uh60punk

"Kerry is so very....." Full of Shit

2006-11-01T12:17:00.000-10:00

As if it wasn't clear for 30 something years exactly what this guy thinks of our troops. Blown joke or no, he told on himself.

Out of Office Reply

2006-04-09T06:43:00.000-10:00

I'll be out of the loop until mid- May or so. Somebody has to train to respond to the Zombie threat and I'm just the guy to do it.

Technology Is Not Progress

2006-02-06T15:03:00.000-10:00

BEIJING, Feb. 7 -- The woman who received the world's first partial face transplant revealed her new features to a worldwide audience yesterday and said, "I have a face like everyone else."

Isabelle Dinoire, her speech heavily slurred and difficult to understand, told her first news conference since November's surgery how she was disfigured by a dog bite last year and thanked the family of the donor who gave her new lips, a chin and nose.

Is this a Zombie sighting!? This lady needs to get her money back and hire an attorney. This is the creepiest thing I've ever seen.

Not in Kansas Anymore

2006-01-29T08:40:00.000-10:00

So long US Army. Hello some other job. I believe it would be best to keep the new title to myself to avoid ever being mistaken as a spokesman for anything other than myself.

I must say that the culture shock is a little more pronounced than I would have thought. After 13 years in the service, I was quite comfortable as far as knowing what to expect from people and the organization. What I had forgotten was how uncomfortable I am dealing with "civilians" (for lack of a better term).

Example: Today my fellow classmates had a get- together for lunch at some place for the Chinese New Year. I don't know what the Chinese New Year is and don't really care. The social organizers printed out little Chinese horoscope things describing what your personality should be based on what year you were born. (I was born in the year of the Cock- or Rooster). I am sure that this is a perfectly normal thing, but I couldn't help feeling immediately anxious to either leave or start drinking. As it was before noon on Sunday, I politely ate and tried to speak as little as possible outside typical "getting to know you" type conversation. This was to avoid entering any conversation where my obnoxious and opinionated personality would shine through.

I know this is something which I will need to get over. Luckily, everyone seems very nice so far and I will eventually be back in my element. I am not completely socially inept, but close (as I'm sure my friends will vouch for).

For the time being, I'll quit bitching and go with the flow. Happy Fuckin' Chinese New Year.

HUH???????????WHAT????????NOOOOO??????REALLY???????HMMMMM?!

2005-11-22T17:10:00.000-10:00

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE THE HANDSOME HUBBY?

Triple T in the House.....and the Senate!

2005-11-18T14:07:00.000-10:00

Pull out of Iraq.

What?!?!?

I saw this article on Al Jazeera's website and was trying to imagine what the guys who went out on patrol today in Iraq thought about the idea that we should just leave. The good senator proposed that we cannot accomplish anything else militarily in Iraq even as the Marines are in the middle of killing terrorists in Western Iraq. What a slap in the face!

I am getting increasingly sick of all the political posturing going on in congress. Let's get real, the President didn't lie about WMD, nobody can get away with that kind of conspiracy. Ask Scooter Libby if you can even have a conversation in the White House without it being leaked. The CIA can't even have a decent secret prison camp anymore. What a sad state of affairs.

Here's what I propose: Congressional Linebackers

Just think of it! Whenever John Kerry consults a poll to decide how to think about an issue- regardless of what the polls told him to think last week- and he gets up on the floor spewing dishonest nonsense........

PAIN TRAIN'S COMIN' !! WOOOOOO WOOOOOO!!!!!! WHAM!!

Someone on the floor saying "President Bush is a liar, blah ,blah, blah," "Republicans hate black people blah, blah, blah,"The polls say the war's become unpopular so I changed my mind about it blah, blah, blah...." and so on, then:

BAM!!! YOU CAN'T BRING THAT WEAK SHIT UP IN THIS HUMPY BUMPY!!!

You get the idea. Who knows, more people might start watching C-Span. Clearly, the top draft picks should go to the Senate. When we see how effective this system is, and I know it will be, maybe our "leaders" will get back to work running the show instead of their absurdist posturing for their own political power.

In the words of BLACK FLAG... "What do they know about partyin'? Or anything else!"

These things take longer than election cycles. The only way this whole shitty mess is like Vietnam is the way congress is acting.

New Orleans Seafood

2005-09-24T12:24:00.000-10:00

I was at a restaurant last night and someone said:

"OOoh, they have a New Orleans Seafood special!"

I replied: "Is that made from poor, elderly people or abandoned pets?"

And I wonder why my wife doesn't like to take me out in public.

Let Me Get This Straight....

2005-09-16T07:11:00.000-10:00

Am I understanding this stuff correctly?

Many local politicians in the New Orleans and Louisiana accept very little responsibility for the readiness prior to Katrina, but expect the Federal Government to foot the bill to the tune of 100%, AND want to control the money and contracts.

HMMMMMM. I don't think so.

Is it just me or is someone suggesting that we give 200 billion dollars to a notoriously corrupt and inept institution? Maybe we could give out debit cards. How could that possibly go wrong.....?

How do the Democrats get away with saying that President Bush hates poor people when the President has spent vastly more money on poverty programs than President Clinton ever did? If you look at Bush's social spending, it should be the conservatives that are up in arms.

Watching the Judge Roberts confirmation hearings I can't help but feel that it doesn't matter what he says. Regardless of how coherent and sharp he seems, the vote will come down to Yea (R) and Nay (D). Why hold the hearing at all?

Gov. Schwarzenegger has done exactly what he said he was going to do during his campaign, yet his poll numbers are waning. Is this not reinforcement to campaign on a platform of reform, and then do nothing?

How can Jesse Jackson and his ilk continue to profit from their shakedown tactics?
I am disappointed that these are the unelected spokesmen of the poor , black citizens. Jesse and Co. are getting rich by exploiting them. Screaming racism with your hand out is extortion without accountability. Genius.

I just don't get it.

Katrina's Saddest Victim: Cindy Sheehan

2005-09-02T16:08:00.000-10:00

From Sharp As a Marble:

Sheehan was recently downgraded from a ‘Category 5’ activist to ‘Liberal Depression’

As the deluge of tears threatened to wash away the handful of protesters left, Cindy Sheehan spoke of the horrors the recent flood coverage by the media has had on her cause. Wearing a ‘No Flood For Oil’ t-shirt, Sheehan spoke to a throng of two or three journalism students about the aftermath of the recent Katrina coverage.
“It has been awful,” Sheehan said, barely able to conceal the pain in her voice. “This morning, I woke up and was going to plant another white cross and privately grieve over the loss of my son, Corey…. or Casey… whatever his name was, and there was only one or two cameramen available to cover my private moment. Then, I turned on MSNBC and CNN, thinking I would be able to watch my daily grief session at least a dozen times before my early afternoon nap, but instead they were covering something else. I’m not sure what it was, but there was a lot of unhappy people so it must have been Bush’s fault. Or the Jews.”

Found this on Ace of Spades.
There are some wild folks out there.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

2005-08-31T10:13:00.000-10:00

As I watch the unfolding tragedy on the Gulf coast, I can't help but wonder how the nice folks in Iceland are responding. The disparity between the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina response is not surprising, but is nonetheless disturbing. Instapundit has some good info in this regard. Furthermore, some of those on the left have taken this opportunity to further their agenda. Check out this article. Not only is this opportunism distasteful, for the most part it's not even factual (not that being correct has ever been a pre-requisite).

