Pole Dancing In The Dark

St. Andwho?

Well, since The Maximum Leader over at Naked Villainy wished me a Happy St. Andrew's Day, I decided that it behooved (is that a word?) me to find out more about this St. Andrew person. See, as being adopted and all, I wasn’t aware of my heritage until fairly recently* (about 10 years – which is a relatively short amount of time to learn anything about your heritage. Especially seeing as I didn’t grow up in an environment that acknowledged it. Instead I grew up in a household that ate sauerkraut and bratwurst and all sorts of evvvilllll things – which thinking on it isn’t really all that nasty when it is compared to Haggis.) Back to my point… what was it again?

Oh yeah, St. Andrew. Now, no offense is meant to my Scottish brethren, but to me, St. Andrew seems a bit of a slacker in the saintly category. Or perhaps that is just because there aren’t a lot of records of him. Most Catholics (including the recovering ones… i.e. me) are well aware of St. Peter’s (denial) part in the story (Andrew’s brother, if you don’t want to bother reading the link) but Andrew… not so much. True, according to the link, he helped to spread the word of Christianity to Greece and Asia Minor, but why would that make him the patron saint of Scotland? Hell, he didn’t even have the energy to actually make it to Scotland himself. Instead he died, rotted, waited around for a few years to have another Saint come and carry some of his bits to Scotland. Why wasn’t St. Rule the patron saint? He’s the one that did all the cartin’.

Ok, before anyone gets their knickers in a twist – I ma just having a bit of fun. I mean no disrespect to St. Andrew. Nor any to my Scottish brothers and sisters. Maybe a little disrespect to the wacky Catholics – because they are just fun to pick on. Maybe someday when I save up enough money, I will make a trip to Scotland to celebrate. Anyway, to everyone who knows about this holiday, Happy St. Andrew’s Day!

* - and yet oddly enough, I had all ready mastered the creation of the hot toddie and have a weakness for whiskey... should have been a dead give-away.

Thanksgiving

I wanted to do this while I was on vacation but as the saying goes – Time Flies when you’re having fun. Anyway, since it is the season and I believe that Thanksgiving is an important holiday, despite the fact that it hasn’t been over commercialized to the point of frantic paced shopping hell, I wanted to list a few things that I am thankful for this year.

1. Always and forever I am thankful for the gift of love personified in the hubster. Despite the fact that I have been rather cranky lately, he has been extremely patient with me even though he has had his own set backs. Dude, that teacher is an asshat not to recognize. You know that, I know that.
2. Kitties three – I am thankful to them for keeping me humble and for them reminding me that sometimes it isn’t really all about me. It’s all about them. It’s a nice reality check about my place in the universe when one of them scampers on me brain pan at 2 AM. They too are patient with me (all though, not as patient as the hubster) and they are cute and furry and make this wonderful purring noise when they fall asleep on me. They play this to their full advantage.
3. My parents – first, for adopting this stray and for the nurturing throughout the years. Also, for putting up with me when I do get cranky and the support and counseling on the things that have been going on which I will not mention here. Sometimes it is nice to bounce things off of someone else’s head besides the hubsters.
4. His parents – for the financial help when we needed, for listening when we needed and for the over all welcome I have all ways felt from them both.
5. A renewed friendship that has just taken place. I had no idea how much I missed this friend until she came back into my life.
6. Virtual friends – to all those that have touched my life… you have all had a much more profound impact on me than I will ever lead you to believe. It’s a short coming of mine, but I am working on it. Just don’t want to seem all sappy.
7. My job – as much as I bitch about it, I am glad to have it. It’s a good job in a nice place… it can sometimes be overwhelmingly stressful as it tests my skills, but I walk away with more knowledge, and that’s not such a bad payoff. Plus – hey! Paycheck. Ya gotta like that – besides, it helps repay the financial help received in number 4.

I know there is more, I just have work to do, so I can’t get into it now. Anyway, I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday. I know I did. And I beat the ghostie chick into submission… who is the mack mommy – hells yeah, I am!

PS: Just in case some of you have F.E.A.R. on your wish list for Christmas – it is a great heavy spooky atmospheric wild ride, but it seemed really short. That’s all I am saying about it, don’t want to spoil it.

