In Case You Were Curious - Valour-IT Project Results

To begin with, don't forget the Valour-IT Project is an ongoing thing. The fund raiser from 11/2-11/11/05 was but a moment to leverage off the Veteran's Day Holiday for donations. I was away from the net from Friday afternoon until last night. I had a hard time finind the consolidted After Action Report (AAR) on the big blogs (Mudville Gazette, Black Five, etc. I did find this wrap up on the project webiste (go figure!) and it's incredible. Note how a bunch of competetion by nature people got over enthused and instead of taking the $21,000 mark as the goal, each service branch team took that amount on as their goal. I was amazed myself to find out I hadn't read the directions in my promotion, but I'll take this type of failure any day.... Here's the AAR from FbL, the project coordinator of Soldier's Angels for this project, who took on this important project for our troops:

Fundraising Competition Totals What can be said in the face of such amazing generosity, creativity and hard work? Mere words do not do justice to the impact you all will have on the wounded warriors who benefit from this. And superlatives cannot begin to describe the efforts and activities of those who have made it happen. You have gone far above and beyond the call of duty! As for me, saying "thank you," feels strange because I am not the one benefitting from this. But I sit here in awe and in tears as I try to comprehend the scope of what you have accomplished in these last ten days, and what it will do for beneficiaries of Valour-IT. It has exceeded expectations by such a scale that I can't wrap my brain around it. Our first fundraiser (in August) netted about $15,000 in three long weeks. I thought I was stepping out in faith by setting the bar for this one at $21,000 total in ten short days. Instead, you have more than quadrupled that! And there is still more to come as checks are counted and corporate matching funds come in. Current* totals (including auctions and online contributions not made through a team) are: Donations Funds Average Marines 209 $19,607.00 $93.81 Air Force 123 $11,114.11 $90.36 Army 258 $23,652.57 $91.68 Navy 223 $23,831.76 $106.87 Unaffiliated 154 $10,128.00 $65.77 Totals 967 $88,333.44 $91.35 *The information in the table above is not official. It is gleaned from automated totals for teams as of midnight PST on November 11, the information from team auctions, and the PayPal email notifications of donations made. It does not include checks mailed in (believed to be a minimum of $5,000), or matching funds (unknown). When those totals become available (hopefully by Tuesday), this information will be updated and a final winning team can be declared. Watch for another post soon, detailing significant contributions of time, PR, and hard work of various people. posted by FbL @ 9:28 AM

I'm not sure if it's factored in above (but I imagine it is) a total of $2638 was raised by things put up for auction by various people. Not bad for a bunch of people sitting around in their pj's at a computer, I'd say! As noted, "we" in the teams, really screwed up and assumed we were all supposed to get $21K each. I hate it when mistakes like this happen, but the up side is it seems someone with "means" (read money and a heart) has taken note of the success of the 10 days of fund raising and is discussing significant support for the Valour-IT Project. Check out what FbL says here, and, as she orders, pray and cross your fingers for success in the negotiaions... The winners are the current comabt vets who have stepped up to the plate and taken what came their way. Thanks to all for your support. Again, a reminder that this isn't a one time project fund raiser, and not only this project, but others, need your support on an onging basis. BZ!

Veteran's Day 2005

First order of business: It's the last day of the Valour-IT Project campaign to collect funds in the "friendly competition" between service barnches. It is by no means the end of the doantions that are needed for this worthwhile project. The collection campaign was a great vehicle to get the competitive jiuces flowing for all involved. Please consider regularly donation to the cause. Thanks for the donantions, and if you're inclined to give (or give more), please go to Mudville Gazette and donate for Team Air Force! Today's Topic: An easy way to send a note of thanks to the troops is here. Please consider taking advantage of the opportunity to say it. This day is a day to honor those who have served and are serving. Many others can speak to the subject far more eloqunetly than I, but I took a moment this morning to consider what is different about this day, this year. It is part of a continuing trend to show respect and offer thanks to former and persent military members. This trend began about 15 years ago with Desert Shield/Desert Storm. That's a good think, which occurred close to 20 years after we extracted ourselves militarily from the Vietnam War. I graduated from high school and had no draft hanging over my head. I came of age the first year this occured, yet I enetered the profession, and stayed a total of 24 years. Veteran's Days were not the same back then. It was still a time when many in society only occasionally acknowledged your service. It's different now. I was too young to serve in Vietnam, and spent my years training against the Soviet Bloc threat, for the "big one," where the realistic threat of global thermonuclear warfare wasn't out of the question. I came how after we "won" by making the enemy spend themselves out of the picture. I enjoy finding and talking to veterans. The ones from WWII as pretty much at peace with how they were treated then, and now. I can't really say much about the Korean War veterans, for I have not had the chance to sit down and talk with any of them. Certainly those who were still wearing butter bars when I retired, and are now coming into their own as the leaders of large units, have been shown honor and respect worthy of their sacrifice. Vietnam veterans still seem to be that group held off to the side in this entire equation. When I was out a few weeks ago doing a pick up, I ran into a man with a tree trimming service. We got talking and he had spent a tour in Vietnam with Special Forces. We talked some of the details with that, but then he told me about his return to the "The World." Not a pretty sight. While he stated it matter of factly, you could feel the undercurrent of emotional distress, and see the pain in his eyes. A wound not healed, yet he acknowledged how much better it has become in these following years. As he finished his cigarette, I watched him unconsciously field strip the butt. I commented "old habits die hard." At that point, he realized what he had done, then smiled and said "we did that so the enemy wouldn't find us." I knew that, but for a man with one enlistment, it was confirmation to me that he had been one of the men who stood up to face off against the surrogate enemy of the NVA and VC in those tenuous years. If you know a Vietnam Vet, I'd ask you make a special effort to thank them today, in what ever way you can. While what's done is done, a well delivered "Thank You" today will help offset the ones not received. I think I'll dig out Wayne's card and give him a call today.

I'm Baffled Over the Use of "Suspect"

It seems a 22 year old man broke into a house where a 66 year old woman and her family were staying last Wednesday. She shot him as he lunged at her. Ok, B&E, so what's the big deal? On the Sean Hannity Radio Talk Show this afternoon, they played a part of the 911 call tape from this incident and I was alarmed and baffled at what was said by the emergency operator after a gunshot was heard: "Was the SUSPECT (bold type is mine for effect - ed) shot?" Excuse me? Someone calls 911, explains that someone has broken into their house and is threatening them (will all appropriate emotionally charged voices and sound effects) for a reasonable period before the shot rang out, and the the question is worded like there isn't conclusive evidence enough to "label" the person committing the crime in real time an "intruder" by any chance? Nope...I bet the SOPs for the 911 operators train them to call perpetrators "suspects" so as to not possible give them something they can charge in court as being considered guilty before their trial. Give me a break. We no longer can name what things are, for fear some lawyer will let the guilty ones off on such a stupid technicality (and the judges will aquiese to such lunacy). PC run wild...

Happy Birthday to the USMC

Last year, I wrote this. I still mean every word of it. A young man in my Church is considering enlisting. He's leaning between the Corps and the Navy. Despite my personal journey, I'm trying to point him at the Marines. He's a great kid, but, like most of us at that age, could use a little direction. I'm betting the Corps will be good for him. We'll see. Here's a post, and and one commenter on it said, it's not "mascara safe." If you're somewhere where you might get emotional, save it for after work, but Captain B from One Marine's View tells a story of Veteran's Day you won't forget. Thank you Captain, for the view of that day. To the USMC: Happy Birthday, may you (and all of us) see many more. Thanks to Marines one and all; past, present and future, for your willingness to do what others cannot. For the rest of you, here's what the top Marine has to say about this special day.

