I Am My Father's Favorite Daughter.....

......today, lol.

Sunday at dinner my father announced that he had heard about a problem for the source of water used by the Jack Daniels distillery. Without the water at Cave Spring, Jack Daniels would not be Jack Daniel's. So all future presents for all occasions were to be Jack Daniel's....period. I jokingly asked if he would be turning my old bedroom into a "Jack Daniels cellar"......I got the eyebrow. I stopped making jokes.

So I started poking around on the Internet for the scoop. There was nothing in anyone's "news" catagory.... Yahoo..... Google..... MSN. Hmmmm, curious. Then I checked some blogs and found this one, Dowd's Spirits Notebook. He had a post about it in June. I commented and asked if he had any updates. Mr. Dowd was nice enough to email me and direct me to a new post today.

I went to the cottage, my parents and Grace and the girls are down.......I had Tazo tea for Jen.....black licorice for Grace......Canada Mints for my Mum.........and Mr. Dowd's post for my Dad. I read it aloud. He said "Very good." I asked if I was the favorite daughter. He said "Tonight."

Jen & Grace laughed...............but a "V" is a "V".

My Bad Boyfriend Is Back.....

......and I am weakening. I heard him on the radio...........it's over at Salamander's place......they're writing about it in the Globe......it's over at the Swamp. Damnit! It's all flooding back. I was a McCain girl for so long. I know it's wrong. But I am remembering the good times, like when he railed against naming the ISG as CINC. Why? Why? I know he will just break my heart again.

White Smoke Soon?

***BUMPED AND UPDATED - New posts below********
From Navy Times.....

New CNO pick could come any time, sources say

The Navy’s search for a new chief of naval operations is underway, with an announcement of a nominee expected to come as early as this week, sources tell Navy Times.

You better get down and vote. Or waffle and change your vote, like some people.

***********UPDATE***************
Here's part of an email from a secret source....(OK, secret source says I can credit him, it's Steeljaw Scribe)...........
Now here's some interesting news -- Willard was recalled to CONUS on Monday (via a late sunday night call), so of course speculation is rampant that he might be the pick over Roughhead... Starts lining up with some of the backwah I've heard of late, especially from a community-representation standpoint.
My reaction? NO NO NO!

Puppies

I don't have one. I don't want one. I am not an animal person. I don't hate them, I am just animal neutral. I don't think they are cute.

Last night I was trying to get ready for bed. Putting things away. Walking in and out of my room in the dark. Talking on the phone. I took off my glasses, kicked off my sandals, and....

Yes, that's right, stepped right into a pile of puppy poop. I couldn't actually register what was happening at first. Probably since I don't have a puppy. Then I put hand down to my foot and it dawned on my that my foot had as my grandmother used to say "dog mess" on it. Then I realized I was stuck. Balancing on one sandal. Not wanting to put the other one down. Cradling the phone on my shoulder. "What is this?" I wondered aloud. The person on the other end of the line "I don't know, I'm not there." Funny. I called out to Frankie and Tom. "Get me a towel, I'm stuck!" I had to call several times to be heard over the video game. Then came the stupid questions "What do you mean stuck?" I repeated my request until they came with a towel. Tom, the bastid, looked amused. Must be the name. Frank gave me the towel, and leaned over to smell my hand. "What is this, CSI?" Then Frankie got mad. He had apparently told a friend who was visiting not to bring the puppy in the house and this is why. He goes off to make an angry phone call.

I am left with the cleanup.

I fail to see the upside of puppies.

911 Phone Call

I don't know how I got on this email list, but it's a newsletter called "Bore Me". He has some funny stuff and this really tickled me.

Disgusting

Just when I think that I can not possibly think less of John Edwards, he comes up with something else.

I was in bed this morning pretending that I had won the lottery and I could spend another hour listening to NPR's Morning Edition before heading off to the spa in Foxwoods, when a story came on about RFK's poverty tour. They interviewed a man who had been there when RFK was in Kentucky, Dee Davis. Mr. Davis also he met Senator Paul Wellstone when he was touring Kentucky, talking to coal miners. Wellstone and RFK were men of substance who tried to help others. You may not have always agreed with them or their methods.........but you didn't doubt their sincerity.

