Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 236 words, total size 1 kb.

Well, we got good news and bad news today. The doctors have determined the root cause of his current distress and will be able to treat it. It seems that he has type A Influenza.
What, you say, we got all upset over a bad case of the Flue?!?

Well it's a VERY serious thing in Wesley's case, because it seems that he's also entered the end stage period of his COPD. The infection had caused his already overscarred lungs to fill with fluid and reduced his renal capabilities, leading to congestive heart failure. The doctors say that if he had waited another couple hours prior to coming to the hospital, he wouldn't have survived.

They have placed him in a "reverse (air) flow" isolation room and begun supportive treatment to ease the symptoms, with the thinking that it will take approximarely a week to get him well enough to spend another two or three days in an regular room for observation to ensure he can return home, along with a new regimen of pulmonary rehabilitation excercises to try to keep him stable as long as possible in the last progression of the COPD. He will survive this bout of illness, but it's doubtful that he will the next. Brings a whole new light on having a "Killer" Cold!...

Lila and I were aware of what the COPD diagnosis five years ago meant, but Lila's mother Hazel is still unaware that "End Stage" means that every hour is another small triump of life over death. Wesley and Hazel are supposed to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversery in May. Lila and I only pray that the pulmonary excercises allow him to see that day. Wesley has always been one to buck the odds and overcome, so we will have to have faith that he will this time also.

Thank you all for your support and prayers, they are a great comfort to us both.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:59 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 331 words, total size 2 kb.

We all know teenagers have more enthusiasm than common sense. They are the bulletproof immortals that, hopefully, survive their missteps long enough to actually become real people that can be reasoned with.

There was a teenager that was really interested in journalism. His class was studying "immersion journalism" wherein the reporter "lives" the subject of his story.

So what does he do? Unlike his movie namesake, Ferris Bueler, who only took the day off, Ferris Hassan took off the entire week before Christmas break...

He took money he had saved from past birthdays and Christmases, ditched the last week of classes before the holiday break, and flew to the Middle East to experience Iraq for himself.

Thanks to plain dumb luck, a fortuitouse confluance of events that prevented his passing through the Kuwati/Iraqi border, and the 101 Airborne, Ferris is on his way home to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ...hopefully a little less unsure of his own immortality and with a new propensity to consider ALL factors when he plans his vacations...

H/T to Jack for the link

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 185 words, total size 1 kb.

This is the longest post I've ever put up. Get a cup of your favorite beverage, relax, and I hope you enjoy.

One of my best Blogging compatriots, RightWingRocker, has a friend identified as "ArmyBryan" who just returned from the MidEast Sandbox Tour™, otherwise known as the Iraqi war. RWR asked AB if he could interview him as a post for his blog, and AB graciously acceded to the request. This Left RWR in a bit of a quandry; WHAT to ask?

Well, he came across a mock debate contrived by Michael Smerconish, a Philadelphia talk radio host; asking several prominent people to comment on fourteen of his personal opinions regarding Iraq. Mr. Smerconish simply played each of their recorded answers one right after the other in a debate form. The questions are succinct, and cut right to the heart of the basic disagreements in the body politic, so he decided to use them as the basis of his interview.

Go here for ArmyBryans's responses.

I thought it might be good to get a greater sample to add to the debate, so
I asked two men that I greatly admire and respect to do the same. They are both midlevel officers that recently served in Iraq. They seldom agree on matters of politics, so I thought it might be interesting to compare what they had to say. Then I decided, why limit it to two? I decided to have the two "active" duty soldiers in this first installment; two "seasoned" veterans (Ret) in the second; and two civilians chipping in on the third. that way we would have 6 sets of opinions, coming from different political perspectives and different levels of personal involvement.

First up is StreetGang 6. He's a bit more to the left than I am, certainly, but I've always found him to be capable of debating in a well reasoned manner, so why I may not always agree with him, I have to respect his arguments.

ON WITH THE SHOW:

Do you agree or disagree; are you willing to admit or deny these statements?

1. 9/11 was the work of radical Islam.

Without a doubt! We've seen what a 15th century mind-set armed with 21st century technology can now do. On a personal note, I find the canard making the rounds in the umma that the Isrealis were responsible for the attacks and that the Jews that worked in the WTC were warned not to go to work that day viscerally and personally offensive. I say this as I lost a friend of over 10 years in the South Tower, and she was a Jew. A LOT of families I know sat shiva that week....

2. Post-9/11 there was a consensus in the country to be forward-leaning, meaning to be pre-emptive if necessary to protect against further attack.

