Comments for Okay, back to work!

Okay, back to work!

2005-05-09T14:14:50Z

To open: American soldiers can find some things unerringly.

SWWBO and I took a blog-break this weekend. I kinda checked the comments, to make sure the PG-17s weren't being whacked on with hammer and tongs, but other than that, we pretty much took a break. SWWBO has been harder hit than I by whatever bug we've been sharing, but we pretty much were just alcohol-infused slugs this weekend. I *did* score SWWBO a one-hour massage (from her favorite salon) for Mother's Day.

Many of you kept the torches lit, and the mailbox gnome was kept busy sorting.

Speaking of lit torches... this is a good idea because...?

CAPT H showed up with links to the Canadian War Museum in their newly-opended digs... pointing to the Art Exhibit. Paul Jane' of All Agitprop All The Time, points out some vets have problems with the exhibit. Hat tip to Baldilocks, who notes other problems around the blogs... and has more info somewhat answering Jack's questions (and mine) about Abu Ghraib accountability. (Note to Jack - because the punishments were non-judicial or administrative, the Privacy Act keeps us from knowing exactly what happened - but trust me - NJP (non-judicial punishment) is a career-killer that amounts to a fine of potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost promotion, lost years of pay, and reduced pension).

SWWBO wasn't a complete slug - she did her usual job of managing the Carnival of the Recipes, hosted this week at Technogypsy.

Prince Harry is going to Sandhurst. Five weeks away from his girlfriend! Poor sod.

Indomitable men in flimsy ships - Lieutenant Commander Eric Walmsley, RN.

And, of course, CAPT H can't resist a little poke in the eye... which would work, if I was a West Point Grad - but I'm not, having preferred playing marginal (but winning) football at Mizzou to attending the Military Academy. I'm referring of course, to the Sandhurst Competition, pitting cadets of the United States Miltary Academy, West Point, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and Royal Military College, Kingston against this course and each other. Congrats to the Canadians, who finally managed to drag out a victory, for the first time ever, after an eternity of seeing West Point and Sandhurst heels...

Heh. Try to ping me, John? Hah!

Here. Go waste some bandwidth and destroy corporate/government productivity. Hat tip (or curses) Jack H.

Oh - and since two of us are Jonah's Military Guys, how can we *not* send you here? The money I used to send NPR goes there, to the Blogfather, now.

To close: Some people can't make up their mind what they want to do...

Comment from Justthisguy on 2005-05-12

2005-05-13T02:31:37Z

Concur with MrEd, if for no other reason than reading that again, just now, reminds me of a horrible groaner godawful bad joke about the frog who was eaten by an eagle.

Comment from MrEd on 2005-05-11

2005-05-11T15:17:59Z

I'm not nearly as interested in the weed pic as in the jumper at the end of the post. Is there any possibility of getting that in hi-res?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2005-05-11

2005-05-11T15:01:09Z

*Intent* matters. And trust me, even in that fog, second-hand dope-smoke does not produce a buzz. Cruel? C'mon, they don't even remember it. Helk, by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs they didn't remember why they wet their pants!

Comment from Barb on 2005-05-11

2005-05-11T14:10:36Z

John - if you were breathing the air there, you were ingesting 2nd hand. So the Armorer's Sis isn't completely wrong ;-) Oh - and that thing with the paddy wagons - cruel! ...heh...

Comment from John of Argghhh on 2005-05-11

2005-05-11T12:18:34Z

I didn't think that, Ry. It was just a general editorial statement. For the record (although the Armorer-Sister does not believe) the closest the Armorer has come to ingesting any illegal substance was when he was working as a cop and providing security at rock concerts in the Multi-purpose Hernia (Hearnes Building) at MU. The stoners in the upper corner seats watched through a fog of weed-smoke. It was always fun at the end of a concert to ask them to file down the stairs quietly, turn left at the door and board the waiting paddy wagons. They wet their pants all the way down the stairs, where, of course, there was nothing waiting for them but their cars...

Comment from ry on 2005-05-10

2005-05-11T04:41:36Z

I'm 'hurt' that you'd think I'd ascribe nefariousness to you John(I just don't wanna smell it). Sob. Oh, and the wife thinks you're a bad influence when I said I felt bad for not buying ammo on national ammo day today.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2005-05-10

2005-05-10T21:57:02Z

Castle Argghhh! has no *official* opinion on weed. The Armorer is not a fan of the Drug War, but I don't know what Dusty and Bill think. PG-17 not sensitive to drug usage, but the Castle does not endorse officially criminal activity...

Comment from ry on 2005-05-10

2005-05-10T21:35:55Z

Hmm. Does the botanical picture draw fire from Pg-17? At least you didn't post that picture on 4/20.

Comment from Ciggy on 2005-05-10

2005-05-10T13:31:27Z

That hot sauce looks like a good "non lethal" weapon to try on the Eurotrash protesters who voice support for terrorists. Mmmm, on second thought, maybe biologicals would be better. Less obvious.

Comment from Justthisguy on 2005-05-10

2005-05-10T08:07:27Z

Umm, I shoulda wrote "slots." Slats are movable.

