So... as the image would indicate... the dog of a blog that is EIP is four years old today. And we really are "made in the USA," in every sense of the words. Each and every one of our 2,447 posts was created by an underpaid natural-born American citizen using only the finest indigenous software products on a computer with an American brand name... albeit one assembled in Taiwan or someplace much worse... and more often than not fueled by the consumption of prodigious quantities of American beer. Or domestically-produced coffee, ground from imported beans... you can't have everything... depending on the time o' day.
And most of our 11,876 comments to date originated within the boundaries of these here United States, as well. Which is not to say we don't appreciate the thoughts of our Gentle Readers outside of the US of A, coz we most certainly DO. It's just that there aren't that many of you. One, to be exact. (sigh) And we try so hard to be global... Now... allow us to reminisce just a wee bit. Our first post:
... to the incredible outrage over yesterday's announcement that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed & Co will be tried in New York for the 9/11 atrocities.I can't say I was surprised at AG Holder's announcement yesterday... no, I was merely sickened, most especially with all his bullshit about "faith in the American justice system" and the like. Me and about 150 million others, including the editors of the Wall Street Journal:
Please spare us talk of the "rule of law." If that was the primary consideration, the U.S. already has a judicial process in place. The current special military tribunals were created by the 2006 Military Commissions Act, which was adopted with bipartisan Congressional support after the Supreme Court's Hamdan decision obliged the executive and legislative branches to approve a detailed plan to prosecute the illegal "enemy combatants" captured since 9/11.
Contrary to liberal myth, military tribunals aren't a break with 200-plus years of American jurisprudence. Eight Nazis who snuck into the U.S. in June 1942 were tried by a similar court and most were hanged within two months. Before the Obama Administration stopped all proceedings earlier this year pending yesterday's decision, the tribunals at Gitmo had earned a reputation for fairness and independence.
As it happens, Mr. Holder acknowledged their worth himself by announcing that the Guantanamo detainee who allegedly planned the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole off Yemen and four others would face military commission trials. (The Pentagon must now find a locale other than the multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art facility at Gitmo for its tribunal.)
Why the difference? Mr. Holder seemed to suggest that the Cole bombers struck a military target overseas and thus are a good fit for a military trial, while KSM and comrades hit the U.S. and murdered civilians and thus deserve a U.S. civilian trial. But this entirely misunderstands that both groups are unlawful enemy combatants who are accused of war crimes, whatever their targets. Mr. Holder's justification betrays not a legal consistency but a fundamentally political judgment that he can make as he sees fit.
A political judgment indeed. The far left now has its retributive sop for the Bush-Cheney "war crimes" and the show is only just beginning. Andy McCarthy of National Review sums up the situation quite nicely:
So: We are now going to have a trial that never had to happen for defendants who have no defense. And when defendants have no defense for their own actions, there is only one thing for their lawyers to do: put the government on trial in hopes of getting the jury (and the media) spun up over government errors, abuses and incompetence. That is what is going to happen in the trial of KSM et al. It will be a soapbox for al-Qaeda's case against America. Since that will be their "defense," the defendants will demand every bit of information they can get about interrogations, renditions, secret prisons, undercover operations targeting Muslims and mosques, etc., and — depending on what judge catches the case — they are likely to be given a lot of it. The administration will be able to claim that the judge, not the administration, is responsible for the exposure of our defense secrets. And the circus will be played out for all to see — in the middle of the war. It will provide endless fodder for the transnational Left to press its case that actions taken in America's defense are violations of international law that must be addressed by foreign courts. And the intelligence bounty will make our enemies more efficient at killing us.
Mr. McCarthy knows from whence he speaks... he led the 1995 prosecution against the original World Trade Center bombers.
There's just so much to dislikedisagree withhate about yesterday's decision it's difficult to know where to begin with the hatin'. A great place to start would be with The One himself who, in typical fashion, assumed a low profile ("present!") by being out of the country when the announcement was made. He owns this mess... assuming Harry Truman's "the buck stops here" presidential maxim still applies. Elections have consequences. Bring on the Buyer's Remorse, shall we?
