The Command T.O.C.

Blog Roundup and Information You Can Use

Just sitting here watching C-Span Washington Journal and reading the blogsphere. I thought that while I was doing that I could comment on what I am seeing. This is in no particular order, just what I see and my thoughts. Here goes:

• Think Progress reports that Guliani refuses to sign a "no new tax" pledge after going after Hillary for saying she would raise taxes. Of course, given Guliani's track record in marriage vows, I am not sure having him sign anything committing to anything matters. The interesting line from Guliani here was when he said Hillary wants to "go back to the 1990s" as if that is somehow bad. Most would LOVE to go back to the 1990s - me included.
• In a "Sign of the times", the Army is now going to monthly "group" memorial services vs. individual services. This shows what they expect to be happenning when it comes to death in Iraq. The quote of the day, "As much as we would like to think otherwise, I am afraid that with the number of soldiers we now have in harm’s way, our losses will preclude us from continuing to do individual memorial ceremonies," said the acting Commanding General.
• In a rebuke to the President's claim that "No one could have known what would have happened in Iraq", The Washington Post reports a CIA report from prior to the war which, in effect, predicted just about everything that is happening right now in Iraq. Of course, no one probably could have predicted how inept and incompetent this administration is in running a war.
• A well known and well respected Blogger, Steve Gilliard of the News Blog died Saturday Morning at age 41.
• Apparently, President Bush has now declared war in Somalia as well by allowing US Navy Ships to bombard militant positions. This is very interesting. I think now two things are occurring. First, the President could care less what he is authorized to do and what America thinks of him (Which make him very dangerous). Second, the US public is tired of fighting him, and that is even more dangerous.
• TPM Cafe takes this fear even further by pointing out that the NeoCons are realizing no matter what happens in this election, they will be out of power in 20 months. Even if a Republican gets elected, the neocon philosophy is dead and will not have access to the powers of Washington for a long time. Given this, TPM is fearful these neocons will launch Armageddon in their own image before they get out.  If you do not believe this, read the rant of Norman Podhoretz (The Godfather Neocon) in the WSJ where he says we are not at war with Iraq but rather we are in WW IV (The Cold War is WWIII to him). This, apparently gives us license to bomb anyone anywhere.
• The Left Coaster discusses Global Warming and how Nasa now reports (From SF GATE) the Greenland Ice Melt is accelerating at breakneck speed. The Conservative arguments on global warming have gone like this: 1) There is no global warming   .... then 2), OK, maybe there is some but it does not matter.... then 3) OK, maybe it does matter but it is caused by sun flares and there is nothing we can do about it.  to....4), ok, maybe we can do something but look, China and India are bad too. In the mean time, we have lost about 20 years as the neocons have argued about the obvious.

OK, that is all for now.. should keep you busy!

THE NEWS BLOG

Link: THE NEWS BLOG.

A permanent link is to the left but this is a very good Blog that IRR turned me to. Should be part of your RSS reading every day!

Number of Iraqi Battalions Which Can Fight Alone = 0

A roundup of what is being said about the Iraqi war:

1. In Daily KOs, they report from CNN that there are absolutely no (read - "0") Iraqi battalions which can currently fight on their own. Far different than what Bush/Rumsfeld have been telling us. The Pentagon briefed that the number of Iraqi Battalions that are at level 1 went from 1 to 0. Now that is what I call "Rumsfeld Progress". In this same briefing, the Pentagon told us the insurgency was losing steam - this was one week prior to the beginning of all out civil war. Do we have any intelligence capturing capability in the Pentagon?

 

2. Antiwar.com reports that notes from meetings with Rumsfeld immediately after 9/11 have been declassified and posted at outraged moderates. These notes suggest very specifically that Rumsfeld immediately was looking to hit Iraq as part of a 9/11 response. They also suggest that Rumsfeld was planning on hitting SH even before 9/11. As more information comes out, we will find the lies from this administration are many and broad.

