Reruns II This week has been busy-as mentioned before. When I get back to the room-not quite in the mood for anything but laying on the bed channel surfing. So I’m taking the easy way out and reposting a post I liked-especially in light of the recent budget annoucement. The President is making a huge mistake cutting NASA funding-hell we could fully fund NASA for just a fraction of what the Iraq war costs. Enjoy: I watched 2010 on TV tonight. Seeing it on Turner Classic movies makes me feel old. Its a good movie in my opinion, especially the way they melded the story together and tried to stay true to Arthur C. Clarke’s work. The entire series is worth the read if you get the inclination. (2001 A Space Odyssey, 2010, 2061, 3001). However sitting here in 2006 knowing that manned spaceflight is stuck seemingly forever in near Earth orbit, makes watching the imagined tale of a joint US-Russian mission to Jupiter very frustrating. If I were king of the world, the US would have gone back to the moon at least once a year, every year since 1969. We would have had a space station up long before now. There would by this time at least be the preparations in place for a manned mission to Mars. NASA would have a much larger budget, that is for sure. What is that you say? We cannot afford a large space budget. Maybe. However how is it we can afford 87 billion every six months or so to poor down a sinkhole in Iraq, but we cannot afford 20 or so billion to advance human knowledge and improve man’s technology? Just about all of the modern technology we now take for granted had its start in the space program. It gave the nation a sense of purpose, plus it was awesome to know that the US had planted an American flag on the moon……..and the Russians had not. Instead we simply tinker with the ISS……and hear people complain about doing even that. Me I long for the days of yesteryear when Alan Shepard hit a 7 iron on the moon and Neil Armstrong was out taking big steps for mankind. If the world can afford to go to war again and again, it must be able to afford some dollars for space. We now return you to the war in (Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, ……fill in the blank). What might have been……… Reruns My work here in Virginia has been very busy. Up at six-not back to the room till after dark. Dinner, phone calls and a combat nap-and the time just whisks by…………. So today-because it was so depressing, in the realization that for most people here, this is the only existence they dream of-I spent a lot of time thinking about the place I talked about in this post from 2007. I think its worth repeating: And a lunch time restaurant recommendation for Spike! On Saturday the S.O. and I sent out for Tokyo. She had tickets for an exhibition in Ginza. It was the perfect antidote for having 2 days rained out by the typhoon. I insisted though that we take the trains through Shibuya so we could walk around a bit, then change over to the Ginza subway line. After some negotiating-she agreed. Follow me! Normally, the S.O. avoids Shibuya like the plague-she says its too crowded and the stores are too expensive. Now it is crowded all the time, but that is the fun part-for me. Oh the stories I could tell from my first couple of years over here! So could the S.O. apparently. Now she denies it vehemently, but she has let it slip more than a couple of times that in younger days: her short skirt wrapped legs and pointy toed, high heel shoe wearing feet traversed Shibuya crossing and a few of the back streets to the good clubs…………. In one of God’s little ironies, I’ve never got to see the mini-skirt part-sigh. Here by the way is a picture of Shibuya crossing at night-I’m not kidding about the crowds. This scene, by the way,  is a familar one from the movie “Lost in Translation”: What makes it so interesting is the people. All kinds of people. Walking through the station-riding on the train-moving through the streets. The girls: young and not so young are always a treat. Name a fashion trend in Japan and you will see it here. Shopping, shopping, and sending messages on their cell phones. On the train up I was lucky enough to get a seat, so while I was reading my book-I kept glancing over at the girl (woman really) wearing a blue silk dress. Not exactly young any more, but not over the hill either, she kept glancing pensively at her watch. Late for a date? A wedding? A one afternoon stand? Who knows-but there was a story there-if only I could have followed her to figure it out. That kind of thing is repeated in Shibuya 1000 fold. We of course stopped at Hachiko’s statue. Hachiko as many know, was the Akita dog who waited faithfully for his master at Shibuay station for 9 years-even though his owner, one Professor Ueno has passed away in 1925. The statue is the pooch’s monument. Its also THE place to meet your date. Ergo, it too makes for some great girl people watching. Rumor has it that Richard Gere wants to make a movie about this story-I’m not sure how you turn it into a 90 minute screen play, but hey, if they can do it for a Disneyland ride-they can do it for the dog! My tactic to get the S.O. down there was one of pure greed. The TV show she watched on Mondays always runs a bit about good inexpensive restaurants. She had seen the TV bit about Shibuya Dining pun-raku. ???? They a Japanese tabehodai ( or all you can eat for a set period of time-this case its 30 minutes) from 10:30-3:00pm. Last customer is seated at 2:30. Its only 980 yen-which is cheap for a place that gives you that much food. Considering Shibuya prices-its a good deal. The buffet is a mix of Japanese salads, soba, chiken, fish and curry-coupled with Miso soup. rice and Japanese pickles. All I can say is we got our money’s worth. So Spike, ( or anyone else for that matter) if you want a good inexpensive lunch during your sojourn in Tokyo this week. Head across the street from Shibuya station, Hachiko exit, to the Tsutaya building. Its the one with the REALLY big Starbucks sign and Starbucks inside. Tsutaya is a book and CD/DVD store and to get to the restaurant you will need to meander through the first 6 floors by escalator then take the elevator up to the 8th floor and the restaurant. I suspect its like a casino, they designed it so you have to pass all the good stuff including all the books on the 6th floor. (There is an elevator that goes straight up on the back side of the store-but where is the fun in that?). You will probably have to wait a while-they have been having a lot of business since the TV program. That’s ok-lots of people to watch while you wait. And if you are lucky you will get seated like we did, next to two guys with Sumo wanna be haircuts and by my