Grim's Hall
Monday, September 20, 2004
posted by Grim 20:50 Burdens and JFK:We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage -- and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.John Forbes Kerry:
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge -- and more.We should also intensify the training of Iraqis to manage and guard the polling places that need to be opened. Otherwise, U.S. forces will end up bearing that burden alone.We shall bear no more price; we shall shirk any burden.
If the president would move in this direction, if he would bring in more help from other countries to provide resources and to train the Iraqis to provide their own security and to develop a reconstruction plan that brings real benefits to the Iraqi people, and take the steps necessary to hold elections next year, if all of that happened, we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring our troops home within the next four years....
The principles that should guide American policy in Iraq now and in the future are clear. We must make Iraq the world's responsibility, because the world has a stake in the outcome and others should have always been bearing the burden.
Sunday, September 19, 2004
posted by Grim 23:16 This is the plan?!?John Kerry's campaign has warned Australians that the Howard Government's support for the US in Iraq has made them a bigger target for international terrorists.THIS is how Jean Kerry plans to get more support for the Coalition? THIS?
posted by Grim 16:13 Comments Policy:A repost, with a couple of additions due to the increased number of trolls. The comments policy at Grim's Hall has always been this, adopted from the (currently in suspension) Texas Mercury:
As we see it, modern society has all the important ideas of life exactly backwards: we are completely against the belief in sensitivity and tolerance in politics and raffish disregard in private life. The Texas Mercury is founded on the opposite principles- our idea is of tolerance and polite sensitivity in private life and ruthless truth in politics. Be nice to your neighbor. Be hell to his ideas.That stands, but I would like to clarify: hit & run attacks, whether they are on ideas or people, will be deleted.
If you're a regular, you can say anything you want and expect to be treated kindly, personally, even if we beat your ideas to death. Cowards do not drink in this Hall. If you haven't got the guts to stick around and defend your ideas, but just want to launch attacks and then run, you go on elsewhere. We neither need nor want your kind.
posted by Grim 15:28 Kerry Was Right!The US military is reminiscient of Genghis Khan! Well, at least, the CO of the 1/6 Marines is.
posted by Grim 15:17 In Denial:Maybe Sovay is right, and I'm wrong, and so is The Belmont Club, the President, and LTCOL Kyeser, CO of the 2/2 "Warlords." It could be we are all in denial about the impending military defeat if we don't rush out to elect President Jean Kerry.
But it's refreshing to know that, if I'm in denial, this Major of Marines is right there with me. Except her part of "Denial" is in the sandbox, where she commands a unit of Multinational Corps Iraq.
posted by Grim 12:12 Evil Jeff:Here find "The Guide to Concealable Weapons," published by the FBI. It turns out that Evil Jeff Gordon is involved. I always knew a man who'd paint his car like that couldn't be trusted.
posted by Grim 11:25 France: We Should All Pay "International Taxes"Another great idea from the cosmopolitan set.
French President Jacques Chirac will put forward ideas for an international tax scheme that would help build a 50-billion-dollar war chest to fight poverty during a 55-nation conference on economic development opening Monday in New York.... Their document suggests that a tax could be imposed on greenhouse gas emissions as well as certain financial transactions, arms sales or multinational corporations.For "greenhouse gas emissions," read, "Kyoto 2." Since the whole point is to find a way for the international community to lay claim to part of your paycheck, this plan would need the same unfair standards that characterized Kyoto, designed to punish the United States for every bit of economic activity while giving credit for not one of our greenhouse-gas sinks.
Other proposed approaches raise the possibility of taxes levied on ships transiting key maritime straits, airline tickets, credit card purchases as well as an international lottery.
The rest of these would hamper economic activity worldwide, except perhaps for the lottery. The lottery is the only one of the lot that would have a decent chance of passage, probably raise enough to achieve its goals without crushing economic activity, and not be unfairly aimed at the US. Sounds good, right?
Well... one problem. Lotteries tend to be patronized by the poor. My old economics professor said that lotteries were "a voluntary tax on stupidity." Georgia has one, which it uses to pay for college education for citizens who can maintain a 3.0 or better GPA. Thus, take from the dumb and give to the relatively smart or hard-working: a good plan overall.
But the whole point of Chirac's plan is to give to the poor, who are the very ones most likely to be buying these tickets. Ban their sale in poor nations? Hello, black-market: the poor still buy the things, desperate for the dream a winning ticket represents, but at inflated prices due to the costs of smugglers-as-middle-men.
Helping the poor is a worthy goal, one that we should all work toward. But it has to be done voluntarily, or the problems it creates are greater than the effect of the solution.
posted by Grim 01:31 We Will Rue This Day:From The Command Post:
A team of 20 independent democracy experts from 15 countries and five continents has arrived in the United States in order to observe this year's presidential election campaign.Nothing says 'Communist Sympathizer' like "San Francisco activist group."
The election monitors, who have been brought here by the San Francisco activist group "Global Exchange"...In addition to [Marxist organization] Code Pink, Benjamin’s San Francisco-based human rights organization Global Exchange was the founding force for United for Peace and Justice coalition, the nexus of the anti-war protests.A Google search on "international answer stalinist" returns "about 30,500" results. A Google search on "'global exchange' communist" returns "about 4,180" results -- but only 417 if you include "Kerry" in the search. Many of these arise from his wife's financial dealings, which include funding several of these groups, including Global Exchange, to the tune of $4 million through the TIDES foundation.
The United for Peace coalition, which includes Socialist Action and the Socialist Party USA, is also led by Leslie Cagan, who has a long history of activism with the American Communist Party. If you want to know what anti-war activities United for Peace and its more radical partner, Act Now To Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER) have planned for the near future or contact information for how you can join in, you can click on the Communist World Workers Party website, one of the central grassroots clearing houses for communist organizers in the United States and around the world.
These are the folks who are going to be observing our elections. They'll be the ones telling the world whether or not the elections were fair and honest. Their verdict will be blared from every wire service from the AFP to Interfax, and from every newspaper from the International Herald Tribune to the Bangkok Post.
And just what do you suppose they will say? Reckon they've written the press release yet? "Just hand out file 'Alpha' if Kerry wins; but otherwise, the 'Omega File' will do."
UPDATE: The Global Exchange page on this is here. Just to make sure you understand what the challenges to Democracy in America are, it lists some: "This is the place to find articles about Attorney General Ashcroft's attacks on the constitution, the Guantanamo Bay detainees, Diebold's suspect electronic voting machines and all the other threats to democracy that are multiplying in this day and age."
The links section for the Global Exchange project is here. Their partners include the Alliance for Democracy, whose mission is "to free all people from corporate domination..."; IndyMedia, which recently published the names and addresses for Republican delegates to the RNC, along with their hotel information; and United for a Fair Economy, which states that "[i]ts goal is to revitalize America through a more fair distribution of wealth."
Doubtless we shall see complete evenhandedness from this project, then. It's not at all an attempt to bludgeon their political opponents with charges of election stealing or corruption, backed by the expert opinions of biased "international observers."
Saturday, September 18, 2004
posted by Grim 21:08 From Email:JHD sends:
Col John Coleman, USMC, Chief of Staff, I MEF in Fallujah, Iraq asOf all the reasons I've heard for staying the course, that one is probably the most prophetic. I'm afraid that, no matter what we do, snot-nosed grad students will write that line.
quoted in the Boston Globe 16 Sep:
'I'll be damned if when I'm 65 I'm going to be sitting on the redwood
deck of my double-wide and read some snot-nosed grad school thesis about
another failed US foreign policy example in the early part of the
century,' he said. 'I'll die staying here so I don't have to read that.'"
posted by Grim 14:02 Word from Home:I talked to my mother last night. I don't do that often. Normally when she calls the wife talks to her about artwork, which is their shared tie, or the little boy.
Still, Ivan blew through the mountains and I wanted to make sure the house was still standing, and that there was nothing she needed. My father is out of town, as he often must be, and she was alone. Everything was fine on that score.
She knows in a vague way what I do, and wanted to talk about politics and world events. My mother is not a very political person -- she gets interested once every four years, for the two months or so before the election. She is a self-described feminist, and as liberal as you're likely to find in the mountains of North Georgia -- that is, not too liberal to love Zell Miller in spite of his recent speech.
Like most sons, I long ago accepted that my mother would broadly disapprove of everything I do. It is therefore always a shock, though a pleasant one, to find that she doesn't: that she approves of my wife, loves her grandson, and is pleased with what I'm doing and why. It was also interesting to realize that she is supporting Bush this year.
She told me that she was ready for peace; that she's always wanted nothing but peace, even before 9/11, and even after. She was not in support of military action even in Afghanistan -- she felt that we ought not to have attacked anyone in the wake of 9/11.
But she knows we did, and that we are now engaged with the enemy. Whether or not we should be where we are, we are there.
And she knows she can't trust John Kerry in that situation.
She worries about his multiple statements on every issue; on his apparent dishonesty in everything he says. She doesn't agree with or approve of Bush, she says, but she knows he's telling the truth when he lays out his positions. She knows he means what he says, and she can rely on at least that much.
That's the real question this year, she says, and so she'll vote Bush. She wishes there were a third choice -- not Nader, but someone. This is not new; she was a Perot supporter in '92.
If you've lost my mother, you've lost a lot of liberal, feminist women. I agree with what is now common wisdom: the polls are wrong. But I think they're wrong in the other direction -- I think things are much worse for Kerry than they show.
posted by Grim 11:08 Navy Investigation into Kerry's Medals Concludes:The Navy has made an interesting finding in its investigation. It has refused Judicial Watch's FOIA request for Kerry's unreleased records, which amount (it says) to at least 31 pages.
It has also found that Kerry's medals were issued by officers with "proplerly delegated" authority -- which apparently means that the regulations requiring SECNAV approval for Silver Stars do not apply. That resolves the prima facie appearance of wrongdoing that Judicial Watch had noted; therefore, the Navy will not after all conduct a full investigation into Kerry's medals. There will be no resolution to the questions about Kerry's medals after all -- the Navy is the only group that could provide such resolution unless Kerry releases his military records, since currently the Navy is the only one with the secret records.
You can read the story in full here.
Friday, September 17, 2004
posted by Grim 18:39 Secrecy NewsThis week's edition of Secrecy News, a publication of the Federation of American Scientists, is unusually good reading. I sometimes post a story or two out of it, but this week almost everything in it is highly interesting (well, except for the Waxman rant). Topics include: defending against clandestine nuclear attacks, the development of small-scale nukes for nonstrategic use, "Red team" tactics for espionage against US military forces, a reprint of the new DOD framework for transformation, and other things as well.
posted by Grim 13:28 Citizen Soldiers:It's interesting that the National Guard Assoc. gave Bush seven standing ovations, to none for John Kerry. But it's even more interesting that one of those standing ovations came when Bush attacked Kerry for planning to cut National Guard forces in Iraq.
That would appear to suggest strongly that these men would rather finish the fight in Iraq than not, even though it means possibly being deployed under fire for an extended period. One expects that of the regulars -- Live to Fight, Love to Fight -- but it's reassuring to see it from the "citizen soldiers" as well. These men tend to be older, with wives and children and careers outside the military. One could understand if they felt sympathy for (one of) John Kerry's position(s), which is that the National Guard should stay at home (where they are betraying their country by not fighting in Viet... er, that is, nobly serving the cause of freedom).
That isn't what they think at all. They want to be defending the walls too. I understand that entirely. We win, or lose, the GWOT in Iraq. Whether it had to be part of the war on terror, it is now the front line. It is natural to want to do your part.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
posted by Grim 23:53 At Least He Was Honest:Last Friday, Sen. Kerry abruptly returned to the safely buried gun control issue by decrying President Bush for permitting the assault weapons ban to end. On Saturday, he addressed the Congressional Black Caucus with a liberal harangue. On Sunday, Kerry rested.
posted by Grim 23:23 Teddy Bears:Allah solves a mystery.
posted by Grim 18:49 Kerry on the MilitaryToday's speech was almost a perfect mirror of the speech Kerry gave to the VFW. Kerry, after a career of voting to downsize and disarm the military, now wishes us to believe that he wants to increase it. Speaking at the 126th National Guard Association association today, he pledged that he would increase the size of the military by 40,000 men.
He also repeated another promise:I will also double our Army Special Forces to hunt down the terrorists. In Afghanistan, after September 11th, our Special Forces fought the Taliban with remarkable skill. We saw what they could do during the Iraq war, when two teams of American Green Berets totaling 31 men worked with Kurdish troops to defeat an Iraqi force numbering in the hundreds. The victory at the battle of Debecka Pass is a tribute to the flexibility, training, and courage of our Special Forces.Now, there are two things to be said about that. The first is that the part about the Special Forces being extremely skillful and highly successful is true.
The part about doubling the size of the Special Forces is not. It cannot be done while maintaining the standards of the Special Forces. Ralph Peters wrote about this the last time Kerry proposed it:Specific promises Kerry made were outright nonsense. He claimed he'd double the size of our special operations forces. Sounds great. But to do so would rob regular line units of critically needed, experienced NCOs and officers, fatally compromise the high standards of our special operators and take at least a decade — unless he means to ruin special ops entirely.Since Kerry gave the same speech, I suppose it's fair to recycle the critique, too. Keep reading until you get to "eel in a vat of olive oil."
And Kerry's going to increase our ground forces by 40,000 troops. Good idea. But he's not going to send them to Iraq, you understand.
Having it both ways again.
Kerry said we should never go to war without a plan to win the peace. Agreed. But where was he 18 months ago, when such a criticism could have made a difference?
Back then, he was voting for the war. Before he opposed it. Before supporting it again. Now he's against it again. Although he supports our troops, of course.
Does Kerry have no shame at all? No spine, whatsoever? Is it possible to be nothing but a bundle of pure ambition, with no shred of ethics? Is Kerry so hungry for office that he'll change any position to buy a vote?
posted by Grim 15:08 Clausewitz & The Triangle:As some of you have noticed, I'm on the guestblogging team at the Mudville Gazette while Greyhawk is in Iraq. I've just posted a piece there on Von Clausewitz and the situation in the Sunni Triangle. It's a long piece, but will probably interest those of you who enjoy applying military science to the questions of Iraq.
It might also be of interest to those of you who are afraid of "losing the peace," or those opposed to the war altogether. It is a counterargument to both positions.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
posted by Grim 16:51 A Marine's Plan for Healthcare Reform:Doc Russia has composed one. If health care policy is one of your things (I confess it is not one of mine), give it a look.
posted by Grim 13:30 Warlords:The 2/2 is coming home. JHD sends the final letter, which I am reproducing in full. It's long, but worth your time.
Hello again Warlord families!
As I began this final letter to you from Mahmudiyah, Iraq, it is fitting that I do so on September 11th. That day and the tragic events that were the catalyst that brought the Warlords to this troubled land will forever be etched in our minds. It will not only be a day that we always remember where we were, but also a day that we remember as the day that so many of our country's citizens were lost to terrorism and also remembered as the day when so many stood up and said "enough!" Your Warlords were some of those who said "enough!" Accordingly, I consider it a singular honor, on this day in particular, to pass on to you some of the things that your husbands, sons, brothers and fathers have done since I last wrote you at the end of June.
I related to you at the beginning of the last letter that we had moved again (for the fifth time) and returned to our original location in Mahmudiyah where we relieved four Army battalions that had been conducting operations in this area while we had been in Al Kharma, Fallujah, and Zaidon. Upon returning to Mahmudiyah, the Task Force immediately rolled up its sleeves and reasserted its presence in the area with an aggressive series of actions that ignored the sometimes 140 degree temperatures. Those actions seized and maintained control of nearly 22 miles of six lane highway that had become one of the most volatile sections of road in Iraq, and put the terrorists on their heels within a nearly 800 square kilometer area of operations. Combined with those offensive and defensive operations, we rekindled old friendships with local leaders and families as the battalion assumed control of those civil-military actions designed to rebuild the infrastructure here in the Mahmudiyah area.
Unfortunately, the level and type of enemy activity in our absence spiked to a degree that made our final three months in Iraq less characterized by actions that would exemplify the "No Better Friend" portion of our mission, and more consistent with the "No Worse Enemy" angle. As has been their custom, your Marines and Sailors responded to this challenge and performed magnificently. The three rifle companies found themselves rotating through stints providing fixed site security along the main supply routes strategically supporting the links to Baghdad and Fallujah, providing security for other key infrastructure, conducting patrols to deter enemy activities designed to disrupt the functioning of the Iraqi National Conference and conducting raids and searches in the dead of night that kept the enemy looking over his shoulder and
wondering where the Marines would come from next. At every turn, the Marines of Easy, Fox and Golf and their assigned snipers met the enemy on his home ground with raids, cordon and search operations and coordinated stay-behind operations designed to ambush the insurgents … and on every occasion when he chose to challenge the Warlords, he was defeated decisively. There was no doubt in the mind of these cowards that there was a "new Sheriff in Town."
While the rifle companies asserted their presence with these missions, Weapons Company's 81's Platoon not only kept the enemy at bay by providing "spot on" counter mortar fire but continued their role as the Battalion's Combined Action Platoon helping to train the fledgling Iraqi national Guard. Capitalizing on the foundation they built during our six weeks here in March and April, they transformed a ragtag group of Iraqi soldiers into a Battalion that now regularly patrols and operates alongside their Marine counterparts. This is a singularly impressive accomplishment because not only did they keep their fighting edge, but they also overcame the language barrier and cultural differences to teach these Iraqis the basics of warfighting and provided them the foundation to begin assuming responsibility for security in their own country. Simultaneously, the Red, White and Blue Sections of the CAAT Platoon continued to earn their reputation as the workhorses of the battalion by conducting operations twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with mobile patrols, escort duty for our Explosive Ordnance Disposal heroes, and aggressive actions designed to hunt down and kill terrorists with their hard-hitting firepower. Again and again, the enemy engaged our CAAT's with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED's), direct fire and indirect fire in order to try to shake them from accomplishing their mission. No matter the method the enemy tried to use, the Marines of this platoon stood tall in their turrets fast in the face of daily attacks against them and kept the pressure on. Incredible courage and attention to duty are the two phrases that most come to mind when I think of their daily ability to be "in the enemy's face" and defeat his best efforts.
Equally impressive were the efforts of our Combat Engineers and Counterintelligence Marines. The Engineers continued as the most productive platoon in theater finding dozens of enemy caches, adding to the survivability of our Marines on fixed site security missions with their construction skills, and as always adding their considerable infantry skills to an already deadly team. Their search methods are now used as the template for the entire Division. Complementing their actions were the warriors of our Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Exploitation Team (CI/HET) who continued to rack up the most significantly actionable intelligence of any team in theater. Their efforts alone, when combined with the rest of the Task Force's combat power was specifically responsible for the detention of dozens of high value terrorist personalities operating within our Area of Operations and some whose influence was international in scope.
A significant and welcome addition to our Task Force came with Artillery Marines from both the 11th Marine Regiment and 10th Marine Regiment as we returned to Mahmudiyah. Sixteen indirect fire attacks during our initial return here highlighted the need for a more robust counterfire capability. With that in mind, RCT-1 and later, the 24th MEU provided the Warlords with a split battery of 155mm howitzers. As a result, any time the enemy was foolish enough to engage us with indirect fire, the canoneers fired with responsiveness and pinpoint accuracy that in once case, forced the enemy to leave his position so quickly that he left his rocket launchers and ammunition in place.