Can't Talk Now

I'm hunting creepy little ghostie girlies... and before you whinge about her ghostie rights - you should have seen what she did to my squad...

I know that the picture says demo, but hubster just gave me the complete version which is installed and addictive... gaming crack.....mmmmmm...

If I don't talk to you all sooner, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday.

From the front lines

For those who don't know, my father in law is a retired Marine. I guess he and a bunch of his Marine breathern have either a DL or a message board of some kind. Anyway, he received this and then sent it on to the hubster, whom naturally forwarded it on to me. Then I exposed my blog site to the family in an effort to receive permission to post it. That is how important this was to me. Here is the letter unchanged except I xxxx'ed the soldiers name out to avoid causing him any grief. Also, since I was unable to figure out exactly who wrote the letter in the first place, I do not have their permission. If you are indeed the author and it does bother you, I will take it down. (Oh, and just because I don't know who you are, I can use my father in law as a resource, I'm sure he knows if someone is lying to me.)

With out further ado:

Hi Guys--

I'm ordinarily a non-posting lurker who's real glad to be in the loop of your educated exchanges and occasionally over-the edge cross-fires. Thanks.

I think you'll find the following very interesting: [Bob White]

Sent: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 19:43:46 -0500
Subject:Very good SITREP on Weapons, Tactics,etc:

Got this from a former Marine first sergeant - thought you might be interested in his son's assessment of weapons and enemy tactics in Iraq (the boy is home from his first tour, going back in early 2006, and early re-enlisted for another 4 years.)

Hello to all my fellow gunners, military buffs, veterans and interested guys. A couple of weekends ago I got to spend time with my son xxxxxx, who was on his first leave since returning from Iraq. He is well (a little thin), and already bored. He will be returning to Iraq for a second tour in early '06 and has already re-enlisted early for 4 more years. He loves the Marine Corps and is actually looking forward to returning to Iraq.

xxxxxx spent 7 months at "Camp Blue Diamond" in Ramadi. Aka: Fort Apache. He saw and did a lot and the following is what he told me about weapons, equipment, tactics and other miscellaneous info which may be of interest to you. Nothing is by any means classified. No politics here, just a Marine with a bird's eye view's opinions:

1) The M-16 rifle : Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the talcum powder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. xxxxxx says you feel filthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They like the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picattiny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits cant be reliably counted on to put the enemy down. Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents shows a high level of opiate use.

2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon): .223 cal. Drum fed light machine gun. Big thumbs down. Universally considered a piece of shit. Chronic jamming problems, most of which require partial disassembly. (that's fun in the middle of a firefight).

3) The M9 Beretta 9mm: Mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in desert environment; but they all hate the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm: Bad guys hit multiple times and still in the fight.

4) Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun: Works well, used frequently for clearing houses to good effect.

5) The M240 Machine Gun: 7.62 Nato (.308) cal. belt fed machine gun, developed to replace the old M-60 (what a beautiful weapon that was!!). Thumbs up. Accurate, reliable, and the 7.62 round puts 'em down. Originally developed as a vehicle mounted weapon, more and more are being dismounted and taken into the field by infantry. The 7.62 round chews up the structure over there.

6) The M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun: Thumbs way, way up. "Ma deuce" is still worth her considerable weight in gold. The ultimate fight stopper, puts their dicks in the dirt every time. The most coveted weapon in-theater.

7) The .45 pistol: Thumbs up. Still the best pistol round out there. Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying to get their hands on one. With few exceptions, can reliably be expected to put 'em down with a torso hit. The special ops guys (who are doing most of the pistol work) use the HK military model and supposedly love it. The old government model .45's are being re-issued en masse.

8) The M-14: Thumbs up. They are being re-issued in bulk, mostly in a modified version to special ops guys. Modifications include lightweight Kevlar stocks and low power red dot or ACOG sights. Very reliable in the sandy environment, and they love the 7.62 round.

9) The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle: Thumbs way up. Spectacular range and accuracy and hits like a freight train. Used frequently to take out vehicle suicide bombers ( we actually stop a lot of them) and barricaded enemy. Definitely here to stay.

10) The M24 sniper rifle: Thumbs up. Mostly in .308 but some in 300 win mag. Heavily modified Remington 700's. Great performance. Snipers have been used heavily to great effect. Rumor has it that a marine sniper on his third tour in Anbar province has actually exceeded Carlos Hathcock's record for confirmed kills with OVER 100.

