Uncle Jimbo 'Splains It All

This morning as I was getting ready for work and sparring with someone in email, I was listening to FoxNews (there's a wicked shocka). They had a story about "W" explaining his thoughts on "graceful exits".
"I know there's a lot of speculation that these reports in Washington mean there's going to be some kind of graceful exit out of Iraq," he said. "This business about a graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all."
I was very heartened. They had Bill Kristol on for color and he was also bouyed. Then I pop over to BlackFive and Uncle Jimbo put it all very well.

By Request

The lovely Emma Peel (ArmyWifeToddlerMom) has asked us all to post recipes for cookies, etc. on our blogs. Maybe this will take my mind off that boob, Webb. Surprisingly (dripping sarcasm) I am not one to have recipes, per se, hanging around. I'm kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda girl. So here you go.

Cookie pizza

Take Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough or a sugar cookie recipe that you like (I've done it both ways) and spread it over a pizza pan. Bake just short of being done, about 12 minutes out of 17. Sprinkle with chocolate chips or Hershey Kissables or M&M bits for a chocolate layer. Then sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans for a nut layer. Next a layer of plain or colored mini-marshmallows. Don't go wild, you should see dough through all this and don't go to the edge, you want a "crust". Lastly, drizzle with Smuckers caramel ice cream topping. Pop it back in the oven to finish baking. After it cools, cut into pizza slices.

Hey FbL - Valour-It fundraiser idea for the next MilBlog Conference - Bakeoff? Or are we sticking with The Castle Kissing Booth?

Jim Webb is a Boob!

Wow, I am so impressed with Jim Webb....he knows how to be rude. That's so cool. Did he spin his tires leaving the parking lot too? The Washington Post publised an article about a White House reception for freshman congressmen and Senator Webb's boorish behavior.

At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.
"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.
"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.
"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"
"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.

Wow! What a guy! It brings to mind a thousand "B" movie teenage thugs who needlessly get up in someone's face and think their lack of civility makes them tough. We are always hearing that back in the days of the Tip O'Neill congress (and before) things were more civil between the two parties. Next time someone mentions that, I will point to Webb.

"I'm not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall," Webb said in an interview yesterday in which he confirmed the exchange between him and Bush. "No offense to the institution of the presidency, and I'm certainly looking forward to working with him and his administration"

Good luck with that! I would freeze you out so hard and so fast your head would spin, bubba! But then again....no one holds a grudge like me.

"There are going to be times when I've got some strong ideas, but I'm not looking to simply be a renegade," he said. "I think people in the Democratic Party leadership have already begun to understand that I know how to work inside a structure."

Obviously that structure is not the White House or any other place civilized people gather for mature discourse.

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), who campaigned hard to get Webb elected, said yesterday that the first-time officeholder doesn't have the finesse of most experienced politicians. "He is not a backslapper," Kaine said. "There are different models that succeed in politics. There's the hail-fellow-well-met model of backslapping. That's not his style."
But Kaine said that Webb's background, including a stint as Ronald Reagan's Navy secretary, will make him an important -- if unpredictable -- voice on the war in Iraq.
"There are no senators who have that everyday anxiety that he has as a dad with a youngster on the front lines. That gives him gravitas and credibility on this issue," Kaine said.

That's not a lack of finesse Gov. Kaine, it's behavior calculated to get attention. And anxiety does not give you *gravitas*. And this wasn't gravitas, it was bad manners. Criminy, if you put any more spin on that, I'd check your hands for a banned substance.

They are debating it over at The Castle. Imagine, someone is actually finding excuses for Webb's immature behavior!

I am really, really pissed off.

Army-Navy

In 1890, the first Army-Navy football game was played with Navy winning, 24-0.

Guess who I'm rooting for this Saturday?

Deja Vu

Jen and I hit the movies tonight. "Deja Vu" with Denzel. Two thumbs up.

This Day In History

In 1942, a fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston killed 491 people. Most victims suffocated or were trampled to death.

Many of the modern fire safety codes are the direct result of lessons learned in this fire.

Most Bostonians knew someone who was there or was supposed to be there because it was such a wildly popular place. My uncle, a Marine home on leave, was killed in the fire after making sure his party was safely outside and going back in. I have passed down this story to my children, nieces and nephews. I try to point out when we are near revolving doors that the regular doors flanking them are the result of a tragic lesson learned that night.

