The Laughing Wolf

The only thing I can suppose is that they took this story straight from the national feed and that no one at the station pays much attention to international news, much less the blogsphere. That does not surprise me much, for what I remember at most places was an intense interest in local and big stories that could break your way to a larger station/newspaper/etc. Outside of a specific beat, most reporters and broadcasters are extremely uninformed unless the news happens to fall into a hobby or other area of strong interest for them. On a somewhat mean note, if you really want to see a general assignment reporter freak, try talking science to them.

I hope that the station really will do some digging on this, and maybe learn a bit in the process. Maybe they will learn how this ridiculous story came to be, and why it should die a quick death. Maybe they will learn about blogs and the new media that is fast rendering a lot of traditional media obsolete – or at least held to the standards it professes to uphold. Maybe they will learn that it is sometimes, even in the face of deadlines and other pressures, a good idea to check the national feed.

Who knows. All we can do is hope, and see what happens.

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« ...howl's done

Start with Trent Telenko's piece (yet another good one by Trent) over at Winds of Change, and be sure to read the article at Slate he references as it gives some much needed history for understanding what is going on right now. Another good article with a lot of history is here. Also check out Blogfather Joe Katzman's piece at Winds of Change.

These provide a good start, but you will also want to check out some of the discussion at Jerry Pournelle's place in the mail section. Jerry writes about a lot more than computers, and has the background to be authoritative in quite a few areas. Where he is not an expert, he pulls in readers and others who are such, and the mail is often a very lively exchange. Yes, it takes time to read but is well worth the time.

But these discussion, while quite good, only tell part of the story. You need to go to Warthog Territory to get a much fuller picture of what this remarkable plane can do, has done, and is needed to do now and in the future. You also need to pay particular attention to THIS story, and take a good, hard, and long look at the pictures -- and at the plane, not the pilot.

The fact is, the A-10 has been the true workhorse of the last two wars. To be honest, I have always wanted one of my own because of my belief that there are no old, bold pilots. You can have old, or you can have bold, but rare indeed is the one who is both. The A-10 has about two of everything in case one gets shot off. It is one of the most survivable planes ever developed, taking on man and nature and usually coming out on top.

The Air Force has, from the beginning, been unable and unwilling to live up to its sworn agreements on close-air ground support. Then again, the Air Force has long had some serious problems with its field grade officers and leadership. A family friend who worked for the Air Force blamed a lot of it on it being a young service with far too young leadership when it was formed. According to this friend, they had never grown up and the resultant Air Force reflects that to this day.

This friend pointed out a lot of the follies of this service, from having to go bury "excess" stock needed for maintenance before inspections and then not being allowed to go retrieve same after inspection, to the insistence on smoke and flame from engines, even when eliminating same would increase power and fuel efficiency. Nope, couldn't have that, the brass had to have the visual. It is my personal opinion that the current scandals racking the Air Force Academy, and the craven refusal to admit to and correct same by the Secretary of the Air Force and the top officers under him, reflect this same "frat boy" mentality.

My own experiences have verified a lot of what they said, and I was less than impressed with many of the field grade Air Force officers I had met. While there were some damn good NCOs, and I very much liked the SOW people I had met, it was not until I worked at an Air Force research and testing center that I met some truly good officers. I am very picky about who I would willingly follow into a conflict, and I found several there that I would have followed. I also noticed that most of the really good ones were leaving the Air Force, and see signs that this trend continues to this day.

Okay, they are willing to yet again abandon their responsibilities and sworn duty, that's fine. They are also manifestly unwilling to let the Army assume the role, for purely political reasons, but that is fine too. One way out of this mess is to turn it over to the only other service that does provide fixed-wing close-air support to the troops who are living up to their oaths and doing the work: the Marines. My recommendation is to completely sidestep the whole issue of Air Force vs. Army and give the job to someone who can do it, who is not a part of the current pissing match, and has the integrity -- unlike the Air Force -- to do the job. Give them the job, all the funds currently going to the Air Force for same, and a portion of the current Air Force R&D budget so that they can develop a replacement for the A-10. From everything seen so far in the War on Terror, in Afghanistan to Iraq, the A-10 is the star performer and the true workhorse.

We need it, the troops need it, and the pilots who are not afraid to do the job need it. What is more, they deserve it and the cowardice of the Air Force clearly shows that they can not do it. So, let's cut to the chase and give it to someone who can and will do the job, and do it right. Semper Fi.

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« ...howl's done

Easy. Get a new scope. Now, I could not come close to affording the scope I really wanted, but in talking with my local gun pusher as a part of research, I was introduced to a new option: Docter scopes.

Docter is the former Zeiss-Jena of the former East Germany. The name says it all, and they do have the tradition, the experience, and the experience of doing well on the cheap. That seems to have been a requirement under any communist regime, but they have taken that limitation and run with it to produce some truly excellent scopes at very reasonable prices.

Now, I researched things on the net, talked to people, and then did the best test possible: I went and compared several scopes side-by-side in front of the gun pusher’s. While doing such won’t tell you diddly about accuracy, it will let you do a good evaluation of the optics. Odds are, that if the optics are good, the accuracy will be as well.

Hands-down, the Docter was the best scope. It even beat the Leopuld scopes in clarity, resolution, and brightness. Throw in that the Docter comes with a lot of extra features to “customize” it for the shooter, and it was almost a no-brainer. All of this, plus some testimonials from a variety of shooters, including members of law enforcement, and I took the plunge.