Edwards is recreating RFKs poverty tour. The least substantial and most venial man in politics today. I am disgusted, horrified, sickened.

What's next Mr. Edwards? Blackface and a march to Selma?

You defile RFKs memory. You are not a fraction of the man he was. His campaign actually seeks to compare him to RFK.

The campaign of presidential hopeful John Edwards has a ready answer for all the criticism about his expensive haircuts and expansive home. He believes a man can be wealthy and care about the poor, too. He points to a Democratic hero - Robert F. Kennedy.

Can you imagine? He thinks the fact the Kennedy inherited money means they are alike? Can anyone give me a single example where Kennedy indulged in the flaunting of that wealth? Not even on a fraction of the scale of Edwards? Of course not. (Disclaimer: I would spend money like a drunken sailor if I had it. But I wouldn't go around Kentucky, "feeling their pain" to get their votes)

The utter gall.

Gaslighting

This is a phrase my grandmother used to use when someone would move something and not tell you. You'd go looking for something and think you were crazy when you couldn't find it. Just when you were totally frustrated someone or another would say "Oh, I moved that ......" Your retort? "What are you gaslighting me?" As time passes and fewer and fewer people have seen the movie "Gaslight", the reference has become obscure. Today, it was exactly the word that sprang to mind.

As I posted (two down), I almost when to Battleship Cove for a book signing on the wrong day. How off was I? Oh.........a year! It is my fault for not reading the website clearly. When I emailed to ask if I could be on the list for their newsletter, I mentioned the mixup. The author, Brad Peniston emailed me. He said he was glad I hadn't gone and found no one there.

So today, I'm telling the girls in work and I bring up the website to show how I missed it. I wanted them to see that it listed dates, but no year, with future events at the top and previous ones below. But now the website shows the year. It clearly says July 15, 2006. Now the girls are laughing, "Sure, sure Maggie......."

I email Brad and ask if he is trying to make me look crazy. His answer? "Heh. Sorry. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Brad". Vindication! I show the girls. Then a few minutes later "I wonder if changing a web site is the new form of gaslighting. :) Brad"

Funny guy..............here's one who owes me a drink!

July 16, 1969

The American flag heralded the launch of Apollo 11, the first Lunar landing mission, on July 16, 1969. The massive Saturn V rocket lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin at 9:32 a.m. EDT. Four days later, on July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon's surface while Collins orbited overhead in the Command Module. Armstrong and Aldrin gathered samples of lunar material and deployed scientific experiments that transmitted data about the lunar environment.

No Higher Honor

******UPDATE #2******Well this great! The book signing at Battleship Cove was last July 15th!!!!!!!!!! Of course it was. thank goodness I called with that question.
*****UPDATE***** Too Funny! Story of my life! I called to ask if Battleship Cove was selling copies of the book. It's important that you buy the book from shops that sponsor lectures rather than show up with your bargain book from Amazon. That way there are more lectures, lol. But I want to be sure because I don't want to have nothing for the author to sign if they aren't selling them. So a very nice young lady answers the phone..............and knows nothing about the event! She's making phone calls and I have to check back in.............I'll keep you posted!

Tonight is a book signing for "No Higher Honor" at Battleship Cove. I am looking forward to this.........but I have to be honest, where am I going to fit another book!

No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf

by Bradley Peniston

Like its World War II namesake of Leyte Gulf fame, USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) was a small combatant built for escort duty. But its skipper imbued his brand-new crew with a fighting spirit to match their forebears, and in 1988 when the guided missile frigate was thrust into the Persian Gulf at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, there was no better ship for the job. Forbidden to fire unless fired upon, Captain Paul Rinn and his crew sailed amid the chaos in the Gulf for two months, relying on wit and nerve to face down fighter jets and warships bent on the destruction of civilian vessels. Their sternest test came when an Iranian mine ripped open the ship’s engine room, ignited fires on four decks, and plunged the ship into darkness. The crew’s bravery and cool competence was credited with keeping the ship afloat, and its actions have become part of Navy lore and a staple of naval leadership courses ever since.

