New Milblog!!

GunnNutt has uncovered a new kind of Muppet ... sort of! Meet Capt B, of One Marine's View, currently serving in central Iraq, and having served a tour already in Afghanistan. Make sure to review the Basics ... they say a lot about the man, the Marine, and the Officer. Welcome to the blogosphere, Capt B - And Thank You for your service, Sir!

Supporting the wounded

Mr. Completely has an update on the status of Buzz Robertson and his friend Chuck. The cards and emails have been highly appreciated - as are the prayers! However, due to likely moves for each of them, the family has asked that the cards and letters be stopped for now. Please continue with your prayers and positive thoughts for both men!

Laugh ... or Cry?

Sometimes both... Fuzzybear Lioness wants to know - Chocolate or ... MSG Keith shares a few chuckles SWWBO is firmly behind the Save Piglet movement The Armorer provides distractions AFSister has seen Elvis Jack shares a quote about the other two percent Kat points out that Piglet will have to be pried from her cold, dead hands Erik has a tale of a shaved goat Cassandra reminds us there are plenty of Manly Men Alan is feeling just a bit bad (about the Yankees) Neptunus Lex is celebrating his second blogiversary (as of Oct 07) ... wish him well, and ask for many more blog stories like the Rhythms series (part XXXII is up!). Finally, check out what happens when Contagion of Miasmatic Review is forced to attend Sensitivity training ... and he's the only man in the class!!! I'm still laughing at this one : After taking the personality test the instructors do not like when you enthusiastically shout out that you scored “perfect” for the “Dominant” personality.

Free Piglet!

All you chefs, and chef wanna-bes, take a minute to contemplate a fine recipe for pork, and take yourself off to Blonde Sagacity to submit it for a special Carnival of the Recipes. Why? Because Pork Fat Rulez! Even the Armorer is waxing poetic!

Whatizit?

A little quiz for the eyes. But what is it? Feel free to leave guesses in comments. No prizes, just for fun! UPDATE My commentors are quick! David thinks that this is the twisted gun barrel sculpture at the UN. He's half right - The one I photographed was not in New York. Here is the original photo : Does anyone want to venture a guess as to the location? Hint ... I just returned from Europe ...

The Prisoner of Chillon

As a loyal Denizen, I looked for Castles as we toured Switzerland and Italy. Exploring the local areas of interest from Lausanne, we found the Castle of Chillon, just a short drive along the shore of Lake Geneva. Actually, to be precise, the structure's foundations are the rocks which are just offshore - so that the walls of the Castle rise straight out of the water. Chillon also has a rich history. In 1350, a man named François Bonivard ran afoul of the current Duke of Savoy, and was imprisoned in the dungeons for 6 years - manacled to the 5 pillar. In 1816, Lord Byron visited the Castle, and on hearing the tale, was inspired to write 'The Prisoner of Chillon'. Note, however, that the poem does not recount a true tale, but is fiction. The Armorer will find it interesting that Bonivard's release in 1356 apparently came "when the Bernese army swept down from the north, briefly bombarded the castle from above with their newfangled mobile artillery, and took control". (From the Chillon history site) Chillon Castle has been wonderfully renovated, and is very interesting throughout. The tour is self-guided, and takes you through much of the structure, from the dungeons built onto the rock, and up the many steps to the top of the Keep! Some of the halls are filled with various implements of the day - including Pointy Things! (Attn: Neffi!!) The renovated artworks are wonderful as well - and one hall is devoted to art which relates to the history of the lake, and the region. Many of the rooms were highly decorated, and these have been, or are being, renovated - including the Chapel. All in all, a wonderful visit, indeed! No - the European tour is not complete yet, but I am now finished sorting the pictures, so hope to get some more posts up with pictures for the enjoyment of the few readers still left!

Friends in Need

We all need friends, to share the good times, and to help us get through the bad times. Some of my blog friends could use some of that friendly encouragement. Rammer of Blogoram lost his father this week. Having been where he now is, I know that all kind words are welcome. Meanwhile, Bloodspite of Techography has been doing some soul searching, after some stressful months, and a weird week. Leave some kind words for them, and then take some time to tell your family that you love them. For every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.