Anyway, as I've said before, even though we respond to almost any world hunger crisis or natural disaster, when the USA gets hit, we are essentially on our own. Give to the Red Cross or link some of the sites from Instapundit to help out if you can.

French Terrorism Alert

2005-08-07T18:22:00.000-10:00

The AP and UPI report that the French Government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from RUN to HIDE. The only two higher levels in France are SURRENDER and COLLABORATE. The raise was precipitated by terrorist attacks in London and a recent fire which destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively disabling their military.

Hat Tip to SOLOFLYER

Sorry, I've Been Busy Lately

2005-08-05T17:48:00.000-10:00

Just when we thought it couldn't happen again...(this week)...Makua Range caught fire again. Funny how the newspaper seized this opportunity to bring up all past fires that were the military's fault. Read the article to find out how your tax dollars are being spent to save the world...one endangered snail,bird, or plant at a time.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
A military helicopter laden with a load of water headed into the smoke-filled valley.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
A military helicopter douses the flames.

I wish I could just do my blogging at work like everyone else. I have alot of TV to watch.

Gutless Anonymous Comments

2005-07-09T19:30:00.000-10:00

Now and again I follow the links on some other blogs- particularly Jinxy's- and the other day came upon this one. I hadn't posted on the London terror attacks (yet) so I left this comment on hers in response to two (at the time I thought they were both posted by the same person and later figured otherwise) that were already posted anonymously:

"Thanks for your post. How appropriate that someone would comment anonymously about "...maudlin bravado." Such people never offer alternatives or ideas, just Monday morning criticism of things beyond their comprehension. George Bush did not create this problem, he is dealing with it. Furthermore, one may post anonymously and still sign a name. Put up or shut up"

Well, clearly this comment struck a nerve with someone. I decided that rather than have it out on someone else's blog, I would invite Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous over here and go over a few things.

Here we go:

George Bush did create this problem you moron.

1. Dropped the ball on 9/11 despite being warned by Clinton's people that the number one threat would be terrorists and Al Quaeda. Sandy Berger, Clinton's NSA explicitly told Rice that should would spend her entire tenture fighting terrorism. The 9/11 report also indicates that the PDB's warning of Bin Laden were ignored by Bushco.

How does being warned about terrorists and Al Qaeda as the number one threat suggest that a major attack is imminent? Those people trained for YEARS for that operation; right under our noses. I think anybody who remembers the attack on the U.S.S. Cole or the embassy bombings in Africa already knew the threat. It didn't require any expert analysis to know that terrorism wasn't going away. In my opinion, it was our intelligence machine that let us down. The CIA's HUMINT capabilities had been eroding for years and interagency rivalry and SOP prevented the sharing of critical information. To say that 9/11 was Bush's fault is the same as saying it was Clinton's fault. Read up on the intel and try to understand it. If you have a jigsaw puzzle all put together, as the 9/11 commission did, it is simple to see the picture. If you look at it a piece at a time, you can't. Wise up, and get with the program.
2. Went into Iraq when the U.S. should have focused all resources in Afghanistan which incidently is still overrun by the Taliban.

I see that you're not an expert on military matters. Whether or not we were justified in going back into Iraq is another debate. The fact is that the Iraqi military, much like the Taliban, were handled fairly easily. Afghanistan is NOT, incidentally, overrun by the Taliban. I was just there. Are there Taliban remaining? Yes. Is Afghanistan overrun by them? No. Stop sensationalising, it makes you sound stupid.
3. Should have also applied said resources to catch Osama Bin Laden...five years and still at large(dead or alive my ass).

Let's see; Intelligence, military matters, search operations and terrain analysis: You're 0 for 4. With the amount of tunnels and caves, extremely rugged terrain, not to mention freedom to cross in and out of Pakistan at will, it should have been easy. I suppose that you could have found him if you were in charge. How long did it take to find Eric Rudolph, in a small area of North Carolina, with massive resources? They never found him, he turned up more than 5 years later and was apprehended.
4. There are plenty of people who could offer better alternatives than this moronic administration. Go to Democratic Underground, the majority of the posters there have more intelligence in their little pinkies that the Bush Admin has in it's entirety.

Furthermore fuckwit, what difference does it make if you post a name of not...the names are always fake.

Get a life, a brain and a clue

The use of lame insults such as "fuckwit" etc. leads me to believe that Anonymous is probably a young male, if not in, then shortly removed from college, and likely homosexual. I may be wrong, who knows. I am surprised how people can buy a political line of thinking like this, hook, line and sinker, and still consider themselves to be "rebels" bucking the system. Go back to the Democratic Underground so they can tell you how to respond. For all your blathering, you have nothing to say, just standard liberal groupthink.
There may be plenty of people who could offer better alternatives than the current administration. I have yet to hear any of them and Anonymous is certainly not one of them.

Mikey Likes It!

2005-07-08T07:28:00.000-10:00

Hope for life after death!

Radio talk show host Michael Medved said in his review:

In “Land of the Dead” civilization collapses in the face of corpses who leave their graves and march around in hungry hordes.

And talk about creepy, that’s Dennis Hopper as a greedy capitalist who tries to exploit tough guy zombie hunter John Leguizamo.

And when you’re talking about a shameless exploitation picture the word brilliant loses much of its meaning. Yes, “Land of the Dead” is a flesh eating zombie movie, but it’s the Citizen Kane of flesh eating zombie movies. With ‘Night of the Living Dead’ cult directory George A. Romero, delivering vivid characters, gross-out special effects and a captivating story line. Rated R of course for loads of blood and gore, harsh language and tough sexual elements. 3 stars for the surprisingly polished “Land of the Dead”.

My thoughts exactly.

Here we go again

2005-07-02T11:40:00.000-10:00

Ronnie and Sandy

Sandra Day O'Connor submitted her request to step down from the bench a couple of days ago. She has been, in my opinion, a conscientious and fair judge throughout her 24 or so years of service in/to the Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, the fight in Congress has already begun. Apparently, an actual appointee is not even required for the grandstanding to begin. The Democrats seem to believe that any Bush appointee needs to be approved by them, and if not they are threatening to fight tooth and nail.

Teddyman

This isn't how I learned about the nomination process in school. Seems to me that a battle is a foregone conclusion so let's just get on with it.

Just for the record, I have always despised obstructionist tactics by Congress. It was reprehensible when it was done to Clinton and it is reprehensible now as it is being done to President Bush.

Can someone tell me what is getting done whilst Congressmen and Senators are filibustering seemingly everything? My guess is...not much! Get back to work people. What are we paying you for?

Sign up now!

I won't guess who the next Justice will be. Whoever it is has some pretty big shoes to fill.

While the real fighting gets done in Afghanistan and Iraq, you can bet the partisan bickering will go on in the House and Senate. They're the ones, after all, who are saving the world.

Enough Already!

2005-06-16T23:25:00.000-10:00

What is hurting our reputation abroad is not the treatment of the detainees at Gitmo or Abu Ghraib, but those that choose to blow anything out of proportion to give the Bush administration a black eye. This is partisan politics at its lowest.