This is the first book to record the Roberts’ extraordinary tale. After years of research and interviews with crewmembers, journalist Bradley Peniston chronicles the crew’s heroic efforts to save the ship as they fought flames and flooding well into the night. The author also describes the frigate’s origins, its operational history, and the crew’s training. Peniston’s personal approach to the subject not only breathes life into the historical narrative but gives readers an opportunity to get to know the individuals involved and understand the U.S. retaliation to the mining and the battle that evolved, setting the stage for conflicts to come. Foreword by Adm. William J. Crowe, USN (Ret.)

Pinch Saves The Day!

Pinch of Instapinch fame rescued me from a terrible fate! I printed out the pic from this post (which I stole from Military Motivators) for my Dad. I took it to a family party yesterday and gave it to him. He read the caption and laughed. "That's the truth!" he announced. Then he asked about the ships. "What carrier group is that?"

Ummmmmmmm..............what will I do? I didn't know. SB is unavailable.

So after I leave the party we head over to my sister's and I jump on her computer. I send out an email to my online gang: SOS!

Before I made it home, the answer was waiting for me in my inbox! Thanks Pinch, I owe ya! I won't forget. Now tomorrow (ummlater today) when I see my Dad, I can look smart.

So, thanks again, I'm off to bed...........what? You want to know the answer too? Oh. OK.

An Air Force B-2 bomber along with other aircrafts from the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fly over the Kitty Hawk, Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike groups during the photo portion of Exercise Valiant Shield 2006 over the Philippine Sea, June 18, 2006. Valiant Shield focuses on integrated joint training among US military forces, enabling real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces and in detecting, locating, tracking and engaging units at sea, in the air, on land and cyberspace in response to a range of mission areas.

There you go.......but now you owe Pinch a drink too!

Hi Mark

Several weeks ago I went to my nephew's graduation party.....fun time. Gracie throws a good party. We don't see my father's relatives as often as we see my mother's and there are far fewer of them. But this party was the begininning of a good run! My father's sister, and her family were there. The surprise guest star was my cousin Jessica in from Vegas with her fiance. As I have mentioned before, we are all going to Vegas next March for the wedding. Although the venue has changed from the Ritz to the Marriott. Anyway, we all got a sneak preview of Mark, the fiance. There was a scheduled meet-n-greet for July (which was today), but circumstances allowed for an extra trip. Good for us. So we met Mark, saw my father's side and had a good time.

Then I had Frankie's graduation and we got to see most everyone again. Mark & Jessica were back in Vegas and missed that one. Now, today was a cookout to officially meet Mark.

I think he was a little taken aback by the banter between my Dad and his sister. They are just like my sisters, my brother and I.......sniping back and forth. But it was all in good fun. Mark will soon realize that if my father (or any of us) are picking on you, we like you. If we didn't, we just wouldn't talk to you.

Teresa, my father's sister asked what he remembered about his childhood. If you hear the stories, it wasn't so hot. Not much money, my grandfather left them. But, of course, to them it was all about presents they remembered and dinner's in Chinatown when there was a little extra money. Blueberry picking and trips to lakes. My father said a very happy memory for him was when his father dug an outhouse (I must assume he means when they were away for the summer) and he played with his toy cars in the sand. Everyone looked at him startled. I chimed in, explaining that he played in the sand that his father threw to the side to make a hole, lol. Mark, for one was very relieved to get the clarification.

I printed the graphic below to show my Dad. I can't email it to him, my mother won't let the Internet in the house. It's full of psychos and perverts (like her daughter). So he reads it and laughs, then he asks about the actual ships........great, I have to find that out now. What was I thinking?

Now, I am at Grace's...........what the heck, we were in her neck of the woods anyway........so what if she has to unpack and do mounds of laundry after a two week vacation.......Jen and I will hang and watch!

OK, Here's The Deal.....

...............I should just go to Military Motivators every morning and steal their stuff! Chris just channels what I'm thinking anyway. It's always clear, to the point and on target. Chris, you must go to the next MilBlogger Conference and let me buy you many drinks.

USS Long Beach (CGN-9)

The USS Long Beach was the Navy's first nuclear powered surface combatant. It was launched from the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy shipyard on July 14, 1959. Mrs. Craig Hosmer christened the ship as it's sponsor. USS Long Beach was actually commissioned in the Charlestown Navy Yard a few months after I was born (less than a half mile from where I lived). She served in the Mediterranean initially, but then off the coast of Vietnam during the 60's and 70's. Long Beach "struck hard" in battle, shooting down MIGs in Vietnam and sanitizing returning US air strikes. But she also received humanitarian service medals after saving Vietnamese boat people. The ship was decommissioned May 1, 1995.