I had originally planned to do this in two parts, and go into all the trials and tribulations of getting it mounted and sighted, but will spare you. What I will do is say that I was using Black Hills 168 grain boat-tailed hollow point bullets, and worked my way up to 200 yards.

This picture is of my final five round group, put into a 5.5-inch Birchwood Casey Shoot N C target that was affixed to the head of a standard B-27 target. It was shot bench rest at 200 yards, and according to measurements made at the weapons pusher, it was less than a one inch grouping. Enough said, or shown in this case.

The shooter still has a long way to go, but the scope and the rifle are right on track. Send to the ammunition and gun fund on the right so I can get better.

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« ...howl's done

This is an important distinction, and not just in terms of the book. In work, in intelligence matters, and often in life itself, it is important to distinguish between a person and the job they do. Someone can be a nice person, but absolutely lousy in their work. You can and will see it almost anywhere with more than about five people working.

Col. Patterson makes this important distinction, and it forms the “line” in his book. He makes a clear distinction between a person who cheated at golf, lied, played around, yet could still make one like him as a person. Then there was the President, in whom such character flaws were magnified and new problems show up as a result.

Surprisingly, the book is quite fair to the person, while damning in the strongest possible terms of the President. Patterson’s first-hand account shows clearly how and were many problems we face today originated, and how the President failed in his sworn duty to his country on many occasions. What is more, Col. Patterson offers proof on several instances, and names names of those who can verify what is in the book. Given that none of the people named have, to my knowledge, come forth to dispute it – and believe me they would and the talk shows would have been all over it – it serves as a partial confirmation of his account.

As for me, I believe what is here because of some things of which I am aware that went on in the Clinton White House. Once I can get some confirmation/re-confirmation, I may well post same. But that is another story for another day.

For anyone who wants to do an objective analysis of the Clinton presidency, this book is a must read. For anyone who wants to read “the dirt” then this is a must read. If you are a Clinton supporter for whom no fact will ever diminish your blind support, then you can skip it. If you are a Clinton supporter who wants to know from whence the next blow may fall, you really should read it.

There were no real surprises in the book, merely confirmation of a lot that had already floated around. The true surprise of the book was the professional tone taken and the fact that the author did the right, if hard, thing of differentiating between the person and the office. It is a useful and important distinction, and that alone makes it a good read.

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« ...howl's done

But Bob Hope did not just sit on his laurels, nor did he go and do things for avarice and self-aggrandizement. He took some of that money that he had earned and then invested, and gave back to the world. One fine example is a small little medical center near Palm Springs named for a president who was also a friend. Word is that he quietly and without fanfare was a benefactor to many worthy causes.

He also did for our troops, starting before WWII and continuing through GWI. He did not condescend to do such, for he did not look down on the soldiers as inferior or political pawns. Bob Hope genuinely respected the troops, and the sacrifices they made. He felt it an honor to be with them, and of the many awards he has earned, earned I say, the one that appears to have meant the most to him was being made an honorary veteran – the only person ever so honored.

The biographies and special are in full force this weekend, and it is only right. He loved the troops and did right by them. So much so that they insisted he become one of them, and when they had the power and the opportunity they made it happen. So honor this man, this entertainer, this troop who did so much for so many. Heroes do come in many forms, and bear many weapons, and Bob Hope used his mind and his quick wit to support many, and most especially those on the sharp end.

In so doing, he set a standard for those that follow. A standard worthy of a Nelson, a Patton, a Murphy; for each of these set the bar in their area of expertise. Those who would follow, those who would entertain us, there is your mark.

Thank you, Mr. Hope. Thank you for laughter, thank you for joy, thank you for the women and the reminder of what they were fighting for. Thank you for the comfort you gave those who were wounded, and most of all to those that would die. Thank you for being there, and giving your all.

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« ...howl's done

J.J. was one of those special people you read about and so rarely meet. At conventions, around town when we lived in the same place, and whenever he met up with a friend, you heard “How are you doing?!” With him, it was no mere polite nothing, it was a serious question that you would spend five minutes or five hours answering, for he honestly wanted to know.

The sense of humor was great, and conversations with J.J. tended to be filled with laughter, because even the worst situation had some bit of humor in it that he would bring out. He was truly the ambassador of the bright side, and his keen mind was also great at figuring out how to deal with any situation in the best manner possible. Not merely the best in terms of ease, but in terms of long-term planning and on, for lack of a better word, the moral plane as well.

I have no idea how often J.J. went to church, or even really what church he belong to, but to know J.J. was to appreciate someone who was truly good. There is still out there somewhere a tape that embarrassed him in many ways, and delighted him no end, that shows him as a faustian satan, and he was perfect in the role. We all had fun teasing him about it, because it was so against type.

If the cause was just, you could bet on finding him there. He was a tireless advocate for judging people as individuals, of combating racism, and of combating sexism. Not surprising in some ways, as he had caught both sides of the coin. He was black, in the South, and I am sure caught some things from whites. Some of the worst racism he experienced, however, came from blacks. His father was a lawyer of note, nationally, and there was a great deal of “reverse” racism because his father was light enough to pass for white in some quarters. J.J. was not, but he still got called names for having a “white” father. The result was he hated racism in any form and fought it with a passion.

He shrugged a lot of stuff off, and did what he could to make things better for all. In his profession he had gained an national reputation for videography. When people like Jesse Jackson, in the days before the curtain had been pulled back on that creature, came to town they contacted J.J. about videography. He was great, and taught me a quick trick or two.

As with most such tales, his was a life that ended far too soon. There was a string of robberies in the area where he lived, with a female pretending to be in distress, getting a lone male to stop to render assistance, and then being set upon by henchmen who were hiding nearby. They would make the people strip, steal their money and wallets, and then steal their car. Most people, being naked, would cower or run.

