Sunday, December 25, 2005

Luke 2:1-20

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Merry Christmas All!

Thursday, December 22, 2005

The Enemy IS the State

I have decided to take on a rather monumental (by Squirrel standards) work that explains why I believe that the State is ridiculously unwieldy. This series stems from the confliction that I have endured regarding the NSA warrant less searches. I am still of the mind that nearly any successful attempt of government to take from the citizenry unto themselves is distasteful and criminal. That being said, a conservative pragmatist may find that: a) the President was working in America’s interest, b) there were a great many in Congress aware of the executive order and acquiesced to the demands of war, c) the press is simply doing what the press does (I hope to have a post regarding Lincoln’s war with the press in the new year), d) there are serious problems with leaks that are, undoubtedly, carried out by bureaucrats of enormous ego, and e) the courts will find (and have found) that this type of executive order is legal… the disingenuous protest resignation of Judge Robertson none withstanding. I will continue to frame my thoughts and give snippets of my arguments against collectivist dogma in the coming weeks, but please forgive the frequent lack of posting through the holiday season. Cheers.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Man, where did the day go?

Geez, looking at my past couple pathetic posts, I can tell that it is almost Christmas. Family trickling into town, the Boy getting out of school, traffic and shopping suck, etc. I wish that I had some profound stuff to write, but just ain't got nuffin' today. Maybe an evening cocktail will recharge the brain for tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

What is Up...

With the stock market today? All my stock is just kinda deflating. Wish that I had some extra cash, I'd probably do a little buying...

Monday, December 19, 2005

Lack of Posting

Sorry about the sudden silence. I had a quick business trip that consisted of 18 hour days all weekend. Therefore, no time for posting. I'll be sure to find something cool and/or interesting tomorrow.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Another

Article that I think is worth reading. It is a really great story that came to my attention from The Mudville Gazette. Lifted me up!

Brief Friday Morning News Shot

Here are a bunch of articles worth reading this morning...

Smoking Foes Try to Stop Parents From Lighting Up... WTF?!? Will all the damn do-gooders just leave people be? I don't smoke, but government needs to piss off. It's bad enough that I can't buy a full-sized toilet for my OWN HOME! Damn.

Retired SF officer speaks out about Iraq.

Again, I think that Big Brother should just piss off. Why not make up a national security court system that only handles these kinds of things? Oh yeah, they already have that. I'm all for fighting terrorists, the problem is that when the government takes something from you, they almost never give it back! Damn.

Update: Some nice discussion going on over at Confederate Yankee. Kinda looks like I'm a minority player on this thing.

So long Howard Stern... as a Sirius stockholder... I wish you all the luck in the future (or at least till the stock hits $10, then you can just go away... and I think you will).

Tony Blankley writes about the Democrats bad faith... the lead-in:
Last Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright said: "There is not one Democrat who wants us to fail in Iraq. There is not one Democrat that doesn't want our troops to come home safely or wants our homeland to be properly protected or let Iraq develop a democracy and operate within the region. And I have to tell you, to be maligned or as not patriotic or undercutting the effort, I think is unacceptable."
Sorry, I'm gonna have to throw the bullshit flag on that play Ms. Albright.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Significant changes in DoD Policy

I mentioned this new DoD policy in an earlierpost.Now, this article in yesterday's (I meant to post this yesterday) Washington Times is taking note of the significence. It really isn't a surprise as the article points out:
The new policy, signed Nov. 28 by acting Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, is an indirect acknowledgment that the Pentagon badly bungled the planning for Iraq after it ousted Saddam Hussein in April 2003.
I was actually involved somewhat in the post-hostility (then called Phase IV) planning for Iraq. There were a hundreds of variables that we didn't know how to metric. For example, many of us argued that there would be no 'displaced civilian' problem... that is, refugees wandering around the country trying to flee the combat. We lost. Instead, we commited almost all of our Civil Affairs forces at the beginning of the war (when we knew that we would have to use them continuously thereafter). I'll tell you that there was definitely a feeling that we were 'rushing' through the planning process. My take on it at the time was that 'rushing' in such a bureaucracy is not necessarily a bad thing. Oh well, it's done.

