September 8, 2007
H&I* Fires 08 SEP 2007
Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.
You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
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Here’s a good ending for a Reservist returning to his job after spending some time in Injun Country: Sherwood, OR police chief reinstated.
--ry
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When even Reuters starts having trouble spinning it negative, you know things are getting better. Best they could come up with was a snarky, "With good news so rare, little wonder Bush has seized on the change in Anbar" before going back to detail the improvements. For a reporter who was embedded in al Qaim in 2005, acknowledging the change in both conditions and attitude seems (happily) unavoidable:
Some skeptics worry that the fighting could return if the tribes fall out with one another or become impatient with a lack of support from the central government in Baghdad.But Sheikh Mausuf is spending $120,000 to rebuild his house because he thinks it will stay quiet.
"All Iraqis now know who the insurgents are, and we will never allow them back," he said.
In more good news, things are looking encouraging on the political front in Iraq. This time it's the AP who find themselves having to report the good news. It's tentative, but it's moving in the right direction.
On the domestic front, I missed the Malkin vs. Rivera story entirely, not being a daily reader of the big political sites. But this bit caught my eye: apparently the aftermath is irony (hypocrisy?) squared. Check out the last paragraph.
Powerline suffers through the transcript of Bin Laden's latest video:
Fourth, the extent to which bin Laden's talk is a pastiche of liberal cliches and conspiracy theories is striking. He obviously has access to our newspapers, and it sounds like he may be a fan of left-wing web sites as well. Thus, "all of mankind is in danger because of...global warming." The Kennedy assassination finds its way into the story: it was ordered by "the owners of major corporations who were benefiting from [the Vietnam war's] continuation." [snip]Bwaaahahahhahahahha!I'm starting to think bin Laden is a regular poster on the Daily Kos.
Sorry. I'll behave myself now.
--FbL (sitting primly and with sober countenance)
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I love this phrase...just discovered it and wish I'd thought of it. It's my new motto.
"A-10s are proof that God loves Grunts."
This, of course, includes Marines. :) - Instapilot
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September 7, 2007
H&I Fires* 07 Sep 2007
Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.
You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
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It's not like we don't have a lot of other stuff up today - but here's the H&I for all the little fiddly bits of interest! -the Armorer
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I've not had time to do much but scan the transcript briefly - but Captain Ed and Stop the ACLU note that Osama has scolded the Dems for not surrendering fast enough. Oh, and get rid of that silly democracy thing and submit to your betters, btw. As for all the Islamist websites shutting down at once... well, I hope that's STRATCOM in action, but... prolly not. -the Armorer
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Andrew Roth of the Club for Growth offers up his take on what would be required in order to adequately analyze the latest bin Laden tape from a low-tax perspective. I'm inclined to agree. -the Armorer
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Making the mistake of letting my choke chain slip
One of the first rules of good blogging is "be civil." Not polite, necessarily, but civil (a distinction I was first made aware of in The Blue Centurions). So what follows is an excerpt of a conversation in the Castle's command hooch that was originally meant to be private to avoid hurting feelings/flame wars/etc., etc. It was prompted by a gentle, and understandable, slap for my troll references in this post.
Fair enough.
However, comma, sometimes you just gotta wave the BS flag (respectfully, of course) and let the chips fall where they may. Bottom line: I've got little, no, zero, patience with a lot of the rhetoric coming out of people's pie holes these days. I have a personal stake in the outcome of this conflict. Like it or not we all do. If you don't understand that, sorry, but you're stupid.
So much for "civil," but holy mother of pearl, these people are crazy and want to kill us, OK?
Moreover, I appreciate the need for dissident voices -- the Bays of Pigs could have ended much differently had the White House had a few "No" Men sitting on the Oval Office couches (like they did during the Cuban Missile Crisis).
In any case, what follows is my rant on said subject and John thought it might generate some discussion...if nothing else, where I can get some help for my anger management issues. Your comments are welcome.