Yep. If anyone disagrees, a quick archive search of pretty much every op-ed page in the nation, including most unlikeliest of all publications the Village Voice, will quickly tell you otherwise. At the time, I had queasy feeling that our quest for pay-back would take us down a rabbit hole. Unfortunately, I'm seeing some of my worst fears being realized.

3. Iraq played no role in the events of September 11.

Agreed. This was largely the work of a band of islamo-fascist fanatics that had little affiliation with any nation-state. What little affliation it did have was more with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, whom ironically we now claim as "allies" in the GWOT.

4. Iraq was nevertheless perceived by American and foreign military and intelligence operations to pose a threat, based principally upon the belief that Saddam Hussein possessed WMDs.

Agreed. EVERY credible intel service in the world had made that estimate. However, even then, there was considerable dispute within the intel communities to the full extent and nature of the threat posed by Sadadm Hussein's Iraq.

5. Saddam Hussein\'s perceived possession of WMDs was the primary reason advanced by the Bush administration in support of the invasion of Iraq.

Yes. And at the time I thought GWB was making the wrong argument. The correct argument for taking out Hussein was the same one that was, corectly, made against Serbia's Milosevic, i.e., he's a genocidial, meglomaniacal sociopath that the civilized world should eliminate. America has a noble history of going to war on behalf of freedom and individual dignity. Americans respond to those reasons best.

6. It is now apparent that Saddam had no WMDs, meaning the Administration\'s predicate for going to war was faulty.

Yes. Which is precisely why I wished GEB didn't use that as the reason for going to war. I've heard the counter-argument that he shipped his WMD's to Syria, as indicated by the huge amount of trucks moving overland to Syria before the war. From what Although that possibility cannot be 100% dismissed, the more likely explanation is that this traffic was the result of Iraqi citizens (largely Sunnis and Baathist) getting themselves and their stuff out before the hammer fell.

7. There can\'t be any disagreement about this. With or without WMDs, Saddam Hussein is nevertheless an SOB.

Absolutely. Good riddance!

8. The fact that the Administration was wrong about WMDs does not mean that the President lied on that subject.

No, he was merely "wrong." But still accountable. We've now had 3 intel failures (this, 9/11, and our post invasion Iraqi forecast) at the national decision making level in as many years. We need to know why and people need to be held accountable.

9. I know we\'ve got controversy on this one, the war in Iraq is going poorly.

Not poor, just tougher than it needed to be. It could have gone a lot better if SecDef had actually listened to his green suiters about stability and reconstruction ops. It would have gone a lot easier if the State Dept wasn't frozen out by the Pentagon immediately after the fall of Hussein. And it would have had a lot more "legitimacy," if the arrogance of the adminstration hadn't alienated our natural allies. I mean we even had the FRENCH on-board in late 2001 for pete's sake.

10. It\'s entirely possible that when all is said and done, we will have facilitated the replacement of Saddam Hussein with a leadership regime in Iraq that is beholden to Iran and unfriendly to the U.S., albeit one that does not equal the evil of Saddam nor the type of threat he could have become.

Possible, but not probable. Worse case, Iraq breaks down into Kurdish/Sunni/Shia geographical factions and we see a mid-level civil war akin to Lebanon. Most likely, we'll see some sort of federal system that comes into being that more or less addresses the core concerns of all factions. They will continue to look warily upon each other, but they won't descend into a fight-to-the-death struggle.

11. I hardly expect disagreement. Leaving Iraq now, meaning immediately, would embolden insurgents and terrorists.

It would be the worst thing we could do right now. Failure is not an option.

12. Our presence in Iraq provides a rallying point for the insurgency and the radical Islamists.

Absolutely. Large portions of the umma see us as Crusaders incarnate. I've always said the quickest way to piss off another nation is for us to ship over in large quantities our 19 yrs olds, either as soldiers armed with weapons, peace corps volunteers armed with good intentions, or spring-breakers armed with utterly unspeakable boorishness.

13. Leaving Iraq as soon as possible must be our goal.

Absolutely not. In fact I expect we'll have a sizable presence there for at least the next 2 generations. Think Germany, Japan, and South Korea.

14. Final statement, last but certainly not least, and I know we\'ve got disagreement about this one: It\'s time for the administration to set a timetable to leave Iraq.

LOL, um, no. We leave when the greater Mid-East region has achieved the stability of say France/Luxembourg/Belgium/Holland/Germany.

Next up we have Odysseus. He tends to lean more toward my political viewpoint than SG6, although we do disagree on many social outlooks.(So much for the "Monolithic Neo-con Conspiracy" touted by the "Progressive" set!)

Do you agree or disagree; are you willing to admit or deny these statements?

1. 9/11 was the work of radical Islam.

