Retired Squid

2010-12-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

What the RCB really needs:

Jolly Roger 14 out

New Virginia Speeding Fines

2010-04-07T10:45:00.001-04:00

Virginia Introduces $3550 Speeding Ticket Virginia legislator introduces new speeding ticket tax that boosts penalties beyond $3550, driving business to his traffic law firm.

Virginia motorists convicted of minor traffic violations will face a new, multi-year tax beginning July 1. Led by state Delegate David B. Albo (R-Springfield), lawmakers slipped a driver responsibility tax into a larger transportation funding bill signed by Governor Tim Kaine (D) in April. Albo, a senior partner in the Albo & Oblon, LLP traffic law firm, can expect to see a significant increase in business as motorists seek to protect their wallet from traffic tickets that come with assessments of up to $3000 in addition to an annual point tax that tops out at $700 a year for as long as the points remain.

Driving as little as 15 MPH over the limit on an interstate highway now brings six license demerit points, a fine of up to $2500, up to one year in jail, and a new mandatory $1050 tax. The law also imposes an additional annual fee of up to $100 if a prior conviction leaves the motorist with a balance of eight demerit points, plus $75 for each additional point (up to $700 a year). The conviction in this example remains on the record for five years.

Other six-point convictions include "failing to give a proper signal," "passing a school bus" or "driving with an obstructed view." The same $1050 assessment applies, but the conviction remains on the record for eleven years.

Although the amount of the tax can add up quickly, the law forbids judges from reducing or suspending it in any way. The tax applies only to Virginia residents, so that out-of-state motorists only need to pay the regular ticket amount. Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Texas also impose a somewhat more modest driver responsibility tax <http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/03/362.asp> which they apply to out-of-state residents.

The Virginia Supreme Court provides a full explanation of the new penalties for each traffic infraction in the 34k PDF file at the source link below. Update: View which legislators support a repeal, link to online petition <http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1880.asp> .

Source: PDF FileCivil Remedial Fees <http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/2007/va-drivertax.pdf> (Executive Secretary, Virginia Supreme Court, 6/21/2007)

Here is the link

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1818.asp

This weekends weather

2010-03-12T12:11:00.004-05:00

Ugh!!!!

Jolly Roger 14 out

Old Navy Salt

2010-03-11T13:19:00.000-05:00

Subject: Fwd: Old Navy Salt
This is forwarded only to those who will "get it."

The Navy Peacoat, I know that they don't issue them like they did in 1962...Those sonsuvabitches weighed two tons and were ALL WOOL...It took the entire wool production of thirty seven sheep over two years to make. They were the equivalent of a four-inch thick lead kimono. You could stand out in a driving rain and they could soak up thirty gallons of rainwater and become so heavy that your ankles broke and your femurs would punch their way through your pelvis. They came with two lined very warm pockets. And some REALLY stupid bastard in the Navy came up with a goofy uniform reg that forbid a sailor with frost bitten fingers from putting his hands in his pockets...Then the Navy created ratings called Boiler Tenders, Postal Clerks and Personnelman, who when they reached E-6, were handed a white belt and a Billy-club an SP armband and put the bastards in bus and train stations to walk around saying, "Hey Sailor...Get yer hands outta them pockets!" Then you ended up at Captain’s Mast and risked having your hands surgically removed so that you would not repeat the offense.
Take a look at the statue of the Lone Sailor in the memorial plaza down on Constitution Avenue in Washington DC...THE SAILOR HAS HIS HANDS IN HIS PEACOAT POCKETS...wonder what the jerk who made up the stupid regulation thinks every time he sees it? They actually keep a Navy nurse on duty to revive shore duty CPO's who pass out when they see that statue..."Oh my God...That bluejacket has his hands in HIS POCKETS." None of the sonsuvabitches ever hitchhiked home in February in single digit temperatures.
I once saw a modern peacoat...some Dacron and wonder fiber composition lightweight thing that remotely resembling an old time peacoat but weighing the same as a Victoria Secrets teddy...Why do they do it? Turned out cheap crap with severely reduced spec requirements and terribly reduced efficiency?
To say nothing of this idiotic seagoing aguaflage (stupid camouflage) to be worn by sailors...mark my word, American bluejackets are going to be laughed at and embarrassed by the ridicule if that silly Madison Avenue female dreamed up fashion statement ever gets issued...God help the poor bastard who goes overboard in a sea state with whitecaps. When they pass MAN OVERBOARD simply draw a line through his name on the WATCH, QUARTER AND STATION BILL...and pack the contents of his locker.
At some point, the Navy is going to find itself with a big cajones CNO...who is going to put his bluejackets back in uniforms dating back to the days when the United States Navy only knew VICTORY and never dined on the bitter tasting fruit of loss and defeat, endless go-nowhere wars...ass kickings and sitting duck duty chasing animals who have no fear of death. Once you start dressing sailors in carnival clown suits, things referred to as poopie suits and shitcan the uniforms worn by men who wore the WWII Victory medals (last VICTORY medals issued) and the sailors referred to THE GREATEST GENERATION you simply reinforce the loser culture...
You begin to gentle and socially refine the mixed gender sensitized force and put your forces in Girl Scout beanies and sloppy baggy pajamas with boots that no longer require shining...you lose the cockiness and "devil take the hindmost" attitude that characterized our military forces. In the days before this wonderful nation had to bribe its' manhood to fill the ranks, with money pan-handled from the Chinese...the same bastards that put the shrapnel in many of the vets suffering in VA hospitals (Whatever happened to financing wars by the issuance of WAR BONDS where AMERICANS and only Americans benefited from the interest involved in repayment? We wouldn't be in the shape we're in if we hadn't turned inherently military functions over to profit incentivized contractors, hired mercenary thugs, paid foreign contractor created police forces and Iraqi and Afghani Poor Quality Military Forces filled with terrorist sympathizers and people whose loyalty is to the highest bidder.
When did you hear of Naval Studies on the competence of present leadership like our Navy is currently involved in? All we need to do, is to bring back the two ton peacoat...bell bottoms, low jumpers...spit shined shoes...cocky looking white hats with wings and worn cocked over one eye or on the back of your head...allow bare breasted girls in ships insignias...beer ballgames...pier dumpster nightly conferences.... slush funds...frayed white hats...faded dungaree shirts, soft dungaree trousers...red lead and zinc chromate spattered Mammy Yoakum’s...and greasy snake neckerchiefs and simply "let sailors be sailors" and forge the sacred traditional bonds of becoming shipmates over beers consumed in seaport dumps from Hell to Hong Kong...and stop paying sonsuvabitches to join the finest organization on the face of God's earth...THE UNITED STATES NAVY...And oh yeah, don’t forget some Painless Nell Tattoos!

Jolly Roger 14 out

Road trip

2009-09-04T19:31:00.001-04:00

Jeese the "LAP"brador retreiver.......

Roadtrip!

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

MV Arctic Sea cons"piracy" ?

2009-09-04T09:50:00.004-04:00

Well I am fully confused on the MV Arctic Sea issue nowafter reading this: http://www.osen-hunter.com/docRepo/F-L%2009-034%20September%203.pdf

Could these:

Video here: http://www.warfare.ru/video/WMV/s300pmu.wmv

Have been in here?

Russian Mafia, Mossad, Iranians and or Syrians? Sounds like a side line from Lord of War.

Something about this sounds very feasable.

Jolly Roger 14 out

Tsk, tsk

2009-08-17T17:27:00.001-04:00

Pretty new truck on the way to the shop. Whatever happened to the motor pool?

-- Sent from chris' Palm Prē

Good read: JTRS Update

2009-08-17T08:23:00.002-04:00

JTRS Update
JTRS Successfully Demonstrates Wideband Networking Capabilities.
Military Information Technology:
http://www.military-information-technology.com/mit-home/190-mit-2008-vol
ume-13-issue-6/1803-jtrs-update.pdf

During the largest-ever demonstration of its kind, the Wideband
Networking Waveform (WNW) - a critical capability of the Joint Tactical
Radio System (JTRS) - effectively networked 30 mobile nodes and shared
data and video across multiple sub-networks in a challenging forested
and residential environment. The Jun 09 demonstration for senior
government officials took place at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems
Center Atlantic in Charleston, SC.