Recognition

Over at the Castle, the Armorer posts about the new "Shed of Argghhh!".

beth briefed on November 26, 2006 05:52 PM
John did the bestest job ever erecting this structure!!!!
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John of Argghhh! briefed on November 26, 2006 05:54 PM
She hired me for my erec@#$@^ BZzzt-Kapow!
Ouch! The PG-17c obviously is fully charged!
[smell of singed flesh]
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WereKitten briefed on November 26, 2006 05:57 PM
dang.John beat me to my own snark... but at least I wasn't the one beating off the PG17C this time!
(and judging by the arthritis issue, I'm guessing that's the only beating off that took place today)
*WAP*
DOH!
got me... that thing has LOOOOOONG arms!
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Bad Cat Robot briefed on November 26, 2006 08:08 PM
Excellent. The high-mileage hydraulic fluid, the Extendo-Arms, and the Known Offender priority filter are working as planned. Bwahahaha!
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Maggie briefed on November 26, 2006 09:22 PM
Congratulations! Have you christened it yet?
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John of Argghhh! briefed on November 27, 2006 06:23 AM
.....As for naming it, Outbuilding of Argghhh! works for me, but I'll let SWWBO take on naming honors. This is her project. Without her vision and ability to make me work through pain, it never would have happened.
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WereKitten briefed on November 27, 2006 07:32 AM
I'm on the "Known Offender Priority List"??
HOT GOLLY!I made the list!I made the list!I made the list!
(heh. it's a lot better than making Mr. Black's fashion don't list)
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Maggie briefed on November 27, 2006 08:46 AM
BCR - Did I make that list?
WK - I am jealous.
Armorer - Christening does not mean naming. Geez!
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John of Argghhh! briefed on November 27, 2006 09:11 AM
Maggie - I'm well aware of what you meant. I'm just heedful of the PG-17c.
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bad cat robot briefed on November 27, 2006 10:33 AM
Maggie, of course you are on the list. Actually there are several linked lists in a database, one for each type of bad behavior, and I see you are in the "Innuendo", "Corrupting General Morals", and "Suggestive Chitchat" tables. There's even a "usual suspects" one for general hard cases, for example. BillT heads that list.
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Maggie briefed on November 27, 2006 10:46 AM
"Corrupting General Morals"
I would like to thank the Academy for this great honor..........
Now I want to corrupt the morals of a General. If I can just get MG Rick Lynch, 3rd ID to notice me!
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Finally.....all my hard work.....long nights polishing my craft.....honing my talents......it has finally paid off! I am recognized as the tacky little strumpet I am!

Sarcasm

I got this email from Nic's dad, Fred.

Dear Senator Sarbanes,

As a native Marylander and excellent customer of the Internal RevenueService, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted theDepartment of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the processfor becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.
My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen toillegal alien stem from the bill which was recently passed by the Senateand for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisionsis accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fineand income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good dealwhen I see one and I am anxious to get the process started beforeeveryone figures it out.
Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxesevery year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years oftaxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent resultfor me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.
Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the localemergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stoppedpaying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year. Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relativeto her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates formany colleges throughout the United States for my son.
Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burdenof renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome carinsurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.
If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,

My Weekend

After work yesterday, I headed down to Jen's to bundle up on the couch (she keeps the heat at 61, I'm not kidding). We decided to watch some of the episodes of "The Battle for Rome" that she has been recording off of the Discovery Channel. One of the previews showed Hannibal and his elephants. She turns to me and asks "How did they make the elephants go where they wanted?" I stared at her, incredulous! We burst out laughing and I answered "Well back when I was wrangling elephants on the farm....". More laughing. "How the hell would I know! That's why we watch the Discovery Channel" She still thinks it's a legitamate question to ask of me because they were riding them into battle. Anyway, so far we are not impressed. We like the way the History Channel does these things. There was too much acting and not enough history. Not enough 'both sides of the story' analysis. The hour on Nero started off just after the burning of Rome with no background on his mother and dwelt a little too much on the lurid aspects of his madness. Kind of a Lifetime version of Nero's life. But we have several episodes to go, maybe it gets better. We also have them recorded out of order, Nero's episode was before Tiberius.

This morning despite my plan to go to work, I ended up heading to breakfast with Jennifer and running errands. I have to wrap the favors for our family's Christmas party in two week, so we ended up in Michael's. I was waaaayyyyy out of my element. I am the least crafty person you will ever meet. People thought it was strange that I liked Martha Stewart but she could show even people like me how to do things. I like the end results. Anyway, we had breakfast at the favorite pancake place and the people at the next table were discussing someplace they were meeting friends. The Ansel Gurney House. They talked about it so much, we looked it up online. I think it will be a good place to incorporate on Girl's Weekend next fall. Jen and I were discussing the lack of focus on China and how she doesn't understand why they hate us. She understands why the Muslims hate us. I was explaining about a really interesting article that the Atlantic published on North Korea and the tensions in that region. Bottom line, we have to win the lottery so we can spend everyday reading and taking classes and attending lectures. We are going to start adding horticultural things too. Jen wants to learn more about her roses and stuff in her yard. I used to be more into that before my yard became a teen hangout. Now I'm happy when there's a parking spot for me and they pick up the trash. Maybe in a few years I can resurrect the garden.