Finally our Headquarters and Service Company kept every conceivable aspect of the Task Force supplied, supported and operating like a well-oiled machine. Our Battalion Aid Station and its Corpsmen literally saved the lives of dozens of Marines wounded in engagements with the enemy. Often under fire, these Sailors not only took the fight to the enemy themselves but often found themselves shielding their Marine brothers as they rendered lifesaving medical care—proving once again why a Navy Corpsmen will never buy a drink when there is a Marine infantryman present. As Corpsman triaged our Marines, our Motor Transport Marines drove thousands of miles supporting every combat need, and worked around the clock and with the enthusiasm of a well-practiced pit crew conducting "triage" on vehicles that if back in the states, would have been relegated to the dump. They worked around the clock installing life-saving armor, ballistic windshields and keeping our vital rolling assets in working order proving once again that "the pride don't ride without Motor "T!"
The Marines and leaders of the Communications Platoon continued to stretch the limits on every piece of equipment the battalion owned in ensuring timely and reliable communications across this 800 square kilometer area of operations thereby allowing the battalion to respond with devastating effects. The Communications reliability and versatility of this Task Force has literally become the envy of the Division because of their efforts. Other standouts include our Supply section, our Armorers, the NBC section and our administrators. Each Marine, in addition to their "day job" of keeping the battalion supplied, paid, and our weapons and chemical gear in top condition, also found themselves as the primary security for multiple tasks supporting the battalion's myriad missions. Each has proven unmistakably that "every Marine a rifleman" is more than just a catchy phrase.
A special mention during this letter must go to the Marines from H&S Company supporting us in the chow hall. Throughout the deployment, their extraordinary efforts, sometimes under fire, have ensured our Marines have had the best field mess support possible regardless of the conditions. Unlike so many other units, the Warlords maintained their own organic capability and these Marines worked twenty hour days consistently in 130 degree temperatures to make sure that the members of the Task Force were well-fed and able to enjoy the occasional special meal. Their commitment to their task added immeasurably to the morale of our Marines and Sailors.
As you can imagine, to try to recap all that your Marines and Sailors have done during the past two and one half months would be an almost impossible task from the standpoint of volume alone. To try to recall the hundreds of acts of heroism and compassion becomes and even greater task but one that merits some mention here as I try to share my immense pride in what these fine men have accomplished. As the commander of the Task Force I have had the privilege of reading the recommendations recognition for all of our Warlords. It is not uncommon for me to find myself up until the sun rises after I have returned from a mission, reading with great admiration and pride, the courageous acts of so many Marines and Sailors. I am not trying to sound melodramatic, but their deeds will now become part of the legends that make up the lore of the Naval Service as a result of their consistently selfless actions.
Examples of some of the more than 150 recommended awards for valor include men who crossed fire swept terrain to save Iraqi families caught in deadly crossfire as terrorists used them as human shields, Corpsmen who protected Marines with their bodies as indirect fire landed around them, Marines who continued to fight after having been wounded, not willing to give up their positions for fear that their buddies would pay the price, admonishing themselves to "stay in the fight," maintaining their fire to protect their fellow Marines without the slightest regard for their own danger. Most importantly however I will remember the dozens of Purple Heart ceremonies where we recognized those who day in and day out, put on their gear, checked their ammunition and headed out to get the mission accomplished regardless of the dangers they knew were waiting for them. That my friends is courage—and that is why these Marines and Sailors deserve every accolade a nation can bestow. They have paid the price for freedom with their courage.
If you remember, prior to the deployment I wrote you that "Those who would challenge us have underestimated the capability and resolve of the Warlords. They do not know what you know … that these men are of the same stock that won at places like Belleau Wood, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir, Dai Do, Grenada, Kuwait and Al Kut. They are also men who are fathers, sons, brothers and husbands whose capability as warriors is exceeded only by their compassion and strong moral compass." I must tell you that those words were written based on my confidence in these men and what I had seen them do to prepare. I can tell you that that confidence was not misplaced. They exceeded my most ardent hopes and reminded me again what it means to be a part of a fighting unit like the Warlords of Task Force 2/2. Their actions are indeed the stuff of legend.
I will also tell you without reservation that much of our success is arguably the result of the strength we drew daily from your support. Your letters, your packages, your prayers and most of all your complete commitment to our mission here by your devotion to your Warlord gave us not only the focus we needed, but the promise of what we had to return to. In particular I must thank the Key Volunteers throughout the Task Force who consistently gave to us, and to each other, the support and sustained commitment that provided the foundation on which we succeeded. Your Marines and Sailors were able to focus on the mission because of the confidence they had in all of you at home to take care of each other when they could not be home with you. For all that you have done for all of us I will remain forever in your debt.
As uplifting and inspiring as the performance of your Warlords has been, each of you also know that those successes have not been without cost. Sadly, as the deployment comes to a close, I am reminded of each of the more than one hundred and fifty wounded and our six fallen. I ask that each of you continue your prayers for these men who gave so much in support of their fellow Marines and Sailors. Their names and their deeds will be remembered by each of us who were privileged to serve with them. But well after the welcome home celebrations are over, after Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II becomes part of the battalion's lineage, and after a new generation of Warlords carries the color forward, you must remember that the true legacy of their sacrifices will be revealed. First, their legacy will be in the gift of freedom and hope they gave to a nation ruled by a brutal dictator for four generations, and second, that legacy will live on in the example of courage and compassion that they gave not only to each of us, but to a nation. With that in mind, I ask that each of you keep the families of Sergeant Michael Speer, Gunnery Sergeant Ronald Baum, Lance Corporal Andrew Zabierek, Lance Corporal Bryan Kelly, Lance Corporal Nick Morrison, and Corporal Chris Belchik in your thoughts and prayers. They never broke faith with us or with you. I ask that you pray that their families are sustained and strengthened as their Marines sustained and strengthened us through their actions. Pray that their families and all Americans remember that it is in how they lived their lives that makes their memory the treasure it is, and the gift they gave so precious.
In closing, I will say yet again what an honor it has been to have been given the rare privilege of commanding such fine men under difficult conditions. They led, they fought for a nation and for a people, and they kept faith with each other and with you. They inspired the world with their example of what is best among the youth of our country and they have established a legacy of leadership and courage that will become the foundation for the leadership of the Naval Service well into the twenty-first century. As we reunite with our families and recall the moments of courage and compassion that changed our lives during the past seven months, I think you will see a change in these men. That change will reflect the special knowledge of what it means to have given freedom to a nation, hope to a people, and strength to each other during moments when the measure of a man's life is defined by his actions. You and they will find that those actions will stand the test of time and be remembered with great pride. Freedom has taken hold in Iraq and it will not let go because of what these brave men have done.
God Bless each of you, God Bless America, and Semper Fi from your Marines and Sailors in Iraq!
Humbly,
Giles Kyser
LtCol
USMC
"Warlord Six"
posted by Grim 01:26 New Build:Grim's Hall has a new look. Let me know if it's hard to read, or if you like it. The comments here are the place for that.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
posted by Grim 13:28 So Much For That Being A Rumor:I guess the DNC isn't any brighter than I thought. They're going with the "Operation Fortunate Son" ad after all. This, by a campaign that admitted to the Washington Post this weekend that it was having to restrict its ad buys in order to compete in a "smaller" battleground through election day. This is what they're spending their money putting together.
As BlackFive points out, Op.FS is wrong on a major point.
Meanwhile, the ad itself actually uses Dan Rather footage -- from the Ben Barnes interview, which was the same piece that included the forged documents! As today's Washington Post piece unmercifully slams the CBS forgeries, Rather's credibility is going under.
Just after the Rather footage, they start showing blurry documents, but never quote them directly to let you know which ones they mean. Between the Rather footage and the document pictures, the DNC just tied the Kerry campaign to CBS' sinking ship in the strongest possible terms.
What are the odds that Kerry's campaign will not, now, be linked in the minds of the public with these forgeries? As poll numbers show Kerry with a favorability rating eleven points lower than Dukakis' in 1988, you can figure that people are already ready to believe something bad about Kerry. The DNC just handed them something very bad to believe, on a nice platter.
posted by Grim 11:12 I Knew There Was Something Odd About Those Fish:From CNN:
Government experts are investigating a claim that an unarmed nuclear bomb, lost off the Georgia coast at the height of the Cold War, might have been found.... A group led by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Derek Duke of Statesboro, Georgia, said in July that it had found a large object underwater near Savannah that was emitting high levels of radioactivity, according to an Associated Press report.This will not surprise any Savannah residents. I lived there myself for four years, and I have to say it all makes perfect sense.
The group said it used radiation and metal detection equipment to search an area in Wassaw Sound off Tybee Island where the bomb reportedly was dropped, the AP reported.
Monday, September 13, 2004
posted by Grim 20:36 Hewitt On Kerry:From HughHewitt.com:
Calling a reporter on a Sunday while not appearing on the Sunday shows is an admission of both panic and certainty that the candidate couldn't have managed other than a controlled interview, and certainly not a television interview that would provide tape of a bumbler/stumbler still clutching his magic hat fantasy. What if Russert had rolled tape from StolenHonor? What is Chris Wallace had asked about the gun-running to Cambodia? The handlers can't risk letting Kerry out of the box he built for himself, so Campaign 2004 Deathwatch continues.That's surely right. We must be very careful not to let the press ask the wrong questions, which they will surely do if we go talk to them. Everything must be carefully controlled.
Of course, I still want them to ask about that Senate pay. Taking money you know the law forbids you to have is stealing, right? Stealing taxpayer money, to pad your personal bank account? One of the wealthiest men in America?
posted by Grim 19:47 Intel:Here you can read a rather brutal assault on Kerry's service (or lack thereof) on the Senate Intelligence committee.
posted by Grim 17:34 A Little Bit More from Zell:The Honorable Zell Miller has a piece in today's OpinionJournal. It begins:
My critics in the national media are working overtime trying to paint me as an angry nut who got the facts all wrong in my speech to the Republican National Convention. Since there's not enough time to challenge all of these critics to a duel, let me set the record straight here and now.There follows a perfectly fine rendition of the speech I've given myself often enough not to need to repeat it. Zell was right, and he remains right. He concludes:So, my critics can call me a psychopath and fire spitballs at me and froth at the mouth when an ex-president sends me a nasty letter. That's the freedom of speech they all enjoy, courtesy of the American soldier.... So, they can call me names and ridicule my angry demeanor all day long. But facts are facts. And the fact is, John Kerry has a long record of proposals to weaken our national security in a time of war. And I would never put my family's safety in those hands.Nor should anyone.
posted by Grim 17:06 Something Big On The Event Horizon:Isaac Asimov once wrote: ""The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny....'"
posted by Grim 13:25 More On Psychology:Via Arts & Letters Daily, there is this article on the dubious nature of personality tests. It highlights some of the ethical issues Jean and I are discussing below:
DO YOU PREFER a bath to a shower? Are you fascinated by fire? At parties, do you sometimes get bored, or always have fun? Do you sometimes feel like smashing things? Do you think Lincoln was greater than Washington? Do you feel uneasy indoors? Do you think questions like these tell us anything meaningful about ourselves, or do you think they're nothing more than parlor game fodder?I've actually taken all of these tests for various employers and potential employers (as well as IQ tests, given by certain kinds of employers in spite of the loud arguments against them). I made a point of asking about the "bath or shower?" question, and was told simply that it didn't mean anything by itself, but was factored into a matrix of dozens of questions to see if a pattern emerged.
Regardless of how you answer that last one, the fact is that personality tests featuring questions like those are everywhere these days. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, or MMPI, is taken by as many as 15 million people a year and used to screen applicants for jobs from police officer to nuclear technician to priest. Eighty-nine companies in the Fortune 100 use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to determine how and with whom their employees work best. The Rorschach test, the granddaddy of them all, is used diagnostically by eight out of 10 psychologists and routinely submitted as evidence in child custody cases, criminal sentencing, and emotional damage lawsuits.
"What pattern?" you might be inclined to ask. "Seriously, what other activity in my life forms a pattern with that? If I like baths and swimming, I'm not afraid of water; but if I prefer showers and hiking, I am? And so what? Why should any aspect of my future career be predicated on this kind of question?"
The article is far kinder than I would be in its conclusions, but those of you interested in background are welcome to read it. It's not the first time Arts & Letters Daily has been interested in the question: you can also read this article, or this one, which shows how the inkblot test functions in roughly the same way as palm reading.
posted by Grim 00:03 Hey, Kerry Gave an Interview:TIME has the first one in 43 days. I can see why they got it, too: not one hardball question. Nothing on any of the stuff his campaign has had to backtrack on (e.g., Cambodia, self-inflicted wounds), the Naval investigation into his record, his antiwar statements, the veterans opposed to him rallying today, none of it.
He was asked about timetables, but only if he had any. His response:I have said that I have a goal to be able to bring our troops out of there within my first term, and I hope to be able to bring out some troops within the first year. But what's important here is that I can fight a more effective war on terror.So: 'Yes, our enemies can count on my commitment to withdrawal. But I still expect to be more effective, with fewer troops, in the face of an enemy who knows I expect to get out ASAP.'
Sunday, September 12, 2004
posted by Grim 23:10 More Fun with Rathergate:The Blogs for Bush are now poking fun at the New York Times. They've built a Times-style "Web of Connections" between the players in Rathergate. It's mildly amusing, especially since it correctly points out that Ben Barnes is a Kerry Campaign vice-chair. It would have been nice if they'd mentioned Rather's attendance at Democratic fundraisers, in despite of CBS' ethics policy, but you can't have everything.
posted by Grim 21:43 Money Where His Mouth Is:This fellow is serious about that forgery thing. He's not only posted the longest and most comprehensive attack on the docs I've seen yet, but he's also posted a prominent link to his resume, in case you doubt his credentials to make the charges. "No fan of Bush," he says, but an enemy of fraud.
Drudge, on the other hand, points to a rumor of a new DNC campaign that will "attack Bush's guard service." "George Bush has a clear pattern of lying about his military service," it says. Drudge notes dryly that this means Clinton's advice to stay away from Vietnam is being ignored by the Kerry campaign.
Now, Bush has done all that really can be asked of a political opponent to save Kerry's bacon on this issue. He has repeatedly said that Kerry should be proud of his (Kerry's) service, and he's called for a stop to the Swifty ads and to 527 ads generally. He's had to put up with them paying him back by saying that "George Bush betrayed his country" by not serving in Vietnam, and now that he has "a clear pattern of lying about his military service."
Do they really think this is going to help? You can't win against a well-known incumbent by trying to redefine him in the eyes of voters. This kind of negative attack can work against a John Kerry, an empty suit lacking a national reputation (and the guts to talk to the media -- an incumbent can "do his job" to show his worth in the office, but a challenger has to talk and take questions). Negative ads can define who he is in the minds of the voters: in Kerry's case, a waffling, spineless, weak-on-everything playboy, who 'by the way served in Vietnam,' where he was known by hundreds of fellow veterans who now hate his guts.
But the voters know perfectly well who Bush is. Effective negative ads against a well-known incumbent have to attack the things people already believe about him. And to spend money on this kind of ad campaign right on the heels of Rathergate, when the minds of voters nationwide are fixed on how this very issue was used by people trying to slander the President with blatant forgeries?
Astonishing. Kerry almost certainly would have gotten a pass from the American people on any charge that he was connected to the forgeries. Rumors in the American Spectator don't generally rise to the public's notice, and people would assume such charges were partisan politics, like the charges that Bush was driving the Swifties in private while scorning them in public.
But if Kerry's camp insists on pushing the Guard angle, they're going to associate themselves with the forgery story in peoples' minds. Is this really the "issue" they want to be talking about? With an official US Navy investigation ongoing into his record, does Kerry really want "a pattern of lying about his military service" to be the thing people are discussing?
Well, it's just a rumor from Drudge, for now. Maybe he's brighter than that.
posted by Grim 18:02 Yeomen Bloggers:If you haven't seen it yet, the Belmont Club has a charming comparison of blogs to longbows. I lift my cup of good October to you all, merry men.
posted by Grim 16:31 Milblogs on Rathergate:Both the Mudville Gazette and BlackFive have the same reaction to Rathergate: the are outraged at the slander to LTCOL Killian. Greyhawk:
Not much has yet been made of the fact that this fraud has been perpetrated in the name of a deceased military officer, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian of the Texas Air National Guard. CBS's claims actually besmirch the reputation of a man who served his country nobly and well, a man whose opinions (by all accounts of those who knew him best - his family) were the exact opposite of those expressed in the Rather Forgeries. A man who after spending a lifetime defending his country is no longer able to defend himself.B5:By allowing the forgeries to stand against all logic - including statements against the documents issued by Killian's son (also a retired Air National Guard Officer) and his widow - CBS is defaming the character of the service of LTC Killian.The thought had come to me, in less strong terms, that it was a bit cowardly to forge documents in the name of a man who could no longer speak in his defense. But BlackFive's point is well taken: the "content" of the memo is itself slanderous to Killian.
Defaming LTC Killian's character?
I am sure that you military folks (and many of you who never wore a uniform) understand that writing a memo referenced to CYA is craven and not looked upon as worthy of the uniform of our Armed Forces. To military Officers, putting your career ahead of doing what is right is possibly one of the most distgusting acts for someone to commit (anyone thinking of the VVAW?).
If any of this pisses me off, it's the fact that CBS probably doesn't care about that.
posted by Grim 16:13 "Vietnam Veterans for Truth" Rally:It's on C-SPAN now.You can watch if you're so inclined. I'll live blog it for a bit. Quotes are as best as I can transcribe, but perfect accuracy is not guaranteed. I'll try to demark the ones I am sure of with full quotes, and the ones I'm doing my best with with half-quotes.
Right now Jim Warner is on to talk about what it was to be tortured by the Communists, and to have Kerry's words thrown in his face.
Warner, five and a half years a prisoner, began his statement by saying, "Semper Fi," and then said that he wanted to thank his country for the chance to fight in Vietnam. He spoke about the justness of the cause, and the harm caused not only to Vietnam and the Vietnamese, but to the people of Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia by the withdrawal.
Then he launched into a discussion of interrogation sessions in which Winter Soldier and John Kerry's words were used against him. He said, 'John Kerry said this was official policy... I remember my in-country briefing, where they said that these were all the things we weren't allowed to do.' He then went on and said, 'The Vietcong were defeated utterly at Tet... we were all they had left to bargain with... they said, "Your own naval officer says you deserve to be punished!"'
He says, "Everyone knew we were being tortured." 'Nobody had any way of knowing that we would not get hurt. But they did have a way of knowing that, if they said things like that, it could cause us to be hurt.'
Now he's talking about studies of military history. 'The first thing you need is a commander with sound judgment and steadfast character.... John Kerry made a famous statement, I'm told, "Don't be the last man to die in a lost cause." How is Communism doing now? Whose cause is lost now, John Kerry? It wasn't ours.'" That's a misquote of Kerry, I'll note (Kerry said not 'lost cause' but 'mistake'), but the point is valid.
Now he's wrapping up. He says he has something he wants us to take away, "Seared, seared! into your memory." This is it: "Here is a test you can apply universally every time someone wants to be your commander, or your leader... you'll know he has good judgement if he knows the best way to stop a war against an evil enemy is to win it. God bless you, God bless America, and Semper Fi."
Next speaker is now being introduced. He's a Swifty: John O'Neill, it turns out. The introduction contained the line, "Did you notice Dan Rather was more polite to Saddam Hussein than he was to the Swift Boat Vets?"
O'Neill begins: 'I'm no hero, but I served in a unit with a lot of heroes in it.' How many times have I heard that formula, from veterans from many wars? And never from John Kerry.