"JTRS is no longer just in graphs on PowerPoint demonstrations," said
Howard Pace, deputy program executive officer for JTRS. "We've now
demonstrated that the Wideband Networking Waveform capability
successfully scales to 30 nodes with all the nets and subnets. It's
working and working well." The demonstration showed how, when fielded,
the software-defined radio waveform can overcome many of the mobile
networking challenges soldiers face on the battlefield. Today's forces
use a variety of unique voice and data waveforms to communicate with
each other or with modern Internet Protocol-based networks. These
specialized systems can make it difficult to communicate between joint
forces.

WNW solves that communication challenge. A networking waveform that
enables connections between vehicles, planes and ships utilizing mobile
networking technologies, WNW offers the ability to transit more
information with greater security and provide new capabilities to
seamlessly route and retransmit information. The waveform can transfer
information of different classifications over the same wireless network.

"We are on track to meet joint warfighter requirements to provide a
flexible and pervasive networking capability to address the challenges
of modern battlefields," said Navy CAPT Jeffrey Hoyle, program manager,
JTRS Network Enterprise Domain (NED). "The demonstration location
offered significant opportunities to evaluate multi-path propagation
effects in heavily forested terrain and marsh.

"During the demonstration, WNW performed as expected, and we were able
to validate laboratory performance improvements from recent waveform
algorithm enhancements in the field," added Hoyle. "The ability to
integrate waveform enhancements rapidly while testing in the field
[three times in as many weeks] thoroughly demonstrated a significant
advantage that JTRS provides - the ability to upgrade warfighter
communications and networking capability while deployed through
software-only updates in fielded radios."

Performance results measured during this demonstration indicate a
significant new networking capability that will continue to improve as
the data collected are thoroughly analyzed to enable additional waveform
software upgrades, as well as through processor and power amplifier
improvements inherent with the improved JTRS Ground Mobile Radio (GMR)
engineering development model hardware being delivered now and the
airborne/maritime/fixed station hardware in the future. "The ability to
expand and contract the network while soldiers are mobile is a
mission-critical capability," added Ralph Moslener, Boeing program
director, JTRS GMR and NED. Boeing is developing the WNW for JTRS NED.

"The demonstration proved that WNW will seamlessly connect soldiers and
commanders so that they can trade real-time information and have greater
situational awareness than ever before," Moslener said.

"The demonstration of the Wideband Networking Waveform capability is an
important accomplishment," added Hoyle. "This capability has now been
successfully demonstrated in a field environment, and we can leverage it
as other JTRS systems are developed and implemented."

2009-05-22T12:59:00.003-04:00

Cross post from http://standupforamerica.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/the-reality-of-taxing-the-rich/#comment-12759

For Tax Year 2006
Row 1: Percentiles Ranked by AGI
Row 2: AGI Threshold on Percentiles
Row 3: Percentage of Federal Personal Income Tax Paid

Top 01% $388,806 39.89%

Top 05% $153,542 60.14%

Top 10% $108,904 70.79%

Top 25% $64,702 86.27%

Top 50% $31,987 97.01%

Bottom 50% <$31,987 2.99%

“Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that’s what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.”Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men – the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share? They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 ( 22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
“I only got a dollar out of the $20,”declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,” but he got $10!”
“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I!”
“That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”
“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.”

Jolly Roger 14 out

Amen

2009-03-11T10:03:00.001-04:00

Scientists meet to dispute global warming theory

NEW YORK CITY - The A-list of manmade climate-change skeptics is meeting in New York City for the 2009 International Conference on Climate Change.

The Conference is definitely international in scope. Opening the conference is Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic and the European Union. When it comes to manmade global warming, Klaus calls that a myth. He is also an outspoken critic of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and says the panel is one-sided and has a political agenda.

Say it isn't so................

Jolly Roger 14 out

So this is where the housing idiocy got some help

2009-02-28T16:11:00.003-05:00

Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending

By STEVEN A. HOLMES

Published: (September 30, 1999 NY Times article)

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates -- anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans.

''Fannie Mae has expanded home ownership for millions of families in the 1990's by reducing down payment requirements,'' said Franklin D. Raines, Fannie Mae's chairman and chief executive officer. ''Yet there remain too many borrowers whose credit is just a notch below what our underwriting has required who have been relegated to paying significantly higher mortgage rates in the so-called subprime market.''

Demographic information on these borrowers is sketchy. But at least one study indicates that 18 percent of the loans in the subprime market went to black borrowers, compared to 5 per cent of loans in the conventional loan market.

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.

''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.''

Under Fannie Mae's pilot program, consumers who qualify can secure a mortgage with an interest rate one percentage point above that of a conventional, 30-year fixed rate mortgage of less than $240,000 -- a rate that currently averages about 7.76 per cent. If the borrower makes his or her monthly payments on time for two years, the one percentage point premium is dropped.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, does not lend money directly to consumers. Instead, it purchases loans that banks make on what is called the secondary market. By expanding the type of loans that it will buy, Fannie Mae is hoping to spur banks to make more loans to people with less-than-stellar credit ratings.

Fannie Mae officials stress that the new mortgages will be extended to all potential borrowers who can qualify for a mortgage. But they add that the move is intended in part to increase the number of minority and low income home owners who tend to have worse credit ratings than non-Hispanic whites.

Home ownership has, in fact, exploded among minorities during the economic boom of the 1990's. The number of mortgages extended to Hispanic applicants jumped by 87.2 per cent from 1993 to 1998, according to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. During that same period the number of African Americans who got mortgages to buy a home increased by 71.9 per cent and the number of Asian Americans by 46.3 per cent.

In contrast, the number of non-Hispanic whites who received loans for homes increased by 31.2 per cent.

Despite these gains, home ownership rates for minorities continue to lag behind non-Hispanic whites, in part because blacks and Hispanics in particular tend to have on average worse credit ratings.

In July, the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed that by the year 2001, 50 percent of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's portfolio be made up of loans to low and moderate-income borrowers. Last year, 44 percent of the loans Fannie Mae purchased were from these groups.

The change in policy also comes at the same time that HUD is investigating allegations of racial discrimination in the automated underwriting systems used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to determine the credit-worthiness of credit applicants.

Hat-tip to Atilla

Jolly Roger 14 out

Getting Punk'd in Pakistan

2009-02-25T10:42:00.002-05:00

February 24, 2009: Pakistan has come under a lot of criticism for its recent peace deal with Taliban terrorists in the Swat valley (an area northwest of the capital that is not in the tribal territories). Basically, the deal calls for the Taliban to stop terrorizing the population if the government allows the Taliban to enforce Sharia (Islamic law) in the region. This would allow the do whatever they wanted, because it is left to the Taliban to decide exactly what is proper Sharia. Afghanistan, India, NATO and the U.S. have all condemned this as a surrender to the Taliban and allowing terrorists a sanctuary inside Pakistan. But the Pakistani government insists that it is a proposal, not a done deal, at least not until the Taliban allow government officials to regain control of Swat. Thus it appears that all the peace talk with the Swat Taliban is just that, until the Taliban allow the refugees (over 100,000 of them) to return to Swat, along with the government officials. Few believe this "peace for Sharia" deal will work, and all are trying to figure out exactly what is going on here. None of the several previous peace deals with the Taliban have worked. The Taliban do not keep their end of the bargain, and openly call such peace deals a sign of government weakness (getting punked, to use a term even some young Taliban are familiar with.)

Swat Valley District, Pakistan (highlighted in yellow)

This is why we have seperation of Church and State.