It sure wasnÂ’t the League of Women Voters. Osama claimed credit for the attacks. All 19 highjackers were affiliated with Al Qaeda. This is a slam dunk.

2. Post-9/11 there was a consensus in the country to be forward-leaning, meaning to be pre-emptive if necessary to protect against further attack.

Sort of. ItÂ’s not so much that there was a consensus to be forward leaning, itÂ’s that there was a consensus to be tracking with the right poll numbers. The vast majority of Americans wanted to see the government take a more effective strategic stance toward terrorism, but many of the elites did not. Anyone who would have answered yes to question 1 realized that we could no longer count on geography, reciprocity or treaties to protect us. However, there were those who, even after 9/11, continued to act as though the calculus hadnÂ’t changed. International A.N.S.W.E.R. held rallies against the invasion of Afghanistan even after it was obvious that they would continue to harbor the murderers of 3,000 Americans. Some took the attacks as an opportunity to blame America for othersÂ’ hatred of us, which had the effect of trying to impugn the military and intelligence roles for which 9/11 explicitly demonstrated the need. There were some who continued to see terrorism as a law-enforcement problem and had the same issue with military options.

3. Iraq played no role in the events of September 11.

Not entirely. The 9/11 CommissionÂ’s inexplicable refusal to examine the role of Ahmad Hikmat Shakir has left this individualÂ’s actions out of the public eye, but they bear scrutiny. An Iraqi national, Shakir was involved in the 1993 WTC bombing and facilitated a 2000 meeting in Malaysia of Al Qaeda leaders which included several of the 9/11 highjackers. He was also implicated in the Bojinka plot, a previous Al Qaeda plan to use aircraft as flying bombs in Asia, which was never carried out. ShakirÂ’s employment at the Kuala Lumpur airport prior to the meeting was arranged through the Iraqi embassy in Malaysia. In addition, there is the Czech intelligence agencyÂ’s assertion that Mohammed Atta met with an Iraqi agent in Prague just prior to 9/11. In addition, the Salman Pak training area provided Ansar Al Islam, the Iraqi branch of Al Qaeda, with a training site (which included a fuselage from a commercial airliner which was used in training highjackers). None of this proves that Iraq played a role, but it certainly implies Iraqi knowledge of Al Qaeda operations and provision of logistical support to the same.

4. Iraq was nevertheless perceived by American and foreign military and intelligence operations to pose a threat, based principally upon the belief that Saddam Hussein possessed WMDs.

Yes and no. Iraq was certainly perceived as a potential threat, but his WMD arsenal was not the sole reason. The AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARYFORCE AGAINST IRAQ RESOLUTION OF 2002 contained 26 causus belli for the Iraq war, including terrorism, material breaches of UN resolutions, violations of the Desert Storm cease fire terms, and of course, state sponsorship of terrorism. And there is no doubt that Iraq was a sponsor of terrorism throughout the world, providing safe haven for terrorists and training sites (remember that airplane fuselage at Salman Pak?). Then there are the terrorists to whom Saddam provided a safe haven. We captured Abu Abbas, the mastermind of the Achille Lauro highjacking, in Baghdad. Abu Nidal leader Sabri al-Banna enjoyed years of sanctuary in Iraq. Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, Al QaedaÂ’s chief operative in Iraq, was welcomed by Saddam, as were numerous other operatives when they were driven from Afghanistan. Throw in SaddamÂ’s payments to the families of suicide bombers in Israel and his use of terrorists to attack Iraqi expatriates throughout the world, and terrorism becomes a compelling reason to eliminate him.

5. Saddam Hussein's perceived possession of WMDs was the primary reason advanced by the Bush administration in support of the invasion of Iraq.

See question 4.

6. It is now apparent that Saddam had no WMDs, meaning the Administration's predicate for going to war was faulty.

No. ItÂ’s apparent that he found a way to get rid of them, either through destruction or transfer. The recently retired Chief of Staff to the Israeli Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon, told the NY Sun that Saddam transported his WMDs out of Iraq, saying, "He transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria. No one went to Syria to find it." This confirms my theory, which I based on the incredibly heavy convoy traffic between Baghdad and Damascus for the six months prior to the war, while we were trying to get the UN to enforce its own resolutions. It must also be pointed out that WMDs, by their very nature, are compact. SaddamÂ’s entire anthrax arsenal, once estimated at 5,000 liters, would fit inside the average garage (imagine a stack of 2,500 2-liter Coke bottles and you get the idea of the volume, which isnÂ’t much). 1 liter is the volume of a cube that is 10 cm on each side, so one cubic meter is 1,000 liters. ThatÂ’s two truckloads, tops.