count at least 11 studs in their ears and face. ( No lie, the one guy had four on each ear, one through his bottom lip, and one on his nose. I did not look to see if there was one on the tongue as well…..I don’t want to know.) On the other side were two young girls. One of them at the end of the meal, while straightening her skirt and tugging on her blouse, broke out the big mirror and the whole make up kit-right there at the table. After which she proceeding to type on her phone intently. It was all downhill from there. Over in Ginza we went to an art exhibition in the Matsuya store-the S.O. got free tickets from her credit card company. It was a display of fabric art and dolls. I think I was literally the only man there. Which would have been nice-except its not young ladies who are at the things. It was Oba san central. It was a day out though-and those are never bad. I can’t wait to go back! So how was your week…….. Dilbert kind of sums up mine……… And now, its off to catch a plane! I have the kind of month I like for this next month anyway-week gone, one week home, one week gone, repeat for two more cycles. Too bad its all domestic travel however. Later, let me tell you about “The hunt for Lady Gaga!” Stay tuned. I don’t make this stuff up…… Ole Miss says the force is with them: Ole Miss is in the middle of a movement to replace their old mascot — Colonel Reb — after the school decided they wanted to update their image. Tuesday, the students voted in favor of crowning a new mascot to represent Rebel Nation … and the favorite so far is none other than the most famous Mon Calamari in the entire universe. Several pro-Ackbar websites have recently emerged — making the Admiral the heavy favorite. The University tells us the decision on the mascot is entirely in the hands of the student mascot committee. The University will hold a vote in the near future — we’ll keep you updated. Read more here. Olympic diversions The S.O. was watching the Ski aerials tonight. And bitching about how many Chinese competitors there were were. I have to admit I was more than a little annoyed when the Chinese women won the short track-on a technicality and the Americans were forced to finish third. Of course the S.O. can’t stop talking about Mao-chan. I have to admit she did really well-but I still think the Korean girl is probably going to clean her clock tomorrow night. ( The video of her performance was the top ranked You Tube video in Japan). Speaking of diversions, I finally got a look at Kirsten Dunst video shot in Akihabara last year. I’ve been to that very street and am dying to go back again. (Warning-NFSW anime!): On days like today-I wish I was (re) turning Japanese! UPDATE! The cocksuckers people at You Tube have taken down two different versions of this video. Bastards! There goes the neighborhood……. Naval leadership casts the last vestige of its manhood down the toilet. Unsurprising, but disgusting  nonetheless: The Pentagon on Monday notified Congress that women will be able to join submarine crews within 30 legislative working days, making good on the wishes of top Navy commanders announced last fall. As required by law, Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent a letter to legislative leaders announcing the Navy’s plan to lift its ban on female submariners, giving the House and Senate time to absorb the decision and, if members want, to take action. Congress can pass a law forbidding integration, requiring the Navy to wait or perform a study. If it does nothing, as expected, the ban will expire around the end of April. Reason number 327 why I am glad I came of age when I did. Serving in all male units was an honor and a privilege-and a lot more fun. Sorry if that bothers some women readers-sue me. There is an order to the universe and women on subs is not in it. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to watch this all play out. We have seen this script before: 1) First women in submarine training will not be allowed to flunk out. 2) Surface warfare LCDR’s will be persuaded, cajoled, and offered bonuses to change designators. They will be rushed through submarine training and then assigned as department heads on SSBN’s.  No such late transition opportunities will exist for male officers. 3) Three years later, to the day, these same women LCDR’s will make Commander and a couple of them will be screened for command. Great hoopla and fanfare will accompany this announcement. Hordes of VIP’s will show up for the change of command and it will cited as the greatest thing since sliced bread. The Navy diversity industry will kick into high gear-and have ads showing ( a nice looking) woman at the periscope and on the bridge of a submarine. 4) Well before then-several cases of fraternization and rampant sexual activity on and off the boat will make the pages of Navy Times.  The question in the editorial pages, “So its ok for a man to suck a man’s dick, but not to have sex with a woman?” will be buried by the editors. 5) Seven years after first women make Submarine CO, first female ( and hopefully African American and lesbian) woman submariner will be selected for flag. Several well deserving men who worked 24-27 years for the same chance will retire due to non-selection. 6) USS (Fill in the blank name of Virginia class submarine) runs aground entering Hampton Roads harbor. Woman CO is relieved for cause, then re-assigned to command (fill in the blank for out of the way Naval Station).  Male counterpart fired for failing an Operational Reactor Safeguards exam is forcibly retired 3 months after being fired.  “A great victory for equality” Repeat. Welcome to the brave new world. You can have it! Impulse buying Today was simply a glorious day weather-wise. The day was beautiful and temperatures where in the high 50’s. As a result I persuaded the S.O. that golf was in order today. For both of us not having played in four months-we actually did pretty well. However, to engineer that little feat-I had to pay the piper up front. ( Too bad she never seems to grasp that concept in reverse -e.g. if you want the nice earrings maybe some sexual yoga might be in order……). Accordingly, we had to get all errands done on Saturday and that included a stop at, where else but Costco. We bought the foodstuffs we needed and re-stocked some basic wines ( a subsequent stop being the store where the good wines are sold) and then, as fate would have it, I cam across this little gem in the DVD section. As I looked at the box-and quickly discovered that it had every issue of National Geographic on six CD-ROM’s all for the low price of 32 dollars-well, I said to heck with it and tossed in in the cart. The S.O. gave me the raised eyebrow treatment-as in “what do we need this for?”