Hugs and kisses - Instapilot
BTW, because I still have a little girl at home, I take this war very personally. I don't want her dying like Ben Hall because we're still [expletive deleted] with these scum and she felt compelled to run to the sound of the guns like the sheepdog I hope she'll be, or watch her have to change her behavior to avoid "offending" some rag-head wanna-be at [local university reference deleted] by walking around with her hair exposed. So the [colorful reference to the gentlemen who posted] that wrote the "Bush lied, people died" nonsense in the remarks section made me feel like taking a tire iron to him.Besides, if I wanted to give Nancy Boyda the benefit of the doubt (I don't, based on her behavior so far, but let's say I did), that wouldn't be possible in that guy's world. To this [person], everyone who has a different opinion is a liar, fool, failure and should be imprisoned/run out of town on a rail. So, political discourse is poisoned by his ilk and effective compromise, to say nothing of "partisanship ends at the waters edge" is well nigh impossible.
Sorry, dude, but I think the guy is a troll. He doesn't reach the level of Kossack, but he'll get NO quarter from me. At this point in my life, this war, and everything, I'm at the hoist-the-black-ensign-and-start-slitting-throats stage. Yeah, I wasn't a grunt, [I was flying above them] so mebbe this is all just posturing but I think I'm capable of putting 9 rounds into the wayward "flying imam," reloading, and doing it again until there's nothing left to hit.
Just sayin'
Ooorah
The Air Force does its bit for the war (long view)
Last time I checked, there was still a fair amount of bloviating about how our "dependence on foreign oil" was a key factor in why we find ourselves fighting nouveau riche Bedouins, et al., trying to impose (and in some cases, like Spain, re-impose) a 7th-century Caliphate on the rest of us.
Some of the proposed responses seem to me to be a tad silly...like ethanol, which takes more energy to produce than it generates. Of course, empirical data has fallen out of favor lately on a whole host of issues—the suppression of any debate among the cognoscenti on global warming being a good example.
Nevertheless, with the right incentive, Western infidels never cease to amaze.
Take the space program. Nugging out solutions to seemingly intractable problems has given us:
Three-dimensional semiconductor packages, air quality monitoring systems, virtual reality, advanced keyboards, Customer Service software, Database Management Systems, Laser surveying, aircraft controls, the Lightweight Compact Disc, microcomputers, design graphics, enriched baby foods, municipal-size water treatment systems, scratch-resistant lenses, pool purification systems that kill bacteria without chemicals, swimsuits that increase your speed in the water, golf balls that fly farther and straighter, athletic shoes, the Dustbuster, shock-absorbing helmets, home security systems, smoke detectors, flat panel televisions, high-density batteries, trash compactors, food packaging and freeze-dried technology, cool sportswear, sports bras, hair styling appliances, fogless ski goggles, self-adjusting sunglasses, composite golf clubs, hang gliders, art preservation, and quartz crystal timing equipment...among other things. LOTS of other things.
None of this was apparent to Sayyid Qtub when he wrote the book that inspired today's Islamofacists. He can be forgiven, somewhat, given the fact that we didn't have a space program of any consequence back then, but there WAS World War II, and the rather spectacular end to it in the Far East. Alas, none of his disciples seemed to have taken a hard look at their opponents in that regard...and they've had a lot more chances to see what we're capable of.
So, I actually pity the cockroaches. Check that…I don’t pity them. I just have this feeling that when the collision comes it’ll be awful but I’ll be ashamed to admit I won’t be able to avert my gaze—like watching the six gazillion skateboarding faceplants on YouTube.
Anyway.
They've only nicked us so far—just ask Hollywood; 9/11 wasn't THAT big a deal—but when they land a big punch, the response is not only going to be a pounding that will leave only a puddle, it'll also accelerate a nascent but very real commitment to a "take your oil and stick it up your [insert appropriate orifice here]" effort that will not only leave them hammered, but worse—marginalized.
This would look good on the ramparts...
A Saxon wall-gun, circa 1680. It's a volley gun, i.e., all barrels fired simultaneously.