O'Neill digs at Kerry for hiding for 43 days (and counting) from the press, since the Swifties started raising their charges.
"When has there ever been an American presidential candiate who met with the enemy in time of war?"
He's not backing off of anything the Swifties have charged. Lots of applause from the assembled vets.
Talking about Arlington, 'across the river that divides life from death.' 'They were not the army of Genghis Khan. In fact, they were the greatest people I've ever known.'
posted by Grim 13:07 The NYTimes Blows It Again:Here follows a critique of yesterday's lead editorial, "On Guard, America":
As regressive milestones go, few are as frightful in this new era of homeland security as the decision by Congress and the Bush administration to allow the expiration of the 10-year-old law protecting the public from assault rifles and other rapid-fire battlefield weapons. The law - a far from perfect but demonstrably effective restraint on high-tech gunslingers - expires on Monday with not a whimper from the White House.This lead paragraph needs as much correction as any whole article normally would. I hardly know where to begin. I suppose I shall begin with the outright untruths.
First, none of the weapons banned by this bill -- not one! -- were "rapid-fire." All of them fired one shot per pull of the trigger. All weapons that do otherwise (properly termed "automatic" weapons, or "select-fire" if they have a switch that lets you choose the rate of fire) were illegal before the ban, and remain illegal now. They were regulated by the National Firearms Acts of the 1930s. No one may legally own or possess one except the military, certain police units, and persons holding what is known as a "Class III" permit. A Class III permit requires large fees, extensive background checks, and other safeguards. In a lifetime spent around shooting ranges, I've met only one person who actually had one.
Second, none of these firearms -- not one! -- were "battlefield weapons." The military has firearms that look like these, but they don't function the same way. Battlefield weapons are generally speaking select-fire. None of these are. The Army would not issue any of these to forces it planned to send into the field.
Third, there is no evidence of any sort that this law was "effective" at stopping crime.
Fourth, I object to the notion that this is "regressive." As Chesterton pointed out, what's regression to one is progress to another. I consider this a major step forward in removing unconstitutional restrictions from the law; I also think it's generally progressive to strip away useless laws. But my goal is that of building a society based on individual liberty and independence, not that of building a society based on a life that is regulated 'for our safety.'
Fifth, I wonder at the suggestion that these were "frightful" and "high tech" weapons. Most of them have been around in their current form for between thirty and fifty years. All of the Kalishnikov variants, for example, are based on a WWII-era design. There have been minor adjustments and refinements since then, but it's pretty much the same rifle as ever.When George Bush was a candidate four years ago and under campaign pressure from moderates, he announced that he did support the renewal of this highly popular law. It turned out that he was shooting rhetorical blanks; his support depended on the renewal's ever getting through Congress in the first place. As president, Mr. Bush has never once demanded that his G.O.P. leaders cease playing first responder to the demands of the gun lobby and take the initiative on this public safety issue.The Times has an annoying habit of assuming the mantle of moderation. Anyone who agrees with them is a "moderate." Now, honestly, the fact is that the Times' position on gun control is reflected by the laws of only a double-handful of states; the vast majority of states now permit concealed carry on a shall-issue basis. Most of the rest permit concealed carry, though not on a shall-issue basis. The Times' position is hard to the left of what the majority of America practices, and the momentum is on the side of those who believe in the Right to Bear Arms.
Roughly the same objection can be raised against the notion that this was a "highly popular law." If that were the case, why have the Democrats been so quiet about gun control this election season? Kerry took a swipe at Bush over this, but made sure the same week to get out to the gun range and get photographed blasting away at sport clays. (Amusingly, the firearm he used was one he voted to ban.)
Again, pretty much the same argument can be fielded against the Times' demand that Bush should have done more to resurrect this monster. If this were such a moderate, highly popular law, why should it have been a hurdle to say that you would be glad to sign it if Congress sent it to you? The fact that the bill had no chance of getting through Congress is a little telling. Blaming it on the influence of the "gun lobby" doesn't get you out of the pit. The "gun lobby" is just American citizens, after all. I'm the NRA! (And so are you, Sovay, if you'll get around to cutting them that check you promised after losing a certain bet, which forfeit has been outstanding since February.)A decade's experience with the assault weapons ban showed clearly that the only people who were inconvenienced were the criminals, the gun lobbyists and the least responsible gun dealers. Certainly the Second Amendment rights of responsible hunters were never crimped. Anyone taking to the woods next week with a freshly unfettered AK-47 or Uzi, or a TEC-9 assault pistol, will only make mincemeat of the game and a mockery of sportsmanship.First of all, this garbage about "sportsmanship" needs to stop. The argument for firearms rights has almost nothing to do with hunting. By far the majority of the argument has to do with self-defense, and a citizen's duty to protect himself, his family, and his community. We have both the right and the duty under the law, and we also have a constitutional right to the tools.
However, since you mention it, an AK-47 is a .30 caliber rifle (7.62x39mm). Since (again!) none of these are automatic weapons, there's no fear of making "mincemeat" out of the animal; you get one shot per pull of the trigger. One shot from a .30 caliber rifle is the single most common means of bringing down a deer for your table. The AK-47 is not ideal: most people prefer a scoped .30-30 or .30-06 for the task. On the other hand, some persons apparently prefer crawling on their belly through the mud with a 12-gauge, so to each their own.....Now the greedier gun dealers are preparing to profit on the law's expiration as if it signaled the arrival of Beaujolais nouveau. The Bush administration has allowed the right to bear arms to degenerate back to the right to brandish battlefield weapons on the home front."Beaujolais nouveau." Somehow that phrase does as much to show the Times' bias as anything else in the article. If you didn't get it, though, they hammer the point one more time: they repeat the dishonest formula, "battlefield weapons," and they refer to a restoration of our rights as "degenerate."
Once again, the Times has misrepresented the truth about these firearms. They have dishonestly portrayed them as automatic weapons, "rapid-fire" "battlefield weapons" that would make "mincemeat" out of their targets. They have suggested, in despite of the facts, that the ban somehow impacted crime rates. They have also misrepresented the argument of firearms rights proponents, who have never suggested that hunting was the reason for these firearms' legality.
The editors of the Times have, in other words, approached the issue without any regard for facts or fairness. If they wish to know why the majority of the country is opposed to their suggested policy, they might take that as a starting point.
posted by Grim 11:18 Nuclear Test?By now everyone's heard that the DPRK may have detonated an atomic weapon, although the US gov't and ROK gov't are both denying it. It's possible that it was non-nuclear: the DPRK may be trying to sort out what kind of bunker they need to contain an underground nuclear test. The US gov't did several similar tests with conventional explosives out in the desert back during the Manhattan project, as I recall -- they took a rough estimate of the explosive power from the scientists, loaded that much TNT into a hole, and blew it up.
Several people are pointing to the mushroom cloud that was reported. Well, here's a picture of last week's explosion in Jakarta:If you get a big enough explosion, even with conventional explosives, you'll get something shaped in this fashion. It has to do with the way the air is pushed and heated by the blast (forming the cap of the "mushroom," which rises, being hot). Cool air rushes in below, drawn into the partial vacuum created both by the explosion's push, and by the rapid rise of the heated air. That keeps the stem of the mushroom slender, and helps drive the cap even higher.
Of course, instead of a test, this could be one of several other things: an uncontrolled explosion at an underground facility, an assassination attempt (that was what the official state media finally settled upon as the cause of the railway explosions), &c.
Still, Grim's Hall has been predicting a DPRK nuclear test for nearly as long as Grim's Hall has been on the internet. Their progress is slower than I've expected.
Saturday, September 11, 2004
posted by Grim 01:01 9/11:As is the tradition of the Hall, I am going to repost "Enid & Geraint," which I wrote on 9/11. Three years on, I suppose it could use some editing, but I have left it in the form I composed that day, sitting on an island in a stream, when I could not watch the towers fall any more.
Enid & GeraintThe wind from that horn has shaken the world, but the forest has proven deep. There is still much to do; but over the fresh graves of Russian schoolchildren, we can only renew our oaths to see this to the very end.
Once strong, from solid
Camelot he came
Glory with him, Geraint,
Whose sword tamed the wild.
Fabled the fortune he won,
Fame, and a wife.
The beasts he battled
With horn and lance;
Stood farms where fens lay.
When bandits returned
To old beast-holds
Geraint gave them the same.
And then long peace,
Purchased by the manful blade.
Light delights filled it,
Tournaments softened, tempered
By ladies; in peace lingers
the dream of safety.
They dreamed together. Darkness
Gathered on the old wood,
Wild things troubled the edges,
Then crept closer.
The whispers of weakness
Are echoed with evil.
At last even Enid
Whose eyes are as dusk
Looked on her Lord
And weighed him wanting.
Her gaze gored him:
He dressed in red-rust mail.
And put her on palfrey
To ride before or beside
And they went to the wilds,
Which were no longer
So far. Ill-used,
His sword hung beside.
By the long wood, where
Once he laid pastures,
The knight halted, horsed,
Gazing on the grim trees.
He opened his helm
Beholding a bandit realm.
End cried at the charge
Of a criminal clad in mail!
The Lord turned his horse,
Set his untended shield:
There lacked time, there
Lacked thought for more.
Villanous lance licked the
Ancient shield. It split,
Broke, that badge of the knight!
The spearhead searched
Old, rust-red mail.
Geraint awoke.
Master and black mount
Rediscovered their rich love,
And armor, though old
Though red with thick rust,
Broke the felon blade.
The spear to-brast, shattered.
And now Enid sees
In Geraint's cold eyes
What shivers her to the spine.
And now his hand
Draws the ill-used sword:
Ill-used, but well-forged.
And the shock from the spear-break
Rang from bandit-towers
Rattled the wood, and the world!
Men dwelt there in wonder.
Who had heard that tone?
They did not remember that sound.
His best spear broken
On old, rusted mail,
The felon sought his forest.
Enid's dusk eyes sense
The strength of old steel:
Geraint grips his reins.
And he winds his old horn,
And he spurs his proud horse,
And the wood to his wrath trembles.
And every bird
From the wild forest flies,
But the Ravens.
Friday, September 10, 2004
posted by Grim 19:25 A Colleague Writes:A couple of weeks ago there was a bombing in Afghanistan that took out a DynCorp building. I don't work for DynCorp, but two of my colleagues had been in that building on several occasions while on an Afghan project.
Today, I got a mail from another colleague, about a bombing in Indonesia:Here's some photos from a good friend and former colleague in Indonesia. BTW, **** (in one of the photos) is the headquarters of ****, where I used to work. The last two offices that I've worked in before coming home to the US have now been hit by car bombs.He then suggests I consider another line of work. Heh. I don't think I'm in any danger in my heavily-armed compound in Warrenton, VA, where I'll be for at least another month and a half. Still, the overseas market is getting dangerous for "mercenaries," as KOS would have it.
posted by Grim 19:14 The Wild East:Out of Thailand, a story that could have come from an old American ballad. One doesn't expect good Buddhists to act in quite this way:
A THAI policeman ran down a British tourist in his car and shot her dead after murdering her boyfriend following a row in a town on the banks of the river Kwai....This answers to the point raised earlier today, on the relative wisdom of arming only the 'servants of the state.' At least you might have returned the fire, poor Brit, in the brave old days of Dickens, but no more.
Police said the couple had been involved in a violent argument with a man at a restaurant in the town, 100 miles north-west of Bangkok.
"We don’t know what the argument was about, but after Adam and Vanessa left, this man followed them on the way back to their guesthouse," said Inspector Milind Phienchand, of the tourist police.
"He followed them in his car. He shot Mr Lloyd three times - once in the head, once in the arm and once in the body.
"He tracked Ms Arscott for 200 metres and hit her with his car. Then he shot her once in the head and once in the chest."
posted by Grim 16:15 Dan Rather Replaced:The Mudville Gazette has the story. He got a nice sendoff, though:
Dan Rather will tolerate nothing but truthfulness as he is a man of great honor and integrity.
posted by Grim 15:45 Death In the Afternoon:Walking The Walls reports that the Senate has adjourned. The gun ban now expires at the end of the weekend, with no chance of renewal.
Good riddance. Thank you again, watchmen.
posted by Grim 15:37 *Chuckle*That Howard Dean is a funny fellow. Via The Corner, an interview with the non-candidate who is still giving a lot more press interviews than the actual candidate:
"The Republicans have the best propaganda out there since Lenin, and they just make stuff up and they keep repeating it, and hope people are going to believe it," said Howard Dean.And then:"I think that George Bush is certainly going to have a draft if he goes into a second term[.]"Given that Rumsfeld and the Secretary of the Army have both categorically rejected the notion, does this count as "just mak[ing] stuff up and... repeating it, and hope people are going to believe it"?
posted by Grim 11:36 On Gun Rights:Walking The Walls has a beautiful post this morning -- not what I expected, since it was created just to provide a go-to place for news on any attempt to renew the Clinton Gun Ban. Apparently someone wrote in to tell the folks that the existence of a blog devoted to restoring gun rights frightened them.
One of the authors responds at length. It is a respectful, honest, and I think a convincing explanation of why they are opposed to the gun ban. If you're one of my readers who is a little frightened by guns, you might want to read this reply. It may not convince you to oppose the ban also, but it should ease your mind about the intentions of those who do oppose it.
posted by Grim 01:34 And You Thought Michael Moore Hated Soldiers:You haven't yet read about the Great Australian Kitten-Killing Case.
Jesse robbed from the poor
and he gave to the rich.
He never did a friendly thing.
And when his best friend died
he was right there by her side
and he lifted off her golden wedding ring.
Poor Jesse had a wife
who mourned for his life,
three children, they were brave.
But that dirty little coward
who shot Mister Howard
has laid poor Jesse in his grave.
posted by Grim 00:21 Death To Pseudoscience!The New York Times asks, "Is psychoanalysis science? Or is it toast?" A hint:
Almost from the moment of its inception... the mongrel of a discipline known as psychoanalysis was in a struggle for its life.Few things have brought more damage to the cause of human freedom than psychology. We now live in a day when boys are regularly drugged to make them easier to handle. This is called "medicine," but it is poison. We will be better off when the last psychologist has been... well, I won't recycle metaphors from Communists. But we'll be better off when the "discipline" is dead, and these fake-doctor schools are forever closed.
posted by Grim 00:01 All Veterans Against John Kerry:There's a rally on Sunday, for those who are not (like your correspondant) too sick to attend. Details from BlackFive:
A gathering of Vietnam veterans from across AmericaAny of you who can manage it, go and give good cheer. I'll be here, coughing away and drinking "the ten year old cough syrup" until I feel better. (Actually, I'll likely make do with Guinness.)
Where: Upper Senate Park, Washington, D.C. It is easy to get to, shady and pretty, with a great view of the Capitol dome in back of the speaker's platform. THIS IS A NEW LOCATION AS OF 7/17/04
When: Sunday, Sept 12, 2004 2:00-4:00 PM (EDT)
Why: To tell the truth about Vietnam veterans.
To counter the lies told about Vietnam veterans by John Kerry
All Vietnam veterans and their families and supporters are asked to attend. Other veterans are invited as honored guests.
NOTE: Bring a blanket or lawn chairs. None will be provided.
Thursday, September 09, 2004
posted by Grim 23:58 Kill the Beast:One more day. My salute to those keeping watch on this. Victory is nigh, so keep your head up: and give a call to Congressmen and the President. You can get the right numbers here.
posted by Grim 16:30 Polls Flawed:Spacetown has an interesting point about the polls being conducted today. Almost all of them are telephone polls, he notes, and the polls are based on "2002 version of a nationally published set of phone CDs of listed households, ordered by telephone number."
Since 2002, an estimated 9 million customers have quit keeping "landlines," and gone to cell/digitial phones only. This is true for my household: we had a landline in 2002, but since 2003 have been cell-phone only.
What does this mean for polls? No one knows, except this: they aren't accurate.
posted by Grim 15:41 All's Fair:INDC Journal hires one of the nation's top forensics experts, and he says that the CBS memos are "90%" probably fakes. Hat tip: Allah, who has a lot more.
But this is all fair in the wake of the Swiftee stuff, right? Except, of course, that the Swiftees put their own names on sworn statements and, of course, Unfit for Command, putting their lives and fortunes at risk under slander and libel law. (Also, of course, they've been proven correct on several points... and then there's that US Navy investigation it's spawned into Kerry's records).
Wow. This really is turning into an ugly race. Forging federal documents is a federal crime, right? I suppose we'll be seeing the same folks who were calling for an investigation into the Plame business calling for a full investigation into CBS' source for these memos. Since I was one of the ones who wanted the Plame matter investigated, I'll start:
Let's get these reporters under oath.
posted by Grim 12:39 Walking the Walls:Two days. I just got off the phone with one of my Senators' offices. The other one has a recorded message playing saying that they are taking such a high volume of calls that no one can answer the phone. They aren't even taking voice mail. I sent an email instead.
posted by Grim 11:28 Nov. 2nd is Veteran's Day:Via the Sage, I see that the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion have both endorsed President Bush's reelection. VVAW, oddly enough still around, says it doesn't endorse candidates in order to protect its tax status, so there's no way to know who they support.
UPDATE: You know, after I wrote that, I wondered why the VVAW would have a limitation on its endorsements the VFW doesn't. So, I looked into it and found that in fact the VFW can't endorse candidates either. A closer reading of the story Instapundit linked shows that it was actually some of the leadership who endorsed Bush, speaking one supposes for themselves, but identifying themselves as leaders. I expect this means that the VFW would like to endorse Bush, if it could legally do so.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
posted by Grim 22:20 Wild:Did you folks see this WorldNetDaily article?
Judicial Watch's supplemental filing points out Navy regulations state that only the secretary of the Navy can sign a Silver Star, on behalf of the president. But Kerry's first citation is signed by Vice Adm. E.R. Zumwalt Jr., commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Vietnam, and Adm. John J. Hyland, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.I was convinced that the whole "combat V" thing was a clerical error, and that the third citation would prove to be a political favor -- perhaps something done at Ted Kennedy's request, to bolster the language in order to make Kerry look heroic for his 1984 Senate run. Nothing big, nor actually illegal.
Farrell said today he thinks there is reason to believe Kerry has attempted to 'paper over an unauthorized Silver Star.'
'It appears there was an attempt, by autopen, to 'ratify' what had been done in an unauthorized manner earlier,' he said.
'We don't know this for sure, but that's precisely why there should be an investigation,' Farrell added.
Well, WND is hardly gospel, but they are citing a bipartisan group with a decent reputation. So the one question I had about it earlier:I mean, it's a Silver Star citation. How bad can it be? Why not release it, like he did the two others?...may have a good answer. It may be that first citation wasn't properly signed. And since the Secretary of the Navy says he didn't actually sign the other one, or know of it...
It can't really be this bad, can it? I'm no naif, but really -- we're talking about felonies now. It's one thing to scoff at the US code when it says you can't be paid for work you don't perform; and it's another thing to scoff at the Logan Act. Neither of those have ever actually been enforced.
But to falsify a Silver Star? I'm no fan of Kerry, but even I have trouble believing it. Godspeed to the Navy investigators in sorting it out.
posted by Grim 17:56 Walking the Walls:For those of you who haven't been following it, just three business days on the deathwatch. Call your congressmen tomorrow.
posted by Grim 11:34 Who's Advising Kerry On Military Matters?The answer appears to be, "No one."