J.J. was not most people. If they had truly needed help, all they would have had to do was ask and they would have gotten the shirt of his back. Instead, they used force and stole. J.J. was a true White Knight and a warrior, but luck went against him that night. One of them had a club or something that caught him just right on the head in the several-on-one scuffle, and he died a few days later of the resulting brain injury.

They caught the woman, who as far as I know never did give up her accomplices. Rumor also had it that she was so strung out that the DTs and such did not start for more than a week after her capture. I worked to keep her in prison when she first came up for parole, for she never did express any regret, remorse, or show any signs of positive growth. I never did hear when she came back up for a new hearing, though I was supposed to have been notified.

One thing J.J. and I did agree on was that people could grow, change, become better, and make up for past mistakes, no matter how horrible. Having survived the robberies and murder of my friend, had this creature ever shown such an effort, I would have had no problems with her getting a second chance, for that is what J.J. would have wanted. Since she did not make even a token effort of which I was aware, they could have fried her for all I cared. She had the second chance, the opportunity denied others, and did not take it.

His funeral was good, and he got in a couple more parting shots leavened with a sense of humor. I had a hard time not laughing aloud in delight when a piper played. The crowd, white and black, all jumped. J.J. would have loved it.

My gentle friend, I do miss you and I wish you had taken my advice to be more careful, to be armed, and all that stuff we cheerfully argued about. You did a lot of good, and I have seen some of the seeds you planted sprout. Enjoy where you are, and don’t laugh at us too much.

I’ve got it. I don’t know if it really is true, not really being able to get to know this person this weekend, but I think I see it now. The man this weekend struck me as a bit of a teddy bear. That and the eyes are what brought J.J. to mind. My thanks to you and fate for so doing, so that I can share J.J. once again with the wider world.

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« ...howl's done

I have been involved in communications on a professional basis for more than 20 years. My involvement truly began much earlier than that. My first “newspaper,” really a blog, was a mimeographed thing done in the seventh grade, and I wrote bad poetry, stories, and song lyrics, and reported stories, up until college.

Communications was not what I had in mind for a career. An early inspiration for me was Scotty on Star Trek, who could fix anything, figure things out, drank Scotch, and always pulled things out in the nick of time. I also admired a number of scientists and science-figures, and learned to appreciate things that had a lot of good “skull sweat” in them. The drawback was that my math skills suck, and two years of engineering school convinced me my future lay elsewhere.

Creative writing has always been a love in my life, and I decided to bow out of the engineering war and beat a strategic retreat to writing. I switched schools, and, as written elsewhere, ended up at Columbia College Chicago. They had originated the creative writing program Iowa made famous, so I decided to give them a try.

While in line for the creative writing program during registration, I met up with Darryl Feldmeir who took me aside and basically asked “What are you doing over there when you are already a working journalist?” I had been doing journalism, radio and print, for fun and spending money while in college, and had even used it as a means to get into the first Shuttle launches. It was there that I met the friend and mentor who got me into journalism as a career, and I will get you back for that D2. You and your little cat too.

Darryl’s argument, which included the fact he could graduate me in a much shorter time, won out and I learned the best of the Chicago school of journalism. I also ended up doing a photographic internship at Playboy on a dare from Darryl.

Though I still wanted to do creative writing, there was a matter of paying the bills, so I wrote stories, took photos, and did whatever else I could. The result was getting a story placed in a major national daily, ending up as correspondent-at-large for a magazine focusing on space, and doing some photography in the process. The summation of all of this was learning how to do things right, how to do them right within sometimes severe space constraints, and how to do it right and fast. If you have to have someone who can write well, write it fast, and write a lot, get someone with daily newspaper experience. I also got to be part of some larger “features” and learned, again, how major stories are handled. No Pulitzers here for me, but I have learned from and worked with some award-winners,

One thing to bear in mind with all this is that at the time I was getting started, the average starting reporter made less than $8,000.00 a year. The drill in print was start at a weekly, move up to a small daily, then up to a major, etc. This can be slow, you are broke most of the time, and it is not easy as there are/were a lot more grads than jobs. Though I was working, mostly freelance, it was not lucrative. If I had a dime for every editor who told me the public was not interested in science, I would be a rich man.

PR work, on the other hand, paid much better – twice or more better. So, I found myself going to work as a contract employee at a major military aerospace research and testing center. It was fun, it was horrible, and I learned a lot. I then went back and got my MS in Communications, print-editorial, was inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, the national journalism honorary, and moved on out. I should also mention that I am a member of at least one professional journalism/communications organization, the New York Academy of Sciences, and a lifetime member of the National Eagle Scout Association.

Since that time, I have twice worked for NASA on a contract basis doing science communications and business development related to commercial space activities, continued to do freelance journalism and PR/business development, been published in a variety of international magazines, journals, and other publications, done work in disaster preparedness and emergency operations, and written some truly horrid Great-American-Stories and -Novels. While I have never done too much television, despite having gotten basic training in what is now ENG from the Philips Company in Norway while still in high school, I have had the chance to do some videography and photography, and jumped in as much as I could.

The NASA work has been in many ways the most fun, and most frustrating, of all that I have done. Frustrating can wait, the fun was true fun for a science geek. I got to work on stories about everything from protein crystallography and structure-based (rational) drug design to gamma-ray astronomy. The work on commercial activities was great, and I even – sometimes – got to take part in things, handle hardware, and more. The net result was that I have gotten a wonderful foundation in biotechnology, materials science, and combustion science.

