Better Late

This was Saturday...

The SEALS look a lot better at 50 than I did.  Hell, the SEALS look a lot better than I EVAH did!

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The wind continues to howl here on The High Plains o' New Mexico.  SN1 and I managed an outdoor Happy Hour yesterday and did the UCR HH thangs, which included burning a couple o' cigars.  The wind wasn't all that bad at the time and Weather Underground sez it's about the same today as far as speed goes.  But I think the direction must have changed, or sumthin', because my lawn chairs were next door when I woke up this morning and it certainly SEEMS worse than yesterday.  The Bottom Line is... no al fresco Happy Hour TODAY, Gentle Reader.  Which is a shame, coz it's still in the mid-60s.

I'm an Idiot

Sooo... Hockey Night In Portales didn't happen last evening, mainly because the Beloved Wings played an afternoon game yesterday... beginning at 1230 EST, which was a solid hour before I rolled outta bed (the first time).  The weird thing is neither SN1 nor I checked the schedule and we BOTH missed the early start time... a classic case of dysfunctional synchronicity.  But that was alright; we went out and had prime rib and made a night out o' that.  But watching the game together would've been better; I can't recall the last time we did that and neither can Buck.

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In the "Confession is good for the soul" department (it IS Sunday)... I watched this last night:

I'm gonna have to quit sayin' I'm not a movie guy, coz I find myself watching at least two or three of the damned things a week now.  What's doubly embarrassing is a couple o' few of the movies I've watched are Chick Flicks... there's no OTHER way to describe them.  "It's Complicated" really rattled me, though, because of the similarities in timing and circumstance... chiefly because of the fact the protagonists had a 20-year marriage, were ten years divorced, and it all ended in 1999.  That's just freakin' eerie because MY little passion-play had those exact same circumstances but it wasn't as beautiful nor as funny as this movie.  Ms. Streep (I HAVE to see her in "The Iron Lady") and company held me from the beginning to the end and there were many, many "I can relate" moments in the movie.  The moral of the story... you can never go home again, in so many words... is something I should take to heart.

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This is good...

Except for the freakin' wind, which is gusting to 37 mph.  We may or may not sit outside on the verandah this afternoon, because that wind has the potential to ruin what would otherwise be a VERY nice day.

Sometimes It Bees That Way

Kinda-sorta like this, but different

SN1 & Co. are in town to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr's birthday with me (well... me and other members of the fam'bly) and we got off to a great start last evening.  Or rather, early this morning, to be precise.  The drive down from Leavenworth takes a lil bit o' time and the fam'bly pulled into town in the wee smalls... with Buck and Grandson Sean dropping in to El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington shortly after 0100 for a nightcap.  One nightcap turned into four and just by sheer coinkydink they departed the prem around 0415 this morning.  I finished the remains of my barley pop and retired around 0500.

So... it was another rather long night followed by yet another late start, but this one was much more pleasurable than most.  The world may not know it but a lot of what ails it got fixed last evening, with more fixing to follow tonight during Hockey Night In Portales.

Sometimes it bees that way.

Just Hockey

Tough Guys can score too... as the title sez:

Number Two, Bay-bee... Numbah TWO.  That's Darren McCarty scoring the game winning goal that gave the Beloved Wings their first Stanley Cup in 41 years.  It's also my personal all-time favorite goal.  Apropos o' not much... my only Red Wings jersey has 25 on the back, and that's an indication of just how much I like McCarty.

h/t:  The Usual Hockey Source.

The Deity At Hand

Longtime readers here at EIP know the post title is my way of referring to the Supreme Being, whose existence I acknowledge with the express caveat that I'm not sure what his or her name is.  I'm also fond o' sayin' that I hope the Supreme Being is a goddess and her name is Phoebe or Athena or something like that.  And I'm only half-joking... I'm pretty partial to the old gods and goddesses.  Thor would be in the running, too, for that matter.

But we digress.  I'm adding another candidate to the Deity Pool... this guy:

The 'toon came to me by way of a "special edition" of  Cigar Journal that was bundled along with this month's cigar re-supply.  Ya gotta like this deity's style.

Mixed Emotions

The NHL announced the All-Star game roster today, about which, this:

Added to the roster Thursday were five goaltenders, among them the Red Wings' Jimmy Howard, who leads the League in wins, and the Blues' Brian Elliott, who is second in the League in goals-against average and save percentage.