It occurred to me we've not been keeping up our USAF bona fides… so, herewith some newsy notes as supplied by my friends who send me the Air Force Association's Daily Report. First, an item with semi-local interest (click the pic to see just how beautiful the landscape is to the south of us a ways, and my tongue is only half in my cheek):
Keep On Keeping On: Lockheed Martin says the extended-range version of its stealthy JASSM cruise missile performed well in a recent flight test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., giving it a record of six successes in six flights. In a release Wednesday, the company said a B-1B bomber released the missile, which then flew a preplanned course to collect data and subsequently destroyed the designated target. Randy Bigum, Lockheed's vice president of strike weapons, said this test confirmed the JASSM-ER's "ability to be employed" from the B-1's aft weapons bay and completed collection of data that "may be used to fine-tune navigation algorithms." Flight testing will continue through mid-2010 in preparation for operational testing in 2011. JASSM-ER is expected to be available for combat on the B-1 in early 2013. Its range is more than 500 nautical miles, more twice the reach of the baseline JASSM.
Which all goes to prove that not every USAF acquisition program is in the weeds, contrary to what one might think. Speaking of which:
McCain Questions KC-X Process: Concerned over fairness, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has called on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to clarify how the Air Force intends to select a tanker aircraft in the KC-X competition, the Mobile Press-Registerreported Wednesday. According to the newspaper, McCain wants Gates to justify the Air Force's proposed method for determining the total proposed price of each bidder and how it came up with the requirements that will drive the selection of the winning aircraft. It cites an Oct. 29 letter from McCain to Gates that, among its points, questions whether the method for determining price would favor smaller airframes—seemingly giving Boeing's 767-based tanker an advantage over Northrop Grumman's offering. McCain said in October he would like the Government Accountability Office—or some independent watchdog overseeing the contest. (See also Reuters news wire service's Nov. 10 report.)
Is there anyone naïve enough to believe this clusterfuck… which has been in progress since September of 2001… will proceed smoothly? I mean, even the damned WTO could get involved here! In the meantime our warriors are flying tankers that were bought back when Eisenhower was president. In other words, the average age of the aircraft in the tanker fleet is 47 years old.
Apropos of my last post… wherein I went off on the Ditherer-In-Chief… compare and contrast:
Pay particular attention to the weekly Close Air Support/Armed Recon numbers for OEF.
This is an admittedly anecdotal piece of information, but I think it serves to illustrate the gravity of the situation in The Af. What other conclusions could one draw when our weekly CAS sorties increase by a factor of (nearly) FIVE in the space of one year? We don't fly those sorties just so fighter jocks can get the hours to justify their flight pay. That said, I have some reservations about the "year to date" totals as reported. While I don't keep an eagle-eye on this data, I do read it every day as a matter of interest. The incremental sortie numbers have been increasing significantly, yet the YTD data for 2008 and 2009 are suspiciously close.
(Data courtesy of the aforementioned Daily Report, who obtain it from CENTAF. Also note we're PC these days... the "war on terrorism" verbiage has been dropped. I never noticed that until today.)
Jules Crittenden writing about the AP report that The One has rejected all the Afghanistan "options" presented to him so far... and ordered his National Security folks to serve up "other options:"
OK, I get that the political piece is vitally important, and for Eikenberry (ed: US ambassador to The Af), up to his armpits in scheming warlords and bureaucrats in Kabul with his frontline diplomats daily engaged in pitched and desperate note-passing against an entrenched corruptancy, the light at the top of his own well probably is awfully dim and far away. This is a highly complex situation. Thinking outside the box, maybe it does make sense to put the cart ahead of the horse. It is intriguing, though, that in the middle of a hot war in which a determined, murderous enemy is making gains, there are ”options beyond military planning” that are so pressing that they actually trump military planning. Sounds like the president, in a show of resolve, wants to signal more firmly to Karzai and the scheming warlords that the United States is prepared to hold its breath until the Afghan people turn blue, or that the United States might even take its bat and ball and go home. Also, to signal to the United States military that he won’t be pushed around if it kills them.
One bright spot, in the Vietnam avoidance agenda. Remember how they accused LBJ of picking targets from the Oval Office? Can’t accuse Obama of that. He’s actively not picking targets from the Oval Office.
In the meantime, our Ditherer-in-Chief is jetting off to Beijing to try and convince the Chinese they should finance his health plan, his economic stimuli, and his other assorted pricey pet rocks.And further in the meantime, our troops in The Af won't get the resources their commander asked for BACK IN AUGUST, a request which the military establishment... including the SecDef and CENTCOM commander... supports. Amazing, innit?
