters are an inside joke there...

Of course, we can be sure Mr Tomorrow was busy drawing against the war, right? Much preferable to writing for it!

Nice work Smash!

ARMISTICE DAY

The eleventh month, eleventh day, eleventh hour, eleventh minute, and the war ended.

And the modern world began.

Armistice Day is now Veterans Day in America, but Armistice Day is still celebrated 'down under', though it seems even a day commemorating the end of war can be marred by misguided few.

It occurs to me I could do no more justice to Armistice Day then I did in the latest installment of Democracy, Whiskey, Sexy? So it's reposted directly below here (or linked here).

I hope to have something else veterans-related for you later, til then I hope you enjoy this brief story of a few generations of one family at war.

(I tried to fit some subtle connections to today in there too. Perhaps you can find them?)

Wishing a safe and happy Armistice Day to all...

DEMOCRACY, WHISKEY, SEXY?

Place holder. Post moved here http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/000561.html

More Trained Killers!!

Speaking of battle ready Marines, I should take a minute here to warn you all about my dogs. I said before, they're furly dangerous, and I wasn't kidding. As a military guy in Germany near the border with France... well let's just say I know I need all the help I can get.

And you can bet anybody tries anything funny near Greyhawk manor and there's going to be an international incident, if you know what I mean.

And oh by the way, lest you believe I haven't thought of everything these little beasties are taught to pee towards France too. At least the big one is, and he's quite the rifleman. The little one is still soiling the carpets. But that's okay, we have patience.

And I'll tell ya, I'm looking forward to the day I can recreate live the great Peter Sellers scene from Pink Panther:

French twit: Does your dog bite?

Me: No.

French twit: Hello there little...

Dog: Grrrr chomp chomp rarrrr!!

Bleeding one-armed French twit: I thought you said your dog didn't bite!

Me: (Using phony French accent as ridicule) Zis is not my dog, you fool!

He heh. Yeah, that's the ticket...

Happy Birthday, Semper Fi!

Quotes of the Day:

"When in doubt, empty the magazine."

"To ERR is human, to FORGIVE divine. HOWEVER, neither is Marine Corps Policy."

"Marines never die! They just go to hell and regroup."

Okay, today is the Marine Corps' birthday - 228 years of awesome sponsorship of NFL football telecasts...

Okay, just kidding. The early ads were rather rough, they didn't get awesome until after electricity was discovered by Tom Edison, a Marine rifleman who wanted to shoot better in the dark.

Ha! Kidding again! Football wasn't invented until the mid-18th century when several Marine riflemen were fighting for control of a pig.

Did you catch the big error in the above post? Yep, all Marines are riflemen, thus the phrase 'Marine rifleman' is repetitive and redundant. All true Marines got that one right away.

Okay, serious now. Great uniforms, great songs, great people. Happy birthday to the USMC! Now go visit Doc Russia, once-a-Marine-always-a-Marine, a Med student, and VRWC
co-conspirator. I bow to his expertise on the Lore of the Corps.

Homefront Voices

From Blackfive, a story without major mainstream media coverage. While in America you like to hear from GIs about the "ground truth" of world events, overseas we appreciate stories like this one in much the same manner. The real stories of the American mindset, vice what the media claims. (Though I'd certainly prefer such stories weren't necessary.)

I'm starting a category called Homefront Voices, so us GIs can get the much-needed morale boost from stories like this one. Anyone with similar stories or links please comment or e-mail me. Help spread the word if you'd like, maybe this will grow.

Oh, and the absence of Blackfive from the Blogroll is corrected. Thought I had added him a while back. As an former GI with emphasis on life in uniform he's on the "Rough Men" list.

Huaaah.

Warning!

From Wallace at Streams, a timely warning for those who live in heated homes who don't want to wake up dead some day. Read and heed.

DOG DAY

Big Dumb Puppy and Crazy Little Dingo:

Don't be fooled; they're furly dangerous types!