7. There can't be any disagreement about this. With or without WMDs, Saddam Hussein is nevertheless an SOB.

One would think not. However, the issue is not whether Saddam was an SOB. When people try to make the absurd claim that “George W. Bush is the real terrorist", they’re obscuring the monstrous records of Saddam, Bin Laden and Zarqawi in order to score cheap political points.

8. The fact that the Administration was wrong about WMDs does not mean that the President lied on that subject.

IÂ’m not so sure that the administration was wrong on the subject. Saddam had to have used something to gas the Kurds. And even if the administration was wrong, it was in great company. Bill Clinton did use SaddamÂ’s threat of WMDs as the sole reason to launch missile attacks against Iraq in 1998 (as opposed to LewinskyÂ’s threat of headline-creating testimony on the same day) with extensive backing from Senate Democrats two whole years before George W. Bush took office, and even then, he wasnÂ’t alone in this assessment. Every intelligence agency in the world had the same beliefs. BritainÂ’s MI5 broke the story (which it continues to insist is accurate) of SaddamÂ’s attempt to buy Nigerian uranium.

9. I know we've got controversy on this one, the war in Iraq is going poorly.

The only controversy on this one is between people whoÂ’ve been there or whoÂ’ve listened to us and people who havenÂ’t and wonÂ’t. By any measure, things are improving dramatically. The number of terror attacks during the last election was one-tenth the number that ZarqawiÂ’s organization pulled off during the previous election. This is partly a result of his loss of a large chunk of support from Sunnis whoÂ’ve abandoned terrorism to try to work within the political process, and partly his loss of so many operatives that heÂ’s unable to sustain the same OP-tempo. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Critics of the war like to scream about our casualty numbers (which would be more credible if theyÂ’d ever given a damn about living US troops), but they never look at terrorist casualties. In order for an insurgency to function, it has to kill ten conventional enemy soldiers for every one of its own losses. WeÂ’ve inverted that ratio. ZarqawiÂ’s forces lost almost as many fighters in one battle, Fallujah, as we have during the entire war. Those casualties and his loss of support demonstrate that his operations are not sustainable at their current levels. WeÂ’re winning. YouÂ’d have to be blind not to see it, but there are those who remain deliberately blind to reality.

10. It's entirely possible that when all is said and done, we will have facilitated the replacement of Saddam Hussein with a leadership regime in Iraq that is beholden to Iran and unfriendly to the U.S., albeit one that does not equal the evil of Saddam nor the type of threat he could have become.

Possible, but not likely. The Iranian and Iraqi Shia had a schism at the time of the Khomeinist revolution which is instructive. There is a doctrine in Islam which allows a “learned” man to assume responsibility for someone who is incapable of taking care of themselves. This usually applies to widows, orphans, the infirm, etc. Khomeini applied this doctrine to an entire nation, in stark departure from centuries of Shia ideology, which asserts that until the return of the Twelfth Imam, no one is qualified to rule as Caliph, or successor to Mohammed. The Iraqi Shia don’t accept Khomeini’s apostasy and it is for this reason (among others) that Ali Al Sistani has opposed any alliances with Iran. Also, the Shia, while a majority, cannot govern without the Kurds, who are Sunnis. There are Kurds in Iran, as well, who are viciously oppressed by that government. The Iraqi Kurds would resist any alliance with Iran. Finally, the Iranian Shia detest their government. The mullahs have lost their legitimacy and the vast majority in Iran wants them out. It is far more likely to see a pro-US movement in Iran develop in close ties with Iraqi Shia than the reverse.

11. I hardly expect disagreement. Leaving Iraq now, meaning immediately, would embolden insurgents and terrorists.

D-uh. Not to mention collapsing the Iraqi state that we just spent the last three years building.

12. Our presence in Iraq provides a rallying point for the insurgency and the radical Islamists.

Only in the sense that it forces them to fight in what was previously their own territory. The Iraq war has placed the terrorists on the strategic defensive. They have no choice but to fight to destabilize Iraq because they know, as our media does not, that a US victory there will be devastating to them. First, just from a logistical point of view, Iraq separates Syria and Iran, making mutual support between the two remaining terror states far more difficult. Second, Iraqi political freedom is acting as a catalyst throughout the region. IranÂ’s mullahs know that they are extremely unpopular (a poll that they commissioned and then tried to suppress showed over 75% want them out, and antigovernment riots are now common, although oddly unreported in our objective media) and they know that their people see Iraqi Shia having free elections and want to emulate them. Zarqawi considers democracy a violation of Islamic law and every vote is an ink stained finger in his eye, a significant issue in a shame/honor culture where unanswered acts of defiance weaken him daily. Syria was forced out of Lebanon because the Lebanese were galvanized by the sight of free elections in Iraq. Dictators throughout the world have had to reassess their options in view of our commitment to democracy and our willingness to fight for it, for they know that it only took one crack in the Berlin Wall to force the collapse of the Soviet Union. If we succeed in Iraq, the terrorists and their sponsors fail, not just there, but throughout the world. Those who govern through fear can't continue to rule if they are seen as impotent.