Though I have never taught journalism as a professor, I have taught basic science at a small university, served as a graduate research slave, er, assistant and assisted with classes in basic journalism, and have lectured on writing and communications. On the academic side, other than my degrees, the highlight has to have been being the prime author of an invited paper, and co-author on two others, at a conference in Japan last year.

While I have never had the privilege of serving my country in uniform, along the way I have earned military expert ratings in rifle and pistol shooting – and that was not through ROTC. I have flown on everything from slicks to C-130s, and even have a familiarization checkride in a B-24 Liberator in my logbook. I also ended up doing some rather extensive work on Soviet space and military activities, and did my thesis on observers of same. I am a pilot and turned down a chance to go into the Air Force since it would have entailed becoming a navigator in a Buff, and that was an anathema to someone who feels themselves to be a fighter pilot (aren’t we all). Besides, as the late, great, Martin Caidin put it, there are no fighter pilots down in hell, so I went elsewhere so as to avoid the risk of going down below. That’s my story and I am sticking to it. Being a bit crazy, I also have jumped out of planes and will admit I loved it. Tearing up my knee working on a friend’s motorcycle, alas, put a stop to that. That injury and its physical therapy, came back to haunt me last year doing some mountain climbing and I am now having to undo some of the therapy and do a whole new set. Grumble. That and a recurring shoulder injury have also taken me away from Aikido, which I love.

So there you have it. A fair bit of print experience, a small amount of radio journalism and DJ experience, and a very small amount of TV experience. A lot of fun along the way that has taken me around the world. I have been so lucky in so many ways, especially for someone the doctors did not think would survive childhood. You now have some background, so you can decide on what to believe, or not believe, in my postings. Enjoy.

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« ...howl's done

Someone with a stronger stomach than mine needs to transcribe his half-baked bilious screed and give it the fisking for which it so richly calls. I listened to the audio of the entire speech, and have no plans to listen to that drivel again.

If I were the university, I would demand my money back. After all, there is a reasonable expectation that the speaker will at least acknowledge the audience and not simply be condescending as hell to them. If someone had paid me $5,000.00 for 18 minutes of work, I would have acknowledged them, tried to give them a good speech, and been willing to shake every graduates hand as they came across that stage. If nothing else, it is called courtesy.

If I were a parent, I would be asking the president of the college to personally reimburse me for every dime I spent on that fiasco, from cap and gown rental to travel costs. Said president failed the test of leadership at every turn, and leadership carries with it responsibilities. To you I say, step up to the plate and be a leader, or step aside.

To the one faculty member quoted in any story as being upset with the booing and such, and to the local paper I say: Get over it. Where was your moral outrage when speakers at university events around the country were being booed, chanted out, blocked, and worse simply because they held a different viewpoint? Where was that keen sense of right when people were blocked from speaking simply because they were conservative, libertarian, or some other stripe that the radicals were so scared of that they would not even allow them to be heard? Got to remember, them memes is dangerous things and might actually infect someone with the concept of thinking for themselves.

Graduation is not such an event, it is a ceremony where the speaker is paid to address the audience. Not only are they to provide a given number of minutes of speech, there is a reasonable expectation that the person will craft something at least reasonably appropriate. That was not met, and it is clear that he did not expect the revolting peasants to expect such of someone like him.

To the students, parents, and faculty who objected I would say that you were within your rights on your special day, and of a speaker for whom you paid, to be upset. You wanted and expected more. My only suggestion is that the actions, while a pale shadow of what has been done by the so-called left, are not the best way to deal with it in the future. Me, I would have walked out and begun proceedings to collect my money from those responsible. Those that stood and turned their backs did take the high road, one not followed by the speaker or those like him. You are to be applauded for it.

What happened was a disgrace, but the students and families bear no shame from it. They wanted and expected more, and should have had it. They, not the university, paid for it and as customers they deserved far better. What fault there is here truly lies with the speaker and with the president of the university. Both should be ashamed of themselves. From the reaction of Hedges to the events as quoted in various news sources, I can only end with one line.

You sir, are an arrogant, unrepentant, ass.

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« ...howl's done

Two things came to mind yesterday as the story unfolded. First, this is a building in which finals were scheduled for the next day. Now, not to speak ill of the students or faculty at the Yale Law School, but I do remember bomb threats, stink bombs, and such being used to great affect during these times when I was coming along. There is no evidence released to date to support this, but a certain degree of suspicion did cross my mind given all the circumstances.

Second, far too many people think such things either funny or a way to make a point. Just think back to all the fake anthrax letters sent as jokes or worse in the wake of the bio attacks. Some group of idiots, I mean dedicated and concerned political activists (cough, choke, wheeze), have also used such means to point out vulnerability, the evils of this or that, or whatever other concern of the moment their pointy little heads feels is not getting enough attention at the moment.

Now, my personal opinion is all those jokers who sent the sugar/baking powder/whatever letters for any reason, and the cretins who used such for political aims, are just as guilty of terrorism as those who blow things up. They waste time, resources, and more, and deserve to be shot just like any other terrorist. If nothing else, it is a much needed dose of chlorine in the gene pool.

The truth of what is going on will come out in time. One fact remains fairly clear from what is known so far: this is not an incident to be given too much concern. If it was “real” terrorists, they are incompetent and a group of cranky Brownies can be diverted from taking France and sent in to round them up. If it is a group of home-grown idiots playing at terrorism, then they can be tracked down as well.

Whichever and whomever it is, they do need to be found and dealt with as strongly and swiftly as possible. Let the finals begin.