Frankie came down to weedwhack around the rose bushes and Bill put down her winterizer. It was a total hit-and-run visit, they left Andrea in the car, with the car running. I love my boys.

Today In History

November 25, 1963

Col. David Hunt

Col. Hunt is my sister's favorite army guy (mine is MG Rick Lynch, in case you forgot). He was the guest host on the Howie Carr show (WRKO) today. He is a howl. So, anyway, he gets on the crazy "Global Orgasm for Peace" thing and I called. First off, he couldn't say my name. How can you mispronounce Maggie? He kept saying it with a soft G, like DiMaggio. So, I laugh and say "Maggie"and I pitch him my "Orgasm for Victory" alternative. I tell him we have to "Be Sweet to the Fleet!" He laughs and keeps asking how they are going to measure their reaction in the Global Orgasm for Peace" camp. I tell him "We don't care. They are long haired, rope-smokin' Kerry voters!". He replies "Oh Moonbats?". "Yes" I tell him. I remind him that we met at the Milbloggers conference and this story is all over the blogs. You know he blogs, right? Then I harrassed him because he is always mentioning that he lives in Maine and is from Scituate. I asked why he never mentions Charlestown. He yells "My father is from Charlestown!" I tell him I know and that means he is from Charlestown, that's where his people are from. LOL Jeez! A few minutes later he mentions my "Orgasm for Victory Day" again.

Come on people! Practice, practice, practice!

Happy Thanksgiving

I will travel to my parent's house today. Yes, they are still taking care of me, lol! I will see all of my immediate family except for Tom who is in Viriginia. I am thankful for many things, chief among them, my family. I am reminded day in and day out how very lucky I am to have them. I am also grateful for my extended family, friends, and my blog family (as Andi put it over at FbL's place). I am grateful for SB and how he looks at me (was that sweet enough?). I am also grateful for those who are away from their families today because they service. Every holiday Father Mahoney would remind us to pray for those who serve. For those who set aside their own comfort to protect me.....police.....firefighters.....ER personnel.......and member of the US military.

Have a wonderful day.

The Day In History

In 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, 46 and in the third year of his first term, was assassinated during a motorcade in Dallas.

I know other stuff happened. But none of it really mattered. I was a toddler, but I know from family stories that my mother was bringing Grace and I home from our grandmother's house. As she walked through Monument Square, pushing Grace in a carriage, she heard the news from a radio playing in a house she was passing. It wouldn't have been warm enough to normally have your windows open, so that person must have done it simply for people to hear the tragic news.

My whole life, this is all this day has ever meant to me. If you grew up in Boston, much less Charlestown, especially educated by nuns.......there was nothing else that mattered.

Marne Week

Marne Week is a 3 day event celebrating the 3rd Infantry Division's 89th birthday. This year it runs 20 NOV 2006 through 22 NOV 2006. Here is a message from the 3rd ID's Commanding General.

And who is the CG of the 3rd ID.................................why it's......................RICK!

Here's Rick discussing how the division is preparing for future combat deployments.

Be Sweet To The Fleet!!!

An anonymous commenter in the post below suggests that we should be "Sweet to The Fleet!".

SB, wanna grade me on this?

Orgasm for Victory Day

Ok, over at the Castle, JimB has something in the H&I Fires comments for 20 NOV 2006 that is making me crazy. These people are organizing a GlobalOrgasm. Ok, on the face of this, it sounds good. But no…..it’s a peacenik thing. These people (granolas, as my sister calls them) aren’t going to be happy until normal people have nothing left. No firearms, no smoking, no transfats…….now they want to interfere with my orgasms! I will not think about World Peace and they can’t make me. First off, it’s just silly. An orgasm is explosive thing, not a peaceful meditative thing as Ms. Sheehan states. Second, I can’t think of anything that would kill the deal faster than thinking of a woman named Sheehan. As Bosquisucio says “Sorry folks, but if Mrs. Sheehan is in the middle of that pile, my missiles won’t **er** launch.” Next, if you are achieving this orgasm with the assistance/thought of a man who blows things up, shoots things, drops out of airplanes, chases bad guys across the water with a fast ship it probably negates the whole deal. Like marrying a democrat, you cancel each other out.
So instead, I propose “Orgasm for Victory Day”. On December 22, 2006, when all the smelly, long-haired, rope-smoking, Birkenstock-wearing, moonbat, John Kerry supporting hippies are having their peaceful, blank, meditative state………..I propose that you cause and/or share an orgasm with a sailor, soldier, airmen, marine or veteran of the U.S. Military. Their website focuses on fleet buildup in the Persian Gulf, so please pay special attention to sailors and marines. To be sure that you achieve the best possible orgasm, please practice as much as possible in anticipation of the big day. The organizers believe that their movement can have global consequences. I want global movement, as in earth-shaking!!!!