For a closeup of the muzzles, click here. This sucker was rifled.
Our man in the 'Stan finally bit on something in the bazaar...
The Enfield M1880 pistol (or a Khyber-copy). I told him if he finds another, gettit!
More from our Man in the 'Stan
Like I said, this has been held for some OPSEC reasons. The two dead soldiers referenced in this bit we talked about here - since one, Colonel Harrison, was deployed from Fort Leavenworth.
There has been a successful spring here. Part of it is because we changed direction from the last year. NATO is out mixing it up with the enemy more. Early in the year you would read reports about troops staying in their bases, and calling in artillery or air strikes on one or two insurgents they would see moving around outside the wire. That’s using a very inaccurate hammer to kill a gnat. Now you read about patrols dismounting and engaging the enemy and killing them by the dozens. I understand that it’s easy for me to say we need to be more aggressive, I’m sitting in the middle of the headquarters, but it does need be done for two reasons.First is that getting out is the only way to really hurt the enemy. Take away their sense of security, and keep them looking over their shoulder for a patrol and it is that much harder for them to get organized, it also helps the locals to know that the cavalry may just arrive in time. Second reason is it helps our reputation. Afghans, especially Pustuns have a warrior culture. They don’t mind us using the heavy weapons as long as we mix it up man to man. Staying in the bases makes them view us as cowards. If they don’t respect you, then they don’t tip you off when the insurgents are in the area, or when someone buries and IED.
Now I’ve talked a lot about how much I like the Afghans I’ve met, and the other NATO folks I work with. However one thing I always keep in mind is that the last two US soldiers killed in Kabul were killed by an Afghan soldier who was actually a member of the Taliban. I’ve got three or four references from the staff for every guy I deal with at the bazaar, and I never go alone, but I don’t know enough about the society here to ever drop my guard. As the saying goes, I am polite, I am professional, and I have a plan to kill everyone I meet.
Not much to tell really, the Commander makes his decision tomorrow as to whether we stay or we go. Until then we are in a holding pattern.
These missives are a little stale - but still offer that window into the day to day life of being deployed in Afghanistan, from a staff officer's perspective.
September 6, 2007
H&I Fires* 06 Sep 2007
Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.
You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
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Hmmm... Who knew that FLOSSING your cat could be so effective. With apologies to Barnacle, S'Mudge, and assorted Scrupl's everywhere - BOQ
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This place can really hop when those two slugs Bill 'n Dusty can remember their logins, donnit? -the Armorer
[Right. Ever count the number of times I logged in and then vanished via power outa
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Hey, Bill - since you're kinda out that way - mebbe you could get a contract to help these guys with their maintenance issues. Carborundum could assist, surely? -the Armorer
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As Dusty pointed out to me today... Jonah still reads my email. I got juice! -the Armorer
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Uh-oh - the Canadian Army is a bunch of right-wing looney toons! How long before Ottawa tries to reshape the force for... balance? Snerk! I knew there was a reason I liked working with them, even if they could get a little preachy about landmines. H/t, Some Serving Canadian Officer... -the Armorer
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Well, if this is how the Democrat Party leadership feels...
...why bother wasting everybody's time? General Petraeus has better things to do than be Star Chambered, methinks. But, then we couldn't posture and pose and slap him around, could we.
From the Washington Times this morning (admittedly a paper that is no fan of the current Congressional Leadership, so allow for some hyperbole).
Dems already dismissing Iraq war report
By S.A. Miller
September 6, 2007Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times. Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, talked with reporters yesterday in Washington. "We know what is going to be in it," he said of the Iraq war report next week. "I expect the Bush report to say, 'The surge is working. Let's have more of the same.' "
Congressional Democrats are trying to undermine U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' credibility before he delivers a report on the Iraq war next week, saying the general is a mouthpiece for President Bush and his findings can't be trusted.
"The Bush report?" Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin said when asked about the upcoming report from Gen. Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq.