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« ...howl's done

The events of recent weeks hardly point to a reformed, renewed, and resurgent Al-Qaeda. I agree with my Blogfather that the best one-line summation so far is from Little Tiny Lies where he wrote on May 17, “Al Qaeda, Already on Thin Ice, Begins to Tapdance.” Many others have pointed out in great detail that the attacks smack far more of desperation and limited resources than anything else.

We were promised massive attacks if we invaded Iraq. Been there, done that, and essentially nothing. Now, to be fair this could be that like Saddam and most of the rest of the world, Al-Qaeda expected a long campaign and came late to the ball. We have been promised all sorts of things now since we truly began fighting back against terror, and have yet to reap the whirlwind promised.

Does this mean we won’t get hit? No. We will, and that is almost a statistical certainty. Where we will get hit and how we will get hit are the questions. Did any biological or radiological weapons reach the U.S.? What improvised munitions may terrorist have devised? These are only questions that time will answer.

The true fact of the matter is, that you and I are going to determine in large measure what happens. Pulling off anything major will take time, effort, and exposure on the part of terrorists. Be alert, maintain situational awareness, and if something out of the ordinary shows up deal with it.

There is talk this morning on Fox, which I have not yet been able to confirm, of a taxi driver arrested on terrorism-related charges. From the chatter, it appears that this driver was buying night vision equipment, other gear, and attempted to obtain “enough explosives to blow up a mountain.” Now, not every terrorist or would-be terrorist is going to be this obvious and deserving of immediate entry into the dumb crook hall of fame/shame, but there will be signs.

What will help prevent or minimize the type of attack and damage done will be individual citizens spotting things out of the ordinary and reporting them. Don’t be PC, don’t excuse or explain away things just because it might be profiling, and don’t actively collude with them on any level.

The odds are that anything that happens here will be limited, most likely bombing or such. It will not be fun and there will be death, destruction, and more. Not to minimize it, but simply look at it in terms of normal life. The bombings of late killed and injured fewer people than traffic normally accounts for in a day or two. Look at all the causes of death, from obesity to drowning, and then compare.

This is cold comfort for any who are directly affected, and I do not mean to demean or diminish their loss. The fact remains, however, that the actions of late are not statistically, strategically, or tactically significant.

The rational preparedness guidelines I have published (Here, Here, Here, and Here) are a good start to being prepared without going overboard. The best thing all of us can do in the days ahead is Be Prepared and maintain our situational awareness. If something doesn’t feel right, leave and then analyze why. When you figure it out, then report it. Better a few false alarms than to let something big go by.

Remember also that if something starts, the rules have changed. Being passive, not making eye contact, and such will do nothing but ensure your death and the death of those around you. Hostages are not an interest now, and they will kill you. Don’t do anything stupid, but don’t be a fool either.

With common sense, rational preparedness, and a willingness to assume the full duties of a Citizen we can and will get through whatever comes.

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« ...howl's done

Such things were Western Imperialism, the path of the white, middle-class male, and as such to be denigrated. They represented moral absolutes, and in the age of cultural relativism that was not allowed since it would imply, infer, or flat out state that some values were better than others.

Well, excuse me, some are. If someone gives their word, it should mean something. It does not mean that if it causes them any inconvenience that they are automatically given an out. Much of what is civilization, and most especially this country, came about because people of honor gave their word and then gave of their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to keep that word. It used to be one of the marks of being a true Gentleman or Lady that they would die if necessary to keep their word.

Integrity was part and parcel of it. That others would do right, shoot straight, and such with you on an agreement was part and parcel of life. You could trust your partner not to cheat you, or stab you in the back for temporary gain. If someone breached this unspoken law, their “name” was ruined when word got around. Others would not do business with them or for them.

Even today, you see attacks on this in The Media and elsewhere. These concepts, and others, that make up what is lumped all together as morality are still held in contempt by many. If someone is human and fails in one, then that means that they failed all, and since all are failed none can be considered.

Bushwah! The true test of being a gentlebeing is ones willingness to try. To rise above it all and do what is right whenever and wherever possible. When one slips on a matter, it is not the slip that is to be judged, but the efforts made to overcome and rectify that slip. By those efforts do you judge a person.

Some time back, I was strongly urged by a mentor to take off my resume the fact that I was an Eagle Scout with several other awards. It would hurt me, date me, and show me to be something to be feared. I left it on, for it is my reverse litmus test. If anyone is not willing to hire me because of those honors and what they show – including the fact that I am willing to work long, hard, and overcome obstacles to get a job done – then I have no interest in working for them.

Does this mean I am a paragon of moral virtue? No. I am what the Christians call a sinner, and somewhat proud of it. Love those sins of the flesh… Be that as it may, I like to think my word means something, that I will do right by those around me, and try to do right as I see and understand it at the time. No more can a single individual do.

Before anyone starts, yes, I do support the Boy Scouts. I disagree with them strongly on some issues. I would rather have an openly gay leader involved than a closet paedophile or an abusive twit of a martinet who adds mental abuse to the mixture. My take is to judge the person, the colour of their soul, and not the label or such.

For whatever faults they have as a private organization, Boy Scouts have done and do a heck of a lot of good. They take in children, teach them values, self-reliance, teamwork, and a lot more. Those that come out through the program are, for the majority, better people for having done so.

Nor are they all goody two shoes. It was in the Scouts that I first was exposed to Playboy, Hustler, and other delights. I even had a patrol leader who had frozen daiquiris for breakfast, though the SOB never did tell the rest of us how he got the crushed ice out into the middle of the woods on that trip. Through such things, one learns that absolutism and zealotry are things to be feared as well.