13. Leaving Iraq as soon as possible must be our goal.

No. Stabilizing Iraq as soon as possible must be our goal. Then we can think about leaving.

14. Final statement, last but certainly not least, and I know we've got disagreement about this one: It's time for the administration to set a timetable to leave Iraq.

“Mr. Roosevelt, now that Germany has surrendered, what is your timetable for withdrawing from Europe?” Sounds stupid, doesn’t it? But that’s exactly what this question is asking. We were unable to withdraw from Europe for years after WWII, because of the need to rebuild the crushed infrastructure and to ensure that the weakened states did not fall prey to the new totalitarian threat of the Soviets after the defeat of the Nazis. The situation in Iraq is almost identical to this. We are rebuilding critical infrastructure and getting the Iraqi economy on its feet (a major accomplishment, since Ba’athism was a socialist doctrine, guaranteeing economic as well as political horrors on the people of Iraq) while standing up security forces which will be able, in the long run, to stand up to the hostile neighboring states which have a vested interest in the failure of democracy.

Besides, weÂ’ve already had a timetable in place, although the same people who oppose the war refuse to see it. The National Transitional Assembly election, the Constitutional Referendum and the parliamentary election were all held on a schedule that was established during the first stage of the liberation of Iraq. Each of these went off on schedule, despite the clamor to postpone each one because they were sure that the security situation wouldnÂ’t allow them to be held. This was simply wishful thinking from those who want to see us lose. Now, itÂ’s true that we donÂ’t know when the Iraqi government and security forces will be able to function without our aid, but we have stood up an army, from scratch, of over 200,000 soldiers in over eighty battalions, each with a functioning headquarters, in just over two years. ThatÂ’s an amazing feat. We will continue to make tremendous progress and eventually, Iraq will be able to stand by itself, but until then, we cannot let our work be destroyed by an early withdrawal, whose only motivation is the desire by some of our political opportunists to see an American defeat blamed on this president.

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

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 01:47 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 3668 words, total size 23 kb.

I probably won't be blogging anything today, we just got a call from MamaMontezz's mother with the news that her father was in the CICU unit of the hospital. The initial diagonosis is congestive heart failure....bad enough in itself, but her father is a COPD patient that has been on O2 for at least the last 4 years, so CHF is a grim prognosis.

We're off to go lend our support to her mom. I would ask all of you to put in a special word with the Big Man upstairs. Wesley Albert is one of those special men that you just don't want to ever go, but if it is to be, I just hope that it will be an easy passing.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 12:06 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 127 words, total size 1 kb.

While doing my Liege duty as a Loyal Citizen of the Empire in reading my Emperor's every missive to the Empire, I came across this excellant example of just WHY Darth Misha 1 IS the Emperor.

I hope someday when I grow up to be worthy of a seat at his table of Knights alongside Sir George and the other worthies ensconsed there.

Paleo-Swinians whining about those mean Israeli Pilots.......let me check the meter:

Nope! Nary a twitch....maybe I'm just too incensed at the moral equivilizing of loud noises to rocket/mortor attacks/suicide bombings to care whether or not poor Achmed or Shariza might have to put up with a little "boom" now and again?

Especially since, living on an Air Base, such "booms" were an everyday fact of life for Mamamontezz growing up? Heck! she MISSES them!
She yearns for the days of sonic booms over the playground during recess...
She waxes nostalgic over multiple sonic booms that would rattle the plates on the wall and the glass in the windows. Ahhh! THOSE were the days!
And other than her proclivities for unusual sexual practices, they don't seem to have affected her in the least.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 203 words, total size 2 kb.

Buck Sgt. Skip has some advice for those lovelorn soldiers serving in some foreign cities.

I was a little put off that he didn't include Amsterdam in his list...then I realized that with the Red Light District there, there was no NEED for advice, just a portion of your paycheck. LOL.

I've got to add this guy to the blogroll, as soon as I get over my trytophan induced lethergy...

H/T to JackArmy for the link.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:24 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 86 words, total size 1 kb.

