Saturday, February 17, 2007

Deja Vu - all over again?

Time to swing my 'stating the obvious' club to get people's attention.

Once upon a time there was a great victory. It has been called Tet '68. Yet it marked a transition that led to defeat.

Now we have 'The Surge'. Congress has laid the groundwork in such a way that success can still mean defeat.

Consider, please, the term 'Pyrrhic victory'. See: this It's interesting that Wikipedia chose not to include Tet '68 as an example... I certainly do.

The simple imperative is to recognize that single battles, and single campaigns, are part of a WAR. The outcome of a war is cumulative. With the short news cycle AND the blood and guts bent of the media someone needs to keep repeating that small point.

Tick Tock

Less than 30 days from now something will happen. It may be a BIG THING, it may be a flash in the pan?

The Wall will be open to the public on March 17, business as usual.

A group will be forming up near there, made up of anti-war folks and a wide mix of anti-US, anti-military and just about every liberal/left group.

I decided to go visit The Wall myself when I heard. I let some of my pals know about it, and soon discovered that others had the same idea. NO, NO!! I'm not claiming exclusivity, only pointing out the great minds work alike. Soon some real organizers got on board and as of a few days ago we have a formal group, a Gathering of Eagles, with a clear mission statement.

Other groups have joined in that effort. No one know how many of 'us' will be there or any real detail about what we might do when we get there.

There's been some uncomfortable divisiveness of a minor sort caused mainly by the fact that this snowball has been growing faster than the best intentioned folks could deal with. That phenomenon is likely to get more fun rather than abating. The outpouring of raw enthusiasm is staggering.

So a reminder - The Wall will be open to the public on March 17, business as usual.

Sunday and Monday life will go on. Carpe Diem!!!! Vandals WILL be prevented from turning that day to their advantage, but that will be only a small victory. These few vandals are trivial compared the far larger number here, and around the world awaiting, and working for, our demise.

We leave DC better than we find it. We go home with a new resolve. Let's turn a good day into a great year.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

We Were Soldiers Once … and Young

Not my war, but in honor of this event I am enjoying the movie yet again. Surround sound and all.

Thank you Col. Crandall!

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Young guns, old guns

There's a curious phenomenon I can't get my mind wrapped around (one of a zillion). There's a tension between vets of various generations. I can recognized it, but can't put a finger on the source.

Before I let my confusion lead to further confusion - this tension is not particularly negative. A friend described it thusly: "Due to generational culture, we live in different worlds. We are friends, but not close friends (until it comes time to go out in a "last stand" together.)"

This describes the practical nature of the tension, but does it not sufficiently define the relationship.

Actually, many volumes have been written on the subject, and movies too, if one counts the western motif. There's the wolf pack with the aging leader and other examples from the animal kingdom as well.

I stubbornly think vets should be different. Unlike animals and gunslingers we still fight a common enemy. The weapons and tactics are certainly different, but those differences are more along the lines of the differences between the Army and the Navy, rather than trying supplanting one another.

We need not enjoy each others music, hell, we need not even fully understand each other's language. The battles we fight are now simply in different theaters, like the Marines in the Pacific and the Soldiers in Europe.

We have our Kerrys and our Murthas, and the young guns are generating some of that ilk as well, but age isn't a factor in that. Some folks are just shitheads.

It seems to boil down to this... emphasis on differences rather than similarities. Sure differences exist, but they should never rise above the level of Army/Navy football game stuff.

The plain facts are that we need each other and this ain't no game!

Friday, February 02, 2007

The shitty end of the stick

Thanks Supe.

All of us 'Nam vets have some experience with The Stick, if anyone needs examples they can be provided.

Do your best, labor to your utmost, even shed blood, and get handed the wrong end of The Stick.

It matters little what the genesis of the term was... does anyone NOT understand what it means?

Well, The Stick is being passed, shitty end and all, to a new generation. I suspect that there is a certain glee on the part of those doing the passing.

Kerry's 'botched' joke, the LA times article about 'Nam vets, William Arkin's crap, spitting on the disabled Iraq vet... these are part of a pattern that is becoming clearer every day. If you need links or don't see the pattern you're in the wrong place, move on.

If you wear the uniform, if you've been in Iraq or Afghanistan (or elsewhere, at that)... BOHICA!

You're not 'baby killers', but de facto participants in Abu Ghraib, etc.

Never happen, you say? Suits me, I'd rather be a certified paranoid than right.

If the pattern exists investing energy on each individual element approaches a waste of time. Beat up on Arkin, beat up on Kerry... the pattern is the issue. Boasting that you dodged a lightening bolt is a small victory when a tornado is bearing down.

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Thursday, February 01, 2007

The pendulum swings

Like the electric feeling before a summer thunder storm pressure has been building.

The "I support our troops, but not the war" facade is cracking.

From Kerry's botched joke to William Arkin's WaPo blogging, those in uniform are once again being singled out for special abuse.

But what can we, you and I, do about it?

After last November's elections the liberal/left/anti-war/anti-America/etc folks are acting like they have a mandate to relive the Vietnam era. From congress to the MSM gloves are coming off.

But what can we, you and I, do about it?

Blogs are wonderful tools, if they are read with an open mind. The near fatal flaw is that they are not!

But what can we, you and I, do about it?

Folks it's time to put up or shut up! In the war of words we've already lost a major battle (remember November)... face it and drive on! If we do not counter with a physical presence at their rallies, contact our congresscritters, and, in general, put faces and bodies behind the words, we may as well quit.

There's an upcoming anti-war rally in DC on March 17. See this.

I aim to be there at the Vietnam Memorial where they plan to form up. The alternative is to start studying the Koran. Yep it's that serious! I'm convinced the next two years WILL decide the fate of this country.

Get off the sidelines and get in the game... we have thousands of cheerleaders, but few players.
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