Guantanamo Bay

Above is a photo of the detention facility at Gitmo. I have been hearing some politicians and various groups comparing the detainees at this facility to those at The Soviet Gulag or Nazi Concentration Camps. This is clearly ridiculous and irresponsible, and the lie is being spread in the name of protecting America. I would like to know how publicly making wild accusations is helping America and American Soldiers in a time of war.

Soviet Gulag

Millions were marched to the Gulag for forced labor. Countless people suffered and died under terrible conditions. They were cold and starving and used as slaves. In contrast, there are literally tens of detainees at Guantanamo whose physical, nutritional, and spiritual needs are seen to. All of the Gitmo prisoners were taken from fighting alongside the Taliban.

When we went to war with Afghanistan, any American taken prisoner was brutally tortured and killed. Torture in this case involved rape, mutilation, and skinning our soldiers alive. Those who were simply executed were lucky. I find it hard to stomach that the definition of torture has been expanded to include lying on a floor handcuffed with uncomfortable temperature changes without potty breaks. I think any POW that spent time in a Viet Cong camp may have a problem with that.

Nazi Camp at Bergen Belson

I won't go into the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, but I will point out that millions were exterminated simply because they were Jewish. This comparison is indefensible.

Buchenwald

Article 88 of the UCMJ forbids me from showing contempt for officials. Therefore, I won't be (and haven't been) using any names. For someone to stand up in front of a television camera and make a disgusting and outrageous exaggeration about Gitmo being on par with The Gulag or Concentration Camp lessens the latter more than it pumps up the former. It is a direct insult to those that survived the Gulags and the Holocaust and is disrespectful to the memories of those that didn't.

"......and Justice For All"

2005-06-15T07:55:00.000-10:00

You're Kidding Me, Right?

Not Guilty on Anything?

Not even the giving alcohol to minors (which has been pretty much accepted as fact)?

I can't help but feel that I could have got a conviction.

How could the prosecutor botch this so badly?

Of course the DA has a vendetta against Michael Jackson. Jacko is a child molester and a prosecutor's job is to protect the public from such monsters.

That must have been one hell of a lawyer. Scott Peterson must be kicking himself on Death Row.

Today in Afghanistan

2005-05-10T15:05:00.000-10:00

Airborne!

Paratroopers deal blow to Taliban in remote valley

The article is a bit verbose, but since I couldn't find this in any breaking news, I thought I'd pass it on to you. If the coverage is indicative of what is really going on, we would be led to believe that Afghanistan is a new national park. As usual, most of the press follows the more politically charged conflict. Perhaps I'm bitter because I was there and I'm feeling inadequate. Whatever. I wonder why we act surprised that there is always a rising insurgency in the Spring. They (Afghani's)have been doing the same thing forever; hide out and chill in the Winter months (pardon the pun) and come out and try to kill each other (or us) when the weather gets warm. What else would anybody want to do on a beautiful Spring day.

Congratulations and Thanks

2005-05-05T13:33:00.000-10:00

ALLIES!

The exit polls have been tallied and against my better judgement (for believing in them), I would like to extend many thanks to Tony Blair and congratulations on his re-election. In a period of crisis when it was time to take action, many of our "allies" faltered and failed, but not the Brits. Although I have always believed the continuation of the war to be necessary and just, I don't think the Bush administration did the best of jobs selling it. Mr. Blair, plagued by withering criticism from the leftist peaceniks and conspiracy theorists in his own country, made a better argument for the war than both the White House and Pentagon. When he was sufferring the post- war political fallout, he never cut and run as would have been so easy. In a age of backstabbing and "what have you done for me lately" alliances, it is nice to know whom you can trust.

While America Watches the Trial of the Century of the Week

2005-05-05T09:02:00.000-10:00

Lt. Ilario Pantano

2Lt. Pantano is accused of two counts of murder. I can't begin to convey how disgusted I am that we have these sort of trials going on and all we hear on the news is about Michael Jackson's freakshow or the lady that ran away from her wedding. In fairness, I have heard a little about the Abu Ghraib trials, but only in passing.
Pantano has been recently involved in an Article 32 investigation, which is roughly the equivalent of a grand jury. The linked article above has a more comprehensive explanation up to this point. Having just returned from a year long deployment, I have noticed a most disturbing trend in how the military is dealing with it's troops in action. I have never seen a more punitive atmosphere in my brief 13 years of service. Don't get me wrong, if someone gets prosecuted for an egregious act- as was the case at Abu Ghraib- most personnel in the service will agree that they get what they deserve. However, I know of three cases personally where soldiers were aggressively investigated for on the spot actions. All of these incidents involved a split second decision. The more that we go after the troops making those decisions, the more that repercussions will be in their heads at critical times when potentially life or death decisions need to be made.
None of this should be surprising given our fascination with frivolous litigation. Our soldiers make more decisions on a daily basis than many cubicle automatons can understand. That is the nature of being a soldier. Even if you are not a leader today, you should be in the grooming process to be a leader tomorrow. A cover your ass at all costs mentality makes soldiers politicians and thereby ineffective. Just look what the CYA mentality has done for our Government in Washington D.C., see how much they're getting done, but that's another post. Young soldiers aren't stupid and they learn quickly how the game is played. I submit that the current atmosphere is poisoning the future leaders both commissioned and non- commissioned.

I Don't Get Out Much

2005-05-03T13:54:00.000-10:00

"I know eating people is pretty weird."

I finally caught Sin City. It came highly recommended for good reason. First, I am glad they got to use that Gatorade commercial technology to promote more gore and violence. Second, it's nice to see that Hollywood can put out something besides remakes and sequels. I thought adaptations of novels was a thing of the past. I was also unaware that comic books were called "graphic novels." Is this in the same spirit as garbage men are "sanitation engineers?" I met some people at a bar once and when I asked them what they did they said "garbage man," so I bought them a shot. Anyway, I know this movie has been out for a while, but it really kicked ass.

Hey Punk, Where 'ya Been?

2005-04-28T21:52:00.000-10:00

What are you lookin' at?

IF I TOLD YOU, I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU...NOT FOR OPSEC, JUST FOR FUN.

Yeeeahhh, Baby!

True, it is tasteless, but I am quite busy drinking at the moment.