11) The new body armor: Thumbs up. Relatively light at approx. 6 lbs. and can reliably be expected to soak up small shrapnel and even will stop an AK-47 round. The bad news: Hot as shit to wear, almost unbearable in the summer heat (which averages over 120 degrees). Also, the enemy now goes for head shots whenever possible. All the bullshit about the "old" body armor making our guys vulnerable to the IED's was a non-starter. The IED explosions are enormous and body armor doesn't make any difference at all in most cases.

12) Night Vision and Infrared Equipment: Thumbs way up. Spectacular performance. Our guys see in the dark and own the night, period. Very little enemy action after evening prayers. More and more enemy being whacked at night during movement by our hunter-killer teams. We've all seen the videos.

13) Lights: Thumbs up. Most of the weapon mounted and personal lights are Surefire's, and the troops love 'em. Invaluable for night urban operations. xxxxxx carried a $34 Surefire G2 on a neck lanyard and loved it.

I cant help but notice that most of the good fighting weapons and ordnance are 50 or more years old!!!!!!!!! With all our technology, it's the WWII and Vietnam era weapons that everybody wants!!!! The infantry fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.

Bad guy weapons:

1) Mostly AK47's The entire country is an arsenal. Works better in the desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably. PKM belt fed light machine guns are also common and effective. Luckily, the enemy mostly shoots like shit. Undisciplined "spray and pray" type fire. However, they are seeing more and more precision weapons, especially sniper rifles. (Iran, again) Fun fact: Captured enemy have apparently marveled at the marksmanship of our guys and how hard they fight. They are apparently told in Jihad school that the Americans rely solely on technology, and can be easily beaten in close quarters combat for their lack of toughness. Let's just say they know better now.

2) The RPG: Probably the infantry weapon most feared by our guys. Simple, reliable and as common as dogshit. The enemy responded to our up-armored humvees by aiming at the windshields, often at point blank range. Still killing a lot of our guys.

3) The IED: The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Soviet anti-armor mines to jury rigged artillery shells. A lot found in xxxxxx's area were in abandoned cars. The enemy would take 2 or 3 155mm artillery shells and wire them together. Most were detonated by cell phone, and the explosions are enormous. You're not safe in any vehicle, even an M1 tank. Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there. Lately, they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made IED's are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. That's why the attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are ingenious, the latest being shape charges in Styrofoam containers spray painted to look like the cinderblocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We find about 40% before they detonate, and the bomb disposal guys are unsung heroes of this war.

4) Mortars and rockets: Very prevalent. The soviet era 122mm rockets (with an 18km range) are becoming more prevalent. One of xxxxxx's NCO's lost a leg to one. These weapons cause a lot of damage "inside the wire". xxxxxx's base was hit almost daily his entire time there by mortar and rocket fire, often at night to disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue (It did). More of a psychological weapon than anything else. The enemy mortar teams would jump out of vehicles, fire a few rounds, and then haul ass in a matter of seconds.

5) Bad guy technology: Simple yet effective. Most communication is by cell and satellite phones, and also by email on laptops. They use handheld GPS units for navigation and "Google earth" for overhead views of our positions. Their weapons are good, if not fancy, and prevalent. Their explosives and bomb technology is TOP OF THE LINE. Night vision is rare. They are very careless with their equipment and the captured GPS units and laptops are treasure troves of Intel when captured.

Who are the bad guys?:

Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and Ramadi). These are mostly "foreigners", non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim world (and Europe). Most enter Iraq through Syria (with, of course, the knowledge and complicity of the Syrian govt.) , and then travel down the "rat line" which is the trail of towns along the Euphrates River that we've been hitting hard for the last few months. Some are virtually untrained young Jihadists that often end up as suicide bombers or in "sacrifice squads". Most, however, are hard core terrorists from all the usual suspects (Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas etc.) These are the guys running around murdering civilians en masse and cutting heads off. The Chechens (many of whom are Caucasian), are supposedly the most ruthless and the best fighters. (they have been fighting the Russians for years). In the Baghdad area and south, most of the insurgents are Iranian inspired (and led) Iraqi Shiites. The Iranian Shiia have been very adept at infiltrating the Iraqi local govt.'s, the police forces and the Army. The have had a massive spy and agitator network there since the Iran-Iraq war in the early 80's. Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured or gave up long ago.