Jolly Roger 14 out

And Microsoft thought they had problems with China (link to story here)

2009-02-17T10:00:00.005-05:00

Chinese Pirates Ravage Russia
February 17, 2009: Russia has admitted, for the first time, that China is producing unlicensed copies of the Su-27 fighter. Russia has known about this theft for some time. It all began in 1995, when China paid $2.5 billion for the right to build 200 Su-27s. Russia would supply engines and electronics. But after 95 of the Chinese built aircraft were built, Russia cancelled the agreement. They claimed that China was using the knowledge acquired with the Su-27 program, to build their own copy of the Su-27, the J-11. Russia kept the piracy issue quiet, and warned the Chinese that simply copying Russian technology would produce an inferior aircraft. Apparently the Chinese do not agree, and are continuing their work on the J-11, using only, what they claim is, Chinese technology.

Russian SU-27

Chinese J-11

I wonder if they are running VISTA..................

Jolly Roger 14 out

Bad week for OPSEC

2009-02-13T09:36:00.007-05:00

OPSEC defined: "A process to deny potential adversaries information about capabilities and/or intentions by identifying, controlling, and protecting unclassified information that gives evidence of the planning and execution of sensitive activities."

Predator drones flown from base in Pakistan, U.S. lawmaker says Sen. Feinstein's surprise disclosure likely to complicate joint campaign against Taliban militants (more here).

Congressman Twitters an Iraq Security Breach. A congressional trip to Iraq this weekend was supposed to be a secret. But the cat’s out of the bag now, thanks to a member of the House Intelligence Committee who broke an embargo via Twitter (more here).

Ooops.................

Jolly Roger 14 out

Ooops, when satellites go bump in the night.....

2009-02-12T09:39:00.006-05:00

"A broadside collision between two satellites -- one of them an operational Iridium communications relay -- was the worst orbital accident on record and may wind up rivaling the 2007 Chinese anti-satellite weapon test in the debris cloud it created.
The Iridium satellite -- one of 66 in the "Big LEO" low-Earth orbit constellation -- and the 16-year-old Cosmos 2251 Russian government communications satellite collided at an altitude of 790 kilometers with a closing velocity of about 7 miles per second shortly before noon Tuesday EST."

JR14 out

Royal Navy Safely Escorts Food Aid Convoy into Somalia

2009-02-11T09:58:00.004-05:00

And I shall call you "WIDOW MAKER".

Brits make their first "informal" convoy escort thru somali waters.

JR14 out

STIMULUS Deconstructed

2009-02-09T13:59:00.003-05:00

Well I'm back and as pissed as ever.

Try this one on for size:

JR14 out

The ultimate iPhone accessory

2009-01-20T14:23:00.004-05:00

M110 Semi-automatic sniper rifle with iPhone ballistics application............SWEET.

JR14 out

Inauguration Day

2009-01-20T08:47:00.004-05:00

Even on the brink of a new era upon us some cannot move on................

As hope-filled spectators greet the incoming president, Bush will leave office with some of the lowest approval ratings in history. Hundreds of protesters in their final throes marched to the White House on Monday in opposition to the Iraq war. They threw about 40 pairs of shoes at the gate, mimicking the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at Bush during a news conference in Baghdad.

I will support my soon to be president, but not blindly so.

JR14 out

2008-12-29T13:33:00.004-05:00

More on the suicide bombings in Afganistan. Cross posted from CDR Salamander's blog.

Monday, December 29, 2008
Mandatory viewing
Sure, the words are one thing.
A single-file line of schoolchildren walked past a military checkpoint Sunday as a bomb-loaded SUV veered toward them and exploded, ending the lives of 14 young Afghans in a heartbreaking flash captured by a U.S. military security camera.The video shows the SUV slowly weaving through sand-bag barriers at the checkpoint just as the children, most wearing white caps, come into view. They walk along a pathway between the street and a wall, several of them pausing for a few seconds in a group before moving forward again.The vehicle moves toward the security camera while the children walk in the opposite direction, nearly passing the SUV when the footage ends in a fiery blast.Photos of the bombing's aftermath showed bloodied textbooks lying on the ground beside small pairs of shoes. Afghan officials said the children were attending a final day of class for the year to find out whether they would move up to the next grade.Abdul Rahman, a doctor at a hospital near the blast, said the children were 8 to 10 years old.22 total killed. pupils were receiving their exam results and end-of-year education certificates, police said.

But it is the video that you need to see.

CNN is too busy worshiping Palestinians to show it to you though. At least the NYT and AP have it up.
Labels: Afghanistan, Terrorists
// posted by CDR Salamander @ 07:13

Think about this the next time someone argues with you on diplomacy with these zealots.

JR14 out

End of days?

2008-12-29T07:32:00.004-05:00

Sometimes when I open my iGoogle homepage and see the above I really have to wonder. When I start to see these headlines start happening on American soil I'll think of packing the family up and heading for the hills.

JR14 out

NERF Chaingun

2008-12-24T07:58:00.001-05:00

Sign me up for one of these:

JR14 out

Wreath-laying Mainers pay respects at Arlington

2008-12-22T09:11:00.004-05:00

A Little late on this but non the less:

17-year-old tradition punctuated by smiles, tears

BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY GABOR DEGRE
Members of the Burton-Goode-Sargent Chapter 1 of the Korean War Veterans of America lay six wreaths at the Korean War Memorial at Mount Hope Cemetery on Saturday. The ceremony was held to honor the men and woman in all major branches of the military and it coincided with the laying of thousands of wreaths in Arlington National Cemetery. The 3rd annual event was held as part of the Wreaths Across America Project founded by Morrill Worcester of Harrington who also donated the wreaths.

JR14 out

10 gifts for the hardcore techie

2008-12-19T09:57:00.007-05:00

Pocket Projector.

JR14 out

Happy 10th Impeachment Day President Clinton

2008-12-19T09:26:00.001-05:00

The President of the United States Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, and acquitted by the Senate on February 12, 1999. The charges, perjury, obstruction of justice and abuse of power arose from the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the Paula Jones law suit. The trial proceedings were largely party-line, with no Democratic Senators voting for conviction and only five Democratic Representatives voting to impeach. In all, 50 senators voted not guilty, and 45 voted guilty on the obstruction charge. The Senate also acquitted on the charge of perjury with 50 votes cast as not guilty, and 50 votes as guilty. It was only the second impeachment of a President in American history, following the impeachment of Andrew Johnson in 1868.

JR14 out

NY governor proposes 'iPod tax'

2008-12-17T10:53:00.003-05:00

Gov. David Paterson has proposed a so-called 'iPod tax' on downloaded music and entertainment services to help his state close a $15.4 billion budget deficit.
However, Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) products aren't Paterson's only targets. He has proposed 88 new fees and taxes that go far beyond, including on movie tickets, taxi rides, soda, beer, wine, cigars, massages, cable and satellite TV.
That's just one aspect of Paterson’s proposed $121.1 billion budget released yesterday. The budget attempts to make state government leaner while relying on a wave of new taxes and fees that will be passed down to businesses.
The proposed budget is balanced and holds state spending just under the inflation rate. The budget also erases a combined $15.4 billion in budget gaps over the next 15 months.
Paterson revealed his budget amid the unrelenting shake-up on Wall Street that has already depleted state tax revenue and triggered tens of thousands of layoffs. Before this recession, the state’s financial services sector had produced 20 percent of state tax revenue through income taxes, year-end bonuses, real estate deals and initial public offerings on the stock markets.

People never learn that any taxes passed down to business' are just passed onto the consumers. This is how we end up payin up to 50% in total taxes paid form receipt of your paycheck to walking out of 7/11 with a candy bar.

Also when the deficit is erased will the taxes be recinded? Nah, I don't think so. Welcome to the #1 Blue state.

JR14 out

Battle of the Bulge

2008-12-16T08:19:00.007-05:00

On this day, the Germans launch the last major offensive of the war, Operation Mist, also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge, so-called because the Germans created a "bulge" around the area of the Ardennes forest in pushing through the American defensive line, was the largest fought on the Western front.