- to which I responded that this was not up for negotiation, unless she was paying for the purchases today or would otherwise find a way to make not buying it worth my while. Of course she was disinclined to the latter option    , so home with us it went. Its worth every penny. Once you load that software that comes on disk one-here are a few of the things it will allow you to do. It allows you to search by year in a very easy graphical format: It also allows you to look at the various covers-month by month: Now I might add-that this particular edition of the National Geographic (February of 1965) probably set me off on going to the Navy-as I can remember reading it at my grandmother’s house, where she had stacks and stacks of National Geographics on the shelves of her book cases. When ever we went down there in the months of 1966 and 1967-as a young boy of nine and 10, I can recall reading with awe about Operation Sea Orbit: It is fascinating history. The program is very easy to navigate-and lets you see the pages of the magazine full sized on your computer monitor just as they looked in the magazine: It has very easy to use search functions-like this search I conducted on “US Navy”: You can zoom in on particular pictures and look closer at details. Take a look at what Hong Kong looked like in 1965: It even has the maps and illustrations-like this full page on from the June 1965 edition showing me the aircraft of the USAF. I can remember being all of 9 years old reading this in person on my grandmother’s floor: I guess it makes me a geek-but I thought it’s pretty cool They get really mad when its pointed out……. The Weather Underground: An extreme group dedicated to overturning the US government. The Tea Baggers: An extreme group dedicated to overturning the US government. Rachel Maddow may have hit on something here. I’m not really a fan of hers-but she is clever and usually well armed with facts. By their swag you shall know them: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Why I like Family Guy….. Because they still understand the meaning of the word satire. Which is apparently, a word Sarah Palin learned , in any one of the six colleges she attended: Mr. MacFarlane said in an e-mail message that “Family Guy” was proud of the way that the Ellen character was portrayed. “She is headstrong, outspoken and, at times, almost domineering,” he wrote. “The fact that she has Down syndrome was deliberately played as a secondary element to her character… ”   One person who supports the “Family Guy” staff in this latest debate is Andrea Fay Friedman, the 39-year-old actress and public speaker who provided the voice of Ellen in that episode.   In an e-mail message sent to The New York Times, Ms. Friedman wrote, “I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor.” She added that in her family, “we think laughing is good,” and that she was raised by her parents “to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life.” Ms. Friedman continued, “My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.” In a telephone interview on Thursday, Ms. Friedman, who has also appeared in television shows like “Life Goes On” and “Saving Grace,” said she was perplexed by Ms. Palin’s criticism. “I’m like, ‘I’m not Trig. This is my life,’ ” Ms. Friedman said. “I was making fun of Sarah Palin, but not her son.” The irony here is just great. What Tiger woods should have said. I was at lunch with a co-worker yesterday. As it happened I was eating an oyster Po-boy sandwich when Tiger woods speech came on the television in the restaurant / bar we were eating at. The sound was turned down but it sure seemed like it went on for a hell of a lot longer than it should have gone. I still feel that Tiger should confine his “apology” to just three words: LICK MY ASS! Tiger Woods has the misfortune to be living in the wrong country-had this been Europe, there would have a polite “ho hum” when it was revealed that he had a mistress or two-and then all would have gotten on with more important pursuits. But not here-here where sexual hypocrisy is the rule of the day-Tiger has to grovel on TV. And we still have never gotten the answer to the most burning question of this affair-what was Mrs. Woods doing to hack the program at home? Repeat after me, everyone. “You. Can’t. Be. Addicted. To. A. Biological. Imperative.” It just isn’t done. Have you ever heard somebody complain that they’re taking too much air for their own good? Same principle applies. By the way, if you honestly believe that you’re addicted to pussy, you can save yourself five weeks and forty thousand dollars by slamming a car door on your penis. That’s sure to work, certainly better than Cunt Rehab with Dr. Fucking Drew will.  Here is what Tiger should have said. H/T to my Canadian Counterpart! A rose by any other name……. Can still smell bad…………. Say goodbye to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Effective Sept. 1, the war in Iraq will acquire a new official moniker: “Operation New Dawn.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the move Wednesday in a memo to Gen. David Petraeus, chief of U.S. Central Command, that was first reported by ABC News. In the brief, one-paragraph memo, a copy of which also went to Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gates said the name change is designed to coincide with “the change of mission for U.S. forces in Iraq.” There are 98000 troops in Iraq as of today. We are told it will drop to 50000 by August. However thanks to the surge in Afghanistan-the over all numbers of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed to worthless Muslim countries is still about the same if not actually higher when you throw in what is in the rest of the AOR. One American is still getting killed about every 10 days in Iraq. In Afghanistan the number is averaging about 1 per day-and has held at the ratio for some time. And at the end of the day-Iraq is still a pretty messed up place. Seven years to get right back where we started is hardly a great accomplishment. But it has a new name. Same stinking Arabs though………….. Distracted Haven’t been able to post so much in the last couple of days. I’ve been tied up in the Alternate Universe-where its not so fun: But hopefully, I will be able to bridge the gap-starting tomorrow! I have been thinking about what life in the alternate universe is like-for example in the alternate United States where people actually thought about fixing the country’s problems. Take for example what it could do if it really wanted to fix the debt problem-instead of just giving lip service to it: 1. Substantial cuts in spending. Ensure that the commission is as much about shrinking government as raising revenue. My personal favorite would be to raise the age of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare. Do it gradually but substantially. Then index it to life expectancy, as it should have been from the beginning. 