A Memorial Day Guest Post - re-posted from Memorial Day 2007
Officer remembers the fallen on Memorial Day
Commentary by Maj. Mike Nachshen
Public Affairs Education with Industry Partner5/18/2007 -
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Soon it will be Memorial Day, and I'll remember.
I'll remember Eric. I'll remember how even though I only met him two or three times, his wife was my deputy and I knew him through her eyes. I'll remember that every time she talked about the love of her life, her face would come alive and her sparkling eyes would light up the whole room. I'll remember that even though my wife and I couldn't make it to their wedding, we got the newlyweds a silver-serving spoon they had listed on their registry. I'll remember when I last saw him, Eric and his wife were holding hands, and they looked the way people do when they're madly in love with each other.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember. I'll remember hearing we lost a plane in Iraq. I'll remember how I figured the odds were pretty slim that it was someone I knew. I'll remember the sepia-toned West Texas landscape as we drove for what seemed like an eternity to the memorial service, 90 long miles away. And I'll remember the way the eyes of Eric's wife glistened with tears as she contemplated being a widow at 26 while walking down that long aisle dressed in black and all alone.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember my friend Sarah. I'll remember how Sarah would stop by my desk every time she had business in my building and how her smile and laughter would burst into every nook and cranny and drop kick your rotten mood into the trash can. I'll remember how she would put funny pictures in my staff meeting slides when I stepped away from my desk for more than 30 seconds without locking my computer. And I'll remember Friday evenings at the officer's club, as we tried to solve world hunger and cure cancer while we washed down fried food with endless pitchers of frosty beverages.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember. I'll remember how excited Sarah was when she told me about her upcoming deployment ... and how as I looked at her, I recalled what it felt like to be a high-speed, low-drag young lieutenant headed overseas for the first time on what promised to be a giant adventure. I'll remember being deployed for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, opening that e-mail from my boss back home, and reading the message which began "Mike, there is no easy way to tell you this ..." And I'll remember what the dirt felt like on my hands as I threw it on her coffin while her parents and brothers cried and tried to understand what strange law of physics could allow a small wooden box to contain Sarah's irrepressible energy.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember to make my way down to the local Veteran's cemetery and remember the lives that were and the lives that should have been. I'll remember Eric and Sarah had dreams and goals and aspirations. And while Eric and Sarah are surely heroes who died for their country, I'll remember them not as towering figures to be worshipped, but as people who laughed, loved and brought others happiness while trying to make the world a better place. And perhaps most importantly, I'll remember that they had people who loved them, and still miss them and think about them every day.
And I'll remember I'm on sacred ground and that each marker represents the crushed dream of a wife, a parent, a brother. I'll run my hand over the marble stone that marks some stranger's final resting place and remember that below my feet lies someone's Sarah, someone's Eric.
And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember my other brothers and sisters. I'll remember the Irish soccer fanatic we nicknamed Pikey, and his beautiful baby girl who will grow up never knowing her father. I'll remember Meagan, whose warmth and can-do attitude infected you from 6,000 miles away. I'll remember Ben, who lived three houses down from me and was always working in his yard. They are all heroes now. But they are all real people to me. Now they're gone. I'll never forget them.
And, because it will be Memorial Day, I will forget some things. I'll forget the killer deals on new cars, plasma-screen TVs and deluxe dining room sets. I'll forget the crass commercialism. I'll forget the things that don't matter in life.
Because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember the important things instead. I'll remember to kiss my wife and tell her I love her. I'll remember the friends I lost and the friends I'll never get a chance to meet. I'll remember they had names and faces. I'll remember ... I'll remember.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Rolling Thunder 2008
Jonn at "This Ain't Hell....but you can see it from here" has some pics up at his place of this year's event.
".....before I left, I saw Fox News interviewing actor John Amos (from Good Times) who had joined the Rolling Thunder organization just yesterday. He said in the interview “I don’t see anybody rowing boats to get to Cuba…so I think we’ve got a pretty good thing going here [in the US]”. That stuck in my mind as I walked across DC and photographed the event today."
Yeah.
Go on over and have a look.
".....before I left, I saw Fox News interviewing actor John Amos (from Good Times) who had joined the Rolling Thunder organization just yesterday. He said in the interview “I don’t see anybody rowing boats to get to Cuba…so I think we’ve got a pretty good thing going here [in the US]”. That stuck in my mind as I walked across DC and photographed the event today."
Yeah.
Go on over and have a look.
Msg. Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez, US Army
Msg. Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez, US Army
Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Receiving his Medal of Honor from President Ronald Reagan, MSG Benavidez was honored for actions during the Viet Nam conflict. Benavidez, a native Texan, was born 5 August 1935. On May 2, SSG Benavidez was assigned to Detachment B-56, 5th SFG(A). After a 12-man reconnaissance team had been inserted west of Loc Ninh, they encountered enemy resistance and requested emergency extraction. After three helicopters had unsuccessfully attempted to extract them, SSG Benavidez volunteered to return with the helicopters for another attempt. Directing the helicopters to a protected clearing, Benavidez ran to the crippled team. Even though he was severely wounded in his right leg, face and hands, he dragged or carried the dead and wounded to the helicopters. In order to recover the remaining team members, Benavidez threw smoke canisters directing the helicopters to the site. As the enemy fire intensified, he hurried to recover classified documents on the dead team leader. Hit in the abdomen and back, he continued to gather the classified documents. Simultaneously, the pilot of the helicopter was killed and the chopper crashed. Although in extremely critical condition, Benaaidez assisted the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy fire, Benavidez went around the perimeter distributing ammunition and water, instilling in them the will to live. He, although extremely weak, began calling in tactical air strikes and directing fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and to permit another extraction attempt. Again wounded in the thigh, Benavidez kept administering first aid to the team members until the extraction helicopter was able to land. He then began ferrying the wounded into the helicopter. Upon his second trip, he was clubbed from behind and he became involved in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy whom he subsequently killed. He continued to carry wounded to the aircraft. Upon reaching the aircraft the last time, Benavidez spotted two enemy soldiers and killed them. Only after all the wounded had been placed on the helicopter did he allow himself to be treated. Benevidez died in El Campo, Texas 1999.