"We know what is going to be in it. It's clear. I think the president's trip over to Iraq makes it very obvious," the Illinois Democrat said. "I expect the Bush report to say, 'The surge is working. Let's have more of the same.' "
The top Democrats — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California — also referred to the general's briefing as the "Bush report."
Heh. So, the next time the Dems hold the White House, of course, somehow, the Generals will all be truthspeakers rather than the lying mouthpieces they are now? Overnight?
I despair for this Congress. The leadership seemingly lives in a state of continual cognitive dissonance.
From what I've seen in the news and elsewhere the report is likely going to say something along the lines of: "The surge is having measureable positive impact, though certainly not all that we'd hoped for. BTW, we can probably start returning some troops and drawing things down, accelerating that as the Iraqis take more of the load themselves."
I should note - I've not seen the report, this is just gleaning from the news and email.
Of course, when Robert Novak vents his spleen, he charactizes it thusly:
The most politically significant element of President George W. Bush's surprise visit to Iraq was his seemingly offhand comment that there might be troop withdrawals in the offing. That brings out in the open what had been implicit anyway: that the debate over Iraq is no longer whether there should be troop withdrawals, only how rapid they should be.
The President is neatly boxed with verbiage that does spin any reduction as a victory for the "Run Away" crowd, vice, just possibly, rational policy.
I am sick of the never-ending election and the lunacy it brings out in the political class. Just sick of it.
Message to the next President (who will most likely be a Democrat, sadly) - if this is how your party truly views the Generals, how can you do anything other than fire them all? Import some Brit, German, French and Canadian Generals to run things while you clean house.
Message for Congresswoman Boyda, this is how my email runs today:
Should we have expected something else? I hope Nancy underestands that this won't peddle here.
Hopefully, she'll listen and then judge, unlike the people who supposedly set the example.
News from our man in the 'stan.
This is dated, admittedly. I held slowed down on some for OPSEC reasons. Bill's already talked about the Pakis moving into the tribal areas - so OPSEC isn't important any more - but these are still good small windows into the life of a Fobbit, our Sailor in a Strange Land.
So I’m walking to my office and I see an Air Force Captain I used to work with as a contractor. He usually gives part of the morning briefing, and I hadn’t seen him for a few days.
Me, holding out my hand: “Hey Dave I haven’t seen you in about a week, I thought maybe you rotated home.”
Him, shaking my hand: “Oh no, I had a severe case of Viral Meningitis, I was in an isolation ward up in Baghram Air Base for four days with a morphine drip.”
Me thinking: Great, maybe you could have told me that before you shook my hand?”
At the gym the TV deviates between Al Jazeera and an Indian music video channel. Best way to describe them is Al Jazeera is CNN without the Paris Hilton coverage, and the other is like MTV when all they showed was videos. One song (Miraksam) stayed in my mind so much I downloaded it. It’s from a movie called Waqt apparently. A lot of the videos seem to be either by movie stars or have stars in them. Sometimes you can tell by the way the camera switches to someone that you’re supposed to say “Hey! Isn’t that so and so?” Of course I don’t know who any of those people are, but the videos are fun. No angsty Emo bands glowering at the camera in eyeliner or “artistic” use of puppets to show how bad life is when you’re a rich American rock star.
Speaking again about cultural differences, I heard mention this morning that the command was going to start a radio comedy hour to help get their message across. My first thought was “Fighting is easy, comedy is hard.” If they try to write the jokes themselves I don’t think its going to be a success. There is a lot of shared cultural shorthand in a good joke. Anyway, I spent a good couple of minutes after that coming up with names. “Ahkbar and Andy in the Morning”, “Herat Home Companion”, “The Burns and Allah Show”, depends on the format really.
Its starting to look like Pakistan is going to move into the border tribal areas. It’s also starting to look like they don’t want us to be involved. Good news is that Pakistanis, being local, are better able to separate out the wheat from the chaff. Bad news is that the Pakistanis, being local, have some sympathy for the Taliban. We will have to see how this shakes out.