Days of Faded Hardwood Glory

The cool edge to the air is expected, and its absence today is noted. The morning sunshine through the big front glass warmed the house to the point the Mrs. thought the heat was on. We'd attended a big hail and farewell party the night before, featuring a cloudless sky and spectacular view of the red moon and goodbyes to folks moving on; such things are no less difficult for being routine after so many years. We'd slept in this morning after last night's big to-do (the eclipse began at 2am our time), and once we were up and about the dogs demanded walking before the coffee had a chance to boil.

Off we went, the Mrs. and I and the big dumb puppy and the crazy little dingo, the four of us through the woods where the multitude of colors on the hardwoods, peaked about one week ago, now approach the unity of pale golden brown. Inevitable. The top branches of some trees are bare, as are all of others. The path under foot is plush-carpeted in leaves; the rich smell of autumn seems fine to me today, as fine as the coffee I'll have back at the house.

No rush, the day is warm with a fine breeze, unbelievably warm for 50 north. But such days are altogether too short this time of year. We get back and drink coffee and read news and the daughter calls. She'd spent the night at a girlfriend’s, with four other girls too. Now it's time to get her, so we hop in the car and cruise the Autobahn, taking the dogs along. They love car rides, of course, and their enthusiasm is strangely contagious. Through forest all the way, with a few spots still at that peak color, those bright yellows, the mellow deep reds, the burnt orange, and the contrast of the evergreens...

Her friend lives alone now with just mom. Five more girls in the house for the night was probably a welcome diversion. Dad's an Army Surgeon deployed to Iraq since May. Daughter's making her way through sophomore year in High School in Germany without him. On the way home my daughter mentions her friend's excitement over her dad's stories. "He got to ride in a Blackhawk!" We say nothing much in reply.

Home again. As previously planned it's bike time. I bought the Mrs. a bike for our anniversary last month. Though she may claim the present is mine, and having her along on rides through the countryside is indeed my pleasure. A hard ride up hill to the ridgeline that runs behind our house brings the reward of the view. And what a view today! Under almost-summer-like warmth of cloudless blue skies (what do the Europeans call Indian Summer?) everyone is out. A large group of older folks volksmarches along; we ring bells and pedal slowly through. Riders on horses, people with dogs, the usually empty road is a bustling thoroughfare on this rare November day.

As we pass a group of parents and young children going the other way I hear a father say something about "balloons". I coast a bit further away then stop and turn. The horizon is dotted with hot air balloons, grey and small in the hazy distance. I've seen them before; they will put down in fields not far from here. But that is still some time away, judging by the distance, and we are moving on, riding along on the top of the world.

The view from those gently floating platforms must be indescribable. The view from the ground is nearly that. A rare day in autumn is a treasure; to have nothing making immediate demands of my time is sweet beyond compare.

I've many things to tell you, but they will wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow when I leave before dawn and return after sunset and consider myself fortunate to be here at all.

Thanks for stopping by.

Must Reads

Sgt Hook reports a follow up to his Jessica Blankenbecler story. Moving and awesome.

Also from Sgt Hook a link to Capt Patti, another GI in Baghdad and on the blogroll.

Capt Patti directs us to this site, where you can sign a get well card for a soldier recuperating from serious wounds received in Iraq.

Caringbridge (the host site of the "get well card") looks like a worthwhile organization. Tour their site a bit if you can.

Visit them all. You'll be glad you did.

All Heroes Deserve a Song

My recent Rick Rescorla post generated a bit of attention, and I've still got quite a few things to follow up on with regards to that. One thing I'm long overdue to accomplish is this:

GreyHawk Sir,

I visited your site yesterday and found posted a poem by David Prowse, "Hero" re Rick Rescorla.

I've set it to music, as promised, and the MP3 notes internally that D.Prowse holds copyright and that I was only the voice.

I actually recorded it early this morning, not having enough time to polish it, but its good.

Rick would've approved.

<...>

Its been a long 9/11 for me, here in Bangkok. I hope this I send is accepted in the same spirit it is offered.

With loving regards,

Carridine

Many thanks Carridine. Sorry for the long delay in posting.

Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight, the Inn at Mudville, following a time-honored tradition of celebrating heroic deeds in poetry, prose, and song, respectfully offers the work of the Bard Carradine. Enjoy.

Real Audio

The Dangerous Game

A quick thought. I'm still working this one through.