Saturday Night.....

......was a huge success!!!!! Everyone, especially Jennifer had an excellent time. We started with dinner at the Warren Tavern and a birthday cake from Lyndell's Bakery. Jennifer's favorite cookie is the almond disk. I expected 20 people for dinner, so when ordering the cake I opted for the one that would feed 24 to 30 people.......is the word you are looking for "overblown"? LOL Then I asked that they decorate it with almond disks. It took a a few tries to convince them I was serious. It was a big, heavy cake surrounded and topped with two dozen almond disks. Jennifer loved it!! After dinner and drinks we decamped, via 3 cabs, to a dive in Somerville where we just took over. We commandeered several tables between the dance floor and the bathroom. It was perfect. We had fun until closing. Several of us had rooms at the Constitution Inn in the Navy Yard.

I actually managed to get up for CCD!! I impressed myself! On the way back I stopped at the supermarket for bottled water, and muffins. Then it was on to Dunkin' for coffee, tea and bagels. There was no late checkout, so we breakfasted in the middle of the lobby.

When everyone was gone except Jen & I we went wandering around the Navy Yard. A trip through the USS Constitution Museum revealed many interesting things. Not the least of which was that Patrick Otton had certain facts wrong about the 1992-1995 renovation. The knees of the ship were never made of southern live oak, they were made from white oak, so the restoration was historically accurate. Mr. Otton stated that they were white oak despite his best efforts to secure southern live oak from private citizens and mayors of small towns down south. I knew that story was fishy, it's well known that the US Navy maintains the largest tract of southern live oak.

Jen and I laughed every time we passed a plaque attributing a contribution or loan from the Naval Historical Center. Mr. Otton asserted that the US Navy "doesn't care about history, they only care about fighting wars". Yeah, right.

After that we crashed Grace's afternoon plans armed with pizza from Polcari's. They wouldn't go with me to see "The Green Square Mile", so I told them that they had to buy it for me.

This Day In History

November 20, 1925, Robert Francis Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts.

"Mud: A Military History"

So I am home for a bit. My hair is done. I have to pack, eat breakfast/lunch and shower. So, of course, I have my favorite weekend background on.....CSpan2 Book TV. Were you questioning my *geekiness*? You're not anymore, huh?

So I came in and they were showing a forum on anti-terrorism. Perfect. Now that's ended and they are showing a short talk by author C.E. Wood. He looks like Sgt. B. LOL He has written "Mud: A Military History". The US Army has written definitions of mud....type 1....type 2....type 2a...etc. Too funny.

The event was sponsored by the Association of the United States Army. It wasn't long, but it was interesting. He showed this video.

I have to pack or I'm going to be in trouble.

Big Plans!

I am up at the crack of dawn!!!!! LOL I am off to a hair appointment. Tonight is Jen's pub crawl. SB had lunch at the Warren Tavern last week. He told me that as he passed the bar he shook his head and thought "If they only knew what was going to hit them!" LOL That's right!

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Last night I told SB about the USS Constitution lecture. He asked how I liked it. I said it sucked and the guy deserved a beating (the more I think about it, the madder I get). I said Jen and I got up and left before the Q&A was finished. That the guy was lucky we weren't waiting in the lot. He asked me why. I said, "Because I say so. Just agree with me." LOL I told him "That's the difference between people from the suburbs and Townies.....another Townie would have just agreed." I gave him the blow-by-blow on the lecture.........he told me that he was very disappointed in Jen & I......that we didn't wait in the parking lot and give him a beating. See!!!! He sould have just agreed with me!

I Miss My Bedroom Computer

The computer that is normally at the foot of my bed has been at a friend's waiting to have some work done on it. I still have access to the one in the living room and one at work.......but there's no Yahoo Messenger, ..........and no naked blogging!

Sssssuuuucccchhhhh A Disappointment!

Tonight's lecture was such a disappointment! I thought it was going to be this detailed review of the 1992-1995 restoration of the USS Constitution & it's historic sailing in 1997. I didn't expect it to be all history. I figured it would be geared toward the technical aspects, after all this was part of the Maritime Artisans Speakers' Series. But there was NO history........NO context.......and worst of all there was sniping about the US Navy. We left at the first possible opportunity. This guy was lucky we didn't wait for him in the parking lot. LOL

I don't know the other side of his story...but I'm sure there is one. He had to be leaving out big chunks. He supposedly researched and documented the most recent restoration of the ship. But there was no timeline, no narrative, and his photos were in no particular order. During the Q&A he couldn't answer many questions. He asserted repeatedly that he was not a historian. No duh. Several times during his presentation, he seemed lost.

