Fusileers to Battle Stations ... Stand To

Dusty at Castle Argghhh! has called the Fusileers to action, in response to a plea for help from Matt at Blackfive : Soldiers' Angel Robin - who leads the Armor Up program for Soldiers' Angels, needs four more kevlar blankets to give to a unit making it's second tour in Iraq. Each blanket costs $925 and meets DOD specs. The last request came from an Army Infantry Captain (the former Commander of the unit) who was wounded and couldn't return with them. The Challenge is to raise $3700 by 1700 Central time (5pm for those of us who don't live in military time!). If you can give something to this cause, please use the link (http://www.soldiersangels.org/heroes/armor.php) and help us raise the $3700 today. Forward the links above, spread the word, everything will help. We Can make a difference! ** UPDATE ** We Did, according to Robin, who commented at Blackfive that the goal for this request has been met. If you are able to, a donation will still go to the benefit of our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan - every little bit counts!

Ask the Experts?

Last week we kicked around some gender bending topics here. Turns out Graumagus at Frizzen Sparks had some words to say on the whole "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" thing as well. He contends that the ad execs on Madison Avenue seem to be a good source of info, since their livelihood is based on marketing to the right group. One warning - if you are sensitive to the F-word, you really don't want to go there ;-) What do you think? Does Madison Avenue have your number? When was the last time that you saw an ad and thought "Wow - I'm going to go right out and buy that!"? Personally, I get as big a kick out of funny ads as the next person, and I watch the Super Bowl mostly for the commercials. But I can't think of the last time I saw a product or service advertised and went out to buy it. UPDATE Dusty at Castle Argghhh! has a choice item about Executive Think - or lack thereof. Also, belated credit goes to Acidman at Gut Rumbles, as the inspiration for Grau's musings.

Secrets of the Ma Deuce

In preparation for future battles against the dangerous caffeine-crazed leftist Seattle-ites, I sought out the assistance of Sgt B and his beloved Ma Deuce. He generously demonstrated the use of the heavy gun, asking only for a leg-wax in payment. Thanks to the behind-the-scenes work of name muffy and the scruple gang, these images were captured for sharing with all future trainees.

Cascade County ... Has a nice ring to it

Sgt B over at The Gun Line recently wrote about a proposal to split Washington state into two parts. Another proposal regarding geographic splits in the state is pending as well. What we now refer to as East County might someday become Cascade County. The King County Journal yesterday contained "A County Without Seattle", which noted a hearing set for today, Feb. 24, to review the legislation proposed by Rep. Toby Nixon (R-Kirkland): The divorce between Seattle and everyone else in King County could become final if the state Legislature adopts a bill to create Cascade County. The legislation, House Bill 2074, was introduced by state Rep. Toby Nixon, R-Kirkland, who represents the 45th Legislative District. Rural residents have found an ally in Nixon in their fight to shake off control over their property and lives by what they say is a Seattle-centric county government. Some rural leaders call the relationship between Seattle and rural residents a divorce waiting to happen. <...> I think that this proposed legislation has a stronger chance of seeing further consideration than the state splitting concept. After all, Eastern King County residents are still up in arms over the CAO (Critical Areas Ordinance), which limits how rural land can be used and developed. The group Citizen's Alliance for Property Rights continues to battle with the King County board on the restrictions of the CAO. I have yet to talk to a neighbor who wants the CAO - even if our property is not large enough to be directly affected by it. Not being able to develop 66% of your land is ludicrous, just to provide a pretty greenway for the city dwellers to drive through on the weekend, and feel that they are 'doing something for the environment'. Phooey! Cascade County ... Sounds good, doesn't it ?