Here and there around the blogosphere (and elsewhere) you can find speculation about the possibility of escalation of the current war on terror. Whether it be sincere voices calling for an evaluation of our relationship with the Saudis, or others decrying our imminent invasion of Iran or Syria (seems less likely lately), or those alarmists expecting another major terrorist strike on US soil and the expected US response, there are voices in the wilderness on this issue. I use that "wilderness" terminology intentionally, because even though it exists, the escalation scenario is given little (albeit some) consideration in public discourse these days.

But escalation is a real (and currently undesirable) possibility, with a number of scenarios. Rumsfeld, IMHO, was approaching this (among other things) in his infamous memo, getting people to think about "how we're doing".

Meanwhile, the press has eagerly been filling its roll of thorn-in-the-side of the current administration, focusing on the negative aspect of current events. Admittedly, happy positive stories don't sell newspapers or win Pulitzer prizes. Still most lucid people think the bias is distinctly anti-Bush.

This serves the purpose of the Democratic candidates for president. There is no organized collusion between the press and the Democrats, but there might as well be. A significant number of Democrats appear to be ready to use whatever methods are needed to lower public opinion of the current President. A not-unpredictable goal, but one that some people would consider as being practiced a bit too enthusiastically lately, given that we are at war.

Stay with me: What's bad for our side in a conflict is good for the other. Thus it is inferred that the press/political opposition to the current administration (and please believe me I wear the uniform of this country's armed forces to ensure your right to said protest) benefits the terrorists, lending them hope that there are those in this country whose interests parallel their own, if only on a shallow level. (And perhaps in some radical cases on a deeper level.) A simplified analogy from a comment I left at Deans: if two people are fighting and a third begins pummeling one of them, it is pointless to argue whether he is hurting that one or helping the other; he is doing both regardless of his motive.

So then: if the situation were to escalate, at what point would the press/political opponents of the current administration switch sides and begin to trumpet support for our cause?

Would a small nuclear device detonated in an American city do it? Or would the headlines the next day hint at Bush's ultimate responsibility for the event? A successful shoe bomber? Would Howard Dean in his next appearance on MTV Rock the Vote decry the villainy of the president?

Where will the candidates jump off the bandwagon and rejoin mainstream America? Surely each has a point they will not pass? Surely there are levels to which some lingering shred of personal integrity will not let them sink? There are endless possibilities here. Some Democrats and some members of the press seem to take the current situation for a simple opportunity to benefit themselves. It's not hard to imagine the worst of this bunch quietly cheering each American death in Iraq, though most are simply playing a game. "I'm the better man then him" being the theme.

It's a dangerous game though, and I truly wonder how far they are willing to take it.

And now the vicious circle closes, because I think their current actions increase the likelihood of that escalation.

New (to me) Mil Blogs

The ever increasing number of my fellow GI's taking up blogging has led to some recent additions to the Military Blogroll (the top one over there). And I still need to add more!

You might want to get to know Jason, who says he's just another soldier. That might be true but he's also a heck of a writer. His Guard unit is spinning up to deploy to Iraq, and via the magic of Blogging you can take that journey with him. Or at least encourage him on the way.

Baldilocks is equally awesome. She just retired from the USAF Reserve. A great read, I think you'll agree.

The Cone Zone is a blog of one of Chief Wiggle's fellow Utah Guardsmen in Iraq. He loves Michael Bolton music, and you should send him some... not.

Where The Wild Thoughts Are is a military family blog, predominantly run by the Mrs (as all Military families are!) Great design, perhaps not what you'd expect (you'll see when you click), and some interesting info on the joy of being in medical hold limbo...

bis später...

STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER

Interviews with surviving soldiers from the Blackhawk shoot down, now recuperating a couple miles up the road:

?It started out fine. We were like little kids on a plane ride,? Nelson, 28, said with a quick smile as he lay in his bed at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center on Wednesday.

Above the thunderous whir of the aircraft rotors, Nelson and his buddies yelled back and forth, shooting the bull as the copter lifted off.

About 12 of the guys from his Fort Sill, Okla.-based 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, were with Nelson, including a best friend sitting across from him.