 

3. Juan Cole, as usual, has the most complete wrap up of the war and Iraqi society. He also mentions an interesting notion that Iraq may now have a "hung" Parliament with no party being able to create a majority government. Here we go again, more elections and purple fingers and more Bush blather about elections.

 

4. A total wrap up of our military would not be complete without talking about the fact that a group of "elite" paratroopers are now involved in a gay porn internet sting. Wonderful, not only are they gay, which I have no issue with, but our elite soldiers feel a need to run a porn site about it. I wonder what would happen if they ran a straight porn site? Is it involvement in porn that matters or is it gay porn that matters?

Finally, I would like to elaborate on William Buckley's article at National Review on Line called "It Didn't work". William Buckley finally comes to the realization that the war in Iraq is lost. Here are some of his quotes:

"One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed"
"Our mission has failed because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading Army of 130,000 Americans (Gee... I wish I had said that two years ago).
"He [Bush] will certainly face the current development as military leaders are expected to do: They are called upon to acknowledge a tactical setback, but to insist on the survival of strategic policies.

"Yes, but within their own counsels, different plans have to be made. And the kernel here is the acknowledgment of defeat."

Now, we could do a bunch of "I told you so" but, lets avoid that. Bill Buckley has been gracious enough to say what we all know is true and to begin the dialogue around how we get out of this mess. The goal is not to spread more egg on Bush's face but to get us out.

When Bill Buckley says it is over, it is over. This is the equivalent of Nixon losing Walter Cronkite. Time to get out.

Update: February 26, 2006: The Washington Monthly reports on the "suspect" nature of these levels and the fact that they may "loosen" the requirements to become a higher level so that they can advertise more in a higher level. For example, there are now 17 more battalions at level 2 than there were last year. So, why have we not reduced our troop strength (beyond the ones who came in for the election)? Is it because these levels are meaningless? Also, not one went from level 2 to level 1 last year. What the heck are we doing?

Tracked back at Mudville Gazette

 

An Idiotic Rant to Me From an Retired Navy Officer

I just found a "Rant" about me on the Blog Chaotic Synaptic Activity. The title is "I'm Terrifying a Former Army Officer". But, alas, the rant is so disorganized and poorly written it is tough to figure out what he is saying. Here is a suggestion for him: How about paragraph breaks and punctuation?

Read it for good laughs. It is quite funny.I notice that he takes no comments. Wow, now that is tough!

Blog Roundup 6/26/2005

Well, a lot has gone on since the last time I conducted a Blog Roundup. For those who are new to my site, this is where I refer you to the best of the "blogsphere". Some referrals are so you can read more about progressive politics and some referrals are so you can see how silly the right wing has become. Anyway, here goes and hope you enjoy:

1. The Delusional Duck has many interesting stories however there was one recently which caught my eye (BTW, Delusional Duck is becoming a must read in my blogroll and should in yours as well). DD points us to  the Article "Finding Our Next Army" which was published in the Washington Post by Charles Krohn, former  Deputy Chief of Public Affairs for The military. He addresses three points in calling for a new Gates' type commission:
   
   - Can the All Volunteer force survive a sustained and unpopular War? - I say absolutely not and this is why the President is obliged to ensure he makes a case for war. Which, this President has not done.
   
   - Will Quantity in recruiting become a silent substitute for quality ... leading to a hollowed out Army? - It appears so. As I posted earlier, it is easier to become an officer and harder to get kicked out. They are beginning to take non high school grads and one or two problems with the law are "not so bad".
   