The article goes on to say that:
A secret study conducted for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, obtained and disclosed in September 2003 by The Washington Times, found that military planners spent relatively little time on postwar planning in Iraq and did not properly carry out the interagency process with the White House, State Department and other government agencies.
Well, I would agree that we didn't spend nearly enough time on postwar planning, but I have to say that a whole lot of extremely bright people gave it their best shot. Unfortunately, many of the very best weren't given the weight that their wisdom demanded... I include myself in this group :) The real problem that I have with this is that I don't know ANYBODY who can define the "interagency process." The only real successes that we have had has been due to personal relationships. For example, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense was a Marine and can talk that language. No problems with communication there... but State? CIA? FDA? They don't even use the same "Missed Your Call" stickies, let alone terminology. Give me a break. There is no interagency process and the Coalition Provisional Authority was broken because of it. The vast majority of successes claimed by the CPA were, you guessed it, the result of the U.S. military.

The other problem that I have with this clip is that it implies that the White House wasn't completely aware of the planning. There were DAILY VTCs between General Franks and the WH staff. What else could SOCOM or CENTCOM have done? We simply just didn't hit the nail squarely on the head. Huge cudos need to go out to our armed forces for picking up the slack and making all this work!

Anyway, back to the massive change. The main thrust here comes from the new Directive that states:
Stability operations are a core U.S. military mission that the Department of Defense shall be prepared to conduct and support. They shall be given priority comparable to combat operations and be explicitly addressed and integrated across all DoD activities including doctrine, organizations, training, education, exercises, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities, and planning.
Times they are a'changin'. TRADOC, et al. are going to transform significantly once again. I wonder what we will look like at the end of this thing...

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Iraqi Elections

DoD is optimistic.

Written by 101st Sustainment Brigade



Story by Spc. Rick Rzepka
Scimitar Assistant Editor

Story by Spc. Rick Rzepka
Scimitar Assistant Editor

On Dec. 15, 1791, America's founding fathers ratified the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights became a beacon of freedom and liberty.

Exactly 214 years later on Dec. 15, 2005, another nation will accept the torch of democracy and elect its first full-term government.

For the first time, Iraqis will be represented by a permanent, democratically-elected legislative body.

Thousands of Iraqi citizens are expected to flock to the polls Thursday to vote under the new Iraqi Constitution. It’s the birth of a Middle East democracy.

Gen. George W. Casey, Multi National Force - Iraq, commanding general, said if the recent past is any indication, Iraqis want the ability to participate in the political process by voting. Iraq's transition into democracy "has not come about by accident or coincidence, but by shear will power and the determination of the Iraqi people," he said.

According to a recent report by Reuters, even Saddam loyalists, who turned their backs on January's election have done an about face and encouraged fellow Sunnis to vote in the Parliamentary elections, going so far as to say they were prepared to defend polling stations from al Qaida terrorists.

Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, also encouraged his followers to become involved by issuing a fatwa urging Iraqis to vote Thursday.

“The future of Iraq is in the hands of the Iraqi people,” said U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad on Dec. 6. “The future of the Middle East is important to the future of the world.”

The significance of the elections are also evident to many servicemembers here. For Airman 1st Class Brittany Barnes, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, “It means a lot to be here doing my job and to be a part of this; a part of history in the making.” She and fellow Senior Airman Jose Peterson, 332nd Air Wing, said that the election is a major milestone in the quest for peace. “They're setting up for their own independence, sort of like our 4th of July and that makes me feel good to see this. It's a right they've never had before and I'm proud to be part of giving them that,” said Peterson.

“It's great to be taking part in something like this,” said Staff Sgt. Willie Signil, an instructor at the Noncommissioned Officer Academy on Q-West Base. As a member of the cadre, Signil trains Iraqi recruits in basic soldier skills such as entering and clearing procedures, basic marksmanship with the AK-47 rifle and land navigation. During the elections, his former students will provide security for polling sites.

“I believe they can handle that job,” said Signil. “This nation is finally coming out of oppression. To be a part of this is something good. You're a part of history.”

— Sgt. Rachel A. Brune, 101st Sustainment Brigade contributed to this story.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Stop the ACLU...

just posted that the ACLU got an $8.5 million donation from Progressive Insurance. That pisses me off. Unfortunately, I use Progressive for my Harley insurance cause they are significantly cheaper... damn. I may just send a strongly worded letter of protest. Really pissed.