Sun Tzu talked about military force being like water; it avoids the obstacles and seeks the low, easy ground. That’s one of the problems in fighting an insurgency in this terrain. As you attack in one province, they can flow to another where there aren’t any operations going on. On the large scale, that’s what they do by moving into Pakistan. Most likely when the Pakistanis move into Waziristan, the Taliban will try to flow back across the border. That’s a good chance for us to be the anvil to their hammer.
The Father of the Nation is dead. King Zahir Shah is dead at ninety-two and buried in Kabul. He ruled Afghanistan for forty years before being exiled in 1972. He was probably the most popular man here overall. He was king during some generally good ties for Afghanistan, especially considering what happened later. I saw parts of his funeral when I was over visiting my carpet guys. Now it wasn’t as smooth as say the British do it, but they have about a thousand years of experience with burying kings. I do know it was heartfelt, and the Afghans I was with were watching reverently. President Karzai was there of course, a long with some tough looking old guys that were former Mujahaddin. Old men in Afghanistan, with their flowing white beards, look both really tough and really smart. Of course you have to be both tough and smart to be old in Afghanistan.
It rained here a couple of days ago. It cuts the dust and the heat for a while, but brings all sorts of interesting smells. Kabul is in a bowl, so most of the hard stuff falls in the mountains. Of course that brings flooding, and with so many roads here actually being dry stream beds, and can get dangerous. Disaster relief is a big part of the mission here for everyone, the UN, relief agencies, and us. Once winter sets in the insurgency cools down, the ground is too hard to bury IEDs, and the mountain passes fill with snow, so it gets harder for them to move. (That’s why people always talk about the “Spring Offensive”, happens every year.) Also during the winter you get villages that are already isolated by bad roads get eight feet of snow dumped on them. Once they run out of whatever supplies they had, they need help. That snow in the mountains melts at the end of winter, and you get serious flooding in the valleys from all that run off. Add the occasional earthquake, and you have a pretty busy year.
Now everyone here wants to help, and the first instinct is for NATO to rush in with helicopters full of supplies to ease the suffering, but that’s not what we do. Remember, this is their country. If the Afghan government is going to get better, and the people start relying on their government, then they have to do it, not us. We lend a hand where we are able, but any work we do is under the authority of the Afghan government, and it’s the Afghan government, from the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness down to the local cop that the people are going to see in charge.
Three things to remember here:
We are teaching them to fish, not giving them fish.
It’s their country, we are guests here.
It is what it is. (My favourite, deal with the reality on the ground, not with what you wish it was – or as the locals say “Insh’allah” God wills it.)
Public service announcement
I don't know how many of our readers are:
1) Private, commercial or airline transport pilots who either fly for a living or do a lot of flying in another capacity;
2) Serious boaters who often operate far from shore, or;
3) Serious hikers/campers who also wander far from the beaten track,
but the following is something you should be aware of:
Termination of 121.5 MHz Beacons for Satellite Alerting is Coming Soon
Notice Number: NOTC0981
On 1 February 2009, the International Cospas-Sarsat [1] Organization (U.S. included) will terminate processing of distress signals emitted by 121.5 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs). This means that pilots flying aircraft equipped with 121.5 MHz ELTs after that date will have to depend on pilots of over flying aircraft and or ground stations monitoring 121.5 to hear and report distress alert signals, transmitted from a possible crash site.
Why is this happening?
Although lives have been saved by 121.5 MHz ELTs, the downside has been their propensity to generate false alerts (approximately 98 percent of all 121.5 MHz alerts are false), and their failure to provide rescue forces with timely and accurate crash location data. Both of which actually delay rescue efforts and have a direct effect on an individual's chance for survival. Rescue forces have to respond to all 121.5 MHz alerts to determine if they are real distress alerts or if they are being generated by an interferer, an inadvertent activation (by the owner) or equipment failure.
Is there an alternative?