I mentioned the fact that Howard wasn't even on the All-Star ballot some time ago and expressed my outrage in a suitable manner.  That oversight's been rectified but I still have some outrage left:  Nick Lidstrom is NOT on the All-Star roster and that is unforgivable.  How the league justifies omitting a six-time Norris Trophy winner, currently ranked #14 among the NHL's 274 active defensemen, is beyond me.  Yeah, I know:  I'm a Homer.  But, seriously?  Dustin Byfuglien (-8 on the season, so far) gets in and Nick doesn't?  WTF?

Well, at least Pavel made the cut.  I suppose I should be grateful.  (/sarcasm) 

Yup

There's lotsa good stuff at the Usual Source today and I was hard-pressed to select just one 'toon from the many candidates.  But this one was the winnah:

Mr. Ariail ain't the ONLY guy who's thinkin' like this; the right side o' the blogosphere is just brimming with WTF? sorta screeds in this space.  There are lotsa thangs to take Romney to task for (some o' which, like flip-flopping, are noted above), but his performance at Bain Capital AIN'T one of 'em.  Shame.

I Shoulda Known...

Remember last week when I said I wrote my congresscritters about the FDA and cigars?  Well, today I got a response... the only response, so far... from Senator Tom Udall.  Here it is, in its entirety:

January 12, 2012

Dear Mr. Pennington,

Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 1461, the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011.  I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, yet every day thousands of children have their first cigarette.  Because of this and other statistics on the health risks, health costs and addictive nature of smoking, in June 2009 the Senate passed with my support S. 982, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA),  by a vote of 79-17.  The House version of this bill passed on April 2, 2009 and President Barack Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law on June 22, 2009.

This law gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authority to regulate the manufacturing, distribution, advertising, promotion, sale, and use of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and other tobacco products, subject to clarification by future guidance.  The FDA subsequently issued strict restrictions on cigarette and smokeless tobacco sale, distribution, product labeling, marketing and advertising towards minors. 

In July 2011, the FDA indicated its intent to issue a proposed rule that would deem cigars, dissolvable tobacco, and e-cigarettes subject to the FSPTCA and the FDA's jurisdiction.  The FDA has not yet issued this rule, but expects to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking this fall.  Following publication of the proposed rulemaking, the FDA plans to accept and review public comments before issuing its final rulemaking.

In response to this, on August 1, 2011, Senator Bill Nelson (FL) introduced S. 1461, to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the FDA and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.  Upon introduction, S. 1461 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where no further action has occurred.  I will be sure to keep your comments in mind should S. 1461 or any related legislation come before the Senate for a vote.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me.  Please feel free to contact me with your concerns regarding any federal issue by visiting my website at www.tomudall.senate.gov.  For more information, you may also visit my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Senator-Tom-Udall/106433512869 and receive up to the minute updates through my Twitter page at http://twitter.com/senatortomudall.

Very truly yours,

Tom Udall
United States Senator

Oh, my aching ass.  Thanks, Nanny.  I'm beginning to wonder about the wisdom of my decision to become a New Mexican, as my representative and both of my senators were solid, right-thinking Republicans when I was a Texan.  Now?  They're all frickin' Democrats.  I suppose that's incentive for me to get out and vote (which I ALWAYS do) but my county is decidedly RED, as are most rural constituencies in these United States.  It doesn't help my attitude to find out that S.1461 is languishing in committee, where bills go to die.  Today ain't off to a great start.  

What's For Lunch, Buck?

Oh, just the usual...

I like it.  It's been over 15 years since I was last in Scotland, but this brew meshes quite well with my memory of Scottish Heavy.  I don't think we'll do two of 'em, though, even if we are so very tempted.  This is a tasty beer.  Strong, too.

That fat stick o' incense to the left o' the beer is looks a lot like a Gurkha Status Natural in the torpedo size.  You might think that's a cigar, but who are ya gonna believe?  Me or your lyin' eyes?

Zut, Alors!

It made ME laugh.  Wait... I really mean Il m'a fait rire.

And Then There's This...

First... from yesterday's Shoebox blog:

Heh.

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I might be overdoing the indoor humidification program. 