2. Increased use of Pigovian taxes. Candidate Obama pledged 100 percent auctions under any cap-and-trade bill, but President Obama caved on this issue. He should renew his pledge as part of the fiscal fix. A simpler carbon tax is even better. 3. Use of consumption taxes rather than income taxes. A VAT is, as I have said, the best of a bunch of bad alternatives. Conservatives hate the VAT, more for political than economic reasons. They should be willing to swallow a VAT as long as they get enough other things from the deal. 4. Cuts in the top personal income and corporate tax rates. Make sure the VAT is big enough to fund reductions in the most distortionary taxes around. Put the top individual and corporate tax rate at, say, 25 percent. 5. Permanent elimination of the estate tax. It is gone right now, but most people I know are not quite ready to die. Conservatives hate the estate tax even more than they hate the idea of the VAT. If the elimination of the estate tax was coupled with the addition of the VAT, the entire deal might be more palatable to them. Leaving both Iraq and Afghanistan would be a good way to get head start on item 1. But then we live in the other universe-where no one realizes it is possible. The real purpose of the Olympics… To kick the shit out of teams from countries who deserve it. Thus-this news brought a big smile to my face: VANCOUVER : A rampant United States hammered China 12-1 on Sunday to make it a miserable start to the Year of the Tiger for the Asian team as the world champions made a powerful statement of intent in their bid to regain Olympic gold. Veteran Jenny Potter scored a hat-trick and Meghan Duggan grabbed a brace as the US threatened early on to break the Games record set just hours earlier by fierce rivals and two-time defending champions Canada, who annihilated Slovakia 18-0 on Saturday. As US Vice-President Joe Biden looked on, the Americans pounded the Chinese goal from the outset, notching 61 shots on goal to just seven in reply but their rate of scoring slowed after a five-goal blitz in the opening period of the Group B clash. Now granted this is women’s hockey,  and this is China-so on several fronts,  its not exactly the moral equivalent of beating the Soviet Union 20 years ago. But it is the start of the Chinese New Year-and anything that puts a bad start on that event for the stinking Chinese commie bastards Chinese nation-is a pretty good thing if you ask me. Cupid is a lousy shot! Happy manufactured holiday! What we all are really waiting for: An interesting conversation…. A  female co-worker was over in our little corner of cubeville a couple of days ago. She asked me “why are you so obsessed with Asia?  What’s so great about it? I was in Korea once and I hated it!” ( I make no secret of my passion to return to Asia.) “Where did you go?” “Seoul and Osan”. ” And you couldn’t find anything good to do in Seoul? Clearly you were not going to the right places.” ” Well how about you-what is it you like about it so much?” The conversation went on for some time-since she was female, I had to dance around the number 1 reason(s)-the women-and point out to her innocuous things like the excitement, good transportation,  places to see, the hustle and bustle. And finally I gave her the reason that always seems to baffle the unaware, of which there are lot of Alabama: “Because when you are there as a Gaijin man-you are unique. And that is worth any amount of being in Alabama.” It went over her head-just as I expected it to. ” Well there is lots to do here in Alabama!” “Maybe-but its all relative, now isn’t it? There’s a lot of things I want to do that I can’t do in Alabama-and there are things I can do here. But here the mudane things are just mundane and there they were not. Get it? No, I didn’t think you would.” I think I will go back and show her this quote from Lola.  It ought to really set her head on fire: Oh God… I am so OVER the US. Please please, just get me home. I have a few more days to bear in Orange County and then I am off to Vegas for some fun, but I am already desperate, desperate to get home. Last time I was here I seemed to ignore the overwhelming sense of gluttony that is everywhere. Stores filled with piles and piles of clothes, shoes, junk… restaurants serving piles and piles of absolute crap… TV commercials advertising chicken wings at KFC for 50 cents (WTF?) and burger pasta for 1$. What has struck me this time is just how hard the recession has hit this place. But instead of scaling back on quantity, it’s quality that’s taken a hit. Those sourcing for clothing manufacturers have been forced to scale back on the natural fibre… meaning you have racks and racks of cheap, man-made crap. Everywhere you go there seems to be an abundance of cheap carbohydrates and sugar on offer. Ask for a salad and it’s covered in e-numbers. It’s literally sickening. I can’t wait to get the hell out of here. There are two types of people-those who understand and those who don’t. Those who understand Lola’s frustration can smile and shake their heads knowingly. Those who don’t understand-never will. Something truly amazing…… Star Trek is coming true in our life time. Well-not the spaceships part-which really gripes me. But the lasers part is: What you are seeing in that target is the Airborne Laser Platform-a converted 747-engaging a real missile with a laser beam. And destroying it. Not with a missile or a bullet, but with phased light in a coherent beam. At 8:44 p.m. (PST), February 11, 2010, a short-range threat-representative ballistic missile was launched from an at-sea mobile launch platform. Within seconds, the ALTB used onboard sensors to detect the boosting missile and used a low-energy laser to track the target. The ALTB then fired a second low-energy laser to measure and compensate for atmospheric disturbance. Finally, the ALTB fired its megawatt-class High Energy Laser, heating the boosting ballistic missile to critical structural failure. The entire engagement occurred within two minutes of the target missile launch, while its rocket motors were still thrusting. This was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform. The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers, and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies. Less than one hour later, a second solid fuel short-range missile was launched from a ground location on San Nicolas Island, Calif. and