It's All About Taking Advantage of Every Resource - Especially Time

First things first: Happy Birthday (230th), USMC! I don't have a lot of time to round this out, but the Valour-IT Project has gone over the goal for Team Army and Navy. The Marines still have quite a hike to make it, which, surprises me, and the Air Force is stll pulling in the $$$, but they are "covering our six." Thanks, Team AF, for guarding our tails as we take this challenge on. It's still looking like a seesaw battle for number 1, Army and Navy fighting it out even now... In 1980, as a young LT, I was put in charge of the Physical Readiness Test (PRT) for a 278 person department at a major training command. The CNO at the time, I think was ADM Heyward, put a renewed emphasis on the program. My ideas on why will have to wit for another day, but here's what I learned, and how it applies to this project to collect funds. The test was sit ups, push or pull ups, and either a 1.5 mi run or 500 yd swim. Grading was broken down not only by time/count, but also subdivided by decades of age groups. At the time, if you "exceeded 40," you didn't have to take it. Many of the "Old Men" opted out. Here's what has always stuck out about the thing I learned. I'd have 24-27 YO guys come up and ask: "How many sit ups do I have to do?" I'd ask their age, then consult the CNO Instruction on my clipboard and say something like "31." This would be the number to achieve the minimum grade of "Satisfactory." (Categories were Unsat, Sat, Excellent, Outstanding) When it came time to get a partner and see how many push ups they could do in the 2 minutes alloted, I'd see this guy (and many like him in excellent physcial shape), knock put the 31 "required" push ups in about 22 seconds, then the'd stand up and walk off to take a break. A few would come and ask "what's the maximum I have to do?" I'd see these people at 1:55 staining to do "one more!" as their partner holding their feet would say to encougare the perrson with the screwed up face, eyes clamped closed, trying to press their elbows to their knees (that's how we did it in the "Old Navy," no "crunches" for us), while rivers of sweat in the Viginia summer ran down their faces. If they had passed the number for max points, it didn't matter, it was about using every second alloted to do as much as they were able. The same thing happened with the push ups, and the run times. Fine, strapping young men, most doing the minimum ("if the minimum wasn't good enough, they wouldn't make it the minimum" they would say), and a few doing everything they could do. Over the subsequent years, as the PRT was done every 6 months, I saw this behavior over and over. In the work place, I saw the same thing. Guess what? It turned out that the people wanting to know the lowest performance they could turn in to get by, were more than likely to take that into their professional performance off the PT field. The ones who suffered the sore muscles from the straining for excellence for all that was in them that day, were more than likely the sailors and officers you could count on, no matter what it was going to take to get the job/mission/project done. I did note exceptions, but it was close to a 1:1 correletion in performance in the work place and for physical readiness. It's an overall life philosophy, easiest noticed, in my observation, during the semi-annual PRT. To bring this home today, Teams Navy and Army have met the self acknowledged "minimums" for the Valour-IT Project. Do we have it in us to use the time between now and 23:59 11/11/2005 to go for something that says what our life philosophy is? I have emailed local and national radio talk show hosts and everyone on my personal mailing list, with a request to pass the email along. I have told others of the project as an "oh, by the way" comment when I could slip it in. And today, as I work, I'll be thinking of who else to contact and email when work is done, encouraging them to consider this project. Have you done it all for the wounded? Will you sweat and strain to the finish line? I think I still haven't done enough....get creative, tell the story, help those who helped us. I'll see you in the virtual victory circle! Make it happen, people! Thanks to Mudville Gazette and The Political Teen for the Open Posts!

I just know Greyhawk wants one....

Here Greyhawk expresses his discouragement at really neat stuff Neptunus Lex is giving out to those who donate to the Valour-IT Project in the name of Team Navy (who is now within less than $1000 of meeting their goal! Go Navy!). If you're reading this, Greyhawk Team, I suggest after you place your cash in Team Navy's pot, and Lex gets your USS RONALD REAGAN ball cap (with scrambled eggs, of course) to you, you might consider leading off your blog with this picture: MUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! JUST DO IT, GH! (or Mrs GH can secretly donate and get it for a Christmas present for GH!) And now to add insult to injury, thanks for the Open Post at Mudville Gazette! (Note: Haloscan is really busy, so this isn't there yet to taunt my favorite USAF related bloggers, but trust me, I'll keep trying to get it there). Update 11/10/2005 0800 EST: Team Navy surges ahead by a few hundred $$$, AND HAS EXCEEDED THE GOAL OF $21,000!!!! Yes, we "slid in" behind Team Army (Great sprint at the end Army - BZ!) at the planned finish line, scoring a second home run for the wounded service members. Lets see if Team Army was in a short sprint yesteday, when they finally passed Team Navy, or if they have the "legs" (yes, pun intended, you dogfaces!) to saty in the race as long as it leasts. If you haven't donated to Valour-IT Project, please consider sending your funds via Team Air Force, or at least Team Marines, even if you love the Navy (or Army).

As Paris Burns Once Again....

Day 12, and the rampant arson and violence continues AP reporter Christine Olliver tells us. Oh, but there is "good news" in this, provided from the people under attack:

"The intensity of this violence is on the way down," National Police Chief Michel Gaudin said, citing fewer attacks on public buildings and fewer direct clashes between youths and police. He said rioting was reported in 226 towns across France, compared with nearly 300 the night before.

Clue to Michel Gaudin, who must have some kind of degree in criminal justice (at least I'd hope, but this is a report about France): Sometimes the "enemy" (but you are afraid to call them that as they beat and burn your citizens who are "white") takes a tactical breather to regroup. I'd suggest the downward trend might be caused by them re-thinking the advantage they see. When you break thru the enemy lines in combat, you don't sit down, have a smoke and celebrate. You crank up the logistics and planning "engine" of your force and shove a lot of forces thru the gap to play havoc with the enemy. Maybe they are taking a night off to be able to plan how to gather more momnetum, based on the fact that they are rolling over the law enforcement and emergency services of Paris and nearby towns. After all the appeasement I have seen from the French Government, I'd think President Chirac would roll up his sleeves and voice his extreme displeasure with these rioters, who are actually no different from the masses we have seen on the news in the Palestinean rioting in the not too distant past, in support of terrorist organizations like Hamas. Somehow, even Chirac can't get up the guts to put them in thier place, instead he talks about how they haven't been accepted into the French society. Good going, Prez....let them know you're on their side and maybe they won't chop your head off when they break down the gates to your compound. Now, isn't that interesting? It seems something like this happened a few centuries back, but the purpose of that revolution was to advance liberty and get rid of the tyranny of the crown. How ironic. This revolution, played out, will destroy a democracy and replace it with a violent theocracy. On the other hand, Mohammed took his first handfull of followers out to pillage dessert caravans to obtain power and wealth and then his followers took their hunger for world domination all the way to Tours in about 100 hundred years. Now, the very same mechanism, of conversion and subjugation through violence is at work. A really nasty thing is to see just how large the "sleeper cells," not only in France, but across Europe and Scandanavian countries are, and I'm sure there was no OPPLAN laid out. As these youth, now pumped full of racial and religious hatred, and a world view that tells them to take over all, wake up to the call, I'm sure this is not missed as to the "unintended consequences" resulting from the open immigration policies that have been a part of the "multi-cultural" bandwagon for a few decades now in Europe. What might ehy look like in the States? After this, will law enforcement be able to "profile" for the purposes of public safety, or will we get in line with the ACLU and demand no one be suspected or searched because of their affiliation to a local mosque, where the imam preaches the overturning of the local and federal governments? In this New York Sun article, a hard truth is coming out from where I see things...IT's not about poverty, it is about mulsims, vs non-muslims. Wake up call to all you who didn't like it when President Bush said it was a "Holy War." When you enemy is defined not by the banner of some soveriegn nation, but pledges alliegence to Allah of the Islamic religion, what would you call it? OBL and his followers demand the deaths of the infidels not because we came and took their territory, but because we don't believe in Allah as the one and only God. Are they making themselves clear? Or: Are you who disagree unable to see that your life is also precious and shouldn't be snuffed out just because you won't follow someone else's belief structure? After all, that's the standard you have been demanding (and, by the way, receveiving) from Christians for some time now. I have yet to hear about Christian terrorists chopping off non -believer's heads, of physically harming them in other ways either. I fear the conquest of Europe, which has been on hold since 732, has recommenced, using armies of a stucture not seen before in history, and not covered well in international law. The issues of how to wage a war against your own citizens, who actually support a higher power than that of their own declared government, will, indeed, be a thorny one. It's time for a seriously radical paradigm shift, before the blood runs freely in the gutters. And while we are debating those issues, across the "Western" world, "they" won't be playing by our rules, put in place by our penchant to bow to the over-abundance of lawyers, but will be sizing up how to bring the Caliphate into a worldwide status. Just a few days ago, I thought there was room for optimism in the GWOT, but with this series of daily, increasingly violent, obviously theologically based riots in the center of Europe, I'm not feeling so good about my analysis. It is about religion: Us accepting theirs without compromise. Don't forget that and be ready to draw the line, for the enemy knows no bounds, nor are they will to accept any put on them.