The Germans threw 250,000 soldiers into the initial assault, 14 German infantry divisions guarded by five panzer divisions-against a mere 80,000 Americans. Their assault came in early morning at the weakest part of the Allied line, an 80-mile poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest (the Allies simply believed the Ardennes too difficult to traverse, and therefore an unlikely location for a German offensive). Between the vulnerability of the thin, isolated American units and the thick fog that prevented Allied air cover from discovering German movement, the Germans were able to push the Americans into retreat.
One particularly effective German trick was the use of English-speaking German commandos who infiltrated American lines and, using captured U.S. uniforms, trucks, and jeeps, impersonated U.S. military and sabotaged communications. The ploy caused widespread chaos and suspicion among the American troops as to the identity of fellow soldiers - even after the ruse was discovered. Even General Omar Bradley himself had to prove his identity three times - by answering questions about football and Betty Grable - before being allowed to pass a sentry point.
The battle raged for three weeks, resulting in a massive loss of American and civilian life. Nazi atrocities abounded, including the murder of 72 American soldiers by SS soldiers in the Ardennes town of Malmedy. Historian Stephen Ambrose estimated that by war's end, "Of the 600,000 GIs involved, almost 20,000 were killed, another 20,000 were captured, and 40,000 were wounded." The United States also suffered its second-largest surrender of troops of the war: More than 7,500 members of the 106th Infantry Division capitulated at one time at Schnee Eifel. The devastating ferocity of the conflict also made desertion an issue for the American troops; General Eisenhower was forced to make an example of Private Eddie Slovik, the first American executed for desertion since the Civil War.
The war would not end until better weather enabled American aircraft to bomb and strafe German positions.

JR14 out

12 DEC 08 Biggest Full Moom of the Year

2008-12-12T10:09:00.005-05:00

JR14 out

Blackwater joins fight against sea piracy

2008-12-04T08:42:00.005-05:00

Anyone need a job?

"Billions of dollars of goods move through the Gulf of Aden each year," said Bill Mathews, Blackwater's executive vice president. "We have been contacted by ship owners who say they need our help in making sure those goods get to their destination safely. The McArthur can help us accomplish that."

JR14 out

Perfect piece of kit for those long helo rides

2008-12-03T10:53:00.002-05:00

SanDisk Sansa Clip

$80 • SanDisk.com
8 out of 10

Tiny Player Packs Features and Dead-Simple Menus. This Zippo-sized MP3 player packs as much into its small frame as possible. Four gigs of media storage, an FM tuner, voice and radio recording, a bright OLED screen and a handy clip waiting to grasp the nearest lapel or waistband. The interface and menus are dead simple, and so is grabbing music from your PC — just drag and drop. The freebie earphones, though ugly, belt out the sound.

JR14 out

The Mumbai atrocity is a wake-up call

2008-12-02T08:38:00.006-05:00

Great read from the Daily Mail UK website. Mrs. Phillips hits the Islamic Fanaticism problem right on the head.

The Mumbai atrocities show very clearly what too many in Britain obdurately deny - that a war is being waged against civilisation.
It is both global and local. It is not 'our' fault; it has nothing to do with Muslim poverty, oppression or discrimination.
The Islamic fundamentalist fanatics use specific grievances - Kashmir, Iraq, Palestine, Chechnya - merely as recruiting sergeants for their worldwide holy war against all 'unbelievers'.

WAKE UP AMERICA.

JR14 out

2008-11-25T15:31:00.005-05:00

Welcome home Bryce.

JR14 out

2008-11-24T12:53:00.002-05:00

The Russian's are coming, the Russian's are coming!!

Somali Pirates Give Russia Chance to Flex Muscles

The rise in piracy off the coasts of Somalia is giving Russia a chance to flex its muscles, with plans to dispatch several warships to the region and even ex-KGB commandos volunteering their services.
The Russian frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless) is already patrolling the coastline, and there is talk of Russia reopening a Soviet-era naval base on an island belonging to Yemen in the Gulf of Aden just across from Somalia.
Russia’s increasingly active role against piracy in Somalia marks its "return to the ranks of world powers," said Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin analyst and a member of parliament from the ruling United Russia party.
Russian Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo was quoted by Interfax news agency on 21 Nov as saying that the Navy would have either "one warship or a flotilla of warships" in the Horn of Africa region "on a regular basis."
Nikolai Makarov, the head of Russia’s general staff, was quoted as saying that Moscow was preparing "a detailed plan for anti-pirate operations in the Gulf of Aden" with naval ships from the Black Sea and Baltic Sea fleets.
Page 10 of 11 Newsletter for 24 November 2008
During a visit to Yemen last month, Sergei Mironov, speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, even said that Moscow was considering resuming a Soviet-era naval presence in the country.
The Pacific fleet of the Soviet navy maintained a naval base on Yemen's Socotra island, which lies off the Horn of Africa.
The capture of a Saudi supertanker this week has cast an international spotlight on the piracy problem and redoubled efforts by international powers to combat it. Dozens of vessels have been hijacked so far this year.
"It’s the chance to show that Russian forces can play a positive role and a more useful role" rather than "showing off on the ocean," said Russian military analyst Alexander Golts, referring to naval exercises carried out by Russia.
Also on 21 Nov, KGB-trained commandos from the secret service’s feared Vympel division, many of whose members are now private security guards and mercenaries, said they could defeat Somali pirates.
"If there is a political will to achieve this aim, we can accomplish it," said Felix Makiyevsky, a former commando with Vympel. Valery Kiselyov, another ex-commando, said former KGB mercenaries could do the job.
Neustrashimy is escorting cargo vessels and chased away pirates on at least two occasions, once jointly with the British frigate Cumberland, officials said.
The warship was dispatched in Sep after pirates seized a Ukrainian vessel, MV Faina, laden with dozens of T-72 battle tanks and rounds of ammunition, as well as three Russian nationals among the crew members.
But Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s envoy to NATO, said this week: "It’s up to the European Union, NATO and others to launch a coastal land operation to eliminate the pirates," adding that this "should be coordinated with Russia."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also called for the U.S., the European and Russia jointly to prevent "lawlessness" by pirates.
The U.N. Security Council in Oct adopted a resolution calling on all countries to use all "necessary means" to fight piracy in the Horn of Africa "in particular by deploying naval vessels and military aircraft."

JR14 out

2008-11-21T14:05:00.001-05:00

On the Scene: Fallujah Kentucky Fried Chicken

Today at 12:58pm
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
We finally made it to Kentucky Fried Chicken in downtown Fallujah. The quest for KFC is over!
But let me clarify: on closer inspection it turns out this is not one of Colonel Sanders’ officially sanctioned franchises. In fact, appart from the large “KFC” sign in the window you’d be hard pressed to distinguish this from many other chicken restaurants in Fallujah. The big difference though, is on the inside. Iraqis like baked chicken, and it turns out deep fried chicken is something of a novelty, and so they’ve been flocking to the restaurant over the past eight months since it opened - the loal newspaper even ran a story about it, so I guess it’s not a Fox exclusive.
Of course we only made it to KFC with the help of our embed hosts this week - Capt. Dan Micklis and the marines of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines. They’ve been showing us all over the north of Fallujah, and we’ll be sad to say goodbye later this evening as we start the journey back to Baghdad.
We were the only customers early Friday evening in KFC, so I bought enough chicken to feed the marines. In case you’re wondering, they only have one thing on the menu - a $5 meal which buys 2 pieces of fried chicken, French fries, a soda, bottle of water and 2 bread rolls.
If the official KFC wants to send Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines any free stuff, like t-shirts or hats, vouchers for meals (or pretty much anything really!), then get in touch and we’ll make sure you can link up with the guys.
In the meantime, enjoy some pictures!

JR14 out

2008-11-21T09:20:00.002-05:00

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!

JR14 out

2008-11-19T12:58:00.003-05:00

Go INDIA!

Inidian Navy sinks Pirate mothership.

Check this out. 2008 acts of piracy via ICC-CCS.org

We ought to take some notes on how to deal with these guys......

JR14 out

2008-11-19T09:24:00.004-05:00

It's funny how well you can find out an answer to a question by using the web. I was doing some research into Republic's when I ran into a word that I had not heard before; Oligarchy.

