Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Eminently Clickable

Rather than get too riled up over dumb stuff today, I'm instead going to treat you (once again) to random stuff that I've come across. Enjoy.


- This is possibly one of the most deceiving headlines I've seen in awhile (though I did print like 20 copies to leave around the office).

- Just when I've thought that today's schools have totally lost their sense of humor, I hear about stuff like this. I may just go as this guy for Halloween... though my son won't like it.

- Er, Mrs. Applegate, you won't believe what happened to my homework!

- Monsters!

- If God didn't create Men, there would be nobody to invent guns that shoot candy. Sweet.

Happy Halloween, gentle readers. If you see Dog the Bounty Hunter with his busty spouse, it may be me (just check for the bushy tail)!

John Kerry, Asshat

I know that a bunch of people are all over this, but I would like to throw my .02 into the ring. Again, it seems that the left is completely unable to throw off the Vietnam analogies. Why? Well, at least to some degree they haven't really grown up yet. Maturity and the loss of all that 60s fun is really taking a toll on some.

When John Kerry, Asshat, said, "You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq." I swear that he was talking about the draft. You know, back in the dark ages you could get a draft deferment by attending college (any surprise that the moonbat phDs run the universities?).

Excuse me, Senator Asshat, but there are a couple things that you need to remember.

1. The Vietnam War is over.

2. The 60s were the dark ages of the 20th Century... join us in the 21st.

3. The military is an all-Volunteer force.

4. Many enlisted soldiers have more education than you do.

5. You are not the heir apparent for the Democratic Presidential Nomination in 2008... but please spend as much money as you can on it anyway.

6. I will kick you in the nuts if I ever get to meet you (not sure you have any, maybe I should kick your wife in her nuts).

Monday, October 30, 2006

More Negative Spin

So Newsweek wrote a story about a Marine Captain who died in Iraq. The family allowed his letters and emails to be published. The caption under the first photograph?
Weary Warrior: ‘This war is futile,’ wrote Secher after three months in Iraq. But he still believed in it.
Notice anything in there? The story that Captain Secher tells in his emails is different, so be sure to check it out. No real commentary, (except the correspondence that they chose to publish) but there is a last twist. The final paragraph reads,
Captain Secher died two days later, shot by a sniper while on patrol in Hit. "There are many challenges out here," Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Salas told NEWSWEEK. "Captain Secher and the Marines who worked with him tackled those challenges with tremendous zeal, and served with dedication and great personal sacrifice. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
The comments are a mixed bag of support for the warfighter and the moonbats who live under the umbrella of protection that they so despise. One comment (from a fellow warrior) asks,
Is he one of the fine Americans that CNN gleefully showed getting killed by snipers?
Excellent question. I am suspicious, of course, at the timing of this article. Why not publish the letters and emails of someone who didn't die? Why not publish portions of Blackfive's book, The Blog of War? Why a week before midterm elections? That would have been difficult see, because there wouldn't have been the opportunity for negative spin.

Hell, I don't know. Am I cynical?

Friday, October 27, 2006

DoD vs. MSM

Finally! The Department of Defense is striking back at the MainStream Media. We all complain how the MSM leaves things out, gets things clearly wrong, and does so with impunity. The five-sided-puzzle-palace (the Pentagon) has finally realized that they have to wage an IO (Information Operation) with the media as well. How did they do this? They have developed a website that regularly smacks the media down. Their most recent post:
The New York Times on “Real Terrorists”
A “lighthearted” matter?



September 7, 2006

New York Times
To the Editor:

Your September 7, 2006 editorial, “A Sudden Sense of Urgency,” asserts that the recent transfer of 14 CIA prisoners means that “President Bush finally has some real terrorists in Guantánamo Bay.” This merits a correction.

Since its inception, terrorists that have been held at Guantánamo Bay have included personal bodyguards of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda recruiters, trainers, and facilitators. One notable individual held at Guantánamo was Mohamed al-Kahtani, believed to be the intended 20th hijacker on September 11th.