The question came up during the Cogicophony debate on Kerry's new timeline-to-withdrawal. I looked into the matter, and discovered that Kerry's titular advisor on military matters is retired Air Force General Merrill A. McPeak. I'm not sure what McPeak's qualifications are beyond what is listed in his official biography, though I assume he has some. He's only published two papers in the last twenty years (one of which dates to 1985), both of which are on exclusively USAF matters. He attended War College, but it's been in the 1970s; since about 1976, he's been out of the "theory arena" and in the field and the bureaucracy. As a consequence, while I'm certain he must have views on military transformation, guerrilla war, and the like, I don't have any way to know what they are.
One reason for his position would appear to be that he was nominated for the USAF Chief by GHWB, served under Clinton, supported GWB in 2000, and now supports Kerry. He therefore has bipartisan credibility, which counts more among the press and citizenry than having the right ideas. Relatively few of the press, as we've discussed frequently, have the background to evaluate the ideas anyway. What matters is that you can say, "Here's a man who's been on both sides politically, and now supports our boy." What ideas he uses that credibility to advocate, I can't say.
However, it appears that it doesn't matter anyway. Kerry flatly ignores his advice.General McPeak told Steph: “We need to about double the size” of our contingent of forces in Iraq. He’s JF Kerry’s military advisor, and Kerry said Friday:So apparently he's just a figurehead. One more veteran used to bolster Kerry's credibility, whose interests are ignored when they're inconvenient.“I believe that within a year from now, we could significantly reduce American forces in Iraq, and that’s my plan,” Kerry said. “I believe we can.”
UPDATE: I found an interview with McPeak; the original is behind subscription walls, but a cache of it is here. It pre-dates the Iraq war. He appears to be "fighter mafia," which is to say that he belongs to that segment of the Air Force that believes the Army should eliminate its heavy divisions entirely, concentrate on special forces only, and let the Air Force do the work of destroying enemy armies. This is glorious, he says:The man who headed the U.S. Air Force during Desert Storm will tell you, over black coffee in a Lake Oswego cafe, that the potential attack on Iraq is "the fight you dream about, a wonderful kind of war to have."But what to do when the war is over? The Air Force can't do the work of occupying nations that need rebuilding, but that's OK, as McPeak is against it:
The former fighter pilot calls the conflict a "no brainer," pitting the U.S. military machine -- with precision-guided munitions that he conceived -- against a nation whose gross national product is dwarfed by what the Air Force spends each year.
"Everybody's going to get decorated out of this thing," says Tony McPeak, a four-star general who retired to Oregon in 1995. "Everyone comes home. It has a lot of appeal to me."Airstrikes would wipe out Baghdad's communications system again, McPeak says. "If we go in there and occupy the place for 50 years, which is my prediction, we'll have to rebuild it."So, in short, he believes in a military that strikes from afar, destroys enemy civilizations, and then leaves them in ruins. Baghdad's people he would have left in the hands of the Fedayeen Saddam, and without civil services.
Close combat in Baghdad would be stupid, he says, despite what Army generals may advocate. "We've already radicalized 99 percent of the Arabs in the world. We'll get the holdouts if we start doing hand-to-hand combat in Baghdad."
This kind of punitive-strike warfare was practiced by the Imperial Roman Legions to great effect. There is something to be said for it. But in a world in which failed states are the breeding ground for terrorists, who export rather than contain their misery and wrath, it must be regarded as a fool's approach.
In retrospect, McPeak seems to realize that. As in the quote above, he is now calling for doubling the forces on the ground. But where would those forces come from, if the Army disbanded its divisions to focus on "agile" special operations teams?
Not, as I say, that it matters. Kerry doesn't listen to his military advisor. But, even should he begin, this is the advice he'll get.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
posted by Grim 16:47 Carter Responds to Miller:I see that Talking Points Memo has obtained a copy of a letter by Jimmy Carter, to Zell Miller. You can see the whole thing at Josh's site if you like. After scolding Zell for speaking out against the national party, and suggesting that dissent is improper in a Democrat, Carter says this:
I, myself, never claimed to have been a war hero, but I served in the navy from 1942 to 1953, and, as president, greatly strengthened our military forces and protected our nation and its interests in every way. I don’t believe this warrants your referring to me as a pacificist.We thank the former President for his service in the navy. This is the first time, however, I have heard it suggested by anyone that the Carter presidency "strengthened our military forces," to say nothing of "greatly strengthened." I wonder if he also believes that he "greatly strengthened" the CIA?
Monday, September 06, 2004
posted by Grim 23:04 Kerry: I Guarantee Victory for the EnemyDemocratic presidential nominee John Kerry on Monday called the invasion of Iraq "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time" and said his goal was to withdraw U.S. troops in a first White House term.I honestly don't know what to say. "Elect me, and I promise that I'll withdraw troops before I leave office" means nothing other than, "If I'm elected, Zarqawi, keep your head down for a few months and I'll hand Iraq to you on a silver platter."
Chairman Mao wrote that a guerrilla campaign had three phases. The first was survival in the face of a superior army. The second, once dispersal and recruitment were achieved, was an engagement of the army. The third phase, when the guerrillas could actually face the enemy, had to wait until the enemy drew down its forces.Iraq’s insurgents can’t defeat U.S. forces on the battlefield, and the insurgents know it. Unable to advance to a third phase of insurgency, a realistic goal of the insurgents is to stay deadlocked in a second phase until they can drive out the U.S.-led coalition....The second phase is the most costly for a guerrilla movement. They have to engage a superior foe openly, and absorb the losses it costs them. We've seen the costs of such a policy in the fighting in Najaf, where several thousand of Sadr's forces have died since April. Yet the insurgents continue to engage, as failure to achieve anything that can be called "victory" means that the insurgency burns out, and cannot recruit replacements.
The job of U.S. military forces is at minimum to contain the second phase of insurgency and reduce it to the level of the first phase as rapidly as possible.
Offensive operations of the sort begun in Iraq in November will have to continue and emphasize tactical interdiction — finding and destroying enemy capability before it can be used against American and allied coalition forces. These operations have been fruitful and led directly to locating and capturing Hussein.
As long as Bush is in office, they will continue to engage us against their interests. This is because they know we're not going anywhere. They continue to press the odds in spite of massive fatalities because they have no choice. Elections approach, and time is not on their side. This dynamic will eventually break them, just as it broke the Viet Cong during Tet. There is no NVA to carry on the fight once the VC are broken. Iran, which everone now more or less openly recognizes is bankrolling this insurgency, cannot face the US openly, as no Soviet Union stands behind them to cast a protective arm around their shoulders.
But Kerry has handed the insurgents a promise of pulling out US forces if he's elected. All they have to do is wait. Nine months of relative peace, while the insurgents gather strength and recruit replacements, and he can send the troops home.
Then comes the third phase. What will it look like, when the insurgents overrun the country while President Kerry watches from Washington? Just what it looked like in South Vietnam, where half a million died because the US would no longer support the ARVN, not even with air power. Just what it looked like in Laos and -- dare we say it? -- Cambodia, where two million died at Communist hands, no longer restrained by the proximity of US firepower.
Astonishing: to have run on Vietnam, and to have learned none of its lessons.
UPDATE: Greyhawk thanks Kerry for his support, and requests some of yours.
UPDATE: KGC at Cogicophony has started a topic for this debate.
UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt has noticed this too:Memo to Fallujah terrorists: If Kerry wins, all you have to do is endure at most four years, then you can have another Afghanistan. If Bush wins, you will die in Fallujah or give up your war.UPDATE: Citizen Smash adds his opinion: "Kerry has just given our enemies in Iraq a goal to shoot for. Thanks, Senator."
Could Kerry have done anything more stupid than to telegraph to terrorists everywhere that there is a party of retreat in the United States?UPDATE: BlackFive has something to say also:
My friends who gave their lives knew what they were doing and supported the decision to go to war. I mourn them every damn day, but I don't pity them. I honor them. I remember them. The number one thousand has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with politics.
Then, I heard John Kerry speak, in reference to one thousand, about bringing the troops home. Doesn't he know that he's fueling the fires instead of supporting the troops? What the hell is he thinking?
posted by Grim 22:09 The Mass Graves:Via Mike the Marine, the mass graves of Iraq. It's hard hitting. The only thing I've seen like it lately are the pictures from Russia.
posted by Grim 09:43 John Kerry: John Kerry is Unfit for Command!I've been thinking a bit about this line from the "Midnight Madness" speech:
Let me tell you what I think makes someone unfit for duty. Misleading our nation into war in Iraq makes you unfit to lead this nation.Now, I watched "The Kerry Iraq Documentary." It's a production of the Bush campaign, and therefore has no cause to be kind to Kerry. Still, it presents Kerry's position in his own words, and in his own voice -- usually through videoclips of him appearing, time and again, over several years, to advocate war with Iraq over WMD.
Kerry eventually voted for the Iraq war resolution, and said at the time that he "fully supported" it.
Kerry had a seat on the Senate Intel committee, although apparently he didn't make much use of it. Still, he has had direct access when he wanted it to the CIA's intelligence on Iraq; to CIA staffers for questions; and to the documentation from the rest of the intel community as well. Whereas Bush had access to this information only after 2000, when he assumed office, Kerry has been 'in the know' for a decade and more. He should have been familiar with the intel backwards and forwards, and indeed in the television spots he makes a big deal about the fact that he was.
And Kerry supported the war resolution, as he supported the President's call throughout 2001 and 2002.
So, what to make of his statement?Misleading our nation into war in Iraq makes you unfit to lead this nation.There are two possible answers. The first is that Kerry is, today, acting in bad faith. He knows that Bush did not mislead the nation, as he himself had the same information and access and advocated the same course. Kerry is parroting the Michael Moore line because he thinks it is an effective attack, not because he believes it to be true.
The second possibility is that Kerry does believe Bush misled the country. In that case, however, Kerry misled the country too. In his own words, he is unfit to lead this nation.
Since we prefer to give veterans the benefit of the doubt whenever possible, I'll choose to believe that Kerry really thinks he is unfit to command. If I'm right to believe Kerry's words, all sides now agree on the point: Vice President Cheney, the Swifties, the Honorable Senator Zell Miller, and now John Kerry himself.
posted by Grim 07:28 SurveyUSA Poll:We've all recognized that the Time and Newsweek polls are disproportionately Republican. However, here's another poll that says much the same thing. It asks not, "Who will you vote for?" but "Who do you expect to win?" It finds that there's been a thirty-six point bounce for Bush in NYC, in spite of the massive protests everyone got to watch all week; and in other liberal markets, the numbers are bigger still (thirty-nine in LA, for example).
We'll see if it holds.
posted by Grim 07:12 Clinton Calls Kerry:It's bad when a man undergoing a quadruple bypass calls from the hospital to tell you that you're dying. Kerry seems to be responding with another shakeup of his campaign staff, and another attempt to craft a message. So much for clearing that national defense hurdle, eh?
posted by Grim 05:38 The Infallible Bible:While looking for something else entirely, I noticed an advertisment for "Google Answers." One of the answers they've recently provided is apparently called Google: Defending the infallible Bible.
You can judge for yourself -- Grim's Hall takes no official position on religious questions. Grim himself does, but doesn't blog about them or discuss them socially. I merely refer you to this because I thought it was a curiousity, seeing experts in the newest technology researching and replying to the oldest questions.
UPDATE: I suppose that's not quite true. I did undertake to defend Forn Sidr, "the Old Way," and disprove atheism on one occasion. The Raving Atheist didn't bother to reply to the challenge, which is odd since he issued it.
posted by Grim 05:14 Low Casualties:I am glad to see someone finally picking up on this. I remain astonished at how low casualties in Iraq have been, considering the numbers of troops, the numbers of operations, and the fact that there has been continuous resistance for more than a year. Back in April, when there was heavy rumor of a draft, I wrote this at FreeSpeech:
Here you can find the official DOD figures for OIF as of 9 April. As you can see, including DOD civilian contractors, there have been 652 American killed and 3269 wounded during OIF. Of the wounded, 1137 were returned to duty within three days. The number not RTD within the three day period was 2,132; of these, some were sent home, and others returned to duty after rehabilitation.The Sage of Knoxville picks up an article from Strategy Page that says the same thing in a different way:
(Compare with Afghan operations, btw, which are just below, and you'll notice that the Afghan theater is actually far more deadly. We've had about 1/6th the casualties, with a force 1/15th the size. Note also that OEF lists KIAs in unspecified areas 'other than Afghanistan.')
To keep the math simple, let's assume that all soldiers not returned to duty in three days don't return to duty at all. 2,784 combat losses out of a force level that approximates 150,000 means that we have lost 1.856 percent of forces deployed in Iraq.
This is not accurate, however, due to troop rotations--I MEF fought in the invasion, rotated out and was replaced by 82nd Airborne, then rotated back in; 3rd ID rotated out over the summer, but 4th ID rotated in, etc. 150,000 is the approximate number of troops in country at any given moment, but the actual number of American soldiers who have served in Iraq this year--that is, who have given the enemy a chance to kill them--is far higher. As a result, the loss level is much lower than the almost-two-percent we calculated above. I'm not sure what the exact numbers are for all forces, so I can't calculate the exact level, but my impression is that it would be around one percent.
Any military that can't keep up with a wartime loss rate of two percent is in trouble--and as I said above, our rate is lower than that, especially if you take into account the troop rotations. We have no need to consider a draft.American combat losses continue at a historically low level. Since March, 2003, American troops have suffered 7,900 casualties (including 976 dead.) This is an unprecedented killed to wounded ratio of 1:8. In past wars, the ration had been 1:4 or 1:5. American combat deaths over the Summer were 42 in June, 54 in July and 66 in August. There are the equivalent of three American combat divisions in Iraq, each running several hundred patrols and other combat operations each day. Never have combat divisions, operating in hostile territory, kept their casualties this low. The news media, concentrating on any losses as the story have generally missed the historical significance of the low casualties. The American armed forces have developed new equipment, weapons and tactics that have transformed combat operations in an unprecedented way. This is recognized within the military, but is generally ignored, or misunderstood, by the general media.I suspect that the reason this doesn't get much play is that it is misunderstood, rather than ignored. We've talked about the media's lack of understanding of military science before (many times), and this looks like one more effect of it.
There may be an additional cause: media outlets may be afraid that, by talking about the remarkably low loss rates, they could appear to be downplaying the value of those who have died. The fact that the military has learned to fight with so few casualties is of tremendous importance to you if you are the mother of a Marine; but if you are the mother of a Marine who was killed yesterday, hearing about how few Marines die will not comfort you. Sensitivity to the dead may be a primary cause of this underreporting. If so, it's a noble reason to underreport.
However noble, it is the wrong tribute to pay to the dead. The focus on rising numbers makes it more likely that the American public will misunderstand Iraq as a losing war, rather than a war that we are winning, but which will take time. This underreporting makes it more likely that the American people could vote to withdraw forces from Iraq before the war is won. The cost of this tribute to the dead would be, finally, that they died in vain.
That is no kindness.
Sunday, September 05, 2004
posted by Grim 19:15 Some Call It Treason:A few days back, I suggested that I didn't know anyone who had actually accused Kerry of treason, excepting one fellow with a Veteran license plate and a bumper sticker to that effect. Well, make that two:
How liberals do defy the mindNovember 2nd is Veterans' Day. There's something to be said for that idea.
For nothing in theirs’ can we find,
That willingly will look with reason
At how their man committed treason,
Skulked off to Paris this effete
To grovel at the Madame’s feet,
Betraying his sworn officer’s oath
To become the turncoat we so loathe.
Our law is clear you shall not treat
With America’s foes nor their cadres meet;
Give aid nor comfort to enemy forces
Nor espouse a view from hostile sources.
Without a mandate from the state
Wherefrom your right to negotiate?
Was treason, John, and is treason still
To this very day your unpaid bill.
Don’t try to hide behind your youth.
You knew the law you knew the truth.
You knew your faux negotiation
Would further tear our war-torn nation
And all for what, John, your career
So you can shameless brazen here,
And claim now that you’re fit to lead
The very nation you made bleed?
And yet before us there you stand
With medals blazing you demand
Such treachery we must ignore
Your treason that lost us our war.
But hold on, John, we veterans say,
You had your turn, now comes our day.
You thought we slept, forgot your crime?
Oh no, John boy, it’s come our time.
Some say let you apologize
But that won’t do it in our eyes.
A man astride of each position
Could we believe your true contrition?
The vindication we’ll accept
In settling up this long-held debt,
Is each of us will do his best
To deny you, John, your lifelong quest.
Listen carefully John to what we say,
November 2nd is Veterans’ Day.
Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66
posted by Grim 16:33 Steyn:Mark Steyn has a stemwinder of his own, on the Russian dead and what it means:
What happened in one Russian schoolhouse is an abomination that has to be defeated, not merely regretted. But the only guys with any kind of plan are the Bush administration. Last Thursday, the President committed himself yet again to wholesale reform of the Muslim world. This is a dysfunctional region that exports its toxins, to Beslan, Bali and beyond, and is wealthy enough to be able to continue doing so.
You can't turn Saudi Arabia and Yemen into New Hampshire or Sweden (according to taste), but if you could transform them into Singapore or Papua New Guinea or Belize or just about anything else you'd be making an immense improvement. It's a long shot, but, unlike Putin's plan to bomb them Islamists into submission or Chirac's reflexive inclination to buy them off, Bush is at least tackling the 'root cause'.
If you've got a better idea, let's hear it. Right now, his is the only plan on the table. The ideology and rationale that drove the child-killers in Beslan is the same as that motivating cells in Rome and Manchester and Seattle and Sydney. In this war, you can't hold the line against the next depravity.
posted by Grim 15:53 Beautiful, Comrade:The Commissar composes an open letter to Chechen rebels, to explain why their murderous tactics won't work against the Russians like they work against America or Israel:
Perhaps you don't understand the rules. As Yogi Berra might say: 'Ninety percent of the world's problems are America's fault; the other half are Israel's.'...Sadly, that's all too true.
If the Americans arrest four hundred Iraqi fighters, headlines follow. More editorials and self-righteous denunciations of America. And foreigners won't like it either.
posted by Grim 15:28 From Sharp Knife:Noel of Sharp Knife sends this story, for your reading pleasure. It is from the Wall Street Journal's "Opinion Journal" (which, oddly enough, seems to be down this morning).
Noel adds, "Somewhere, Mr. Jackson just chuckled, if not Mr. Hamilton."In the wake of Zell Miller's fiery denunciation of John Kerry at the GOP convention, the national media has been working overtime to remind people that Mr. Miller once worked for Georgia's axe-handle wielding segregationist Governor Lester Maddox backed in the 1960s. Curiously, this is something they never brought up when Mr. Miller was a loyal Democratic Governor or Senator.There really is something to be said for a return to duelling. Even the reminder of the institution, though, is clarifying. Consider the "Go to Hell, Zell," John Kerry Infant creeper, for those who think that American life isn't sufficiently profane for children. This shirt allows those of a particularly cowardly persuasion to express obscenity without fear of retribution. No reasonable person would take the baby to task (the baby would be just as happy if the creeper said "Vote Bush, 2004," or said nothing and was decorated only with carrot stains). No decent man would engage the parent in front of the child, as anyone bent out of shape enough to dress an infant in such garb would surely cause a scene upsetting to the innocent.
But last night at a Club for Growth reception honoring Mr. Miller, Herman Cain, the former chairman of Godfather's Pizza and an unsuccessful GOP candidate for Mr. Miller's Senate seat this year, isn't having any of it. An African-American, Mr. Cain says attacks on Mr. Miller are 'bunk.' 'When I campaigned and people asked me who I wanted most to be like in the U.S. Senate, I always said Zell Miller,' he told me.