The Maintenance Monkey

Received from a friend...he is a retired CPO,,,,

A man walked into a pet store and was looking at the animals on display. While he was there, a First Class Petty Officer from the local Navy base walked in and said to the shopkeeper, "I'll take a maintenance monkey, please." The man nodded, went to a cage at the side of the store and took out a monkey. He put a collar and leash on the animal and handed it the PO1, saying, "That'll be $5,000." The PO1 paid and left with the monkey. Surprised, the man went to the shopkeeper and said, "That was a very expensive monkey. Most of them are only a few hundred dollars. Why did that one cost so much?" The shopkeeper answered, "Ah, that's a maintenance monkey. He can run diagnostics on all radars/weapons systems, score 95 on the ASVAB test, operate all forms of test equipment, perform the duties of any Maintenance Man qualified person with no back talk or complaints. It's well worth the money. The man spotted a monkey in another cage. "That one's even more expensive, $10,000! What does it do?" "Oh, that one is a Workcenter Supervisor monkey! It can instruct at all levels of maintenance, supervise maintenance on the unit, intermediate, and depot level, knows all OPNAV instructions, utilizes ORM, and even conducts Divisional Training. A very useful monkey indeed," replied the shopkeeper. The man looked around a little longer and found a third monkey in a cage. The price tag read, "$50,000." The shocked tourist exclaimed, "That one costs more than all the others put together! What in the world does it do?" "Well, I've never actually seen him do anything but drink beer and play with his pecker, but his papers say he's a Chief!"

As Paris Burns and French Moral Cowardice

On Little Green Footballs, once more the Muslims riot in the vicintiy of Paris. The Interior Minister is cluless, as is the French President. I found a link to the situation I recall hearing about about a year ago, where French Foreign Legionaries gunned down civilians in Cote d'Ivoire. Anyhow, they can find someone to gun down in Africa, but somehow they can't figure out how to use the same rationale to do it in Paris. I guess they are afraid of the consequences when faced with an enemy with resolve. 'Nuf said...

Have Faith in the "Process" - Vietnam and the GWOT

This "thread" of consciousness began as I chased a link on Chapomatic. He referenced an editorial Iraq: Learning the Lessons of Vietnam, posted in Foreign Affairsfrom Melvin Laird, who was Richard Nixon's SECDEF. Having been closely related to that war from 3rd grade, and having just missed it when I was graduating from high school, I have read quite a lot, trying to merge in my mind the conglomeration of first person stories, the Stars and Stripes view and that of the "Main Stream Media." To this day, it seems all three repoprted a different, but the same war. In Melvin Laird's editorial, he discusses how our Vietnamization plan (turning over the ground warfighting effort to the ARVN) was coupled with negotiaions with the Soviets, which would limit our and their direct and financial interplay in the Vietnam War. Melivin also points out that the ARVN soldiered on for about two full years, despite our withdrawal, and relatively light funding (which was in compliance with the negotiated settlement of the Superpowers. The contrast is more remarkable whne you find oout the Soviets, from before the ink was dry, never conformed to the spending limits and kept pumping resources and money to the NVA. Our allies still held the line for a few years, despite this egregious violation. That gives me new respect for the ARVN. Here is an excerpt of his analysis that supports my comments above:

"The truth about Vietnam that revisionist historians conveniently forget is that the United States had not lost when we withdrew in 1973. In fact, we grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory two years later when Congress cut off the funding for South Vietnam that had allowed it to continue to fight on its own. Over the four years of Nixon's first term, I had cautiously engineered the withdrawal of the majority of our forces while building up South Vietnam's ability to defend itself. My colleague and friend Henry Kissinger, meanwhile, had negotiated a viable agreement between North and South Vietnam, which was signed in January 1973. It allowed for the United States to withdraw completely its few remaining troops and for the United States and the Soviet Union to continue funding their respective allies in the war at a specified level. Each superpower was permitted to pay for replacement arms and equipment. Documents released from North Vietnamese historical files in recent years have proved that the Soviets violated the treaty from the moment the ink was dry, continuing to send more than $1 billion a year to Hanoi. The United States barely stuck to the allowed amount of military aid for two years, and that was a mere fraction of the Soviet contribution. "

One particular sentence jumped out at me:

"Documents released from North Vietnamese historical files in recent years have proved that the Soviets violated the treaty from the moment the ink was dry, continuing to send more than $1 billion a year to Hanoi."

For the last few days, I've thought about that one comment and here some of my thoughts as a result: 1) Vietnam is referred to as a war. I think in a greater context, it was an over a decade long battle in the greater conflict between the Superpowers. I believe most people follow and subscribe to that, but it makes me think of today and the naysayers. Vietnam was one of the hot points in the Cold War, something that came to center stage and captured our attention. 2) As Melvin points out in the beginning of his editorial, one must be careful in drawing parallels, yet I have one. It speaks to me that we have faced a fearsome enemy before. It was the Soviet Bloc/Communism. In that conflict, ranging from the fall of Berlin in 1945, up to the falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent demise of the Soviet Union, we confronted an enemy that followed no rules, and readily violated treaties when possible. We most certainly had moments when our moral compass needle was bent, too, yet I'll submit that that was the exception, rather than the norm. Between oversight from Congress and pressure from our citizens, we played fair. Along the way to winning the Global War, our media labeled us as losers and imperialists. In the grand scheme, we won the Cold War and never resorted to nuking any one. Considering the thermonuclear firepower "potential energy" in both ours and the Soviet's arsenals, I'd say the casualties, each one being a lost life, were far, far less by many orders of magnitude that it could have been. We, as humainty, should rightly pat ourselves on our collective back for this accomplishment. Here's my connection between now and then: We are once more faced with an enemy who follows no rules. They do what ever they can, from hiding behind children, to dressing as women, to driving cement mixers full of explosives towards a hotel full of reporters, as well as chopping off civilians heads with dull knifes. We keep playing by the rules. I suggest, that despite what the press says, and even knowing there is some heartfelt opposition to the war that does not involve the simplistic and obsessive hatred of President Bush, should take heart in seeing how the high road taken has proven the best once before in our not too distant history. If Congress pulls funding, and we have to come home, and we have to endure a president or two who force us into an virtual, or practical isolationist/non-interventionist mode, we still have a fighting cnahce of winning the bigger battle. I certainly don't want to think about "going there," but if we do, we soldier on. Thanks, Melvin for pointing out that the light at the end of the GWOT is maybe brighter than we perceive right now.

Valour-IT Project Gains Momentum - The Navy Leads the Way

I'm sure this cartoon will boost visibility....Thanks you, Cox & Forkum! Let me take a moment to gloat, before the tables are turned.... First: Here's the link to my post on Valour-IT. Next: Well, the Navy got off to slow start being leaderless in this blitz to pull in some cash for the cause, but, the USN and supporters have been leaving the competition in the dust since day 2...How do you other services like that? I'm thinking the USAF can't step up to the plate because of a bunch of wanna be SEALS (and I think they have a leg up on getting to BUDS after painting the F-4 at the USFA grounds with Blue Angel's colors) embarrassed them on the home field! My advice to the flyboys: Get on with life and get over it...:) As to the Amry and Marine Corps: To paraphrase a quote from the game Battlefield 2: "Fight harder, or I'll have to get someone who will!!!" Stats worth that provide bragging rights: As of 2046 EST: Navy: $10691.00 Army: $9049.99 USMC: $7030.00 USAF: $2990.00 Total (as in nothing to sneeze at): $30030.99! And, to make a point, there are 6 more days of this, so no excuses as to not being able to ante up some $$$, the Navy team has the chance to put up the goal of $21K by it's lonesome. How about the rest of you? I think going for $21K/service team would help out a lot more of the wounded troopers...what say we go for $84K? Geez, why stop there if we can bring in 6 figures? Dream big and ask all your friends....

Yep, It's Official - USMC in Special Operations...

Just idle web surfing produced this jewel on the Security Watchtower blog, as a follow up to the NRO article of a few days back. With Uncle Sam's Mguided Children joining up with the snake eaters, I only predict bad, seriously bad news for the bad guys...

Dilbert - The Daily Blog!

Scott Adams has begun a blog! You Know, the author of the "Dilbert" cartoon strip. You'll find it here. See if you can find the comments on the Porpoise Driven Life..... Hat tip: The Pillage Idiot via Eagle Speak.

Valour-IT Project Challenge: Enter the Navy

Well, it looks like us squids have been caught out at sea in receive EMCON "A." No one had volunteered to lead the Navy effort to raise money for the Valour-IT project, which provides computers and software to our injured warriors (of all branches), so they can function by using voice activated technology. It's a quality of life issue, let alone serious morale issue. We have used technology to hunt down and destroy our enemies on the land, sea (on and under), and air. It's time we use that same advancement of science and technology to give the wounded a fighting chance to be normal, despite the physical disabilities. The donations go thru Soldier's Angels, which is a 503(c) organization. That group has done many more things than this for our service members. Scan Holly's site and see how you can help with other things she is workin on, too. The Army, Air Force and Marines are already moving out and we're looking pretty lame. Does it remind you of that feeling when you missed the last Liberty Boat back to the ship? Yep, lame.... Someone may have beat me too the duty to handle this, but if not, I'm on it.... Update: Get over to The Indepundit (LCDR Smash's blog), where his wife is leading the charge for the Navy team. Pass the word.