He told us that some of the restoration used white oak and not southern live oak. He was repeatedly questioned about it and could come up with no satisfactory answer as to why they would not use live oak. He said that there were plenty of people down south who wanted to give them live oak but the Navy didn't want it. The makes NO sense. The Navy owns extensive live oak tracts for the sole purpose of maintaining the Constitution.

He also talked about the Constitution being given to someone who could properly take care of and appreciate it. Someone in the audience suggested something along the lines of of the National Air and Space Museum. (WTF?) Where do people get the nerve. How can they have the gall to look at a situation over which they have no authority and make pronouncements. The Constitution would be long gone if it were not for the fundraising efforts of schoolchildren in Boston in 1925. The 1927 - 1931 restoration was funded in part by a penny drive. The school children raised $154,000 of the $980,000 restoration. It is a landmark. It is Boston. And on this nitwits say-so, it should be taken away. I don't think so! He couldn't even get the dates of that restoration correct. It was a major event in the history of the ship and he alternated between saying it happened in 1928 or 1929 or 1930. If you are going to give a presentation then do some prep....at least look it up on Wikipedia.

If I had to choose one word.....that word would be *disgruntled*. This gentleman seemed very disgruntled. He reviewed his participation in two restoration projects and he complained about both. He was no longer connected with either. He went on and on about how others involved didn't share his vision and that was wrong. He said that the people who didn't share his vision for the Constitution were "idiots". He stated that the Navy didn't "care about history, they care about fighting wars". He spoke derisively about the sailors assigned to Constitution. He illustrated their alleged ignorance of the ship by relaying a comment he supposedly overheard where a sailor stated that it was called "Old Ironsides" because it was made from iron covered by wood so it wouldn't sink. Please! You want me to believe that a United States sailor assigned to the Constitution......an assignment you have to get as special duty......doesn't know a) what the ship is made of and b) doesn't know where the nickname comes from????????? After hammering those who disagreed with him for nearly two hours, he backpedaled a little and said he appreciated the Navy........whatever!

USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship, fires its port and starboard guns as a salute while under way in Massachusetts Bay, Mass. Constitution is escorted by the frigate USS Halyburton (center) and the destroyer USS Ramage (right), while the Navy's Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron passes overhead. Constitution set sail unassisted for the first time in 116 years July 21. Commissioned on Oct. 21, 1797, the ship celebrates its 200th birthday this year. Petty Officer 2nd Class Todd Stevens,USN.

He showed us a picture very similar to this one. It was a different angle and only one other ship was in the frame, but you could see the Blue Angels. His comment was "I don't know what that other stuff was about." We snickered aloud and I said "Oh yeah, all the Navy stuff!"

Notice that the speaker is referred to as "he". "He" doesn't deserve to be named.

I'm Happy

"Hoyer Wins House Majority Leader Race, Giving Pelosi First Setback"

Thursday Night's Lecture

Tomorrow night I am going to a discussion with researcher and preservationist Patrick Otton. The Patriot Ledger writes:

"Otton has played significant roles in some of the most significant maritime restoration efforts in recent years. He researched and documented the Navy's restoration of the USS constitution, which culminated with the ship's historic sail in 1997."

The USS Constitution? I'm in.

There are other speakers, workshops and demonstrations in the Maritime Artisans series. Information is available at the Jones River Landing Enviromental Heritage Center.

Michelle Explains It All

Michelle Malkin explains what you should know about confirming Bolton and how you can help.

Fresh From Rwanda

Fresh from Rwanda is a blog about my friend Nick's adventures working in Rwanda with the ARC. Nick is the greatest kid. The Boston Globe wrote an article about him. He doesn't post often, but when he does, it's worth the read.

John Adams at the BPL

Chinese Sub Came Close To U.S. Ships

Is this story correct? I think so. Does this leak have a silver lining? I think so. I have been hearing lots of carping about the lack of ASW training money. Some don't see the relevence and haven't since the end of the Cold War. This may help.

Just a thought, not a criticism, SB.

I also threw this out for discussion over at The Castle.

St. Francis de Sales Cemetery

Today St. Francis sponsored the first in a series of historical lectures in conjunction with the Charlestown Historical Society. It began with a walk through of the cemetary behind the rectory. I had never been in there. Monsignor Quirbach had fenced in the cemetery before I was born. Ed Callahan gave the talk and the proceeds collected at the door will be used to renovate the Bishop Lawton Hall underneath the church.