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So on my way to work, my Bad Boyfriend was reading to me. It's a short trip, so only got one story out of "Why Courage Matters". I can't find the audio of it to load on the blog, but it's a great story and you should read and/or listen to it.
**********************************
USNS Benavidez
Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Receiving his Medal of Honor from President Ronald Reagan, MSG Benavidez was honored for actions during the Viet Nam conflict. Benavidez, a native Texan, was born 5 August 1935. On May 2, SSG Benavidez was assigned to Detachment B-56, 5th SFG(A). After a 12-man reconnaissance team had been inserted west of Loc Ninh, they encountered enemy resistance and requested emergency extraction. After three helicopters had unsuccessfully attempted to extract them, SSG Benavidez volunteered to return with the helicopters for another attempt. Directing the helicopters to a protected clearing, Benavidez ran to the crippled team. Even though he was severely wounded in his right leg, face and hands, he dragged or carried the dead and wounded to the helicopters. In order to recover the remaining team members, Benavidez threw smoke canisters directing the helicopters to the site. As the enemy fire intensified, he hurried to recover classified documents on the dead team leader. Hit in the abdomen and back, he continued to gather the classified documents. Simultaneously, the pilot of the helicopter was killed and the chopper crashed. Although in extremely critical condition, Benaaidez assisted the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy fire, Benavidez went around the perimeter distributing ammunition and water, instilling in them the will to live. He, although extremely weak, began calling in tactical air strikes and directing fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and to permit another extraction attempt. Again wounded in the thigh, Benavidez kept administering first aid to the team members until the extraction helicopter was able to land. He then began ferrying the wounded into the helicopter. Upon his second trip, he was clubbed from behind and he became involved in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy whom he subsequently killed. He continued to carry wounded to the aircraft. Upon reaching the aircraft the last time, Benavidez spotted two enemy soldiers and killed them. Only after all the wounded had been placed on the helicopter did he allow himself to be treated. Benevidez died in El Campo, Texas 1999.
***************************
So on my way to work, my Bad Boyfriend was reading to me. It's a short trip, so only got one story out of "Why Courage Matters". I can't find the audio of it to load on the blog, but it's a great story and you should read and/or listen to it.
**********************************
USNS Benavidez
The Man In The Arena
CITIZENSHIP IN A REPUBLIC
"The Man In The Arena"
Speech at the Sorbonne Paris, France
April 23, 1910
Excerpt:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
******************************
The entire speech is here.
"The Man In The Arena"
Speech at the Sorbonne Paris, France
April 23, 1910
Excerpt:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
******************************
The entire speech is here.
Crushing Disappointment
Ok, I am heartless and cruel. If these things offend you, don't continue reading. Go find something with sweetness and light, because there is none here.
I got up around 0930. I am doing laundry and stuff. I had the TV on ABC's ThisWeek with George Stephanopoulos. I moving around the house, straightening things up. In the last few minutes they are running the "In Memorium" segment. I hear the music, I know what it is, but I am not looking. Then I hear a voice saying that Jimmy Carter was a man of honor. My arms are full of clothes from the dryer. For a sec I am frozen. Then I fling the clothes onto the table and dash to the TV. I grab the remote and rewind.
Damn!
It's about Hamilton Jordan.
Not Jimmy Carter.
I listen again to the clip of Jordan explaining "Integrity and confidence, those are two qualities Jimmy Carter very naturally has ... and those two qualities that I think are essential for the man who will be the next president of the country." One for 2 Hamilton, you're batting .500. Jimmy Carter has NO integrity. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Of course Jordan leaves out anti-semetic, which makes sense, since he was the architect of the Carter presidency.
Then the announcer points out that after the Carter presidency, and his own cancer episode, Jordan devoted his life to working with kids with cancer.
You know what that's called, don't you?
Penance.
I know a lot about that. I'll have to do more just for thinking this, much less writing it.
I got up around 0930. I am doing laundry and stuff. I had the TV on ABC's ThisWeek with George Stephanopoulos. I moving around the house, straightening things up. In the last few minutes they are running the "In Memorium" segment. I hear the music, I know what it is, but I am not looking. Then I hear a voice saying that Jimmy Carter was a man of honor. My arms are full of clothes from the dryer. For a sec I am frozen. Then I fling the clothes onto the table and dash to the TV. I grab the remote and rewind.
Damn!
It's about Hamilton Jordan.
Not Jimmy Carter.
I listen again to the clip of Jordan explaining "Integrity and confidence, those are two qualities Jimmy Carter very naturally has ... and those two qualities that I think are essential for the man who will be the next president of the country." One for 2 Hamilton, you're batting .500. Jimmy Carter has NO integrity. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Of course Jordan leaves out anti-semetic, which makes sense, since he was the architect of the Carter presidency.
Then the announcer points out that after the Carter presidency, and his own cancer episode, Jordan devoted his life to working with kids with cancer.
You know what that's called, don't you?
Penance.
I know a lot about that. I'll have to do more just for thinking this, much less writing it.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
BZ PO2 Anonymous!
The Phibian has assigned a task to Kristen (his frequent commenter) and yours truly (Goddess of the Navy Blogger Strike Group - no Galrahn, I will never get over it!). We are more than up for this mission, right, Kristen!
A regular reader, commenter, Fleet spy, and friend to this blog (who wished to remain anon .... ), has done it the way it should be done. This man is no one's "administrative burden."
Second Class Petty Officer in 25 months from getting his sexy haircut in a rate whose advancement rate can be measured in the amount of eggs you get at Food Lion. BZ. How do you do this online, I don't know; but I'll let Maggie and Kristin do the smoochie stuff.
Finally, the Navy might actually get some work out of him.
********************
The "smootchie stuff" is right up my alley baby! Princess Crabby sends her congratulations along with this kiss.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Perfect For This Weekend!
The Pritzker Military Library has a YouTube Channel
The Mission of the Pritzker Military Library is to acquire and maintain a collection of materials and develop appropriate programs focusing on the concept of the Citizen Soldier as an essential element for the preservation of democracy.