What It Means to Be White - A Short Thesis

No, I didn't write this one, and before you feel the blood pressure rising, breathe deeply in thru your nose, then exhale deeply thru your mouth.... Think biology. Now, go to Peakah's Provocations and enjoy a thoughtful bit of commentary. Hat tip: Mudville Gazette Open Post!

The Value of the Military Skill Set - Part XIII

Part XIII - Constructive Plagerism Short advertisement before the main feature: Valour-IT Project details are here. Help fund computers and software for wounded service members, so they can use vioce activated technology to send emails and write. A worthy cause if I every heard of one....Thanks for your interest. Index to the Series: Part I: Initiative, marketing, sales, project planning and program management skills Part II: Auditing Skills Part III: Operations 24/7/365 Part IV: “Point Papers” Part V: Collateral Duties Part VI: The “Git ‘er done!” Factor Part VII: “Total Care” Part VIII: Communications in the Workplace Part IX: "Give a smart person with potential a chance" Part X: Process Engineering, Continuous Improvement, Total Quality Management, Total Quality Leadership, or what ever you call it. The bottom line title: Making “it” better Part XI: The Military's Supply System Part XII: “Red Blood or Red Ink” Part XIII: Constructive Plagerism Yep, that's right...plagerism. In any sort of management position, from the non-commissioned officer level to the top, we learn to scope out what the other person did/does in order to make our unit more effective. Is that bad? Well, certainly it's not a bad idea in an environment where there is no copyrighted material or trademark issue to worry about. In the "outside world," this translates into a set of eyes and ears that can be constantly tuned into articles, news clips, conferences, or conversations that have something of interest. Toss into that mix that we generally have no shame about asking "can I get a copy of that?" because we see two positive fallouts of the condition at a personal level, beyond the larger implications of the benfit to our employer: 1) We look like a more valuable asset when we come back and either present it, or implement it and 2)it certainly shortenes the time it will take us to "re-invent the wheel." You might call that being lazy. I see it as making more time available for other pursuits...:) What dis this look like in my career (and emulated by just about anyone else): It was November, and we had a big inspection coming in mid-February. I whad been in the billet for about 5 weeks and the CO asked for the Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M) for the upcoming major, shipwide inspection, INSURV. I paled, when I realized I hadn't had one turned over by the outgoing XO, but I said "I'll find out and get back to you, sir." The first call I made was to the Squadron Material Officer, and he told me of the ship in the squardon who had had one recently and had done well. Next item was to see where this ship was. Luckily, it was not at sea, but right there a few piers away. I hiked over, introduced myslef to the XO, and over a cup of coffe, asked for a copy of his POA&M. He had one copied and I was on my way back to the ship. The net result, we did very well, many thanks to the success of the other crew. We regularly spent time asking leading questions of our counterparts, looking for the "gouge" for all types of things, then we shared and things went well. How does this play out in real life? Two very astute Naval Aviators retired and used their working knowledge of the Navy's Tag Out system. In the OSHA/civilian terms, this is called "Lock out/Tag Out" and is a system by which you prevent people and equipment hazards while preforming maintenance by making sure everyone who needs to know knows not to turn things back on. The Navy system was developed after some hard lessons, but is very effective. By the way, it exceeds OSHA standars in it's implementation. These two smart men are not for hire, as they created their own successful company. You can see their product line, TagLink, here. In another case, as I worked with the PQS Development Group, they told me the story of a retired Navy Captain that came back to them and asked for some materials, so he could implement a personal qualification program for the company he worked for. Bottom line: "We" look for ways to make business easier by borrowing ideas. The ex-military person can not only bring to you a wealth of ideas from the time in, but then they are acclimated to keeping their sensors out for more of the same in your industry. It's a valuable resource for your company. Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Postand Outside the Beltway for the Traffic Jam! See Little Green Footballs for the Open Thread... Another "THANKS!" to The Political Teen for an Open Post...

Technical Eye Candy

How about a nice panoramic view from the top of Mt Everest? Maybe a scene from a small canyon during a white water rafting trip suits you better? Anyhow, while scanning the 'net to see if I had an orignal idea, I found someone else is using the term "blogvel" for online novels, and I tripped across Panoramas on the way. So, take a virtual vacation for a few minutes and see some pretty cool scenery....like a climb up The Matterhorn or save the 24 hour Quantas flight and the jet lag for another time and see a sunset from the plaza in front of the Sydney Opera House. BTW, don't foget to look up and down, too. Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post!

Every Self-Respecting Navy Guy Needs One of These

I spent last evening ravaging the magazine shelfs, reading several November issues. I enjoy CPU Magazine and look for that one first during my forays into Borders around the 20 something of the month. In the November issue of CPU, they had a short article on the Bionic Dolphin. No, it's not Flipper and Col. Austin merged, but a you can buy it (for $60K) real thing that will do about 55 mph on the surface and also do about 10 mph submerged. Two people sitting in tandem and it can boach the surface and slam back down and keep going. Update 11/1/2005: Bionic Dolphin on a trailer I'll have to start looking for a source of disposalbe income in that range. I feel the same as Capt Hiller (Will Smith) in "Independence Day." How about Subsunk and Chapomatic? Thing we can even talk Neptunus Lex into getting one? I think Skippy San could use one as the ultimate babe magnet in the far east, too. Of course, Cdr Salamander would need one... After a while, we'd have enough for a squadron, then we'd have to put someone in charge of operations. Hmmm...maybe not as much fun as I first figured. Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post!

Marine SOCOM Unit?

Found on Little Green Footballs Open Thread... A link to an NRO article on Unconventional Marines Thanks to MUdville Gazette for the Open Post!

This Could Be Interesting...

What will those scientists think up next? How about remote control for humans? I heard someone on one of the radio talk shows discussing this yesterday and it sounded interesting enough to look up. Later in the evening, it was on another talk show, and the editor of Christian Computing Magazine was talking about the technology. Beyond being able to have your spouse make you get up and take the garbage out, it's also being looked at as the method by which more realism could be added to simulators, in particular, PC gaming. By making you feel off balance, the sim program could provide the sensation of the movement of the vehicle, complete with the g force acceleration. I vote for use restricted to simulators, just to curb any impluse by spouses to control their partner.... When this comes around, then Neptunus Lex will know we really get what he's writing about in this serial web novel "Rhythms." Part XXXV, the most recent entry is here (in case you haven't been enjoying this fine work of digital literature).

A Difference Between Bill Clinton and Harriet Miers

This AP article is ludicrious. Let me get this straight, a 60 some year old person is held accountable for the places her parents chose to send her to public school as a teenager?

"Harriet Miers spent her teens in an all-white high school far removed from the racial and social upheaval of the early 1960s, consumed instead with academics, tennis and even a stint as the school newspaper's assistant sports editor."

I don't know about you, but I'm not even 60 yet and I recall I never figured out where I would be at 60 when I was a teenager. I think daily life was a more important issue. I can just see it. The libs/Democrats figure a conversation something like this SHOULD have happened around a dining room table after dinner one night about 45-46 years ago: Harriet: "Dad, Mom, I'm concerned. One day, when George Bush nominates me for the Supreme Court bench, that where we are now living, in this way whitebread neighborhood, will significantly limit my understanding of the Constitution of the United States of America, because I haven't had to live in poverty, and amongst those people who are minorities. Can we move to a low income neighborhood, so I won't be denied my ultimate purpose as a lawyer?" Mr Miers: "Sure, we will get right on that. Tonight go up to your room and record this conversation in your diary and remember which one it's in, so you can save it for when you'll need to produce it for the Congressional Hearings in 2005. Also, put all your clothes and shoes on bags to donate to the Salvation Army. I'll take them there tomorrow instead of going to work, then I'll start looking for a house." Mrs Miers: (Says nothing, just beams with delight) Then consider Bill Clinton, who signed up for ROTC in order to avoid the Draft, but then withdrew, explaining in a letter that it might hurt his future political viability. Then don't forget, after a number of people vouched for the letter, it disappeared, just like the Rose Law Firm files in the 90's. So, there you have it: Bill Clinton was working "thoughtfully" towards a long term political life back as far as his college years. My analysis: Some people just live life, and some work their hardest to manipulate it (evidence: Bill and Hillary Clinton). My question on relevance of this this all: When does where you have lived make a difference in your ability to read the Constitution and determine how it applies? Unless the expectation is you will warp the interpretation based on your own life experiences, then it is an irrelevant issue. Judges are placed to read an interpret the law, not to create it, but then...just one more bit of firm evidence on the death of knowledge in this country, and I'm sure the NEA and every liberal is cheering for more ignorance..... Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post!