Ed also told us about the premeire of "The Green Square Mile". It was shown in the Irish Film Festival over at Harvard and did really well.
The Boston Herald said: "Premiering Saturday afternoon is “The Green Square Mile: The Charlestown Irish,” directed by Maureen McNamara of Kendall Productions. Residents of the neighborhood helped fund the documentary.
“It was really a project that was embraced by the community,” McNamara said of the hourlong piece.
McNamara’s other directing credits include films and documentaries for Britain’s Channel Four, MTV, PBS and the Ecology Channel.
“Southie has made this claim of Celtic preeminence. Our claim is that we are the most Irish enclave. We have still 30 to 40 percent of Charlestown (residents) who are Irish or of Irish descent,” said Dan Casey, a Charlestown resident and originator of the project.
“The essence of the film is, it’s not that we are trying to put a really positive spin on the history - history is history - we tried to mollify some of the perceptions of Charlestown,” Casey said.
Footage includes interviews with locals and a visit to Ireland. Narrator and lifelong townie Ed Callahan traces Charlestown’s roots in Donegal, Derry and County Down.
The film and an accompanying booklet by Casey will be sold at the Bunker Hill Museum. Proceeds from DVD sales will help fund a local memorial to honor Irish immigrants in the 19th century."
Next weekend there will be two showings. A private showing for donors on Saturday and on Sunday it will be open to the public. I can't wait. It will cap off our plans for next weekend. I loved the presentation today and look forward to the next two. Once again I am struck.....how have I not joined The Charlestown Historical Society before now? I saw the trailer a while agoa nd I am looking forward to seeing the movie.

Then it was back down the hill for Jen's "family" birthday party. Jen will have birthday week this year because we will have a "friends" party next weekend. Frankie, Frankie, and Dan (my brother, son and nephew) did not make the party. They are in the dog house.

What a Great Day!

The weather in Boston was more than one could ask for in November. Sunny and warm and breezy. We appreciate this sort of day in a way people in more temperate zones never will because they are not looking down the barrel of hurricanes and snow squalls and frigid rain and howling winds.

The Charlestown Navy Yard is a beautiful place in any weather, but it was breathtaking today. It was just a pleasure to walk through on the way to the Charlestown Historical Society's event on the World War II experiences of Townies. When I was young I thought my grandfather's family had the greatest number of brothers serving from the town. Turns out they shared that honor with two other families. There were displays for every branch of the service, every major battle and descriptions of which Townies had served where. They also had people who re-enact WWII and plenty of period artifacts. I met some cousins on my way in and my mother, Grace, Debbie and my Uncle Jim joined me there. I really enjoyed myself.

On the way out there was a motorcade coming in.........don't know who it was, the Ranger wouldn't give, lol.

Before I left for the evening, I was teasing Frankie that I was going to stay with him for the night (what 18 year old doesn't want to spend Saturday night with their Mum?). Finally he said "Can't you go get lectured somewhere?", lol.

Later on I went to the wedding of my bosses' daughter. A really lovely affair at Waverly Oaks. Chocolate fountain! MMMMMM Now I'm home and ready to settle in when I notice the AMC movie is "The Enemy Below". I love Veteran's Day and Memorial Day.....AMC hauls out all the good stuff! The first time I ever watched this movie was with my Dad. He used to lie on his side on the couch, bending his legs at the knee, making this hole for me to sit in. I watched countless movies from that vantage point, listening to my father's commentary, some snack being shared.....just a really happy memory. This movie is about a "tincan" playing cat-n-mouse with a UBoat in the North Atlantic during WWII.........so you know it was a favorite! My father would have been pointing out all the comparisons to his own destroyer.

Armistice Day

November 11th, 1918, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Today I will join my mother and her brothers and other relatives in the Charlestown Navy Yard for a presentation by the Charlestown Historical Society (why don't I already belong to this, it's soooo my cup of tea!).

The event is "Charlestown WWII Veterans' History Day".
"In an effort to share the ongoing research, a WWII Living History Day will be held on Veterans' Day November 11th at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Bldg 5, Preble Room. The event will display numerous exhibits and artifacts and WWII veterans will be on hand. The event will also show several short film clips relating to men from Charlestown and WWII re-enactors will show off various WWII uniforms and equipment. It's a great opportunity to learn about the untold story of the men and women from Charlestown who served in WWII."

My family will be well represented. My mother's father was one of nine, seven of whom served. My grandfather's brothers rarely spoke of the war. When they did it was in terms of the honor of the two brothers who died, one on Iwo Jima and the other in the Coconut Grove fire. I remember many summer evenings, sitting on the front step listening to their stories. Those stories took a long time to get. My uncles were men of few words and long pauses (when they thought about the parts they were not prepared to discuss with their young niece). Eventually I began going to the BPL to piece together the parts they were leaving out.

So I will honor that in the Preble Room. Hey SouthieBoy.....we know who Preble was, huh?

Patton

Classic Quotes by George S. Patton, Jr. (1885-1945) US general

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week."

"A piece of spaghetti or a military unit can only be led from the front end."

"A pint of sweat, saves a gallon of blood."

"Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory."

"All very successful commanders are prima donnas and must be so treated."

"Always do everything you ask of those you command."

"Americans love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle."

On A Lighter Note......

Beth has a quiz up over at her site.

"What American Accent Do You Have?"

Of course, I had to know! So I took the test. As I commented over there......."Here's a wicked shockah!!!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Boston You definitely have a Boston accent, even if you think you don't. Of course, that doesn't mean you are from the Boston area, you may also be from New Hampshire or Maine.
The West
The Midland
North Central
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The South
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

From Time Magazine

Exclusive: Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse
A lawsuit in Germany will seek a criminal prosecution of the outgoing Defense Secretary and other U.S. officials for their alleged role in abuses at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo.

Hey! Angela Merkel! You will get Donald Rumsfeld when you pry him from my COLD.....DEAD.....HANDS!

Fine. I can live without buying German crap. I already do without crap from France. It didn't kill me to switch from Grey Goose to Ketel One. Now I will do without Lindt.


******************UPDATE**********
Michelle Malkin wants us to hold our fire on this.....don't toss those chocolates yet.

Here's a Good One.....

Remember...you can't spell "devaluation" without Deval!

Happy Birthday USMC!

In 1775, the U.S. Marine Corps was formed by order of the Continental Congress.

"This resolution, sponsored by John Adams, established the Continental Marines and marked the birth date of the United States Marine Corps. Serving on land and at sea, these first Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations, including their first amphibious raid into the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of Captain (later Major) Samuel Nicholas. Nicholas, the first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines, remained the senior Marine officer throughout the American Revolution and is considered to be the first Marine Commandant. The Treaty of Paris in April 1783 brought an end to the Revolutionary War and as the last of the Navy's ships were sold, the Continental Navy and Marines went out of existence."

3rd ID "Rock Of The Marne"!!!

Tonight I met a soldier from the 3rd ID. How funny is that!!!

Jen and I were at East Bay for dinner and we were hanging with people from work and some friends. Kelly, who is young and beautiful points out this young soldier and pronounces him cute. We all look over and discuss him. I was ready to send over a beer and have him join us. Just as I was calling over Keith, our bartender, Bette says she spoke with him earlier and he has some hot and heavy romance going with a girl who he is taking to dinner Saturday. So we forget about him. Later, after many of our friends have left (including Kelly), he comes over and starts talking to Jen, Bette and I. He introduces himself, we introduce ourselves. Jen asks where he is from. He replies Georgia. I ask, Fort Stewart? He says no, Fort Benning. I say too bad, I thought he was with the 3rd ID. He looks startled and says, yes he is. I laugh and say, So you work for my favorite army guy Major General Rick Lynch!!!!!! Rock of the Marne!!!! He laughs and high fives me. Jen is laughing at us both. This is the only army slogan I know, The 3rd ID is the only Army stuff I know. What a crazy coincidence. He asks how I know MG Lynch and I explain I don't, he's just my favorite Army guy...the way some people have a favorite singer or movie star.

So we move onto his personal life, and.......no girlfriend!!!! Bette had mixed him up with someone else! LOL, we tell him about Kelly and almost calling him over and he knew just who we were talking about because he describes her and declares her to be HOT! He is rocked back on his heels to know he has missed out on meeting her. So Jen took his email and we will make sure they get together before he heads south again.

Jen and I taking care of the military...one soldier at a time.

Rumsfeld

"It's been quite a time," he said. "It recalls to mind the statement by Winston Churchill — something to the effect that' I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof.' " Bush laughed at that.

Rumsfeld

I am bummed about one thing.....he had the best press conferences! And his sayings....."Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" is my favorite. I don't understand why people are surprised. SB and I have been discussing this for a while. We both knew he was going as soon as the elections were over. The only thing that surprised us was that they didn't wait a few days.

I think this is a good thing. As much as I liked him, he hasn't been doing a good job. I think I could have done a better job. It isn't rocket science to know that we should have done more immediately after the invasion. The sad part is that the things that would have made the difference were all things we could have done easily. We should have rounded up every capable young man and given him a job......cleaning, clearing, building, guarding..........whatever. Then they wouldn't have been so susceptible to the temptation to join militias or terrorist groups. It's hard to join such groups when you are busy working and supporting your family. Conversely, all that free time hanging around, listening to extremists caused a lot of problems. That all could have been avoided. Plus the work they would have done would have benefitted everyone. We needed..need a Marshall Plan approach.

As far as security goes...........well I can only guess that Rumsfeld has never read Sun Tzu. I almost wish I hadn't.

The Silver Lining

I'm not really all that upset about losing the Congress. I knew it was going to happen. I can put it in perspective. It's all part of the game. The Dems being in power for a little bit are not going to cause the end of life as I know it. I read an article in The Atlantic a while ago that made the arguement that losing now puts us in a better position for '08. Maybe....maybe not, but it was interesting.