More Gender Confusion

The other day I followed Cassandra's example, and scanned some blog entries using the Gender Genie . Seems that about half the time I write more like a guy than a girl. Here's a new test to amuse you. This one asks a series of questions, and then produces a short summary of your Male / Female brain tendencies. This time, I may have gone just a Leetle bit too far... Your Brain is 46.67% Female, 53.33% Male Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve What Gender Is Your Brain? I'm not sure if I should demand a recount or not?! . . . And here's another one for fun - What Kind of Dog are you? Thanks to John at Argghhh! for pointing out this one. Click here, then click on the Game link on the left sidebar. After you are finished with the 10 questions, you will find out what kind of dog breed you match up with, complete with breed description! Go ahead and try it out. Apparently, I am a Standard Schnauzer - which will annoy my MIL, as she raises Belgian Tervurens ;-)

The 'Misfits' of Dog Company

I watched "A Company of Soldiers" through to the end last night, although it started when I usually head for bed. It was well worth it. We followed the 'Misfits' of Dog Company of the Army's 8th Cav as they patrolled the roads of south Baghdad last November. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no overt political agenda, and the result was fairly balanced. Not only that, but there was zero censoring of the language - no bleeps or blank spots - the language was real and uncut. We were treated to bull sessions among the 'Misfits', the tensions of patrolling the roads, the stress of a sniper attack - and the subsequent loss of one young gunner, Spc Travis Babbitt. We were able to sit with the team while Capt. Whitely spoke to them on the loss of their brother, and watched as the men comforted each other, then picked themselves up and prepared for the next job. The film was certainly real, but actually less graphic than I expected. The important thing is that the film speaks through the men of Dog Company, with little voice over or comment. By the way, PBS has posted interviews with some of the men, and they are worth reviewing if you missed watching. They tell their stories, and do their duty, and represent the best of America. They make me proud to be an American.

Watch "A Company of Soldiers"

Frontline (PBS) is broadcasting the film "A Company of Soldiers" tonight. It is the story of the soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Cavalry, fighting in Iraq during the month of November last year. You can read more on the PBS site, and look up local stations and broadcast times as well. Here in the Seattle area, it will be playing at 10pm on KCTS. Here is the abstract from Frontline : FRONTLINE reports from inside the U.S. Army's 8th Cavalry Regiment stationed in Baghdad for an up-close, intimate look at the dangers facing an American military unit in Iraq. Shot in the weeks following the U.S. presidential election, the film tracks the day-to-day challenges facing the 8th Cavalry's Dog Company as it suddenly has to cope with a dramatic increase in attacks by the insurgents. Something struck me on reading this description - why is it so important to the Frontline folks to mention the election? What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? It would make more sense to put this is the context of the War, the other operations in Iraq, etc. Or am I just being paranoid? My concerns about agendas aside, I am very glad that they are showing this, and I look forward to watching. One warning - I understand that the film "graphically displays the risks and consequences of the fighting in Iraq". I'm not sure how any realistic film about war could be otherwise, just sayin'.

Gender Confused?

Wow! Apparently I share something with Cass at Villainous Company - we sometimes write like guys on our blogs! I am still an egg when it comes to this writing stuff, but I tried out the Gender Genie on some of my previous entries out of curiosity. I tried 4 different items, with two of them judged to have been written by males, and two by females. However, the Genie warns that it works best on samples over 500 words, and I just don't have anything that long to submit. Bottom line ... I like the company I'm keeping, and if I have to 'write like a guy' to be there, so be it !!

Remembering Iwo Jima

Today marks 60 years since the launch of the American assault on Iwo Jima. Here are some of the great sites to read more on this slice of WWII... -> Blackfive with Iwo Jima and Part 2 I especially enjoyed the Op-Ed piece by Zell Miller at the Washington Times -> Mudville Gazette has a WWII 60th Anniversary post -> Powerline marks the day with Hell on a Very Small Island -> Michelle Malkin notes that it is also the 63rd anniversy of the signing of the West Coast Evacuation Order UPDATE Reader Pancho noted that there is a memorial being held this weekend in honor of the anniversary, at the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, TX. Present for the events on Sunday will be Marine Commandant, General Michael Hagee, and Oliver North. Thanks, Pancho!

Benefit of a doubt ... I don't think so!