That many of these men are terrorists intent on doing America harm is not a simply an assertion made by the U.S. government, but something many detainees themselves have claimed, indeed boasted about. For example, in open commission hearings on March 1, Mr. Al Bahlul boasted five times that he was a member of Al Qaeda involved in an ongoing war against America. In open commission hearings on April 27, Mr. Al Sharbi said, “I’m going to make this easy for you guys: I’m proud of what I did and there isn’t any reason of hiding … I fought against the United Stated. I took up arms.”

It is unfortunate that one of America’s largest newspapers concludes these men are not “real terrorists.”

Sincerely,
Dorrance Smith
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs


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


September 13

Dear Mr. Kenney [who transmitted the letter]:

Thank you for the letter, but we respectfully pass. We do not see the need for a correction, as the phrase in question was meant to be somewhat lighthearted in tone and not literal.

Sincerely,
Tom Feyer


The Department isn't playing favorites either. Notice that the first entry regards an article by Bill Kristol in the Weekly Standard. Let's see how much the MSM likes some light shown on their activities and agendas. Ah, transparency is a wonderful thing. Don't worry folks, I'll keep posting these statements, cause they're just that good!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

CNN and Snipers

Okay, I've stayed quiet about all this stuff cause I don't have a lot to add. I'm a sniper and have put my training to use when needed. Without sounding too calouse, a kill can be a very personal thing. Moral men do not kill without consequence. If a kill is justified you will never lose a minute of sleep over it. I can't think of a circumstance where I would allow a kill to be filmed like the propoganda piece that was aired. That being said, Congressman Hunter (R-CA) is calling for DOD to kick out embedded CNN reporters in Iraq. I say, why not! They are clearly not on our side so to hell with them. The worst that they can do is to undermine our efforts in the GWOT...

WSJ and Pakistan

There are three excellent columns in the Wall Street Journal Opinion page today. Two are closely related (one is an editorial and another an article) and concern Pakistan. First, here is the editorial (with which I am in violent agreement).
"Our finest foreign-policy minds have been abuzz lately trying to explain how and why the U.S. and its NATO allies are, as a recent Newsweek International cover has it, “Losing Afghanistan.” But no need for deep thoughts here: The largest part of the problem is neighboring Pakistan."
I concur. Afghanistan has long been the battleground in which its neighbors expend their pol-mil energy. For anyone who is interested in learning a great deal (in a very easy read) about this particular subject, I recommend The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia, by Peter Hopkirk.
"In September, the Pakistan government of Pervez Musharraf agreed to abandon its North Waziristan province – which shares a long border with Afghanistan – to the de facto rule of its “tribal elders” and the Taliban and mujahadeen terrorists they harbor. Since then, as Barnett Rubin observes (Squirrel – in the other article that I mentioned above) nearby, the number of cross-border raids into Afghanistan has risen tenfold."
What the article doesn't mention is that the Government of Pakistan has not had control of the tribal areas (Waziristan in particular)… ever. I spent some time in North Waz and let me tell you that it is a forbidding place. The tribesmen are some seriously hard dudes and even better marksmen. Part of the reason that the Pakistani government can’t exert any control is because the Pakistani military gets its ass handed to it every time it tries. For context it is important to note that their elite special operations dudes (SSG) are about as good as our typical infantrymen. Their regular troops pretty much suck.
"It’s true that the agreement the Pakistan government signed with these elders explicitly forbids such raids. But General Musharraf surely knew that the Taliban would not keep idle in Waziristan for long, especially since he also agreed to the release and pardon of all Taliban prisoners and the return of their confiscated weapons."
There is much more to this story, I’m sure. Unfortunately, I’m not completely dialed into the internal politics at the moment. Rest assured, I’ve got a couple calls in over there and will let you know when I know.
"From day one in the war on terror, the Bush Administration has said it would make no distinction between terrorists and those who harbor them. So far, Mr. Musharraf has earned an exception to this rule by helping to capture al-Qaeda suspects early on, and then by pleading that his government cannot control its unruly tribal areas. But then he cannot also refuse to allow NATO troops and U.S. Predator missiles to do the job for him."
As far as I can tell, he simply cannot “refuse to allow” us to do the work for him. It seems to me that he abdicated his ability to tell us no in this particular instance. While he wants to have his cake and eat it too, we should consider declaring war on North Waziristan. We would begin this operation by sealing the borders and then systematically destroying the tribal infrastructure. It is bloody work, but necessary.