But... you should go read Mr. Crittenden. The man is frickin' spot-on.
You know what else? I've watched the last five seconds of this vid a dozen times. I just can't get enough of the "Bong! Bump-bumpa-BONG!" Yeah: I'm weird like that.
(Note:This is a sticky post and will remain on top until the Valour-IT fundraiser is complete; there will also be periodic Valour-IT status updates at the end of this post, clearly marked as such. Scroll down for the normal daily blather, if it pleases you. If it doesn't please you, read this post again! And, please... hit that "Donate" widget to your right.)
Update, 11/11/2009:Today isTHE FINAL DAYof the Valour-IT fundraiser. I've not been pushy about this cause, feeling instead that I've said my piece and you Gentle Readers know what to do. That said... I'm disappointed that Team Zoomie has turned in yet another lackluster performance this year, seeing as how we're dead last in the team standings. Won't you please hit that "donate" widget to your right and help preserve a modicum of dignity for the Air Force? You know it's the right and proper thing to do!!
And thank you all for your support. Our injured vets will thank you, too.
That's the traditional way the Range Safety Officer clears the range for a course of fire just before he gives the "Commence Firing!" command… and anyone who's ever served remembers those words well. And those words ain't limited to just the Ground Pounders or Jarheads. Nope… everyone in Uncle Sam's armed forces qualifies with a weapon, even Squids and Zoomies, believe it or don’t. So… those words seemed an appropriate way to announce the kick-off this year's Valour-IT fundraiser. We ARE ready on the firing line!
Those of you who've been coming around these parts for the past three years or so know all about Valour-IT. But if you don't know… here's what we're on about:
Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries. Technology supplied includes:
·Voice-controlled Laptops - Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
·Wii Video Game Systems - Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions (donated only to medical facilities).
·Personal GPS - Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.
The experience of Major Chuck Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered serious hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important these laptops and other technologies can be to a wounded service member's recovery.
Providing all of the above technologies requires money… and that's what the two-week fundraiser is all about: raising money to provide the technology to help our warriors during their recovery from wounds suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan. The fundraiser runs from now until Veterans Day… November 11. And just to make things interesting Soldiers' Angels runs this fundraiser in the form of a competition between the military branches… Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the Coast Guard (who don't have a stand-alone team this year; they're part of the Navy team). It should come as no surprise that EIP signs on to Team Zoomie every year.
That said, it may come as something of a surprise that the Air Force traditionally fights a rear-guard action in the Valour-IT fundraiser, meaning we always come in close to the bottom of the pack, managing to beat only the Coasties in previous years. We sure do want to change that this year and we will… with your help, Gentle Reader! You can get things started by clicking on the Valour-IT widget at the top of my sidebar, which takes you directly to the Team Zoomie donation site. You can donate to Valour-IT using your credit card, PayPal, or by electronic check. You can also mail a donation to Soldiers' Angels if you choose not to donate on-line by sending a check to this address:
Soldiers Angels 1792 E. Washington Blvd Pasadena, CA 91104
Be sure to indicate your donation is for Valour-IT, on behalf of Team Air Force!
Soldiers' Angels has also done something new this year… they've developed a set of "Frequently Asked Questions" for those who need a little more info on Valour-IT. Here are a few selected questions from the FAQ:
Is my donation fully tax deductable?
Soldiers' Angels has been designated a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity by the IRS. Donations are tax-deductible and may be eligible for matching funds from donors' employers (ask your employer). Be sure to consult your tax advisor for further information.
For info on how to verify the 501(c)(3) status of Soldiers' Angels, click here.
How much of my donation goes directly to this cause?
100% of your donation will go directly to Project Valour-IT, which has no overhead ("overhead" costs are covered by Soldiers' Angels general funds).
What will my Valour-IT donation be used for?
Your donation to Project Valour-IT will be used to purchase laptops and other technology that will support recovery and provide independence and freedom to severely-wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.
In just over four years of existence, Valour-IT has provided over 4100 laptops to individual veterans, over 30 Wii game systems to VA facilities for physical therapy sessions, and over 100 handheld GPS systems to aid veterans with head injuries (TBI).
More information about Project Valour-IT and the powerful impact it has on the wounded warriors it supports can be found here.
Why is there a competition? Why is it divided among service branches?