Oligarchy (Greek Ὀλιγαρχία, Oligarkhía) is a form of government where political power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society distinguished by royalty, wealth, family, military powers or occult spiritual hegemony. The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few" (ὀλίγος olígos) and "rule" (ἀρχή arkhē). Such states are often controlled by politically powerful families whose children were heavily conditioned and mentored to be heirs of the power of the oligarchy.

The concept of an "oligarchic democracy" is one which some scholars attribute to Ancient Rome and the United States. Marxist Ellen Meiksins Wood writes, that it "conveys a truth about U.S. politics every bit as telling as its application to ancient Rome. It is no accident that the Founding Fathers of the U.S. Republic looked to Roman models for inspiration in making the Federalist case, adopting Roman names as pseudonyms and conceiving of themselves as latterday Catos, forming a natural aristocracy of republican virtue. (Americans today still have a representative body called the Senate, and their republic is still watched over by the Roman eagle.) Faced with the distasteful specter of democracy, they sought ways to redefine that unpalatable concept to accommodate aristocratic rule, producing a hybrid, "representative democracy," which was clearly meant to achieve an effect similar to the ancient Roman idea of the "mixed constitution," in fact, an "oligarchic 'democracy."'[1] However, the constitution and state laws have since been modified, with the removal of the original property requirements for voting, as well as giving the vote to women and blacks.[2]

So that is how the US of A started, and now to where we are:

A number of critics argue that the United States political system is, itself, an oligarchic structure. Third party candidates stand little chance of election to national office, due to the enormous monetary capital needed to purchase advertising time and to make other key connections in order to gain sufficient attention from the electorate. Since large donors fuel national political races, expecting due compensation in return for funding the winners' campaigns, it is difficult to distinguish between the current situation and societies most commonly recognized as oligarchies. It is, many feel, a return to aristocratic rule, in which the common people have little control over their political fate; feelings of being "sold out" frequently lead to apathy, now recognized as the most common problem in American politics.

And now I wait to start seeing more signs of our slipping into a Solcialistic state.

JR14 out

2008-11-19T08:15:00.005-05:00

Well, I had HOPE for President-elect Obama but this I fear this is a glimpse of how far Government will be into everything in the near future.

Quoted from "60 minutes, Sunday 16 Nov, 2008:

But he went further Sunday than he had before, vowing to use the power of the presidency to push the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

"This is important," Mr. Obama said. "I'm gonna throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do."

Why does the President of the US of A need to be involved?

Come on already.

JR14 out

2008-11-14T19:30:00.003-05:00

This is awesome:

via: http://www.daybydaycartoon.com

2008-11-14T10:00:00.004-05:00

I read a great article on what I work with in the Navy today. It address's the evolving need for Command & Control enablers and challenges for Ground Mobile Force's

link: here

JR14 out

2008-11-13T09:11:00.001-05:00

Great, more idiots than usual inbound for December:

"Ladies & Gentlemen,

Information has been received from the Virginia State Police that members of
the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a religious group known for protesting
U.S. military funerals, are planning several protest activities in the local
area. The date and location of the protest activities are as follows:

- 12/01/2008: VA Beach, VA- Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base,
Indep. & Shore.
- 12/03/2008: Virginia Beach, VA- Fort Story, 83rd & Atlantic
- 12/03/2008: Norfolk, VA- Norfolk Naval Station, Hampton Blvd &
International Terminal Blvd
- 12/03/2008: Virginia Beach, VA- Oceana Naval Air Station, VA Beach
Blvd & First Colonial
- 12/03/2008: Portsmouth, VA- Portsmouth Naval Medical Center,
London Blvd & Effingham
- 12/03/2008: Yorktown, VA- USCG Reserve Training Center, GWM
Highway & Main

The WBC is highly organized, has multiple members who are lawyers, and
appears to seek confrontation in order to file lawsuits that result in
monetary settlements used to fund church activities. To that end, WBC
members will often video the protest event and any interaction with the
public in an attempt to capture litigation opportunities. At past events,
the group did not engage in violence when they were left alone; however,
their provoking language and flag desecration are designed to incite a
response and subsequent confrontation - do not allow yourself to be lured
into their plan. All personnel should avoid the WBC and their activities if
at all possible. If WBC members are present and avoidance isn't an option,
the best course of action is to completely ignore them. "

2008-11-10T08:45:00.004-05:00

Well, one week down since the election....... Pres-Elect Obama didn't seem quite so energenic after his Intel in-brief.

Anywhoo, just read this and it made laugh and think:

"In these troubled times, we all have to do what we can. A recent study carried out at Glasgow University reveals that Scotsmen walk an average of 900 miles a year. Almost simultaneously, the Scottish Medical Association reports that Scotsmen consume an average of 22 gallons of alcohol a year. I make that just over 40 mpg. Not so bad."

JR14 out.

2008-11-04T10:49:00.002-05:00

Well I have finally voted "in person" instead of absentee. No problems and in & out in 1hr 5 minutes.

Let the games begin!

2008-11-03T10:47:00.011-05:00

Ah, yet the beginning of another week. Election day tomorrow........ Thank God!

It will either be a term of a balanced budget at the price of the military or hopefully a new reformed Government. With the latter I beleive it will be hard pressed with a potentially filabuster proof Congress.

We will see soon enough.

Jolly Roger 14 out.

2008-10-22T09:16:00.006-04:00

Well, here it is closing in on Election '08 and I have decided to re-open this blog.

Alot has happened since the last post back in Mar '07:

Retired in Aug '08 with 20 years service. Nice small ceremony the way I wanted. Lots of friends/relatives made their way into town. Good time all around.

Sat around on my arse for awhile and landed a job as a Navy Contractor supporting Commander Naval Expeditionary Combat Command N6 Directorate (Tactical Communications), which is where I am to this day.

Anyway, more to come.

/ Chris

2007-03-24T21:07:00.000-04:00

Hi all.

Well a lot has happened since the last post. I am currently writing this on my way down I-95 just north of Baltimore. I did not want to leak out any information until I was sure I was on my way home, not just for R&R but for good for this deployment.

Our replacements showed up last week and we started turnover right away (sorry for not answering any emails lately). We were scheduled to fly at a later date but runour had it helo flights were going to be shutdown for awhile so I cleared it with the CO to leave a little early. We left Speicher a little before midnight on Thursday the 22nd to Balad and then manifested for a 2:30 flight out on the 23rd. We landed in Ramstein, Germany that night about 8 PM. We continued out on the 24th about noon to terminate our flight at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. After some negotiating a shuttle to the Philadelphia airpot to get a rental brings me up to date.

I will be taking some vacation as Robyn and I head to Florida with the kids for spring break.

Robyn, if you read this I love you and will see soon. Don't tell the kids.

Vr/

Chris
AKA the "FORMER" Squid in the desert.

2007-03-20T12:38:00.000-04:00

Hi all, I must say it was a very nice day today. It hit the low 80's with partially cloudy skies. I will be returning to the states for some R&R for early April so wait on sending any packages specifically for me. If you have a package you want to ship out for the rest of the command just replace my name with Command Master Chief in the address line.

Today we had an awards ceremony which I was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. We then followed that with a cookout with some great grub.

More to come later,

Chris

2007-03-10T07:18:00.000-05:00

Holy no post Batman!!!!

Yes I am still here. This place is the epitome of groundhog day. Anyway the rain is finally gone and we have been enjoying temps in the high 70's this week.

So instead of this:

We now have this:

And this:

His name is Squeker V3 since the other 2 models have "disappeared".

Today is also my Birthday, 38th to be exact (yikes). So tonight I am going to Pizza Hut for some Pepperoni and extra cheese pizza and some cinnaparts to celebrate since I am not at home. Thank you to those who sent cards, they as all the others are a breath of fresh air.

Well like I said, groundhog day. Pretty quite today in comparison to most of the last few weeks.

Post at you later,

Chris a.k.a. "the Squid"

2007-01-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hey all, nothing much going on here but wetness and baby poo mud everywhere.

I received the following in my e-mail and got a good chuckle out of it and yes I expect to catch a lot of grief over this one:

The Guys' Rules

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down

Finally , the guys' side of the story.
( I must admit, it's pretty good.)
We always hear " the rules "
From the female side.

