Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Letting Punches Fly
On my daily blogorounds, I’ve seen a lot of people talking about the civil war that will undoubtedly happen in Iraq. Oh well, I’ve got news for you – it was bound to happen, whether you want to believe that the war was handled exactly as it should have been, or if you’re an Iraqi revolutionary who has been waiting for Saddam to get the boot so you could take your message to the streets. Back in 2004, intelligence officials stated that a best-case scenario for Iraq involved a civil war, and that the worst case scenario involved massive attacks against our troops, as well as our enemies dropping bombs (read: nukes). Frankly, I don’t think any of us truly know what’s going on in the streets unless you happen to be deployed. Even then, unless you work in intelligence, scuttlebutt can be as deadly as an RPG.
When we decided to head over to Iraq, remove Saddam, and search for WMD, our military had the brilliant plan to preserve the infrastructure of Iraq in order to prevent undue spending when rebuilding the country. I think it was a great idea, and after seeing how the natives dealt with dust being trampled next to various mosques, I don’t think it could have been handled any other way. But the natives are who we’re really up against, and you have to remember that we’re deal with third world people who are still living in the days of the crusades. On top of that, many of them are Muslims, a culture, religion, and way of life that I still believe it incompatible with modern society as a whole. If you think the IRA was bad with their ventures to destroy the status quo, you have yet to meet a bitter Muslim.
This civil war was bound to happen, and letting the people who hate each other the most go toe-to-toe to duke it out is probably one of the best things to happen. If you don’t think there are generals who are cheering each other with bottles of ice-cold Miller, you’re stuck with your head in the sand. If you remember back to the good ol’ U.S. of A., we had our very own civil war due to pent-up aggression. The civil war went through and did an old-fashioned binge and purge of those who were holding back society as a whole, and also put it on paper as to where every person in this country stood. We sustained a massive loss of life, but it also cemented a sense of pride in every American who wanted to stand up for what this country really meant to them. Regardless of what side you were on, you believed in what you were fighting for. I can’t think of a better example of the law of unintended consequences that what is happening in Iraq; the militias will be creeping out from underneath their rocks, the natives will develop a sense of pride that they were too scared to unleash under Saddam, and that same pent-up aggression will finally relieve itself.
Does that mean I want to see a few months of hardcore violence? Hell no, that’s never a good thing. But in terms of reinforcing the top of the pressure cooker that is known as the Middle East, I say let it blow. We’ve been encouraging these people to man-up and handle problems on their own, and if that means we sit on the sidelines while they handle their own problems for once, then I say let the punches fly.
Do the Dew
There are some people who should be locked-up and jailed for the rest of their lives, based only on the infraction, and without their day in court. This is one of those dirtbags.
A disturbing case was discovered Tuesday about a Central Ohio man who allegedly told police he likes to drink the urine of adolescent boys.
Alan Patton, 54, is in jail after allegedly telling Gahanna police that he enjoys drinking urine.
Detective Ron Fithen interviewed Patton after he was arrested while leaving a movie theater last weekend.
“Listening to his describe it, it’s like listening to a crack or cocaine addict. He’s addicted to children’s urine,” Fithen said.
According to police, Patton said he’s been drinking urine for years.
“He told us he’s been doing it over 40 years, since he was 7 years old,” Fithen said.
Police said Patton goes to family restaurants and movie theaters and waits for boys in a bathroom stall. Investigators said he shuts off the water to the child-level urinal and puts a cup in the bottom.
Patton allegedly told police that he leaves the stall after the child leaves.
“He goes back and retrieves the cup and drinks the urine,” Fithen said.
Police said Patton told them it makes him sick, but that it’s almost spiritual to him. He allegedly added, “I like it because it makes me closer to them—like I’m drinking their youth.”
A New Albany father played a role in Patton’s arrest. He told someone at a movie theater that Patton was staring at his son in the bathroom. The theater employee then called police.
Officials said Patton is a registered sexual predator, who was convicted of rape 13 years ago.
Police believe Patton has been collecting and drinking urine in cities around Central Ohio, including Hilliard, Westerville, Dublin, Worthington and Gahanna.
Ah man, that’s just gross.
Bush Failed.
This is the mantra....one I have read at Right-Thinking, one at Andrew Sullivan...and I’ve seen it all over the blogsphere.
Did he fail? Well?
In Iraq? Did he fail?