Yes, the Cospas-Sarsat System (U.S. included) has been and will continue processing emergency signals transmitted by 406 MHz ELTs. These 5 Watt digital beacons transmit a much stronger signal, are more accurate, verifiable and traceable to the registered beacon owner (406 MHz ELTs must be registered by the owner in accordance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation). Registration allows the search and rescue authorities to contact the beacon owner, or his or her designated alternate by telephone to determine if a real emergency exists. Therefore, a simple telephone call often solves a 406 MHz alerts without launching costly and limited search and rescue resources, which would have to be done for a 121.5 MHz alert. For these reasons, the search and rescue community is encouraging aircraft owners to consider retrofit of 406 MHz ELTs or at a minimum, consider the purchase of a handheld 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) which can be carried in the cockpit while continuing to maintain a fixed 121.5 MHz ELT mounted in the aircraft's tail.
Remember, after February 1, 2009, the world-wide Cospas-Sarsat satellite system will no longer process 121.5 MHz alert signals. Pilots involved in aircraft accidents in remote areas will have to depend on pilots of over flying aircraft and or ground stations to hear emergency ELT distress signals. For further information concerning the termination of 121.5 MHz data processing visit www.sarsat.noaa.gov[1] The Cospas-Sarsat Organization provides a satellite based world-wide monitoring system that detects and locates distress signals transmitted by Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs), Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs). The system includes space and ground segments which process the signals received from the beacon source and forwards the distress alert data to the appropriate RescueCoordinationCenter for action.
Address SARSAT inquiries to:
NOAA SARSAT
NSOF. E/SP3
4231 SuitlandRoad
Suitland, MD 20746
Phone: 301.817.4515
Toll free: 888.212.7283
Fax: 301.817.4565
Obviously, there's plenty of time to refit your gear to ensure it talks on 406 MHz and there are plenty of sites on the web where you can find ELTs and PLBs, but if you want to increase your chances of being found, I'd spring for the device that the satellites will be looking for.
Instapilot
Now all we need are new engines
...and it wouldn't be that expensive (there is at least one--the GE 404, sans 'burner, if I remember correctly--that can slide into the existing nacelles).
But this is encouraging.
Instapilot
Mail Call
And this'll probably be my last postcard from this edge of the Edge, so it'll be a bit eclectic.
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In no particular order and for no particular reason...
We spent the day on CSMO at the base; tomorrow (today, rather -- I'm still tryin' to figure out if I'm ten hours ahead of you guys or if you're ten hours behind), we finish the equipment transfer -- it's "Defense of Pakistan Day" (commemorating the 17-day Indo-Pak war of 1965) and the troops will be primed for their half-day off. Friday, we pull the pin and launch for the safe house. If the gear gets here from Islamabad today/tomorrow, we trade signatures and if not -- shuk'riaa an' kudaa hafiz, handshakes all around, and we blast off anyway.
A couple of shiny items that caught my eye this morning -- uhhh -- tomorrow lasterday night in H&I:
I don't know why this made me think of The Chief.........Maggie
This could be the answer. Personally, if I'm gonna go wing-riding, I prefer to be within sliding distance of terra firma,
As far as the next item goes,
Before anyone says anything about "Let the Canadians take care of their own!" I'll just throw out two things.1. If you think like that - you'd be *very* surprised at how much Canadian money has flowed into Project Valour-IT. To include Alan's money, which gives him every right to make this request.
2. Yer a poopy-head.
I second that. Us washed-up old has-beens Viet Vet helicopter drivers have a special reason for appreciating the Soldiery of the Great White North.
Not surprisingly, ye olde captioneer made a few errors on this entry in The US Army At War: The Vietnam Years -- the pic shows a Pickup Zone (note that the troops are moving *toward* us, all the M60s are in *relax* mode and we're spread out, not bunched up to mass our fire) and us One-Six-Deucers belonged to the 1st Aviation Brigade, not the 1st ID. What's the link between John's comment and the pic, you ask? Simple. At least *two* of the pilots in the helicopters pictured were Canadians.
Might as well show you an overview of what Shangri-La looks like, and a generic photo won't bust OPSEC.
Of course, all we see at ground level is along our high-speed route.