The only realistic problem is Musharraf closing our base in Jacobobad and ignoring the terrorists in the areas he does control. When I say he, by the way, I mean the Pakistani directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence. The educated, however, are very interested in Pakistan becoming the new India. They invest heavily in technology and have a solid base of labor. With help, we could undermine the military class that is totally controlling the country and allow the businessmen to build a country worth keeping.
"We don’t know what General Musharraf promised to President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai during their recent conclave in the White House. But we hope it was more tangible cooperation that we have been seeing of late. Sovereignty has responsibilities, and General Musharraf is not exercising them."
I can’t argue with that last sentence. I would merely point out that the left in this country has worked assiduously to undermine our strength (sovereignty DOES have responsibilities). The Pakistanis are allowing American interests to be subjugated because they sense weakness. That weakness has NOT been flowing from the White House, but from the MSM and those that support them. What escapes the left (who claim that they would “go after Bin Laden”) is that there is nothing that they could do differently to end al-Qaeda. The thing that they could have done is show a united front. A united front in the GWOT would have precluded this entire mess with Pakistan. Thanks dickheads, a pox on your house.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Pretty Damn Excited!

There is no other way to say it, I want to have Jack Bauer's babies. I present (cue trumpet fanfare)... the trailer for the new season of 24! Careful about navigating, there are a bunch of spoilers.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Feeling Like a Little Fun?

Yeah, me too. So be like my good friend Dave at Garfield Ridge and shriek with delight at this little morsel.

MWAHAHAHAHA! MWAHAHAHA!

That was totally sweet.

Friday, October 20, 2006

November Elections

It seems to me that political conservatives need some perspective as we head into the race to the November elections. On the front page of the eminently readable Wall Street Journal (no link, subscription required) is a story about how Young Republicans are flourishing at U.C. Berkeley. Yes, you don’t need to rub your eyes… BERKELEY!

It is an interesting article detailing how this new generation is getting people excited about conservative activism. For example: PETA came to campus and the Berkeley College Republicans (the largest student group on campus) had a free hotdog (meat and greet) nearby to encourage people to be omnivores. The also regularly hold “Out of the Conservative Closet” events so that people don’t have to be intimidated by all the liberals (optimism anyone?).

One telling paragraph reads:

“The growth of the Berkeley College Republicans at one of the nation’s most liberal campuses echoes some broader political trends. At Berkeley, while leftist students still dominate and outnumber conservatives, the liberal groups have splintered and are now spread across factions from the Cal Democrats to the International Socialist Organization to groups formed to oppose the war in Iraq. At the same time, several faculty members say, there are more conservative-leaning students than in the past, propelled by swells of patriotic feeling after events like Sept. 11 and an increase in the number of religious student groups.”

While I find the faculty reasoning typical of the leftist bullshit (it can’t be that conservative ideals are appealing… can it?) the article points out precisely what the left has to offer… they aren’t Republicans. The liberal side of the aisle is fractured and without meaningful ideas. They are a house divided and are therefore unable to lead. Conservatives need to be mindful of what this means. Specifically, the MSM (and therefore general consensus) has it that Republicans are going to stay home and make the GOP suffer for their sins. Make no mistake, my long-time readers know the disgust that I feel for direction and neglect of the RNC. But, we need to look at this differently, please bear with me.

No doubt you are always astonished (as I) when people riot in their own neighborhoods and cause massive amounts of damage. Watts, Rodney King, Cleveland… they are all examples of people allowing themselves to be overcome by their emotions and causing damage to their own house. The Republicans are no different. We can be angry. We can be disappointed. We can even shake our fists at the TV and yell at the moronic leadership we have seen displayed time and time again. BUT, if we “sit this one out” to “show em” how upset we are, we are only damaging our own house. If Republicans win, there will be time to clean house. If Republicans lose, cleaning house will take a back seat to defending against stupid ideas and policies. If Republicans lose, even more “electable” conservatives will run in the future… and Republicans will vote for them to keep the Democrats out. That’s how we got in this mess in the first place.