Important life lessons, and a way to learn that honor and integrity are not easy taskmasters, nor is one’s word to be given lightly. Those are lessons that need to come back, and it is good to see such getting positive play in at least one small portion of The Media.

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« ...howl's done

Graduation speeches are to acknowledge the students and their hard work, to provide context and guidance in the days to come, and to congratulate them. Hedges is not the first to fail miserably at this, but seems genuinely shocked that anyone would object.

Let’s see. It is one of the top days in my life, as I have just spent four years working and struggling to earn a degree. My parents have put life savings into this effort, and maybe even I worked and scraped to get myself through. What do I want to hear? Maybe congratulations, maybe that the hard work will pay off, maybe some good advice on the days ahead, and some perspective on history and the future. Maybe some reference to current events and how we can and will shape such.

Then, along comes this person who, in the midst of great public support for the war and America in general, begins to attack my country, the people who run it, and by inference me. Who never references my classmates and myself, and instead focuses entirely on proselytizing their beliefs and pushing a book they have written. Yes, I think I would be upset too.

In fact, I know I was. When I earned my undergraduate degree, Norman Lear was the guest speaker and his speech was all gloom, doom, and how the country was going to the Republicans and there was no hope for us. I apologized to my parents for the scene, since they had traveled a long distance and at considerable expense to what was supposed to be a joyous and uplifting occasion. The only saving grace for the entire evening was when one of the female graduates bounced/pranced across the stage with a white bunny tail affixed to the appropriate spot on her gown.

So I can understand how these students and parents felt. They were being ignored, denigrated, and insulted. According to reports, including this one at Fox, some left, including one of the top graduates who left the stage in tears at the arrogant and disrespectful display by Mr. Hedges. Others stood up and turned their backs. Yet others booed, and others cut power more than once to the microphone. To correct one thing, however, I would point out that in the video no one climbed onto the speakers podium as claimed by a quote attributed to Mr. Hedges. Some took to the stage, but I never saw anyone try to get up onto the speaker’s podium.

What makes so many members of the media this arrogant? That they feel that they have both the right and the duty to push their pet beliefs and hobby horses even in a situation where such is clearly inappropriate?

I refer to it as The Fuhrer Syndrome. What it really boils down to is that such people don’t just feel they know more and better than the masses, it is that they KNOW so. That they should be put in charge of the world because if they were in that position, all would be right because they know what should be done for the good of all. The unspoken assumptions in such beliefs is that they should be in charge because they are better and smarter than the common trash on the street.

Such people do not really see others as real. They see them as dense impediments, who do not truly think or consider the finer points of important topics of the day. These are not equals or a public to whom they have a simple duty to report to in a fair and balanced manner. These are people to be controlled, because since they disagree with the positions held it is clear that they are not truly thinking. Therefore, they need to be controlled and lead by those who are capable of such. Such as themselves, who should really be in loco parentis for the great unwashed masses.

Mr. Hedges has been given a lesson, though I have sincere and severe doubts it will take. For that to happen, he will have to acknowledge that some or all of his actions of the day were wrong, and his responses to date indicate a bit that he feels that the people were wrong.

For me, I will close by saying that graduating students, and their parents and families, deserve better. They deserve a speaker who will acknowledge them, offer them entry to the world as peers and not subjects, and will focus on them and not on the speaker’s ego and dogmatic beliefs.

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It was a given that The Media, which is anti-gun and anti-Second Amendment to a point that passes mere bias, would go on the offensive. They have done so, and for now they are not getting their way.

The New York Times, that redoubtable (or is that thoroughly doubtable?) bastion of truth and honest reporting, led the way with a misleading editorial. There are other words to describe it as well, but I will not bother.

Instead, I am going to refer you to another blog. Go read The Bitch Girls and enjoy. It is a fisking of this piece of editorial malfeasance that is worthy of an award. It also deserves to be spread out far and wide as an antidote to what the Times is trying to spread. I wish I could remember who introduced me to their site, and this piece, but my thanks to them.

Nor has that bastion of journalistic diligence and ethics CNN been far behind. The good news here is that they got called on it immediately, loudly, and even on their one of their own shows. They tried to shut Wayne LaPierre up and not let him speak, but he did anyway and stuck to his guns, as it were.

Regular readers know that de-programmed CNN off my televisions and VCRs a while back. So, I have to admit that I am going to go here from other media reports and transcripts at CNN.

It seems that Miami Bureau Chief John Zarella did a Dateline with a shooting demo. It seems that they deliberately and willfully mislead the public by showing an e-ville ™ banned weapon destroying some cinder blocks, and then showing an unscathed cinder block that was fired at with a legal weapon.

All well and fine, except that the helpful folk at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, who collaborated with this chicanery, were not aiming at the block. So, it would appear that the nice and legal weapon would not hurt a fly, much less a cinder block while the e-ville ™ assault weapon was a powerhouse.

Additional problems include the fact that the assault weapon in question was not banned under the so-called Assault Weapon Ban, and that more weapons may have been misrepresented.

Just a reminder, but so-called assault weapons are not more powerful than legally available guns. They are not unlimited powerhouses. The only difference between them are the scary-looking things like grips, stocks, and flash suppressors.

When caught, CNN at first denied with some vigor that there was any problem. Glenn Reynolds at InstaPundit provided this link, along with a link to a story that shows at least some backpeddling.