the ALTB successfully engaged the boosting target with its High Energy Laser, met all its test criteria, and terminated lasing prior to destroying the second target. The ALTB destroyed a solid fuel missile, identical to the second target, in flight on February 3, 2010. This is a big deal-if for no other reason than the technology it represents. Who knows what’s next? What the Olympics are really about.. To me. I summed it up four years ago. Anyone can be a singing star… Even a Sumo grand champion like Akebono: Actually, he is pretty good, if you ask me. What’s next? Dancing with the Stars? The chicks in the background are not too shabby either……… Charlie Wilson’s war…… Charlie Wilson died yesterday. That is a totally sad development. Wilson will receive a Feb. 23 graveside service with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. He deserves that kind of funeral-and our gratitude. Let me be blunt-Congress needs more guys like him and less guys ( and gals) like this one. I admire Charlie Wilson because he is  my ideal Congressman-a work hard,  play hard,  kind of guy: A self-confessed playboy, Wilson was investigated, but never convicted, over taking cocaine in a Las Vegas strip club. Wilson’s luckless young prosecutor was Rudolph Giuliani, the former Republican mayor of New York, who, as Republican mayor of New York, ran into a tabloid scandal or two of his own. Wilson’s close ties with the CIA, for which he secured hundreds of millions of dollars in Congress, was the nexus that channelled US money and weapons to the Afghan fighters – in particular the plane-loads of anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, which some analysts say was decisive in persuading the Soviets to withdraw in 1989. But Wilson, who represented the same Texas district for more than a quarter of a century, might ultimately be remembered for his brilliant manipulation of congressional procedures. His Democratic colleague from Michigan, John Dingell, once said: “You take substance and give me procedure, and I’ll screw you every time.” Wilson’s mastery of the House appropriations subcommittee on defence is a classic example of that. Re-elected 12 times on the slogan, “Wilson Gets it Done”, he was the type of Democrat the party rarely, if ever, produces any longer. A hawkish, cold war warrior, Wilson was also strongly progressive on social issues. Nowadays, the few Democrats who get elected to Washington from the southern states are usually social conservatives. I admire the man for a whole bunch of reasons. And yes,  the fact that he loved women-and drank a lot,  is one or two of them. More men should drink a lot and chase women-the country would be better for it. A guy like Charlie Wilson cannot get elected today-so screwed up is American electoral politics- with its obsession with having politicians who subscribe to a warped, Puritan, vision of relationships between men and women. Charlie Wilson liked to have fun-and made no secret of it. He and I appear to have a lot in common: While his comments about women made many wince — and would hardly be shrugged at today as they were back then — he always had good, professional relationships with the Democratic women he served with. And while his voting record was reliably liberal — he was a strong supporter of abortion rights and providing for unpaid family and medical leave — he was a consistent opponent of gun control. He also opposed lifting the ban on gays in the military. Hey, the guy once called Pat Schroeder, “babycakes”. What’s not to like about that? What most of the moralizing idiots of the world forget is that Charlie always showed up for work on time- and if he had a fondness for women and booze, so what? Every man needs a hobby. His and mine align quite well. “Charlie was perfect as a congressman, perfect as a state representative, perfect as a state senator. He was a perfect reflection of the people he represented,” said Charles Schnabel Jr., who served for seven years as Wilson’s chief of staff in Washington and worked with Wilson when he served in the Texas Senate. Temple, who was with Wilson when he collapsed Wednesday, said that despite Wilson’s reputation as a playboy, he was serious about representing eastern Texas, including helping to create the Big Thicket National Preserve — almost 100,000 acres of swamps, bogs and forests. Wilson left politics in 1996, after he no longer found it fun. If you ask me- he was prescient, leaving before the world of You Tube would have made it impossible to do the wheeling and dealing that was necessary to get things done. Certainly he had a lot more going for him than idiots like John Boehner. To borrow a line from comedian Rick Ducommun: So it’s wrong to make love to a beautiful woman? Well lock me up and take me to Russia! I first heard the news on NPR this morning. I have to admit-I smiled when I heard this particular anecdote about him. I think its great-and great measure of the man: GOODWYN: Plane loads of stinger missiles, beginning in 1986, began to turn the tide against the Russians. By 1989, it was over in Afghanistan, at least for the Soviet Union. But it was never easy getting Wilson reelected in the heart of the Bible Belt. TV advertising man, Mark McCannon, who worked for Wilson, recalls how nearly every campaign, they had to cope was some embarrassing revelation about Wilson’s after hours activities. The problem was, Wilson wasn’t ever-really embarrassed. At the beginning of one contest, Wilson called his strategist into his office. Mr. MARK MCCANNON (Strategist for Charlie Wilson, Former): We sat down and he said, boys, you know what? I know we had a lot of issues in past campaigns that were difficult to deal with, but I want to reassure you this time its going to be easier. Because Ive settle down, met a good Christian woman; she sings in the church choir, doesn’t drink a lick, I love her, and were plan on getting married – just as soon as she graduates from high school. GOODWYN: Wilson was just having a bit of fun with his poor beleaguered campaign staff, but Charlie Wilsons tryst with a stunningly beautiful Russian model was no joke. The two were seen together everywhere in Washington. When Wilson announced they were getting married, politicians on both sides of the aisle were aghast. The Congressman from East Texas knew more about American military spending and the CIA than practically any man alive. What in the world was Charlie whispering to her under the covers? He was called before a Congressional committee and ordered to explain. Wilson told them to relax, saying, the only secret I’m giving her is Victoria’s Secret. It was an answer they could all believe, nevertheless, Good Time Charlie broke it off with the Soviet model not long after. May God grant him a place in the heavens and peace.     