The back door of the helicopter was open and lots of soldiers were snapping pictures, said Nelson, of Orange, Texas. A second Chinook carrying other soldiers going on rest-and-recuperation leave in the United States was flying behind them.

And a Blackhawk is down. Six heroes lost. (Note this story is an AP story in the Stars and Stripes)

The helicopter went down about 9:40 a.m. on a riverbank along the Tigris River about a half mile from the U.S. base in Saddam Hussein's former palace. The military said it did not know how many people were aboard...

(Now referring to the Chinook shoot-down) ...Another of the wounded soldiers died in a hospital in Germany Thursday, bringing the Chinook death toll to 16.

The death Friday brought to 142 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq by hostile fire since President Bush declared an end to major combat May 1. A total of 114 U.S. soldiers were killed in action before Bush's declaration.

Thanks for keeping score. I can almost hear the cheering at DNC headquarters. Probably won't help Army morale though.

Of course everyone knows about the large number of folks who won't re-enlist due to the low morale caused by extensive deployments and danger in Iraq, right? And following on the heels of the recent Stars and Stripes "morale series" is this:

As the Army closed out fiscal 2003 at the end of September, so many soldiers had raised their right hands to re-enlist that the service met its retention goals and then some, retaining 106 percent of the soldiers it hoped to keep.

?We needed 51,000 soldiers to re-enlist, and we got 54,151,? said Sgt. Maj. James Vales, a senior retention manager at Army headquarters in Washington.

Read the rest here. I hope to have a bit more on this subject later.

After the sensational coverage of the "morale" stories it should be interesting to see how the mainstream press covers this reality story about retention. "Not at all" is my guess.

WANTED: A SECOND AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTY

In Mississippi:

Former Republican National Committee chairman (Haley) Barbour handily defeated incumbent Democrat Ronnie Musgrove in another closely watched race. Barbour, who also campaigned with Bush over the weekend, told supporters in Mississippi Tuesday night, "Tomorrow is a day to move on and put this day behind us and get ready to accentuate the positive."

...state officials said they were investigating dozens of reports of irregularities Tuesday, including allegations that observers followed voters into ballot booths or videotaped voters and their completed ballots.

"The Republican Party has run this election with a fist full of dollars in one hand and a Confederate flag in the other," said state Democratic Party chairman Rickey L. Cole.

Continue reading "WANTED: A SECOND AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTY "

Earlier, Barbour had revisited another issue that divided the races -- the Confederate flag. Recent ads reminded voters that Musgrove had supported an unsuccessful 2001 referendum that sought to remove the Rebel X

Former RNC chair holds Bush's hand during the campaign? Guess the man's not political poison in Mississippi. (Didn't Clinton appear with Davis in California?) Meanwhile the best the Dems can do is make feeble claims at "voter intimidation?" My prediction: The voter intimidation ploy was planned out in advance when it looked like the election might be close. The reality was another ~55-45 win for the Reps, similar to Kentucky, even though pre election polls (just like those in California) claimed it was too close to call. The intimidation claims will fade, because 1) they are likely false and 2) it won't change the results, which is what those who make the claims really want. They could care less if every vote is counted.

Speaking of the Confederate flag issue, Howie Dean gained the respect of some folks for not backing down like a complete invertebrate when other candidates demanded he retract and apologize for his comments. (Though he should have lost much respect for appearing on the ridiculous "Rock the Vote" insult-to-Americans-under-20.) The latest developments:

Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean, under fire for saying he wanted to be a candidate for "guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks," issued an apology for his remark Thursday.

Dean said he used poor judgment in what was a sincere attempt to signal his effort to bring conservative but poor white voters into the Democratic Party fold.

"I think I made a mistake," Dean told CNN's Bill Hemmer on "American Morning." Dean also said he is confident his remark won't sink his campaign ship.

Meanwhile, back in Mississippi, insight and analysis from the Jackson Clarion/Ledger:

Republicans now control half the top positions in state government, and enough Republicans have been added to the Mississippi House to block any Democratic attempts at overriding vetoes.

"They can play now and play with some muscle," said Marty Wiseman, political science professor at Mississippi State University.