You Always Hated How You Never Could Get Your Rubik's Cube Right...

From today's Open Thread at Little Green Footballs comes a Lego device, that when coupled with a computer can put your Rubik's Cube back to like when you ripped it out of it's box...

It Sure Beats the Celluose Type for Airplanes

I've been following the whole "bucky" thing since "buckyballs." Now, something with very intriguing applications: A new kind of paper.... I wonder how well it folds and if "paper" airplanes will be banned as potentially really, really dangerous weapons in the classroom...

Go Figure...More "Peace Dividend" from the Cold War

Wow...who would have every envisioned this happeneing? Note to kids still trying to decide what to major in in college: Make a note that easy to make it through majors like Engilsh and History sure won't help you land a job like the one discussed in the linked article... Isn't that interesting??????

Our Benevolent Government at Work

The Information Age certainly has it's advantages for the private business sector, but, as I blogged before, the Government seems to find ways to shall we say "leverage" advances in technology before there is law to regulate some things...call it a fallout of unintended consequences. I admit, it's an exceptionally fine balance between safety of the people and the ability to experience freedom, as intended, by our Founding Fathers..... Anyhow, I just found Space Daily yesterday, and then when scanning the infosphere this morning, I found this article..... Just stash it in your memeory banks for another time.

Today is Remarkable Battle Day

October 25th. No year attached, just a day of the year. As I researched some connections I have to this day in 1998, I have discovered it's interesting how so many battles of historical note happened on this day. I am most attached due to this day due to my Naval career, which included a tour aboard USS CARR (FFG-52). Gunner's Mate Paul Henry Carr, USN, of Checotah, OK, is the namesake for the vessel. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions aboard the USS SAMUEL B ROBERTS (DE-413) at the Battle Off Samar on October 25th, 1944. My post last year, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the last great sea battle held in the history of mankind is here. The best book I have read on this battle, which brought together many first person accounts was "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James Hornfischer. I highly recommend it. Walking backwards on the timeline of history to October 25th, 1854. The Crimean War was raging and the 13th Hussars of British cavalry rode to their deaths and immortality at Balaklava in the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. The last stop on this October 25th journey is a day of special significance is the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The recollection of this battle is usually provided in the form of the stirring and often quoted call to the troops to rise to the challenge of the day before them in Shakespeare's play "Henry V:"

This day is called the feast of Crispian: He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:' Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars. And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.' Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember with advantages What feats he did that day: then shall our names. Familiar in his mouth as household words Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester, Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember'd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

I'm amazed that these several battles of major significance would all fall on this day in history. Each battle can be rightly described as courageous, filled with honor and sacrifice for a higher calling, that have been noted by history as something out of the ordinary. That's today's history lesson. Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post! Update 10/26/2005: Check out ANYDAY Today in History to see what happened on any day of the year!

TQM and al-Queda

I know about TQM and "off-sites." They are special in their own way. Anyhow, it seems the Dr. Demming methodology has been adopted by the terrorists and al-Zarqawi reports he got a memo:

"Anyway, I’m in the middle of Xeroxing some ammonia nitrate receipts Friday morning, thinking about what I needed to pack for the weekend family trip to Damascus, when I get another memo: From: A. al-Zawahiri To: All Associates Subject: Mandatory Weekend Retreat"

It's worth the read, if for no other reason than to understand how universal the feeling are about some of the TQM driven meetings.... Oh, make sure the kiddies aren't shoulder surfing, and depending on where you work the memo might not be work safe, so plan accordingly before you click the link to get "the rest of the story." Hat tip to Little Green Footballs for the lead to IowaHawk. Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post opportunity!

If Things Are So Bad in Iraq.....

The HBM/MSM constantly bombards the media channels with how bad it is in Iraq. If that's the case consider the first person stories I discuss below. I read many of the blogs over here on my left hand side regularly, and I have noticed in the past year, the stories the boots on the ground tell have transisitoned from mostly combat stories to mostly one such as Thunder 6 writes about on Oct 6th about selfless action. The Media of days gone by hangs on every death of our service members, but fials to tell us about how the people in Iraq have seen something special, a thing called democracy, and selfless action of men and women, not only from the pool of American citizen, but those from other nations, who came to the US and enlisted in our Armed Forces, in order to give back to us. The lack of "balance" weighs on me. People on the left have these cute bumper stickers on their cars such as "Commit Random Acts of Kindness" and "Visualize World Peace," yet they are constrained to trumpet their ideas by covering some chrome or tinted high impact plastic, as they drive to their jobs and coffee shops and book store and malls, safe and sound with in the borders of America. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and countless federal agency people live through 130 degree F summers wearing about 70 pounds of armor, water and ammunition, so the people of the Middle East might see there is a path that Martin Luther King, Jr and Ghandi would have mankind pursue. It wears on them. Many have blogged about it, but not as consisely, and deeply transparently as Thunder 6 did just days ago. The California Army National Guard Officer also graces his readership with his response to one of those people I spoke of above, the bumper sticker action campaign type in this post. In that post, you are allowed a window into his motivations for his service, as he refutes the anonymous (read: Cowardly and most likely, I'd guess, never put on a military uniform) writer's supposition that T6 is part of an empire building entity. Quite honestly, I'd think the liberals amoung us would rejoice at this sort of independent thinking, as well as revel in the simple moments of a man who is highly skilled in the art of war, taking time to build a relationship with a few young men half way around the world, and them make sure the shy girl also received a gift, let alone him noticing she gave it to her little brother. But, then that's just me thinking those moments are changing history forever, for the better. A personal testament to the power of these words was posted in the comments on the "Selfless Action" post:

"from a frenchman trying to understanding our complex world. before I was stupidingly thinking that you were all poor soldiers going to be killed in an useless and unjustified war. now I've changed thanks to your blog and realize through your emotions and humanity that all is not so simple. thanks a lot and long life patrick"

Don't just read T6's writings, select a few of the links on the side for the Army and Marines who blog, and get some balance in your view of the world to offset the lack of same in the HBM....

The Cause of Excessive High School Pregnancy Rates

Ohio High School Has 64 Pregnant Students Here's the money quote from the article:

"Experts, parents and students themselves struggle to explain why such pockets of high teen pregancy rates appear. Are teens getting appropriate sex education? Do they have access to birth control and are they using it consistently? Has the stigma of unwed motherhood lost its edge?"

I was going to, in the spirit of the times, blame this on Global Warming®. The high pregnancy rate must be a result of President Bush not signing the Kyoto Treaty. Everything else is... Then I got thinking....I think it's events like this, that despite the Kyoto Treaty provisions, are exactly what cause Global Warming®. What a dilemna we now face. There is no accounting for the destructive effect of excessive body heat generated by teens with nothing to do besides to practice (and sometimes succeed) at getting pregnant. On top of wringing our hands over that, we need to raise the flag now about who is to blame for the damage to the Gulf Coast. These teenagers shouldn't be allowed to escape the consequences of their actions that caused the two Category 5 storms! We must now consider whether we will try to amend the Kyoto Treaty, or is we need to have a major worldwide conference, say in like Amsterdam. At least there, the residents would be open to the discussions.... Just a thought... Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post!

Are There More Than Two Tribes? - The Sequel

I began this story a few days ago. This mornings news is apparently trumpeting a change in society, yet what it really is is an announcement by the HBM/MSM is: "WE STILL GOT IT!" I began to update the previous post, like this: Update 9/30/05: Thank you News Media of the Main Stream for "changing the world." You'd have done more for the country by telling tht truth... I decided it may get buried in the background, so I did the best thing: Make more for you to read.... Anyhow, the MSM seems to have become imbued with some new spirit of control in the Vietnam era, when they found out how stilted reporting could end a war (without any insightful analysis as to the long term outcome, let alone the immedate carnage). They have continually tried to take on the President over Iraq, with not much success. I think they went after the hurricane stories to show they still could exert great influence over world events. The sad part is their reporting was based on lies.... Ergo, the "new attitudes" are based on lies. What a shame that they pretend to be for the greater good, yet all they really want is to be noticed and, more importantly, in control.... I will not hold my breath waiting for retractions, nor any more formal attempts to right this egregious wrong.

An Open Note to the Democrats....