We are fighting an enemy not tied to a nation-state. They are able to hit us without traditional methodology, and without direct support from a central government. They match the race and culture of the Iraqis, and they are the ones we are at war with. The government of Iraq does not support them, yet the battle goes on within their country.
The goal of the terrorists is to start a civil war. They attack Sh’ia because of this, because they realize the angst that the Sh’ia had for Saddam and the Sunni that he supported. They know opportunists like al-Sadr and the Iranians will be eager to fight and gain a political advantage. They realize that if the Sh’ia throw down the gauntlet and go on the all-out offensive, there will be sectarian war.
I have read Andrew Sullivan and William Buckley say that Bush has been the cause of this sectarian violence. Both men suggest, implicitly and/or explicitly, that the nation was better under Saddam Hussein.
That is a load of bullshit. From two men that are smart enough to understand better.
More below.
Monday, February 27, 2006
D&D Characters
This is pretty cool if you ever played…
***
You Are A:
Chaotic Good Half-Elf Ranger
Sunday, February 26, 2006
When I was much younger
I listened to a syndicated radio show by this weird guy who called himself “Doctor Demento”. He would play some of the strangest and funniest songs I ever heard: “They’re Coming To Take Me Away”, “Making Love In A Subaru”, “I’m Looking Over My Dead Dog Rover”, “Kinko, the Kid-Loving Clown” and this week’s share.
The song is by Kip Adotta, and is hilariously punny.
As always, right-click to save.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Iraq Civil War, Continued…..
I’m going to try and get info on what is going on in Iraq at present...it is hard to get clear real-time news out of there, and I am nervous about it, as I stated before.
Healing Iraq posts here, with some audio files of nearby gunfire. I listened, but I’m no expert. Maybe a concentration of what would otherwise be termed ‘sporadic’ fire?
Iraq the Model has no posts from the 24th yet.
Al Jazeera reports on the bombing of a Sh’ia tomb. Not much else, save remarks about al-Sadr calling for his ‘militias’ (read: thugs and criminals)not to attack Sunnis.
The BBC has a take. Basically, they say that it seems to be ebbing a bit. That matches what The Belmont Club and Bill Roggio have been saying, and I consider them a lot more educated than I.
I’ll check back in in a few. I’m posting the link at The Belmont Club. Go there for some damned fine analysis.
UPDATE: Reuters reports here. Americans are keeping a low profile and letting the Iraqis hash this out for now. a good thing, if you ask me.
It seems that most of the news outlets are reporting a leveling off in the violence.
In a small break to give good news, it looks like the US Forces bagged a top Al Qaeda guy in Baghdad today (Iraq’s 2-24). Any port in a storm. Thanks to Security Watchtower.
Newsday.com has an article from just a few minutes ago. It is looking more and more that the Iraqis have stepped to the brink, and are doing their damnedest to step back. It also appears that al Sadr is trying to come out of this as a stronger political force than he was when it started. Lastly, it looks as if the Iraqi security forces are holding their own in this, and not running or being pushed over by either the Sh’ia or Sunni.
Note that people were walking to mosque. Open warfare would preclude that. The violence seems to be sporadic at this time, and localized around certain mosques....a very few mosques.
Make sure you comment freely about this. I’ll post and respond to comments, ya’ know!!
DOD updates from CENTCOM: US soldiers found and destroyed a weapons cache. So, as a commenter on The Belmont Club asked, where are the Americans? They’re still there, doing what is needed to starve and kill the real enemy, the terrorists.
An Iraqi blogger whom I have never read, 24 Steps to Liberty, tells us that the road to civil war is being aided by the wrong reporting on what is happening. Go there. Read that blog. Daily.
Arab News has a relatively new article, less than an hour old, telling of another Sheikh asking for calm in Iraq.
Looks like the curfew is going to be extended into Saturday, according to a story I saw at Global Security.
Slow news now, as it is 3:10 or so in the morning. I’ll check back in later, unless something big occurs. Again, comment freely, or add info in the Comments section if I miss anything.
UPDATE 2-25 at 0746 EST: CNN is reporting an attack on a funeral and a reported home invasion. However, again, this isn’t a huge, widespread war. This is more along the lines of two incidents within a state of tension. Note how the mention of al-Sadr’s militias is a steady theme.....he didn’t waste a lot of time in rolling his guys out, did he?