Now here are the rules from the male side.
These are our rules!
Please note.. these are all numbered "1"
ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.
You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.
We need it up, you need it down.
You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon
or the changing of the tides.
Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport.
And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 6 months is a Problem.

See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't Expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you're fat, You probably are.
Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something
Or tell us how you want it done.
Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.
We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as CARS, the shotgun formation,
or BASKETBALL.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;

But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

2007-01-10T10:25:00.000-05:00

Hi all, not much to report since my last post. It has rained rather hard around here and I swear it looks like the Katrina aftermath out here. There is mud EVRYWHERE. Anyway I ran across a couple Military minded "Motivational " pictures for your enjoyment:

2006-12-24T16:17:00.000-05:00

Early Christmas present for me!

Robyn and the kids

2006-12-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

Here is the Sailor's version of "Merry Christmas, My Friend" written by Lance Corporal Schmidt (USMC) and printed in Leatherneck back in 1991

Enjoy:

A Sailor's Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,
Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.

They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,
In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.

I had come down the stack with presents to give,
And to see inside just who might perhaps live.

I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,
On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.

They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,
And a sober thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,
I had found the house of a Sailor, once I saw clearly.

A Sailor lay sleeping, silent and alone,
Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the room squared away,
This was the United States Sailor today.

This was the hero I saw on TV,
Defending our country so we could be free.

I realized the families that I would visit this night,
Owed their lives to these Sailors lay willing to fight.

Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,
Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice."

"Defending the seas all days of the year,
So others may live and be free with no fear."

I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,
To live a life guided by honor and code.

After all it's Christmas Eve and the ship's underway!
But freedom isn't free and it's sailors who pay.

The Sailor say's to our country "be free and sleep tight,
No harm will come, not on my watch and not on this night.

The Sailor rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours, so silent, so still,
I watched as the Sailor shivered from the night's cold chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honor so willing to fight.

The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure,
Commanded, "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas, and All is Secure!"

2006-12-21T13:58:00.000-05:00

In case you've forgotten where I am

2006-12-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

Christmas Carols for the disturbed

1. Schizophrenia -- Do I Hear What I Hear?

2. Multiple Personality Disorder - We Three Kings Disoriented Are.

3. Dementia - I Think I'll Be Home For Christmas

4. Narcissistic - Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

5. Manic - Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and....

6. Paranoid - Santa Claus is Coming To Town To Get Me

7. Borderline Personality Disorder - Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

8. Personality Disorder - You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

9. Attention Deficit Disorder - Silent Night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?

10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells.....

2006-12-16T03:53:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone. Here is our Command Christmas Photo for you all to enjoy. Well it dipped down to about 35 last night and has been drizzling since yesterday. Not quite the weather to get into the Christmas mood but hey, everyone's Christmas packages have been showing up and there has been goodies galore going around. Robyn had sent me some Trans-Siberian Orchestra CD's from the concert she and Ashley went to. I love their twist on the classics.

Robyn and the kids will be spending Christmas with her parents in Burlington, N.C. this year. It's funny how many little things go into the Christmas "feeling" from family and friends to all the smells and moods. Its hard to get in the "feeling" when you smell wet dirt all the time and you work 7 days a week but hey a little Tran-Siberian and my headphones go aloooong way LOL. Maybe we'll have Turkey for Christmas dinner? We'll see!

I hope everybody as a great holiday!

Chris

2006-11-22T11:05:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. Another interesting couple of weeks here in Iraq. I traveled down to Baghdad last week for four days visiting our Task Force Command Center and also stopped in to see one of my guys I have doing some temporay duty down there. I went to Camp Victory which is located right next to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). Apparently the base used to be a hunting and fishing preserve under Saddam. The center piece is Al Faw Palace which is where Multi National Corps - Iraq (MNC-I) is located. The big boss is Multi National Forces - Iraq (MNF-I) located in the center of Baghdad in the Green Zone. There are a number of lake houses ringing the main lake that the palace is located in the center of. If you where one of the inside group of the Hussein's you would be invited to the lake for some hunting and fishing.

After alot of troubleshooting we finally have our satellite voice system up and running. Using this we can talk almost anywhere with a unit that has the same equipment.

I hope everyone has a good Turkey Day tomorrow, I hope we get turkey at the DFAC.........

Jolly Roger 14 out

2006-11-11T15:25:00.000-05:00

Salutations all. We'll I left Norfolk three months ago, normally this would be the halfway mark for a normal underway deployment. We will see what the next few weeks brings in regards to a return date (crossed fingers).

It is still the same ole stuff, different day around
here. i have been pursueing some side projects to help fill my days. One is getting a SATCOM (Satelitte Communications) voice circuit setup for our EOD teams that are WAAAAY out in the boonies. Another is trying to establish a standard for EOD response vehicle communications. I was able to order some goodies to install in a cougar which is an awesome vehicle considering the
IED rich environment we are in here in Iraq.

Here I am setting up a SATCOM antenna.

I am down to four personnel including myself here in the N6 shop. I have one TDY to Baghdad and I had to send one home on emergency leave (mother in-law died). So we are now down to the are minimum to support the Battalions Communications and Computer needs on a 24/7 basis. We have some more generator mainitenance coming up so hopefully we will not have any problems when we bring our system back up this time (MORE crossed fingers).

I have finally climatized to the latest temperature drops here, it is about 42 degrees in the morning and gets into the low 60's in the afternoon's. Currently it is 49 degrees at midnight and I laughed when Robyn offered to send me some longjohns after I had first got here............

Thank you all again for the packages/cards/emails (especially the funnies).

Squidly out (that Chris guy)

2006-10-29T04:55:00.001-05:00

Salutations all. Busy, busy, busy.... Things have really been hustling around here. Last weekend my Commodore was here for a visit to see how his EOD teams are doing. He is my direct boss back in the states, so I had dinner with him and the Command Master Chief. Also this weekend the Master Cheif Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) was here on Speicher as part of his Middle East tour of the Sailors that are serving as the Boots on Ground force, we had luch with him at the dining facility.

As soon as the visits were over I was awakened early by my over night watch telling me our generator for my system I maintain was faulting out. It kept idling lower and lower until it turned itself off. Come to find out it was dirty fuel filters. Well during all this we had shutdown our networks but when we brought the generator back up our unclassified email server would not come back up. Well 12 hours later I finally got it repaired, I literally danced a jig (luckily only one person witnessed it).

Yesterday we receivd the gravel for our compound to cover all the dirt up and in a nick of time because last night we had one heck of a rain/hail, yes, hail storm. About 1:30 AM it woke me up and I found water slowly coming in under my door because it was driving in under the overhang. The water only came in a few inches by the time the storm passed. So now that we have gravel almost everywhere we will not be tracking mud all over the place.

Aunt Gwen had sent me a card with a typical New England fall day pictured on it. Here the only thing to gauge the seasonal change is bang, one morning you wake up and it in the 50's and it has rained overnight and by lunch it is in the high 80's and dry.

Well that's about it for now. Until the next post.....

See ya.

Chris

2006-10-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

Well, another week down. After two days of light sprinkles it actually rained here to day, all told it was a 5 minute downpoar and 45 minutes later it was dry, reminds me of when I lived in Charleston, SC.

We had two big wigs in the camp this week: RADM Macy and MG Hahn, both concerning the fight against the IED threat out here. Both visits went well.

I Wish I had more to report but that is the bane of our shops existence out here: The Maytag repair men...... except we work in systems administration and are presumed to know everything about everything computer and communications....

Well with the weather changecomes the cooler temperatures, it is 85 as I write this and the sun is setting. So now the only major pain is all the dust, not much can be done about that though.

Left to right: Me, RADM Macy, CDR McKinney (EODMU2 CO) and CAPT Brakke

Me on a JERRV (primary EOD response vehicle) after checking out some of the comm gear.

Well that is about all for what is turning out to be my weekly edition of the ole blog.

Hugs and kisses for those that want them and a big bear hug for the rest.