There are seven vids in all, here are some.
Matty from BlackFive
In this clip, Matthew Currier Burden discusses the reasons why he started his very successful milBlog Blackfive.
MOH recipient Leo K. Thorsness Interview
Leo K. Thorsness describes his thoughts and feelings when President Nixon presented him the Medal of Honor on Oct. 15, 1973.
"We wear it for those who can't." Wow!
Jim Lovell Interview
Formal Naval pilot and NASA astronaut Captain James A. Lovell visits the Pritzker Military Library for a one-on-one interview with John Callaway. In this clip, he discusses the story behind the famous quote "Houston, we have a problem".
Maggie Megellas (All the Way to Berlin)
In this clip, Author and WWII veteran Maggie Megellas reflects on his war time experiences.
MOH recipient Walter D. Ehlers
WWII veteran Walter Ehlers describes his experiences at Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944).
Sgt. Ehlers is one of the MOH Recipients that will be honored tomorrow night on the USS Midway as explained in this post.
****************
The red links go to YouTube videos. They are short snippets and you can watch complete interviews at the Pritzker Military Library's site.
The Mission of the Pritzker Military Library is to acquire and maintain a collection of materials and develop appropriate programs focusing on the concept of the Citizen Soldier as an essential element for the preservation of democracy.
There are seven vids in all, here are some.
Matty from BlackFive
In this clip, Matthew Currier Burden discusses the reasons why he started his very successful milBlog Blackfive.
MOH recipient Leo K. Thorsness Interview
Leo K. Thorsness describes his thoughts and feelings when President Nixon presented him the Medal of Honor on Oct. 15, 1973.
"We wear it for those who can't." Wow!
Jim Lovell Interview
Formal Naval pilot and NASA astronaut Captain James A. Lovell visits the Pritzker Military Library for a one-on-one interview with John Callaway. In this clip, he discusses the story behind the famous quote "Houston, we have a problem".
Maggie Megellas (All the Way to Berlin)
In this clip, Author and WWII veteran Maggie Megellas reflects on his war time experiences.
MOH recipient Walter D. Ehlers
WWII veteran Walter Ehlers describes his experiences at Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944).
Sgt. Ehlers is one of the MOH Recipients that will be honored tomorrow night on the USS Midway as explained in this post.
****************
The red links go to YouTube videos. They are short snippets and you can watch complete interviews at the Pritzker Military Library's site.
Rep. Pete Stark is an Asshat!!!!
Holy moly! I thought the biggest asshat in Congress was Sen. Dick Durbin.....well, yeah, he's still #1, but Stark is definitely giving him a run for his money.
Congressman questions DOD presence
By ERICA WERNER – May 16, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — An anti-war Democratic congressman is demanding to know why there were uniformed Defense Department personnel watching House proceedings from a public gallery Thursday, who they were and what they were doing.
"If they were here on official duty, this was an abhorrent misallocation of our military resources at a time of war," Northern California Rep. Pete Stark asserted Friday in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Stark, an 18-term incumbent known for his liberal positions and outbursts of temper, said he observed the contingent of 20 or so officers, apparently Army generals, in the gallery for a couple of hours while the House debated and voted on an Iraq war spending bill.
"At a time when our nation is at war, our troops are overextended, and the administration is literally asking for emergency military spending, what good to the 'war on terror' is having U.S. generals and other top-ranked officers — who were likely accompanied by staff and escorted by their chauffeurs — spending hours sitting in the gallery of the House of Representatives?" Stark asked.
The query drew a stinging response from a Pentagon spokesman.
"It seems that Rep. Stark issued his press release before sending his letter to Secretary Gates because we have yet to receive it, but without knowing the particulars of the incident he is inquiring about I can tell you that there is nothing unusual about military officers visiting and/or observing the workings of Congress," said spokesman Geoff Morrell.
"Secretary Gates has actively encouraged the military to recognize the important role Congress plays in defense and national security," Morrell said. "For that very reason, visits to the Hill and interaction with members and staff is a routine part of many professional military education programs."
Stark said he didn't have a problem if the military personnel were there on their own time, but if they were there on official duty he wanted to know why. He asked Gates for an accounting by Monday of the name, rank, branch and duties of each of the officers as well as how many staff members and drivers were involved.
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YGTBFSM!!!!!
*****************
Here's the follow-up again from AP
Congressman OK with military visit to House
By ERICA WERNER – May 16, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — An anti-war Democratic congressman backed off complaints about Defense Department personnel watching a House vote after the Pentagon told him they were students from the Army War College.
Northern California Rep. Pete Stark wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday demanding to know what the uniformed personnel were doing in a public gallery Thursday as the House debated and voted on an Iraq war spending bill. Stark claimed he saw some 20 Army generals or other officers there for a couple of hours.
"If they were here on official duty, this was an abhorrent misallocation of our military resources at a time of war," said the letter from Stark, an 18-term incumbent known for his liberal positions and outbursts of temper.
Stark's office released that letter around noon Friday. About four-and-a-half hours later came a shorter release in which Stark said he'd been informed that the onlookers weren't generals, but a class from the war college in Carlisle, Pa.
"I appreciate the swift response," Stark said in his follow-up statement, without retracting or apologizing for his earlier complaints. "However, if these officers were hoping for a lesson in how Congress ought to work, then perhaps the Iraq supplemental wasn't the best debate for them to witness."
In the course of the somewhat chaotic House action Thursday, the war spending bill fell to defeat after Republicans withheld their votes to punish Democratic tactics — probably as good as an example as any of how the House operates.
*****************************
Rep. Stark is "ok" with "a class from the war college in Carlisle, Pa." on what was basically a field trip. Oh good for you, jackass!
Contact Congressman Stark and let him know your feelings on the subject.
Congressman questions DOD presence
By ERICA WERNER – May 16, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — An anti-war Democratic congressman is demanding to know why there were uniformed Defense Department personnel watching House proceedings from a public gallery Thursday, who they were and what they were doing.