Re: Tom DeLay and moving money between companies, states, and candidates.... Dear concerned Democrat (who sees your party being continually beat up over stupid stuff); Once again, I'll remind you (as I did in some post a while back) that you'd most likely have better strategies and tactics if you could manage to attract some senior military officers to your side. They have the hands on experience to help you through the virtual minefield. Then again, your strident anti-war stance seems to drive away the very type of people who might be your best assets...and I said that before as well. Now, to the topic at hand: Remember when you tried to hang Tom Delay before over money from some lobbyist paying for trips ("junkets" I believe is the proper term)? The MSM got all whipped up, the crowds were chanting for blood, there was name calling, accusations....and then (crickets chirping).... It seems when the rest of the House representatives, who were in the forefront of the attack, reviewed their own dealing there were also "administrative irregularites" with their travel. Some of the problems were the same man who paid for Tom Delay had funded some democrats. Other issues involved that fact not being clearly stated on the travel reports. Other reports had not been submitted in the established time frame (30 days, I recall). No wonder if got quiet. The same "crimes" of Tom DeLay had been carried out by Nancy Pelosi and others on both sides of the isle. Hint: If a tactic causes you to lose a battle (and gracefully spares you from extremination), re-examine your plan and the specific tactics. You may have a good tactic, but it's best used in other circumstances. Your timing may have been off, or.... you just might have done it before, and not even realized the cause of your own demise. "Hey diddle diddle, right up the middle" tends to become very predictable, to the point the ambush awaits you and strategic defeat follows (for you, that is). Check your play book. Make sure you read the basic instructions that tell you to make sure you're clean of the "crime" yourself before you scream bloody murder. Another hint: If you only have one play in the book, have a strategic retreat and come up with other ideas. Here's some wisdom I picked up from one of my commanders that might help out a little in this area. And, if you're so inclined, study the history of human conflict, there are lots of clues there that may help guide your decision making inn your quest to regain your power you so obsessively chase after. Summary: I predict you'll find a lot of people digging in the DNC and Democratically controlled PAC funds, and the same issues will arise for your own people. It will be ugly, as once again, you beat a retreat, with the enemy at your heels. The sad part is, you'll have brought it on yourselves. Enough counselling for one day. Get back to me if you need more help. Signed, A concerned citizen who is tired of infantile attempts to grab power when we have much better things to debate.

This book isn't getting too much exposure.....hmmmmm

I've heard about this book, and right now, Neal Boortz has the author on the radio. He mentioned it has been on the NYT Best Seller List for six weeks, but...only two reviews so far, and by very "small" publications. He has had no call sfrom the "MSM" types....go figure.... I haven't read this one yet, but one book I did read a few years back, after hearing one of the borhters who wrote it speak was Unveiling Islam." Ergun Canor and his brother grew up Muslim and are now both Baptist preachers. I'd say their view of the Koran is exceptionally credible..... Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post!

"RED TAPE" - The Sequel...

On 9/9/05, I pondered the rising angst with "RED TAPE" in the context of not enough relief efforts for Katrina working well. That horrible stuff that binds us in inaction, particularly when we need any level of governmental office to do what we want right this very instant. Today, I smirk with the about week long struggle in the papers and radio and TV media with the fervent calls for "accountability" and "oversight" and the need to "make sure the relief money is spent the right way!" when the issue of billions of dollars flowing to the Gulf Coast comes up. I said this in the prior posting:

"The forms, reports and procedures you love to hate, define the "Red Tape" term. Here's the real bottom line: They get there, to get in your way, directly, or indirectly, so you, the taxpayer, can have detailed oversight of where the money went and who approved or disapproved some action that now is putting a burr under your saddle."

"RED TAPE" - We love to hate it, right up until it makes sure the other guy doesn't get something we thing they should have....the difference is when we love it, it's all of a sudden not "RED TAPE."

Are There More Than Two Tribes?

Just a few weeks ago, Bill Whittle of Eject! Eject! Eject! posted a fine essay on "tribes", that was very relevant due to the news reports of the chaos in New Orleans. Update 9/27/2005: Here's a link to an article I didn't take the time to look for yesterday, that supports this post. Back to the regular post Today, I found it disturbing to hear at least two talk radio shows discuss the reality of the post-Hurricane Katrina social "unrest"...it seems there was some, but hardly any major crime committed. It seems, like the "body count" assessment being grossly inflated, the other stories of general lawlessness were grossly inflated. It's not to say crime didn't happen, but taking one "metric" of homocide, in a city where the going rate is about 200 murders a year, there are only 4 detected in the few weeks after the Hurricane. Remarkable. As I heard more on this this afternoon, I recalled the "Tribes" essay of Bill's. It's cogent, and communicates a clear message, yet, come to find out, the degree of emotion used isn't justified by the reality. Thos who commit crimes still need their full measure of justice, but "we" may have gone overborad in our assessment and therefore, have developed some further feelings about how to look upon those who remained in town during the storm. Now, I believe, Bill could re-write "Tribes" presenting us with 3 tribes of people, the compassionate, the criminal, and the new third member, the Media. Alternatively, he could eliminate the second group and then just replace them with the Media as those juxtaposed from the compassionate. The HBM (Has Been Media) is purposely positioning itself where the truth is irrelevant in their eyes, and therefore we should accept that their "yellow jouralism" tactics to make money are acceptable, as they are losing their audience. I'm sorry, I'm not buying in....And, note to HBM types: Try the truth, it might hurt today, but in the long run, it's a better strategy.... Update 9/28/05: The retired SEAL adds some fuel to the fire with this info.... Oxbow asks the hard question that I merely alluded to above.... Thanks to Mudville Gazette and Little Green Footballs Open Postings!

I Wasn't Evacuated and I Wasn't Flooded Out...

I'm blessed to live where the recent hurricanes haven't visited.... I know the disaster relief and donation efforts are running at all time highs, but here's a pitch for a cause that will be with us for some time: The Valour-IT project. It's about helping get voice activated software and hardware for those service members who have been injured and have a difficult time using a computer. I'd venture to say that the effort every recipient of this wonderful project will develop a skill set that will allow them to enter the civilian work force, capable of communicating as well as the rest of use who are fortunate to have all our capabilities. Right now, it's a win for the troops and their families and friends, tomorrow, it's a bonus to the economy and their future employers and customers. Add to this, the spin off to let these wounded men and women become trainers for those who are likewise disabled...think about that power! Lots of thoughts have been percolating over the last few weeks, yet I haven't felt them sufficiently developed to begin to write about them. I'm sure I lost a few ideas along the way to here, but then, they most likely were stepping stones to the root issues... I think the root issues have been swirling about in my mind for a few years, and now, the recent disaters have provided a backdrop to present them on. Not that I planned it that way, yet I believe it will facilitate a discussion, or thesis, as abstract thought seems to be a lost art form for so many any more. The other side of that coin is that when an example, such as Hurricane Katrina damage, people tend to focus on that presented scenario, and aren't able to then apply, in a larger sense, how there are conceptual issues in the discussion that transcend the particulars. Those concepts are then to be used to both understand what happened, and to allow us to, in this case, not go there again. This weekend will provide some time for me to post some of the things I'm thinking about. Topics such as "The Decay of Knowledge," "We can fix this, but you're not going to like how we do it," "Before Cindy Sheehan, there was Shannon Faulkner" and "My analysis of which political party has caused more damage and human suffering by natural disasters" (I have no clue who will be the worst, as I haven't done my homework yet, so I hope I can stay true to the scientific method and present a realistic picture for my small readership here). Some of the posts may be editorials, some reserach paper format, and at least one, my attempt at satire, which, thankfully, I have a day job, so I don't have to rely on that form of humor to support my life style. As a teaser, a new term for general use came to mind yesterday: "Demokook." I just can't think of what else to use to describe those on the left hand end of our current political spectrum. Cindy Sheehan is a "scenario" I'll present to undergird my new "concept." It's about my 4th original idea, but I place it in the public domain. Credit would be nice, but it's not like it's shareware or anything (you know, the software no one ever pays for)..... From a historical standpoint, I have something for October 1st coming up. It's militarily related, and another thing I got to be a part of, fortunately, in the aftermath, when the Navy had to make sure it didn't happen again. It's the way accidents (in this case) are handled, unlike Mayor Nagin's method of recovery from disaster. For the faithful visitors (I see you in the sitemeter logs), thanks for the "hits."

Tribes. You May Have Found the Essay, If Not, Do!

Bill Whittle of Eject! Eject! Eject! has a well thought out article the discusses "tribes." His logic, as usual, is exceptional. Part of his message that is so powerful is that tribal behaviors are not related to cultural things, but the attitudes we have today are the identifying factor in tribalism. Read and be stretched in your own thinking about our human condition.