Later, Messrs. Cain and Miller embraced on stage and Mr. Miller was presented with a pair of 18th-century dueling pistols -- an obvious reference to the duel he said he'd like to have with Chris Matthews of MSNBC as the two tangled on air Wednesday night after Mr. Miller's controversial speech.
Or consider this interview with Zell, from the Imus program. He was asked about his defense of Michelle Malkin, whom he doesn't seem to have known at the time (during the Hardball interview, he called her 'that young lady you had on the other day'):[I] ought to stay down in Young Harris with [my] two yellow labs, Gus and Woodrow, and let the world go by, I guess. I had just been holding one for Chris Matthews ever since I saw him browbeat Michelle Malkin on his show that night. He wouldn't let that little 5'2", 95-pound girl say a word, and I just said to myself, 'If he ever gets into my face like that, I'm gonna pop him.'The image of the crossed pistols reminds us that men used to take responsibility for their words -- that the things they said were things they would risk death to defend. They remind us that once men would not permit women and children to be abused, which is no longer a popular sentiment. Today women wish to defend themselves, which is excellent. It nevertheless speaks very well of a man that, if he should see the strong abusing the weak, whether strong from size or from position of power (e.g., anchor of the news program), that he should take their part."I should in that case hold you,'' replied the yeoman, "a friend to the weaker party.''Malkin, who has certainly proven quite outspoken in her own right, still appears to have appreciated the courtesy.
"Such is the duty of a true knight at least,'' replied the Black Champion; "and I would not willingly that there were reason to think otherwise of
me.''
How many times have I had to hear people toss around the words "lie!" or "liar!" in this election? It seems to be the very first line of defense, when anyone says anything you'd rather not believe. Not only do these people hide behind children, they sound like children. They spit deadly insults freely, knowing that they can never be called to account.
The end of the duel may have brought some good effects, but it has also ended the culture of responsibility that went with it. No one is called to account for their slander. That John Kerry of the VVAW is a candidate for the highest office in the land says this as truly as anything.
I'm with Zell. It is a shame that duels are no longer legal. Duels were private wars, and like wars they could be just. Like wars, for all the harm they did, they often did more good. In a world fallen from hope of perfection, that may be the best you can ask.
Saturday, September 04, 2004
posted by Grim 16:17 An Excellent Suggestion:Arm the teachers. We talked here about the Thai teachers unions back in June. Of course, if there is no formal training in weapons use offered by the government, such carrying would have to be entirely voluntary -- someone who is not trained, or who knows they are not capable of using their weapon, is only putting a weapon in the hands of whoever seizes that classroom.
The suggestion does not go far enough. One of the best ways that we can make terrorism more difficult is by making America a hard target. The way to do that is to arm, and train, the civilian population -- that is, to call up the general militia of the United States, as established in the US Code. These persons should be given necessary training in how to safely and accurately carry and use a firearm; and then they should carry them about their persons. It need not be a long course, that would take people away from their jobs -- not a fully military "Basic - AIT - etc" setup, but rather short series of courses, scheduled around their need to work for a living. Topics to be covered include the carrying of weapons, and range time, both traditional and tactical. It would be good if the order opened military base and police firing ranges to the public, so long as the public's use of them was scheduled around the needs of the authority.
These persons would be able to carry without regard to "exemption" laws, such as usually prevent carrying firearms into schools or courthouses. The 2nd Amendment, whatever else it covers, certainly does cover members of the US militia acting on orders to go armed.
Combined with those Americans who voluntarily carry under the various concealed weapons permits available from the several states (who would still be covered by exemption laws), this should provide a strong "immune system" to hostage crises. It makes them much more difficult and dangerous to execute, but not only that -- it makes them harder to plan. Because these weapons are usually concealed handguns, terrorists scoping out a potential site can't guess how many armed persons they would have to face. That seriously complicates planning and -- as it requires that they act in larger groups, in order to address the unknown threat level -- makes more likely the discovery of the plot or the capture of one of their number by counterintelligence and police.
"Unthinkable!" I imagine many are shouting. "The population would not stand for it!"
Let this happen just once to an American kindergarten, and the population will be demanding it with full lungs. Why, then, should we wait? Must we really insist on paying a blood price in order to recover this traditional, explicitly Constitutional defense of freedom, of our children, and our land?
posted by Grim 01:30 And Now, Think.You have had a moment to laugh over this picture of me playing with my son:
This is what the enemy wants to turn him into:
It is the other one, little Alana, her 6-year-old daughter, whose image torments her: Alana clutching her hand, Alana crying and calling after her. Alana's sobs disappearing into the distance as Dzandarova walked out of Middle School No. 1 here Thursday, clutching 2-year-old Alan in her arms.
Is there anyone left who fails to understand the stakes? John Kerry said the terrorist threat was "exaggerated." Is that the right way to think about this?Swear then by all the children you could not save that the next dead little one will not be yours. Wrong. Swear then that you will defeat them whatever it takes and into whatever hell you must go.I so swear.
Friday, September 03, 2004
posted by Grim 20:40 "It's Hard to Criticize John Kerry These Days"Glenn Reynolds, in his MSNBC clothing, picks up on a theme that has been bothering me for a while now.
posted by Grim 18:31 "Mean Daddy"My son Beowulf has picked up this new phrase. He's always saying, "Mean Daddy! Mean Daddy!"
*sigh* The boy has no respect for his elders at all.
posted by Grim 17:18 Osama:Another silly rumor.
We have received reports from US sources that Pakistani security forces have captured Osama bin Laden.Of course, the Army is not helping:
According to these sources, bin Laden was captured not far from Chitral in the Northern part of Pakistan (between Chitral and Peshawar), approximately 4 weeks ago....
According to the US sources, the capture of the "Big Fish" will not be officially announced until sometime next month, in what is sure to be "Headline" news throughout the world."If you are asking if we are close to getting OBL, the answer is yes," he said, when asked whether the large-scale arrests are leading to the capture of bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.This isn't the first time they've guaranteed his capture. No offense, old son, but show me the money. I don't think it's helpful to be overconfident, as if you don't find him -- and it's a hard thing, as you know better than anyone -- the enemy is encouraged by our failed boasts.
"Our president (George W. Bush) has said we will arrest Osama bin Laden. It is guaranteed," he said, adding it could happen tomorrow, in a week or a month from now.
Now, if you do make good that boast, I know who I'm voting for in 2008.
posted by Grim 16:29 S.F. Gate:Today the San Francisco Gate carries an editorial that says that Republicans deserve victory, and the Democrats "deserve to lose, and I think they know it." The reason? Read "Deserving Victory."
Hat tip: Allah.
posted by Grim 16:10 52-41:Call it the Zell Bounce:
Terrorism: 57% trust Bush to handle the war on terrorism, while 36% trust Kerry.So much for clearing that hurdle. Let's talk about health care.
Providing strong leadership: 56% said they trust Bush to provide strong leadership in difficult times, while 37% said they trust Kerry to provide leadership in difficult times.
posted by Grim 15:47 An Imagined Interview:I have a couple of questions for Kerry, based on last night's speech.
I am under the impression that he will want to answer them:For the past week, they attacked my patriotism and my fitness to serve as Commander-in-chief. We'll, here's my answer. I will not have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and by those who have misled the nation into Iraq.Well, that really gets right to my questions, so let's start. Unhappily, since Kerry has decided not to give interviews at which people can ask non-scripted questions (his last one was more than a month ago), we are left having to imagine his responses. I'll try to imagine them based on things his campaign, or he himself, has already said.Grim: Senator, you've been accused of hiding from criticism on every possible issue. Does this answer mean that you will, once again, try to ignore all the questions raised about your record, walk away, and hope no one notices? Or are you simply trying to draw limits around legitimate free speech -- that is, that you won't take questions from people who didn't volunteer for military service, but you will take questions from those who did?At this point, we had to end the interview, so that my second could step in to arrange the duel.
Kerry: Are you a Republican?
Grim: No, Senator. Does that mean that Republicans are also in the category of people who aren't allowed to question you?
Kerry: Did you vote for George Bush? Did you vote for George Bush?
Grim: No, neither one.
Kerry: Well, then I might consider answering your question. What was it again?
Grim: Will you permit combat veterans to question your record, or are you really suggesting that no one may question you at all?
Kerry: Well, that's a complicated question, and the nuances...
Grim: Let's make it simpler, then, to save time. Will you let Bush question you? He volunteered for service.
Kerry: No. George Bush betrayed his country by not serving in Vietnam. Besides, he's a Republican, and I'm sure he voted for himself.
Grim: I see. How about Zell Miller's questions? He's not a Republican, and he served in the United States Marine Corps.
Kerry: No. He is no better than Darth Vader.
Grim: I see. Well, how about all these Swift Boat Veterans, then? They served in the same capacity as you, in the same place, and for much longer. Will you answer the questions they've raised?
Kerry: No. They are nothing but smear artists connected to George Bush.
Grim: There are over three hundred of them now.
Kerry: I won't have my service questioned by them, no.
Grim: By the men who served with you?
Kerry: No.
Grim: What about Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry?
Kerry: Their leader is a lunatic who hates me.
Grim: How about Vietnam Special Forces Against John Kerry?
Kerry: No. They are also full of hate.
Grim: Ralph Peters? He called you an "eel in a vat of olive oil."
Kerry: More hate speech. See, if someone hates you, you don't have to answer any question they raise.
Grim: Are you sure that every single veteran who is opposed to your candidacy hates you?
Kerry: Yes.
Grim: Well, then, a lot of veterans hate you, don't they?
Kerry: Well, why are all these veterans opposed to me? Never mind. Let's move on. I want to talk about the issues.
Grim: Your refusal to answer questions about your record is the issue we're talking about. I have one more question.
Kerry: OK.
Grim: Will you answer to me? We know I'm a Democrat, that I didn't vote for Bush, and that I volunteered for the Marines.
Kerry: Don't be foolish. You're just a blogger. Do you know who I am?
UPDATE: Greyhawk has his own imagined interview. His has audio.
posted by Grim 14:28 L&S:Per the wolf, you can see some of the images coming out of Russia here. We should all see them.
posted by Grim 13:47 Game Day:I went by to see the Tolkien and Bible quotes that BlackFive was talking about. What I ended up liking even better was the comparison between North and South:
Stadium Size:Do we know anybody like that?
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
Fathers:
NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.
Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it becomes the state's third largest city.
Concessions:
NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team's mascot on it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon.
When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH! : Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.
The Smell in the Air After the First Score:
NORTH: Nothing changes.
SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon.
Commentary (Male):
NORTH: "Nice play."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."
Commentary (Female):
NORTH: "My, this certainly is a violent sport."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."
Announcers:
NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.
posted by Grim 13:17 Good Luck, Bill:Per Drudge, Bill Clinton is suddenly down with an emergency quadruple bypass. Although we at Grim's Hall have always considered the Clintons bitter foes in the culture war, we remember that even our worst enemy in that regard is an American and therefore, if not a brother, at least a cousin. We wish him well, and a speedy recovery.
posted by Grim 10:44 Russia:The Command Post has a great deal on the Russia hostage crisis, and is keeping on top of updates.
It's clear that this was not what we originally feared: the attack turned into a classic Islamic-terrorist hostage situation, rather than a Qaeda style "wait for the television cameras, then kill the kids for everyone to see." Even so, they apparently killed at least a hundred women and children.
On reflection, I think we can thank Operation Anaconda. Anaconda seems to have gone into the record books as a complete disaster, which has always surprised me. It was clear at the time that the US had managed to draw out Qaeda fighters by the hundreds -- the dangerous ones trained in Bin Laden's Afghan camps -- into a place where US firepower could be brought to bear without fear of collateral damage. Reports from US forces at the time stated that they brought such firepower down that the bodies of men they were tracking by starlight scopes were frequently vaporized in th explosions.
Yet the news coverage focused on the relatively few American deaths, and the row between US and UK forces. This last was to be expected, the first time two allied armies tried to work together; such things take a while to smooth out. (The article to which I linked includes only the American side of the complaint, which I noticed Kerry recognize the other day at the American Legion, when he said that he would have used only US troops in Afghanistan. The UK side of the complaint was made by the SAS, which was the US fear of civilian casualities kept them from capturing Bin Laden. You can read the UK's side of the story here.)
In spite of the personality conflicts, which perhaps prevented even greater success, Anaconda was a great blow against terrorism's most terrible shock troops. If they had not been killed where they were, we might well have seen some of the brutality they imagined acted out. Thanks to the US Army, and every bit as much also to the brave forces of the United Kingdom, we did not have to.
Today, of course, we must think of the Russian forces. They can have only little joy in knowing that it could have been worse.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
posted by Grim 23:11 Betrayal, AKA, "Another Reason Why I Will Always Be A Democrat":From Lizard Queen, we see that Bush has done just what was expected: distance himself from invited guest Zell Miller.
The whole point, from the Republican point of view, was to let a Democrat say what they lacked the guts to say. Now, by publicly scorning the Hon. Zell Miller, they can erect a nice wall between themselves and his comments. No one can accuse any Republican of anger, no... anger is unseemly, improper, not wanted in the America of Bush's "New Freedom." Such variance should be medicated by your new doctor, until you feel much, much better.
Of course, I understand that the election is within four percentage points, and they're scrambling for every advantage. I doubt Zell minds, as he got what he wanted in the chance to dress down our own deviant Democrats, in the hope that they might -- perhaps after a debacle in November -- find their way home.
But still, this is a fine reason to stay and fight for the soul of my own party, instead of switching, if I needed another. At least the national Democrats are honest when they say they hate you and everything you stand for. They don't shake your hand and applaud you, and then pretend they never knew your name.
Scoundrels. It's still important to defeat Kerry, but I am disappointed at this display of cowardice by the "God-fearing" man "with a spine of tempered steel."
posted by Grim 20:12 Ahah! A Substantive Complaint!I see via Sovay that someone has declared Zell's speech to have been based on an email hoax. Snopes has shown that many of those weapons systems Kerry voted against were procedural votes, which don't necessarily mean that you are actually opposed to the weapon system.
That's a fair and substantive argument against Zell's speech. It is not, however, a correct one. As Captain's Quarters shows, Kerry didn't just vote against these systems -- he campaigned against them. There's no getting out of the fact that he was against them. The fact that an email went around saying so for spurious reasons doesn't change the fact that legitimate reasons exist.
posted by Grim 19:33 Hate Leads to Anger:Another fallen Jedi -- er, veteran -- in need of slandering and character assassination. Ralph Peters, retired Army officer, author of many books on military science and history, PBS Commentator, and contributer to the Army War College's Journal Parameters has a piece in the NY Post that makes our Zell look tame:
Kerry's the guy who, at the beginning of August, stated that we need to withdraw troops from Germany and South Korea. Then, as soon as President Bush announced a plan to do so, Kerry thundered against the idea. Confronted with his own remarks -- made only two weeks earlier -- he claimed that, well, yes, he thought we should withdraw troops, only not the way the president proposed to do it.I'm sure we can expect to hear from one of Kerry's spokesmen, soon, that this fellow is an out of the mainstream radical. I'm sure we can expect to see his character described with words like "liar," which seems to be a particular favorite term for Leftists who wish to describe anti-Kerry veterans. But since both Darth Vader and the Emperor are used up, will we have to call him "Darth Maul"?
The guy is an eel in a vat of olive oil.
Yesterday, John Kerry tried to pander to America's heroes, conveniently forgetting that he'd trashed them for political gain, then shortchanged them throughout his Senate career. Suddenly, Kerry was the man who had fought for benefits for his fellow Vietnam vets, the man who felt their pain (Kerry makes Bill Clinton look like a paragon of integrity).
The only veterans' benefit young John Kerry fought for was the right of vets to be spit upon in public.
UPDATE: When they do, let's remember that he was called "A military analyst generally respected by both left and right," by CalPundit, back when he was critical of Rumsfeld.
posted by Grim 18:52 Zell Miller: Really Evil, or Irredeemably Evil?On NPR today, asked about Zell Miller, Terry McAuliffe said that Zell Miller was "the Democratic Party's Darth Vader." Buzzflash, on the other hand, says that he is really The Emperor Himself.
So, the Kerry campaign assassinates the character of yet another veteran, just because he is vocally opposed to Kerry's candidacy. This is in keeping with Kerry's preferences: ignore the issues, slander your opponents, try to move on and hope no one remembers what was said.
posted by Grim 17:21 Drat, Another Campaign Strategy Down the Tubes:From yesterday afternoon's Washington Post:
Despite losing ground in polls, Kerry believes he has cleared the national security hurdle with most voters and plans to focus mostly on health care and the economy leading up to Nov. 2, Lockhart said.Emphasis added. Zell Miller's sixteen minute speech will require Kerry to scrap this plan, or let those charges hang unanswered over his head. Zell put up a brand new national security hurdle, taller and wider and solid concrete.
Can Kerry afford another two weeks of "crisis planning" to set up a third campaign strategy? Or will he just trudge on with this one, in spite of its newly obvious deficiency?
posted by Grim 11:44 AJC on Zell:The AJC has a writeup on the speech called "Miller skewers his own party." It's surprisingly fair minded for the AJC, which is one of the most liberal newspapers in the country.
What is especially interesting is their online poll of readers. Even though they serve primarily the liberal public of the Atlanta city limits -- the D.C. of the South -- the poll is running over 70% in favor of Zell's speech. Of course, online polls, etc... but it's surprising given their primary readership, and shows the love with which Zell is regarded by Georgians.
posted by Grim 09:49 Ace on Zell:Ace also had some comments on the speech:
[Zell] was drawing a contrast between those who call our troops liberators -- occupiers for a noble and good purpose -- and those who call them oppressive occupiers for the pecuniary gain of Bell Helicopter, Halliburton, and GE.Sadly, yes.
Between those who call them liberators and those who call them invaders who ravage the countryside like 'Jenjis Khan.' (Several searches of on-line encyclopedias have as of yet yielded no insight into who the great ravager 'Jenjis Khan' might be. I'm still looking-- when I know, you'll know!)
He was drawing a contrast between those who call our military heroes and those who call them war criminals, the sort of people who might be inclined to cut off ears, cut off heads, rape, blown (sic) up bodies, shot cattle and livestock without cause, fired indiscriminately at civilians, etc.
Know anyone like that, spinners?
posted by Grim 09:45 Ace on Matthews:Having been watching Hardball all night, Ace says that Chris Matthews was railing about Zell to everyone, before Miller came on the show:
[Chris Matthews] badgered Kay Bailey Hutchinson about [Miller], then suggested that Miller should, in the interests of honor, stop drawing checks from the Senate, and actually quit the Senate. (No such suggestions were offered to Jim Jeffords, natch.)Why would he do that? He is still performing his duty as a Senator, so naturally he should draw his pay. The only reason I know of that would prevent you drawing your pay as a Senator is not showing up for work:Section 39 of the United States Code Service requires the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Administrative Officer of the House to deduct daily pay from members for each day they are absent.Zell Miller's been right there doing his job. Where is John Kerry? Where is John Edwards? Is there a reason for this lawbreaking, other than that it is convenient for them to continue to receive public money which they are legally forbidden from receiving?The only legal excuse is if the senator or representative, or one of their family members, is ill, the law states.