For the first time since Reconstruction, Republicans control the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, state treasurer and state auditor — four of the top eight positions in state government.

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Republicans went out of their way to embrace President Bush and other top national Republicans. Democrats seeking statewide office appeared to distance themselves from the national party, calling themselves "independent" and "conservative."

"When you've got to run from the national party, it puts you against your own," Wiseman said.

Recurring themes here, as Dems in the south try desperately to be Republicans and don't know it. Dean actually had a vague clue that he was out of touch, and was attempting to make contact, albeit clumsily and without a good grasp of the intricacies of southern politics. Now that his opponents for the Democratic nomination have essentially emasculated him on this one expect all their numbers to fall even further south in the south. Within a few weeks this won't be discussed in Dixie. Nor will it be forgotten.

This excerpt from commentary at CNS News provides insight into the minefield of southern politics:

...Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe had declared the Mississippi race, won by former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour, a referendum on President Bush.

And Georgia's Democrat Zell Miller, who's retiring from his Senate seat, warned that Democrats won't win the presidency if they can't carry any southern states.

"The age of the white southern Democrat has come to a close, and this is another sign of that," said Steve Moore, president of the Club for Growth, which helps fund free market candidacies.

"There's no question Bush was a big winner when it comes to these governor's races because he put his reputation on the line," Moore added. "And the Democrats tried to run against these 'Washington Republicans' that are tied to Bush, and that backfired."

In next year's presidential race, Democrats will have to win all the battleground states to offset Republican wins in the South, Moore predicts.

"If they start by losing Florida and Texas and then they're losing all the other southern states, it's just very difficult for them...to win every close state," said Moore, namely Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia.

"Yesterday, the South's hue became more deeply 'Bush Red,'" said University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato. "Should Louisiana go GOP on Nov. 15, it will turn redder still.

Note the "white southern Democrat" quote. Can the Democrats reach such a voter? Note that Deans "Confederate flag" comments were also seen (rightfully) as insulting and uninformed by a lot of southern (and elsewhere) folks who are liberal-leaning Democrats by registration, but independent "swing voters in actuality. And if the Democratic candidate does reach out to such voters, at what cost? The Dems have so many conflicted special interest groups they must appease that their task may be impossible.

Signs of developing discord are showing, as knives, if not as yet being plunged into backs, are at least being sharpened:

Democrats across the country rallied to support Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe yesterday, a day after the party lost governorships in Kentucky and Mississippi and less than four weeks after losing the gubernatorial race in California.

But on a morning of bitter misgivings for Democrats there were also rumblings in Mississippi, California, New York, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, with many party rank- and-file members complaining that the DNC has written off the South, taken black voters for granted and picked a poor 2004 convention site in Boston.

“Terry McAuliffe is out there on his own agenda, which does not involve the South,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the only black member of his state’s congressional delegation.

“It does not involve African Americans to the extent that they need to be. There are some real organizational problems at the Democratic National Committee that need to be corrected if in fact this party is to ever regain a majority status in Washington.”

Nevertheless, DNC leaders, members of Congress and party officials from Alaska to New Mexico to North Carolina said McAuliffe could have done little to prevent Rep. Ernie Fletcher (R-Ky.) from trouncing Democratic Attorney General Ben Chandler and Haley Barbour (R) from beating Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D) in Mississippi.

Other Democrats, including DNC officials, said that if anyone is to blame for those losses it is the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) and Democratic state and local leaders...

...Democrats also pointed out that, in Kentucky, Chandler was saddled with scandals surrounding Democratic Gov. Paul Patton. They further argued that Mississippi... was too conservative to fight for and that Musgrove had been an aberration.

...Other Democratic officials defended McAuliffe but criticized party leaders on Capitol Hill, particularly Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (S.D.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), citing division within party ranks about the Iraq war.

...Still others said state and local Democratic leaders in the South had failed to build the party machinery needed to turn back the Republican tide that has swept all levels of government in that part of the country since the civil rights movement of the mid-1960s.

In South Carolina, for example, former Gov. Jim Hodges (D) had neglected to build a party organization for statewide campaigns, said former DNC Chairman Don Fowler, now a political science professor at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia.