An Interesting Chat

I had an interesting chat with a fellow this morning at work. We started talking about the GWOT and the Democratic leadership’s insistence that it wasn’t winnable. He mentioned that these were the same tired people from his generation. Anyway, the part that resonated with me was that – in describing his recent visit to Vietnam – he believes that we ultimately DID win the war. He described Vietnam today as bustling, economically advancing, and technologically savvy. While still technically a communist country, he said that people appeared to be living well. I asked if he thought that this was due to communism and he replied, “no!” He mentioned that even the Vietnamese who fled the country during the fall of the South Vietnamese government are allowed to return at will (his wife is one of them, therefore the trips) and that the country is advancing towards an amalgam of capitalism very quickly. So maybe victory in these vastly different cultures can’t be compared to the Great Wars. Maybe only the lens of time can really bring consequences to focus. Hmmm.

A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.
--Thomas Paine

Monday, December 12, 2005

ATTENTION - FAKE ARMY AKO WEB PAGE

Today I received this email via Ross Myers, BlogMaster for the Depts of VFW. Sneaky fookers.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Roy C. Meares
Date: Dec 12, 2005 3:18 PM
Subject: ATTENTION - FAKE ARMY AKO WEB PAGE
To: rmeares@ec.rr.com

Subject: FW: ATTENTION - FAKE ARMY AKO WEB PAGE

FYI:

BLUF: The enemy has created a fake Army Knowledge Online (AKO) web page to lure you into giving up your AKO user name and password and stealing your identity. DO NOT GO TO THIS SITE.

You may receive email, with a link, that directs you to go to this fake AKO site and log on. The only link for AKO is https://www.us.army.mil/ .

The following site is intended to look like the AKO portal. It was setup to gather usernames and passwords of AKO user s. We have received one report of an email sent to an AKO user that linked to this website. In the event that you receive such an e-mail, do not open it; delete it immediately. If you enter your password to this site, it will be captured and could be used by an intruder to access the AKO portal and any other Army website that relies on AKO credentials.

Our enemies will try any method to gain access to our networks. Thank you for doing your part, and thank you for your patience as we continue to work on keeping the network secure and reliable.

Oliver K. Wyrtki
LTC, SC
Commander, 1112th Signal Battalion
Director of Information Management
Fort Bragg, NC 28310
(910) 396-1112 (DSN 236)
oliver.wyrtki@us.army.mil

Here is what the fake looks like...

Happy Holidays...

So, it is December. 401(k) is maxed out and this is my last month of a paycheck without that pre-tax deduction. I’ve already spent a bunch of money on Christmas (I’m really into it this year) and I’ve taken steps to counter the post-shopping “hangover.”
Heh.

Friday, December 09, 2005

Friday

Today I am going to a buddy's funeral. A somber day to lay a Patriot to rest. Please keep this man and his family in your prayers.

De Oppresso Libre

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Excellent Links

Okay, here is a bunch of cool things that I have read recently.

First, the inestimable Peggy Noonan has a great article on our immigration quandry. An excerpt:
Here is what is true of my immigrants and of the immigrants of America's past:
They fought for citizenship. They earned it. They waited in line. They passed the tests. They had to get permission to come. They got money that was hard-earned and bought a ticket. They had to get through Ellis Island or the port of Boston or Philadelphia, get questioned and eyeballed by a bureaucrat with a badge, and get the nod to take their first step on American soil. Then they had to find the A&S.

Second, my hero Wuzzadem is vying for votes for the Weblog awards... and makes me laugh doing so!

Third, Dr. Walter Williams gives us a refresher course in Basic Economics. A taste:
With all the recent hype and demagoguery about gasoline price-gouging, maybe it's time to talk about the basics of exchange. First, what is exchange? Exchange occurs when an owner transfers property rights or title to that which is his.

Here's the essence of what transpires when I purchase a gallon of gasoline. In effect, I tell the retailer that I hold title to $3. He tells me that he holds title to a gallon of gas. I offer to transfer my title to $3 to him if he'll transfer his title to a gallon of gas to me. If this exchange occurs voluntarily, what can be said about the transaction?