Update 12:29 EST: Iraq the Model reports that the MSM has been printing exaggerated numbers. Also, it appears that the Iraqi government is now making direct requests that the militias stand down. Let’s see if they do, because I think that they are al-Sadr’s political tool of choice....he’s still in the ‘old’ mindset of intimidation, and he’s being bankrolled by Iran. If the Iraqi government can stand down the militias without a fight, they will come out of the current situation ahead of the game.
UPDATE 11:08 EST 2-26: Healing Iraq is on the horn again, but he is more mistrusting of the government numbers. However, a careful read of his entry seems to back up what we have been hearing...that the violence is sporadic and is not a widespread phenomenon. It also mentions that American forces are operating in the background, steadying the Iraqi forces that are deployed to qwell any outbreak of violence.
UAE and you know what.
The Dubai Ports World company has decided to delay its transaction....a transaction that would transfer to itself the operations of six high-volume American ports...so that the American government can debate the transaction itself.
I have no problem with that. It is a proper function of the Congress to debate this, especialy if they have problems with it. It doesn’t have to be a rush job. Even though I think that the people that are opposing this are opposing it for reasons that are easily disproven, it is good to bring all the facts out to the public.
I truly think that the facts about the UAE government, and it’s alliance with the United States in the War on Terror, will lend itself to approval of the transaction. Also, since the security of the ports is not the responsibility of this company, or the UAE, that red herring will be quickly dispelled.
It’s fine. I think debate (reasoned, non-political debate) and exposure will show this resistance for what it is...a knee jerk reaction by some, a slight pan-Arab unsuredness by others, and a union reaction to the purchase itself, which has been largely ignored by the press.
But not by me. The Left has been economically protectionist (read: Unions who heavily donate to Democrats are fiercely opposed to foreign investment of any kind...see NAFTA) for quite some time, and this agreement will bring the most efficient ports operator on the planet to our shores. I believe that this is a factor in Democratic resistance, and this reason, along with the standard “If Bush likes it, it must be wrong” mentality, is going to be exposed as this transaction is debated on the Internet and the Old Media.
I just heard on 610 WTVN that the NY/NJ ports have filed a civil suit in hopes of blocking the transfer of port operation. Here’s a link to a North Jersey website with the story. Again....this is a knee-jerk reaction, and a case of political opportunism.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Iraqi Civil War
Is it too late to stop one from occurring?
I don’t know.
It makes me nervous. I’m not one that is totally against the Adnimistration (like Andrew Sullivan), because these people have a lot of brains and not a lot of sense. People that could not understand the reasons why we didn’t put 500,000 soldiers in Iraq, why we worked it the way we did, and why it has come to this, won’t be able to give the President or SecDef any credit.
To be perfectly blunt, I am nervous because the al Qaeda people hit the perfect target at the perfect time. Their move was tactically brilliant and strategically genius.
More below.
An e-mail and a new link
The link is to The Emirates Economist, and this is the e-mail I sent him.
Before I post it.....he commented on my post about the ports transaction, and agreed with it. Since it appears that the rest of the blogsphere is starting to come around on the subject (except those who still want to use the issue to bludgeon the President), and we sent e-mails back and forth this morning.
This is one of my responses:
I have been thinking back to that time....in 1988, when I spent time there. It was clear that they (the UAE) were our allies then.
I saw the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the drydock, with a hole blown all the way through her...I was involved in Operation Praying Mantis (I was in the Navy). When the Iranians sortied out to attack UAE oil platforms, that proved something to me, and it calls across the years....if the Iranians were lashing out at the UAE for the American attack, it meant that the UAE stood against them, too.
Further, sitting in a park in Abu Dhabi, watching fathers play with their children as the sun dropped in the western sky, it was clear that these people were more like us than different. They were urban, educated, middle-class, and working towards civility and modernity.
If that’s a purely emotional thought, than so be it.
I knew that further prying into the issue would enlighten the thoughtful parts of the punditry, and illuminate those that were using this transaction as either a weapon to bash the President with, or to hand their own pet interests on.
I will link up to your blog and read it often.
UPDATE from Drum: It is now Blogrolled.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
On a pogo stick
I was stopping by over at Cold Fury and found the link to this little gem, and all I can do is echo Mike.
A comment about this - found at the very bottom of the entry: “I AM (mostly) a Democrat, and I’m a mother, and I wouldn’t buy this book if it were the only way to preserve the English language after the apocalypse.”
That’s gonna leave a mark…
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
What the hell is a ‘Port Storm”?