Jolly Roger 14 out.

2006-10-05T04:52:00.000-04:00

Hi all, I hope everyone is well. It has been another busy week so far over here, one project after another in the IT world. It's funny how the military brags about jointness yet it is so dis-jointed it almost hurts...... I guess that is one of the growing pains of having NAVY in the desert working with the ARMY & AIR FORCE.

Anyway, I had the below emailed to me annd I thought I would share this great read:

Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 12:14
Subject: FW: A Marine Intel Officer in Al Anbar Shares Some Thoughts

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
All: I haven’t written very much from Iraq. There’s really not much to write about. More exactly, there’s not much I can write about because practically everything I do, read or hear is classified military information or is depressing to the point that I’d rather just forget about it, never mind write about it. The gaps in between all of that are filled with the pure tedium of daily life in an armed camp. So it’s a bit of a struggle to think of anything to put into a letter that’s worth reading. Worse, this place just consumes you. I work 18-20-hour days, every day. The quest to draw a clear picture of what the insurgents are up to never ends. Problems and frictions crop up faster than solutions. Every challenge demands a response. It’s like this every day. Before I know it, I can’t see straight, because it’s 0400 and I’ve been at work for twenty hours straight, somehow missing dinner again in the process. And once again I haven’t written to anyone. It starts all over again four hours later. It’s not really like Ground Hog Day, it’s more like a level from Dante’s Inferno. Rather than attempting to sum up the last seven months, I figured I’d just hit the record setting highlights of 2006 in Iraq. These are among the events and experiences I’ll remember best.
Worst Case of Déjà Vu - I thought I was familiar with the feeling of déjà vu until I arrived back here in Fallujah in February. The moment I stepped off of the helicopter, just as dawn broke, and saw the camp just as I had left it ten months before - that was déjà vu. Kind of unnerving. It was as if I had never left. Same work area, same busted desk, same chair, same computer, same room, same creaky rack, same . . . everything. Same everything for the next year. It was like entering a parallel universe. Home wasn’t 10,000 miles away, it was a different lifetime.
Most Surreal Moment - Watching Marines arrive at my detention facility and unload a truck load of flex-cuffed midgets. 26 to be exact. I had put the word out earlier in the day to the Marines in Fallujah that we were looking for Bad Guy X, who was described as a midget. Little did I know that Fallujah was home to a small community of midgets, who banded together for support since they were considered as social outcasts. The Marines were anxious to get back to the midget colony to bring in the rest of the midget suspects, but I called off the search, figuring Bad Guy X was long gone on his short legs after seeing his companions rounded up by the giant infidels.
Most Profound Man in Iraq - an unidentified farmer in a fairly remote area who, after being asked by Reconnaissance Marines (searching for Syrians) if he had seen any foreign fighters in the area replied “Yes, you.”
Worst City in al-Anbar Province - Ramadi, hands down. The provincial capital of 400,000 people. Killed over 1,000 insurgents in there since we arrived in February. Every day is a nasty gun battle. They blast us with giant bombs in the road, snipers, mortars and small arms. We blast them with tanks, attack helicopters, artillery, our snipers (much better than theirs), and every weapon that an infantryman can carry. Every day. Incredibly, I rarely see Ramadi in the news. We have as many attacks out here in the west as Baghdad. Yet, Baghdad has 7 million people, we have just 1.2 million. Per capita, al-Anbar province is the most violent place in Iraq by several orders of magnitude. I suppose it was no accident that the Marines were assigned this area in 2003.
Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province - Any Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EOD Tech). How’d you like a job that required you to defuse bombs in a hole in the middle of the road that very likely are booby-trapped or connected by wire to a bad guy who’s just waiting for you to get close to the bomb before he clicks the detonator? Every day. Sanitation workers in New York City get paid more than these guys. Talk about courage and commitment.
Second Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province - It’s a 20,000 way tie among all the Marines and Soldiers who venture out on the highways and through the towns of al-Anbar every day, not knowing if it will be their last - and for a couple of them, it will be.
Best Piece of U.S. Gear - new, bullet-proof flak jackets. O.K., they weigh 40 lbs and aren’t exactly comfortable in 120 degree heat, but they’ve saved countless lives out here.Best Piece of Bad Guy Gear - Armor Piercing ammunition that goes right through the new flak jackets and the Marines inside them.
Worst E-Mail Message - “The Walking Blood Bank is Activated. We need blood type A+ stat.” I always head down to the surgical unit as soon as I get these messages, but I never give blood - there’s always about 80 Marines in line, night or day.
Biggest Surprise - Iraqi Police. All local guys. I never figured that we’d get a police force established in the cities in al-Anbar. I estimated that insurgents would kill the first few, scaring off the rest. Well, insurgents did kill the first few, but the cops kept on coming. The insurgents continue to target the police, killing them in their homes and on the streets, but the cops won’t give up. Absolutely incredible tenacity. The insurgents know that the police are far better at finding them than we are. - and they are finding them. Now, if we could just get them out of the habit of beating prisoners to a pulp . . .
Greatest Vindication - Stocking up on outrageous quantities of Diet Coke from the chow hall in spite of the derision from my men on such hoarding, then having a 122mm rocket blast apart the giant shipping container that held all of the soda for the chow hall. Yep, you can’t buy experience.
Biggest Mystery - How some people can gain weight out here. I’m down to 165 lbs. Who has time to eat?Second Biggest Mystery - if there’s no atheists in foxholes, then why aren’t there more people at Mass every Sunday? Favorite Iraqi TV Show - Oprah. I have no idea. They all have satellite TV.
Coolest Insurgent Act - Stealing almost $7 million from the main bank in Ramadi in broad daylight, then, upon exiting, waving to the Marines in the combat outpost right next to the bank, who had no clue of what was going on. The Marines waved back. Too cool.
Most Memorable Scene - In the middle of the night, on a dusty airfield, watching the better part of a battalion of Marines packed up and ready to go home after six months in al-Anbar, the relief etched in their young faces even in the moonlight. Then watching these same Marines exchange glances with a similar number of grunts loaded down with gear file past - their replacements. Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be said.
Highest Unit Re-enlistment Rate - Any outfit that has been in Iraq recently. All the danger, all the hardship, all the time away from home, all the horror, all the frustrations with the fight here - all are outweighed by the desire for young men to be part of a 'Band of Brothers' who will die for one another. They found what they were looking for when they enlisted out of high school. Man for man, they now have more combat experience than any Marines in the history of our Corps.
Most Surprising Thing I Don’t Miss - Beer. Perhaps being half-stunned by lack of sleep makes up for it.
Worst Smell - Porta-johns in 120 degree heat - and that’s 120 degrees outside of the porta-john.
Highest Temperature - I don’t know exactly, but it was in the porta-johns. Needed to re-hydrate after each trip to the loo.
Biggest Hassle - High-ranking visitors. More disruptive to work than a rocket attack. VIPs demand briefs and “battlefield” tours (we take them to quiet sections of Fallujah, which is plenty scary for them). Our briefs and commentary seem to have no affect on their preconceived notions of what’s going on in Iraq. Their trips allow them to say that they’ve been to Fallujah, which gives them an unfortunate degree of credibility in perpetuating their fantasies about the insurgency here.
Biggest Outrage - Practically anything said by talking heads on TV about the war in Iraq, not that I get to watch much TV. Their thoughts are consistently both grossly simplistic and politically slanted. Biggest offender - Bill O’Reilly - what a buffoon.
Best Intel Work - Finding Jill Carroll’s kidnappers - all of them. I was mighty proud of my guys that day. I figured we’d all get the Christian Science Monitor for free after this, but none have showed up yet. Talk about ingratitude.
Saddest Moment - Having the battalion commander from 1st Battalion, 1st Marines hand me the dog tags of one of my Marines who had just been killed while on a mission with his unit. Hit by a 60mm mortar. Cpl Bachar was a great Marine. I felt crushed for a long time afterward. His picture now hangs at the entrance to the Intelligence Section. We’ll carry it home with us when we leave in February.
Biggest Ass-Chewing - 10 July immediately following a visit by the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Zobai. The Deputy Prime Minister brought along an American security contractor (read mercenary), who told my Commanding General that he was there to act as a mediator between us and the Bad Guys. I immediately told him what I thought of him and his asinine ideas in terms that made clear my disgust and which, unfortunately, are unrepeatable here. I thought my boss was going to have a heart attack. Fortunately, the translator couldn’t figure out the best Arabic words to convey my meaning for the Deputy Prime Minister. Later, the boss had no difficulty in conveying his meaning to me in English regarding my Irish temper, even though he agreed with me. At least the guy from the State Department thought it was hilarious. We never saw the mercenary again.
Best Chuck Norris Moment - 13 May. Bad Guys arrived at the government center in the small town of Kubaysah to kidnap the town mayor, since they have a problem with any form of government that does not include regular beheadings and women wearing burqahs. There were seven of them. As they brought the mayor out to put him in a pick-up truck to take him off to be beheaded (on video, as usual), one of the bad Guys put down his machinegun so that he could tie the mayor’s hands. The mayor took the opportunity to pick up the machinegun and drill five of the Bad Guys. The other two ran away. One of the dead Bad Guys was on our top twenty wanted list. Like they say, you can’t fight City Hall.
Worst Sound - That crack-boom off in the distance that means an IED or mine just went off. You just wonder who got it, hoping that it was a near miss rather than a direct hit. Hear it every day.Second Worst Sound - Our artillery firing without warning. The howitzers are pretty close to where I work. Believe me, outgoing sounds a lot like incoming when our guns are firing right over our heads. They’d about knock the fillings out of your teeth.Only Thing Better in Iraq Than in the U.S. - Sunsets. Spectacular. It’s from all the dust in the air.
Proudest Moment - It’s a tie every day, watching my Marines produce phenomenal intelligence products that go pretty far in teasing apart Bad Guy operations in al-Anbar. Every night Marines and Soldiers are kicking in doors and grabbing Bad Guys based on intelligence developed by my guys. We rarely lose a Marine during these raids, they are so well-informed of the objective. A bunch of kids right out of high school shouldn’t be able to work so well, but they do.
Happiest Moment - Well, it wasn’t in Iraq. There are no truly happy moments here. It was back in California when I was able to hold my family again while home on leave during July. Most Common Thought - Home. Always thinking of home, of Kathleen and the kids. Wondering how everyone else is getting along. Regretting that I don’t write more. Yep, always thinking of home.
I hope you all are doing well. If you want to do something for me, kiss a cop, flush a toilet, and drink a beer. I’ll try to write again before too long - I promise.