Help for Katrina Victims and Other News...

While scouting thru the sitemeter logs, I saw a referral from Dawn's Early Light. I linked over and found a great synopsis of many places to get information on finding missing family members, as well as places to make your donations to...it was nice to see my blog at the top of the blogroll, too...Thank you, Dawn (I assume is your name). I first found this first person account while reading Black Five. It's worth your time to read about a man who decided to get off his butt and do something about the devastation along the Gulf Coast. What he did was remarkable in and of itself, but add to that a bad back and a Deuce and a 1/2 with no air conditioning being major parts of the story. The tale tells of the despair, the hope, the thoughtfulness and the bad elements of the human experience. He certainly doesn't want any accolades, but he deserves them. Read and see through his eyes.

And Just Where Do You Think "RED TAPE" Comes From?

Neal Boortz was on a few minutes ago extolling WalMart's ability to act faster than FEMA and I thought I'd next here some insightful analysis from him about how it is probably the most highly developed logistical system in the world, which has hundreds, if not thousands of outlets in any given state of the US. WalMart is the biggest dog driving Information Technology, too. You know why? If you want to play in their arena as a vendor, you have to do it their way. Their way is huge, so huge, because of the vast product network infrastructure, that they have to have something that effective to make it happen, and they do. The skillful use of IT has kept costs down, and delivery track records amazing. I'd say they could react so quickly because they have the "bases" and the established routes and cargo capacity doing the same thing pretty much every single day, and in most cases, it's just routine for them to do the 24/7/365 thing like it's no big deal. They are practiced. Good for WalMart. Home Depot and Lowes have similar capabilities, and I know from first person reports after the hurricanes last year, Home Depot flexed their system hard to make sure they were on time and on target, including have trucks stacked up in southern GA, just waiting for the storm to pass and the FL Troopers to give them the the go ahead to move south. Neal Boortz incorrectly proclaimed that WalMart did such a wonderful job, because it's a privately held company (there is some truth to this part) and because "THEY HAD NO RED TAPE!" You know, I can hove no red tape, but if I have no trucks, radios, computerized stocking systems and distribution networks, I couldn't hold a candle to WlMart, nor the governmental agencies. Why? because it really has little to do with "Red Tape" anyhow. What is "Red Tape?" To you who have not had the pleasure of serving within a government agency, it's all those forms we have to fill out, and then the forms and reports we had to fill out. The many signatures required establish what defines "Red Tape." All of those forms are the end result of procedures, which came to life as a result of something, more often than not, bad, occuring. In the case of the military, reports and forms and procedures are the reactionary result of accidents, or systemic shame. In the case of the non-military portion of the govenrment, I'd suspect many of those forms, reports and signatures are a result of the government getting ripped off, or systemic shame. Systemic shame in this context, is when some official does something from highly suspect, to plain old criminal. The forms, reports and procedures you love to hate, define the "Red Tape" term. Here's the real bottom line: They get there, to get in your way, directly, or indirectly, so you, the taxpayer, can have detailed oversight of where the money went and who approved or disapproved some action that now is putting a burr under your saddle. While it's not directly your fault, it is your fault, as you expect (not unrealistically, I'll concede) government officials to produce the trail of paper that got you/them/us to where you got unhappy. What's so wrong about that? After all, you hand over your tax dollars to the government and you expect it to be properly expended. In the process, procedures and policies and forms and reports are put in place so your questions can be answered. Do you think trhe Walton family will ever open their financials for your purusal? Yep, you got it right, fat chance.... Last year, after the four hurricanes crossed through Florida, it was discovered FEMA aid was paid to residents of Miami, where there was essentially no storm damage whatsoever. The "Red Tape" that seems so undesirable this moment as people try to help in Mississipp, Alabama and Louisiana will provide the path to nail the people employed by the government who were parties to the fraudulent claims, and also indentify the recipients for the monies. That's a good thing, right? So, give a rousing three cheers for "Red Tape," for it is the mechanism by which you can see what your government does to you, or not for you, and you can then make more intelligent decisions when you walk through life and what ever local, state and federal elections come next. The forms, reports, and most importantly, the signatures are yours for the asking through various levels of the Freedom of Information Act. Update 09/13/2005: I found this today regarding WalMart's data operation...simply amazing! Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post!

Investigation? Are You Sure?????

Investigations are veritable treasure troves of information. The view of the value of this information generated is directly related to which side of the table you are on. I conducted two investigations as the investigating officer, and I did just about everything else for another one, when my boss was the named IO, however, I was the poor guy with the past experience with the issue at hand, so I may as well have been the IO as far as the work load I had. Senator Hillary Clinton is now demanding an investigation. Wonderful. I'd think the "breaking news" of the last few days regarding how the breached section of levee was actually the most recently reworked section, and how millions and millions have flowed into NO for such projects, but the money didn't seem to go where it was needed, would cause her to sit back in the saddle for a few weeks, and wait for the fallout to settle. It may come ouot that not only was there a disaster for humanity, but it may well turn out a pile of Democrats may end up looking rather stained by the results. Another issue is how to "man up" the investigative team. While it may be exciting for some old cronies of each party to come out and get a big paycheck in the service of their country, that sort of investigation, in recent history doesn't seem to get to the meat of the issues. I'd suggest, humbly, of course, that you put some of the best and brightest we have in the disater preparedness and recovery professions, as well as those from supporting disciplines, sucah as medical/public health, logistics/transportation, civil engineering, etc, etc, but you get the idea. This group has the potential of bringing us some information we can take to the bank, and have more hope pf things working out better in the future. I have a candidate in mind who has had experience in investigations of big and highly visible disaster: Admiral Hank Gehman, USN, Ret. I'm sure he can take the heat, and can lead an investigative team to a proper set of conclusions, FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR CITIZENS, and not the betterment (in terms of not getting caught) of politicians. His "black shoe" (Surface Warfare Officer) background and senior leadership positions have equipped him for such a task. I'd rather have a man of the caliber of Admiral John Bulkeley, but he's passed on, for the task. Besides getting MacArthur out of the Phillipines, he went on to head the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey, and he doggedly pursured propblems aboard our ships, so future ship architects would build the ship's we needed. That's a story for another day. I met the man and he just was all business. We sure could use him right about now. General Schwartzkopf comes to mind as a man who could slice thru the BS and get us to where we need to be as well. Speaking of "black shoes," the next issue is how to conduct the investigation. We, the black shoes, who have been known to "eat our young," seem to be very anal retentive in the conduct of these types of fact finding missions. They have a two fold mission, and it's hard to figure out which takes the greater precedence sometimes, but the competition is between "What went wrong (so we can keep from it happening again)" and "who's the guilty 'ONE'?" We get to the bottom of it, but we like to know who to write up the UCMJ charges for, too. Contrasting this are my fellow aviators, the "brown shoes," when a crash type situation occurs, they immediately have a mishap board for the aircrew. from what I understand, the purpose is to figure out if there is some kind of mechanical or aerodynamic reason for the mishap. If so, they want to know right away, to save lives in expensive flying machines. Anything the crew spouts out in this forum is no longer fair game for disciplinary charges, so they regularly spill everything, knowing they have a form of immunity for what they have disclosed there. The thought to leave with is: They do this to save lives and airframes. Assessment of guilt will be handled later on, safety is paramount right now, while thoughts are fresh in people's minds. I also think Senator Clinton would be well advised to look at the recent debacle over the Rep Tom DeLay trip funding. The Democrats planted their battle standard and promptly found out they had also been funded in a like manner, and in some cases, hadn't filed the right reports. Once this happened, we just heard the crickets chirping away. Senator Clinton, get a clue before you end up with your party looking very bad over this..... More thoughts later, or not...I have notes from listening to the news today on this topic. Above, I have mentioned some...