The Valour-IT Veterans Day Fundraising "Competition" was a developed as a fun way to raise money for a very serious project. Teams are purely for the sake of friendly competition, building on the natural inter-service rivalries of the U.S. Military. Competition winners get "bragging rights," but the true winners are the wounded warriors who benefit from the results of the friendly competition.
Just like the service members themselves who tease each other with great enthusiasm but stand shoulder-to-shoulder in wartime, we're all part of the same family even when we're being competitive. All funds raised go into the same Valour-IT account and are used to assist any wounded service member in need of Valour-IT's support, regardless of his or her service branch.
Is this competition supported by the military or the Department of Defense (DoD)?
The U.S. Military and Department of Defense are not affiliated with this competition. Government employees or members of the military who participate in this fundraiser are acting as private citizens.
Soldiers' Angels (which runs Project Valour-IT), is a private, civilian 501(c)(3) nonprofit led and governed by patriotic civilians who want to ensure individual service members know that they are remembered and supported.
Now… please, please help us support this cause. I left out the usual "worthy" adjective in front of "cause" because that is simply self-evident. I know times are hard, but these times are harder still for wounded warriors… and your contribution to Valour-IT will make life easier for those who have sacrificed so much. Thanks in advance.
Update, 10/27/2009 1400 hrs We had a fantastic first day, what with well over $13K raised. But... true to form, Team Zoomie ain't doin' so well... and we're in last place as of this writing. See for yourself: Aiiieee. I'm thinkin' this has a lot to do with Ol' Joe Stalin's famous quote about "quantity has a quality all its own," which is to say those guys who like to play in the mud have twice the folks on their teams. I know... this sounds like I'm whining, but I'm just not USED to bringing up the rear. And don't tell me about last year's fundraiser, either. (insert Big-Ass grin here)
Linkage: If you haven't read Blog-Bud Jim's Valour-IT post, please go over there now. Jim's new to Team Zoomie this year and is one HELLUVA writer (as most of you already know).
Update, 11/01/2009: Lotsa cool stuff available at the Valour-IT auction on eBay... including military themed books and prints, an original graphic from Day-By-Day artist Chris Muir (autographed by Chris), autographed Nolan Ryan baseball memorabilia... and more! All proceeds go to Valour-IT... check it out!
We were in a Motown sorta mood for today's Happy Hour. Here's one of the tunes we listened to as we knocked back a couple o' beers and enjoyed a Deep Dish:
Which brought to mind one of the first of not so many dirty deeds we've perpetrated on The Fairer Sex in this life. So, like it or don't, a reminiscence…
The year is 1962… specifically the Spring of that year… the place is San Jose, California. The Shirelles hit the Big Time that year, and the song above was one of my favorites then and it had quite a bit of overt and covert meaning for me and my Main Squeeze at the time…a wonderful girl-woman by the name of Marcy.
Marcy… she being about five foot three, kinda-sorta plump (finest kind!) and possessing a dazzling smile, among other wondrous things… was wonderful in more than a few ways. First and foremost, she was a girl who found me (sorta) fascinating, a minor miracle in and of itself. Second, she was a girl who ignored the conventions of the time in that she (a) was dating a guy who was about her same age; (b) I was a guy who had neither a car of my own nor a driver's license… something that was highly unusual at that point in time for a guy of my age and location (suburban NorCal); and (c) she was free with her charms... ample as they most certainly were... at least where I was concerned. Marcy, to her everlasting credit, had access to her parents' car and would pick me up and drive us about San Jose whenever we were free, seemingly without concern about the damage this would do to her image. And we were kinda-sorta in love… or as much "in love" as one can be when one is 17 and just beginning to figger stuff out. That's the background.
So… there we were… it was the eve of our Junior-Senior Prom and I was at work, doing landscaping things.
Time for yet another minor digression: I was living with my employer and his family at the time. My father and the rest of my family had moved down to LA a couple o' few months previously, Dad having taken a new job in LA and me not wanting to go along. So, with the help of kindly Mr. Roberts (my employer), we worked out a deal whereby I would remain behind in San Jose... going to school, working and living with Mr. Roberts and his family while Dad & Co traipsed off to LA. Marcy figured prominently into this calculation, by the way. Remember: we were In Love.