And if you don't think that's a high-speed area, you oughtta see the places we travel s-l-o-w-l-y through. Got some neat vids...
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In the Op Area: Convoy bombings are becoming more frequent up north (Miranshah, Rawalpindi, Peshwar) and drive-by shootings of troops and security personnel are on the increase in Quetta, Baluchistan. The 19 troops captured in the Mehsud/Betani tribal areas were freed. The Taliban opened a regional office -- literally -- in Saam. The Mehsud tribe is almost evenly divided between pro-Taliban and we-think-you-idiots-will-get-us-all-killed factions. Currently, the elders are of the latter opinion, and elders wield major clout in Pak socety, tribal or urban. Meanwhile, 150 troops left stranded by a flood in the Khar region have been surrounded by militants and presumed captured -- four militiamen kidnapped from a checkpoint on 6 July were released yesterday.
On the Street: A suicider boarded a bus transporting Defense Ministry employees through rush hour traffic and detonated himself as the bus neared General Musharraf's military residence -- 17 dead, 70 wounded, including pedestrians and cycle riders near the bus. Most of those on the bus were reported to be ISI, and two of our own ISI shadows headed north as soon as word reached Shangri-La. Minutes later, a motorcyclist suicided near the Royal Artillery Bazaar, which is a choke point for Army personnel traveling to work in the area -- eight people reported killed, no word on military casualties. Both military and ISI spokesmen stated the methods, personnel targeted and attack timing pointed toward al-Qaeda rather than pro-Taliban dissidents or home-grown jihadis.
Further afield, German police arrested two Germans and a Turk and confiscated 700kg of hydrogen peroxide, the same stuff used in the 2005 London bombings; Danish police stated their arrest of eight men tied to al-Qaeda had "foiled a terrorist attack" -- location not stated.
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Sarge B snarked me (sorta) and I returned the favor. The *real* reason they say there's no such thing as an ex-Marine is because They. Never. Learn...
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Addendum: It's monsooning outside -- the first rain this place has had since before I got here in July. And the first time I've seen horizontal rain since the pic of the paddies was taken. And a comment (well, an excerpt of a comment) from one of our crewchiefs about that pic: "Supposedly, being fired upon without the incurred damage expected by the initiator is a rush beyond belief. Ha. What would any of us know about that?"
*snicker*
Kerry would'a got writer's cramp from putting himself in for PHs, Walt...
September 5, 2007
H&I Fires* 05 Sep 2007
Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.
You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
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Alan of GenX@40, one of our leftish Denizens, has a request:
Hi John,I wonder if you might spread the news to the Denizens and through the miliblogs about this fundraising event coming up in Vancouver for my undergrad friend Capt. Trevor Green who you will recall was seriously injured in Afghanistan when he was attacked with an ax suffering serious head injuries:
On September 26 lets gather together at ThOn September 26 lets gather together at The Yale Hotel for a fundraiser to assist Trevor, Debbie and Grace on their miraculous healing journey. Captain Greene was attacked from behind and struck with a taliban axe on March 4, 2006 while sitting in a peaceful Shura discussing how to bring clean drinking water and basic medical care and education to the women and children of Afghanistan. His survival has been called a miracle in the medical profession as he presently undergoes extensive rehabilitation to speak and to reconnect his brain and muscles in order to regain function over his entire body. Hosted by Master of Ceremonies and CTV West Coast News Reporter Todd Battis, the entertainment line up will feature the infectious sounds of the SoTight Band ( www.thesotightband.com) and Brickhouse ( www.brickhousetheband.com). Tickets to No Turning Back � A Fundraiser for Captain Trevor Greene are $20 in advance or at the door. Doors open at 8pm. Show time begins at 9pm. Price of admission includes a silent auction, 50/50 draws and raffle items. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go to the Captain Trevor Greene Trust Fund.
There is a Facebook group set up through which people can buy tickets for 20 bucks (click here). I am sure anyone buying a tickets but not attending would be quite welcome if you know what I mean.