Fowler said Southern Democrats had failed to take their message of greater economic opportunity and racial equality to the people, calling themselves Democrats while distancing themselves from national leaders in Washington.

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DNC officials and Democratic House members, including Reps. Frost and Barney Frank (Mass.), downplayed the gubernatorial elections, arguing that the committee is right where it wants to be. DNC officials insisted that the party is looking forward to hosting its national convention in Boston.

Many Democrats have questioned the wisdom of hosting the big event in liberal Massachusetts instead of taking their case to New York, where the GOP will be, or Miami, site of the Florida post-election meltdown in 2000.

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On Wednesday, Republicans were anything but frustrated. The party’s gubernatorial wins in Kentucky — the first in more than 30 years — and Mississippi showed the president’s broad appeal, current RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie said at a press conference.

Looking forward to the Nov. 15 Louisiana gubernatorial election, in which Republican Bobby Jindal is running neck and neck with Democratic Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco, Gillespie said voters want a positive message.

“What we saw again here were examples of the candidates running on issues,” Gillespie said, referring to the Kentucky and Mississippi races, “talking about creating jobs, talking about improving schools, talking about making healthcare more affordable for their citizens, and Democrats running very negative campaigns.”

"Neck and neck" in Louisiana too, eh?

I don't mean to gloat here; I really want a two-party system. Like most Americans I'd prefer a loyal opposition to any administration. But the Dems are loosing (and loosing it) on a lot of issues. Where can they start to fix their problems?

First they must accept that they have a problem. Hating Bush will not keep him from being reelected.

Next they must show an ability to work with the other party; in power or out, there must be some cooperation, especially in time of war. (So acknowledging that this is time of war may be step 2, then making cooperative efforts) A two-birds-with-one-stone effort may be possible, to mend bridges in the south and show cooperation. If I Were I Terry McAulliff's replacement I would seriously consider demanding this simple first step from my cronies in the Senate (from the OpinionJournal):

Democrats may also want to reconsider the wisdom of their Senate judicial-filibuster strategy. Republicans in Mississippi made much of the Democratic filibuster of appeals-court nominee Charles Pickering Sr., a highly regarded Mississippian who has been unfairly labeled a racist. A Senate vote on ending the filibuster, conveniently timed for last Thursday, was big news in his home state.

Two other Southerners are on the filibuster list: Alabama Attorney General William Pryor and Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen. A third, Janice Brown, an African-American now sitting on the California Supreme Court, is the daughter of a sharecropper from rural Alabama. National liberal Democrats claim these popular Southerners are too "extreme," which is another way of saying "drop dead" to the entire South. On Tuesday's evidence, the South is returning the compliment.

Really, it's a pale hope at best that the Democrats problems are confined to the south. A judicial nominee finally getting past their iron curtain would probably score them some desperately needed points nationwide.

But it's not going to be easy.

Another controversial Bush nominee passed a preliminary test Thursday, getting approval on a party-line vote from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown now awaits her fate in the full Senate, where Democrats have already put the brakes on four of President Bush's nominees for the bench.

Brown, who has been lauded by Republicans as a great candidate for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, has been targeted by some African-American activists who say the conservative, black, female justice is not a good fit on the 12-member D.C. court because of her temperament on the bench and inadequate qualifications...

...(NAACP chairman Julian) Bond said President Bush is nominating Brown to make him look sympathetic to minorities, even though the African-American candidate is completely unacceptable.

"Judicial selection should be based on principle, not on pigment. The president cheapens the process when he substitutes race for rationality or color for capability," Bond said.

But the White House continued to back its candidate, repeating again on Wednesday that Brown is ably qualified for the federal bench, primarily because she is not a judicial activist.

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The 54-year-old Brown was born in segregated Alabama, the daughter of sharecroppers. She has served on the California Supreme Court for nearly eight years, and was re-elected in 1998 with 76 percent of the vote.

But you know why Ms Brown probably won't make it? Because when Democrats say "conservative judges", this is what they have in mind. (It's from the DNC homepage folks, and it's nothing new.)

Speaking of judges, these guys just overturned action by both the other two branches of the government, so perhaps they could just appoint and confirm more of themselves to the bench, don't you think?