Foursies

Buddy Bill is paying me back for any past tags I've ever passed to him with the Fours Meme. Thanks, SugarButtons! 4 Jobs You Have Had In Your Life 1. Sales clerk in a department store (college) 2. Burger flipper at a fast-food joint (college) 3. Remedial Math teacher (college - even got credits!) 4. PCB (Printed circuit board) CAD/draftsperson 4 Movies You Would Watch Over and Over 1. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 version) 2. Das Boot (In German, with English sub-titles) 3. Four Weddings and a Funeral 4. Groundhog Day (ironic, isn't it?) 4 Places You Have Lived 1. Denver, Colorado 2. Carlsbad, California (and San Marcos, and Vista) 3. Austin, Texas (3 months) 4. Pocatello, Idaho 4 TV Shows You Love to Watch 1. Lost 2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 3. Law & Order: Criminal Intent 4. Angel 4 Places You Have Been On Vacation 1. Kona, Hawaii 2. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 3. Florence and Venice, Italy 4. Strasbourg, France 4 Websites You Visit Daily 1. Castle Argghhh! 2. The Denizens of Argghhh (see sidebar!) 3. From My Position 4. Americas Son 4 Favorite Foods 1. Onion Rings 2. Clam Chowder at JJ's Fish House 3. Salmon plank grilled with BBQ sauce and onions 4. Anything the Hubster fixes! 4 Places You Would Rather Be Right Now 1. Whistler, Canada ... skiing 2. SoCal ... hanging with my Sis 3. The 12th hole at McCormick Woods 4. At a Denizen gathering anywhere 4 People to Tag You tell me. If you want to tag yourself, post your Fours, and send me the link to add here.

New milblogs added

Capt B of One Marine's View has spawned ... twice! There are two new Marine blogs to enjoy, which I cheerfully added to my sidebar. First, we have TacoBell at SandGram, who some may be familiar with from his AnySoldier journal. He's a good buddy of Capt B's, and the two of them may write a book after both get back from Iraq. Check out his Chunky post to understand his call sign and others! Then we have Sammie (AKA Sgt. M in this post) at MySkatterBrain who plots Payback, and learns some lessons! Semper Gumby, Marines!

Grant me the Senility ...

Neddy at Kerfuffles shares The Senility Prayer along with some fun takes on growing older... Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference. My favorites among the wise(a$$) takes on aging: Don’t think of it as getting hot flashes. Think of it as your inner child playing with matches. Don’t let aging get you down. It’s too hard to get back up! Remember: You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing. You have to visit Neddy for the rest! H/T to Appalachian Gun Trash

Porsche 911 ... I like it!

I can dig this ... I'm a Porsche 911! You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it. Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz. By way of Fuzzybear Lioness and Cassandra - thanks, ladies! I can't wait to see what it says for BillT, John and the rest of the Denizens ... *grin*

Outside the wire

Marine blogger America's Son needed to work on his translations - from Army acronyms into Marine - on his latest operation outside the wire in Iraq. "I have never attended an Army mission brief before and it was an interesting time. Acronyms are as prevalent in the military as are egos; and both, at times, are equally hard to understand. I have been in the Marines for nearly eight years now and I have yet to master the art of acronym interpretation. Now, in this mission briefing, I was being exposed to a whole new lexicon. I wished more than anything that I had been issued an interpreter like our Iraqi officer counterparts. Many times during the brief, I found myself leaning over to my Army counterpart and humbly asking what this meant, or what that represented on the terrain model. By the end of the mission brief however, I had a clear understanding of our mission, timeline and the NAI's (Don't worry...you will get used to the acronyms after a while). I am not going to go into much detail about the mission out of concerns for operational security, but there were a few interesting and somewhat hair-raising moments during the mission which I would like to share." Go read Operation Arabian for the whole story ... even pics!

Weapons Cache database

Phil over at Camp Katrina has launched a new feature to track the great work our military is taking weapons away from the terrorists. Just a quick note to let you know that Camp Katrina has added a cool new daily feature to help you find all the news you need about our military saving lives here and around the world. Our new 2006 Weapons Cache Databank, updated daily, now gives you the ability to check out a current list of every bomb and gun our military takes out of terrorist hands. You can check out the databank at (this link). Add the databank to our usual daily updates on the humanitarian work of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, and you get today's Camp Katrina: a great source to prove that the U.S. military does much more than just kill people and break things! Head over there and check it out. Link to it as well, so that the good news can spread!

Chuck escapes the "hostipul"

Chuck Z of From My Position escapes the docs at Walter Reed "Hostipul" (his daughter's word!) for what he hopes is the last time. Someone let him read the news, and the rant engine kicked in automatically ...

