In the News...

Daniel Henninger has a great op-ed in today’s WSJ: The Walter Reed Fiasco; The Army fired the one guy who can fix it. Excerpts:

Last week, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came forward to announce the speaker's perspective on the manifest problems at Walter Reed: "The American people spoke clearly in the November elections that they wanted accountability and oversight. Under the Republican Congress it has been almost nonexistent, and you can certainly see that with what occurred at Walter Reed." No, you cannot see that. Rep. John Tierney, a Massachusetts Democrat, added that "we should have known all this before."

But all this was known before, though not by Reps. Pelosi and Tierney.

On Feb. 17, 2005--two years ago--GOP Rep. Tom Davis and the government reform committee held a public hearing on the maltreatment of wounded soldiers. The hearing was the culmination of an investigation, begun in 2003, by the committee and the Government Accountability Office. Virtually everything of substance in that Washington Post story was described, in numbing detail, at that hearing two years ago. Two soldiers, Army Sgts. John Allen and Joseph Perez, appeared before the Davis hearing and described their tours through the same hell painted by the Post last month.

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, described the problems at Walter Reed in words that should be inscribed on portals across every bridge leading into Washington: "Life every day in this system is like running in hip boots in a swamp." He called it a "bureaucratic morass."

[…]

Into this collapsing "morass" the Army six months ago dropped Maj. Gen. George Weightman, M.D. No ordinary desk-bound doc, George Weightman spent five years in the infantry after graduating in 1973 from West Point. Then he went to medical school. It's a decision that has required him to design medical assistance techniques, in theater, with the troops that entered Saudi Arabia for the first Gulf War, in Honduras with Delta Force (there contracting malaria), in Kosovo as head of the 30th Medical Brigade for all troops in Europe, and in Kuwait training the surgeons and medics who would treat our wounded in Iraq the past four years, a model system. A former Army surgeon who served there with him told me he saw "numerous instances of George cutting through the bureaucracy on the run-up to Baghdad." And this is just the official side of the ledger. One son, also West Point, is on his second Army tour in Iraq, and the other is in the Army's medical school.

Mr. Henninger calls for Gen. Weightman’s reinstatement, and based on the facts presented, I agree. All that’s been done so far by DoD, the Army, and our oh-so-concerned congresscritters (particularly those with a “D” after their name) is to validate the ol’ saw that says “no good deed goes unpunished.” Read the whole thing.

More from the WSJ, this time on that one billion dollar lawsuit Viacom filed against Google and YouTube:

There is undoubtedly some truth to the preceding--hey, free advertising is always nice--but so what? The Jon Stewart clips, as well as the other clips in its complaint, are Viacom's property, not Google's. The former company is entirely entitled to dictate when, where, and under what terms its property be used--and who gets to make money from it in the process. While Viacom is getting free advertising, as a property-owner it gets to choose what free advertising it wants, not have a choice foisted on it.

So, that's it then, right? A property owner has its rights infringed, sues, and sets things straight? Well, not really. Because the real issue here has nothing to do with YouTube.

Consumers have spoken, and they don't like the way that electronic media--whether music, television or movies--is being packaged and sold to them. A decade ago they rebelled against being forced to buy entire CDs when they only wanted the few good tracks, and thus spawned Napster. Today, using YouTube, they are rebelling against being forced to watch entire programs when they only really want the 20-second part of American Idol last night where the contestant forgot the song lyrics and broke down in tears. Or a hockey fight. Or whatever.

I’m a pro-business kinda guy, but in so being I draw the line at stupidity and arrogance on the part of businesses that can’t recognize a trend when it smacks them in the face and—what’s worse— refuse to adapt to change and seek remedies from the courts to protect their old, outdated business models. It appears some CEOs and their management teams think it’s simpler to just lawyer-up, rather than give people what they want. In the immortal words of Robert Zimmerman: “Because something is happening here/ But you don't know what it is/ Do you, Mister Jones?”

This applies to internet radio, too. (Especially internet radio…which leads me to ask: You have signed the petition, haven’t you?)

Scott Ott does it again…

Clinton: Gen. Pace Owes Apology to Adulterers

by Scott Ott

(2007-03-14) — Former President Bill Clinton today added his voice to the chorus calling for Gen. Peter Pace to apologize for remarks in a recent interview in which he branded some kinds of behavior as “immoral“, and said the military should not condone immorality of any kind.

[…]

Mr. Clinton noted that if the nation had Gen. Pace’s attitude toward adultery just a few years ago, “we would have lost the valiant service of one of history’s greatest commanders in chief.”

“The military desperately needs brave men and women with the character, integrity and dignity that their colleagues can count on in times of war,” said Mr. Clinton, “But Gen. Pace essentially hung out a sign that says, ‘adulterers, homosexuals and liars need not apply.’”

“Essentially?” Howzabout specifically? Just sayin’.

Mr. Ott was good yesterday, too. To wit:

Pelosi War Plan Guards Against Risk of Victory

by Scott Ott

(2007-03-13) — The Democrat timeline for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq is designed to protect the United States against what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls “the threat and consequences of victory.”

The California lawmaker told reporters today that while Republicans focus on how the Democrat proposal undermines the troops and leads inevitably to defeat, “few have paused to consider the risk of victory.”

“A major triumph in the war on terror in Iraq would cause immeasurable political upheaval in the United States,” said Rep. Pelosi. “Unemployment would increase, especially among career politicians who opposed the president’s strategy. Countless millions of dollars would be wasted on doomed political campaigns.”

“…immeasurable political upheaval in the United States…” Oh, My, Yes. We need some of that. And I believe we’ll get some, providing Madame Speaker continues down the path she’s chosen…

I’m sorry, but you ARE high:

The Colorado General Assembly wants to be quite clear on this point: When the singer-songwriter John Denver praised the joys of Colorado and sang about “friends around the campfire, and everybody’s high,” in 1972, he was not referring to illicit drugs. Definitely not. Don’t even think it. The high in question, lawmakers say, is really about nature and the great outdoors — the tingly feeling you get after a nice hike, perhaps.

[…]

“A lot of people probably think it’s already the state song,” said Richard Grant, a spokesman for the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.

[…]

“It’s certainly going to appeal to a lot of young people,” Mr. Grant said. “It’s just a cool thing to take a rock song and make it the official song.”

Colorado just named John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” as the state’s second official state song (the first is “Where the Columbines Grow”). Yeah, naming “Rocky Mountain High” as the state’s official song will appeal to lots of young 50- and 60-year-olds; real “young people” …anyone under 30… probably neither know nor care who John Denver was. He’s been dead for ten years and was playing third-rate venues at age 53 at the time of his death. And, to be blunt about it: RMH is NOT a “rock song,” it’s schlock. It’s middling, run-of-the-mill schlock…nothing exceptional as far as schlock goes, but not worse either. I’ve hated that song for years. Nothing makes me change the station or hit the mute button quicker than to hear John Deutschendorf Denver’s whiny voice singing anything. Anything at all. Gah!

Today’s Pic: Another series of Mom pics from the digital archive. This time it looks like the top two photos were taken at the same time as yesterday’s “Mom and Me” pics, as she’s wearing the same outfit. I think the third pic was taken at the Mather AFB (or perhaps McClellan AFB, Dad was stationed at both places) Officers Club pool, circa 1952. I know the bottom photo was taken in Tijuana, sometime in the early 50s.

As always, click for larger.