My Odyssey

2005-04-08T08:14:00.000-10:00

This is my third attempt at writing this as Blogger continues to give me problems. I am finally home after a whirlwind tour of the world that was my ride home on the "Freedom Bird."
First, we left Kandahar, Afghanistan with the weather clear and hot, About 35- 38 degrees C. Of course we were put in a fenced in area outdoors for the customs inspection of all our bags. I am positive that the detention facility at Gitmo has a more humane inspection area, but we are going home and are willing to forgive almost anything. Also, if you have ever stood around in such conditions with soldiers before, you know that the gripes and comments are absolutely hysterical. After 5-6 hours in the "yard" baking in the sun, we boarded a C-17 for a three hour flight Northeast to Manas International Airport near the city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Flash back to last week as I was packing my cold weather gear to get sent back on the boat thinking that it was, after all, Springtime. Mistake. Kyrgyzstan was exactly what I have always pictured in my mind's eye when I think of an (former)Eastern Block nation; bleak, grey, overcast, freezing, snowing/ raining, and last but not least, in the throes of some kind of coup/ revolution. In fairness, I was only there for a few days and admittedly got a very poor sample. The people were very friendly, but all that I met were employees of the Air Force Base and therefore were smiling and polite on the outside, while probably silently wishing to forcibly remove my eyes with a blunt object. I can't verify that, but I think that's how I would feel in their place. Finally, our contract ATA 757 arrived to bring us home.
Now, since everybody knows exactly where Kyrgyzstan is in relation to Hawaii, obviously we would head West, refuel in Japan or something and shoot straight to Honolulu. Obvious, but also incorrect. The powers that be had a more complicated plan. Relieved that the homeward bound journey had begun, nobody cared that we had over 30 hours of flight ahead of us, broken down into several 5-6 hour legs, to the East. Stop one was at an Air Force Base in Turkey (Incirlik?). We got a chance to walk around the airport terminal, go outside, hit the snack bar, and order pizza. It is nice to get to move around when the aircraft stops for fuel or crew change or whatever. When I went on R&R, we had to sit on the plane in Budapest for hours while the crew swapped and the bird got serviced. Turkey was nice and we got on the plane bound for the next stop at Shannon, Ireland.
We arrived at the Shannon airport fairly late at night, but they were kind enough to open up the duty free shop and the Pub for us. Luckily for my small group, our chalk leader was courageous enough to give us permission to have our first beers in a long time at the pub. I have always heard that Guinness tastes different in Ireland than it does here. I didn't think so, it was the same dark and delicious stout that I remembered. Some of the other group leaders didn't have the balls to let their folks have a couple of beers or had some personal problem with it so we got dirty looks from some of the other folks. One of the things I continually find harder to stomach is that I am 35 years old and have to ask permission from some Captain ten years my junior, to have a beer on the way home from a year long combat deployment. Pathetic. Anyway, we spent some of our cash and got back on the plane with a little buzz. Onward to Newfoundland Province, Canada.
It was late when we arrived in the Newfoundland airport, around 0100 hrs local. In spite of the hour, the duty free shop and snack bar was opened and made available to us. At this point most of us are travel weary from 22+ hours of our journey, but are looking forward to our next stop being on American soil in Seattle, Washington.
Another 6 hour flight brought us to Seattle where the local time was something like 5 or 6 am. Our first indication when we pulled up to the gate was that we would have to stay on the bird to speed up the turnaround. Fine with me, let's go. However, our ground time was going to be the same as the previous stops and after some unseen wrangling, we were permitted to grace the Seattle Airport. Unfortunately, we were allowed off the aircraft and confined to the glass cage of the immediate gate area. Welcome home troops. All I have to say is thank you Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Ireland, and Canada and FUCK YOU, SEATTLE!!! I felt like I was on display in a glass bubble. Dallas would never have tolerated such a thing.
Barring the insult suffered at our first stop in the US, the rest of the trip went well. The reception and reunion when we got home to Hawaii was great even though everybody just wanted to go home. What have I been doing now that I'm home?
Playing with the kids, eating decent food, learning how to use my new cell phone, and, of course, posting to the blog.

Freedom Isn't Free

2005-03-18T05:57:00.000-10:00

SGT Rafael Peralta

On the morning of November 15, 2004, the men of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines awoke before sunrise and continued what they had been doing for seven days previously - cleansing the city of Fallujah of terrorists house by house.

At the fourth house they encountered that morning the Marines kicked in the door and "cleared" the front rooms, but then noticed a locked door off to the side that required inspection. Sgt. Rafael Peralta threw open the closed door, but behind it were three terrorists with AK-47s. Peralta was hit in the head and chest with multiple shots at close range.

Peralta's fellow Marines had to step over his body to continue the shootout with the terrorists. As the firefight raged on, a "yellow, foreign-made, oval-shaped grenade," as Lance Corporal Travis Kaemmerer described it, rolled into the room where they were all standing and came to a stop near Peralta's body.

But Sgt. Rafael Peralta wasn't dead - yet. This young immigrant of 25 years, who enlisted in the Marines when he received his green card, who volunteered for the front line duty in Fallujah, had one last act of heroism in him.

Peralta was proud to serve his adopted country. In his parent's home, on his bedroom walls hung only three items - a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his boot camp graduation certificate. Before he set out for Fallujah, he wrote to his 14-year old brother, "be proud of me, bro...and be proud of being an American."

Not only can Rafael's family be proud of him, but his fellow Marines are alive because of him. As Sgt. Rafael Peralta lay near death on the floor of a Fallujah terrorist hideout, he spotted the yellow grenade that had rolled next to his near-lifeless body. Once detonated, it would take out the rest of Peralta's squad. To save his fellow Marines, Peralta reached out, grabbed the grenade, and tucked it under his abdomen where it exploded.

"Most of the Marines in the house were in the immediate area of the grenade," Cpl. Kaemmerer said. "We will never forget the second chance at life that Sgt. Peralta gave us."

This story came from the Danz Family website. Visit the site as it contains comments from some who knew SGT Peralta. It was brought to my attention by my good friend Mr. Jinxy.

Haji Don't Golf!

2005-03-16T22:30:00.000-10:00

During lulls in operations, we like to relax and hit a few golf balls at the Qalat Driving Range. I just found out about this today. Damn being in Shindand all this time (there are WAY too many land mines there for a driving range). But just because we have a few minutes to kill- but not enough minutes to nap- doesn't mean everything stops.

"Haji Don't Golf"

My crew and I gather on the world's only grassless desert driving range (that I know of). My favorite touch is the painted plywood cacti used for range markers in the background. This is in honor of 2nd BN/ 35th Infantry Regiment, better known in these parts as Task Force Cacti.

The Crew

Unfortunately, being a somewhat destitute community, we have no golf cart to bring us back to the aircraft when the bucket is gone. I will, however, continue to patronize this facility since weapons are not only encouraged, they're mandatory.

â€�Walkinâ€™ The Mileâ€�

I Have a Dog Too

2005-03-13T11:23:00.000-10:00

Ok, so this post started because Jinxy and Ronin are always blathering on about their dogs, and my son will be excited to see himself on the computer. Those who know me can attest to the fact that I have little love for animals and family pets that don't cooperate and are a pain in the ass have a habit of "getting lost in the woods." We got her from the pound and she is a great dog.

A Boy and His Dog

I will be home in less than a month and I can't wait to see these two and my wife and daughters. It has been a long year and I'm glad we did not get extended. The guys replacing us were in Iraq for 14 months or something and got home less than a year ago. Not the highest on the "getting fucked by the Army" list, but up there. They are in good spirits for now and I have to mention how much I admire them for being so professional when it would be so easy to be disgruntled and apathetic. Plus, the weather is getting nicer as we are quickly skipping past Spring and into Summer. This transition took about a week. The relief in place is much easier due to the fact that these guys are already veterans and this is just another deployment. Unlike Iraq, this place presents other challenges to Army Aviation due to high altitudes and temperatures having a significant impact on helicopter performance. I know they are ready. Though I don't think so now, I will probably miss the great flying we've done in this country. Somehow, most training in the States will seem boring in comparison.
One more thought and I'll stop; the guys coming in the Army these days have a huge pool of experience to draw from. Since a large percentage of the forces are combat veterans, FNG's will have a great advantage over what many of us had when we started. We can cut through all the bullshit that we trained for and never did in country and directly pass on what works and what doesn't. They won't realize this until much later- even though I am sure I'll explain it to them in a drunken state with some vigor- but it's true all the same. In a distasteful way, armed conflict benefits the military in the short term (10- 20 yrs) as many of the vets become trainers and mentors for the next generation of Soldiers.