I’ve been ‘Drudging’, and I was ever-so-slightly surprised at the way the President is coming out swinging.
Well, I have an opinion.
I love Michelle Malkin, and most of the right-leaning blogsphere, but I am of the opinion that Bush is right on this. Maybe that is counter-intuitive, and maybe that’s not very popular, but I am on his side in this one.
The United Arab Emirates are an ally of ours. I was in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the governments there are exceedingly friendly to the United States. The U.A.E. helped when the USS Samuel B. Roberts was damaged by Iranian mines in 1988, and was the target of an attempted Iranian attack during Operation Praying Mantis. The ship was patched up at the U.A.E., before they took her back home to Newport.
Also, they are a moderate government, and occupy a strategic position at the Straits of Hormuz.
And, yes, I see the logic in being distrustful of this nation....it is rational to be mistrustful of nations whose banks helped fund the 9-11 attack and Wahabbism. I cannot argue against that point. However, we need to make allies in the region...that is probably part of the point of the Administration wants to make....we can’t exclude moderate Arab nations economically. To do so would invite the same problems that face other Arab nations (underemployment, lack of socio-economic mobility, etc.)....we need to stay engaged economically and politically with them. We need to maintain the ‘trust’ factor with the allied governments, and especially the more moderate ones, such as Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE.
The UAE have no WMD’s. They are not an aggressor nation, and they sit in the middle of the Iranian/Saudi region. If they have proven to be a valuable ally in the past, and if they passed what I am sure had to be a rigorous vetting (especially since they are an Arab nation, and this is post-9-11), then I think this is being overblown.
Remember, WE are doing all the security checks, and we are forcing them, as part of the deal, to implement the security protocols that WE demand. Read the article here to get a full report on that.
Bush is not a political idiot. He wouldn’t just allow the ports to be sold to an enemy interest....that would be like FDR selling ports to the Japanese in 1942. I think that we need to look at this, and not allow ourselves to be rash in this. It’s too easy.
Also...all the people that have been going nuts about our killing Arabs in Iraq are now waving Old Glory and screaming that Bush is an idiot over this. I have to tell you....you need to look at that and wonder. There is a difference between going to war over Islamofascism and hiring an Arab company to run some of our ports...especialy if that company is friendly to our interests.
The UAE are not a friend of Iran or Syria. Again, they are not extremists. They are our allies.
Comment freely.
UPDATE: Welcome INSTAPUNDIT readers!! The Professor (a.k.a. Blogfather) was kind enough to link over to Drumwaster.com, and my thanks are to him, and all of you. Please, stay for a while, take a look at the other articles here at Drumwaster, and make us a habit!
UPDATE (2-22-2006, 12:52 PM EST): A couple notes that I need to make here, especially after info has started coming out about this.
I do not think that the Democrats are in this because of ‘national security’ They’ve been far too weak on it as a whole. I think one should look at the money.....actually, the union money paid to the representatives and senators of the affected areas. I would hazard a guess that this resistance from what were the main critics of everything about the War on Terror is more based on the possible loss of union jobs at these ports. It is important to remember that the Democrats are against foreign investment (as a rule, but with some exceptions) because of their union donors. The national security issue that the opponents of the sale are voicing is a non-issue.
Why is it a non-issue? Because the company that will be operating the ports will have nothing to do with the security protocols! That job is the duty of the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard. If anyone has a beef with GWB about security, that’s where the emphasis should be. Increase the resources there. This company out of the UAE is being required (again, as part of the deal) to allow the security standards and practices that the government feels to be necessary. If those standards aren’t high enough, then it doesn’t matter what company operates the terminals....it’s the responsibility of the DHS.
It is very, very easy to judge this transaction on the surface. It is. And, I am not faulting anyone for having a contrary reaction to it...some people I respect very deeply (Michelle Malkin, for example) have huge reservations about this, and are voraciously against it. I think debate is healthy. However, I am more and more sure that this is a non-issue....there will be no drop-off in security, as the UAE (as a nation) is an ally in the War on Terror. They have been an ally for 20 years. The LAST thing they want is for a bomb to get through......even though they have no control over that. They know there would be war, and that they would be destroyed as a nation. They (the government) hate Al Qaeda, and they know that the way to stay in the good graces of a post-9-11 America is to aid in the War on Terror.
A lot of the Arab states are looking at this as a bigotry within our government....that isn’t the case, in my opinion. Not entirely. It makes sense to be wary. We are at war...but the UAE isn’t the enemy. Iran is. Wahabbism and Islamofascism are. The UAE is neither of those things.