Fourth, Arnaud de Borchgrave over at the
Washington Times just wrote an article about Pakistan's nuclear issues...
The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) thought it might have better luck than the U.S. in its quest to interview Dr. A.Q. Khan, the revered father of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, and history's most flagrant nuclear proliferators. But President Pervez Musharraf has now turned down IAEA's request, just as the U.S., despite $3 billion a year in aid, has been denied access to AQK, a national icon who is by far his country's most popular figure. This Islamic Dr. Strangelove ran an underground black market of nuclear know-how for the benefit of America's enemies: North Korea, Iran and Libya.

And that is plenty of stuff for tonight... enjoy!

Godspeed Sir

Blackfive has a tribute to LTG William P. Yarborough (USA, ret.), Airborne and Special Forces legend, who passed away on 06 December.

God Speed Sir!

De Oppresso Libre!

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Wednesday Kick-Ass Photo

Nomads? Nope. Sorry. That would be a scruffy bunch of doorkickers. Nice.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbending determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

— Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Body Armor

So a buddy of mine, who is headed overseas as a contractor, called me yesterday. He wanted to know about body armor. He remembered this article about flawed body armor from Point Blank. He wanted to get the best that there is, but didn't know what that was. I was happy to oblige. To my knowledge, the height of personal body armor is SOV™ Flexible Body Armor from Pinnacle Armor®. Their site states that:
Developments in body armor over the last thirty years are numerous, but very few actually have revolutionized the industry. The last two major developments were the introduction of Kevlar and Spectra products which significantly lowered weights compared to ballistic nylon. Now, Pinnacle Armor presents a revolutionary technology called DRAGON SKIN®, the first practical, FLEXIBLE BODY ARMOR that defeats rifle rounds.

Pinnacle Armor was founded by a noted inventor and author in the field of ballistic armor, Murray Neal. Mr. Neal has relied on his combined expertise of ballistic sciences and field experience to jointly achieve a quantum leap in technology-the first flexible body armor that defeats rifle fire. Now you can wear armor that flexes and molds to the contours of your body and allows for greater coverage than a rigid 10" x 12" plate which is the typical coverage offered in current technology.

SOV™ flexible armor is completely fabricated in the USA for American Special Forces, Police Tactical Teams and approved foreign militaries.

I have friends that swear by it, although I haven't yet made the leap.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Meetings All Day

Stuck in meetings all day, so light to no blogging. BTW, I just noticed that this is post number 103! WOO HOO! Later gator.

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Is it the NFL or is it the NBA?

36 have been accused of spousal abuse

19 have been accused of writing bad checks

117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

3 have done time for assault

71, repeat 71, cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

14 have been arrested on drug-related charges

8 have been arrested for shoplifting

21 currently are defendants in lawsuits... and

84 have been arrested for drunk driving
in the last year


Can you guess which organization this is?

Yes, gentle readers. It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

The same group of Idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year
designed to keep the rest of us in line. Heh.

Beret tip to Sandy Ford

Friday, December 02, 2005

Funny

LOL! Okay, this is just too damn funny! I'll bet that every mother in the whole world can relate to this!

This will make you laugh as well. Funny dude... just seriously funny.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

*Yawn*

You know, being on travel was kinda nice. I didn’t really have access to television for the duration. While I missed some of the excitement on E-Ring, I don’t think that I’ve missed anything significant on the political front (though I haven’t diligently checked). In essence, the world has changed little in the past month. We are still kickin’ hind-end in the GWOT, the left is screaming at the right, the right is doing a pathetic (and overdue) job of defending itself, etc.

Oh wait! Okay, there are two items of significance to me. The first is the riots in France. Freakin’ crazy. I guess making immigrants “Americans” (by insisting that kids say the Pledge of Allegiance and learn English) is a good thing. The second is that Jerry Kilgore lost the race for VA governor to Tim Kaine. I really didn’t see that coming. I guess people got tired of the negativity. Anyway, other than that, I don’t feel that I’ve missed much, so I’m going to dedicate some time to describing all the home improvements that I’m doing to Sexy Squirrel’s home. The first installment? To catch you up on what has gone before!