Redemption

27. It's a hallowed number, newly-anointed. Rodriguez, Matsui, Cano, Cabrera. Will those names evoke emotion someday, similar to that of Meusel, Hoyt, Ruffing and Page? Newly-crowned champions joining Posada and Pettitte, the Captain and The Great Mariano, and of course, #27...Our Pal Joey. This is a special moment, a special team, now firing on all cylinders. Cynics will quickly point out the payroll, and that is fine. When the Yankees have huge resources, and have finally figured out how to use those resources, watch out. The New Dynasty is awakening.... Go Yankees! Onward now, to 28.

Babylon Doors

Here's a short posting, less weighty I suppose than the usual ones I have been engaged with of late. Lyrics. Have you ever wondered about song lyrics? You know the websites.... someone has faithfully and dutifully recorded the words to every song imaginable and created a website repository, in hopes of selling you ringtones. Who says the lyrics are actually correct?

Here's my point. Check into the lyrics for "Babylon Fading" by the Doors, and you'll see the phrase "bison's pipe" given. Wow. How impossibly ignorant [let alone, imaginative!]. Now, Jim Morrison certainly knew that bison's do not play pipes. Bison being an alternative name for the buffalo, they would have horns but not pipes. Said horns are affixed firmly to their heads. They do not play them. Where does that piping come from? Anybody remember that Jim Morrison is the son of a Navy man? Sure was, and Jim would know of Boatswain's Mates, guys who do all sorts of traditional sailor stuff [boats and anchors and mooring lines and such]. In Standard Navy Speak, Boatswain in pronounced Bosun. Long o, and the 'sun' is jammed together. The uninitiated might hear "Bison", but I assure you it is "Bosun".]

By the way, Jim spent time on the bridge of Navy ships while visiting his dad. Jim might have hated the fact that his dad made him get a haircut, but he was an observant fellow and would certainly have known that the whistle in question is correctly called a "Bosun call". "Bosun's pipe" is how he describes it so the masses would understand. As a Navy guy myself, when I hear the words "Bosun's pipe", I immediately think of the article clenched between Popeye's teeth.

So, Bison's Pipe? Thanks for the laughs.

Second Thoughts and Second Guessing

Last week I was pretty convinced that Israel was getting ready to launch an aerial strike against Iran, targeting Iran's nascent nuclear weapons development program. I mentioned a few bits of information which I found possibly relevant - chief among these was the mysterious disappearance of Binyamin Netanyahu [Israeli Prime Minister] one day when it eventually came out that he was visiting Dmitri Medvedev and/or Vladimir Putin in Moscow. I postulated that this visit was to seek Russia's tacit approval for the strike against Iran.

Since I posted, President Obama has announced that we are not going to be deploying the Anti-Ballistic Missile Shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. In return, Russia has announced that they will not be deploying short-range ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad, and it also looks like we get overflight access as well as overland supply routes into Afghanistan. What else? What if there is a "pot-sweetener" that has not been announced? Namely, Russian acquiescence to stern economic sanctions against Iran, in order to [hopefully] cause Iran to abandon their program to develop nuclear weapons. So, follow me now: Russia approves sterner economic sanctions against Iran, Israel defers on ordering an aerial strike against Iran and waits instead to see what effect the sanctions will have, and the US declares that it will not pursue the Eastern European Missile Shield.

To date, my thought that perhaps Iran would get hit by September 21 [happily] has not happened. Well, read up on this link, though:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=106809&sectionid=351020101

So, Iran is claiming that ""Glowing objects were sighted over the Persian Gulf. IRGC air defense targeted one of the objects successfully, forcing it to plummet and sink in the seas off Boushehr (Province)," said top regional commander, Brigadier Ali Razmjou.

"The three bright objects were detected by our radars when flying over the Persian Gulf Islands of Khark and Khargou," he added, according to a Monday report posted on IRNA.

Brig. Razmjou explained that when the radars indicated that they were not Iranian aircrafts, the IRGC fired at the three objects. He also added that the fallen objects' remains have not been found yet. " [This was copied from Iranian PressTV's website at 6:52 PM EDT on 23 September, 2009].

I have seen many times the inflated claims than Iran attaches to new wonder weapons and such, that are either absolute pieces of rubbish, or [even more brazenly] some other country's system. Usually there is SOME kernel of truth to be found.....

What if there WAS something flying over Khark and Khargou? Not extra-terrestrial: what if it was an Israeli or American UAV [Unarmed Aerial Vehicle]? How would that change things? Hmmmmm.... curiouser and curiouser.