Comment from Justthisguy on 2005-05-10

2005-05-10T08:00:01Z

Don't be so hard on Mr. Lazar. I'm a fan of extreme cases too. Besides, you can always dilute. Though the nasty part of my mind does imagine a Super Soaker full of that stuff as a (not quite) "less than lethal" weapon. On that funny-lookin bush in the parking lot: Maybe they should let it live a little longer, let it express its sexuality, so they could determine by experiment how dangerous it is? Disclaimer: I don't recommend that people likely to be in combat soon, or even normal doodah folks, inhale reefer fumes. They tend to mess up yer perceptions in unpredictable ways. Or so other people tell me. On the Para-Diver (or whatever you call'em): Two things: 1. Seems like those fins would affect yer aero qualities, besides being the cool, expensive kind with slats. 2. Looks like fun to me, regardless of any actual military utility.

Comment from Desult on 2005-05-09

2005-05-10T03:18:50Z

John *eh-hem*, I mean great owner of Argghhh, I enjoyed following up on all the information here and there. I especially ha... I mean especially liked the foil in the waste basket game. I've wasted 15 minutes of my life and at best could only get 4 :( That pic, the final one, is awesome...I love that! Good stuff.

Comment from Desult on 2005-05-09

2005-05-10T03:18:28Z

Comment from Boquisucio on 2005-05-09

2005-05-10T02:27:27Z

It's a pity that it's not the Navy of yore, they could make themselves some rope.

Comment from John of Argghhh on 2005-05-09

2005-05-10T01:11:02Z

You *ain't* dumb...

Comment from James on 2005-05-09

2005-05-10T01:01:34Z

Is that cannabis sativa, or am I just dumb?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2005-05-09

2005-05-09T20:56:20Z

There is a difference, Jack. As I *think* I said, but admittedly not in my best-ever prose, there must not be a prosecutable smoking gun in Karpinski's case. Apparently there *is* sufficient evidence in the NJP cases, though because of the Privacy Act nature of it, we aren't going to see what that might be. As for Karpinski, they got her as they could get her - and, entirely possibly, she would have fallen for the shoplifting thing, regardless. But Abu Ghraib made certain she would. It's not the accountability you are looking for Jack (nor I) but I know enough about how these things work that I know they aren't going to take a weak criminal case to court. And the individual has the right to refuse NJP and demand a Courts Martial. The fact that the intermediate field grade officers did not indicates there probably were sufficient smoking guns, or their sense of shame motivated them to take their lumps. Karpinski made it clear when she went public that she was going to fight things. And her story has shifted with time. They did what they could with the tools at hand - and the point being made about it *not* being for Abu Ghraib serves two related purposes. One - it damages her ability to claim that it was, especially since she apparently accepted the outcome and two, most importantly, it leaves open the ability to prosecute should evidence arise, without raising any "double jeopardy" issues. Karpinski is *still* vulnerable. She should have had the courage to resign her position and retire anyway - but she's not that kind of officer, obviously. Many are not. I should note you can resign a position without resigning your commission - as I said in my comment on your post - General Officers have a different status from the rest of us.

Comment from Jack on 2005-05-09

2005-05-09T20:39:14Z

John, I think I have a reasonable grasp on the lost pay and benefits, not to mention the career-ending humiliation associated with the Karpinski demotion. I am just trying to help both myself and my readers wrap our minds around why the action was NOT stated to be taken for Abu Ghraib but instead for a shoplifting offense. I am not trying to say at all that the punishment did not fit the crime, I am just wondering why the punishment is not being said to be FOR the crime. Am I making sense in asking it this way? In my mind, there IS a difference, even if the end result is the same.

Comment from Paul Jan� on 2005-05-09

2005-05-09T20:35:49Z

Cheers for the link, John. :)

Comment from CDR Salamander on 2005-05-09

2005-05-09T20:10:36Z

BAAAWAAHAAHAH!!! Request memo of the day: FROM: NMCB OIC TO: BASE COMMANDER, FOB SANDSPIDER SUBJ: BASE IMPROVEMENT 1. TO IMPROVE PARKING SPACE AND REMOVE EXCESSIVE UNDERBRUSH THAT MAY CONCEAL INSURGENT ACTIVITY, AFTER TAPS REQUEST PERMISSION TO ALLOW MY DETACHMENT TO REMOVE AND BURN THE OVERGROWTH IVO BATTALION PARKING AREA. 2. NO ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OR PERSONNEL AUGMENTATION REQUIRED. VERY RESPECTFULLY, LT CHEECH MARTIN, OIC NMCB-15 "Construimus, Batuimus" "SEABEEs Can Do!"

Comment from Montieth on 2005-05-09

2005-05-09T14:40:24Z

Sandhurst seems to do a pretty good job at turning a young princeling into the stuff to lead british soldiers into war like a man. How does the line go? "It took an act of congress and 90 days to make me an officer, it took the British Empire 500 years to make officers like him." Harry could prove me wrong, but I expect the tough old Sgt Majors over at Sandhurst will hammer the impurities out of that boy. Still, I think if I could pick anywhere to do my post secondary education over again, it'd be there...Especially if I could go in knowing what I know now.