Tsunami Hits Kandahar

2005-03-13T10:21:00.000-10:00

I recently posted about all the rain we've gotten lately, so I thought I'd share with you what our beloved airfield becomes when you add water.

"I Don't Think We'll See The Heavy Stuff For an Hour or So."

You Can Swim Almost Anywhere

It's Like a Tropical Paradise

Home Sweet Home

I Said "Incoming," so Get in the Bunker! Ummm, I Don't Think So, I'll Take My Chances With the Rockets.

I'M NO SWIMMING POOL INSTALLATION EXPERT, BUT I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIG THE HOLE FIRST AND THEN ADD THE WATER

Now You See It

Now You Don't

ALL PHOTOS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED FOR OPSEC CONSIDERATIONS

Kidnapped Italian Reporter Molested by Michael Jackson

2005-03-08T05:19:00.000-10:00

In a boldly planned and executed snatch orchestrated by the CIA in joint cooperation with operatives from the Weekly World News, the mighty war machine of the United States was brought to bear on a female journalist from an Italian newspaper that no one can seem to remember the name of, never mind actually read. According to the New York Times, an unconfirmed source known only as "Mr. T" revealed that it became necessary to torture the woman.

Code Name "T" Undercover
"We fed her a concoction known as "Jesus Juice" and made her watch pornography, then we had to try more desperate interrogation techniques," commented T. Via telepathy and subliminal conditioning, she was made to believe Michael Jackson was human ...

...and that she was a little boy...

"I want to be a real boy"

Even after months of Candyland based sex crimes, the journalist refused to give up her source that allegedly had knowledge that the Italians had collaborated with the Nazis during WWII and maybe some stuff about WMD's. This information made her a dangerous enemy. Therefore,in accordance with official policy, the US Government sanctioned her execution. Instead of just killing her outright, officials decided it would be more funny if she got killed escaping. They hatched a plan for the perfect crime.
Upon her release to negotiators, she was made aware of the repressed memories of abuse during her captivity. The mere thought of Michael Jackson ravaging her, as only a homosexual dancing skeleton can, and the catharsis that followed was unbearable. She was so distraught that she became an unbearable pain in the ass to her driver- bitching at him to slow down, turn down the radio, etc. He proceeded to try and blow by a checkpoint, in effect attempting "suicide by unbelievably stupid behavior at a military checkpoint." Unfortunately, something went wrong with the plan, they got him and she made it through.
She is convinced that the U.S. is behind the plot and is requesting that the UN investigate (how long has she been gone?) as the UN is famous for being incorruptible, fair, and unbiased. Your humble punk has learned of two devastating surprise witnesses for the prosecution. One has been called to testify as a result of a high level leak...

How did they get to Mr.T?

...and in the shroud of the tightest security, there are rumors that WMD's will be revealed at last. That's right, Saddam's secret weapon of the future and proof that the CIA was tracking the most heinous and evil plot of all time...

Warrior Midget Disciples

...Don't let his smile fool you. He's crazy and he's laughing at you. This breakthrough on the WMD question was brought to you by Mister G. Thanks for looking out for us. Viva la Mexico!

Perception vs. Reality

2005-03-07T05:39:00.000-10:00

I knew it had to rain in the desert sometimes, and when it did there would be flash streams and floods, but you have to see this to believe it. It usually rains like a couple of inches a year here in Kandahar and we have been getting that much every other day (a slight exaggeration) since December. The mud is out of control and nasty. We have a couple of dug in bunkers that are completely submerged and I wonder if in the event of a rocket attack if I would take my chances with the incoming rounds rather than face what's sure to be a vile skin disease from being in the filthy giant puddle. I feel sorry for those who have tents in the low ground. One of my LT's woke up one day, rolled his feet over the side of his bed and into ankle deep water. *snicker* Better him than me. My point is that I felt sort of foolish packing my wet weather gear to come to a country in the 10 year grip of a severe drought. "I'll never need it," I said to myself. Boy was I stupid. Better to have your shit and not need it than need it and not have it. Just like ammo.

....Smack My Bitch Up.....

2005-03-04T11:14:00.000-10:00

Bob's battle cry, "Not in the Face, Not in the Face."

Most of the same people read this stuff regularly, with a few exceptions, and many visit the same circle of blogs when they log on. Making the rounds if you will. If you didn't notice Mr.Jinxy's post, "Running Away Eh?" a few days back on this Bob Geiger guy, I will attempt to consolidate the feud for background purposes.
Bob likes blogs and hates republicans and being ever so clever he writes a blog about hating our President (and republicans). Mr. Jinxy stumbles on this guy's work and starts throwing some comments his way (If I relay any of this incorrectly, Mr. jinxy will let me know and I will correct or retract as appropriate). Bob just wants to publish his stuff, no matter how outrageous, and be left alone. Typical. Bob doesn't appreciate dialogue and sends Jinxy this:

Jinxy,
I'm going to break my vow to only respond to you once in an
attempt to stop you from continuing this silliness. For years, I have urged my
fellow Democrats to ignore conservatives/republicans. Don't argue with them.
Don't engage them. Don't get derailed by them. Don't give them the time of day.
Needless to say, I follow that myself. (One would also argue that it's a waste
of *your* time to try to debate me. You will not change my opinion and I don't
get angry when I read things that are clearly just trolls designed to suck my
attention away from my goals.) So stop this. I didn't come to you; You came to
me. I'm not interested in your opinion. If you're not interested in mine, don't
visit my blog. Easy. Clean. Simple. End of story. Bob

I kind of understood that maybe this guy just wants to write his one sided opinion piece and not recognize any dissenting opinion, just applause from the left side of the room- kind of like a State of the Union Address. I can picture this Bob, with blinders on, saying "just ignore the gentlemen hijacking the plane, I won't let them derail my plans or give them the time of day, they can't turn my attention away from my goals!" What does that even mean!? Even though his plea is incoherent, I can say to myself, "this guy is defenseless, let's leave him alone." That is until he publishes this:

Wow, the intellectual Right comes out swinging quickly
I'm sure this
isn't a world record in Democratic blogging, but I've already attracted my first
detractor from the right wing brain trust. "Mister Jinxy" â€“ isn't that cuuuuute?
â€“ replied to my column supporting Governor Dean as DNC chairman by saying
"You're nuts. Have fun on that sinking ship.
'Aaaaaaarrrrgghgghhhhhh!!!'".Ouch.He followed up with this comment on my
Bush-in-Europe remarks: " Waaaahhhh. If Bush did something that was objectively
in the good interests of the U.S. I'm sure you crybaby libs would still find a
way to complain about it. It sucks looking in from the outside of the prom with
no date, doesn't it?".I'm at a loss. How can we liberals hope to prevail with
this much intellectual firepower coming at us? I quake at the thought.