Thanks for reminding me, Mr. Matthews.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
posted by Grim 22:18 Zell!James Lileks said:
Big banner: “A MORE HOPEFUL AMERICA.” Lame. Why not “FLUFFIER KITTENS” or “BRIGHTER LAUNDRY.” I want A CHAIN-MAILED FIST CRUSHING THE FORCES OF JIHAD!
Well, son, there you go. The last ride of a great man. Semper Fidelis, Senator.
UPDATE: Allah says: "The guy was stupendous. If Cheney wants to follow this, he had better come out with Bin Laden's head on a f***ing stick."
UPDATE: BlackFive:Tonight, watching Senator Zell Miller's speech, my mother said, "Kerry and Kennedy really pissed off Senator Miller."You said it. Ooh-Rah!
Me, "No, Mom, they pissed off Sergeant Miller." That's worse...
UPDATE: See also my tribute to Zell from a few days back.
UPDATE: The Sage:Democratic spin from Tad Devine: It's the politics of fear. (It must be: he looks afraid.)
UPDATE: Several sources say that Miller, on Hardball, challenged Chris Matthews to a duel over Matthews' comments, and Matthews backed off. He's wise. It was not a joke. I know, who comes from where Zell does, and who bears a scar or two of my own.
UPDATE: My first reaction to this was to say, "They obviously said that, since Zell is a Democrat, he can go after them with both barrels and a Bowie knife." On reflection, I remember Hill's Celtic Warfare, which used military science to suggest a strong cultural connection between Scottish Highlanders and Appalachian Southerners. This is how he described "the Highland Charge":They advance rapidly, discharge their pieces when within musket length of the enemy, and then, throwing them down, draw their sword, and... dart with fury on the enemy through the smoke of their fire... Their attack is so terrible, that the best troops in Europe would with difficulty sustain the first shock of it; and if the hordes of the Highlanders once come in contact with them, their defeat is inevitable.Both barrels, and the Bowie knife.
Welcome, Southern Appeal and Right on Red readers.
Welcome, National Review readers. John Derbyshire doubtless does not know this, but he and I have exchanged mail on several occasions under my real name. He sent me a kind congratulations on the birth of my son, and his name and website appear to the right, in the permanent collection of "Admired Voices."
posted by Grim 21:43 One Night Only:If you can get by there before tomorrow morning, Drill Sergeant Rob is running a "Name My New Platoon" contest at AnAmericanSoldier.
posted by Grim 18:48 Something Good From France:One of the two signs of spiritual health in a man is that he takes pleasure in the play of children. (The other is that he finds joy in life, in spite of its hardships.) I don't spend as much time as I might to talking about that here, because the readership of Grim's Hall is all adult, although some of you have children (I'm looking at you, BlackFive).
Today I bought my son Beowulf a couple of toys. All I can say about these things is that I wish we'd had them when I was a boy. They are from a company called Papo-France, and I am honestly impressed.
One of the toys I bought was from the "L'antiquite" page, and is the finest example of a Viking warrior toy I've ever seen. The details are correct, from the chain mail (rare but prized by Vikings) to the nasal helmet and round shield. The horned-helmet fellow on the same page is not a Viking, but an ancient Gaul, for whom the horns are correct. The only complaint I have is the sword, which has a high central ridge (appropriate for a stabbing weapon, rather than a Viking slashing sword which would have had a central groove and high ridges along the edge). Otherwise, it's beautiful.
I also bought a dragon (from Contes et legendes). With the two together, I have a functional "Beowulf and the Dragon" set to use in teaching my son about the poem that is his namesake.
Not shown on the website, but in the print catalog they gave me, is a Richard the Lionheart, a Joan of Arc, and several other historic figures. There are also knights from various periods, again with arms and armor that are largely correct -- a shining departure from the norm.
If you're looking for a gift for a boy, say five to twelve (and possibly older if they love Tolkien, or play Dungeons & Dragons), this seems a good bet to me.
posted by Grim 17:22 Hospitality:Hugh Hewitt offers some warm hospitality to Terry McAuliffe:
HEWITT: Sitting across from me Terry McAuliffe. Strike me dead. It's so good to see you here Mr. Chairman. It's good to have you at the Democratic National Convention and at the Republican National ConventionYou have no idea if you believe it?
MCAULIFFE: Who would have thought that I'd be going around with a credential at the Republican Convention.
HEWITT: Can you stay for a couple of hours?
MCAULIFFE: Love to. Love it here. Everybody is being hospitable to me.
HEWITT: I want to start with some very easy questions.
MCAULIFFE: Yeah.
HEWITT: Do you believe that John Kerry took a CIA man into Cambodia and kept his hat?
MCAULIFFE: Uh, I have no idea.
posted by Grim 16:35 Links:I repaired the "Democrats for Bush" link, which had been broken after they moved house. I've also added two new permanent links: one to Lizard Queen's site, and one to Marine Corps Moms. The first is under "Other Halls," and the second, under "Honor & Virtue." Marine Corps Moms have both in abundance.
posted by Grim 11:25 The End of the Beginning:From Bloomberg:
About 20 armed men and women wearing explosive belts seized a school in southern Russia and are holding at least 300 hostages, including children, the country's fourth terrorist attack in the past eight days. As many as 10 people died.From the Village Voice, 2 July 2002:
Three people were killed when the school was taken, and between 300 and 400 hostages are being held, said Alexander Osiptsov, a spokesman at North Ossetia's presidential administration. Seven people died in hospital, Itar-Tass news service said, citing the local hospital that treated them....
NTV television said a blast was heard inside the school, without giving further details. Rossiya television showed troops surrounding the school and a girl running from the area. Shooting was audible on the broadcast.
``The terrorists aren't willing to negotiate so far,'' Osiptsov said. ``This is why it's absolutely unclear where exactly in the school the explosion took place'' and whether more people were killed.
The terrorists threatened to detonate their explosive belts if rescuers attempt to storm the building and said 50 children would be executed if any of the hostage-takers is killed, Itar-Tass said, citing Kazbek Dzantiyev, the head of Northern Ossetia's Interior Ministry....
The gunmen seized the school during a ceremony to begin the Russian school year. Festivities are usually held in schools across Russia on Sept. 1, with children coming to school in their finest clothes and carrying flowers for the teachers, parents coming to meet staff and songs being played over the public address system.An e-mail recently making the rounds of military and law enforcement circles describes a captured Al Qaeda training tape said to reveal the group's expertise in small arms and close commando situations in urban settings like New York, Washington, and Chicago.... For bigger raids, terrorists carry concealed weapons into a building, say a school or a financial institution, then in a swift show of violence take over the room, marching people up to the roof. TV reporters and photojournalists are allowed in. The kidnappers then begin to execute prisoners one by one in front of the cameras. The tape suggests planning several simultaneous raids to gain maximum exposure. The key point is that absolutely no one is left alive—men, women, children, all are killed.I remember these captured videos from Afghanistan from two years ago. I've been expecting an attack of this type ever since then, and wondering when it would come.
In advice to law enforcement, one analyst of this training tape urges cops to begin shooting as soon as they recognize what's going on, and not to wait for any SWAT team or other support. Complying at any point is useless, since everyone will be ritually executed on the roof.
The terrorists' only salvation is that they are doing this in Russia, and not the United States. Even so, when they start executing the children for the news cameras, the world will change again.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
posted by Grim 22:54 No Truce:US News & World Report runs with a quite insightful article called "No Truce in the Culture War." It looks at the relative unimportance of abortion and gun control in the current national debate, explains it, and then posits similar resolutions arising with the remaining "hot button" domestic issues.
What the author is not able to explain -- probably because it is too obvious for an analyst to see it -- is why the fury exists in the current campaign, given the relative peace on the traditional "hot buttons." As to that, the Belmont Club explains it:Three stories -- all related to the war in some fashion -- are at the heart of the news. Topping the bill is the dispute between John Kerry and the Swiftvets over the legacy of Vietnam. In second place are the continued developments in Iraq...I think this is correct. At this point, even Iraq has taken a backseat to Vietnam. Iraq is about stopping a terrorist threat from forming down the road. Vietnam is about who we are now: anti-warriors, and warriors, and which side will command our destiny.
The original accusations by the Swiftvets group against John Kerry's Vietnam service claims have set off a chain reaction, which is at one level about the past, by restarting an unfinished civil war in which neither side won a decisive victory, but settled for an indefinite armistice. That truce may now be broken. Tensions began to rise in the political demilitarized zone between the two halves of America with the War on Terror, but when first Kerry and then the Swiftvets crossed the lines the battle may once again be in full swing. The story the Mainstream Media refused to acknowledge is threatening to push every other headline below the fold, a blasting cap dismissed as insignificant before everyone realized it was connected to the main charge.
The war on terror began to reawaken the old wounds of Vietnam, and the Iraq war inflamed the sinister Left (that is, literally, the "left Left"), whose current ideology was formed in the Vietnam period. The country has grown used to seeing large-scale protests in its cities again, as these teams of anarchists and other professional protestors show up at every event, supplemented by whoever they can sucker into buying their line for a time. This time, however, there is a large section of the dormant Left aroused to join them. Allah today links to a story about a group of elderly protestors, who would have been the 50-somethings in the Vietnam era, and who have come back to rage against war--not just this war, but any war, at any time. War cannot be banished as they wish; but rather than recognize this, they simply choose to put anti-war sentiment in a category with all unfixable social ills. Rather than admit that war can't be banished, they would rather pretend that all evil can be, and protest that it has not.
But we have seen an angry Left before; constantly during Reagan's terms, which were generally peaceful and easy times. If the Iraq war were all there was, though the Left would still be up in arms the majority of the nation would be calm. What turned this into the most bitter of campaigns was the awakening of the military right. The fault for that belongs to John Kerry's incessent, insistent invocation of Vietnam, added to his explosive personal role in the slanders of the antiwar movement. It has aroused fury in the majority of military men (65% registered Republicans in 2000) that so prominent a slanderer of the military should be nominated as Commander in Chief, at a time when they are being called upon to serve under conditions properly called "stretched." At a time when they are sacrificing for the good, the Democratic Party appointed as its candidate for their new commander this man:Why is Vietnam a ''wound'' and why won't it heal? The answer: not because it was a military or strategic defeat but because it was a national trauma. And whose fault is that?This has enraged even more that majority of Vietnam Veterans who have always considered Kerry the owner of a personal affront. Both communities are dispersed throughout America, although somewhat concentrated in the South. Their wrath -- expressed in Unfit for Command, in Stolen Honor, in the Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry, in bumper stickers ("Hanoi John! American TRAITOR!" read one I saw today on a car with an Armed Forces Veteran license plate), letters to the editor, and private conversations -- their wrath has raised the temperature to boiling.
Well, you can't pin it all on one person, but, if you had to, Lt. John F. Kerry would stand a better shot at taking the solo trophy than almost anyone. The ''wounds'' McCain complains of aren't from losing Vietnam, but from the manner in which it was lost. Today Sen. Kerry says he's proud of his anti-war activism, but that's not what it was. Every war has pacifists and conscientious objectors and even disenchanted veterans, but there's simply no precedent for what John Kerry did: a man who put his combat credentials to the service of smearing his country's entire armed forces as rapists, decapitators and baby killers.
As not in a generation, what BlackFive calls "America's Warrior Caste" is involved and angry. The sinister Left, meanwhile, is convinced that Iraq is not merely 'another Vietnam' -- they believe that it is Vietnam, that Iraq was an excuse for the vipers who nest in illegal secrets, CIA evils, and a military best exemplified by Abu Ghraib -- extended to include all American prison camps, and indeed all American prisons. "Free Mumia!" say signs along side those that say "No War!"
It would be difficult to further inflame the electorate. Even a terrorist attack would probably be calming, as it would likely cause us to set aside differences for a time and remember that we have crueler enemies than each other.
And the thing few seem to remember is that there is a darker future out there awaiting us. Terrorism takes advantage of the freedoms of the West, and there are still unguarded freedoms it can use to hurt us. We have only begun to be tested, and there is, finally, no hope of retreat or negotiation. Whoever wins, and whatever harm their victory does to our society, worse things wait for us. All roads darken, and the sea rises higher.
posted by Grim 20:49 A Tribute:They say it's just an electronic yellow ribbon, but this flash program treats soldiers well.
posted by Grim 19:24 Honor:The Mudville Gazette has an interesting story today about an elected-official who is also a soldier:
State Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo, a National Guard soldier who volunteered for service in Iraq after she had filed for re-election, said yesterday she will not campaign for a second term.That shows exactly the honor and commitment to duty that I expect from a serving soldier, and wish were more common among politicians. I salute this lady, who -- I say without looking up, or caring about, the specifics of her politics -- is one of America's best.
'After thorough research, it is clear that Department of Defense rules will prohibit me from performing my legislative responsibilities while on active military duty in Iraq,' she said at a press conference yesterday at the state Capitol....
Because Department of Defense regulations limit campaign activities, Tamayo, D-42nd (Waipahu, Honouliuli, 'Ewa), said she felt prohibited from disclosing much about her political intentions. She said she had stopped all political activities after being placed on active duty two weeks ago.
During the press conference, Tamayo called the possibility of being elected and being unable to perform her duties 'unacceptable.'
'My goal is to actually be of service, not just to hold onto my position,' she said.
posted by Grim 13:49 VVAW Flyer:Somebody's dug one up:
I think Kerry was "a" leader, not "the" leader of VVAW, but it's still pretty rough stuff. It reminds me, and I suspect it will remind others, of this political stunt:A US Infantry Company Just Came Through Here! If you had been Vietnamese....
We might have raped your wife and daughter.
"Notice: These men are Potential rapists."I quote an approving review, showing that there were (and still are) some Americans who thought it was clever. The effect on early 1990s American culture was to help out the already-begun death spiral of feminist credibility. Opponents could say, quite honestly, that feminist theory 'teaches that all young men are potential rapists.' It played well with "performance art critics," but not so well with the average American father and mother.
This banner headline advertising an anti-rape performance art piece appeared on campus kiosks at the University of Maryland at College Park on the evening of April 29, 1993. The following afternoon another version, "Any of these Men May Have the Potential to Be Rapists," was mounted for about two hours on a temporary wall on the campus quad. The clincher was the sea of names: some 4,500 identifiably male names culled from the student directory were presented as the local population of potential rapists.
You can imagine how happy you'd be to see your name on a list of "Potential rapists." You can imagine how happy US Infantry companies were to find themselves painted with the same brush as University of Maryland students. You can imagine how happy Kerry will be to find himself asked, "Do you still believe, as your organization stated in the 1970s, that American soldiers are potential rapists? Do you still believe the Army's effect on young men is to 'turn them into a butcher or a corpse'?"
posted by Grim 12:45 Zell Miller:The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does some actual investigative reporting. The Atlanta city limits (and parts of DeKalb county immediately adjacent) are home to liberal Democrats who shelter there from the largely-conservative rest of the state. Like the national Democratic party, which has gone hard left in recent years, they have confused the Democratic Party with the Liberal Party. They don't think that any conservatives belong in the "D" column, regardless of how traditional his views are for a Democrat. They've recently begun an effort to flood Zell's office with email demanding he leave the Democratic Party. Their reasoning lists this as the number one reason why Zell shouldn't be a Democrat:
1) The non-partisan National Journal's 2003 ratings place Zell's voting record as more conservative than 23 Republican senators and more conservative than 73% of all Senators.So: conservatives have no place here! We will have ideological purity! If you're not a liberal, you can't be a Democrat! Get out!
National Journal, National Journal Group Inc. Friday, Feb. 27, 2004
This, from the party whose critique of President Bush is that he has driven off his natural allies with "my way or the highway" rhetoric. Bush's failure to recognize legitimate European differences of opinion, they state, is a kind of arrogance that they will not repeat.
Who is a more natural ally than a lifelong member of your own party? If you can't work with Zell, or even deal with him better than to provoke open defiance, why should we believe you'll be able to work with Turkey or France?
Well, the AJC left the Perimeter (I-285, that is) and went up into the mountains to ask around. That takes guts -- when I was at Georgia State University, downtown Atlanta, I frequently heard such liberals wonder aloud if people who went up there would ever come back. "You can sure get lost in the Loo'siana bayou," as the song goes, and the Applachians too.
Here's what they found:So as Democrats from Washington to Atlanta step up their demands that Miller get out of the party, Georgia's retiring senior senator just shakes his head and says it one more time: He was "born a Democrat" and will die one.I wonder if this violent rhetoric has anything to do with the fact that retired truck driver Leroy Adams has had to become accustomed to watching everything he believes in scoffed at by the party he's voted for and served his whole life? But let's continue:
"No one can understand it except those folks who live in Appalachia," Miller wrote in his latest book, "A National Party No More," a smash-mouth appraisal of a Democratic Party that Miller says abandoned him and the American mainstream by tilting too far left.
Indeed, many of those living in the swatch of Appalachia that cuts across northern Georgia, where Miller was raised and still lives, said in interviews last week that they have no problem with Miller siding with Republicans.
At Miller's regular lunch spot, Mary Ann's Country Kitchen and Grill in his hometown of Young Harris, retired truck driver Leroy Adams offered that he's no fan of Bush or his Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. But like Miller, he said, he'll back Bush.
"I know some Democrats say Zell Miller has stabbed them in the back by going with the Republicans," Adams said. "But I think some of these so-called Democrats need to be stabbed in the back.""He don't pull no punches," said Gribble, who considers herself a political independent. "We like people who talk straight. It's how we were brought up. Up here, we were taught that a handshake is better than anything wrote on paper."Just so."The Democrats are mad at him, but so what?" said Bateman, a retired Baptist minister who, like Miller, is a lifelong registered Democrat, though he votes for Republicans, too.Hmm... sounds like a movement of the people united behind common principles. What's the word for such a movement again? Oh, right: democratic.
"Senator Miller is of the old school. He represents the people of Appalachia and Georgia, not the Democratic Party, as such," Bateman said...."Kerry represents exactly what Zell doesn't want the Democratic Party to be," Black said. "And I think Zell represents the view of most of the people in the area he comes from. I would think most of them would not be voting for Kerry this fall."
The leftward tilt of national Democrats has angered and alienated conservative Democrats like Miller, Black said. Many already are voting Republican at the national and state level and that trend has trickled down to the local level.
"Conservative Democrats are already isolated and marginalized in the national Democratic Party," Black said. "They have utterly no influence."
A last note on Georgian sentiment about Zell:In the last legislative session, state Republicans sought to embarrass Democrats by proposing that a statue of Miller be erected on the statehouse grounds. Democrats finally managed to quietly stall the proposal in committee, but few publicly rebuked Miller.The AJC is no fan, and there is a lot of rhetoric here that assumes the national party is right, and all these Georgia Democrats are wrong. The article sides against them, but tries to explain to the reasonable Atlanta reader why these "hard headed mountain folk" are insisting on being wrong.
That statue can't be stalled in committee forever. There is an irony, of a sort, that a man who as Governor worked to try to remove a divisive image from the statehouse grounds -- the Confederate Battle Flag portion of the Georgia State Flag -- may become just such an image himself. The statue is appropriate. It is of a type with the others already there, governors and Generals and Senators and one English Knight, Sir James Edward Oglethorpe. All were controversial in their day, far more than Zell. Each one put his stamp on Georgia; and, like Zell, nearly all were Democrats, though only one, Jimmy Carter, would today be welcome in the national party.
Sic transit Georgia's last Democratic senator. With him goes the South; and with the South, the Democratic Party's hope of regaining control of the Senate, the Supreme Court, or the future of the nation.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
posted by Grim 21:30 USMC CAX cuts:A story from Deuddersun states that the USMC is having to cut combined arms exercises in half. The article says that the need for new Marines is so high that the Corps isn't being given the traditional training periods.