Bad Guy Tactics:

When they are engaged on an infantry level they get their asses kicked every time. Brave, but stupid. Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice 8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing Ak's and RPG's directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every time. ( see the M2 and M240 above). xxxxxx's base was hit like this often. When engaged, they have a tendency to flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and that's the end of that more often than not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeo's (Allah's Waiting Room). We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science. The fast mover's, mostly Marine F-18's, are taking an ever increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre gunships cut them to ribbons with cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all. Fun fact: The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45-50 thousand. That is why we're seeing less and less infantry attacks and more IED, suicide bomber shit. The new strategy is simple: attrition.

The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian casualties and therefore schools, hospitals and (especially) Mosques are locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons and ammo and flee to when engaged. They have absolutely no regard whatsoever for civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new Iraqi govt. Kidnapping of family members (especially children) is common to influence people they are trying to influence but cant reach, such as local govt. officials, clerics, tribal leaders, etc.).

The first thing our guys are told is "don't get captured". They know that if captured they will be tortured and beheaded on the internet. Zarqawi openly offers bounties for anyone who brings him a live American serviceman. This motivates the criminal element who otherwise don't give a shit about the war. A lot of the beheading victims were actually kidnapped by common criminals and sold to Zarqawi. As such, for our guys, every fight is to the death. Surrender is not an option.

The Iraqi's are a mixed bag. Some fight well, others aren't worth a shit. Most do okay with American support. Finding leaders is hard, but they are getting better. It is widely viewed that Zarqawi's use of suicide bombers, en masse, against the civilian population was a serious tactical mistake. Many Iraqi's were galvanized and the caliber of recruits in the Army and the police forces went up, along with their motivation. It also led to an exponential increase in good intel because the Iraqi's are sick of the insurgent attacks against civilians. The Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.

According to xxxxxx, morale among our guys is very high. They not only believe they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see shit like "Are we losing in Iraq" on TV and the print media. For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, there are not enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just cant stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally (with, of course, permanent US bases there).

Many thanks to those who are putting their lives on the line for something they believe in. Thanks for the honest update. Most of all, thanks to the hubster for staying up so late to reformat the letter for me as well as researching blockquotes... No bout a doubt it baby, you da best!

Well, that will teach me... apparently the Jawa Report saw the same thing a few days before me... Sorry... now I just need to double check snopes to see if it is true. I will delete it if not.

Europe, thy name is Cowardice

After double-checking with Snopes , I decided to post this. I also changed it (back to its orginal form) as Snopes indicated that "A number of readers fluent in German have pointed out that the English translation in circulation contains a passage that wasn't part of the original article; namely, "Even as it is uncovered that the loudest critics of the American action in Iraq made illicit billions, no, TENS of billions, in the corrupt U.N. Oil-for-Food program." The translation also increases the number of deaths due to Saddam's murder machinery from 300,000 to 500,000. "

I know that this article is almost a year old, but I hadn't seen it before Monday of this week. I also think that it is timely to resurface considering what has been going on in Paris and the excuses that are being made by those who should know better for those who insist on behaving this way. On with the email that I received :

It's fascinating that this should come out of Europe. Matthias Dapfner, Chief Executive of the huge German publisher Axel Springer AG, has written a blistering attack in DIE WELT, Germany's largest daily paper, against the timid reaction of Europe in the face of the Islamic threat. This is a must read by all Americans. History will certify its correctness.

EUROPE - THY NAME IS COWARDICE (Commentary by Mathias Dapfner CEO, Axel Springer, AG)

A few days ago Henry Broder wrote in Welt am Sonntag, "Europe - your family name is appeasement." It's a phrase you can't get out of your head because it's so terribly true.

Appeasement cost millions of Jews and non-Jews their lives as England and France, allies at the time, negotiated and hesitated too long before they noticed that Hitler had to be fought, not bound to toothless agreements.

Appeasement legitimized and stabilized Communism in the Soviet Union, then East Germany, then all the rest of Eastern Europe where for decades, inhuman suppressive, murderous governments were glorified as the ideologically correct alternative to all other possibilities.

