Monthly Archives: December 2012
Remembering Schwarzkopf: A Desert Storm Requiem
I decided to let the usual slew of media panegyrics to the recently departed general go by before offering some historical ground truth on the man’s role in the Gulf War Syndrome/chemical exposure story. This is from the chapter entitled … Continue reading
The View At Work On Christmas Eve
Even with the overcast and generally dreary conditions, it still looks pretty amazing. Now, as for the not-so-savory political bait-and-switch I see everyday when we’re actually in session and this place is occupied…not so pretty.
Afghan War Claims Another Life: CDR Job Price, USN
The WP/AP story can be found here. If you know–or even suspect–that someone close to you in the armed forces may be struggling with issues they feel they can’t control, excellent help is available. Vets4Warriors is a 24/7, peer-to-peer, completely … Continue reading
A Christmas Eve Message
As I write these lines, there are troops, cops, firefighters, and EMS personnel around this country and the world who are on duty instead of being with their families. To them I say thank you, be safe and I hope … Continue reading
Strong, Capable Women Need Not Apply
Susan Rice today withdrew her name from consideration to be the next Secretary of State: I am highly honored to be considered by you for appointment as Secretary of State. I am fully confident that I could serve our country ably … Continue reading
Terrorist leader Khaled Meshal: “Liberating Palestine, all of Palestine, is a duty, a right and a goal”
From the Washington Post: “Palestine, from the river to the sea, from north to south, is our land,” Meshal said, “Not an inch of it can be conceded.” “We cannot recognize the legitimacy of Israel’s occupation of Palestine,” he said. … Continue reading
Senate Detainee Interrogation Report May Stay Classified Forever
Via ProPublica: A Senate committee is close to putting the final stamp on a massive report on the CIA’s detention, interrogation and rendition of terror suspects. Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who heads the Select Committee on Intelligence, called the roughly … Continue reading
This Is What An Intelligence Failure Looks Like
Dec. 7, 1941: Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (NARA) U.S. military casualties: 2403 dead, 1143 wounded. Cause: Intelligence blunders and gamesmanship in Washington, DC. Source: And I Was There.
Tim Cook On Creativity
From his interview with Bloomberg: Creativity and innovation are something you can’t flowchart out. Some things you can, and we do, and we’re very disciplined in those areas. But creativity isn’t one of those. A lot of companies have innovation … Continue reading
Afghanistan: The Writing’s On The Wall
Marco Boasso heads the International Organization for Migration office in Afghanistan. He says concrete data about the numbers of Afghans leaving today are hard to come by, especially given the criminal nature of trafficking.
“What we do know is that the arrivals in Europe are unprecedented,” he says, noting that arrivals in Europe during the Soviet occupation and civil war were just 20 percent to 30 percent of today’s numbers.
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Long Strange Journey 