Michael Graham pointed out that all the Dems should thank Haliburton for *not* stealing this election like they did in '00 and '04.

Also, Comedy Central and The Colbert Report had a funny segment about Republican despair over yesterday's results. It was a video called "Sigh". The link should be up in a day or two and I will post it.

Who I Blame for Deval

Deval was just in the right place at the right time. He got into office riding a platform of fuzzy feelings and platitudes. No one questioned him seriously. No one focused the spotlight on him. For that I blame several people.
First......Mitt. Don't get me wrong, I liked Mitt. I still do. I voted for Mitt. I was at the state convention that amounted to his coronation. At the time there was a race for Lt. Governor. I backed Jim Rappaport. Mitt didn't want Jim. It wasn't enough for us to nominate Mitt for governor, he wanted us to let him pick the Lt. Governor. The party wanted him so badly, they gave him his way. We were wrong to let him pick the weaker candidate. I like Kerry and I think she would have made a fine governor, but Jim could have won. For one thing, he wouldn't have had to deal with the "he's not *warm* enough" nonsense. No one would have called Jim shrill even if the exact same words had come out of his mouth as came out of Kerry's. It's not right, it's not ideal, but the fact is Kerry was not as strong a candidate because women are judged differently. I heard too many people talk about her *cold* personality. It's ridiculous, but it lost her some votes. People agreed with her stands on taxes and illegal immigration, but wouldn't vote for her. It wouldn't have happened to Jim. However, Mitt couldn't handle the competition. So that's the first problem, not considering future races.
Next.....fuckin' Christie Mihos. I know the arguement here. Even if Kerry got all Christie's votes (and she wouldn't have, they would have split 60%to Kerry and 40% to Deval) she wouldn't have won. That's not my point. Christie kept the spotlight on Kerry and Deval coasted along like Darth Vader. Christie functioned largely as Deval's hatchet man. I have no words.
Next.......voters who are new to voting or new to Massachusetts politics. I *remember* Mike Dukakis. Someday, they will understand those words.
Lastly.....the ignorance of the voting public. Most people who thought Deval was great with his "Together we can" shit have no idea how Massachusetts politics works. Deval didn't win last night..........Travaglini won last night.......DiMasi won last night.

I Despair

Every morning I get an email with the "Word of The Day". I had to be at the polls this morning at 0615, so I didn't see todays word until now.

weltschmerz \VELT-shmerts\ (noun) - World weariness; pessimism, apathy.

Matt Sherman

After an absence from blogging of 11 months.........Matt posted something in September. LOL I missed it! Here it is so you won't miss it. It has some great photos and he's made some improvements, so it loads faster.

Home From Virginia

I am about to fall into bed after my drive home from Virginia. Ten and half hours on the road...which did include an hour long nap in a rest area in Connecticut.....so I made good time. I really didn't want to be driving this late, but I kept pushing off my departure.

Tonight's Lecture....

... should be a little safer than some I have recently been to. I wager there will be no protesters, lol. Jen is still harrassing me for being slow on the draw to speak up Monday night when that nutjob started yelling at Bill Kristol. I did eventually speak up, but Jen was zinging him right off the bat. She was laughing saying he wasn't even "her guy", that I was the fan and obviously not enough of one! She said if it had been Bill O'Reilly or Col Hunt who was under attack there would have been fisticuffs! She had us crying laughing about how she would have been tackling wingnuts and rolling around on the floor if someone tried to attack Col. Hunt.

Tonight's subject at the Harvard Coop is much more tame.

Discussion with Joseph Garver
In Surveying the Shore: Historic Maps of Coastal Massachusetts, 1600-1930, cartographic historian Joseph G. Garver shows how the beautiful and highly varied maps of Massachusetts have reflected these historic changes. This large-format, full-color book contains 90 historic maps each a work of art in itself. The maps are accompanied by a fascinating text about both the development of the mapmaker's art and the history of Massachusetts.

I want to get an autographed copy for Tommy and bring it with me this weekend to Virginia. My son, my son will turn 25 on Saturday. I don't know how this happened....I am far to young and beautiful too have a 25 year old son!

John Kerry

So many people are covering this, and doing a better job than I could. So, I'll just point out a few I like. Of course, the roundup at Drudge is always good. I favor Ace of Spades because he is cutting and his commenters are always funny. I listened to Imus (normally he is hard to take) and he had Rick Santorum on. Santorum spanked Kerry, I loved it.

Kerry's answer.......... Kerry calling the president's men hacks who are "willing to lie."

OK, if you want to give credit for this to Rove......then allow me to express my admiration with a graphic stolen from "United Conservatives of Virginia" (they used it for another reason, but I like it).