"If they were here on official duty, this was an abhorrent misallocation of our military resources at a time of war," Northern California Rep. Pete Stark asserted Friday in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Stark, an 18-term incumbent known for his liberal positions and outbursts of temper, said he observed the contingent of 20 or so officers, apparently Army generals, in the gallery for a couple of hours while the House debated and voted on an Iraq war spending bill.
"At a time when our nation is at war, our troops are overextended, and the administration is literally asking for emergency military spending, what good to the 'war on terror' is having U.S. generals and other top-ranked officers — who were likely accompanied by staff and escorted by their chauffeurs — spending hours sitting in the gallery of the House of Representatives?" Stark asked.
The query drew a stinging response from a Pentagon spokesman.
"It seems that Rep. Stark issued his press release before sending his letter to Secretary Gates because we have yet to receive it, but without knowing the particulars of the incident he is inquiring about I can tell you that there is nothing unusual about military officers visiting and/or observing the workings of Congress," said spokesman Geoff Morrell.
"Secretary Gates has actively encouraged the military to recognize the important role Congress plays in defense and national security," Morrell said. "For that very reason, visits to the Hill and interaction with members and staff is a routine part of many professional military education programs."
Stark said he didn't have a problem if the military personnel were there on their own time, but if they were there on official duty he wanted to know why. He asked Gates for an accounting by Monday of the name, rank, branch and duties of each of the officers as well as how many staff members and drivers were involved.
*****************
YGTBFSM!!!!!
*****************
Here's the follow-up again from AP
Congressman OK with military visit to House
By ERICA WERNER – May 16, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — An anti-war Democratic congressman backed off complaints about Defense Department personnel watching a House vote after the Pentagon told him they were students from the Army War College.
Northern California Rep. Pete Stark wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday demanding to know what the uniformed personnel were doing in a public gallery Thursday as the House debated and voted on an Iraq war spending bill. Stark claimed he saw some 20 Army generals or other officers there for a couple of hours.
"If they were here on official duty, this was an abhorrent misallocation of our military resources at a time of war," said the letter from Stark, an 18-term incumbent known for his liberal positions and outbursts of temper.
Stark's office released that letter around noon Friday. About four-and-a-half hours later came a shorter release in which Stark said he'd been informed that the onlookers weren't generals, but a class from the war college in Carlisle, Pa.
"I appreciate the swift response," Stark said in his follow-up statement, without retracting or apologizing for his earlier complaints. "However, if these officers were hoping for a lesson in how Congress ought to work, then perhaps the Iraq supplemental wasn't the best debate for them to witness."
In the course of the somewhat chaotic House action Thursday, the war spending bill fell to defeat after Republicans withheld their votes to punish Democratic tactics — probably as good as an example as any of how the House operates.
*****************************
Rep. Stark is "ok" with "a class from the war college in Carlisle, Pa." on what was basically a field trip. Oh good for you, jackass!
Contact Congressman Stark and let him know your feelings on the subject.
A Gaffe, an Absurdity, and a Policy
A Gaffe, an Absurdity, and a Policy
Charles KrauthammerFriday, May 23, 2008
WASHINGTON -- When the House of Representatives takes up arms against $4 gas by voting 324-84 to sue OPEC, you know that election-year discourse has gone surreal. Another unmistakable sign is when a presidential candidate makes a gaffe, then, realizing it is too egregious to take back without suffering humiliation, decides to make it a centerpiece of his foreign policy.
Before the Democratic debate of July 23, Barack Obama had never expounded upon the wisdom of meeting, without precondition, with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bashar al-Assad, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong Il or the Castro brothers. But in that debate, he was asked about doing exactly that. Unprepared, he said sure -- then got fancy, declaring the Bush administration's refusal to do so not just "ridiculous" but "a disgrace."
After that, there was no going back. So he doubled down. What started as a gaffe became policy. By now, it has become doctrine. Yet it remains today what it was on the day he blurted it out: an absurdity.
Should the president ever meet with enemies? Sometimes, but only after minimal American objectives -- i.e. preconditions -- have been met. The Shanghai communique was largely written long before Richard Nixon ever touched down in China. Yet Obama thinks Nixon to China confirms the wisdom of his willingness to undertake a worldwide freshman-year tyrants tour.
Most of the time you don't negotiate with enemy leaders because there is nothing to negotiate. Does Obama imagine that North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Venezuela are insufficiently informed about American requirements for improved relations?
There are always contacts through back channels or intermediaries. Iran, for example, has engaged in five years of talks with our closest European allies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to say nothing of the hundreds of official U.S. statements outlining exactly what we would give them in return for suspending uranium enrichment.
Obama pretends that while he is for such "engagement," the cowboy Republicans oppose it. Another absurdity. No one is debating the need for contacts. The debate is over the stupidity of elevating rogue states and their tyrants, easing their isolation and increasing their leverage by granting them unconditional meetings with the president of the world's superpower.
Obama cited Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman as presidents who met with enemies. Does he know no history? Neither Roosevelt nor Truman ever met with any of the leaders of the Axis powers. Obama must be referring to the pictures he's seen of Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta, and Truman and Stalin at Potsdam. Does he not know that at that time Stalin was a wartime ally?
During the subsequent Cold War, Truman never met with Stalin. Nor Mao. Nor Kim Il Sung. Truman was no fool.
Obama cites John Kennedy meeting Nikita Khrushchev as another example of what he wants to emulate. Really? That Vienna summit of a young, inexperienced, untested American president was disastrous, emboldening Khrushchev to push Kennedy on Berlin -- and then near fatally in Cuba, leading almost directly to the Cuban missile crisis. Is that the precedent Obama aspires to follow?
A meeting with Ahmadinejad would not just strengthen and vindicate him at home, it would instantly and powerfully ease the mullahs' isolation, inviting other world leaders to follow. And with that would come a flood of commercial contracts, oil deals, diplomatic agreements -- undermining precisely the very sanctions and isolation that Obama says he would employ against Iran.
As every seasoned diplomat knows, the danger of a summit is that it creates enormous pressure for results. And results require mutual concessions. That is why conditions and concessions are worked out in advance, not on the scene.