The subtle difference…. Of when its OK to call someone a retard. Stephen Colbert explains: The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Sarah Palin Uses a Hand-O-Prompter www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy So long as they are quoting authors….. Maybe our “over taxed” friends should spend less time with Ayn Rand and more time with these guys: Check out the debate here!. It would appear both men were right-but right now, Huxley appears to be ahead on points. Worth repeating. From Galrahn: The third biggest issue is the apparent ass kicking someone in NAVAIR needs for completely forgetting to include Rotary Wing aircraft in the Navy’s 30 year aviation plan. On one hand we have the QDR stressing the importance of Rotary Wing, and on the other hand we have this quote from page 7 of the 30 year aviation plan: The majority of modern platforms have the ability to perform across many traditional mission sets (e.g. the surveillance and strike capability of the MQ-9 and the cargo and aerial refueling capability of the KC-130). The multirole nature of our assets makes them highly adaptive, fostering significant mission flexibility for the joint force. For the purposes of this report, the aviation plan groups aircraft into seven categories according to their primary mission: fighter/attack; unmanned multirole surveillance and strike; ISR/command and control (C2); intratheater lift; strategic lift; aerial refueling tankers; and bombers. Rotary wing, tilt-rotor, and trainer aircraft are not included. This is the kind of overwhelming stupidity one finds when Fighter Jocks are the only aviators who make Flag officer.( Skippy comment: That’s  not 100% true-besides female STRATCOM community officers, Helo and E-2 folks have made flag-only they never get to direct aviation policy. They run the the shore establishment)  Helicopters matter to the Navy at least as much as other aviation, and in just about every aviation capability from the sea short of land attack – they matter most to the fleet. Rotary Wing aircraft are not only the most important aviation capability in HA/DR, but make up the only organic aviation capabilities in a strike group today that can provide ASW from the air. Are we not adding Romeos and Sierras into strike groups having previously recognized that we had not originally planned enough Rotary Wing capability? Remember what I said about littoral warfare? Rotary Wing is littoral warfare to the Navy, and is the most important aviation asset in small wars. Afghanistan proves this. We are deploying ships with hangers to fight piracy without helicopters, USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) being a perfect example, because we want them to have ScanEagles. In the meantime the amphibious ships don’t have the ScanEagles they need for the Marines at sea, and when the Navy looks at aviation with a 30 year plan they forget to include helicopters? It reminded me of something that annoyed me a bit while I was at West. I think it was Rear Admiral William J. Holland who asked a question of the panel on Thursday afternoon asking the panel “If you were required to cut something from the force to save $2 billion, what would it be?” Bob Works answer was legacy ISR – which to me says P-3s. We have already retired the S-3s, so why not? The US Navy may have a fighter gap, but they have a serious strategic planning gap in the aviation community when priorities like the P-3 and Rotary Wing are considered back of the bus capabilities of the Navy. Leadership in Navy Aviation is too busy trying to be the Air Force instead of emphasizing missions and capabilities that are core Navy missions. This is a troubling trend that suggests a complete lack of clarity towards ones primary mission; the kind of trouble that I strongly believe is worth cutting an aircraft carrier or two to fix if necessary. Blogging birthday…. Yesterday, my little blog was five years old. As is typical for me lately, I’m a day late and more than a few dollars short writing about it. The five years have been interesting and I’ve learned a lot,  both good and bad,  about writing and people. I began this blog out of a sense of frustration responding to a huge personal disappointment in my life; created by nothing but sheer stupidity on the part of other people……..on the part of the “big bad establishment”. My disgust with their simplistic trying to slot people into molds, set me off on the path of blogging to begin with. That particular personal disappointment was a “Y” of sorts in my life-one that the width of which was not readily apparent at the time-but became disappointingly clear to me after I returned to the United States. The sober realization of the malicious damage done to me by  one wrong headed decision on their part has, if anything, amplified my “cynicism” about the “establishment” within the US military. The reason I entitled the blog Far East Cynic had , in part, to do with my overwhelming anger at the hypocrisy of people taking a “moral” position on one issue and not looking at a person for what he or she really is-just taking the “cookbook” solution. However at the same time, I wanted to have a varied outlet to write about whatever interested me. And that, I think I have done-probably to the detriment of my hit counter. Over the years I have noticed attempts by some to “slot” me in to a specific type of blog. Or to catalog me as a particular type of blogger. I hope that those attempts continue to fail in the future. This blog writes about politics-to be sure. Especially since life in the Shopping Mall USA is so hideously boring and silly,  there is little else to write about. To say that I am a “liberal” or “conservative” blogger however,  is simply not capturing what I am really.  