It was a lot worse than this (as in the whole window was obscured by condensation) when I first got up this morning but I'm not seein' any mold anywhere, though.  Speaking o' indoor humidification... I found whole cloves at the commissary yesterday and McCormick is quite proud of their product, to the tune o' $2.07 for a .62 ounce package.  We paid the freight.

Much Ado About Not Much

We're back from running the day's errands... picked up our monthly meds, got our quarterly shearing, bought beer, and made a medium-to-large commissary run.  And picked up that certified letter, which was nothing more than a reminder from my (former) RV club that my mail service would be terminated if I didn't renew my membership.  Why they sent the notice via certified mail shall forever remain a mystery but that was a load off o' my mind.  I was expecting some sorta legal notice but we shan't go into detail about THAT.

I picked up a four-pack of Sammy Adams Wee Heavy which won't be cool enough by the time Happy Hour rolls around... mere minutes from now... as we just now put the beer in the fridge.  This won't be a session beer when I get around to drinkin' it, given the ABV is a whopping 10%.  "Normal" Scottish Heavy ain't NEAR that strong and was my brew o' choice back in the day when I ventured up to Scotland from London.  I'm looking forward to it, though.

The Class VI store also had 12-packs of Sammy Adams Winter Seasonal brews and I bought my fourth or fifth installment of same.  I really shoulda bought three 12-packs... beer keeps (for a while)... but I didn't.  I really, rilly like the Chocolate Bock and the Black and Brew that comes in those 12-packs and wish I could find those beers in something other than the 12-pack.  Alas... not HERE.

About that shearing... the Ol' Gal that cut my hair kept up a running commentary about how nice my hair was throughout the 15 minutes I was in the chair.  Words to the effect of "sooo thick!" and "you have beautiful natural highlights... wimmen pay BIG money to get that!" and so on and so forth.  Twenty years ago I mighta thought she was hittin' on me but these days I recognize that stuff for what it is: a ploy to increase the size o' the tip.  It worked, too.  I'm SO easy, if not more than a lil bit vain.

And now... Beer me!  On the verandah!

Placeholder

I gots nuthin' this morning, other than a feelin' o' dread.  There's nuthin' o' note from the Usual USAF Source and the Usual Source o' political cartoons and conservative screeds I never read looks pretty lame today, too.  I have just begun making the blog rounds (my lil version o' back fence gossip) and I don't see anything there... so far... that tickles my fancy or feeds the Muse.  

But I DO have a feelin' o' dread.  There was a lil "sorry we missed you" slip o' paper in the mailbox yesterday informing me that a uniformed agent o' the Federal Gub'mint had attempted to deliver a certified letter yesterday morning, with the "return receipt" box checked.  That cannot be good, NUTHIN' good ever comes by certified mail with the return receipt box checked.  NOT. A. THANG... unless some long-lost relative died and read me into their will.  I sincerely doubt that happened, but ya never know.

But... dread.  Now I have to get cleaned up and run down to the post office and then out to Cannon Airplane Patch to pick up this month's meds and more beer.  I may or may not buy some single malt, too.  Depending.

Why? Because I CAN

And there was JOY in P-Ville last night.  Leavenworth, too.

On a completely different (yet same, when it comes to joy) note...


Didja catch the Queen Wave at the end?  Perfect.

Fanboi Cat?

Yup.  They're freakin' EVERYwhere and even manage to cross the species line.  Jobs would be proud.

And then there's this, which I saw last week but neglected to post:

Yeah, I DO so wanna see where you can put your leg.  Really.  I do.  And I'm here to help, too.

Yup

From the Usual Source.

We Did NOT Keep the Sabbath

Not EVEN me

Today was a major house cleaning day, whereupon we vacuumed, mopped, dusted, Windexed ALL the mirrors (and the chrome and glass furniture), cleaned the sinks and showers, did laundry, and otherwise cleaned everythang that was in need o' cleaning.  In short: everythang except change the sheets.  About which... we hit the wall when it came time to do that.  We also figgered that particular chore can wait for another day, mainly coz there's no one about to appreciate or confer the bennies of clean sheets upon me.

But we're done now and are enjoying the fruits o' our labors and a cold Turbodog or two.  Why izzit that Happy Hour seems better when the house is spotless?

Here's a word to the wise:  do NOT go looking for images of male maids with "safe search" off.  Just sayin'.

Of Limited Interest

"Limited interest" unless you smoke cigars, at which time there's this excerpt from an e-mail I received from cigar.com...