A far cry from the "not in the face" appeal to Mr. Jinxy. Wow, to ask for a "stop to the silliness" followed by a flacid attempt to go on the offensive. I hope it made him feel better. Not only that, but I noticed that commenting on his gibberish is no longer an option on his blog site. I guess the "cuuuuute" Mr. Jinxy was too much for him. He can do what he wants and say what he wants to say, but he's still a pussy. I will e-mail him that I wrote this and he will be free to respond, if he so chooses, and I will not delete it. It must be nice to live with your head in the sand.

I am Golden..... Like a Shower

2005-03-03T06:47:00.000-10:00

Thank you, my friends, for your well wishes on my most recent "trip." I am back in the relatively safe confines of Kandahar Airfield. I have been reflecting on how it is that people whose job it is to pay attention can be so out of touch with what's going on. Case in point; I am sitting in a place in western Afghanistan in my company CP a couple of weeks ago and all of a sudden on the radio there is a report of shots fired by someone by the front gate. We all know there are bad guys out there, but an assault in broad daylight at the front gate is stupid and suicidal. Turns out that the troops spotted someone digging alongside the road, stopped the vehicle and two of them started running towards the village. Shots were fired and two were killed. Standard procedure for a killing is an investigation due to the present media circus climate and in fairness, what is the harm of an investigation unless it becomes a witch hunt. The investigation goes through and all the soldiers are found to be acting within the R.O.E. Then the guy who just took over command of the "post" says to a New York Times reporter that "as far as he knows, there are no Taliban or Anti- Coalition Militia in the area." Interesting analysis asshole. This statement came after there were three rocket emplacements found and someone planting an IED at the front gate. Not to mention the fact that about a month earlier, we lost an SF soldier very close to the airfield.

Another American Hero
All of this info was available, and not reported, by the journalist who published something along the lines of a murder in the area instead of what really was going on at the time. These soldiers are far more disciplined than what they are being accused of. I find it ridiculous to suggest that they murdered these men in cold blood, but that is what the article will lead you to believe. I have a copy of the article. E-mail me and I'll send it to you. I had to pay for the archived copy from the NY Times, but I'll send it to whomever for free. It seems to me that we are spending a lot of time trying to prosecute our own. It's funny that the perception on the outside is that the military always protects it's own. It doesn't.

Laying Low

2005-02-21T13:21:00.000-10:00

Sorry all for the lapse in posts. I am currently in a not so internet friendly area and thus usually only get to check my e-mail once or twice a week (that's not a complaint, just a reality, I'm fortunate to have as much access as I do). I could probably do it more, but I hate waiting on lines in the cold. I have an extra couple of minutes today since it is 0200 Hrs. So until I get back to the big base, I will be looking to do some killin' or maybe I'll buy a nice rug.

Teddy Kennedy, Quite The Ladykiller....

2005-02-06T23:09:00.000-10:00

I don't really consider myself a Republican, but I am sure if I were engaged in debate with a more liberal citizen, I would quickly be accused of just that. I would consider myself a right leaning Independent. Color me whatever label you like as long as I am not aligned with someone like Tedward Kennedy. I had the pleasure of watching him and "Pretty Boy Donnie Rumsfeld" on Meet The Press today. I am all for difference of opinion and opposing views on problem solving, but it seems to me that Teddy just takes whatever G.W. says and speaks against it. Example:
Dubyah: We are mismanaging social security.
Tubby: No we aren't.
Dubyah: We can't make a timeline to leave Iraq because then the enemy will just wait us out.
Tubby: We need to pull out of Iraq (with honor) tomorrow.
How would the Senator define Honor? Just hang around with Sen. Kerry and make up more lies about the Bush Administration. There have been mistakes, but Iraq is a much more complex issue than WMD. I can't feel that T.K. cares at all about the soldiers, except for political purposes.
I am trying to keep this brief, Kennedy and his ilk have no balls as they can't back up 14 UN resolutions and over 10 years of shooting at our planes in the no fly zone. I suppose that we should ignore the fact that the 1991 war never ended since Saddam never complied with the peace treaty agreement. Not having found the WMD's (which scares me) is irrelevant. I didn't see that as the main reason for finishing the job from '91. The UN "Oil for Money" program only feeds my anger. Nice objective opinions. Protect your assets and then accuse the US of being the Oil mongers. Disgusting.
No solutions or counter argument, just vitriol. Stay out of our way, Teddy.

A Comedy of Errors

2005-02-05T06:11:00.000-10:00

They Got Cody!

'Kidnapped' action figure is latest must-have toy

By Ward Sanderson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, February 5, 2005

David A. Accetta /Courtesy of AAFES
Special Ops Cody, who was distributed to AAFES stores downrange, made the news this week when insurgents claimed they had captured an American soldier. The soldier, it turned out, was the African-American version of the toy seen here.
Special Ops Cody isnâ€™t a regular GI, and heâ€™s no ordinary Joe. Special Ops Cody is a star.
The $39 action figure apparently kidnapped in an insurgent hoax to drum up American alarm has done well for himself: Heâ€™s selling on eBay anywhere from around $100 to more than $230, and heâ€™s even scarce to be found downrange.
A blurred photo posted on a Web site Tuesday by a group called the Mujahedeen Brigades was alleged to be military man John Adam, whom Iraqi insurgents pledged to behead if coalition-held prisoners werenâ€™t released. The U.S. military, however, denied that a soldier was missing.
Then Liam Cusack, marketing coordinator of Dragon Models USA, recognized that determined jaw and vacant eyes as those of his Cody, a toy the company manufactured for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service for sale at bases in the Middle East.
Cusack has been besieged by reporters ever since. Television crews showed up at his offices in the city of Industry, Calif. Crazed customers called him, too, wanting a Cody of their own.
â€œWe have at least a dozen lines, and they were going all day long,â€� Cusack said. â€œAnd weâ€™ve had millions of hits on our Web site.â€�
The masses may be disappointed. Cusack said the African-American version of the toy, which was seen in the photo, was made exclusively for military exchanges. Dragon doesnâ€™t sell directly to the public, and Cody was a limited edition hero.
â€œOur point is, once we quit making them, theyâ€™re gone,â€� Cusack said. â€œThatâ€™s it.â€�
The toys on eBay, then, likely came from the desert.
â€œI donâ€™t think there was any available here, unless people got them there and shipped them here,â€� he said.
According to AAFES headquarters in Dallas, the exchange shipped 3,864 of the toys overseas in winter 2003, and deployed another 2,292 last September. Most were shipped to Iraq and Kuwait. But only about 20 percent of those are the African-American version.
According to the exchange, Cody is scarce in the field as well. An AAFES spokesman, Maj. David Accetta, was able to find one, and only one, Caucasian Cody at the Camp Liberty store outside Baghdad. According to Dan Tompkins, the vice president of AAFES operations in Iraq, it isnâ€™t clear whether the platoons of Cody figures were bought because of the hostage crisis or simply because of an earlier Christmas rush.
If there are any Cody troops in the field, they will not be brought back to base but allowed to remain expeditionary.
â€œWe will not pull them off the shelves,â€� said Debbie Byerly, an AAFES spokeswoman in Germany.
But she doubted thereâ€™d be any left.
â€œIâ€™d buy one if I could,â€� Byerly said.

Cody has also incited spoof. A site run by a group called Jihad Watch posted a picture of a princess-looking doll and the headline, â€œGI hostageâ€™s mother pleads for sonâ€™s life.â€� A blogger posted a photo of another Dragon model, Col. Danny McKnight, ready to deploy to save Codyâ€™s life. Another blogger posted a photo of a plastic, paint-faced KISS bassist Gene Simmons held hostage at the point of a toy rifle.