While there are many reasons why I will go out and vote in November, one of the primary reasons is that I refuse to destroy my own house so that I can “teach them a lesson.” If the Republicans on the U.C. Berkeley campus can stand up and have a voice in that moral vacuum of higher learning, then I can certainly find the courage to clean my own house. I am, afterall, optimistic.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Teaching Others to Knock

It is generally considered rude to enter someone's abode without knocking. ODA 072 (Operational Detachment Alpha) from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) recently spent some time teaching some foreign operators how to knock a bit more efficiently while over at Operation Adriatic Eagle.

Another fine example of our special operation forces acting as the real foreign policy of this great nation. These type of engagements are carried out every single day in countries all over the globe. Special operations folks actually garner respect and have real influence in the rest of the world. Contrast that with the Department of State...

Monday, October 16, 2006

Optimism

Having clearly stated in an earlier post about how sick I am of politics, I'd like now to talk about... politics.

"A flip-flop Mr. Squirrel? Say it ain't so."

Don't worry, I will try to explain. I see lots of people bemoaning the current political climate. I am one of those people, but unlike many of those folks I have some thoughts as to how to change it. What do I hate most about election year politics (ever notice that the election year seems to be stretching into a full-time deal)? For me, it is all the negativity. I really get pissed when I see politicians slamming each other over politics. They do it to get votes.

How? Well, if you are reading this blog, you are probably more politically aware than nearly everyone you come into contact with today (um, not because of my blog, but milblogs in general). Congratulations, you are one of the political elite. The vast majority of this country is woefully ignorant and tend to vote the way that they are told to vote. Ever live in a small town? News travels fast and bad news travels fastest... ergo, the slouch to negativity in political ads.

That being said, I heartily and truly believe that a winning candidate needs an abundance of one thing... genuine optimism. President Reagan was wildly successful because he had a deep, abiding, and unshakeable optimism in America. The Contract with America that spurred the conservative movement was an optimistic plan to make America better. We are a great people who work hard, play hard, and care about our neighbors. We spend massive amounts of money in parts of the world that few people are even aware of. Contrary to common belief, when Americans travel, we aren't "Ugly Americans." We bring hope to the world, but have somehow lost faith in ourselves (at least a very vocal number of us have).

I am optimistic. Why? Because I know that I am stronger than my adversaries (political or otherwise). My character has been forged in the fires of combat and I have been victorious time and time again (including victory over myself). I can win at anything that I put my mind to and am determined to push forward despite the doomsayers. I will prevail because I know that I love this place more than my opponents. I have literally placed myself between a bullet and my countrymen for years at a time and would do so again.

I live my life according to my values. "Do as I do," as opposed to "do as I say." My bags are packed, my body is in shape, my mind is sharpened, and I am waiting for an opportunity to serve my fellow man. I don't drive by a person with a flat tire on the side of the road. I usually have some change for the homeless. I greet people with a smile and pick people up when they are down. For my efforts I have been taken advantage of and had my life disrupted on many, many occasions. I may take a breather, but then I'm out there again, doing "the right thing" despite the obstacles.

I try diligently to influence and improve the little slice of pie that is my life. I encourage you to do the same. This is the essence of optimism. The world is not ending. The sky is not falling. You know that there are people in your life that you can trust. You have a fantastic life (if you don't it is your life). Enjoy it, and try and pass on some of the magic that is known as optimism.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Week-end

Nice. I took the day off to work down the "Honey Do" list today. Pretty full weekend (but not too full) planned with the family. The baby squirrel is doing fantastic and has recently discovered that she can sit up (well, for five minutes at a stretch) and is starting to "talk" to her mom (Dad's not consistently cool yet). I'm hoping for a big win against Indiana U. this weekend (GO HAWKS)! So, I promise not to drink too much beer and to better myself in some way.