What concessions does Obama imagine Ahmadinejad will make to him on Iran's nuclear program? And what new concessions will Obama offer? To abandon Lebanon? To recognize Hamas? Or perhaps to squeeze Israel?
Having lashed himself to the ridiculous, unprecedented promise of unconditional presidential negotiations -- and then having compounded the problem by elevating it to a principle -- Obama keeps trying to explain. On Sunday, he declared in Pendleton, Ore., that by Soviet standards Iran and others "don't pose a serious threat to us." (On the contrary. Islamic Iran is dangerously apocalyptic. Soviet Russia was not.) The next day in Billings, Mont.: "I've made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave."
That's the very next day, mind you. Such rhetorical flailing has done more than create an intellectual mess. It has given rise to a new political phenomenon: the metastatic gaffe. The one begets another, begets another, begets ...
*****************************
H/T to Bigg Bill
Charles KrauthammerFriday, May 23, 2008
WASHINGTON -- When the House of Representatives takes up arms against $4 gas by voting 324-84 to sue OPEC, you know that election-year discourse has gone surreal. Another unmistakable sign is when a presidential candidate makes a gaffe, then, realizing it is too egregious to take back without suffering humiliation, decides to make it a centerpiece of his foreign policy.
Before the Democratic debate of July 23, Barack Obama had never expounded upon the wisdom of meeting, without precondition, with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bashar al-Assad, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong Il or the Castro brothers. But in that debate, he was asked about doing exactly that. Unprepared, he said sure -- then got fancy, declaring the Bush administration's refusal to do so not just "ridiculous" but "a disgrace."
After that, there was no going back. So he doubled down. What started as a gaffe became policy. By now, it has become doctrine. Yet it remains today what it was on the day he blurted it out: an absurdity.
Should the president ever meet with enemies? Sometimes, but only after minimal American objectives -- i.e. preconditions -- have been met. The Shanghai communique was largely written long before Richard Nixon ever touched down in China. Yet Obama thinks Nixon to China confirms the wisdom of his willingness to undertake a worldwide freshman-year tyrants tour.
Most of the time you don't negotiate with enemy leaders because there is nothing to negotiate. Does Obama imagine that North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Venezuela are insufficiently informed about American requirements for improved relations?
There are always contacts through back channels or intermediaries. Iran, for example, has engaged in five years of talks with our closest European allies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to say nothing of the hundreds of official U.S. statements outlining exactly what we would give them in return for suspending uranium enrichment.
Obama pretends that while he is for such "engagement," the cowboy Republicans oppose it. Another absurdity. No one is debating the need for contacts. The debate is over the stupidity of elevating rogue states and their tyrants, easing their isolation and increasing their leverage by granting them unconditional meetings with the president of the world's superpower.
Obama cited Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman as presidents who met with enemies. Does he know no history? Neither Roosevelt nor Truman ever met with any of the leaders of the Axis powers. Obama must be referring to the pictures he's seen of Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta, and Truman and Stalin at Potsdam. Does he not know that at that time Stalin was a wartime ally?
During the subsequent Cold War, Truman never met with Stalin. Nor Mao. Nor Kim Il Sung. Truman was no fool.
Obama cites John Kennedy meeting Nikita Khrushchev as another example of what he wants to emulate. Really? That Vienna summit of a young, inexperienced, untested American president was disastrous, emboldening Khrushchev to push Kennedy on Berlin -- and then near fatally in Cuba, leading almost directly to the Cuban missile crisis. Is that the precedent Obama aspires to follow?
A meeting with Ahmadinejad would not just strengthen and vindicate him at home, it would instantly and powerfully ease the mullahs' isolation, inviting other world leaders to follow. And with that would come a flood of commercial contracts, oil deals, diplomatic agreements -- undermining precisely the very sanctions and isolation that Obama says he would employ against Iran.
As every seasoned diplomat knows, the danger of a summit is that it creates enormous pressure for results. And results require mutual concessions. That is why conditions and concessions are worked out in advance, not on the scene.
What concessions does Obama imagine Ahmadinejad will make to him on Iran's nuclear program? And what new concessions will Obama offer? To abandon Lebanon? To recognize Hamas? Or perhaps to squeeze Israel?
Having lashed himself to the ridiculous, unprecedented promise of unconditional presidential negotiations -- and then having compounded the problem by elevating it to a principle -- Obama keeps trying to explain. On Sunday, he declared in Pendleton, Ore., that by Soviet standards Iran and others "don't pose a serious threat to us." (On the contrary. Islamic Iran is dangerously apocalyptic. Soviet Russia was not.) The next day in Billings, Mont.: "I've made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave."
That's the very next day, mind you. Such rhetorical flailing has done more than create an intellectual mess. It has given rise to a new political phenomenon: the metastatic gaffe. The one begets another, begets another, begets ...
*****************************
H/T to Bigg Bill
Last Night's Rain
Jen and I got manicures last evening around 6:45. When we went in it was a sunny spring afternoon.....when we came out the sky was light to our right and dark to our left. By the time I got to Jen's the dark clouds had moved South and almost totally covered us. The rain was just beginning to fall, a few fat drops. These pics are from Jen's driveway when I showed up with my contraband (pizza, chips, Coke).
South east toward Plymouth you can see the Cordage, the twilight and then the low, dark clouds. Yeah, I know my pics suck, but I like 'em.
This one is a little more easterly, but you can still see the Cordage.
Was trying to branch out from "I'm Not Really A Waitress"..........don't think I like it.
To blah.........not enough omph!
South east toward Plymouth you can see the Cordage, the twilight and then the low, dark clouds. Yeah, I know my pics suck, but I like 'em.This one is a little more easterly, but you can still see the Cordage.Was trying to branch out from "I'm Not Really A Waitress"..........don't think I like it.
To blah.........not enough omph!
Bloggers Can Be Cruel!
So, I pop into today's roundtable with just a few minutes to spare and Jack asks who just came on.