Top 10 Signs You're Sick of the Holidays

10. You've got red and green bags under your eyes

9. You're serving reindeer pot pie

8. When you hear, "Sleigh bells ring, are you listenin'?," you scream,
"No! I'm not listening!"

7. You climb on your roof and start shooting carolers in the ass with
your BB gun

6. You think you hear your Christmas tree taunting you.

5. Instead of spending time with family, you're watching some guy make
photo copies

4. You're busted for running through town wearing nothing but mistletoe.

3. You've got eggnog coming out of your ears

2. Your standard response, "And happy holidays to you too, you bastard"

1. Two words: tinsel rash

H/T to Nancy

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:48 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 127 words, total size 1 kb.

1 LOL... I think part of the problem is Christmas starts in Oct. in November in the USA. Or is it October now?

Posted by: Rachel Ann at December 27, 2005 05:29 PM (c1nUp)

2 I just posted a suggestion to start the new year on the 26 of Dec because this is a wasted week. I think it was all planned this way so there could be 103 college football bowl games-only thre or four which mean a damn thing to anyone except the players and schools involved.

Posted by: GUYK at December 27, 2005 07:07 PM (79ZDR)

3 I saw Christmas decorations in stores before Halloween, and wanted to buy something the week before and gone. Only Valentine's stuff to be found. Such crap.

Posted by: Alli at December 27, 2005 10:50 PM (9BW95)

4 "You're busted for running through town wearing nothing but mistletoe." You've been spying on me haven't you? And I bet you didn't even get a court order did you!! Can I say THANK GOD IT'S OVER loud enough?

Posted by: wanda at December 28, 2005 02:35 AM (cVji6)

5 Well Wanda...actually the surveilence was authorized through a FISA warrant . NEVER want to skirt legality around YOU! LOL You don't need to shout, the "bat ear" mikes pick up a whisper at 50 feet...

Posted by: delftsman 3 at December 28, 2005 05:48 AM (1V3kn)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Not to long ago I put up a post and a link to a query: Where are the Heroes?

In that post I mentioned a man that has been put up for the CMH(posthumous), and asked just how many of you had seen news stories about him...

Well, here is the story of another hero, and I doubt that you read much about him either. In the news, he'll be mentioned as "another soldier died in Iraq today, from wounds inflicted by an IED."

But the FACT is that the IED didn't inflict that grave a wound; this man literaly burned himself to the point where he didn't survive treatment by REPEATEDLY re-entering the Bradley that he and his team had been riding in to rescue teammates that had sustained shrapnel wounds from the blast and couldn't escape the burning vehicle unaided.

This man DIDN'T have to die, his initial wounds were minor, yet he went back repeatedly into a conflagration to save those men that had been entrusted into his care. And upon reaching the Aid Station, his only concern was for those men.
This man deserves, at the minimum, a Bronze Star....I would contend that he deserves the CMH. Yet even in the linked story, his name isn't mentioned, he's merely a memory of the Doctor that attempted to save his life...and as that doctor said: "I met the first of many heroes on the night of the Bradley incident. The courage and sacrifice of this soldier is not isolated. It is the norm here, a daily occurrence."(emph. mine)

The point is, our Media is lying to us by ommission...let John Murtha claim "our troops are broken down" and it's front page news...yet let a man sacrifice his life so that his teammates could live, and he is "another soldier died In Iraq today".

We are fast coming to a point where we have to make some hard decisions about our future in Iraq. EVERY soldier that I've talked to that has been there says "let us stay until the job is done", yet the Media and half of our political animals are clamoring for "timetables" and "benchmarks for withdrawel".

The fact is that we made the Iraqi people a promise to leave them with a stable government and a country with a good foothold on recovery back to a nation to be proud of; and the Iraqis have heard that promise and believed it, as evidenced by the burgeoning numbers of men volunteering to put, not only themselves, but their families, in danger by joining the military and police forces. If we leave before the job is accomplished, we will have made ourselves liars, and shamed all those that made a sacrifice of their body in the effort. We will have proven Al Quada correct when they said that the American people were too soft and had no stomach for a fight. You think the war is swelling the Terrorist ranks?!? Just wait until you see the increase in those ranks when the perception that the U.S. is a paper tiger as Bin Laden had claimed sinks in!

The blood of heroes cries out loud and strong to stay the course and make their sacrifices meaningful, but that cry is being muted by a Media that cares for naught but promoting the agenda of self-serving political animals that use populist meme's to try to weasel their way back into power, regardless of the harm that would be done to the nation.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:43 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 588 words, total size 3 kb.

What if Jesus had been born yesterday?

Kathy at Thoughts and Musings has the story under the headline as it might have been in this morning's newspaper:

INFANT DISCOVERED IN BARN, CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES LAUNCH PROBE

Funny? yes; but stop and consider....is it really too over the top to think that this is the story exactly as it would be reported today?