   - Are there serious flaws in the way the all volunteer army is designed? - NO!! Just flaws in how Bush/Rumsfeld Abuse it.
2. Amazing how paths cross, Jack Army and I were in the 3ID at the exact same time! I served in the 1st BDE and he was in 1/15 Inf. And now, here we are 14 years later acting like we are on other sides of the Universe. Maybe we are closer after all. Rock of The Marne!
3. Watch your Six apparently agrees with me that it is impossible to be a true reporter, a "free" blogger with the Army watching over your back all the time. We had this debate earlier in my blog with bloggers (Smash)  telling me that it is not censorship. Well, lets take it from one who knows, Watch Your Six clearly thinks it is censorship.
4. Ever go to those crazy right wing nut blogs which have the link to the "xxx days since Kerry committed to releasing his military records and he hasn't done it yet"? Well, Vern's Blog has an interesting twist on this: It has been 1384 days since Bush promised to hunt down those responsible for 9/11. Osama seems to be on an Iranian vacation and we can't get him. Oh, yeah, it is over 1 year (maybe over 2 now) since Bush declared "Major Combat Operations" were over. Tell that to the 1500+ kids who have died since then.
5. The Chicago Tribune reports that the Pentagon has met with the Insurgents. Remember Reagan, "We will never negotiate with terrorists"? Rumsfeld tried to push it off today on all the Sunday talk shows but the bottom line is that we are negotiating with the terrorists. This must make the right wing nuts!
6. Duckdautsu discusses the "Death Spiral that is the military recruiting.
7. In another article by Duckdautsu titled The American People Have Been Had, Duckdautsu discusses recent events showing the growth of dissatisfaction by the American People in the war and the large body of evidence building that we may have been directly lied to concerning why we are at war. The Daily KOS weighs in on this exact topic with more data that Bush's support is falling apart with a Gallup pole. Now we know why Bush is going on T.V. on Tuesday. He is worried.

Well, that is it for now. Go read and these great blogs will take to others.  Enjoy!!!

Blog Roundup - 5/12/2005

The latest information and blog roundup:

1. The Army is offering shorter enlistments of 15 months. Of course, this is somewhat of a ruse as you still must serve 8 years in both the reserves and IRR. As we have learned, the new op plan is to deploy the reserves and NG far more frequently than ever before. What this means is that future Presidents will have to rely on the reserves and, God forbid, the IRR far more often. This is the equivalent of deficit spending.
2. The Army is going to have an "Ethics standdown" day on May 20th. They need to reacquaint the recruiters with ethics.
3. "The fix was in"... Did the US decide to go to war with Iraq then make the facts "fit the crime"? You decide. Here and here
4. Tony Blair has now threatened to take Iran to the UN Security Council. Is that the same UN we claimed to be so ineffective with Iraq?
5. And the anti US protests begin. First, now in Afghanistan and soon in Iraq. Seems to always happen. We go in, we liberate, we stay too long, they throw us out...same old cycle.
6. COL Thomas Pappas is given an Article 15 and appears to have lost about $8k in the Abu Ghraib incident. This was the one where the Army initially said it was a few errant and deviant soldiers. Now we have a BG who was demoted and a COL is given non-judicial punishment. According to an article in Xinhua (Chinese) he was relieved of command as well but Stars and Stripes and Yahoo did not confirm this. This is confirmed by Reuters.
7. Military Contractors are "awash" in Cash. This report shows that war is good for the military industrial complex. The dangerous issue is that if war is so good for them would they every try to stop it? The stupidest remark comes from a military analyst with the Teal group who says returning that cash to shareholders sends a "red flag". Huh? Just whose money does he think it is anyway? It is the SHAREHOLDER's money and it should be returned.
8. 
   
   
   
   
   34 closed military bases appear on the EPA's superfund site. The most scary part about this entire report is that none have been cleaned or removed since 1980. Lesson learned for states who believe the road to riches start at military bases. You get what you pay for. Time to clean up the mess.