Crawdad

Well, let's see... we have crawfished, and are not going forward with the Eastern European Missile Shield. We have "other options".

Natanyahu visited Putin....

what is the best way to defend against Iran?

• Ramadan ends with the new moon
• [and a new moon is when it is darkest - best time for an aerial assault].
• New moon is on the 18th.
• Rosh Hashana is the 19th [probably nothing then].
• Do we see something on the 20th or 21st?

Seriously, I hope not.....

[oh, one more thing -

• the Iranians have always said that if they get whacked, they will close the Straits of Hormuz. Didja notice that 50% of our attack subs are deployed? Not just out of home port. Deployed.] Go figure.

China and the Afghanistan Policy

Now, no sources [I am too lazy for that at this time of the day!], but a couple of thoughts:

[1] Afghanistan is all about boots on the ground. Sure, there are other factors in play [I'm not THAT simple-minded, after all], but it seems to me that we need to operate in accordance with the situation and environment, rather than in accordance with our prowess. [For example, why not have more troops interacting with the Afghanis, rather than bombing the krap out of targets? I know, I know, we have good intel and precise targeting, but mistakes happen and it alienates the Afghanis when we accidentally kill people who do not need dying. Afraid of losses? Then why are we there in the first place? Seriously.... there is violence inherent in conflict. People die. If we are not willing to risk people dying, then we should not put them at risk.]

[2] IF boots on the ground is a potential solution regarding Afghanistan, where do we get them from? To a small degree, we now have additional forces available thanks to the drawdown in Iraq, but our guys are tired, and the coalition of the willing is less-so these days.

[3] The draft? hahahahahaha. Good one. One of the reasons we excel nowadays is precisely because of the draft's passing. Draftees can indeed be paid less than professional soldiers. Ya get what ya pay for. With professional soldiers, much, much more can be done with less. Ya DO know the Iraqi's outnumbered us in BOTH wars, right? Heck, even the People's Liberation Army is moving away from conscription toward a smaller, professional force, which leads me to:

[4] China! Okay, first - India! Why NOT India? Well, Hillary is favoring China and Pakistan, for starters, and Afghanistan borders on Pakistan, and letting Indian troops in Afghanistan on the far side of Pakistan would essentially be allowing India to encircle Pakistan. Figure the odds of THAT ever happening.

[5] China! This time, let's discuss the China option. Strategically, China is okay with us being distracted elsewhere [especially if they have serious, immediate designs on Taiwan]. That is not necessarily the Chinese way, though. Single drops of water over time can crack granite - that is more the Chinese way. Perhaps Taiwan will sort itself out over time, to the mainland's favor. Wanna bet against it? So, if Taiwan will eventually sort itself out, and China is happy as hell with the current economic situation [any ideas who China sells much of it's product to? Exactly! What would they ever do without Wal-Mart? haha].

[6] Meantime, China has its own share of problems. Among them, separatist Uighurs out in Sinkiang in the far west. [Xinjiang]. Guess what? Most of these cats [Uighurs] are Islamic, and the radical extremist ones have ties in [you guessed it] Afghanistan. China has a vested interest in Afghanistan, in other words. Professionalizing their army, they will need practice. Killing two birds with one stone, they get practice in the very environment they need to practice in [cold, rocky, mountainous, facing Muslim extremists]. We get additional boots on the ground in order to stabilize Afghanistan.

[7] On the other hand, we risk allowing China to have additional influence in Afghanistan.

[8] What are y'all's thoughts on the matter? Be objective, give reasons - I'd love to hear what ya have to say.

Not Musubi

Man, I sure had a hankering for Spam Musubi. It's Spam and rice with flavourings, wrapped in Nori [seaweed], kinda like sushi. Big, big fave over in Hawaii [Therese, since you are going over, try it! Oopsie - Teesss is a vegetarian! Never mind!]

**** Kathy and Hiro-san, my apologies: I'll likely be by for proper Sushi tomorrow :-) [Note: in Virginia Beach, visit Daruma of Japan for Japanese and Thai food, at the corner of Birdneck and Laskin Road, more or less.... wonderful, wonderful food and atmosphere, and the owners are truly treasures :-)]

Back to my story. Steamed up some rice. Had some Nori standing by [seaweed which one wraps sushi with]. Actually, I had Chef Kev standing by as well, but I elected to let him watch TV ;-) Pan fried some Spam in Teriyaki sauce until it was good and brown [actually, it was the generic substitute, and I pretty well charred it into oblivion....] - make sure there is plenty of sugar in the sauce! Dinna have a musubi press to form the rice, so I served the dish up as a plate of rice with Teriyaki Spam on top. [Not to mention I have been drinking beer, so my motor skills are ebbing a bit at the moment].