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:40 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 78 words, total size 1 kb.

As a teacher, Ms. Jones, was very curious about how each of her students celebrated Christmas. She called on young Patrick Murphy. Tell me, Patrick, what do you do at Christmas time? she asked.

Patrick addressed the class, Well Ms. Jones, me and my twelve brothers and sisters go to the midnight Mass and we sing hymns, then we come home very late and we put mince pies by the back door and hang up our stockings. Then all excited we go to bed and wait for Father Christmas to come with all our toys.

Very nice Patrick, she said. Now Jimmy Brown what do you do at Christmas?

Well, Ms. Jones, me and my sister also go to Church with Mum and Dad and we sing carols and we get home ever so late. We put cookies and milk by the chimney and we hang up our stockings. We hardly sleep, waiting for Santa Claus to bring our presents.

Realizing there was a Jewish boy in the class and not wanting to leave him out of the discussion, she asked, Now, Isaac Cohen, what do you do at Christmas?

Isaac said, Well, it's the same thing every year. Dad comes home from the office. We all pile into the Rolls Royce, then we drive to his toy factory. When we get inside, we look at all the empty shelves and begin to sing What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Then we all go to the Bahamas.

H/T to Catfish

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 255 words, total size 1 kb.

So it's the day after Christmas. The presents have all been presented and admired; the leftovers have been distributed to help feed all the gluttons partcipants for the rest of the week, and the relatives have all gone home.

As every year, the warm glow of good cheer and fellowship with people you love lingers on, yet there is that creeping sense of "is that all there is"? starting to invade the idylle.

The anticipation is always better than the realization, and it's bitter human nature to dwell on what isn't rather on what was for some all too brief shining moments.

Friends, hold that shining dream for as long as you can, and realize that the best thing that can exist is a warm and caring circle of friends and family. The presents are meaningless except that they are physical reminders of that bond you share with some other human beings.

That said, I made out like a bandit! LOL I got two new shirts, a new pair of Dockers and a really beautiful sweater, and Mama and I share a brand new coffee brewer, that brews the coffee right into the cups. Erin and my Ex bought me a massage/heat pad that I'm certain will be worn out in short order due to overuse .

Mama and Anna bought me a full sized bull hide...a perfect Brindle, no less! I haven't quite figured out where I'm going to put it, but it is GORGEOUS! (damn, now they got me using Metrosexual terms; can a penchant for Starbucks Latte's be far behind?)

I "got" Mama the digital camera she's been wanting (she bought it before I knew WHAT she really wanted...at least I don't have to worry that she won't like her gift! LOL) an 8MP with Leica lenses...She also got a Zen Creative MP3 player (salesman said it was a better buy than the I-Pod) with a 4GB capacity.

The Princess Anna got a 1GB MP-3, a portable DVD player with a 7" screen, and a Gameboy Advance, along with enough clothes to last her a weeks worth of laundry. And she received the most fabulous present of all from our friend
Liz in Kansas City, an heirloom necklace that she had received from her mother when she was roughly Anna's age. The kindness, trust, and dare I say it, love, that was represented by that gift outshone all the others combined. It still brings tears to my eyes to think of it.

Yes, I made out like a bandit, I have people that truly care about me and each other, and what better Christmas gift can there be but that? It's the embodiment of Christ's message to care for one another. I hope I can keep that feeling close as the depths of winter brings it's cold and harsh winds to bear on the spirit of my soul. With that core to heat me, let Winter do her worst, for I have the strength to persevere until that joyous new spring.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 508 words, total size 3 kb.

Catfish must be prescient....He sent me this joke last night, and it really hit home.....Maybe I'd better change that lock on the gun safe....

A woman goes to visit a fortune teller. In a dark and hazy room,
peering into a crystal ball, the mystic delivered grave news.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just be blunt: Prepare
yourself to be a widow. Your husband will die a violent and
horrible death this year."

Visibly shaken, the woman stares at the fortune teller's lined
face, then at the single flickering candle, then down at her hands.

She took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She simply had
to know. She met the fortune teller's gaze, steadied her voice,
and asked her question. "Will I be found guilty?"

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:48 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 135 words, total size 1 kb.

What are you doing here? You should be celebrating this occassion with your family, not surfing the Net.

OK, consider me part of your Virtual on-line family. I wish you to have the Merriest Christmas ever, and a better New year than the last one has been.

Remember the true spirit of Christmas and try to hold it in your heart throughout the year.

Remember those that are putting everything on the line for YOU.

here is my gift to you (yeah, I know, it's regifting, but Wild Thing just is SO darned good at the keyboard! Her talent just NEEDS to be shared.)