Maybe you too could better yourself by contacting DeVry. I know that it really helped me.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Stuff Worth Repeating #1

"If Fred Flintstone knew that the large order of ribs would tip his car over, why did he order them at the end of every show?" - Steven Wright

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

I Heart Economics

I know, I know. Squirrel, you are one sick puppy… nobody loves economics. Well, not true. As many of you know, I actually did economics with a large group of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students at one of the only free-market econ departments in the United States, George Mason University. While we had a small share of extreme libertarians (which I get on with fairly well) and anarchists (which I don’t), it was mainly an exceptional education from such noted scholars as Dr. Walter Williams, Dr. John Buchanan, Dr. Gordon Tullock, and Dr. Vernon Smith.

I didn’t get to it yesterday, but the newest American Nobel Laureate in Economics hails from Columbia University (which I generally despise). He, however, has done excellent work in some of the smaller spheres (political economy) on economics. He wrote an article that was published yesterday in the Wall Street Journal. While a bit heavy, it is nonetheless important to note that he comes out wildly in favor of capitalism.

I'm sorry to say that I'm pretty damned excited to be reading about political economy again... sick.

Ethnic Diversity

I don’t often break open the pages of the Financial Times (for the same reason I don’t always read The Economist… a bit too Euro), but I have been reading it in the past few weeks. Imagine my surprise when I read about a Harvard study that mentions a downside to ethnic diversity. Crazy stuff, and too true.

Ah Soo...

If you're bored
-and nothing to do,
scroll on down
-and learn a thing or 2.

It will help
-if you don't look
into the food
-of an asian cook.

(Okay, okay so I suck at poetry) The following lovely oriental insights from Engrish.com, however, are pretty damn good!











Tuesday, October 10, 2006

I Just Disturbed My Coworkers

Cause I was laughing my ass off. I found this little gem over at Ace of Spades. It totally energized me... which is what humor is supposed to accomplish. Do yourself a favor... check it out. I wish that I were as inventive.

Reading List

I love to read. I love it so much, that I often just don't start a book because I know that it can consume me. Here is the Fast Squirrel's Rules on Reading.

1) Your mind is the most important muscle in your body, you need to work it regularly. More than nearly any other experience, reading is an excellent workout.

2) I read one chapter in the Bible every morning while downing my pre-gym yogurt. I manage to get through the Bible every couple years.

3) I alternate my reading. That is, I alternate reading a book for fun and something that I consider self-improvement. Sometimes they are the same book, but not usually.

4) Use the library whenever possible. Why? I have dozens of totes full of books that I need to sell on ebay. Even though I have read every single book multiple times, it just adds clutter to the Squirrel's Nest.

5) If you do buy, go to half.com and get it cheap!

So, what have I read recently? Okay, don't laugh... I take about a week to read a regular book. So September looked like this:

Week 1 - "To the Last Man" by Jeff Sharra

Week 2 - "Winning" by Jack Welch

Week 3 - "Home of the Brave" by Caspar Weinberger

Week 4 - "The Compleat Strategyst" by J.D. Williams (ugh)

And October is shaping up like this:

Week 1 - "A Testament to Freedom: The Essential Writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Week 2 - "Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets To Success, One Relationship At A Time" by Keith Ferrazzi

Week 3 - "Fiasco" by Thomas Ricks (heard that it was painful, but accurate)

Week 4 - TBD

What are you reading now? How is it going?

Monday, October 09, 2006

An Explanation

So JD wrote to tell me about the nuke thing (see the post below this). I haven't really looked for much about it yet, and unfortunately, I get to see all sorts of analysis in my day job. Part of the reason that I don't post on quite a lot of things that go on in the world is because I may have a problem distinguishing "wild-ass conjecture" with "informed not-many-people-in-town-know-this" stuff. It is actually a fairly hard balancing act, so I don't go there very often. My initial reaction (again, without even going on the high-side at work) is that the explosion was small and that means a couple of things:

a) 5KT to 15KT explosion means that their technology sucks. If it had been over 100KT (like the French blew in the Atoll) then I would be packing up and moving in with JD and family (Hi, we're the Squirrels... have room for my nuts?)