Lastly, and I’ve said this before, this President is not afraid to take a hit at the polls to do something or stand for something he believes in.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Generation Gap
Val Prieto has a link on his blog about a brave schoolteacher who takes it upon herself to challenge students who wear those t-shirts that have Che Guevara’s picture on them. It’s worth clicking over and reading Val’s other entries on the topic, but if you’re too lazy or just lack the time, you can find it here. In summary, the schoolteacher asks her students questions like whether or not they would wear a shirt with Hitler’s face on it, receiving looks from the students as if she was a two-headed serpent. I think it’s hard to people to understand how good we have it in the good ol’ U.S. of A. sometimes - face it, we’re spoiled. The vast majority of us realize how good we have it, and I think it’s displayed through our hard work and tenacity. You’d be hard pressed to find a modern country that works as hard as American’s have over the past 300 years or so, and you’ll be equally challenged in finding a country that has had as many developements as we have in such a short period of time. Hopefully we’re not losing our knack for creation, and I sure as hell hope that we can launch a better Olympic team within the next four years.
Anyway, speaking of Cuba, I was down at the Havana Beach Cafe over the weekend. It’s a bit of a drive from my house, but if you live in or around the central Los Angeles area, my estimates will put you in a seat in the restaurant in about 15 minutes. It’s well worth it, and after trying at least 10 Cuban restaurants in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, this one takes the cake. I start off every meal with an order of Papas Rellenas. They’re potato-breaded balls filled with a seasoned ground beef, and they make every Cuban meal complete. Here’s a recipe I found and fine-tuned after being exposed to these guys a few years back:
Papas Rellenas
Red Onion Garnish:
1/2 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsps. aji amarillo (hot yellow pepper, peeled, seeded and purèed)
1 1/2 tsps. sugar
4 1/2 cups red onions, very thinly sliced
as needed saltPicadillo:
1 lb., 4 oz. beef top round steak, well-trimmed
8 oz. onion, quartered
8 oz. tomatoes, quartered
1 each bay leaf
1 1/2 qts. water
2 tsps. vegetable oil
12 oz. diced onions
1 tsp. chopped garlic
4 tsps. all-purpose flour
2 tsps. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. paprika
Cayenne pepper, as needed
1 1/2 Tbsps. chopped green olives
1 1/2 Tbsps. raisins
Salt and pepper, to tastePotato wrap:
8 lbs. white potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Salt, as needed1. For the red onion garnish: Whisk together lime juice, hot pepper and sugar. Pour over onions; season to taste with salt, and chill overnight. Drain before using.
2. For the picadilllo: In a stockpot, combine beef, quartered onions, tomatoes, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Cool; chop beef into 1/8” dice. Strain cooking liquid; reserve 3/4 cup. In sautè pan, heat oil until hot. Sautè diced onion and garlic until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in 4 tsps. flour, oregano, paprika and cayenne pepper. Add beef, reserved cooking liquid, olives and raisins; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill before using.
3. For the potato wrap: Place potatoes in a pot; cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; pass hot potatoes through a ricer. Stir in 1 cup flour until blended; season to taste with salt. Cover and chill before using.
4. Flour hands well. Place 1/2 cup potato mixture in the palm of your hand; make an indentation for the filling. Add 2 Tbsps. picadillo mixture; wrap potato around filling to enclose completely. Shape into flat oval. Place on well-floured sheet pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form a total of 24 papas rellenas. Cover; chill before using.
5. For each serving: In a sautè pan, heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil; cook 1 papa rellena until browned on both sides and heated through. Serve with 2 Tbsps. red onion garnish.
Enjoy!
President’s Day
So… which of the 42 prior Presidents have been the best? Which were the worst?
And tell me why.
(I’m taking Dubya out of the running because he is still in the Hot Seat, and we won’t know all that facts for several years anyway.)
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Yum Yum Klum
I always enjoy optical illusions.
But these will get you in trouble if you are at work.
This week’s selection
This week’s selection was a little ditty written by Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen, who had mild success with it. It was redone by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, with a few minor changes to the lyrics and it went all the way to #1 of Billboard’s Hot 100 for 1977.
So I now present to you the extended version of ”Blinded By The Light”.
Right-Click to save, and lyrics can be found below the fold…
(No, I don’t know what they are supposed to “really” mean.)