Hey! It's not horrible! Anyway, turning the remnants over to Kev, to see if he can salvage something. We often do that: I set a few random ingredients on the counter, and Kevin gets to make a meal from those and whatever else he chooses. Just like TV, and it keeps his skills sharp :-) Gotta scoot - more Teriyaki Spam on Rice awaits.....

Pelicans and the Great Get-Off

Yesterday was a pretty nice day outside, and seeing as how I had not gone kayaking for a while, I set out to. The 15 footer does not fit well in the back of my truck, and I intended to go south, in the canals, so I loaded up the 10 footer and headed down to Pep Boys to splash [there's a small floating dock that you can get into a canoe or kayak easily from - Derek has been there.]

The ten footer is a Pelican Pursuit. Plastic, injection molded, fairly light - around 40 pounds. Nice beginner and utility boat, nowhere near as fast as my other boat, but just the thing for a leisurely paddle. Pelican also makes plastic watertight cases, and they are awesome! I will explain why presently.

I wanted to head down the canal and get out at the dock on Princess Anne Road, where Nikki and I first kayaked together, back in December. Nikki was not along for this trip; we have broken up. I wish her great good fortune, but we are not currently kayaking together. It's about seven and a half miles, and I went with the current as we had just passed low tide and the flood was on. Nice, relaxing ride, and I did not tax myself overly.

South of Dam Neck Road, there is an awful lot of debris in the canals. Sadly, Virginia Beach does little to maintain their waterways [one feeder canal has a water pipe going across from one side to the other, about two feet above the water's surface!! Gotta go around....] At one point, there was a collection of several logs and branches, and much assorted other crap. Next thing I knew, the boat was rolling severely to the left. Sadly, no photographic record exists, for I surely wore a priceless look as I slid into the [dirty, smelly] water. No kidding, the boat was submerged most of the way with it's bow straight up in the air! [In retrospect, I think that my paddle lanyard, which is on my left, got tangled and somehow upset the apple cart. I've replayed it in my mind several times, but this incident did not unfold in slow motion!]

I clung to the log and managed to free my boat and laboriously get it to the bank. My paddle was tethered, so it came along for the ride. Whew! Getting the boat up the bank was quite an undertaking as it contained a lot of water. Note to self in the [hopefully unlikely] event that it happens again: Drag the boat out stern first. A Pelican Pursuit has a nice drain plug in the stern, but none in the bow. Tired [heavy!]. Wet and in a bad mood. My aqua shoes are great for water, but the soles allow sticks and stones to annoy the soles of my feet. Bugs. My hydration backpack has floated about ten feet down stream and lodged against the bank, so I used my paddle to hook it through one of the arm straps and retrieve it, setting it next to my boat.

All the while, I saw my Pelican Case floating along with the current. This is actually good news, for it contains my wallet and Blackberry phone. Thank goodness it did not sink!! Anyway, the Pelican case is wonderfully watertight and floats - mine cost $12, if I remember correctly. So, I take my paddle along and go off walking along the shore. About 200 yards away, there is a small feeder canal, which I have to cross in order to keep going. There's a log stretched across, so I walk across it, using my paddle kinda like a gondola pole. You guessed it - it the middle, I lose my balance and fall into the canal. Great. Keep walking. About 100 yards ahead there is another collection of logs and branches, stretched across the main canal. Sure enough, there it is. My Pelican Case is resting against a log. Near the far side of the canal, maybe twenty feet out. Too deep to wade out [maybe eight feet?]. So, back to the boat, managing not to submerge or tip whilst going over the bank into the water [Thank you, Lord!]. Down to the logpile, and unceremoniously snag my case. My wallet and phone are dry. Seriously, get a Pelican case. Get a Pelican boat, too - good stuff!

I decide to head back [in retrospect, Princess Anne Road is only a half-mile ahead, but I had expended a lot of energy and wasn't overly clear-headed, and I stand by that decision]. Getting back through the logjam where I had rolled was a nervous moment, but went without incident. By the way, I had not mentioned it, but I always wear my PFD [life vest] when in the boat. I am sure one might point out many errors in my narrative, but going without my PFD is not one of them. I won't drive without wearing my seatbelt, and I won't kayak without my PFD. On the way back, I have to fight the current for a while, but once high tide has passed, eventually the current favors me again.

Yes, I am tired and stiff [and sore!] - after all, it was a 14 mile journey. But, a good workout and a good experience. The mud, leaves, sticks and smelly stuff all washed away nicely. No injuries, no equipment damage, and nothing lost. Whew! A good day, all in all. I consider it fun. [and, yes, I'll be kayaking again. Soon!]