So, back to it. My foreman… Mr. Roberts' son… and I got into a helluva argument over the fact I wanted to leave work early and get ready for Prom Night. He wouldn't let me go; I was adamant I HAD to leave. It came down to "leave if you want… but if you do, you're fired." So I did what any impetuous 17-year old would do: I said "Fuck You. I'm leaving. Take your job and shove it." And I walked off the job, commandeering a ride from one of my co-workers back to Mr. Roberts' house. But there's more… I realized that I was gonna be out of a place to live by the virtue of the fact I'd just quit my job, in NO uncertain terms. So I took about 20 minutes and collected all my belongings, packed them up in a duffle bag, and walked out. I got my buddy to drive me down to the San Jose bus station and about 45 minutes (or so) later I was on a bus… LA bound.
And herein lays the dirty deed: I left Marcy hanging, without even making so much as a phone call to let her know I was leaving. And I never spoke to her again, to add insult to injury. I've often wondered about her in the intervening years, and if she ever gives (or gave) a thought to the asshole she loved who simply disappeared on what is arguably one of the biggest nights of one's teen years.
I suppose that kinda-sorta answers the rhetorical question… "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?"… doesn't it? And all that said… I've had worse done to me, and I've done worse. But we won't go THERE. Let's just pop open another brew and go back outside…
Which is to say there are a couple o' bits that rub me the wrong way. But it's pretty funny overall... I'd give it a seven on a scale of ten, but ya can't dance to it.
SN1 sent the following along this morning, with permission to publish.
So there I was...in Afghanistan...
It was supposed to be a 4 hour trip out and back for a 2 hour site-survey...yeah, right. Bad weather, 2 missed
landing attempts, and an almost dry gas tank later...we landed the UH-60 Blackhawk at a Marine COP. Stuck for 4.5 hours...would love to say outside the wire...but there wasn't a wire. Just a big sand berm. So then the other problem pops up...they may not have any gas for us? Huh? What are these helo landing pads for anyway? So, then the absolute worst sandstorm I've ever personally experienced comes rolling across the plain. It was what prevented the original landing, at the original location. Only when we were airborne, it didn't seem so bad...So we're stuck, at least for awhile...
The Marines, being great hosts offer a ride to the compound, in the back of a Hummer ambulance. Well, the new experiences just keep piling up! The young corporal (I think...) tells us it will be a bumpy ride...and
so it was. Survive the helo ride, only to get hurt in the back of a pitch black Hummer ambulance? The only light was the luminescent green glow from the CRO badge of our Combat Rescue Officer. So...a couple of bumps and a bruise or two later, we arrive.
I thought there was something different about the place...and there sure was. We've got what we call "moondust" here in Afghanistan. Had some of it in Iraq too, but this is the first time I've ever been anywhere like this. The entire place was covered with it. So, the wind is still blowing and the moondust is coating everything...completely. I've never been so dirty...in uniform. Walking in it feels like going through very dry, powdery snow. We then ended up in a tent watching a nearly unbearable TV broadcast, but that's where we heard the healthcare bill had passed the house...no comment about that.
Anyway...we're all in various moods: Bored, anxious, and a couple of annoyed...we get a box full of MREs (I got lucky! Beef Stew!) have lunch and settle in for the afternoon. After a short attempt at a nap, nature calls. I head outside the tent looking for the port-a-johns...none. Hmmm...so the SOP is what again? I get directed to three large PVC pipes sticking out of the ground at about waist level, at a very well thought out 45 degree angle on the big berm. I had to take a couple of pics of that. Ingenuity!
Business taken care of, I start to wander around...and see one of the most HOOORAH moments in my career: in the middle of the blowing sand and crappy conditions, this huge Marine is working out. Kettle bell swings, into a couple dozen push-ups, followed immediately by hanging leg raises. Pause. Repeat. God Bless the Marines! Gotta love those guys!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the COP they strained some JP-8 for us and put it into a makeshift refueler. So we get the word to head back to the birds. Over an hour later, having given each helo just enough gas to get to the original destination, we wait. Classic military situation: Hurry up and wait. The decision is finally made, we're taking the weather obs from the FOB and take off...with NVGs. 20 minutes later, we ended up at an Army FOB for the night.