I’m somewhere in between. It is true that I have parted ways with much of what constitutes orthodoxy in the Republican party. I simply cannot abide what they now consider to be “ground truth”. I blame them for walking away from me-not the other way around. That said-I am hardly what could be construed as liberal. I still don’t like feminism. I still am not comfortable with the obsession with “gay” issues-nor do I have much use for what supposedly passes for leadership within the Democratic party. I like to think I am still firmly ensconced in the middle of the road. It is just that road has careened off a steep curve and left a lot of us, standing on the curve. As for other things- I still want to write about what strikes my fancy. My compelling interests in women and sex have not abated-as neither has my desire for international travel and excitement. I am still desperately wanting to get back to Asia-but I need to do so in a way that does not bankrupt me. Regardless of which side of the dateline I am on-the bills are not going to pay themselves you know. Five years is well into middle age for a blog. And I will agree with those who say there have been “peaks and valleys”  in my content. They are right-and I am most definitely in a valley right now. I would submit, that since its an accurate reflection of where I am life wise and otherwise-then it may not be as much of a bad thing as some people may think. I’d also submit that when I was in Japan the adventure factor was a heck of a lot higher however-and that provided me with a wider variety of things to blog about. Now its more like a stuck record-I get up, the S.O. gets up. I go to work and she putters around the house. One of us is happy the other is not. I’ll leave it to you to figure out which person that is. That does not-surprise surprise- make for opportunities to provide unique content. So why not just quit? Surely there are better uses for my time. Blogs are so passe anyway,  right? Because the simple truth is-I don’t want to. There are still things to say-and that need to be said- by me. It is my sincere hope that I can remain able to package it into a product people will listen to.   And there is still adventure out there somewhere in the world for me.  That I know-writing about it helps focus me on my goals. So-just like in life-perseverance needs to be the key.  Press on and don’t let the critics get you down. I’ve still got much to do before I sleep and people to see and things to experience. On the grand scale of things-I’ve been very lucky on that score and I hope my luck continues. I am grateful for my audience-from the commenters and the lurkers and I hope that you will keep coming back. I’m most appreciative of the expressions of support that came from out of nowhere during some pretty bad times in the past couple of years.  They meant a lot to me at the time and they still mean a lot to me now. I’ll try to repay the favor in the coming year(s). In the meantime-its my hope you will keep coming here and reading my thoughts. Here’s to me! Futenma Follies I am surprised to see how little play, the election of Susumu Inamine has gotten here in the United States. I realize that the election of Scott Brown is the greatest event short of the second coming-but folks ought to maybe pay some attention. Because the whole apple-cart of the Defense Realignment in Japan just may be getting ready to tip over: Inamine’s victory will make it less likely that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will seek to abide by the 2006 accord to relocate the air base to the Henoko area at Camp Schwab. “I want to convey the will of the Nago residents to the central and prefectural governments” by passing a resolution at the city assembly, Inamine, 64, said after beating the incumbent, who had expressed a willingness to accept the relocation plan. “So many military bases are concentrated in Okinawa. I expect the government to examine national security as an issue for the whole country, rather than seeking an alternative relocation site (for the Futenma facility) within Okinawa,” he said. Which ought to prove interesting -since the US says its that deal, or nothing. What’s going to happen? Well that is a good question. My own personal opinion is that Japan has the stronger hand here-for a wide variety of reasons. One, they know the US is now on a development track in Guam that will be difficult politically and economically to undo. Second-despite what your friends in the USAF may say-there is room on Kadena to house more aircraft there. The amount of real estate the USAF maintains at its bases in Japan, compared to what the Navy and Marines have is just obscene. And the Japanese know it. Nonetheless, there are still some cards the US can play. For one thing-it could announce that it is going to unilaterally halt the movement of Carrier Air Wing Five to Iwakuni. That would free up a bunch of money-while still leaving Japan on the hook to finish the new runway at Iwakuni. The movement of  the air wing to Iwakuni was a stupid move anyway-and it actually would be to the US’s advantage not to go through with it. The US would still have the bone of moving the 8000 Marines to Guam however-and the dangling prospect of an F-18 one day dropping in on Yamato Station-it might scare enough folks that they reconsider the idea of stonewalling an alternate site. Especially since,  otherUS  denizens have designs on facilities at Atsugi.  Especially the scum sucking P-3 guys up in Misawa, who where edged out of their effort to take over what was never theirs in 2003. ( The tawdry story of how the P-3 guys screwed up my former place of employ is a separate post in and of itself. Screw you Grunie! ). Nonetheless, the reality will remain, the US needs bases in Japan more than the Japanese need them. It ought to be interesting to watch how this dance plays out. Another Saturday night…. And I’m not out drinking with the babes. However I am told that if I were out drinking with the babes-I could watch Sarah Palin giving a speech to the retarded Tea Bagger faithful. Certainly have better things to do than that! However if I were watching-I could play this particular drinking game: Sarah Starburst Bingo! Every time you fill a square-take a drink. While you are drinking-check out what my Canadian counterpart has to say: Rahm Emanuel was right! Some observations and a sea story….. Warning notice! This is a Navy focused post. An event this week has me waxing nostalgic that I was lucky enough to have served during the supposedly barbaric era of the 70’s and 80’s when the Navy was predominately male, a lot of fun to serve in, and focused on things like actual warfighting at sea. Instead of being a “global force for good enough”. The thing that set me off was this announcement. Rear Adm. Nora Tyson has been assigned as the next commander of the Norfolk, Va.,-based Carrier Strike Group 2, which includes the carrier George H.W. Bush, according to an announcement from the Pentagon. Lt. Justin Cole, a Navy spokesman, said Tyson would be the first woman to command a carrier strike group in Navy history. Tyson will move from her current assignment as commander of the Western Pacific Logistics Group when her orders are issued in the early summer, Cole said. Now before one goes all high order and throws out the “M” word against me for the umpteenth time-I would strongly encourage you to take a hard look at Admiral Tyson’s biography. I defy you to find the word “carrier aviator” anywhere in it. Because you won’t. She grew up in the TACAMO community-who, to date, have produced no male flags, but have produced two women admirals in less than three years. Now I was in WESTPAC at the same time Admiral Tyson was COMLOGWESTPAC and by all accounts she did a credible job. But to give her a strike group? Hell, even Tony Winns didn’t get one of those-and he has at least as many diversity points to play, if not more. But then, he’s male-and a P-3 guy. Now its clear that some would see this criticism as trying to attack her on the basis of being female-but that’s just not it. It is to me- a clear cut announcement by the Navy-that the wickets that were once de rigeur are no longer required.  