BMD and What to do?

Another successful test for the Navy's Ballistic Missile Defense program out in Pac Fleet.... We are well past MAD [Mutual Assured Destruction] and I feel that the number of unreasoning, nonlogical players in the ballistic missile world [much as we all despised the Soviet Union, they DID reason and did not ever launch ballistic missiles against anything we protected] makes having some sort of ballistic missile shield [namely, a system which actually works] a good, common sense item.

Now that we have dispensed with the obligatory stating of where I stand on the issue, let's consider the possible impact upon the fleet, particularly the number of hulls available for various missions. Ballistic Missile Defense can be seen as a national strategic asset, similar to the concept of the SLBM [Sub-Launched Ballistic Missile].

Here's my chain of reasoning: Nuclear response capability is seen as a strategic asset. Providers of same are tasked with a deterring strike as their overall mission. As an example of this, consider the SSBN, the missile firing submarine which deploys to a given geographical region and drives around that area, silently, waiting.... Waiting for the order to empty it's silos and head for home [if it still exists, but that's another discussion for another day].

Following this reasoning, we get the Aegis Cruiser equipped with the ballistic defense versions of Standard Missile. Does this ship then get assigned to patrol the waters roughly between Alaska and Hawaii, waiting for the instance of some illogical regime to launch ballistic missiles in the direction of the US? [North Korea, for instance.] Let's suppose for a moment that the Navy has two zones to patrol, and two ships for each on a rotational basis, making a total of four ships that are now not available for the Navy to use for all of the other missions the Navy undertakes. The fiscal budget is tightening. Will a Democratic President and Congress pay for the Navy to have four additional ships? That's a lot of money, folks.

What should the Navy do? Downplay the BMD mission, letting it slip to the various air and land-based contenders? Play up the BMD, risking having fewer hulls for everything else that what is optimal? What are your thoughts on this matter?

July 31

:-) Fun stuff..... tomorrow at 4 PM (Eastern) is the trade deadline in organized baseball. Naturally, I follow the going's-on like I do elections. Fun, deadline, hysteria. Where will Roy Halladay end up? Will the Yanks get one more arm for the stretch drive? Will the Sox get that crucial bat? What teams are buyers? [Phils, Yanks, Sox...] What teams are sellers? [Pirates, always]. What teams are on the fence? [Mariners].

It's especially fun to look at what deals affect what other situations. For example, the Phillies pretty much got tired of playing around, waiting for Toronto to decide on a package for Roy Halladay. So, they instead snagged Cliff Lee from Cleveland. That HAD to affect the Halladay situation [Doc has a no-trade clause, and will cost both a goodly salary, as well as a fair package of prospects.] Philly went for Lee. Dodgers? Angels? Yankees? 4 PM (Eastern) tomorrow......

Contrary

Sometimes, I have a different view on things. I am not contrary for the sake of contrariness, and I hate revisionist history when it is coloured by someone's agenda.... [I hate hatefulness, too].

Walter Cronkite passed away yesterday. He lived a long, full life. As an adolescent and teenager, I trusted Uncle Walter, as did so many others. He was there to break us the news of our President's passing, and so many times, he was there as we breathlessly anticipated another launch into space.

I want to tell you that I am angry, and here is why: Yes, Professor McLuhan, the medium really IS the message.... there are so many television specials right now [not to mention internet stories] lionizing Walter Cronkite and mentioning his "brave stand against the unpopular Vietnam War" and many other words to that effect. Do you know that in the Tet Offensive, the Viet Cong were decimated? Do you know that after that [early 1968] the war in South Vietnam was to repel the forces of the North Vietnamese state? Years after the fact, Vo Nguyen Giap, the Commander in Chief of the People's Army, replied to the thought that the American forces had never been defeated in the field in Vietnam - he agreed, and added that it was also irrelevant. It was irrelevant because he and his forces never lost the will to win, while our society and government did. We lost our will to win in part because a man we trusted, our own fatherly Uncle Walter, lied to us. He proclaimed the war to be lost, and so we spat upon our brothers and turned our backs on those we had been helping. In the afterlife are over 50,000 American souls, lost in Indochina. They will undoubtedly be asking, "why?"

Don't look for any hints of this in the mainstream media. After all, they lionized Michael Jackson while ignoring Ed McMahon. The age of one trusted icon handing down Truth is gone, and thank God for that. Truth, it turns out, was merely Opinion, and we fell for it. Shame on us.