Appeasement crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo, and even though we had absolute proof of ongoing mass-murder, we Europeans debated and debated and debated, and were still debating when finally the Americans had to come from halfway around the world, into Europe yet again, and do our work for us.

Rather than protecting democracy in the Middle East, European appeasement, camouflaged behind the fuzzy word "equidistance," now countenances suicide bombings in Israel by fundamentalist Palestinians.

Appeasement generates a mentality that allows Europe to ignore nearly
300,000 victims of Saddam's torture and murder machinery and, motivated by the self-righteousness of the peace-movement, has the gall to issue bad grades to George Bush...

And now we are faced with a particularly grotesque form of appeasement. How is Germany reacting to the escalating violence by Islamic fundamentalists in Holland and elsewhere? By suggesting that we really should have a "Muslim Holiday" in Germany?

I wish I were joking, but I am not. A substantial fraction of our (German) Government, and if the polls are to be believed, the German people, actually believe that creating an Official State "Muslim Holiday" will somehow spare us from the wrath of the fanatical Islamists.

One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville Chamberlain waving the laughable treaty signed by Adolph Hitler, and declaring European "Peace in our time".

What else has to happen before the European public and its political leadership get it? There is a sort of crusade underway, an especially perfidious crusade consisting of systematic attacks by fanatic Muslims, focused on civilians, directed against our free, open Western societies, and intent upon Western Civilization's utter destruction.

It is a conflict that will most likely last longer than any of the great military conflicts of the last century - a conflict conducted by an enemy that cannot be tamed by "tolerance" and "accommodation" but is actually spurred on by such gestures, which have proven to be, and will always be taken by the Islamists for signs of weakness.

Only two recent American Presidents had the courage needed for anti-appeasement: Reagan and Bush.

His American critics may quibble over the details, but we Europeans know the truth. We saw it first hand: Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War, freeing half of the German people from nearly 50 years of terror and virtual slavery. And Bush, supported only by the Social Democrat Blair, acting on moral conviction, recognized the danger in the Islamic War against democracy. His place in history will have to be evaluated after a number of years have passed.

In the meantime, Europe sits back with charismatic self-confidence in the multicultural corner, instead of defending liberal society's values and being an attractive center of power on the same playing field as the true great powers, America and China.

On the contrary - we Europeans present ourselves, in contrast to those arrogant Americans", as the World Champions of "tolerance", which even
(Germany's Interior Minister) Otto Schily justifiably criticizes.

Why? Because we're so moral? I fear it's more because we're so materialistic so devoid of a moral compass. For his policies, Bush risks the fall of the dollar, huge amounts of additional national debt, and a massive and persistent burden on the American economy - because unlike almost all of Europe, Bush realizes what is at stake - literally everything. While we criticize the "capitalistic robber barons" of America because they seem too sure of their priorities, we timidly defend our Social Welfare systems. Stay out of it! It could get expensive! We'd rather discuss reducing our 35-hour workweek or our dental coverage, or our 4 weeks of paid vacation... Or listen to TV pastors preach about the need to "reach out to terrorists. To understand and forgive".
These days, Europe reminds me of an old woman who, with shaking hands, frantically hides her last pieces of jewelry when she notices a robber breaking into a neighbor's house.

Appeasement?

Europe, thy name is Cowardice.

Kickin' Back

So, for some odd reason, Mother in law aquired the strange (and dangerous) idea of taking myself along with my two pregnant sister-in-laws on a little trip to Lenox, Massachusetts for a stay at the luxury resort/spa of Canyon Ranch. I took Joe along as a reward for being such an awesome guard as well as someone to balance out the overwhelming amount of estrogen. Even I, Miss Moody Blues, cannot handle quite the crushing capacity from the free flow of hormones with out getting a little crazy. Ok, crazier…

So, early Friday Morning – off we went. Mom In Law (here fore to known as MIL or Mom Stewart) was a very gracious host and didn’t even bat an eyelash when I introduced her to Joe. She said that he was more than welcome to join us as long as he stayed out of trouble. Then I regaled her and local sister in law with the story of how we met and Joe’s rescue. They were impressed with not only my superior life saving skills but also of Joe’s survival skills. They flattered him with their attention and the respect due to one of the nation’s finest – especially since this was Veteran’s Day.