The Daily Farce site scooped the world, showing a pregnant Barbie in angst over the fate of the soon-to-be-father in fatigues.

Were Barbie really to give birth to a Dragon military toy, how long would she have to wait?

Cusack said it can take anywhere from 90 days to a year to research, develop and finally debut a new toy.

â€œThe U.S. military only makes a certain amount of weapons, so now we have most of the tooling time cut down.â€�

When the terrorists get more media coverage, the attention validates their tactics and leads to more victims. The horror.
Got this from THE GOLDENBOY

Villain, You Face THE TICK, Stop Your Evil Ways

2005-02-04T15:40:00.000-10:00

MODERN DAY SUPERHERO

US general says it is "fun to shoot some people"
* Lt Gen Mattis, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, praised for candour

WASHINGTON: A senior US Marine Corps general who said it was "fun to shoot some people" should have chosen his words more carefully but will not be disciplined, military officials said on Thursday.
Lieutenant General James Mattis, who commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and is slated to be portrayed by star actor Harrison Ford in an upcoming Hollywood movie, made the comments at a conference on Tuesday in San Diego, California.

"Actually it's quite fun to fight 'em, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling," Mattis said.

"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis said during a panel discussion. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them," he said.

Right On, Sir. Check out the balls on this guy! I vote to make him Chairman of the JCS. Thanks for saying so! One more bad guy down.

In a statement, Marine Corps Commandant Gen Michael Hagee praised Mattis as "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders".
"While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war," Hagee said.
"Lt Gen Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candour. I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully," Hagee added.
Maj Jason Johnston, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon, said Hagee did not plan disciplinary action against Mattis. Johnston declined to specify how Hagee had counseled Mattis.
...Without explicitly criticising Mattis, Pace told the briefing, "First of all, all of us who are leaders have a responsibility in our words and our actions to provide the right example all the time for those who look to us for leadership."
Mattis, formally promoted to three-star general last month, heads the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, at Quantico, Virginia.
In November 2001, Mattis proclaimed, "We have landed and we now own terrain in south Afghanistan, after Marines took over a desert airstrip. The comment ruffled feathers at the Pentagon, where officials were uneasy with a US general talking about owning Afghanistan.
In Iraq, he commanded the 1st Marine Division during the 2003 invasion and subsequent counterinsurgency operations.

He has come under some criticism for saying what he felt, but his superiors stood by him and counseled him on a poor choice of words (or for not just keeping it to himself). I have to applaud his leaders for standing by him on such a politically charged and, in my opinion, a pretty dumb thing to say publicly, true or not. I can't help but feel that the Army would have crucified him. There is no doubt that this man possesses the warrior ethos, rather than merely paying it lip service. This officer was exemplifying a superhero response to a vulgar act. Why shouldn't we have a good feeling about killing a piece of shit? If someone hit my wife or daughters in public (not to mention public executions,etc), nothing would be more satisfying then to plug him a new asshole in the forehead. Maybe I take things too personally.

The Right Stuff

2005-02-03T08:46:00.000-10:00

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

This is stolen from Michael1121.
Thanks to Mister Jinxy for bringing it to my attention. Here is the accompanied text:

Teddy Kennedy aside. This is what our Military thinks of their Commander in Chief.
This Marine lost his legs. Yet he still saluted the President. He had a reason to be angry. He had the reasons to hate. The libs will NEVER understand these young men. They do not know what the word HERO means.
Their "heroes" are Teddy, Michael Moore and the like. But this young man IS the real Hero of America.
The "Greatest Generation" is the young men like him. I think our fathers and grandfathers from WWII, are willing to let that description pass on to these brave "kids"
It is a picture like this that makes me KNOW America IS the greatest country, and the majority of the people believe that.
I Salute our "boys" in uniform. This young man, though he has lost, though his life will be hard. Will not lose in the end. He has a place of peace waiting for him.
May God Bless our troops.

I salute our heroes from Afghanistan, Iraq, and wherever else they are away from home and hearth, who have greatly sacrificed for their country and the world.

Metal Your Mother Never Played You

2005-02-03T01:08:00.000-10:00

FUNDAMENTAL

A little over a year ago, I was berating some kid being obnoxious in a chat room. I think he was drunk, which I can relate to, and he began to soften his rhetoric in the face of my (and others) onslaught. Be that as it may, I have to thank him for turning me on to this band: PUYA
The only reason I mention it is because I was in the gym the other day trying to dig deep and the tunes were just getting me fired up. I moved on to working on the heavy bag and I wasn't even getting tired. They fucking rock.
They're from Puerto Rico or something so it's mostly in Spanish. I was thinking that since I don't understand Spanish, wouldn't it be messed up if I threw the cd in at the gym, for everybody to enjoy, only to find out that the lyrics are actually something like "I love the Cock!" Or worse, to never find out what it meant and continue to enthusiastically lip sync along while the bi-lingual individuals snicker away. That would be embarrassing (and hilarious if it happened to someone else). I doubt that this is the case, but will get a translation to be on the safe side.

Check out the reveiw:
A New Interpretation of "Horizontal Mambo"
by: bill aicher

I Hear Iceland is Lovely This Time of Year

2005-02-02T23:26:00.000-10:00

Man, I leave for two weeks and I come back to a couple of my good friends kicking around some poor, defenseless, Icelandic medical student and self proclaimed "hottie" in the comments section of the "...Someone doesn't like me" post. Does anyone know what the standard is to be "hot" in Iceland? I have no frame of reference for Iceland. If it were Sweden, well then we'd all have a frame of reference for that. I only hope it is a higher standard than Congo.
I am not going to add much to the exchange except to share a few things I've learned about Iceland recently.
- The people are really nice.
- The economy is basically capitalistic, except with a remarkably even distribution of income.
- They do not support entry into the European Union (EU)- a wise policy in my opinion- for fear of infringement on their fishing territory.
- They are trying to expand their economy to diversify more from predominantly fishing exports.
- Their expenditure on National Defense is 0. They have no regular armed forces. There is a police force and a Coast Guard.

Well, wait a minute Punk, how is that possible? How can that be?! What would become of them in a time of trouble since France isn't making billions of dollars in the Icelandic "lava for food" program?

How do you think it's possible?

- Defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik.

Enough said.

Note: All information from the CIA world factbook. That's right, we're watching you.

Oh Dear, Someone Doesn't Like Me

2005-01-21T06:30:00.000-10:00

I can only assume that this was supposed to be added as a comment to the Tsunami post. However, I found it under the "Don't Just Stand There...." post. Here it is:

Anonymous said...
Why is it that Americans are always moaning about somthin? Instead of focusing on the plight of the hundreds of thousands who lost their lives/families/homes all you care about is what everyone thinks of America. Shame I feel sorry for you.

There are far more important things going on in the world than George W's inauguration. So you go ahead, have a party, celebrate your democracy. There are some who are not so lucky.

The African.