Hurricane Katrina and Human Behavior

Lots of thoughts have boiled up over the last week as the aftermath of Katrina is the just about singular discussion on talk raido, which is my usual fare in the car and while at work. I reflect on the times of Hurricane Hugo. One incident where a looter caught some salt rock as he left the area of his crime was publicized. For the most part, there was never a whipser of looting the rest of the time Charleston and the rest of the impacted SE region recovered. I don't recall hearing about looting as an issue in the aftermath of Andrew in Homestead. I don't recall looters running rampant in New York City on 9/11 and the days afterwards. The same was true for the Earthquake in LA back in 89.... Even today, there seems to be a lack of news reports of looting on a grand scale other than in New Orleans proper. There obviously is an inherent issue with New Orleans, and not people in general. Leadership. Not enough going around at the top levels. I suspect there is plenty happening all over the southeast, and some of the most mild mannered people, and some of the biggest slackers are propbably showing a positive side of themselves that they may never have known was in them. Some to the "people in charge" have deserted their posts, but this is not unheard of in the war zones, now and across time in the human experience. I think the leadership skills taught to almost everyone who has served in the military will serve us well. Basic premise: Look around, assess who is currently at the party and find out what they bring to the table. Make a plan and execute, and do it now. As more people come to the party, add to your capability in new skills, or more people power, If someone with more experience than you happens to arrive, brief them on the staus and step down to where you can be most effective. The "after action report" is just that: After the action, not during. On gassing up my car when I pass a gas station: Years ago, a few central american fishermen became adrift in the Pacific, and ended up being found near Hawaii about 30 days later. They had been dismantling their boat, very carefully, to get wood to make a cooking fore for when they could catch sea birds, or fish. I read an interview in People Magazine with one of them a few years later. He said he, and his fellow fishermen had become obese, as they couldn't pass up food, as it had become ingrained in them during their ordeal at sea is you eat when you find food, for the next meal isn't guaranteed. Even over 1/2 a tank, I'll pull in if it looks like there is gas to be had at a reasonable price. Logistics. He who has the better logistics wins. Logistics take planning, and time to flow. Yes, the 82nd has a ready brigade, but those boys are laoded out with food for themselves, and lots of firepower. It takes a significant amount of time to pack up all that equipment for air drops. Then it's staged where it can be combat loaded quickly. While the 82nd could have taken off right away, they would have arrived in New Orleans without the necessary medial supplies and food stores to hand them out. To replace their warfighting load with humnitarian aid supplies takes a little bit of time, but you can bet the troops worked far longer than their work days to get the changes in place for load outs. That happaned in all units, reseves, National Guard, and active duty. The fact that the Coast Guard could jump in the game so quickly is that type of work is one of their primary mission areas (Search and Rescue), so they are fitted out for that effort, hence the rapid response from that service. The Nintendo, cell phone, XBox instant gratification culture response from the people. Great. We have become spoiled by technology to the point we have no patience when thens are off th tracks. Grow up, and get with the program. You'll be happier when you can accept that life isn't always delivered to you 1) your way and 2) when you want it. Decision making. All forms of communications evaporated. When was the last time "we" exercised without the "stuff" we think will always be there? I suggest just a handfull of people even could project their voice to a crowd or unit for longer than a few minutes without going hoarse. The "art" of pushing your voice out to a large area, and still be intelligible is pretty much gone. It will be a useful method for the next few days, before amplificed systems can once more make us lazy. Oh, back to decision making. I can't recall who was posting it, it seems to me it was either Yankee Sailor of CDR Salamander, both still active Navy guys, but the discussion was wrapped around the fact that they had so many ways to keep in contact with the "boss" that they never really had to/got to make decisions. When you don't "go there" as a result of not so good decisions, sometimes you end up never developing the skills needed to make tough, fast, and effective decisions. The NOPD and Fire Department were in that fix. Not only could they no call to ask how to handle things, and therefore had to decide themselves, the "system" relies on being able to communicate and call in help, such as police backup or more firefighting capacity when the situation gets too big to handle. So, the local authorities are kinda overwhelmed, and in an environment they never envisioned. Some people folded, other rose to the occassion. On the concept of practicing without, I once graded a "selected exercise" (meaning it was the one for the books for the readiness guys) for a cruiser. The drill was a an exercise in how to handle a nuclear attack. One of the things the Damage Control Assistant had to do was calculate the radiation values. Once the simulated bomb burst had occurred and geiger counter reading being passed to Damage Control Central, he reached in his drawer and picked up his little creidt card sized calculator. I told him to put it away, that the electomagnetic pulse of the blast had fried the electronic brains. The look of horror crossed his face, part for my directing him, part because he knew that would be the case. He hadn't practiced "punching the pubs," so he felt lost. He regained his composure, and got to work. He did fine, but may have done better later Following "The Plan." We Americans are great at making plans, but we so much more prefer "winging it" when the barbarians are at the gate. I think one reason is that unless you're the poor person who got strapped with typing up "The Plan" (hereinafter referred to as "TP"), no one knows it well enough to carry it out. Now, since the TP is so ominous looking in volumes I through V, no one else will pick it up and read it, except for us few "by the Book" types... So much for drifting along in the stream of consciousness today. Typos and gramatical things are placed within this post for you reading pleasure....

The Derelict Hull

I fear the object of my post my now have become history as a result of Hurricane Katrina, but, then again, maybe not….

For those who have spent some time in the BB&G in Pascagoula, MS, you will know of the old wooden hull grounded in the mud on the east bank of the Pascagoula River. For the rest of you, know this is a "sea story," and therefore, is truth.

The USS SPRUANCE (DD-963) was built in (then) Ingalls Shipbuilding and Drydock on the gulf coast of Mississippi. It was commissioned in 1975, and the first of 31 (30 were originally planned, then the one more was added to the procurement) destroyers of the class. I was a "plank owner" (initially assigned crewmember) on the 22^nd hull of the class, USS LEFTWICH (DD-984) and was first "exposed" to the industrial shipyard lifestyle of a new ship in July 1979. While there, I learned of a new tradition that had begun during the days of the SPRUANCE Class building.

As you travel west on Hiway 90 through Pascagoula towards Gautier, you eye caught a old fishing boat hull imbedded in the mud, stern in, bow out towards the river, just a few yards north of the bridge. The decks had long since caved in, but the mast was still standing skyward. The wooden hull was a disgusting brown tone, showing the inattention given to the boat as a whole. As you got abreast of the vessel, there was a white set of numbers on a haze grey rectangle painted near the stem, in the approximate position that would mimic a set of hull numbers painted on a US Navy warship. The paint for these numbers was generally pretty bright, as it was renewed about once a month for the “tradition” that had grown in the local area, as a good natured joke between ship’s crews.

During the rapid building of the SPRUANCE Class, there was generally a number of sailors and officers present for several of the ships. Obviously, the closer to commissioning, the larger the crew assigned. While I was there for two months prior to the commissioning of the LEFTWICH, the full crew of the JOHN ROGERS (DD-983), a better part of the CUSHING’s (DD-985) crew was around, and then the core of the HARRY W HILL’s (DD-985) where there. The ships were being commissioned about a month apart, so it was a busy time.

When I arrived in July, the wooden hull was marked with "983." ROGERS would be the next ship commissioned. The night before commissioning of the NICHOLSON (DD-982), that crew had made off with some government issue white and haze grey paint and sent a detail out to honor the ROGERS by painting their hull number up on this derelict hull. A few days after my arrival, the ROGERS commissioned, and lo and behold, when we went to work from our barracks the next morning, the numbers “984” had replaced the "983." It was the local tradition….

One the night before our commissioning, who were we to break the pattern? A small detail did their job and put up the CUSHING's "985." The day after our commissioning, we sailed south west towards the Panama Canal, as Hurricanes Daniel and Frederick churned towards the Gulf of Mexico, our time at Ingalls over for the next few months.

In late January 80, we sailed to Pascagoula from our homeport of San Diego for both warranty work (a standard yard period after the ship had been operated for about 6 months), to be followed by a several month shipyard restricted availability (SRA), where we would have upgrades of radars and weapons installed. Since our departure from Pacagoula the prior August, several more SPRUANCE Class destroyers had joined the fleet. The expectation was there certainly should have been something like the hull number of the FIFE or the FLETCHER on the derelict hull by then, but that was not the case.

I actually knew before the rest of the crew, having driven ahead of the ship to be the liaison between the shipyard and SUPSHIP reps and our crew. I arrived about a week before the ship did. I crossed the bridge heading east into town and looked at the boat, only to see a not so brightly white "984" adorning the unseaworthy hull. As it turned out, the Commanding Officer of the CUSHING had waited until after we sailed for our home port and sent his crew out to paint over 985 with our hull number. Subsequently, no other crew felt the inclination to poke fun at the hulls behind them in the commissioning sequence, hence the fact the white paint of our hull number was no longer so fresh.

At some point after the ship arrived, some of our sailors went out one night to undo the "honor" bestowed on us. I can claim that the LEFTWICH had her hull number on display longer than any of the other SPRUANCEs and most likely longer than any ship built at Ingalls.

In 1984, I flew to Pascagoula in preparation for the overhaul my ship, USS CONOLLY (DD-979) would soon be going through. I was happy to note that there was a "5" painted on the derelict’s bow for the USS PELELIU (LHA-5), which was finishing up construction at the time.