Because the Navy is in a hurry. A hurry to prove what, I’m not quite sure. In  hurry to have a woman command a Carrier Strike Group perhaps? It is not like there are not women carrier aviators who are coming up through the ranks who will not one day be ready to accomplish that same objective-with at least some traps under their belt. And before someone points it out-yes there are surface officers who have commanded strike groups, but they at least commanded a cruiser or a DESRON in the strike group. Its very rare-in fact almost unheard of-to see an officer jump from an amphibious ship major command to CSG command. Without at least being a carrier aviator to start with. Because in the end its not about her talent-but the credibility she will bring to her position. Zero point Zero. Which leads to my sea story. A long time ago and in a galaxy far away, a certain multi-engine carrier based aircraft community was in a hurry to show that it could have a female squadron CO. And so, when the selection board time came around-the combat exclusion law having been overturned by a petulant Congress-a female was selected. (The issue is at Tailhook was not that we took a few liberties with our female party guests. We did. Wink ). There was only one problem with this woman’s selection-and every male in a certain carrier aviation community knew what it was: She had never done a department head tour. She had, however, been a flag aide-to a future CNO. So certainly, she’s qualified to command a squadron right? Well-not quite. Completion of a department head tour with a number 1 ranking is essential-even in those days. To not have even done one at all was more than an oversight-it was a sign of blatant discrimination. And every male in the year groups before and after her year group knew it and were screaming bloody murder about it. So much so that, the powers that be sensed a potential black eye in the making for the Navy and this carrier aviation community. So it was decided that this person must complete a department head tour-in the very same squadron she was slated to command some day. Not without leaving the squadron and coming back to it at a later time to be determined-but within a year and a half of arriving at said squadron and staying in it the whole time. This is-well how shall I put it-more than a little odd. Plus-since she was still a LCDR, but already screened for command, it guaranteed that no one else could have that coveted number one fitness report till she actually promoted to Commander. Yea, there’s a real incentive to work with her. Nonetheless off she went, did a year as maintenance officer, a year as XO then fleeted up to CO. Her assumption of command was hailed with much pomp and circumstance, pictures and headlines all over the place. At the time I was serving as the wing chief of staff-working for the guy who wrote her fitness reports. And hearing the phrase, “get that bitch on the phone“-more than a couple of dozen times from my boss. ( Who in my opinion was a great leader, who had gotten his position the old fashioned way-he earned it.). You see, this particular female had learned an important lesson on the way up. Getting along with your contemporaries was for suckers. Placating important and highly placed sponsors was how you advanced. And so she ignored her boss who was merely just another male Captain. Her reward for a job passably done-selection to a fleet staff air operations officer position. Now as most folks who have been around the block in the Navy will tell you-this particular job requires an in depth knowledge of strike warfare. And its not something you can pick up in just a couple of weeks no matter how hard you work or study. And, as the poor staff officers, who were condemned to work for her in this period can attest to-since they had to do all the work to make up for what she did not know. All because the Navy was in a hurry. The moral of the story here is that sometimes it is not so good to be in a hurry. The Navy has bright, female pilots who are earning their qualifications as carrier aviation pilots and one or two of whom will make flag one day. They will have gotten their promotions the same way their male counterparts did-the old fashioned away. The same way-the exact same way-their male predecessors did. And they will have earned the same respect their male counterparts did. Isn’t that worth waiting for? And isn’t it what the whole idea was when the feminists started us down this crazy path?  ”To just be treated the same as the men“. Except when its not fast enough to gather good headlines I guess. And that-boys and girls- is to the Navy’s loss. It’s groundhog day! Which basically-with the exception of 10 glorious days spent last year overseas-can describe my existence since returning to Shopping Mall USA. You want a prediction about the weather-and the state of my existence? Bill Murray has one for you: And that is putting it mildly. This has to be my year of change. Change of location-and all that it implies. Change of situation-and all that THAT implies. Change of mindset-and the hope and optimism that THAT implies. Cause I’ve seen the shadow-and I can’t deal with six more years weeks of this dreaded half empty existence in the shell that is life in the United States of Argument. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving” -Albert Einstein. Time to turn to! No mosquito bites…… At least if you live in Australia. Talk about intrusive government-the Australian government is now dictating the boob size of the porn stars you watch. Or as FG put it, “No Japanese Titties please, we’re Australian!”. Clearly these guys don’t understand the “total package theory”. Can’t they just use the fuzzy blue dot? Perahps this would be more to their liking? ( TOTALLY NSFW!) Looking for a date? You know its pretty grim when even these types of companions start talking back: According to Fucked Gaijin-this was ranked the worst Japanese movie of 2009. Building a better Bento Box…. Check out Millie’s new blog!