I say "Hi, it's Maggie" and Chuck of America's North Shore Journal taunts me "Maggie, aren't you in New York for Fleet Week?"
Nice
Sniff......... I was invited!
So anyway, as I said Chuck was there, so was Grim from Blackfive and my pal Will of Steeljaw Scribe. You should also keep an eye on on DOD Live, a blog that Jack and Jennifer contribute to. among others.
Audio for today's roundtable is here. Jack's write-up is here.
I say "Hi, it's Maggie" and Chuck of America's North Shore Journal taunts me "Maggie, aren't you in New York for Fleet Week?"
Nice
Sniff......... I was invited!
So anyway, as I said Chuck was there, so was Grim from Blackfive and my pal Will of Steeljaw Scribe. You should also keep an eye on on DOD Live, a blog that Jack and Jennifer contribute to. among others.
Audio for today's roundtable is here. Jack's write-up is here.
USS Midway Honors WWII MOH Recipients
*****UPDATE*******Pics of the event are posted here as well as information on another Midway Museum event*******
Tomorrow night, May 24th the USS Midway Museum will host a gala honoring six, possibly seven living WWII Medal of Honor recipients.
On Saturday, May 24 beginning at 6 p.m., our annual gala will honor the surviving recipients of the Medal Of Honor in World War II. “Beyond the Call of Duty” is a joint effort of the USS Midway Museum and The National WWII Museum in New Orleans. This black-tie affair promises to be a star-studded lifetime memory that you’ll treasure.
It will take place on the flight deck, surrounded by a glittering skyline. We’ll start the evening by enjoying Susan Anton as she sings the National Anthem. Our emcee is network newsman Sam Donaldson who promises to share some stories and memories of his own from nearly 50 years of covering national and international news.
In addition, our recipients will receive the Midway American Patriot Award as well as The National World War II Museum’s American Spirit Award.
The honorees -
Tomorrow night, May 24th the USS Midway Museum will host a gala honoring six, possibly seven living WWII Medal of Honor recipients.
On Saturday, May 24 beginning at 6 p.m., our annual gala will honor the surviving recipients of the Medal Of Honor in World War II. “Beyond the Call of Duty” is a joint effort of the USS Midway Museum and The National WWII Museum in New Orleans. This black-tie affair promises to be a star-studded lifetime memory that you’ll treasure.
It will take place on the flight deck, surrounded by a glittering skyline. We’ll start the evening by enjoying Susan Anton as she sings the National Anthem. Our emcee is network newsman Sam Donaldson who promises to share some stories and memories of his own from nearly 50 years of covering national and international news.
In addition, our recipients will receive the Midway American Patriot Award as well as The National World War II Museum’s American Spirit Award.
The honorees -
Lt. John Finn, USN - Of course, I put the Sailor first, lol.
Private First Class Jacklyn Harold Lucas, Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division - If you pick just one of these bios to read, this is the funniest.
Marine Corporal Hershel Woodrow 'Woody' Williams - This guy looks like a movie star!
First Lt. Charles Patrick Murray Jr., US Army
This is a picture of the Ehlers brothers, who both served. Roland was killed on D-Day.
Sgt. Walt Ehlers, U.S. Army
2nd Lt. Van Barfoot, U.S. Army
1st Lt. Vernon Baker, U.S. Army - The only living African American World War II hero to receive the Medal of Honor.
BZ to the Midway Museum and Scott McGaugh for speaking to us today at the Blogger's Roundtable. I think there will be video of tomorrow night's festivities available later and I'll try to get some of it.
Scott reminds us that 97% of the visitors are civilian and one of their primary goals is to bring the Midway to life for young people. So, if you are in San Diego, stop by.
What?
On my drive to work I caught the first few minutes of the BBC World Service NewsHour....with Julian Marshall...
OK, so the opening headline?
Military rulers in Burma are going to allow all aid workers in their country.
WTF?
Why? To scoop up the dead bodies?
OK, so the opening headline?
Military rulers in Burma are going to allow all aid workers in their country.
WTF?
Why? To scoop up the dead bodies?
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Another Pic of CPO Eberhart
This one with his wife and mother. 
Goes with this post. Read it.
080515-N-9758L-030 HONOLULU, Hawaii (May 15, 2008) Honorary Chief Aviation Ordnanceman David Eberhart, assigned to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 24 at Marine Corps Base, Hawaii, receives his chief petty officer anchors from his wife, left, and mother during a ceremony at Tripler Army Medical Center in which Eberhart was appointed an honorary chief petty officer by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Joe R. Campa Jr. Eberhart, 35, was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer on Sept. 2, 2002 and has continued to serve on active duty in his attempt to become a chief petty officer while fighting the disease. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael A. Lantron (Released)
Goes with this post. Read it.080515-N-9758L-030 HONOLULU, Hawaii (May 15, 2008) Honorary Chief Aviation Ordnanceman David Eberhart, assigned to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 24 at Marine Corps Base, Hawaii, receives his chief petty officer anchors from his wife, left, and mother during a ceremony at Tripler Army Medical Center in which Eberhart was appointed an honorary chief petty officer by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Joe R. Campa Jr. Eberhart, 35, was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer on Sept. 2, 2002 and has continued to serve on active duty in his attempt to become a chief petty officer while fighting the disease. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael A. Lantron (Released)
Too many honors and recognition come too late.
Reprinted whole from the Castle this morning.
Too many honors and recognition come too late.
It's nice to see some that beat the curve.
Meet Chief Petty Officer David Eberhart.
My fellow Chiefs,
I wanted to share with you this picture as well as a short synopsis of how it came about.
AO1 David Eberhart (pictured) is terminally ill with cancer. I was his Chief for his first tour on the USS INDEPENDENCE and even then his goal in the Navy was to be a Chief Petty Officer. His career, though very successful, has been interrupted with cancer treatment, periods of remission and finally with the news of being terminal.
He is currently assigned to MALS-24 at Kbay. A few months ago he requested to see the MCPON. MCPON Campa happened to be on the island visiting and went to the hospital to see AO1. It was explained to him [MCPON] how badly AO1 wanted to be a Chief and that he even took the Chief's exam from the hospital during a three day period -- he didn't have the strength for more than an hour at a time. On his good days he would put on his uniform and make his way to work though the time there took a severe toll on him physically.
