tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post7752707860395790691..comments2024-03-29T05:30:32.626-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: An Old Trick Revived.Deuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-22647686962470514152007-08-24T09:57:00.000-04:002007-08-24T09:57:00.000-04:00"Your son's instincts are well honed."Roger that. ..."Your son's instincts are well honed."<BR/><BR/>Roger that. What sixteen year-old boy's aren't? (Or fifty year-old man, for that matter?)<BR/><BR/>It's the father who worries about the daughter.<BR/><BR/>It's the mother who worries about the son.<BR/><BR/>(Nature's convenient division of labor.)<BR/><BR/>Trying valiantly all the while to never let it show.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-9560147534800493532007-08-24T08:58:00.000-04:002007-08-24T08:58:00.000-04:00Your son's instincts are well honed. No pun on the...Your son's instincts are well honed. No pun on the missing "r"Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-72738307266050053482007-08-24T08:57:00.000-04:002007-08-24T08:57:00.000-04:00Columbian woman are all that they are advertised....Columbian woman are all that they are advertised.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-40852434765911891462007-08-24T08:11:00.000-04:002007-08-24T08:11:00.000-04:00"Not enough trust worthy boots, to be on time and ..."Not enough trust worthy boots, to be on time and on target."<BR/><BR/>Nope.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-16309159924754056662007-08-24T08:07:00.000-04:002007-08-24T08:07:00.000-04:00"I'm for wishing you God's Speed on your coming tr..."I'm for wishing you God's Speed on your coming trip, and hope you can check in once in a while and tell us what it's like."<BR/><BR/>That's very kind of you, bob.<BR/><BR/>Son and I will be there for a year and a half, leaving my husband a geographical bachelor for half a year (but he's well used to that) for the sake of our daughter who doesn't much care for the idea of us being so far away for so long - and who has no interest in South America. (Asia: now that'd be a different story.) These things are so much easier when the kids are very young. (And I've got a sneaking suspicion that much of the appeal for my son has to do with...Latin women. Univision women. Otherwise he'd be packing off to boarding school.) <BR/><BR/>Amen on the nuclear power.<BR/><BR/>If you knew, absolutely knew, that Iraq would continue its trip to hell without us, albeit in speedier fashion, would you commit us to staying? <BR/><BR/>I mean, Islam isn't going anywhere in the mean time, regardless, and you're for all intents and purposes committing us nationally to its safekeeping in the bloody guardianship of Iraq. Never mind Afghanistan. Ironic, don't you think? <BR/><BR/>What're those Iraqi lives - those millions of Muslim lives, if you prefer - worth, bob? <BR/><BR/>That's the question that needs answering.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-25814903912967617562007-08-24T02:21:00.000-04:002007-08-24T02:21:00.000-04:00Salt Lake City, bob.Heaven on Earth.Not quite Las ...Salt Lake City, bob.<BR/>Heaven on Earth.<BR/><BR/>Not quite Las Vegas, though.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-62173251103392168912007-08-24T02:20:00.000-04:002007-08-24T02:20:00.000-04:00Ambassador Crocker, he does not not count the Iraq...Ambassador Crocker, he does not not count the Iraqi amongst the troops available to secure the portions of Iraq controlled by the Iraqi.<BR/><BR/>He is clear on one point, the US does not have enough forces to secure the country from the Iraqi militias<BR/><BR/><I>"Under a different set of circumstances, you might argue—as some are now doing—that we need a Basra surge," Crocker told me. "But you'd need a fairly large force, and we don't have the troops. And if we even proposed it, the political element in the U.S. would go nuts." </I><BR/><BR/>Not enough trust worthy boots, to be on time and on target.<BR/><BR/>Basra, an example of things to come. It is, after all, a success.