Well, allow me to retort:

Dear Mr. The African,
I found your comment to be remarkably ignorant. Not so much because I am a typically ethnocentric American, but because you missed the entire point of the post. Not to mention the fact that you missed all my cheeky attempts at sarcasm, and I was laying it on pretty thick. Let me clear a few things up for you.
First, I do not expect any thanks for what we do, that would be naive. I believe we try to do what is right because it is the right thing to do. In other words, we should be doing all we can and we are. Some are saying it's not enough and I have a problem with that. I take issue with the fact that no matter what we do, we get bad press for it. Surely you can see something fundamentally wrong with that or maybe I give you too much credit. I try to teach my kids to ask for help when they need it and not to complain about it when they get it. Are you with me so far?
Second, I don't care what you think about America. Clearly your mind is already made up. It's quite fashionable to bash the U.S. and I see you're on the bandwagon. Don't feel sorry for me, keep feeling sorry for yourself. You seem to suggest that we should collectively dwell on the tragedy to the exclusion of everything else as if that's constructive. Focusing on the victims plight, feeling sorry for them and talking about how awful the situation is will not help them; helping them will help them. Opera non verba my friend. What good will it do them if I cancel all my plans, refuse to sleep in my house or to drink clean water (as I'm sure that you are) so I can better "relate?" None. Maybe I should infect myself with malaria as gesture of empathy. How many mouths will that feed? None. Note: This is where the "monk" reference came from in the title in case you were having more problems keeping up. I agree that there are many important things going on in the world, but dwelling on one thing, regardless of its scale, to the exclusion of all else, is selfish and irresponsible.
I am one of the lucky ones to be sure. My countrymen and I will continue to do the job that we do because it must be done. The world will not thank us for it- they never have and never will- and I don't want them to. I would invite all the tsunami victims over to my house if I could, but I can't (I don't live there right now and they would make a mess). I think you will agree this is unrealistic. I live in a tent in Afghanistan as I have for the last 10 months. A few months ago, I watched people ride donkeys for over 30 miles to cast a vote. So I will celebrate my democracy and theirs, hoping they feel as lucky as I do. But I won't be partying, I have work to do.
-Chris

OUR NATION IS CARRIED ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

2005-01-19T02:31:00.000-10:00

In case you can't read the caption, it says:
Pearl Harbor survivor Houston James of Dallas embraced Marine Staff Sgt. Mark Graunke Jr. during a Veterans Day Commemoration in Dallas yesterday. Graunke lost a hand, a leg and an eye when he diffused a bomb in Iraq last year. This week's images of U.S. Troops in combat in Fallujah deepened the day's significance for many who attended tributes held in San Diego and across the nation.

I Wish I Had Byron Allen's Job

2005-01-18T22:31:00.000-10:00

Don't get me wrong. I love my job, but there is something appealing about merely sitting down with movie stars, saying "What's Up?", and being hailed as hip and trendy etc. We have a television channel courtesy of Armed Forces Network (AFN) that airs this drivel nightly. The thing I find most alluring about his position is that all I would have to do is root out one trivial piece of information- researched by my staff- put on my gold jacket and dark blue tie and proceed to fumble my way through a 3 minute interview. The rest of my time could be spent with my lovely wife and children (who are still young enough to want to hang out with Daddy). Who wouldn't be up for that?
The first time I saw this show he was interviewing a stunning British actress from The Aviator, a quasi-biography of Howard Hughes that I hear is excellent. I couldn't get over how there was a film poster in the background and all I was hearing was if her kids could do ninja flips. Baffled, I was. Check it out for yourself at http://www.entertainmentstudios.com/kickin_it/index.asp beware of possible brain damage. What has happened to Bob Costas caliber interviewing?
Besides Kickin' It with Chris, it would also be cool to be that announcer at football games who has the insight to interject that the team with the ball needs to score a touchdown. Picture it, two guys who are football experts and me- master of the obvious. Or a bowling commentator, "gee, 275 is a great score for the leader, so and so will need at least 276 to win." I'm rambling now so with a little less preparation, I think I'll be on my way.

Becoming a Monk Will Not Help the Tsunami Victims

2005-01-15T18:23:00.000-10:00

I don't get much of a chance to follow news stories back in the States, at least not television news, but here is a gem. I picked this up from some talk show that was on in an office I walked into. There was someone suggesting that the Presidential Inauguration be scaled down to the equivalent of gathering in a men's room, performing the ceremony, and perhaps having a smoke. This would be a grand idea if it were because nobody cared (they do) or if no one would show up for the parade and pomp (they will). I probably wouldn't attend if I were able, but I might watch the speech on TV- I like TV- and I care (sort of).
The reason that was given is that the money it will cost for security and whatever would be better spent on Tsunami relief. There may be some truth to that, but come on. Why do we collectively feel so guilty that we were spared this tragedy on our own soil? Try finding an international relief agency collecting money for the California mudslide victims. America has already pledged a ton of money and resources to the relief, clean up and reconstruction and what do we get in terms of thanks? Cynical reports that we're not doing enough, headlines that we want to leave as soon as possible- true but distorted- and this from turkishpress.com:
"... US marines delivering aid to survivors were forced to scale back their presence on shore and move to ships to address sensitivities in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation."

I am glad we are not offending the delicate sensitivities of the Indonesians with our presence. Maybe we should pack our shit and leave.

AND (from some BBC rag)....
"The BBC's Andrew North in Banda Aceh says the deputy defense secretary is also due to have talks with Indonesian officials, at which the Jakarta government is expected to call for the US ban on military sales to the country to be lifted.
Indonesian officials say their ability to respond to the disaster was hampered because many of their US-made transport aircraft were grounded due to a lack of spare parts."

It was only a matter of time before we were blamed for something. Damn evil Americans. Another liberal cheap shot. Does the political wrangling never end?
The truth is that the US govt has promised 350 million dollars, 92 million already delivered. This aid is exclusive from the military support in the area. The military is pretty busy these days but we managed to spare 25 Naval vessels, around 60 helicopters, and 15,000 (military) personnel to the effort. I don't know the daily sustainment cost of such a force, but I imagine it's staggering. Oh, and throw in whatever that Sea Hawk helicopter that crashed cost. Our government is answering the call and Americans, as usual, are opening their wallets to donate millions.
So you may be thinking, "what's your point, punk?"
Just this: We should not feel guilty for celebrating our Democracy because there are people suffering in the world. Rather than canceling the inaugural celebration, we could cancel the next congressional session and donate their salaries to Panda Bear relief. I think we would be better served. If you are feeling personally guilty for not giving to the tsunami fund, feel secure that if you pay taxes, you are contributing, and of the 20 dollars you were thinking of pledging, most likely none of it would ever help a victim. It would feel pretty good though. I, myself, would donate but no relief agency could guarantee that not a single cent would help anybody in Somalia.

2005-01-14T08:44:00.001-10:00

DON'T JUST STAND THERE. KILL SOMETHING!
Credits from left: Your humble punk, Joeshka, Dan Galvan (we miss ya, bro), Joe monkey-man, Matt, Will Squared. Afghanistan baby.

Heil Myself

2005-01-12T05:02:00.000-10:00

I have no earthly idea what I'm going to write on this thing or why. I have read a few blogs and can't hope to compete with the wit or the dedication, but then I read a few more and it can't get much worse. Besides, I really don't care. If all else fails, I can always post self promoting helicopter pictures. After all, it is called UH60Punk. Let's see what happens.