He did not make board as he was six-points shy. It was requested by PACFLT Chiefs that AO1 be made an Honorary Chief Petty Officer. We talked about it in Newport and MCPON was in concurrence. The intent was for MCPON himself to make the presentation.
News came this week that AO1 Eberhart may not make it through the weekend as his health is rapidly declining. FLTCM Tom Howard along with a ton of Chiefs (including CMDCM Don Krampert from CPRW-2) from the area banded together to make this happen as quickly as possible. On Thursday, AO1 David Eberhart was designated an Honorary Chief Petty Officer.
I personally called and talked to Chief David Eberhart following his promotion Thursday and the excitement in his voice came with a strength and commitment that cannot be explained in words. He remembered well our time on the INDY but his short term memory is fading quickly.
Chief Eberhart's terminal prognosis remains listed in days. He is married with two children.
Thank you for all you do.
V/r Aaron
Aaron A. Shipley
Sailor and Command Master Chief
Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance GROUP
As of this writing, Chief Eberhart is still with us. Which is why I wanted to get this up.
H/t to a Senior Chief for letting me know, and High Five to the Chief community for getting it done. If a bunch of senior NCOs think it's the right thing to do - it usually is wise to go along with them.
***************************
Princess Crabby adds her Bravo Zulu to all those involved and her best wishes to Chief Eberhart and his family.
Too many honors and recognition come too late.
It's nice to see some that beat the curve.
Meet Chief Petty Officer David Eberhart.
My fellow Chiefs,
I wanted to share with you this picture as well as a short synopsis of how it came about.
AO1 David Eberhart (pictured) is terminally ill with cancer. I was his Chief for his first tour on the USS INDEPENDENCE and even then his goal in the Navy was to be a Chief Petty Officer. His career, though very successful, has been interrupted with cancer treatment, periods of remission and finally with the news of being terminal.
He is currently assigned to MALS-24 at Kbay. A few months ago he requested to see the MCPON. MCPON Campa happened to be on the island visiting and went to the hospital to see AO1. It was explained to him [MCPON] how badly AO1 wanted to be a Chief and that he even took the Chief's exam from the hospital during a three day period -- he didn't have the strength for more than an hour at a time. On his good days he would put on his uniform and make his way to work though the time there took a severe toll on him physically.
He did not make board as he was six-points shy. It was requested by PACFLT Chiefs that AO1 be made an Honorary Chief Petty Officer. We talked about it in Newport and MCPON was in concurrence. The intent was for MCPON himself to make the presentation.
News came this week that AO1 Eberhart may not make it through the weekend as his health is rapidly declining. FLTCM Tom Howard along with a ton of Chiefs (including CMDCM Don Krampert from CPRW-2) from the area banded together to make this happen as quickly as possible. On Thursday, AO1 David Eberhart was designated an Honorary Chief Petty Officer.
I personally called and talked to Chief David Eberhart following his promotion Thursday and the excitement in his voice came with a strength and commitment that cannot be explained in words. He remembered well our time on the INDY but his short term memory is fading quickly.
Chief Eberhart's terminal prognosis remains listed in days. He is married with two children.
Thank you for all you do.
V/r Aaron
Aaron A. Shipley
Sailor and Command Master Chief
Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance GROUP
As of this writing, Chief Eberhart is still with us. Which is why I wanted to get this up.
H/t to a Senior Chief for letting me know, and High Five to the Chief community for getting it done. If a bunch of senior NCOs think it's the right thing to do - it usually is wise to go along with them.
***************************
Princess Crabby adds her Bravo Zulu to all those involved and her best wishes to Chief Eberhart and his family.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Fleet Week 2008 NYC
May 21: Sailors and Marines "Line the Rails" of the USS Kearsarge, a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship, as it passes The Statue of Liberty, during entry into New York Harbor for Fleet Week. (Smadanek says "Oh, and what the hell is this "Line the Rails" crap?)This pic and others are here, thanks Pinch.
From NewsDay
NEW YORK - The annual U.S. Navy invasion known as Fleet Week opens here on Wednesday with a flotilla of five American warships and three Canadian entries to add an international flavor to the 21st annual observance. Some 3,000 sailors and Marines will disembark from the ships during the eight-day event that includes public tours and a variety of aerial and simulated combat technique demonstrations by Marine Corps units.
The opening procession will be led by the USS Kearsarge, a 40,500-ton amphibious assault ship that carries both helicopters and surface boats. Others are the guided missile cruisers USS Leyte Gulf and USS Monterey, and guided missile destroyers USS Nitze and USS The Sullivans. Two Canadian frigates, HMCS Toronto and HMCS St. Johns, and an oiler, HMCS Preserver, and the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Ida Lewis round out the lineup.
Fleet Week!
"........Fleet Week! It's my favorite holiday!" - Samantha of "Sex & The City"
Truer words were never spoken.
Me too, Samantha!
So I was invited to view the ships enter the harbor today, but I couldn't get down to New York. But I demanded a report and pictures.
Courtesy of Fishmugger (commenter at The Castle of Argghhh!!!)
At the dock on time, 0600 hours, casting off and heading out from under the shadow of the famous twin light houses atop Atlantic Highlands bluffs. Sun barely up.
Heading out estuary between Sandy Hook and the mainland into Raritan Bay. Seas light to calm - air temp 52 water temp 58, light breeze accelerated by 20 knot boat ride.
Passing Earle Munitions Pier, must be careful, trigger happy Marines don't fire more then 3 times before the klaxon horn sounds to warn you off from crossing the buoys of death.
(Pix to follow)
If Earle ever blows you can buy nice beach front property in Scranton PA. Picatiny and Bristol arsenals ship through Earle along with any other such manufacturing facility.
Question to follow up on - what are they doing with all the 16 and 8 inch rounds the Navy no longer can use? The biggest gun today is a 5 incher.