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-26894542016373616622007-08-24T01:13:00.000-04:002007-08-24T01:13:00.000-04:00from "Life Everlasting"Chapter Three--The Paradise...from "Life Everlasting"<BR/><BR/>Chapter Three--The Paradise of the Righteous<BR/><BR/>Summary<BR/><BR/>2. Numerous descriptions of paradise show that it contains--<BR/>A. Lakes<BR/><BR/>B. Forests<BR/>C. Grass<BR/>D.Wilderness Trails<BR/>E.Vines<BR/>F. Flowers<BR/>G. Bright foliage, including pink, orange, lavender and gold<BR/>H. Landscaped Parks<BR/>I. Shrubbery<BR/>J. Walled compartmemts<BR/>K. A sweet calmness<BR/>L. Gardens<BR/>M. The Tree of Life<BR/>N. An unchanging climate<BR/>O. Many buildings constructed in a manner superior to Soloman's Temple<BR/>P. Large buildings built on the plan of the Order of Zion<BR/>Q. Apartment buildings(this interests me)<BR/>R. Workmanship suited to the merits of one's earth life<BR/>S. A temple with golden domes<BR/>T. An atmosphere of peace and happiness<BR/>U. Order and Government<BR/>V. People organized in various groups<BR/>W. No death, darkness, disorder or confusion (taxes?)<BR/>X. People living and organized in family groups<BR/>Y. Families left incomplete because of the unrighteousness of some family members<BR/>Z. Self thinking, acting people.<BR/>AA. Everyone performing some task<BR/>BB. Work similar to Church work on earth<BR/>CC. People conversing<BR/>DD.People walking<BR/>EE. Meetings being held<BR/>FF. Standard dress was loose white robes<BR/>GG.Clothing being prepared<BR/>HH. Some people dressed in temple clothing<BR/>II. No babies in arms<BR/><BR/><BR/>Farmers?<BR/><BR/><BR/>With the exception of M.-N.-W.-FF.-and II.---it's SALT LAKE CITY!<BR/><BR/>This is the paradise of spirits before the resurrection, when body and spirit are again joined. A Mormon spirit is not immaterial, rather made out of really, really fine ethereal 'stuff'.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-7882849824422279462007-08-24T00:14:00.000-04:002007-08-24T00:14:00.000-04:0080 Lashes On The Bare Brown Back<A HREF="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=477088&in_page_id=1770" REL="nofollow">80 Lashes On The Bare Brown Back</A>Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-36404110479623398082007-08-24T00:09:00.000-04:002007-08-24T00:09:00.000-04:00The Hakims vs. The SadrsThey are going to bury the...<A HREF="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1655219,00.html" REL="nofollow">The Hakims vs. The Sadrs</A><BR/><BR/>They are going to bury the hatchet.<BR/><BR/>I remember an Israeli general saying at the start of all this, we might look back to Saddam with longing.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-23278285885254759132007-08-23T23:53:00.000-04:002007-08-23T23:53:00.000-04:00I'm for the constitution, equal rights, women's ri...I'm for the constitution, equal rights, women's rights ,gay rights(though I wish they'd knock off the parades) freedom of religion(up to the point where it threatens the constitution--I think Habu is right on that, islam and America are not a fit),free men and women making sane secular choices on economic affairs through the elected legislature, nuclear power, and free greyhounds.<BR/><BR/>I wish I knew what was best in Iraq but I don't. If I could get a real idea of what would really happen if we just left, I might be able to form an opinion, but I don't, and therefore can't. I think Hugh Fitzgerald makes some great points, but we'd still be involved around the edges, and who knows what the public would think. And who knows how it might careen out of any control. I hope a day comes in the far future when islam is reduced to a nearly forgotten cult. I'm for Israel, and the EU. I'm for building a fence and basically shutting off immigration, and I'm for preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons, if it can be done.<BR/><BR/>I'm for wishing you God's Speed on your coming trip, and hope you can check in once in a while and tell us what it's like.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-11864679352556163512007-08-23T22:32:00.000-04:002007-08-23T22:32:00.000-04:00"President Bush's speech lays down the clearest of..."President Bush's speech lays down the clearest of markers: The United States has a choice between holding off genocide in the hope of seeing a stable government and renewed region come out of that effort and great sacrifice, or the U.S. can disengage and permit the killing to commence. President Bush is for the former."<BR/><BR/> - Hitchens<BR/><BR/>What're you for, bob?trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-90432053033740989692007-08-23T21:07:00.000-04:002007-08-23T21:07:00.000-04:00On the other hand Christopher Hitchens seems to ma...On the other hand Christopher Hitchens seems to make some sense <A HREF="http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/c5e49550-df30-4fb0-aad0-0883affce242" REL="nofollow">Here</A>Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-22831735564742337532007-08-23T20:49:00.000-04:002007-08-23T20:49:00.000-04:00brother d-day....outstanding!brother d-day....outstanding!Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-51141123120179488012007-08-23T20:05:00.000-04:002007-08-23T20:05:00.000-04:00"No security means no reconciliation."Except when ..."No security means no reconciliation."<BR/><BR/>Except when no reconciliation means no security. <BR/><BR/>Not trying to be a smart ass. It's a discussion we've had here many times.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>54% below strength in command-qualified captains. That came out through PERSCOM in about May. O-4s aren't significantly a better number. <BR/><BR/>We can muddle through for awhile. When we'll really miss them and their experience - 'cause they aren't coming back - is about ten years down the road.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-9986696774175472862007-08-23T18:49:00.000-04:002007-08-23T18:49:00.000-04:00The Secret Life Of Mother TeresaChristopher Hitche...<A HREF="http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1655415,00.html" REL="nofollow">The Secret Life Of Mother Teresa</A><BR/><BR/>Christopher Hitchens, ah jeez.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-44324404667237668942007-08-23T18:18:00.000-04:002007-08-23T18:18:00.000-04:00"Fuck the pussy Captains and Majors. All they ever..."Fuck the pussy Captains and Majors. All they ever did was try to get me killed, anyway."<BR/><BR/>(Silence.)trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-30128319804943857962007-08-23T17:44:00.000-04:002007-08-23T17:44:00.000-04:00"Well, hermanos, it is not a perfect world. If tho..."Well, hermanos, it is not a perfect world. If those soldiers are called to testify, it will not be in a select debate, but before Mr Levin and Ms Clinton and the rest of the Armed Services Committee.<BR/><BR/>"That's the reality."<BR/><BR/>Indeed. But they won't be asked to testify. Because the message, or rather remedy, they have is one that neither side wants to associate with.<BR/><BR/>As for Petraeus presenting a realistic assessment: Petraeus now serves the policy he was brought to Baghdad to pursue. (Though he is free to offer what opinion and counsel behind closed doors that he will.) And I add without judgment that one must never underestimate the extent to which the United States Officer Corps selects for optimism.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-91715809472530042582007-08-23T17:07:00.000-04:002007-08-23T17:07:00.000-04:00The new NIE can read in its' original form here in...The new NIE can read in its' original form <A HREF="http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/August_2007_Iraq_NIE_KJs.pdf" REL="nofollow">here</A> in PDF formatdesert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-84955983706184409722007-08-23T17:00:00.000-04:002007-08-23T17:00:00.000-04:00Mr Warner, he'd be listening to those paratroopers...Mr Warner, he'd be listening to those paratroopers testify, as well.<BR/>Seems he may agree, or not.<BR/><BR/>But his patience has run out, that much is obvious. Mr Warner, whose term expires in 2011 is not concerned about his own reelection.<BR/><BR/>One thing is certain, John Warner has voted with a majority of his Republican colleagues 84.6% of the time during the current Congress.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-41185826596385403142007-08-23T16:51:00.000-04:002007-08-23T16:51:00.000-04:00Warner met at the White House earlier Thursday wit...<I>Warner met at the White House earlier Thursday with Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the White House official responsible for coordinating Iraq issues.<BR/><BR/>Warner said the president and other leading Bush administration officials have repeatedly said the American commitment to Iraq was not open-ended.<BR/><BR/>"The time has come to put some meaningful teeth into those comments -- to back them up with some clear, decisive action," the senator said.<BR/></I>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-38413702057657642442007-08-23T16:49:00.000-04:002007-08-23T16:49:00.000-04:00WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The influential former chairma...<I><B>WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The influential former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has called on President Bush to start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq by Christmas.