Well, training makes the man, and especially the Marine. This is cause for concern.
posted by Grim 18:58 Why Iraq Insurgents Are Destined To Lose:Remember this picture?
This picture is a Camel Spider, which has been "adjusted" to look giant through the creative tricks of a camera lens.
Here is how Americans responded, via Snopes:According to most spider experts, these claims are all false. Camel spiders (so named because, like camels, they can be found in sandy desert regions) grow to be moderately large (about a 5" leg span), but nowhere near as large as dinner plates[.]And here is the response from Iraqi Insurgents:Some people describe the image as merely two camel spiders joined together. But many Fallujans say the picture shows a giant spider sent by God to attack US troops in the battle for their town in April.Sovay's response, when I mentioned it to her:"The soldier says that it runs fast - about 40 kilometres per hour. It is poisonous and it makes a screaming sound," said a poster in the mosque, entitled "Miracle of God in Fallujah"....
Although no Fallujans interviewed by IWPR claimed to have seen the beasts, many had heard tales about them.
"A spider emerged from the railway tracks near the Golan neighbourhood," said Abid Bin Allawi Ubeid, 32, a public servant in Fallujah's electricity department. "It killed 60 Marines."
"Gozira! Gozira!"
posted by Grim 17:21 Frith:Doc Russia has an example, with some thoughts:
We hold our ground,That's pretty much it exactly.
We stick to our guns,
and we stand by our friends.
Saturday, August 28, 2004
posted by Grim 23:26 Plot Thickens, II:By now most of you will have seen this. Thoughts tomorrow, as Grim is taking a day off: "Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief."
UPDATE: Now that I've had some time to think about it, I really only have one line of questions. I would like to know just when this third citation was composed, and by whom (since it was not the Secretary), and at whose request the Office of the Secretary of the Navy approved it.
Essentially, I'm curious if the thing was composed in order to bolster his Senate run in 1984, or if it was done later. Was it to clean up his record so that he could run on it, at a time when Reagan and the Cold War were highly popular and a left-liberal would benefit from a strong medal citation? Or was it something he had done later, as a sitting Senator, just because he'd always wished the citation said this or that thing it didn't?
Did he write his own medal citation, or was it composed by someone in the Secretary's office?
Perhaps he'd like to say... and to release that third citation, the one he originally had replaced. I mean, it's a Silver Star citation. How bad can it be? Why not release it, like he did the two others?
Friday, August 27, 2004
posted by Grim 15:22 Sky Captain:"Did you know there's a plane parked on main street?" my faithful and pistol-wearing wife asked.
"No," said I, having not been down to the center of the small town all day. We live in the little burg of Warrenton, about half a mile from the main street. Like many folks who work for the DoD, we move around a lot; I promised the wife she could pick the house this time. She chose this one, closer into town than I would like, but what can you do? It's a nice town.
She suggested I go have a look at the thing, which was -- so I was told -- parked near Molly's Pub, very much the highlight of life in Warrenton. Since it's only half a mile, I tied on my boots, propped my hat on my head, and went down to have a gander.
Here's what I saw:
Looks like Nathan Zachary has dropped in for a Guinness (one of which I had myself, along with a corned beef sandwich, since I was there). Or possibly it was Sky Captain. Well, if this is what "the world of Tomorrow!" is like, count me in. It sounds good to me. 'Every boy of any account should rather be a sky pirate, than a Member of Parliament!'
UPDATE: Apparently Molly's hosts sky pirates on a regular basis. It's not quite as cheerful as the online menu would lead you to believe: the price of everything is not actually "$0.00" Alas!
posted by Grim 12:48 Jug Burkett:B. G. "Jug" Burkett is a fellow who has made a second career for himself investigating suspicious claims to medals. He was cited this morning in an article that got picked up by Drudge: "Plot thickens after checking records."
We'll come back to that. Because it's usual to accuse such persons of having ties to the Bush campaign, I went to see if Burkett has any such. I couldn't find any ties to the campaign itself, but he is a Texan, and he did serve on a committee on Vietnam veteran history that was chaired by George Bush. As a consequence, he can be said to have a personal tie to GWB.
On the other hand, the US military has awarded him its highest civilian decoration for his work on false medal claims. He laid these out in Stolen Valor, both a book and an ongoing project to expose people who falsely claim to be war heroes. The book also won the Colby prize for excellence, and has been positively reviewed by ABC's 20/20, and Reader's Digest.
Now that you know all that, you can evaluate Drudge's story better:But according to a U.S. Navy spokesman, "Kerry's record is incorrect. The Navy has never issued a 'combat V' to anyone for a Silver Star."This report raises two questions, one which tends to favor Kerry and one that tends not to do so. The first question is, could the Navy's own reports on Kerry really be this screwed up? If so, it would explain his refusal to sign the Form 180: if the records are screwed up due to the bureaucracy, releasing them might give critics unfair, because false, evidence to use against him. As the Marine says, screwups do happen -- I'll be we can all point to at least one in our own records, if we think on it. Burkett says he feels there is cause for suspicion, based on the facts and patterns he's seen in previous investigations (e.g., silver stars with combat Vs having always previously been fakes). Maybe suspicion is too strong a word -- after all, a Secretary of the Navy signed off on it -- but "interest" or "concern" might do. It is curious.
Naval regulations do not allow for the use of a "combat V" for the Silver Star, the third-highest decoration the Navy awards. None of the other services has ever granted a Silver Star "combat V," either.
B.G. Burkett, a Vietnam veteran himself, received the highest award the Army gives to a civilian, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award, for his book Stolen Valor. Burkett pored through thousands of military service records, uncovering phony claims of awards and fake claims of military service. "I've run across several claims for Silver Stars with combat V's, but they were all in fake records," he said....
Kerry's Web site also lists two different citations for the Silver Star. One was issued by the commander in chief of the Pacific Command (CINCPAC), Adm. John Hyland. The other, issued by Secretary of the Navy John Lehman during the Reagan administration, contained some revisions and additional language.... But a third citation exists that appears to be the earliest. And it is not on the Kerry campaign Web site. It was issued by Vice Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, commander of U.S. naval forces in Vietnam....
Maj. Anthony Milavic, a retired Marine Vietnam veteran, calls the issuance of three citations for the same medal "bizarre."... Normally in the case of a lost citation, Milavec points out, the awardee simply asked for a copy to be sent to him from his service personnel records office where it remains on file. "I have never heard of multi-citations from three different people for the same medal award," he said. Nor has Burkett: "It is even stranger to have three different descriptions of the awardee's conduct in the citations for the same award."
So far, there are also two varying citations for Kerry's Bronze Star, one by Zumwalt and the other by Lehman as secretary of the Navy, both posted on johnkerry.com.
Kerry's Web site also carries a DD215 form revising his DD214, issued March 12, 2001, which adds four bronze campaign stars to his Vietnam service medal. The campaign stars are issued for participation in any of the 17 Department of Defense named campaigns that extended from 1962 to the cease-fire in 1973.
However, according to the Navy spokesman, Kerry should only have two campaign stars: one for "Counteroffensive, Phase VI," and one for "Tet69, Counteroffensive."
Reporting by the Washington Post's Michael Dobbs points out that although the Kerry campaign insists that it has released Kerry's full military records, the Post was only able to get six pages of records under its Freedom of Information Act request out of the "at least a hundred pages" a Naval Personnel Office spokesman called the "full file."...
Experts point out that even the official military records get screwed up. Milavic is trying to get mistakes in his own DD214 file corrected. In his opinion, "these entries are not prima facie evidence of lying or unethical behavior on the part of Kerry or anyone else with screwed-up DD214s."
Burkett, who has spent years working with the FBI, Department of Justice and all of the military services uncovering fraudulent files in the official records, is less charitable: "The multiple citations and variations in the official record are reason for suspicion in itself, even disregarding the current swift boat veterans' controversy."
On the other hand, there's that combat "V" and multiple citation issue. That's a whole lot of mistakes for one bureaucracy to make. Both of those issues do seem to call for an explanation from Kerry or his camp.
We know that as recently as last year, Kerry was pursuing changes to his official record. This follows additional changes he pursued with the Secretary of the Navy in the 1980s. We don't know what those changes were, except that one of them was a new Silver Star citation (one of the ones mentioned above) signed by John Lehman, Sec. of the Navy under Reagan. That could be explained by either of these concerns -- because he was trying to fix errors before his run for Presidency, or to eliminate inconsistencies in his medal records.
Perhaps Kerry would like to sign the 180, but also tell us what he considers to be mistaken in his Naval record.
UPDATE: I've been thinking about this some more, and I'd like to clarify two points:
1) I'm bothered by the fact that the Kerry campaign insists that it has posted his entire record, when it demonstrably has not. It has not posted, for example, all three of the medal citations for the Silver Star, but only the two latest ones. The original citation is not there. Nor are these other "96 pages," assuming that the unnamed source is speaking accurately about the number.
Why does the Kerry campaign continue to insist this? Is it a mistake, like when his website listed him as occupying Bob Kerrey's seat on the Intel committee? Or like when he was listed by his campaign as commanding the SWIFT boat in a firefight he didn't?
I'd like to believe that, but it seems unlikely. It seems unlikely because Kerry has been directly challenged on this point. If they said he'd posted the "full" records by mistake, he should have either corrected the mistake by now, or signed the 180 -- which would have proven him right when the released records contained only what was already posted. If that were the case, the 180 couldn't hurt him at all.
2) Do I think Reagan's Sec. of the Navy is in the tank for Kerry? No. I do know, however, that the military generally submits to requests from Senators. For budgetary reasons, as well as the tremendous power the Senate exerts through its oversight duties, a request from a sitting Senator (especially one on a committee like the intelligence committee, which directly oversees some military operations) is almost always approved with all speed.
I'm not suggesting any wrongdoing in the 1980s re-writeup, but I do admit to being curious about it. It's a little odd, twelve or fifteen years later, to decide that the language on your Silver Star citation could use some touching up.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
posted by Grim 22:47 The Bush Presidency:The Economist weighs in. It's a nicely balanced analysis, superior I think to anything I've seen in the American press -- they may be too involved to be objective.
posted by Grim 21:48 WMD:While the political campaign grinds painfully onward, paralyzing the political wings of the government, the military continues to function. The Joint Doctrine for Combating Weapons of Masss Destruction is now complete, and online for the citizenry to review and consider.
posted by Grim 17:07 OOF!From ABC's Political News Digest. This is the Bush campaign response to Kerry's request to begin regular debates this week:
There will be a time for debates after the convention, and during the next few weeks, John Kerry should take the time to finish the debates with himself.Man, that's cruel.
posted by Grim 13:51 Free Speech:Bush makes it worse. We wouldn't want any unpopular speech going on -- unpopular among politicians, anyway.
This is going to be one of the key issues for the next four years, whoever wins. If the USSC doesn't reverse itself (and why should they, aside from being wrong?), we're going to be in a long fight to force our legislators to unmake these unconstitutional restraints on speech.
One of the thing that I've heard a lot lately is that Vietnam veterans have "earned the right" to have their opinion heard on these questions. Though I sympathize with the sentiment, it's not right. Those veterans were born with the right, just like every other US citizen. It was given to them as an inheritance. It was earned by the veterans of the Revolution.
What Vietnam veterans did -- and our own servicemen continue to do -- was to safeguard the inheritance to the next generation.
We are now seeing our own politicians openly stealing what foriegn nations have shattered trying to take. There can be no compromise on this matter. Free men can say what they want about any politician. They have an absolute right to band together, pool their money, and have their voices heard. Yet here we have a sitting Senator and a US President demanding a court order to silence them. This is what they think of Freedom of Speech.
Any politician who compromises this freedom is a domestic enemy of the Constitution. Very many of us took oaths on that topic. It is time to uphold them. We should try political means first, but one way or the other, this must not stand.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
posted by Grim 22:11 In Praise of Sovay McKnight:I wish to take a moment to praise my old friend Sovay, who has been in for a rough ride here lately.
I want first to say that I greatly appreciate the change in tone she's undertaken at her own blog. While she remains suspicious of the Swift Vets, she is no longer titling her posts "Swift Boat Liars," and is clear that she wants to be fair to them:Just to reiterate, I'm respectfully disputing Odell's account of events, because every Navy document unearthed so far and several other eyewitnesses dispute what he is saying.I still disagree with her conclusions, but I greatly appreciate her attempt to show courtesy to these gentlemen.
Moreover, I want to take a moment to thank her in public for her continued friendship and cheerful manner. As important as these political questions are, they are not as important as the personal ties we each have. That, in truth, is what holds the world together and makes freedom possible. In Old English, it was called Frith:The word frith is related to the words for friend and free. Frith was to our forebears the "power that makes them ‘friends’ towards one another, and free men towards the rest of the world." In their minds, "freedom" did not mean freedom from responsibility toward others. Freedom meant being strong enough to face the evils the world threw at one and being able to overcome or survive them, and for this one depended on one’s kindred. Surrounded by a numerous kindred cognizant of the requirements of frith, the Germanic man or woman was well-armored against all the misfortunes the world could cast, whether poverty, threats of violence, legal troubles, or any other difficulties.Emphasis added.
I had occasion to visit with Sovay yesterday down in D.C. (Indeed, while she was sitting on one of the city's fountains, I filled my Stetson to the brim with water and dumped it on her head. So, we can honestly say that she's all wet.) She came with me when I went to donate at the Red Cross, and then made sure I ate dinner and got on the train back to Virginia without passing out from the heat and blood loss.
We didn't mention or discuss any of these political questions, and that's for the best. The written word provides a certain distance and a barrier to prevent hard words from coming between old friends.
Long after the Republic is crumbled and gone, freedom will be guaranteed by the strength of bonds like this. The bonds of friends and family are what really make us free. They, more than anything else, are what we ought to preserve and strengthen in our lives.
posted by Grim 21:57 Fair & Balanced:Since we've been pounding on Kerry for a while here, let's do a few criticisms of Bush. He's got them coming.
Sharp Knife has composed an open letter to the President on the subject of freedom of speech, and campaign finance reform. Grim's Hall would like to be considered a signatory.
From the left, the Washington Post writes a version of the same complaint.
And finally, let me register a personal objection to the treatment received by fellow Georgian Max Cleland at Bush's ranch today. Now, in fairness to Bush, Max got just what he wanted out of the venture, which was an occasion for political theater.
Nevertheless, courtesy demands better. If I were the President, I would upon hearing that the delegation was coming have ordered a meal prepared for them, and made them welcome. I would have accepted the delivery of the letter, set it aside unopened, and promised to reply to it in due course. After the meal, naturally, when I would have time to give it the consideration it was due. Or, if I were called out of town, I would have still yet ordered the meal, and told my staff to accept the letter and show the honorable veterans complete hospitality.
Such courtesy would have disarmed the protest, and made the theater impossible to carry off. But that is only a side benefit. The real advantage to it is, it's the right thing to do when honorable guests come to your home.
posted by Grim 20:51 Unfit for Command:I managed to locate a copy of this book at a B. Dalton yesterday, in Union Station down in the District of Columbia. Barnes & Noble remains sold out, but you can order from Amazon. It is very detailed, and full of footnotes -- there is a lot more here than I'd been lead to believe, even by newspaper accounts.
For those of you on the left who want to read it for research purposes, but don't wish to give money to the Swifties, you can go ahead and buy it. Unlike donations to their organization, O'Neill has promised that all royalties from the book will be donated to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society:The mission of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is to provide, in partnership with the Navy and Marine Corps, financial, educational, and other assistance to members of the Naval Services of the United States, eligible family members, and survivors when in need[.]So you can do your opposition research and contribute to a good cause at the same time.
If you want to contribute directly instead, go here.
posted by Grim 20:15 Veteran Uprising:BlackFive began this post just by citing the letter to Kerry by Republican veterans, today. However, the updates are more interesting than the original post. Apparently there are three new major intiatives by Vietnam veterans who are opposed to John Kerry:
Lt.Col. Buzz Patterson has a new book, Reckless Disregard which condemns Kerry.
The New Soldier, which has published online Kerry's book of the same name.
And most importantly, Vietnam POWs have banded together and are creating a website that will oppose Kerry. It is called Stolen Honor, and should be coming online soon. Unlike the Swift Boat Vets, which accept as members only people who served with the Swifties, this organization will be composed of servicemen who suffered in the Hanoi Hilton while Kerry told fables about them to Congress.
UPDATE: Stolen Honor is up at this time.
UPDATE: And another:We later discovered that many of those that he was quoting as witnesses to our 'crimes' had not spent one day in uniform. Others had never served in Viet Nam. None of them, not a single one, would testify under oath, even if granted immunity. Yet our 'crimes' became part of the common knowlege. Our children were given that testimony as fact in their history classes. We all knew soldiers, sailors,airmen and Marines that had died, leaving children behind, we know that those children were taught those same lies as fact. Who sat with those children as we did with ours, explaining that those were lies told for political gain?I once worked on a documentary film dealing with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and in particular a camp they ran near Savannah, GA, that reconstructed a Civil War fortress as a national park. All of them enlisted in the Army when the war broke out, although afterwards they were broken up and sent to different units: one carried a machinegun across the Italian campaign; another was taken early and was a POW in Germany; another fought through the war and served in the Battle of the Bulge.
It's bad enough that we couldn't mourn our dead then. Now we see the same man that stood over the open graves of our brothers and pissed on their bodies is back. This time he's dug up those bodies and is standing on them to give himself the stature for high office.
I am no famous war hero, just one of the two and a half million guys who wore Uncle's suit for awhile in a place where the same truck would splash red mud on your trousers and throw a cloud of dust on your face at the same time. My service was entirely undistinguished but I stood shoulder to shoulder with some genuine heros. Those heros came home in shiney aluminum caskets, they cannot speak for themselves. I hope someone more famous and more eloquent will speak for them soon. Until they do I can only say that not only is John Kerry not fit to command the young men and women that inherited the uniforms but he is not fit to speak of my comrades, much less speak for them. I shall say this as long as I have a breath left in my body.
All of them said exactly that: I was no hero, just a man on a team. But I knew some heroes.
What heroes did Kerry know? To judge him by his own words, he was the hero, and all of his brothers were war criminals.
posted by Grim 20:03 Unsecret Missions:I've been hearing that CNN is trying to portray O'Neill as supporting Kerry's account of being in Cambodia, by pointing out that O'Neill himself was in Cambodia on a swift boat. The Sage examines the claim, and notes a problem with it: O'Neill's service included a period in which the ARVN and US forces openly invaded that region of Cambodia. No one claims to have run secret missions, however -- no one, that is, but Kerry.
posted by Grim 16:08 Supporting the Troops:Kim du Toit has been supporting the troops -- a particular team of Army snipers, to be specific. Some months ago, he collected donations and got them not the "built by the lowest bidder" issue scopes, but top of the line Nightforce jobs. Recently, he had another fundraiser for range finders -- one that achieved its goal so fast that by the time I read about it, they'd stopped accepting further donations because they were several hundred dollars over the top.
The next project is body armor. This is going to be expensive, so I'd like to draw everyone's attention to it. If you've donated before, think of it as "protecting your investment." If you haven't -- or if you're one of my liberal readers who didn't know about the project, but wants to support the troops on (and ahead of!) the front lines, here's your chance.
posted by Grim 15:55 Another Bad Spokesman:A Marine lawyer writes:
Last night on a talk show…the Kerry spokesman said that the atrocities in Vietnam are well documented matters of record, and Kerry had every right to talk about them in 1972. My blood began to boil again.Today, of course, Kerry and his campaign are making a big deal about how morally horrible they think it is verbally to attack "veterans" who served. By "veterans," they mean only "Congressmen."