The problem for me is that backpeddling is all they are doing. Real reporters are fired for much less, as the LA Times did with a "mere" photographer not all that long ago for altering an image during the liberation of Iraq. Real reporters are held accountable for their actions, and I do not accept the ignorance theory being used to excuse this. If this were the first time something like this had happened, it might be different, but CNN is not a virgin on this matter. If they want to retain any claim to doing journalism, heads need to roll. If they don’t, well, I think you can draw your own conclusion.

Expect to see a lot more of this in the days ahead. The Media and those in the political extremes that share its views are out to not merely get the ban renewed, but expanded. They want to ban all private ownership of guns, just like England. England is so safe now that you can’t even defend yourself if attacked, and if you are attacked and killed it is not the hooligan doing it, it was the crime.

Truth will not be their weapon of choice, and tricks fair and foul will be used. If you have not gotten Dr. Lott’s book “The Bias Against Guns” then do so now. There are many subtle and interesting ways in which the so-called debate will be controlled and spun, and this book does a great job of pointing them out. The fact that it does so with verifiable citations is all the better.

What can you do? Call The Media and their minions on it when they err. Some things will be ignorance, willful or otherwise, and the only way for someone to learn is to point out mistakes to them. When it is something else, pointing out inaccuracies with facts and citations does a great deal, especially if you and some of your friends are persistent. Also remember to be polite and civil, no matter what. They love to point to ravening statements or shots to discredit those who dare disagree with them, and to threats, so don’t give them any ammunition.

This law is not yet dead, and its non-renewal is not the given many are preaching. Only each of you can make sure that it does indeed get a stake in the heart and exposed to the harsh sunlight of fact.

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« ...howl's done

It was, as I expected, so well done. Just like the show has been from day one. Great writing, even better acting, and production values that rock. Giles’ line from the very first episode, “The Earth is doomed” came back and was updated. All the little lines from across the seasons came home to roost, most especially the Tara-Willow exchange about people with bumpy faces doing things, the right thing, for the wrong reason.

Characters faced death, and even worse they faced life. Scary thing, that. Characters grew, and in growing changed for the better. Redemption was there through change, through growth, through life itself. What better metaphor and gift could you all have given.

The details I will leave out for now, lest some hapless visitor be spoiled. Those who would willingly do such are scum, and I try not to be such.

To you, Mr. Whedon, to the cast and crew who set a standard, my thanks for the enjoyment, the thought, and the growth. Thanks for letting me, all of us, come along for the ride.

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« ...howl's done

I did not get slapped. The guys behind the counter just laughed at my antics, and she, she just stayed there cool and aloof. She, of course, was not a person but a rifle. A real LONG rifle, just the type I have been dreaming of since getting back into long-gun shooting. She was an an ArmaLite AR 50, a .50 caliber BMG.

Just the thing for long-distance match shooting. Just the thing to finish putting my shoulder out of commission, but I didn’t care. It is the same thing that drives men to do foolish things in bed, even knowing that the resultant heart attack will kill them. It is lust, pure and simple.

Now, I am a Barrett fan as you can tell from my links. Even so, I have to admit that this is a nice weapon. Well designed, sleek, and more. I would love to try one on the range and compare it to the gold standard. ArmaLite, Barrett, if you read this and want to play, just let me know.

The AR 50 has one significant advantage over the Barrett: price. The basic Barrett I want is going to run me about $6.500.00 without some of the goodies. The AR 50 is less than $3,000.00. May have to get off my rear and try for some extra work here soon so as to go play. We will just have to see.

I resisted temptation yesterday. I did not trade in and up as I did not get the deal I wanted. Also, I found out that I can get and install most of the additional features of the “advanced model” on my current one, for a heck of a lot less. Besides, I was distracted. That is the true problem with lust: it distracts you. I am now very distracted, and most everything else will have to wait.

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I like the choice taken by my parents (and me). Simple graveside service, short and sweet. Say whatever needs to be said to comfort the living, for they are the reason for the funeral, and get on with things. We did this with both my parents per their wishes, and it worked well. Now, Mom wanted some preaching and got it, but it was limited as was also her request. For Dad, we pretty much went with a military service.

For me, I don’t much care in some ways. The rotting hunk of meat that was my shell has no further meaning. Let it go because I am gone. I do not call myself a Christian, but if having some religious figure brings my survivors comfort, then let them talk a bit and comfort the living. One note to keep in mind however, that came about because of a few truly awful funerals attended in the past: anyone getting up and doing a recruitment pitch for their particular sect of a particular religion, or going into a believe-as-I-tell-you-to-without-thought-and-blindly-follow-or-you-will-burn-burn-burn type thing will be shot off the podium. I have asked some friends to take care of this for me, the hole is deep enough for two, so I just don’t see a problem here.

My idea on speakers are some friends and others who know me, who will get up and say the good and the bad, not tell too many lies about me, and set the stage for remembering the life. Orson Scott Card coined the phrase “Speaker for the Dead” for such a person or persons, and I do like the concept.

Then, do as my family has always done. Go home, bring out the food and drink, and relax. Talk about the deceased, remember the good times, tell stories, introduce the younger generations of a large, scattered, occasionally dysfunctional family to the older members. Let the older and middle generations take turns embarrassing each other by telling those wonderful stories we all know about one another. Tell them the stuff so that they can go “Daddy did WHAT?” and look at their parents with new respect and additional ammunition for the negotiating process. Who knows, maybe they will even take the leap of logic and figure out that Mommy or Daddy are so strict is because of what they did as a kid.

As for music, forget that canned dirge bushwah! Get some real music there. Personally, I think it would be a good use of my estate funds to have Heather Alexander, Seven Nations, or Loreena McKennitt play live. Being of Scottish heritage, I even like the thought of having Amazing Grace played at the graveside. To each his own.