Blog Roundup - 5/09/2005

The Blog roundup for tonight:

1. Grass roots fundamentalist has a posting about the "Self Inflicted Military recruiting woes". Despite what the whacked out people on Military.com boards say, it is clear the military is on its last straw.
2. Jack Army reports on the same incident I reported on yesterday concerning the Denver recruiting scandal. I call it great investigative journalism. Jack Army calls it surreptitious. I agree it was a clandestine report although usually surreptitious has a negative connotation. You decide by reviewing the story here.
3. Jack Army also reports that the Army missed its goal for recruiting by 42%. Gee, I wish I had predicted it that back in November of last year when the neocons were saying, "There is no problem". Oh, wait. I did predict it!
4. And from the ARMY PAO, a stellar story about Army values. One LT claimed rape to get out of going to Iraq while the rappee (who was acquitted) was found guilty of behavior unbecoming of an officer since he did not disclose he had a sexually transmitted disease. Wow... those Army values impress the hell out of me!
5. The Otter Side reports that the "purges have begun". He reports on the NC church pastor who threw out of the church those who voted for Kerry. Next step: Lets put them all into one filthy section of town and build a wall around it. Then, lets dress them up with a symbol they have to wear to show they voted for a Democrat. Then, lets just gas them. And we wonder how Nazism began....Daily KOS reports on what you can do about it.
6. Today in Iraq reports on all the death and mayhem that occurred today in Iraq. This is about 1300 dead soldiers since the President declared an "End to Major Combat Operations". Good call George.

Nightly Blog Roundup

Here is a nightly blog roundup. Not just politics anymore, I am going to report on all blogs I find of interest. Here goes:

1. A little bit late but I finally read the Daily Snark. She is another converted PC user to MAC as I am. You should try it, the wonders of no virus', no spyware, solid platform. What else could someone want?
2. Lynndie England pleads guilty. Thank God. Now perhaps she will work the rest of her life to help victims of prisoner and governmental supported abuse. That is what she should do.
3. Staying on the MAC theme, here is a good site with information concerning the new OS TIGER. Consider Tiger the equivalent of Windows 2010!
4. Milbloggers on NPR. The usual argument ensues. MilBloggers think too much time was spent on the Blogs that have been censored and shutdown by the military. The person interviewed was "Ma Deuce Gunner". The actual interview can be heard here at NPR.
5. According to Drudge, the report tomorrow in the NYT will show the military has concluded that illegal abuse took place in Guantanamo prison. Imagine that!

I tried but most were still about politics! More later, back to Friedman!

Blog Roundup - 4/16/2005

Here is the Blog roundup for today:

1. Counter recruiter posts the Army new recruiting tactic - Show and tell with weapons.
2. Mudville Gazette continues on the standard MILBLOGGER tirade about reporting in Iraq. The two bogeymen for the red state right wing nuts are:
   
   
   • The MSM (mainstream media)
   • Activist Judges (only when they are active on something that redstaters don't want. They were PISSED when the REFUSED to be active in the Shiavo case).
3. The "I hate Kerry Group" gone wild at Citizen Smash. Citizen Smash posts that Kerry wants Tricare to be available for reservists and NG whether they were activated or not. Smash says, "Doesn't he know this has already been done" then links to a site which clearly states IT HAS NOT BEEN DONE. What is then amazing is the commentors (except for one not including me). Out of 14 comments, only 2 corrected him the rest ranted on Kerry without even reading the link. One of the 2 was a tricare worker. No retraction on the actual web site itself. A bit of MSM playbook at SMASH?
4. Austin Bay Blog reports that the left tacitly support Anti American dictators. I find it funny that he only calls out anti American dictators. Is it the dictatorship he does not like or the anti American he does not like? Never questions our support for the brutal regime in Saudi Arabia.
5. The dreaded MSM "Bogeyman" comes up in The Blue State Conservatives. The MSM has not reported on the supporters of Bolton for the UN only the bad. Gee, I guess all those Sunday talk shows I listen to and the interview with Condi Rice supporting him must have been in my imagination. Of course, one wonders why Bolton wants the job since he has public disdain for its functions and mission.