After we arrived and took care of all the necessary check in things and finally were allowed to go to our rooms (you can’t get into your room until 3PM, we arrived around 12:30 PM) I started to unpack and relax, but Joe, ever vigilant, checked around the rooms for us to make sure there were the necessary safety measures in place as well as adequate security. And for a while he did what Joe does best – he stood guard while we chilled.

But it didn’t take him long to get into the spirit of things. He too started to unwind and even gave in when we badgered him to get a pedicure. He said that he was secure enough in his masculinity to actually subject himself to the paraffin wax treatment. We suggested some color for his toe nails – but he declined stating that it was a bit much and Jack would never let him live it down. I did offer to do the same to Jack while he slept, but Joe stood his ground on that point.

Joe and I headed out to the woods to do a little hiking in the lovely Lenox woods when ever we could. It was a beautiful weekend with much sun. It was crisp autumn weather perfect for such an activity because it was cool enough that you didn’t break a sweat, but warm enough that you didn’t need a hat or gloves. At one point, Joe was feeling a little boisterous and decided to go tree rat hunting. It didn’t take him long to spot his prey.

(Naturally, ya can’t see him because he is all busy with the camouflage. But let me assure you that he did well and ate very well that night. I declined on the squirrel stew, but in honesty, it did smell really yummy.)

Well, enough of the highlights of the trip – I have to get back to work.

Smell of Saline in the Morning

Joe and I are off to Lenox, Massachusetts with two pregnant women (sisters in law) and my mother in law - way too much estrogen. But Joe is tough, he'll survive. Jack is staying home to keep an eye on the kitties and hubster and keep them out of trouble. Joe is more travel size anyway.

Be back Monday. Maybe with pictures.

Happy Veteran's Day.

Happy Birthday to you...

To my father in law, and the rest of the gentlemen that I have the ultimate respect for - those who have served as one of the few, the proud...

Happy Marine Corps Birthday!!! Words cannot even begin to describe how grateful I am and how proud I am to know such fine folk.

Also, since I won’t have a chance tomorrow – Happy Veteran’s day for the rest of the nation’s finest who have served and to their families who have paid the ultimate cost. You are not unappreciated. There are many of us that are deeply thankful to you. And some of us just lack the words…

I guess Thank you will have to do.

Thank you!

Pokin' Fun at Paris

A little something hubster sent me today:

President Bush May Send Up To 5 Marines For French Assistance

President Bush has authorized the Joint Chiefs to begin drawing up a battle
plan to pull France's ass out of the fire again. Mr. Bush doubts France's
ability to hold out since they are facing an apparent overwhelming force of
up to 400 pissed off teenagers. "Hell, if the last two world wars are any
indication, I would expect France to surrender any day now", said Bush.

Joint Chiefs head, Gen. Peter Pace, warned the President that it might be
necessary to send up to 5 Marines to get things under control. The general
admitted that 5 Marines may be overkill but he wanted to get this thing
under control within 24 hours of arriving on scene. He stated he was having
a hard time finding even one Marine to help those ungrateful bastards out
for a third time but thought that he could persuade a few Women Marines to
do the job before they went on pregnancy leave.

President Bush asked Gen. Pace to get our Marines out of there as soon as
possible after order was restored. He also reminded Gen. Pace to make sure
the Marines did not take soap, razors, or deodorant with them. The less they
stand out, the better."

After all the crap the fou-fou have been dishin' in the American direction - here's a little right back at ya.

Update: His Rottieness seems to also be taking some glee in France's misfortune... but he makes a very valid point. Gee, how does it feel to be compared to America's largest natural disaster or even Baghdad? How does it feel to have the world judge you for your pathetic lack of inaction of what is going on in your own borders? Finally, where are all the bleeding heart Hollyweird liberals decrying the lack of aptitude for your government to take action on this? Hmmm? I suppose it’s ok to set a handicapped woman on fire if you are rioting in Paris… must be fashionable this year…

sorry, just feeling a little bitter...

dammit, hooked again

I am: a bulldog clip This powerful steel gripper won't let papers get away from each other!

Which is still better than what Brad's offices supply is ... at least to me.

shivers

very creepy.

shivers more