November 2009 - Argghhh!

I apparently am stepping off on my left foot, not my right.So, this video is making the rounds - And I'm not outraged by it. Here's some of the stuff overheard in conversations about the statement: "This video makes me want to puke.""I will admit that the words, "rot in Hell you sorry excuse for a CinC" came to mind""Yeah - when he actually referred to his responsibility as CinC, I gagged.""My first thoughts were “what an entirely inappropriate...

There have been nine Medals awarded for actions on this day, spanning from the Civil War to Vietnam. The three from the modern era are all posthumous. One third of the Medals, and all that went to living recipients, come from the Civil War. Three sailors, three soldiers, three battles. BELL, GEORGE Rank and organization: Captain of the Afterguard, U.S. Navy. Born: 12 March 1839, England. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 17, 10 July 1863. Citation: Served as pilot of the U.S.S. Santee when that...

...hopefully not for too much longer. He is not my brother in arms. He betrayed his oath. He betrayed his fellow soldiers. Segments of the media seem to be trying to make a tighter connection of Major Hasan to the rest of the soldiery. Heh. I reject that premise.There are segements of the media who are trying to take "compassion fatigue" (a real malaise, I've seen and tasted it myself) and turn it into "pre-PTSD" or "PTSD-by-proxy" given Major Hasan's counseling...

The Franks have lost the foremost of their band, They'll see no more their fathers nor their clans, Nor Charlemagne, where in the pass he stands. Torment arose, right marvellous, in France, Tempest there was, of wind and thunder black,With rain and hail, so much could not be spanned; Fell thunderbolts often on every hand, And verily the earth quaked in answer back From Saint Michael of Peril unto Sanz, From Besencun to the harbour of Guitsand;No house stood there but straight its walls must crack...

Yesterday, I posted the first of three essays about my father-in-law. It was appropriate to the day, but I didn't get it done until late; thus, this after-the-fact notice. If you care to read it, click here . -- SangerM

Bad Cat Robot has a comix jones, and she's taken a page from John's playbook by mercilessly and continuously busting my chops gently chiding me from time to time, so in order to get her off my %$#@! case enliven her Sunday morning, we present, without further ado, Number Ten in the Series.Yeah, yeah, I *know* what "Numbah Ten!" connotes in a certain SouthEast Asian cultural context.Accuse *me* of eating cheesy bean burritos, will ya?...

...living Holders of the Medal of Honor. There are 100 Senators. When I joined the Army, there were 293 living Holders. There's good news and bad news in that - the good news is... we haven't had to fight the kinds of wars that produce large numbers of Medals. The bad news, is that empirically, the Services seem to be gravitating to making it harder and harder to earn a Medal without dying during the act. But that's a different rant. From the American Legion:Comrades: Col. Lewis Lee Millett...