Semper Fi

Jim/Miriam, I received your package and thank you. Saint Christopher now has a friend and they go with me everywhere now.

Thank you all for the cards and emails, they help pull me back out of the "work void", there's nothing like sitting in front of my three computers for 12 - 14 hours a day...............

Take care,

Chris Da' Squid

2006-09-30T04:44:00.000-04:00

Hi all, well it's been 6 days since my last post.... sorry for leaving you with baited breathe on my next installment.... LOL.

It has been a busy week around here. Tuesday I had spent the whole day in a meeting (joy) and ended up not eating which led to me getting under the weather on Wednesday. Thursday was spent making up for those two lost days. Friday we had a scheduled outage so we did alot of re-arranging of our power/enviromental systems for our satellite system which led to an extended outage when we tried to come back on-line (hello Mr. Murphy (if it ain't broke don't fix it)). That afternoon we finally had our command photo's taken (below). I don't know why, but some of you want more pictures of me so I have included some more.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Two Battalion HeadQuarters. I'm in the back, the antenna almost points right to me.

The N-6 crew (my guys)

Front row (left to right)

IT1 Ginicie Rushing (with the big gun), EODMU2 CO CDR Bradley McKinney

Back row (left to right)

ET1 Bryce Bills, ET2 Kevin Mills, IT1 Jason Schouweiler, It1 Vasquez Upshaw and me!

Taking down the flag after the photos. We are not allowed to fly the flag over non-sovereign soil(embassy) in Iraq, it is part of the politcal nonsense that has been wrapped up in this war.

Hanging out watching other pictures being taken.

Well, that it for another short chapter of my life in Iraq (work, eat sleep repeat 7 days a week).

Jolly Roger 14 (my callsign) Out

aka that Chris guy.

2006-09-23T06:16:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. Not much to report, just another busy week in Iraq.... Our users have been giving us a run for our money this week but I guess that is to be expected. I got a chance to site in my weapon this week, that's always good for blowing off some steam.

Me all goobered up in my gear

I received this movie in my email and I could not stop laughing: http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n142/chris_dudas/?action=view&current=catfan.flv&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1

Another good one: http://ebaumsworld.com/2006/07/pugbowling.html

We had a couple of Generals in today for a brief on the current Counter - IED (Improvised Explosice Device) operations. These are currently the number one cause of death for servicemembers. That is why we are here with such strong numbers for EOD.

Well enough of that. If you like something you see feel free to leave a comment at the end of the post, there is an icon to do so.

Oh, one more for the road (me being my usual self....)

Chris

2006-09-19T09:38:00.000-04:00

Greetings, I hope this finds everyone OK. It has been pretty somber around here due to anohter death of a shipmate from Mobile Unit Two, Story: http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=111206&ran=84484&tref=po . Western Iraq is still a pretty dangerous place to be "on the job". We usually find out right away and go into a communications blackout to give the CACO folks back home time to notify the next of kin. I could not think of a worst way to findout a spouse/child had died than thru the news or tearful freinds calling to mourn your loss that you did not know about.

Well enough of that. I would like to thank all of the E-cards I recieved for our wedding anniversary. Yes, I wish I was back home wife my beautiful family but hey, Miriam has volunteered to take the children for two days so Robyn and I can celebrate twice next year! Sometimes you just have really dig to find the silver lining.

Anyway here are some more photos:

CPO's in the desert, from left to right:
CMC Scott Faison, YNCS Anthony Williams,
EODCS Douglas "Rock" Phillips and
ISC Matthew Fenner.

Another Sunset in the desert

I hope everyone has a good day,

Chris

2006-09-17T05:05:00.000-04:00

Well we have a new mailing address:

EODMU 2 BATTALION HQ
COB SPEICHER
ATTN: ETC (SW/AW) Chris Dudas
APO AE 09393

With that being said if you already have things on the way from the states with the previous address on it that’s fine it will still get here but the Mail room recommends we use the new one from now on. Also the USPS offers a $7 flat rate box that seems to make over here a little bit quicker.

When it come on to getting things FED EX over here that’s a different address and the FED EX person comes right to our compound so you wouldn’t have to wait until it gets to the mail room and tossed around. The FED EX mailing address is:

EODMU 2 BATTALION HQ
COB SPEICHER
ATTN: YOUR NAME
EOD COMPOUND, BUILDING B-3
TIKRIT, IRAQ

2006-09-16T09:36:00.000-04:00

One month down and what a month it has been. I celebrated my 19th year of service on the 3rd, I participated in our 911 memorial service and we welcomed three new Chief Petty Officers into the Chief's Mess on the 15th. Monday (18th) Robyn and I will celebrate our 13th anniversary.

Thank you to the New Pointe Homemakers for their Care Package I received. The Peanut M&M's got two thumbs up.

The tunover with EOD Mobile Unit Eleven went well and they are now back at their home duty stations on the west coast after a well executed tour of duty. Our Counter IED mission continues and the Iraqi people are slowly taking on more and more responsibility for their country. Hopefully we will begin to start pulling forces back before too long (crossed fingers). My crew of five continues to do good things around the Battalion by keeping our satellite and networks up and running so I can send emails and post this Blog, LOL.

The temperatures are starting to come down (100 @ dayt and 76 @ night) now if the wind would only stop blowing all this dust around it would not be so bad.

Well it is getting late so I will end this a have a good weekend and a love you all, oh and pictures to follow.

Chris (aka the squid)

Three new CPO's

EODC Paul Darga Memorial

Sandstorm over our neighbor compound