By now, nothing should surprise us with the way the government views our hobby. The last few years were some of the most important and influential in the long history of the cigar industry. Between taxes, smoking bans, and regulations, the government keeps trying everything in their power to regulate the cigar industry into oblivion. As enthusiasts, we carry the torch of defiance through these troubling times and we hold firm in our beliefs of our beloved hobby. But the fight is not over...

Currently, the FDA is trying to insert itself into our hobby; they proposed a bill that would dramatically alter the way we all enjoy premium cigars. Some of the regulations include banning walk-in humidors at your local tobacconist, banning any non face-to-face tobacco sales (which means mail order and internet sales), banning color advertisements for cigars, banning the words "cigar" or "tobacco" from advertisements and store fronts, and forcing manufacturers to submit blends for "testing." That's a lot of bans, huh? So what does this all mean for you? You'll have to go to "speakeasies" to pick up cigars, which you won't be allowed to view with your own eyes, only to find out the new blend you wanted isn't available yet - it's still going through "testing" with the FDA.

In short, this is a call to arms. A bill filed under the name Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act (H.R. 1639 and Senate Bill 1461) is now being proposed to protect all of us. Please use the link below to contact your local congressman and urge them to support this act. In these turbulent, economic times, the government seems more concerned with regulating your hobbies and leisure activities than getting the economy in order and balancing the budget. It's your time to speak up and get your voice heard! Use the link below and let freedom ring: Fight to Stop the FDA Click Here

There's more at the link, including a nifty little app that will send an editable message to your Congresscritters.  Which I did, of course.

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Back to Firefox...   I noticed some weirdness between IE9 and Blogger over the last few days and my initial reaction was to think it was just Blogger bein' Blogger, where the occasional episode of weirdness and petulant dysfunction isn't exactly unknown.  First it was the "quote" button's apparent non-function... I fixed that by editing the HTML, inserting the "blockquote" command and "end blockquote" command in the appropriate places.  Then I tried to put up a post with video from yesterday's Bruins-Canucks game and Blogger simply REFUSED to accept video from either the NHL or The Tube O' You.  I posted a couple o' drafts and wound up deleting both, mainly coz the missing video was the point of the whole post.  Today it was Blogger refusing to include the image you see above, cut and pasted from an e-mail I received from cigar.com.  IE9 also wouldn't import the link in the final quoted paragraph.  So that famous lil lightbulb went on over my head and we opened up FF, cut 'n' pasted the quoted bits above and everythang was cool.  How weird, eh?

Oh.  Mr. Gates?  You're fired.

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Here's that video I tried to post yesterday:

The fight in the vid above is one of the longest hockey fights I've ever seen.  The linesmen didn't intervene, mainly coz they were tied up refereeing three OTHER fights.  While it wasn't an old-fashioned bench clearing brawl it was the next best thing and there were 48 minutes in penalties handed out for that lil scrum, including a game misconduct.  That was an excellent hockey game... fisticuffs aside... featuring world-class goaltending, a penalty shot, and an outcome that was in doubt until the final horn sounded.  It was also the best game I watched yesterday, given the Beloved Wings lost a close one in Toronto.  But we don't wanna talk about THAT.

No Purée Today

We'll raise our first beer today in honor of New Mexico's centennial.  New Mexico was the 47th state admitted to the union... which happened on this day back in 1912.  So, we're (ahem) 100 years young... today!  I shall drink a Santa Fe Nut Brown Ale (or two), which only seems right and proper, no? 

Fun fact:  did you know the lowest point in New Mexico is 2817 feet (859 m) above sea level?  S' true, that.  I do believe we're the only state in the union that's officially bi-lingual, too.  More fun NM stuff here.

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Note the highlighted bits above.  Apparently the NHL LIES, coz I trundled off to take the survey and was told "nevermind, Geezers may NOT respond" after the survey asked me my age and gender.  Or words to that effect.  Well, F*ck you too, NHL.

―:☺:―

Beer me!  On the verandah!

Defense Strategy

The President of the Air Force Association weighs in...