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 11:59 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 129 words, total size 2 kb.

While engaged in weighty discourse about the general state of the world with other members of the Empire last night, LC Darth Vader suddenly had one of his psychotic breaks and started wondering just how the members of the Psychiactric profession might be celebrating this festive season with their own versions of the old standard carols....

PSYCHIATRISTS' CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR EVERY DIAGNOSIS:

Schizophrenia ~~ Do You Hear What I Hear?

Multiple Personality Disorder ~~ We Three Queens disoriented are

Dementia ~~ I Think I'll Be Home For Christmas

Narcissistic ~~ Hark The Herald Angels Sing About Me

Manic ~~ Deck The Hall and Walls and House and Lawn
and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and.....

Paranoid ~~ Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Me

Borderline Personality Disorder ~~ Thoughts Of
Roasting On An Open Fire

Bi-polar Personality Disorder ~~ You Better Watch Out, I'm
Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna
Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why; Joy to the World, the Doc has come,

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ~~ Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle
Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle
Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle
Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

ADHD ~~ Hark the herald angels sing
ba-rum-pa-pum-pum in the little town
of Bethlehem up on the housetop in a winter
wonderland one foggy
Christmas Eve hey how bout them Bears no I don't
want to switch to Sprint but thank you for shopping at K-Mart.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:26 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 265 words, total size 2 kb.

Wild Thing has a treat for anyone that loves the Christmas spirit. She may be WILD, but can that lady PLAY!! Just click on the holly and be regaled by a true artiste.

And when you're done being beguiled by the sweet tones of her piano, carry that spirit on to THIS POST, and do YOUR bit for Jack and kis fellow patriots.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:14 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 75 words, total size 1 kb.

Catfish, being the great friend he is, sent me a reading list for the New Year.

Now, Catfish isn't that much on reading,(he can, despite nasty gossip) so he naturally chose the THINNEST books he could find:

World's Thinnest Books . .

FRENCH WAR HEROES
by Jacques Chirac

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY COUNTRY
by Jane Fonda & Cindy Sheehan. Illustrated by Michael Moore

MY BEAUTY SECRETS
by Janet Reno & Whoopi Goldberg

ALL THE WOMEN I HAVE LOVED BEFORE

by Barney Frank (D-Mass) & Boy George

MY CHRISTIAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS & HOW I HELPED AFTER KATRINA

by Rev Jesse Jackson & Rev Al Sharpton

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BILL

by Hillary Clinton

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT HILLARY

By Bill CLinton

MY LITTLE BOOK OF PERSONAL HYGIENE
by Osama Bin Laden & Willie Nelson

THINGS I CANNOT AFFORD
by Bill Gates & The 'Donald '

THINGS I WOULD NOT DO FOR MONEY
by Dennis Rodman

THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE

by Al Gore & John Kerry

AMELIA EARHART'S GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC

Partial publication

AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR LAWYERS

anonymous for sure

A COLLECTION of MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES
by Dr. J. Kevorkian

ALL THE MEN I HAVE LOVED BEFORE
by Ellen de Generes & Rosie O'Donnel

THE GUIDE TO DATING ETIQUETTE
by Mike Tyson

DELICIOUS SPOTTED OWL RECIPES
by PETA

THE AMISH PHONE DIRECTORY

MY PLAN TO FIND THE REAL KILLERS
by O.J. Simpson

HOW TO DRINK & DRIVE OVER BRIDGES

by Ted Kennedy

~###################################~

And the world's Number One Thinnest Book

MY BOOK OF MORALS
by Bill Clinton
with introduction
by The Rev. Jesse Jackson

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:53 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 276 words, total size 2 kb.

I got a christmas present today. It was unexpected, even though the sender had mentioned it in passing in an IM conversation.

All I can say is THANK YOU, DK. You made excellant choices.

Now where is that pancake mix....

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:20 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 44 words, total size 1 kb.

Although, I have to say that I like it even better when I use my full name:

"Luscious Adonis" Yeah....Thats me allright....well, a guy CAN dream, can't he?

H/T to Rachel for the link

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 01:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 10 words, total size 1 kb.

I'm a sucker for all the sappy Christmas "miracle" stories. I just wish we could all keep that spirit all through the year. I don't think Liz will mind that I reposted this one here.

Remember that He is always watching, and everything you do for good or ill is noted. Even if your not a person of faith, I think thats a good credo to live by.

Let "Him" be your conscience, even if He's only a constuct in your own mind; He will never steer you wrong.

Now go below the fold, and have a good cry from observing true faith in action.
I know I did, and I thank you for that Liz. It was a wonderful Christmas gift. more...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 2050 words, total size 12 kb.