So we're there and the Army Capt is hosting us. We talk business and then grab some chow. Best part of the trip!! Better food than I had in Balad last year, no kidding. T-Bone steak, med-rare, and I could cut it with the plastic ware! Lots of options: Mexican, Italian and short-order bars, 2 mainlines, way too many desserts! Good stuff. We finally get a tent for the night and find our cots. Me, 2 LtCols, a Maj, and a Lt. I was the only one that brought a 3 day bag...they all laughed at me getting on the helo...they all froze last night...I wasn't a boy-scout for nothing!
This morning was more good chow, some great coffee and a mini air show, courtesy of a guy and his gas-powered RC helo. This guy had some serious skill with that thing. Inverted flying, impossible banking maneuvers, upside down hovering within inches of the sand...great show. So we're ready to go...guess who's our helo pilot for the ride back to Kandahar? Oh yeah, Mr. RC Helo stunt pilot...we were a little nervous, especially the HH-60 pilot sitting next to me...
Got back late morning...good times in Afghanistan!
(Image from the web.) SN1 is also updating his blog a lot more frequently than he used to... with pictures!
On the night of November 9, 1989 confused East German border guards opened several checkpoints in East Berlin and allowed citizens of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) free passage into West Berlin for the first time since 1961. The East Germans were ecstatic; world-wide response was both joyful and incredulous. And on the following day... November 10th... the wall began coming down in earnest and the partying lasted for days. Some background:
To say the fall of the Berlin Wall was a momentous occasion is massive understatement. I watched my teevee in a combination of amazement andwonder, thinking to myself that I never thought I would see the day...yet there it was, big as life and twice as natural.
I like to think this event... which happened about two years earlier in the shadow of the Brandenburg Gate... had something to do with the wall coming down:
Opinions vary on this subject, but I believe President Reagan was a catalyst in bringing the wall down. President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher... along with General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev... were the primary actors responsible for the demise of the Soviet Union, as well... an event that occurred a little over two years after the Berlin Wall came down.
It all began 20 years ago tonight... and this date marks an anniversary that should be celebrated by free peoples everywhere.
Ah. Beautiful weather, a couple o' few decent beers, a good cigar, and fine tunes... life is good. Or as good as it gets these days. It's ALL relative, yanno?
Update, later that same day, from the self-same soundtrack:
Which calls to mind one late late night in 1977 in Westby, Montana where... at approximately three or four o'clock in the morning... we did a drunken duet of this very same song with an artist who was performing in one of the two bars in Westby. And we were GOOD, Gentle Reader. But that's not the salient or even the most prominent memory of that evening... No, it was the fact that I prevented a great good friend of mine from driving the ten miles back to her dorm in the wee small hours of that morning. Like me, she was incredibly and wonderfully "happy," way too happy to drive. So... we convinced her to drive the half mile to my Little Home On The Prairie instead. We got home and almost literally fell into bed. The last thing I remember about that night:
She: I don't wanna do anything... Me: Me neither. I'm too damned drunk anyway...
And so we went to sleep, cradled in each others arms. A fine ending to a fine night, regardless of what you might think. Ain't it amazing what music will conjure up at any given point in time?
First the bad news... which you already know unless you're currently under your favorite big-ass rock or in a coma:
WASHINGTON – In a tight vote, the House passed its sweeping health bill late Saturday, marking the biggest victory yet for Democrats in their drive to create near-universal health insurance.
[...]
Its passage moves Congress closer to the biggest expansion of the social safety net since the Medicare insurance program for the elderly was created in 1965. The measure spends $1.01 trillion over a decade to provide health insurance to an additional 36 million Americans and creates a new public insurance plan to compete with private insurers by 2013. It requires most Americans to carry insurance, creates a new exchange where they can shop for it and gives the lowest earners tax credits to help them pay for it.
A little over one trillion dollars, depending on who you believe*! The prudent among us have to ask: where the HELL is that money coming from? I suppose "prudent" would disqualify all but 39 Democrats in the House, the remainder of which evidently don't understand what a massive increase in gub'mint debt means for the future of the nation and every single individual living in these United States or they don't care. The situation is appalling, in either case.
The astute may wonder why my rant focuses on "debt." What else could it possibly BE... considering we have about $107 trillion in unfunded Social Security and Medicare liabilities? But, Hell... I suppose another two or three trillion dollars ain't much to add... (/sarcasm)
So... the good news. I don't have a link for you, but I just now watched Senator Joe Lieberman on Fox News Sunday and he said... unequivocally... that he cannot and will not support the House bill as long as it contains a "public option" for the exact reason mentioned above: an unconscionable increase in the public debt. I might be wrong here, but I'm quite sure he said he would not allow a bill with a public option to come to a vote on the Senate floor. And that is good news, indeed. Let us pray.