With its deep and sheltered harbor, Quincy was an ideal site for shipbuilding. Men had been building and launching boats there since the English first settled in the area in 1640. But the industry really boomed in the late nineteenth century when inventor Thomas Watson started a company to make engines for boats. For the next 100 years, life in Quincy revolved around the shipyards, which reached their peak during World War II when employment topped 32,000, including 1,200 women. Although the yard closed in 1986, Quincy's shipbuilding heritage is kept alive by the U.S. Naval and Shipbuilding Museum on the Fore River Site.

HI!!!!!

MISSED YOU!!!!

Kisses..........love, Maggie

Questions About the CNO Selection Process

******UPDATE 07/13/07******Nice! Listen you little bastids! What's the deal with reading and not answering? I see you navy.nil visitors. Someone emailed this post to a bunch of you. I can see that. I also see you are not answering my question!!! Hello! Do you know who I am? I demand you answer!
******
There has been discussion here and in other forums about Admiral Natham being a possible candidate. Some people have questioned whether or not he actually retired when he handed over Fleet Forces to Admiral Roughead(my horse in this race).

This article in the Navy Times indicates quite clearly that he is retired.

Invoking Willie Nelson for his ride into the sunset, Adm. John “Black” Nathman departed command of Fleet Forces and the Navy, handing the reins to Adm. Gary Roughead in a ceremony Thursday morning aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise

So the question now is........does that rule him out as a candidate for CNO?

07/12/07 @ 1000****UPDATE****** LOL! Well this is really clear! So far I've gotten two answers.
Anthony, in the comments said yes, there is precedent. In answer to my question "Does this rule him out as a candidate for CNO?", Anthony says "Not necessarily, note that Rumsfeld recalled GEN Peter Schoomaker from retirement to replace GEN Eric Shinseki as Army CoS. It's really about what Gates, Mullen, and SECNAV Winter want from a CNO."

Last night, on the phone I asked The Ogre!!! (a recently retired Navy captain who is now active in shipbuilding) and his answer to the question "What are the chances of Nathman being brought out of retirement?" was a simple, definitve "Zero."

Well, I'm glad that got cleared up! Anybody else wanna take a shot?

Happy Birthday

Today is an important day. It is the birthday of the Princess' Grand Vizier........... So raise a glass and salute my friend, Sgt. B of the GunlineHappy Birthday, baby!Guess what's inside? I'm waiting for you here.

Focus

****07/11/07 ConcreteBob and I were discussing politics this morning and he says "Your boy is doing a good job". I said "I beg your pardon?" Bob has met my older son, but I have no idea what he's talking about. "Your boy. Your boy, Lynch." LOL!!! He is talking about Major General Rick Lynch. Hilarious.

So Chuck over at America's North Shore Journal (always a good read), has been tracking an important trend in our military.

Beauty Queens.

Yes, that's right. Beauty Queens. He's up to three.

I emailed and being a smartass said, "LOL Chuck, I am starting to wonder about you. All these beauty queens, hmmmmmmmmm. Where is your mind focused!"

His answer? "Not on General Lynch, I can tell you."

I almost fell off of my chair, shrieking in laughter. I sputtered back something about his being a brat, but.......................that was a direct hit!!!!

Oh well, might as well.................post some Rick Lynch stuff!

Analysis: Lynch's case for surge -- Part 1
By PAMELA HESS
UPI Pentagon Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 9 (UPI) -- A top U.S. general in Iraq predicted disaster Friday if surge forces are brought home too quickly.
"It would be a mess," said Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, which is conducting operations just south of Baghdad in known insurgent sanctuaries.
"Those surge forces are giving us the capability we have now to take the fight to the enemy, and the enemy only responds to force, and we now have that force," he said. "If those surge forces go away, that capability goes away, and the Iraqi security forces aren't ready yet to do that.
"If you did that ... you'd find the enemy regaining ground, re-establishing a sanctuary, building more (improvised explosive devices), carrying those IEDs in Baghdad, and the violence would escalate."