Nagin's "Chocolate City"

Someone explain to me how this isn't racist. Besides the fact that a man of color spoke the words, of course. Nagin calls for rebuilding 'chocolate' New Orleans Black majority city 'the way God wants it to be' NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Mayor Ray Nagin on Monday called for the rebuilding of a "chocolate New Orleans" that maintains the city's black majority, saying, "You can't have New Orleans no other way." "I don't care what people are saying Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day," Nagin said in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech. "This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be." Uptown is a reference to a mostly white part of the city. The way I read that, Mayor Nagin thinks that a black majority is required to restore New Orleans to 'normalcy'. Try it out in the other direction, with a white mayor and a white majority, and tell me that there wouldn't be screaming in the media and from the ACLU over a statement such as this! It appears to me that you have to be white to be considered a racist.

Transparency in Government

I found this via Castle Argghhh, and I completely support it... An Appeal from Center-Right Bloggers We are bloggers with boatloads of opinions, and none of us come close to agreeing with any other one of us all of the time. But we do agree on this: The new leadership in the House of Representatives needs to be thoroughly and transparently free of the taint of the Jack Abramoff scandals, and beyond that, of undue influence of K Street. We are not naive about lobbying, and we know it can and has in fact advanced crucial issues and has often served to inform rather than simply influence Members. But we are certain that the public is disgusted with excess and with privilege. We hope the Hastert-Dreier effort leads to sweeping reforms including the end of subsidized travel and other obvious influence operations. Just as importantly, we call for major changes to increase openness, transparency and accountability in Congressional operations and in the appropriations process. As for the Republican leadership elections, we hope to see more candidates who will support these goals, and we therefore welcome the entry of Congressman John Shadegg to the race for Majority Leader. We hope every Congressman who is committed to ethical and transparent conduct supports a reform agenda and a reform candidate. And we hope all would-be members of the leadership make themselves available to new media to answer questions now and on a regular basis in the future. N.Z. Bear, The Truth Laid Bear We voters can only force a better system by using the power of our votes. The power to vote *for* those who will ethically represent us in our government, and to vote *against* those who don't. We will always get the government we deserve if we don't follow this rule. Would this mean voting against a republican in favor of a democrat? Yes, if that's what it takes. Neptunus Lex says it best: We’re not looking for more of the same, and be very clear: We won’t come to the polls and vote for it. If the leadership of the Republican party can’t offer their voters something else than the same old sleaze, self-interest and scandal, we’ll leave the field to the other side and gladly let the party develop a new philosophy of ethics in government. From the minority side of the aisle. Because the Republic will survive a Democratic Party ascendancy. What it will not survive is the sense that all of it, the whole democratic experiment, is some great fraud foisted by whichever set of pigs can muscle itself most closely to the trough. If you agree, visit N.Z. Bear's and sign on.

Rest in Peace ... Sgt Adam Cann/USMC

The suicide bomber who took out Iraqis waiting in line at a recruiting office in Ramadi the other day, also killed Sgt Adam Cann/USMC, a good friend of America's Son. Rather than wallowing in bitter anger, America's Son has a reminder to us all about dedication. Take some time as well to visit Wordsmith at War, who was at the recruiting station the day before the bombing. Then go visit Capt B, who talks about the sacrifices made every day by our men and women in uniform.

Milblog linkfest

*Added* Fuzzybear Lioness provides the follow up on the story of Katherine Caffey, widow of fallen Marine 2nd Lt. James Caffey. Welcome to the world, young Jimmy! Attention Denizens of Argghhh!! A future Denizen, reporting late for duty outside his mother's womb, finally made his appearance on Jan. 3rd. Go congratulate Heartless Libertarian on his new son! Michael Yon has put out a call for retired military personnel - your memories are needed! Speaking of memories - Bill of Castle Argghhh wants to be sure you know who CW2 Hugh Thompson was, and why we should regret his passing. Some men are indeed made of high quality gold, Bill -- thanks for reminding us of that. America's Son tells it The Way It Is: "For the warfighter on the ground, this type of war poses so many dangers. In part because to win this type of war, you have to win the hearts and minds of the majority. In order to do this, we the ground-pounders, have to take risks." Read the rest here. Lex has posted episode XL1 of the Rhythms series. If you need to catch up to the rest of us, use the compendium. Be sure to visit Chuck, and Carren, as they return to WRMC for another surgery, maybe the last! On the lighter side, Sgt B has another 'Sgt. Remington' sketch to share with us - something about mortars and HE rounds. Also be sure to read back for episodes one and two. Rofasix makes a compelling case for taking 'old guys' into the military - a very interesting concept! H/T to SnakeEater for the link. And finally - there are some great new designs up for sale at the Castle Shop at CafePress, as well as the wonderful artwork posted up last fall. Profits got to Project Valour-IT!