Have good food and drink. With my family, the food is a given. Lots of finger food, meats, and more almost all homemade. There is water, tea, and soda for those who don’t drink alcohol. For those that do, I have requested good stuff be served. No blended stuff, just real single-malt Scotch; good bourbon; good rum; good vodka; and whatever else someone would like. Let it be a party.

For it really should be. We cry and we mourn for ourselves at these events. We feel for those who have lost, for now, their loved one and we share that loss. That is natural and it is right to an extent. But all too often, we loose sight of what is important and the ritual gets turned into a self-absorbed pity fest. In bad cases, such goes on even after the funeral for months or years. Don’t fall into that trap and don’t play into it with others.

Celebrate the life. Tell the stories, bring the generations together, have fun, and share the laughter as well as the tears. Let the laughter far outweigh the tears, unless they be tears of laughter. Send the departed off to whatever truly awaits them with love, joy, and laughter. No better send-off can we give those we truly love.

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Today, I have watched people pass such processions, cut in and through them with reckless disregard, and even yell at the people in them. It is simply another symptom of the self-centered cesspit into which we as a society have sunk.

Robert Heinlein and others have pointed out over the years that manners are the oil that lubricates the mechanics of society. It greases the skids so that things go smoothly and function well. Eliminate manners and you eliminate the smooth function of society, and such is part and parcel of the decline we see. Rude behavior is not punished but is instead rewarded, and with reward escalates. Such escalations carry a heavier and heavier price for us all.

I see the eyes rolling now: “This idiot is saying that increasing crime is because of bad manners.” Well, yes, I am.

Does this mean that I think any kid who fails to say please, thank you, yes ma’am, no sir and such is going to be the next Ted Bundy? No. Take a few moments, though, and think the process through.

Manners and etiquette were developed as a social oil, that works by treating people as individuals who deserved respect as individuals. If someone was rude or improper, they were corrected and/or taught as individuals. If it continued, they were ostracized or dealt with otherwise as individuals.

When you met a stranger, you were courteous and observed the formalities and by doing so you were saying without words “I do not know you, but until you prove otherwise I say you are a good person deserving of respect.” You were saying they were a good and honorable person, and would be treated as such. The courtesies exchanged worked on several levels, from the unspoken to encouraging the smooth flow of human traffic.

You were also clearly saying “I mean you no harm.” The handshake came about as a way to demonstrate that you did not have a weapon in your strong hand, hidden to plunge into the person you were meeting. Manners and etiquette continued this process, though few stop to think about all that is being said by these actions and words.

In the 60s, the assault on manners hit its stride and began hammering at this process. Rather than being a way of showing respect and peaceful intent, this process of peace was turned into an assault by verbal chicanery. You demeaned women, you disenfranchised the handicapped, it was a slap in the face of insert-group-of-your-choice here. Respect and peaceful intentions became an assault, and the resultant abandonment of courtesy does have a price.

We no longer have uniform ways throughout society as a whole to demonstrate to others that we will treat them as worthy individuals unless and until they prove otherwise. We no longer have a means of demonstrating that we come in peace. The result is that meetings outside of specific groups are often tense, because individual groupings of society have evolved their own rules and codes and anyone not following them is a stranger and therefore an enemy and/or fair game. This can be clearly seen not only in ethnic groupings, but in sub-groupings like gangs.

We have also eliminated a way of demonstrating that respect is a thing earned, not demanded. The social niceties were not merely ways of regulating conversation and interactions, but a way of determining the stature of a person, and how much – if any – respect they deserved. Today, we have groups demanding respect. Instant, huge, and unquestioning respect and if you fail to give what that societal sub-group sees as respect, there are often catastrophic results. “He disrespected me” is an all to familiar and depressing reason given for shootings, stabbings, and the like.

Nevermind that the person may well have been a stranger and did not know those ways. True manners and etiquette taught how to deal with such, to educate and bring people into your society. Today, with the grease removed, individuals are not shown consideration, respect, or given a chance to show who and what they are. Indeed, in many sub-groups they are nothing more than targets because they are different. Instead of this being treated as the social abomination it is, we are told that we must embrace this as an example of cultural diversity and give it respect. Of course, this only applies to politically desirable sub-groups, and not to others.

Quite frankly, it applies to all of them and they should be burnt out lock, stock, and barrel. I don’t care what race or creed the group preaching hatred is, for it simply is wrong. But that is a subject for another day.

There is hope, however, because “we” as individuals can decide to change this. Society is an artificial construct, made up of individuals. If each of us begins to use manners and etiquette again, the tide will turn. There are a number of societal sub-groups that are taking up the task. Renaissance Fairs and those associated with them use an older form of manners and etiquette, and it spills over into their daily lives. The SCA does the same, and so too do many BDSM groups. Say whatever you want about these groups, they do practice manners and etiquette and encourage others to do the same.

As an individual, I choose to use manners and etiquette. I admit also that I sometimes have fun with it. The first time I lived in Chicago I had a lot of fun going down the street, nodding, and such to the people I met. In some cases I had people put objects between them and me, “Look out Martha, he acknowledged us, he’s gonna jump us!” In other cases, the courtesy was returned, and in yet others conversations were started and acquaintances made.

The funeral was several states away, and was in a rural area. The stopping was almost universal, as was the removal of hats. I see this sometimes even in the fairly large (for the region) city where I currently reside. As long as I see it, I know there is hope. Even when there is no hope, I will continue to wage my fight of courtesy for I refuse to surrender to the darkness.

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