Analysis: Lynch's case for surge -- Part 2
By PAMELA HESS
UPI Senior News Analyst
WASHINGTON, July 10 (UPI) -- A senior U.S. general in Iraq has warned that Iraqi security forces will not be capable of operating independently for the foreseeable future.
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, who commands the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division conducting operations south of Baghdad, Friday laid out the problem in leaving Iraq clearly for Pentagon reporters. And he acknowledged that U.S, ground forces operating in that country have never had the sufficient number of troops on the ground that they needed to fulfill all their security commitments there.
"What you've heard before from all of the commanders here in Iraq is we never have enough forces, and we could use even more forces. It doesn't have to be coalition forces, but for sure Iraqi security forces to reach out," he said.

This is the guy to be listening to, not Harry Reid.

Uncle Jimbo 'Splains It All - The Surge Against The Surge

How much do we love Uncle Jimbo? He is the king of cutting to the chase. He says what I think. How does he do that?

Go over to Blackfive and read his post and watch the vid.

Jimbo, I'm right with you, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I was a total Rumsfeld supporter. I see what went wrong, I know I publicly backed him past when I should have been speaking out. I was wrong.........but I agree we can't let it interfere with future success.

"It does not take a majority to prevail...but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." —Samuel Adams

Profile Pic

For the longest time I didn't have one. I noticed a lot of bloggers used something from behind. Anthony has the sweetest pic of himself at the beach with his daughter. So I put up a pic taken at the MilBlog Conference. It shows the back of my head. So yesterday morning at breakfast, my son said I should change it. He said it reminds him of cousin Itt!!!! So I changed it.

Howie Carr News

Hat tip to Hub Politics.

Howie Carr jumps to rival WTKK

In a bombshell development, WRKO-AM radio host Howie Carr is jumping ship to rival station WTKK-FM, where he’ll take over the prized morning-drive slot.

Tonight, WRKO said not so fast.
The AM station announced they expect to keep Carr in his seat "for many years to come."
Carr, whose contract with WRKO-AM (680) expires in September, is set to host WTKK’s morning drive show solo and replaces shamed syndicated talk jock Don Imus, who lost his national show after the “nappy-headed hos” scandal.
Carr inked a five-year deal with WTKK (96.9), according to his lawyer, Bret Cohen of the law firm Mintz Levin. Carr could not be reached for comment and is vacationing in Florida.
This evening WRKO announced they are not backing down.
"Howie Carr is under contract to Entercom. He is a tremendous asset to
WRKO and Entercom has every intention of retaining his services for many
years to come. Any report suggesting a change is incredibly premature," said WRKO spokesman George Regan.
Carr’s move to Greater Media’s WTKK pits him against disgraced, ex-House Speaker Tom Finneran, Carr’s longtime nemesis. Finneran’s morning-drive show on the Entercom-owned WRKO has bombed since he got behind the mike earlier this year. WRKO was banking on the former speaker to boost the station’s dismal morning ratings.
Carr hopes to debut on WTKK Oct. 1, his lawyer said. His show will run from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and will be a similar format to what he’s done in the past, said Cohen, who would not divulge Carr’s new salary.
“Money was not the driver here. He’s leaving to pursue what he generally believes is a better opportunity for him. Among other things, the opportunity to be on FM,” Cohen said.
With his move to FM, Carr escapes WRKO-AM’s weaker signal. Carr informed WRKO of his decision to leave today.
A Boston Herald columnist, Carr is WRKO’s marquee talent and is its highest-rated radio host by far. He has been with the AM station for 20 years and has had his afternoon-drive show since 1994.
After Imus was canned in April, former Boston Globe columnist Mike Barnicle replaced him on WTKK but failed to strike a morning show deal with the station.
Carr’s plans to continue to host his afternoon-drive show on WRKO until his contract ends September 19, his lawyer said.

I love Howie! I will follow him wherever, no problem. He's on vacation and today the fill-in was Col. Hunt, who I love (not as much as Jen), but Col. Hunt can't carry the whole time. I am happy about this change because 'RKO's Red Sox pre-game stuff was always cutting into Howie time. But 0530? I'll be missing lots of beginnings!