b) North Korea is arguably the most isolated country in the world. If we can't stop them from getting nukes, there is zero chance that we will be able to stop Iran. Proliferation of these small(ish) weapons guarantees an offensive nuclear detonation in my lifetime.

c) The left doesn't get it. Who can we thank for ensuring proliferation? Ask the Clinton administration and deduce the opposite. Also, I think that it is important to remember that despots, dictators, and loons all do things for their own reasons that may not have anything to do with the U.S.A. Afterall, NK didn't want nukes to put additional pressure on the world, they wanted them because they didn't have them. Don't give these ridiculous third-world nutjobs too much credit. They simply want power (and the trappings thereof). There is only one way to deal with these types of folks... and it ain't diplomacy.

End of sermon... amen.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Sick of Politics

Man, I really hate election cycles. Here in Virginia the Senate race involving George Allen and Asshat Webb has really been nasty. I've known Webb was dirty for a long time. It is an open secret here. What is amazing is seeing the Allen campaign completely blow it and stoop low. Dumbasses.

This Foley guy is a predator and should be locked up. Sure, it may not have been a crime in DC (age of consent is 16) but now this scuzball is still out and WILL do it again. I can't believe that we have to live with all these sick fucks. Both sides of the aisle have these dildos. Great.

Here in the DC area we are surrounded by Moonbats. They are ignorant, shrill, uncompromising bigots. There is no reasoning with them. While I totally don't support sitting out the conservative vote in November, I will be holding my nose. Even if the Dems take power, we can expect to see them melt down. Why? To put it simply, they don't have common values. Relativity is not a value, it is moral quicksand... but they don't get that. I tried to explain the difference between ethics and morality to an overeducated moonbat recently. I boiled it down to this: an ethical man knows not to cheat on his wife, a moral man doesn't do it. He tried to wiggle around, but his only real response was that I was wrong. Unconvincing. Don't care. Damn, I gotta move West (but not too far West).

So, the only TV I'm watching this weekend is football. If something really crazy happens, please, someone log in here and tell me.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Random Stuff

Okay, I've been accumulating a bunch of random stuff and I have to get it all out before I overload. So...

Ever wonder where the Yellow Legal Pad came from?

You've gotta be freakin' kidding me.

Apparently, the Has is still alive. I had no idea.

I am demanding answers for THIS! But find this to be an absolutely excellent idea.

More alien technology? I report, you decide (if I'm a retard).

Monday, October 02, 2006

How I Love Thee October

Fall is my favorite time of the year, but October is my absolute favorite. This morning I woke up, pulled on my running clothes and headed out into the crisp morning air. The bracing cold was exhilarating! I stepped along climbing towards the moon, which was so large, I thought I might step right onto it. It was silent except for the fall of acorns, like popcorn in the distance. The cold removed the veil of a weekend of football and alcohol as quickly as it cleared the skies. Any ambiguity from the surrounding town was erased by the incredible clarity of the skies above. This is why bourbon was invented. It fits the environment like a Timberland boot or an old sweatshirt.

Tomorrow I’ll rise with the sun to log a few more miles on these tired bones. 20 minutes into the run I’ll pass through a cloud of my own breath and crest the first big hill. Beyond me, below me is a repository of nature spread out for miles. Old Virginia is still the foundation here. Among the new townhouse developments and strip malls the houses of a century past dot the rolling hills. I'll pass an old farmhouse, grass white with frost and green giving way to red, orange, yellows and brown trees. Further along, an old barn that has survived the onslaught of humanity sits in a fog so thick that it’s as if GOD took an eraser to nature.

I love these days because it makes running hard. The cold is making my lungs heavy and wet and my time slips away. What was a challenge in the summer is now more akin to survival. Its no longer how fast I get back up that hill, but IF I get up that hill. I suppose if I don't make it, I'll just settle in on a pile of leaves and wait for Maidens with steins of amber liquid to carry me to the Oktoberfest in the Sky.Prost!