As a military lawyer, I knew of the atrocities being committed by Marines in Vietnam. The atrocities were isolated incidents, and they were punished by every level of command at the time and before it became trendy for the media to sensationalize the crimes. They are matters of record because the perpetrators were court martialed, and you can read about them in the court martial reports.
Kerry's characterization of Vietnam atrocities as being widespread on a daily basis with the knowledge of all levels of command is a lie.
The Kerry machine's sending spokesmen out to attest to widespread atrocities in Vietnam multiplies the insult. Not only should Kerry apologize, but every spokesman from the nameless man I saw last night to James Carville should apologize. Until they do, I will support the Swiftvets with my money and with my voice.
posted by Grim 11:24 Welcome Home, Son:Doc in the Box is back from Iraq. For those of you who don't drop by his place now and again, he's a Navy corpsman, a breed of squid that enjoys a rare admiration from, and fellowship with, Marines.
posted by Grim 11:12 The Score:Developments since Sunday include:
The Daily Show's Stewart asked Kerry directly what no media reporter to date has had the guts to ask: "Were you or were you not in Cambodia?" Kerry didn't answer. Meanwhile, the Washington Post says he never was, relying on his journals to fill out the last gap in the narrative. Hewitt, looking deeper into MACV-SOG, agrees.
Kerry's campaign has also come under fire because of his journals on the issue of the first Purple Heart. The journals note, AFTER the first PH was awarded, that he had not yet been under enemy fire. The campaign has responded by conceeding a Swiftie claim: that the wound was self-inflicted, although they still dispute the cirumstances, saying that it was a flare and not a M-79. They have admitted, however, that the "engagement" we've read about in several stories, all based on Kerry's testimony, was a fabrication.
The Purple Heart is not awarded for self-inflicted wounds, not even accidental ones:The PURPLE HEART is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.We remember that Kerry used the three-hearts rule to abandon the men under his command. This has been BlackFive's major complaint about the man all along. Now we find that he did so on the basis of at least one award he did not deserve.
And where did we hear about it first? The Swift Boat Vets, that's where. We heard about it from the doctor who supervised the nurse treating the wound, or says he did, and says the records would show it if Kerry would release them as he had promised to do and never has done. At first we could wonder; but it looks increasingly as if it's true.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
posted by Grim 23:02 Traitors All:Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh, speaking moments ago on "Hannity and Colmes": "George Bush betrayed his country by sending us to war on false pretenses, and George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam."Hear that, Dad? You're a traitor, since your Army Reserve unit was never sent to Vietnam. You could have enlisted in the Regular Army instead, new wife or no. You served in uniform all through that time, having to teach young men to fight or die as a drill sergeant. Could be you saved many of their lives with patient and careful instruction; but that doesn't matter.
Yes. You read that right. "George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam."
"George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam."
Given an opportunity to correct this rather incredible statement, Ms. Marsh declined, arguing that she had nothing to correct—that it was a fact that George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam.
Mary Marsh says you betrayed your country.
Bush used his father's pull to get himself a fighter-pilot spot at Texas Air National Guard at a time when TANG was heavily engaged in Vietnam. The decision to pull it back to the US was made late in his lengthy training period. It wasn't for no reason -- the Soviet Union (you remember, that Cold War enemy with hundreds of thermonuclear warheads pointed at us) was running spy planes out of Cuba to try and suss out our air defenses and other secrets, and we needed TANG to provide air cover. It was a valuable and necessary part of our Cold War survival.
Mary Marsh says they betrayed their country.
And what about those of us who aren't now serving in Iraq? Did you get out of your unit just before the war? During the war? Not re-up when your term was ending, because you had a family now? Did you join some Reserve or Guard unit instead of a front-line combat unit? Did you in fact volunteer for a front-line combat unit, but find that you didn't get sent to Iraq? Surely if not fighting in Vietnam was treason -- Vietnam, that war all good liberals hate -- not fighting in Iraq must be treason times ten. After all, Kerry has said he'd vote to authorize it even knowing what we now know about the state of Iraqi WMD.
You're all, every last man not reading this from the sandbox, a pack of betrayers.
There are three things about this that are just astonishing. The first is that the woman could have been so tone deaf as not to realize that she needed to back off her words, that she had said something outrageous.
The second is the sudden adoption by the national Democratic party, who brought us Bill "I Loathe the Military" Clinton, of the notion that not serving in Vietnam was blameworthy. That is a stunning reversal: until yesterday, it was praiseworthy to have burned your draft card, romantic to have moved to Canada until Jimmy Carter's blanket pardon. Protesting the war instead of fighting it was supposed to have been the right side of history, until now.
The third and most astonishing is the clean misunderstanding of the nature of the Swift Boat Vet threat. The Swift Boat Vets are outraged first and foremost because John Kerry came back from Vietnam and labeled them all criminals. He cast aspersions on their service and their honor. Vietnam was a long time ago, but for them the pain is fresh and new. It is the source of their wrath.
How astonishing, then, that the Kerry campaign has found a way to help us all share that wrath. Until today, I sympathized with the Swifties, understanding how they could feel angry even after all this time. I could read their accounts with detachment, analyzing them and others, trying to find the truth behind the conflicting claims.
Now I know that truth. The Kerry campaign, in its rush to damn Bush, has called my father a traitor. They have damned the service of ten thousands just to raise their one man to higher office. This is just what the Swift Boat Veterans said in their sworn statements, their letters, and their conferences. This is just what they said he was like.
I had adequate reason to vote against Kerry before, policy reasons of a quiet and sober sort. This new reason is neither quiet nor sober, but it is far more powerful.
There has here been a line crossed. I await the apology that I am sure is forthcoming, and which is certainly due, to all the slandered servicemen -- both those slandered today, and those slandered in all these many years in the cause of raising John Kerry to higher office. Ms. Marsh has refused to apologize once, but surely her boss will require it, if he wishes this matter to lie down before it consumes him. If he does not, then he deserves all that comes after.
You've done us all a service, lass, injecting that phrase "betrayed his country" into the heart of the campaign. I'm sure Kerry will thank you for it, when he starts hearing it echoed from the mountains and to the shores of the seas.
Now we can all understand, in a personal way, this story from 1971.
Monday, August 23, 2004
posted by Grim 22:43 Priceless:From a friend.
Most Syrians struggle to even read Arabic - much less have a clue about English. So, how does a group of Syrian protest leaders create the most impact with their signs by having the standard "Death To America" (etc.) slogans printed in English?Answer: They simply hire an English-speaking civilian to translate and write their statements in English. Unfortunately, they were unaware the"civilian" insurance company employee hired for the job was a retired USArmy sergeant. Obviously, pictures of the protest rally never made their way through the Arab TV network, but the results were "Priceless."
posted by Grim 21:30 One Better:JarHeadDad sends: The Unapologetic Warrior
During the monthlong battle in Iraq earlier this year for the Sunni Triangle city of Fallouja, no combat unit did more fighting and bleeding than Echo Company, and during it all—from the opening assault to the final retreat ordered by the White House—Zembiec led from the front. He took on the most dangerous missions himself, was wounded by shrapnel, repeatedly dared the enemy to attack his Marines, then wrote heartfelt letters to the families of those who were killed in combat, and won the respect of his troops and his bosses.That's the Marine Corps I knew.
It was the time of his life, he acknowledged later, for by his own definition Zembiec is a warrior, and a joyful one. He is neither bellicose nor apologetic: War means killing, and killing means winning. War and killing are not only necessary on occasion, they're also noble. "From day one, I've told [my troops] that killing is not wrong if it's for a purpose, if it's to keep your nation free or to protect your buddy," he said. "One of the most noble things you can do is kill the enemy."
posted by Grim 18:24 October Beer:Speaking of Howard Pyle -- a better guide to the good life than any communist folksinger you'd like to name -- here's another quote from him appropriate to the day:
There lies the roadOctober beer was the best of the old-time brewing. Much of the beer was small beer, low-alcohol stuff brewed regularly for immediate consumption. High-quality "keeping" beers and ales were brewed in March and October both, but in October the keeping ale was made with fresh grain and grout ("grout" being the flavoring agents, other than hops), plus hops, if it were beer and not ale. By March, when it was time to brew the keeping beers again, the ingredients had been harvested and aged for six months, leaving the flavor not quite as merry.
to the Blue Boar Inn, a can of brown October, and a merry night
with sweet companions such as thou mayst find there.
These days we can brew with fresh ingredients year-round, if we should choose. Still, we keep to the old ways by celebrating the Oktoberfest, which honors the great October beers of old.
It seems a bit odd even in late August, but today I ran across my first batch of seasonal Oktoberfest beer, stocked in the local grocery. The tomatoes are still running ripe in the garden, and jalepenos too; and we can get Vidalia onions from down Georgia way. All the bounty of summer is still with us; and now, good October beer too.
It's a fine day, and I commend it to you all with a glass of the best.
posted by Grim 13:28 Maj. Glen Butler, USMC:If you read nothing else this month about the war, the situation in Najaf, or America's fighting man, read this letter.
posted by Grim 12:31 The Ocean is a Wilderness:Here is a review of new book on the law of the sea, which is nothing other than lex talionis, with Mother Nature herself issuing the retribution. Skip down past the environmentalist hand-wringing to get to the real meat of the review. It speaks to reflagging, the ease with which outlaws can change their names and nationalities if only they own a ship, and the perils it all poses for asymmetrical warfighting.
As dangerous as it is, I can't help but think that the freedom of the sea is positively and finally healthy. As Howard Pyle put it:Is there even in these well-regulated times an unsubdued nature in the respectable mental household of every one of us that still kicks against the pricks of law and order? To make my meaning more clear, would not every boy, for instance -- that is, every boy of any account -- rather be a pirate captain than a Member of Parliament?Is that not true? But we have these dangers to contend with, also. We've as much as admitted that we can't allow an outlaw space anywhere on the land, any land.
In the United States, we have long tried to resolve this question through the mechanisms of Constitutionalism and Federalism. Constitutionalism tries to put certain parts of human behavior beyond the power of government either to do or to refuse to allow. Federalism tries to allow different communities to have different rules governing the remaining matters, so that people may choose a place to live where they can have the life and the particular freedoms they desire.
Both of these mechanisms are collapsing under the stress of the federal judiciary. The law of unintended consequences is the primary culprit: a series of expansions of federal power, each intended to address a specific wrong of particular magnitude, has come to unbalance the entire American project. The 14th Amendment, which is the primary threat to Federalism, was undertaken to address great wrongs; but now it is used to address any deviation from the judiciary's single "correct" path, on any question at all. At last, we shall either unmake the 14th Amendment, or the Republic, or we shall have a single answer to every divisive question: abortion shall be either forbidden or permitted in all cases everywhere; guns shall either be kept and borne in every place, or no place; gays shall marry in every state, or no state; flags shall be burned everywhere or nowhere. This singlemindedness is finally to no one's advantage, and yet it is unavoidable because of the mechanisms of the 14th.
Constitutionalism has been under assault since the Founding, by the process which Lincoln called "the silent artillery of time." Exceptions made in each extraordinary case become precedents for future exceptions; at some point, what finally dies is the idea that the Constitution is real or binding. The recent enaction of campaign finance reform proves it: exactly the speech the founders intended to protect, the single type of speech that mattered most to them and that they most wished unfettered, is the one the Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court all agreed to limit and fence. Every amendment (including the 3rd, during the various occupations of the Civil War) in the Bill of Rights has been so often violated that the judiciary now makes only passing reference to them at all.
If we find it necessary to bring all the land and even the sea under the law, and if we find it in our power to do so, we must think carefully about how to retrench on the questions of human liberty. What the federal judiciary is doing at home, the treaty system of the UN is attempting to do abroad: impose a single system on every nation. The treaties of Kyoto and Rome are only two of the more frequently cited examples; all treaties are of this model. We see that the UN is preparing to unveil a "light arms" treaty that would, if enacted and ratified by the United States, repeal the 2nd Amendment without the bother of the Constitutional process, but by simple majority vote. The treaty, intended to provide a mechanism for resolving some of the problems of Africa and the -stans, would be imposed likewise on all people everywhere.
These are the Members of Parliament today, these courts and diplomats. I say that Pyle was right: that not only a boy of any account, but any worthy man, should rather be a pirate.
posted by Grim 10:57 "He Just Sold Them Out"The New Swift Boat ad, "Sellout," is being carried by NEWSWEEK. There's no conflicting narrative in this one: just Kerry's own words, and some words from men who suffered Communist tortures rather than say the same thing.
UPDATE: BlackFive responds to the ad. In the comments section, there's a letter from a general officer and holder of the Medal of Honor.
posted by Grim 10:35 More Gaps in the Narrative:From The Command Post:
The Kerry campaign removed a 20-page batch of documents yesterday from its website after The Boston Globe quoted a Navy officer who said the documents wrongly portrayed Kerry’s service. Edward Peck had said he -- not Kerry -- was the skipper of Navy boat No. 94 at a time when the Kerry campaign website credited the senator with serving on the boat. The website had described Kerry’s boat as being hit by rockets and said a crewmate was injured in an attack. But Peck said those events happened when he was the skipper. The campaign did not respond to a request to explain why the records were removed.Now, what would be some good questions for journalists to ask about this?
Sunday, August 22, 2004
posted by Grim 21:28 Crackers:Via Allah and Charles, I see that Indymedia has decided to perpetrate some terroristic threats:
The DC site is my favorite of the two, because it includes a little quote to help you understand what's being suggested:
"The earth is not dying, it is being killed. And those that are killing it have names and addresses."And so here we have, on offer, names and home addresses; addresses for hotels in NY where delegates will be saying; email addresses, with sites where you can download DOS and email-bomb tools; home phone numbers; and a number of other charming ways to make people's lives miserable, for no better reason than that these folks support Bush and are trying to participate in honest politics.
--Utah Phillips
Speaking of honest politics, I read somewhere that Bush has been asked to "stop" the Swift Boat Vets ads. This request follows a front-page NYTimes piece that the Swiftie funding is coming from people close to the Bush campaign.
Indymedia is funded to the tune of $376,000 by the TIDES Foundation, which is in turn funded to the tune of $4 billion by Mrs. Teresa Heinz-Kerry. I understand that she is close to the Kerry campaign.
I'm sure we'll be seeing the front page NYTimes article on this web of connections any day now.
Hopefully it will not begin, "The anarchists who beat to death several RNC delegates (naturally unarmed in accord with Manhattan's sane and responsible gun control laws) got the addresses from a site called Indymedia. Records show that the group received the bulk of its initial financing from one foundation with very close ties to the Kerry campaign and family." If it doesn't, though, it won't be Indymedia's fault. It'll be the fault of the anarchists who are too cowardly to follow through on their own rhetoric, or of the NYTimes, which treats you very differently depending on who you support.
posted by Grim 17:39 A Question for Texans:
posted by Grim 17:22 APD's New Clothes:The Atlanta police have a new motto. I wish I'd known in advance; we could have had a contest.
On the other hand, I don't know if we'd have bettered the one they actually picked: "Answer the Call." Hmm...[Director Kelly of the APD's foundation] said it didn't help matters when a person was told by a 911 operator to quit calling to report shooting because the caller rang in too much.Aspirational.
"This is aspirational," Kelly said. "The Police Department doesn't want this problem to be there forever. They want to solve that problem."
posted by Grim 14:23 What M-79?One of the charges against Kerry made by the Swiftees is that he injured himself with a grenade launcher -- essentially, that he fired too close and took a piece of shrapnel. In the heat of battle, could have happened to anybody, right? Indeed, according to the 35th Infantry, it was one of the "Lessons Learned" in Vietnam: " lot of men have been wounded by their own grenades, when they hit a tree limb or bush. The same is true of the M-79 grenade launcher."
So how to dispute the charge? Well, the easiest way would be simply to say it didn't happen; not many can prove otherwise, unless Kerry releases his full military records as he promised months ago he would, and still has not. The second easiest way, if in fact it didn't happen, would be to release the records.
Or you could have one of your buddies go out and claim that you had no M-79s on the SWIFT boat. That seems to be the option the Kerry camp has chosen:But they also firmly reject the claim that Kerry somehow wounded himself by using an M-79 grenade launcher. "I am reasonably sure we didn't have an M-79," Zaladonis said. "I didn't see one. I don't remember it."That is indeed an exceptional statement. You can see pictures here of a SWIFT boat in action, with the M-79 front-and-center. Down at the bottom, you'll see that the support craft (the Armored Troop Carrier) had an entire rack devoted to these M-79s; why shouldn't one of them have made its way to Kerry's boat?
Or you can read this account of life on a SWIFT boat, written at a time when Kerry's candidacy was not an issue:But don't let their small size fool you -- the Swifts were heavily armed. A gun tub was placed above and behind the pilothouse and equipped with twin .50-caliber machine guns. In the afterdeck, on the fantail, there was an 81mm mortar with a single .50 caliber attached to it in piggyback fashion.So the standard load included M-79s, as this source also agrees. There's also this history of an encounter on 12 APR 1969, very close to the time Kerry was in country:
Vietnam: That's quite an impressive array of armament.
Herrera: In addition to those weapons, we had M-79 grenade launchers; fragmentation, incendiary and concussion grenades; AR-15s, shotguns, .38- and .45-caliber pistols. Also, we were equipped with radar, sea-to-shore radio and a PRC-25 field radio.To this end, a hasty defense perimeter was formed. Campbell, with Piper and Broderick on the fantail, maintained constant M-79 grenade fire into the north bank. Luckily, the 43 boat canted toward the river and provided some natural cover for them. Crew members, discarding the .50 caliber weapons as useless, grabbed M-16 rifles and set up firing positions covering the south bank, thereby providing the stricken unit with a 360 degree perimeter.So, that SWIFT boat was loaded up not just with "a" M-79, but enough for three men to maintain constant fire with these break-action weapons.
So my question is: Why is it that Kerry's boat was so exceptional? The only SWIFT boat ever used for secret missions was also the only one lacking multiple M-79s.
UPDATE: Sovay mentions in the comment that there was more to the story than the quote I'd seen. Apparently this event happened at a time when they were not on their SWIFT boat, but on patrol in a skimmer. This still seems a bit odd, for reasons outlined in the comments, but it is an explanation that explains.
posted by Grim 10:38 Journalism & the Military:The Washington Post prints today an article of precisely the sort I least expect to see from them. Entitled "It isn't War," it is an account of the problems in Iraq that arise from a failure to understand the lessons of the history of war. It's too short, overly simple, looks at only one example besides Iraq (the American Civil War in the West), but it is nevertheless correct.
The link to the piece on the front page says, "Military Affairs Writer: It Isn't War." I was to say the least surprised to see that, having just finished saying that the Post seems to have no one who understands the military science at all. Does this mean I was wrong? Do they have a military affairs writer?
Well, no. At the end, I saw the tagline: "Richard Hart Sinnreich writes on military affairs for the Lawton (Okla.) Sunday Constitution."
It's rare to find a journalist who understands the business of warfighting. Apparently even one of the nation's two most important newspapers can't keep one of their own on staff, instead occasionally borrowing him from a minor paper in Oklahoma. Maybe the Washington Post ought to think about what that says about their usual quality of reporting. If they want me to take them seriously, they could do worse than to start by hiring this fellow... and a few more like him.