Mist on the water, big bridge clouded, Kearsarge anchored just east in the lee of Brooklyn.
(Pix to follow)
Nothing much happening, doing a drift, hooking up Yellow Eyed Devils (Blue Fish) and some Stripers (Striped Bass). Waiting for the Navy; sky getting bluer, sun full up, light breeze broken clouds, air temp up to 58 water still 58.
After checking ESE for the hundredth time, form of a war ship appears out of the mist. We are still in Raritan Bay and distance to ships will be great as they move up main channel of New York Bay. Tiagonderoga Class Cruiser leading the way and every few minutes an Arleigh type destroyer breaks out from the mist in trail. The lead Cruiser and 5 destroyers cruse past us and under the Veranzano Bridge. NYC Fire Department has fire boat at harbor entrance doing chrysanthemums of water in solute of the Fleets arrival.
(Pix to follow)
Air temp 62, water still 58. Full Sun.
The last ship in line is some type of auxiliary vessel flying a big Canadian flag. At that point the Kearsarge slips from anchorage and follows. The Army cannon from Fort Hamilton fires a solute. We counted at least 15, but we were over a mile away and the breeze made hearing difficult. We didn't know if they were saluting the ship or the Flag officer.
No fly by this year.
We then turned our backs to the bridge and headed back to home dock. All Blues still swimming, Stripers in the box.
*****************
These emails usually open with an appropriate salutation..........but he was up at 0300, so I'll cut him a little slack.
Truer words were never spoken.
Me too, Samantha!
So I was invited to view the ships enter the harbor today, but I couldn't get down to New York. But I demanded a report and pictures.
Courtesy of Fishmugger (commenter at The Castle of Argghhh!!!)
At the dock on time, 0600 hours, casting off and heading out from under the shadow of the famous twin light houses atop Atlantic Highlands bluffs. Sun barely up.
Heading out estuary between Sandy Hook and the mainland into Raritan Bay. Seas light to calm - air temp 52 water temp 58, light breeze accelerated by 20 knot boat ride.Passing Earle Munitions Pier, must be careful, trigger happy Marines don't fire more then 3 times before the klaxon horn sounds to warn you off from crossing the buoys of death.
(Pix to follow)
If Earle ever blows you can buy nice beach front property in Scranton PA. Picatiny and Bristol arsenals ship through Earle along with any other such manufacturing facility.
Question to follow up on - what are they doing with all the 16 and 8 inch rounds the Navy no longer can use? The biggest gun today is a 5 incher.
Mist on the water, big bridge clouded, Kearsarge anchored just east in the lee of Brooklyn.
(Pix to follow)
Nothing much happening, doing a drift, hooking up Yellow Eyed Devils (Blue Fish) and some Stripers (Striped Bass). Waiting for the Navy; sky getting bluer, sun full up, light breeze broken clouds, air temp up to 58 water still 58.
After checking ESE for the hundredth time, form of a war ship appears out of the mist. We are still in Raritan Bay and distance to ships will be great as they move up main channel of New York Bay. Tiagonderoga Class Cruiser leading the way and every few minutes an Arleigh type destroyer breaks out from the mist in trail. The lead Cruiser and 5 destroyers cruse past us and under the Veranzano Bridge. NYC Fire Department has fire boat at harbor entrance doing chrysanthemums of water in solute of the Fleets arrival.
(Pix to follow)
Air temp 62, water still 58. Full Sun.
The last ship in line is some type of auxiliary vessel flying a big Canadian flag. At that point the Kearsarge slips from anchorage and follows. The Army cannon from Fort Hamilton fires a solute. We counted at least 15, but we were over a mile away and the breeze made hearing difficult. We didn't know if they were saluting the ship or the Flag officer.
No fly by this year.
We then turned our backs to the bridge and headed back to home dock. All Blues still swimming, Stripers in the box.
*****************
These emails usually open with an appropriate salutation..........but he was up at 0300, so I'll cut him a little slack.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Does It Hurt More Than Drowning?
I'm getting a few calls and emails. Why can't I be nice?
Hello? Who are you talking to?
As Barb commented in the earlier post "I don't agree with the Senator's politics, but I wouldn't wish a brain tumor (or any cancer) on anyone." I agreed. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
But that's about the extent of it for me. I'm not going to be crying like that senile old fool Senator Byrd. I'm not going to pretend I feel any sympathy for him. Sure I'm sorry Teddy, Patrick and Kara are going through this. He's there dad, no matter what.
But him? His suffering?
My only question - Does it hurt more than drowning?
Cause I know for damn sure it can't hurt more than having someone tell you that your 29 year old daughter has drowned in the back of a Senator's Delmont 88 and the Senator swam away to safety.
I am positive that it doesn't hurt more than watching that Senator walk out of a coroner's inquest, found guilty of nothing more than leaving the scene of the accident & receiving a suspended two-month jail term and one-year driving ban.
So, no, I didn't wish it on him, but I'd understand if Mr. or Mrs. Kopechne did. We'll never know. You see Senator Fatboy outlasted them. Gwen passed away last December, Joseph five years ago.
Hello? Who are you talking to?
As Barb commented in the earlier post "I don't agree with the Senator's politics, but I wouldn't wish a brain tumor (or any cancer) on anyone." I agreed. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
But that's about the extent of it for me. I'm not going to be crying like that senile old fool Senator Byrd. I'm not going to pretend I feel any sympathy for him. Sure I'm sorry Teddy, Patrick and Kara are going through this. He's there dad, no matter what.
But him? His suffering?
My only question - Does it hurt more than drowning?
Cause I know for damn sure it can't hurt more than having someone tell you that your 29 year old daughter has drowned in the back of a Senator's Delmont 88 and the Senator swam away to safety.
I am positive that it doesn't hurt more than watching that Senator walk out of a coroner's inquest, found guilty of nothing more than leaving the scene of the accident & receiving a suspended two-month jail term and one-year driving ban.
So, no, I didn't wish it on him, but I'd understand if Mr. or Mrs. Kopechne did. We'll never know. You see Senator Fatboy outlasted them. Gwen passed away last December, Joseph five years ago.
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