So, according to Brett Stephens of the WSJ, we are supposed to take Eason Jordan's whole career into account before judging him on his recent inflammatory comments? As Austin Bay points out, this is asking for consideration that many in the media are not willing to extend to our brave service men and women. First off, I'm not inclined to give any one who calls themselves a journalist a pass for making rash and irresponsible statements, especially when made towards the very people who provide for his freedom of speech. Secondly, Stephens himself commented on Hugh Hewitt's radio show recently : "And I mentioned what I think all of us at the Journal think, was really the most egregious offense, which was this April, 2003, New York Times op-ed where Mr. Jordan basically said that he knowingly suppressed stories about what was going on in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, because he wanted to maintain his access to Baghdad...." Yeah - that made a BIG difference to me, and I'm sure glad to know that I can detest Jordan for many reasons.

Something you won't see on the MSM

John at Castle Argghhh! clued us in this morning about some Good News from the Celebrity world, which you aren't likely to see on the news. It turns out that Denzel Washington, one of the good guys of Hollywood, has put his money where his mouth is. Kudos to a celebrity worthy of emulation! Also, Blackfive reported the shameful story of protestors at a local community college disrupting Army recruiter Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Due last month. I listened to local radio host Kirby Wilbur of KVI talking with Sgt. Due this morning. What you won't see printed in the paper is the number of times that he and his fellow recruiters have visited, both in the past and since Jan. 20, with no protestors or disruption of their efforts. You also won't hear about the fact that the school administration first demanded that the student protest group apologize to the recruiters, then backed down when the group refused. Wieners! I have to say that the Rules of Engagement for a recruiter suck big time - at least on the battlefield you can shoot back at the terrorists! Bravo, Sgt. Due - carry on!

Look who's coming to Seattle...

As I hack my way around the golf courses of the Seattle Metro area, I typically have a Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade at hand. I don't really play any better when I'm relaxing with one - I just don't care as much when I miss the fairway ;-) Well, the company has announced they are moving their headquarters from Denver to Seattle. This could be cool, maybe they'll sponsor some fun golf events! Or have special rates to local residents ... yeah, not gonna happen, I know. At least now I will be able to say I am drinking the 'local brew' !

Shoes-the-cat

On reading SgtB's post about his cat Spike , I noticed that there is a similarity here between our two cats. Shoes is my own black-n-white cat, although the ratio of black to white is more like 50/50 for my boy. Now, I'm sure you wonder why his name is Shoes for short, or Shoes-The-Cat for formal introductions. The Shoes part started when we had just picked up these two little black and white kittens and brought them home. My Better Half and I toyed with some normal names, but nothing really jumped out at us. This was about 1993, and I was always listening to Rush Limbaugh, so we thought maybe Rush and Dutch would work, and called them by those names for a day or so. Then one afternoon, BH came rushing up to me and said "I've Got It! Let's call them Shirts and Shoes!". I stared blankly at him for 30 seconds, and finally said "Why?". "Because it's not Socks!". (in case you have forgotten, Socks was Chelsea Clinton's cat's name) Shirts was a loon, and we found another home for him before he turned 1, but Shoes has been happy as an only cat ever since. Oh, and the formal name? We lived next door to a friend who had a great little boy we got a kick out of. Taylor would ride his big-wheel around the neighboorhood while his dad, Chip, walked beside him, sometimes prompting him to name the various neighbors he could go to if needed. One night they had this conversation while passing my house ... Chip : Who lives here? Taylor : Shoes Chip : Who? Taylor : Shoes-The-Cat Chip : Who else? (trying to get my name or my husband's!) Taylor : Shoe's Mom So, the cat is officially Shoes-The-Cat, and I am his mom! Gotta love the simple logic, eh??

Name Change (again)

I decided today that the whimsy of last fall had passed, and it is time to seek a new name for this blog. Why? Well, because I have been using this user for adding comments on other blogs, and I wanted something just a bit more useful than the previous name! Anyhow, this is still a work in progress, with no agenda or purpose defined.