Well... kinda cold, actually. Via Kukla's Korner... a look back at the 2009 NHL Winter Classic, played at Chicago's Wrigley Field. Which might be of interest to besbol fans who don't know hockey from hookey... coz there are a lot of comparisons made between the two games, especially when it comes to the Cubbies and Chicago fans in general:
For the record: Detroit 6, Chicago 4. It was a GREAT game!
Forgive me, Gentle Reader, coz we seem to be stuck in that "Sensitive 70s Kinda Guy" groove. That said... one of the better things about Jackson Browne's music was his chocie of exemplary sidemen. I'm speaking of the inimitable David Lindley, of course, and his violin accompaniment in this tune is as wistful and heartbreaking as it gets... a perfect complement to the song's lyrics. And while we're on about that... here are the lyrics to "Something Fine:"
The papers lie there helplessly In a pile outside the door I've tried and tried, but I just can't remember what they're for The world outside is tugging like a beggar at my sleeve Oh, that's much too old a story to believe
And you know that it's taken its share of me Even though you take such good care of me Now you say "Morocco" and that makes me smile I haven't seen Morocco in a long, long while The dreams are rolling down across the places in my mind And I've just had a taste of something fine
The future hides and the past just slides England lies between Floating in a silver mist so cold and so clean California's shaking like an angry child will Who has asked for love and is unanswered still
And you know that I'm looking back carefully Cause I know that there's still something there for me But you said "Morocco" and you made me smile And it hasn't been that easy for a long, long while And looking back into your eyes I saw them really shine Giving me a taste of something fine Something fine
Now if you see Morocco I know you'll go in style I may not see Morocco for a little while But while you're there I was hoping you might keep it in your mind To save me just a taste of something fine
And now about Lindley: One of the finest album purchases I ever made in my short sweet life was Lindley's solo album... and his rendition of "Mercury Blues" is a stand-out in my musical pantheon. But we digress. Hell.... as long as we're digressing:
All the returns are in... except perhaps for an absentee ballot or two... and it's Happy Hour by unanimous vote (2 - 0; we have a very small precinct)! The polls are now officially closed.
I mean... how could I not? It's beautiful outside and we might even be able to remain outdoors after sunset. Wow. This is good!
My heart goes out to the families of yesterday's murder victims at Fort Hood and for the injured as well. I hope we get some answers from that deranged major who caused all this carnage. I also hope he gets the death penalty. Too bad we can't kill him twice. Or 13 times.
―:☺:―
So... I have a decision to make within the hour: finish the morning coffee or get Happy Hour under way? I've just now poured my second cup; I set a new personal worst today by not rolling out of the rack until 1320 hrs. And today's sunrise wasn't anything to write home about, either.
I didn't include Paul Simon in the post below (my variation on the theme of "15 Favorites") but I probably should have done so. Simon is one of my very favorites... a guy I return to time and time again. This particular cut is from "Graceland," but the cut I was really looking for... "Peace Like a River," from the first Simon solo album... doesn't exist on YouTube. And that first solo album is what we're really listening to on this warm, sunny Fall afternoon. No matter. "Crazy Love, Part II" works almost as well. Sorta. But... like most things in life: ya hadda be there. So, herewith the lyrics of the tune just now played:
Ah, peace like a river ran through the city Long past the midnight curfew We sat starry-eyed Ooh, oh,we were satisfied O-o-oh, And I remember Misinformation followed us like a plague Nobody knew from time to time If the plans were changed Oh, oh, oh, if the plans were changed.
You can beat us with wires You can beat us with chains You can run out your rules But you know you can't outrun the history train I seen a glorious day, aiee------
Ah, four in the morning I woke up from out of my dreams Nowhere to go but back to sleep But I'm reconciled Oh, oh, oh, I'm going to be up for a while Oh, oh, oh, I'm going to be up for a while
Oh, oh, oh, I'm going to be up for a while
Yup. Ya hadda be there. I was "up for a while" in the way-back... the story of my life, and all that. And now... back outside. Beer remains to be drunk, a second cigar has been lit. Life is good.