</B><BR/><BR/>Republican Sen. John Warner is urging President Bush to begin a troop withdrawal from Iraq in September.<BR/><BR/> Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican, said Thursday that a pullout was needed to spur Iraqi leaders to action. <BR/><BR/>He has recommended that Bush announce the beginning of a U.S. withdrawal in mid-September, after a report is released from the top U.S. officials in Iraq, and that those troops should be back in the U.S. by Christmas.<BR/><BR/>"In my humble judgment, that would get everyone's attention that is not being paid at this time," said Warner.</I>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-4632636419466567152007-08-23T16:44:00.000-04:002007-08-23T16:44:00.000-04:00Senator Warner, just back from IraqWarner Says U.S...Senator Warner, just back from Iraq<BR/><BR/><I><B>Warner Says U.S. Should Start Withdrawing Iraq Force </B>(Update1) <BR/><BR/>By William Roberts<BR/><BR/>Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Virginia Senator John Warner said President George W. Bush should begin withdrawing troops from Iraq on Sept. 15 to show the Iraqi government that the U.S. commitment there isn't open-ended. <BR/><BR/>Bush should announce that ``we will start an orderly, carefully planned, thought-out redeployment,'' said Warner, 80, a Republican and former Navy secretary who three times chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee. <BR/><BR/>The number of troops to be withdrawn and the timing would be up to the president, he said. <BR/><BR/>Warner's comments at a press conference in Washington are the first time he has called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. One of the most respected Republicans in the Senate on defense issues, he has grown increasingly critical of the war over the past year. His influence is such that many in his party may follow his lead, Senator Susan Collins of Maine said last month. <BR/><BR/>Warner, who returned last week from a trip to Iraq, said he was offering recommendations, which Bush had solicited in a speech to Congress Jan. 10. <BR/><BR/>The president should ``send a sharp and clear message, throughout the region, the United States, and one that people can understand'' -- that the U.S. will not stay in Iraq indefinitely, he said. <BR/><BR/>He suggested that Bush pick a few thousand soldiers out of the 162,000 U.S. combat troops now in Iraq, or ``whatever number he wants,'' Warner said. <BR/><BR/>Intelligence Analysis <BR/><BR/>``Say 5000 could begin to redeploy and be home not later than Christmas of this year,'' Warner said. <BR/><BR/>Warner made his remarks the same day that U.S. intelligence agencies said that Iraq's political leaders still can't govern effectively, and the level of sectarian violence in the nation will remain high over the six to 12 months. <BR/><BR/>These findings are bleak news for the Bush administration. Only yesterday, the president reiterated his confidence in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as part of a broad argument to rally support for staying in Iraq and fending off attempts by Congress to set a timetable for withdrawing the 162,000 U.S. military personnel in the country. <BR/><BR/>``I don't for a minute advocate any type of rapid pullout'' and am ``not in any way trying to pull the rug out from under the troops,'' Warner said. <BR/><BR/>Still, he said, ``I really firmly believe the Iraqi government under the leadership of Prime Minister Maliki has let our troops down.'' <BR/><BR/>Warner said he isn't siding with Senator Carl Levin, who accompanied him to Iraq last week, in calling for a timetable for withdrawing most U.S. troops by mid-2008. ``We are very different on this,'' Warner said. ``This is not a timeline.'' <BR/><BR/></I>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-18781693465595030112007-08-23T15:58:00.000-04:002007-08-23T15:58:00.000-04:00Word up, Bobal.I agree.Let's hear it from a Marine...Word up, Bobal.<BR/><BR/>I agree.<BR/><BR/>Let's hear it from a <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrZeocjLFOI" REL="nofollow">Marine.</A>Brother D-Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11416004913872204554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-86635562043741174182007-08-23T14:43:00.000-04:002007-08-23T14:43:00.000-04:00However one feels about what's going on, I feel a ...However one feels about what's going on, I feel a lot of gratitude, etc. for the people in our Armed Services.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.com