Hope all is well,
Alan
Before anyone says anything about "Let the Canadians take care of their own!" I'll just throw out two things.
1. If you think like that - you'd be *very* surprised at how much Canadian money has flowed into Project Valour-IT. To include Alan's money, which gives him every right to make this request.
2. Yer a poopy-head.
Just sayin'.
The Armorer even broke down and registered on Facebook so that I could buy a ticket. Now, if a Denizen/ne in the PNW were to be interested in going to the event, I might be motivated to send 'em a Cluebat of Argghhh!® to deliver to Captain Green...
If the whole saga of Captain Green is new to you - read about it (or refresh your memory) by clicking here. -the Armorer
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Chuck Simmins, of America's Northshore Journal, just scored his first paid gig, an Op-Ed on Examiner.com Good on ya, Chuck! Heh. If I could do that, I'd fully retire from the day-to-day show-up-at-the-office grind... -the Armorer
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I don't know why this made me think of The Chief.........Maggie
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Over at Small Dead Animals... a dark view into a seemingly incomprehensible situation in Britain. Any Brit who can shed light into this (linkage, explanation, etc) is welcome, and encouraged, to do so! -the Armorer
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A fascinating debate on the DC Gun Ban case and the 2nd Amendment, over at the Federalist Society. -the Armorer
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Something fun for servicemembers and their families hanging about in NYC on November 12th ... the 75th Celebration of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
On November 12th, 2007 Microsoft Federal is partnering with the USO and Madison Square Garden Entertainment to honor and thank our military community this holiday season by creating a unique experience for our troops and their families by bringing them the 75th Celebration of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
And for those folks who can't make it in person, catch the re-broadcast on AFN at Christmas time...
In addition to creating this special in-person experience, Microsoft and the USO are partnering with the Armed Forces Network to broadcast this show to viewers in 177 countries starting on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This will provide all of our troops and their families currently overseas with the opportunity to join in the fun and celebration.
- Barb
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A movie meme.
Shamelessly swiped from Cassandra.
1. Name a movie you've seen more than 10 times.
Trading Places, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Singing in the Rain, A Bridge Too Far, Hamburger Hill, Fantasia.
2. Name a movie you've seen multiple times in the theater.
Fantasia
3. Name an actor who would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Men: Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Sean Connery, Mark Wahlberg, Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Owen Wilson, Jackie Chan, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd...
Women: Sandra Bullock, Jodie Foster, Sigourney Weaver, Charlize Theron, Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore, Michelle Pfeiffer, Terry Hatcher, Felicity Huffman...
Oh, wait - it was a singular, wasn't it?
4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to see a movie.
Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Danny Glover, Jane Fonda.
5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Henry V, Patton, Marathon Man, Cool Hand Luke, Outlaw Josey Wales...
6. Name a movie musical, to which you know all the lyrics to all of the songs.
Jesus Christ Superstar, oddly enough. Singin' in the Rain.
7. Name a movie with which you've been known to sing along.
Hmmmmmmmmm. Drawing a blank on that one - other than the ones mentioned.
8. Name a movie you would recommend everyone see.
While I've seen and liked Cassie's suggestion, Grand Canyon, mine are very predictable for me... Zulu Dawn, Hamburger Hill, Blackhawk Down.
9. Name a movie you own.
Oh, good lord. Everything mentioned thus far plus many, many, more.
10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
Dennis Leary.
11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
Yep. The first one was some war movie I vaguely remember scenes from... my cousin was babysitting my sister and I and they took us to a drive-in. They made out in the front seat while my sister and I watched the movie. I got it! In Harm's Way, with John Wayne.
12. Ever made out in a movie?
D-uh. A *lot*.
13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.
Stardust.
14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Many. My time is worth more to me than the price of the ticket. To name two - Natural Born Killers and Napoleon Dynamite.
15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
Blackhawk Down.
16. Popcorn?
With butter.
17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
I used to go every week. Now, we're so busy we're lucky to make it once a month.
18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?