Good deeds

Bloodspite of Techography is asking for help - for his friends. It won't cost you anything but time - and it will add to the positive balance of your karma - so please go see what you can do. H/T to Bill of Argghhh.

Friday Links

Today's the day to visit Castle Argghhh, and help push John, Bill and Dusty over the 1 million mark for visitors. Make sure you leave a comment, so that your IP will be registered - or John won't know who you are! For fun, check in on Sugar Buttons (Bill like the attention, really he does!), and get a little artillery fix for the day. Eight inch guns - whoo hoo! I like Snarkatron's method for handling unwanted solicitations from the *spit* NY Times! Blog offspring America's Son reminds us to Be Proud, America. He's also found a new way to drain off Bingo's excess energy ... her name's Dita, and she's another 4-legged Marine. Kat of TheMiddleGround notes that there is strength in numbers - more women voters than men are now registered in the Afghanistan voting rolls! Fuzzybear Lioness revisits Arlington National Cemetery for part III of her travelogue. AFSister shares a tidbit from the Duh moments archive for today. Sgt B is pipe blegging ... be a sport and leave him a word of encouragement, won't you? She Who Will Be Obeyed has some good news on coffee drinking. Not that I was slowing down, or anything - but good to know! Whatever you do, do NOT torture poor Maggie with sweets - especially not those lovely little M&M things. She's doing that Atkins thing, and missing her comfort food!

Protect the Pooch

Guarding the Governor's dog is probably *not* what most State Troopers are hoping to list on their resumes. But when danger threatened, extra protection was required for the state first family's pet, a Pomeranian named Franz, to protect him from the raccoons, opossums and coyotes! Governor's protective detail extends to keeping wildlife from dog THE ASSOCIATED PRESS OLYMPIA, Wash. -- For former Gov. Gary Locke, the problem was bats. For his successor, Christine Gregoire, it's bigger predators that threaten her small dog. In recent months a professional trapper has removed a raccoon and an opossum from the grounds of the governor's mansion on the state Capitol campus, and State Patrol troopers have run off an undetermined number of coyotes. Gregoire has said Franz, the family's 13-pound Pomeranian, is not allowed out alone for safety reasons. ... It's so heart warming to know that the state funds are being used for such an important task. It would be Such a Waste to spend it on less important items like education or road improvements. (/sarcasm off) Heh ... look out, little fellow!!

Enforce those laws

Seattle has proven again that we are tough on crime. No, we didn't get rid of the mis-management that tipped the balance stole the gubernatorial election in 2004, but we are going to make people pay for not recycling properly! As of January 1, violations to the recycling ordnances will be refused pickup by the garbage handlers. Recycling enforcement starts today Seattle violators won't get garbage hauled away Non-recyclers: It's time to either start sorting mail, milk cartons and frozen-food boxes, or build a high threshold for stinky garbage. Beginning today, Seattle Public Utilities garbage handlers who eyeball obvious violations of the city's mandatory recycling ordinance will attach a note with a reminder to recycle. They won't open bags, but if they can tell just by looking into the can that there's more than 10 percent that could've been recycled, they'll tag it. The garbage stays put until the recyclables get sorted out. Seriously, now - how is this possibly going to work? Our garbage truck arrives at the house around 6:30am, typically. In the short days of winter, it is still dark outside. Even if you assumed that there is some tell-tale sign in the lumpiness of a garbage bag to indicate the contents, the bags are squashed into the provided plastic can - which is automatically picked up and dumped into the truck. No one is fondling the garbage bags to determine the contents!! I want to know where they are getting the X-Ray vision glasses ... I want a pair. H/T to Sharkansky at Sound Politics. Linked to Castle Argghhh's H&I post.

Weapons Caches Uncovered

By way of Camp Katrina (thanks, Phil!), here are some reports you likely won't hear on the nightly news... OPERATION GREEN TRIDENT TURNS UP 72 CACHES (CENTCOM): U.S. Marines discovered more than ten metric tons of munitions hidden at 72 cache sites 39 km south of Fallujah during the week-long Operation Green Trident. WEAPONS SEIZED, TWO SUSPECTS DETAINED (CENTCOM): Iraqi and U.S. forces in northern Iraq uncovered four weapons caches and detained two suspected terrorists Dec. 30. Actually, I had read about this on AnySoldier, from a post by Capt B of One Marine's View. Since the MSM won't tell us about it, I guess we have to spread the word. Speaking of Capt B - he needs help. It appears that he and Major B (aka Taco) are going to write a book, and he needs ideas for a title. Go read his post, and help him out with some ideas! Linked to the Castle Argghhh H&I Fires post of the day.