March 2014 - Argghhh!

It still looks like R2D2 with a woody. MEDITERRANEAN SEA (March 17, 2014) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) fires its close-in weapons system during a live-fire exercise. Donald Cook, the first of four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to be forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is serving on a scheduled patrol to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility as part of the president's phased adaptive approach to European ballistic missile defense. (U.S. Navy photo...

Those pics reactivated some long-dormant synapses....

...sit around and plan for war. They would be irresponsbile in their duties if they weren't doing that. Of Course the PLA is Planning for a 'Short, Sharp War' Oddly enough - so did Hitler. Or the Soviets, when they went after Finland. And us, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Problem is, that pesky enemy gets a vote. However, in this case, the net long-term risk to China is negligible, if they can force the coup de main without getting their ass handed to them. Because the likelihood of the Japanese...

Loopy Libertarian is losing her old friend Mona today. And we woke up this morning to find that Schroedinger had lost his fight with the Dark overnight. At least he had Gunner and Kiki laying there with him when he decided to surrender and move on. He was only with us for three months, and two of those he was sickly - amazing how big the hole in our hearts is, though. Knowing that Mona was coming, I have asked Schroedy to wait a bit and cross the Rainbow Bridge with her, so she won't be alone...

John Kerry to Russia: " You Lost the Cold War, Get Over it. " So, Putin is declaring a new one. This isn't hard. Germany lost WWI. Didn't stop 'em from starting WWII... The Secretary of State has no sense of history. One would think that is a serious weakness in a Secretary of State. Easy trash-talking bon mots of laughable accuracy backed by feckless posturing do not a foreign policy make. Ask Jimmy Carter.