AFA members, Congressional staff members, civic leaders, DOCA members, yesterday the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (then later the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Under Secretary of Defense Policy, and Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff) rolled out the new defense strategy.  You can find it at:  http://www.defense.gov/news/Defense_Strategic_Guidance.pdf

I listened to the presentations and read the piece carefully.  Initially, I was critical of the work.  First it is not a “strategy” in the classic sense of the word (ends, ways, and means).  You cannot have a strategy without detailing the resources and none were listed.  Secondly it seemed to be just a compendium of thoughts on the strategic environment and a listing of missions of the armed forces.  The latter seemed to be in priority order, but that is an assumption on my part and was not overtly stated.  There was a lot of talk about process vice the tough choices.  And finally, there were lots of words on what the Armed Forces will do and few words on what the Armed Forces won’t be doing – given a $450B budget cut.  Like others, I could be critical about what was “not included.” 

However, as I read the piece for the second time (and understanding that this is a public document … not a classified one which would be at the SECRET or higher level), I found much in it to commend it to you.

First, it recognizes the nation is at a turning point after a decade at war.  We have a broader range of challenges than just the focus on the past wars.  The force of the future will be smaller and leaner, but will be agile, flexible, ready, and technologically advanced.  The department will avoid a “hollow force.”  DOD will reorient the force towards the Asia-Pacific region.  This puts a premium on Air, Space, and naval forces.  As I was quoted recently [see:  http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/01/planes-cut/] – 100% of the Pacific is covered by air and space.

In the primary mission of US Armed Forces section, I was pleased to see that the mission to project power despite anti-access/area denial challenges was listed.  Despite the fact that the authors did not mention one of the most important elements of power projection [Air Superiority], the idea that the Pentagon should look to the future shoots holes in the concept of “next-war-itis” and is long overdue.  I found the concept of deterring and defeating aggression to be refreshing: 
“Even when US forces are committed to a large-scale operation in one region, they will be capable of denying the objectives of – or imposing unacceptable cost on – an opportunistic aggressor in a second region.” 

This puts a premium on those forces that can rapidly shift from one theater to another – predominantly Airpower.

I found the articulation of the concept of conducting long term occupation and stability operations to take into account the realities of what we have seen over the past ten years – where we projected vulnerability – with over 46,000 wounded and more than 6,200 dead.  The piece says:  “ … US forces will no longer be sized to conduct large-scale, prolonged stability operations.”  In my words, we should take advantage of the inherent strengths of Airpower – speed, range, flexibility, technology – and limit the exposure of our forces to our enemies.

I liked the focus on the Guard and Reserves – both of which have carried a heavy load over the past decade.

And I thought the focus on science, technology, innovation, and the industrial base to be important to discuss in any strategy document.  I also thought the concept mentioned in the paper about “reversibility” to be an important one in dealing with risk.  We have not, in recent history, done well in predicting who, where, and when we will fight.

I might differ on the margins about things like the listing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, while leaving out Hamas (and others); talking about operating “effectively” in Cyberspace and Space [these are mediums in which we should dominate]; and suggesting that we can achieve our nuclear deterrence goals with a smaller nuclear force [depends on what the goals are].  But on balance, the document is welcomed relief to the past and recognition that the US has broad, enduring, and overarching goals … and challenges.

Finally, I have to back away and comment on the totality of the challenge facing the Department of Defense.  Yes … we’re in a budget crisis.  And … yes we need to cut government spending.  However, during the Kennedy Administration this nation spent 50% of the federal budget on defense.  It’s less than 20% today.  Then we spent 9.5% of our GDP on Defense; today it’s 3.4% and getting lower.  The question we must ask is:  Should we balance the budget on the back of defense spending?  We have proven over time that a weak America invites aggression.  I’m reminded of the famous quote from President Reagan:  “Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.”

Last comment:  Documents like these don’t always drive resource decisions.  Many times, the Services are given dollar bogeys in a “salami-slice” fashion … without regard for the strategy.  We should all watch the budget rollout to see if the resources match the “strategy.”

Let me ask you to read the document and tell me what you think.

For your consideration.
 
Mike
 Michael M. Dunn
 President/CEO
 Air Force Association
 
“The only thing more expensive than a first-rate Air Force is … a second-rate Air Force.”  --  Senate staff member

I know that was long but there was no way to link it, given the message arrived as an e-mail and not as an article in the Usual USAF Source.  Speaking of the Usual Source... there are three discrete blurbs on this subject in today's report (01-06-2012), all with links to official statements on the subject of the new strategy.