News on SFC Buzz Robertson

I have an update to share with you from Buzz Robertson's Aunt. She is very proud of her nephew, as you can imagine, especially for his dedication and spirit. Here is the latest update : 10/5/05 The Buzz Report Today, SFC Richard (Buzz) Robertson was supposed to have some skin graft operations before being shipped down to Augusta, GA for rehabilitation. However the operation was postponed. His high temperatures (103) have not abated. Last week it was thought that the fevers were caused by a fungus introduced into his system by a piece of shrapnel. However, after the wound was cleaned out again, and more antibiotics were given, the fever still came back. This week they discovered he has a urinary tract infection, but he has been on antibiotics for several days for that – yet still runs a high fever at night. (Mostly he runs a high fever at night or after he has had an especially active day.) Now the doctors are going to check for malaria and possible other causes of the fevers. THE GOOD NEWS. Today, when Buzz was told that the skin graft operation would be postponed, he said, “Well, help me dress so I can go to physical therapy.” However that was not to be. After he was dressed, he and several other wheel chair patients were told that a special guest was coming to present their purple hearts ribbons. They were wheeled down to a recreation room and waited. Buzz was grumbling to himself because he does not like to miss physical therapy. Then… in walked PRESIDENT AND LAURA BUSH! President Bush took time with each man to speak briefly and shake hands and salute when he awarded the medals. When he came to Buzz, he said, “So SFC Robertson, what about those legs?” Buzz replied, “Well sir, I started out as a paratrooper and now I’m a paraplegic.” They shared a laugh. Buzz was so elated, he could have floated back to his room without the wheel chair. What a distinct honor! As for the skin grafts, we don’t know when those will be done. It all depends on when the fever subsides. So he will be at Walter Reed for at least another week. If you have lost his mailing address, it is: SFC Richard Robertson, Walter Reed Hospital, Room #5861 Washington, DC 20307-0004 His birthday was October 2 – but it’s not too late to send a birthday card. He is now 36 years old. ... Buzz's Aunt (Previous updates here and here) Send cards to let Buzz know you're thinking of him, and his family as well. While you're at it, send a card to his friend Chuck Yerry, who I wrote about here as well. And send emails to both of them, while you're at it ... Chuck Yerry Walter Reed Hospital, Room #5734 6900 Georgia Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20307 You can send emails of support to either Chuck or Buzz at: woundedwarriers@yahoo.com

Another interesting take on Ms. Miers

Thomas Lifson at The American Thinker takes a look at the dynamics at play with the President's nomination of Ms. Miers to SCOTUS. I agree that watching the event is going to be interesting, on many levels, and I expect that a certain amount of Democratic tail-chasing will ensue. I don't buy completely into his take on the group dynamics, and Ms. Miers likely place in same - I fear his description sounds a bit like a resident Grandma. But the point is that each person in such a small group has his/her own contribution to the emotional as well as the intellectual balance - and every person in the small group cannot have the same personality characteristics for the group to mesh together well. So go other to American Thinker and read the whole thing, then let me know what you think.

Whom do I trust?

I imagine that my first reaction to the President's nomination of Harriet Miers to succeed Justice O'Connor mirrored many other conservatives. I wondered whether someone with no judicial experience was the best choice, and I worried that the need for a strict constructionist to fill the spot would be left unfulfilled. As with many things political, I was looking forward to listing to Hugh Hewitt on my drive home. When it comes to a nomination to SCOTUS, and anything involving legal discussions, I trust Hugh Hewitt. I've been listing to him off and on for 18 years, he's a lawyer, he's been in the White House, he teaches constitutional law, and I trust his instincts on many matters political. His take on the nomination of Harriet Miers makes sense. No, she was not the person he (Hugh) hoped that the President would nominate. But he made some very good points on the show yesterday, and on his blog post. President Bush has beaten the Dems like bongo drums for five plus years, and yet some conservatives are spooked by the fact that Harry Reid and Charles Schumer haven't taken to the Senate floor to announce a attempt at a filibuster. Shouldn't the presumption be --given the record of the past few election cycles-- that the president knows what he is doing? The hearings will be very, very interesting, and Democrats have put themselves in a very small box. It will be unfortunate if conservative loyalists help them out of it by legitimizing attacks on a dedicated and very qualified public servant. So, the fact that so many (on Both sides) were primed to do battle over this one may make the selection feel like a mis-step, but we need to pick our battles well. This seems to be a good example of doing just that. Another key item that I overheard in conversation was that we need to keep the key Appellate level jurists where there can continue to be effective, rather than yanking them from their benches to move to a position where they will have less opportunity to hear and decide upon cases. Only a tiny fraction of the cases appealed make it to the Supremes, the Appellate level is Very, Very important to our system! I'm with Hugh on this one - give the President credit for knowing how to outfox his opponents. UPDATE Cassandra at Villainous Company links to a most excellent essay from NRO on the topic, from the Honorable Ronald Cass.

There but for the grace of ...

Victor Davis Hanson gives us a taste of the way things would be, if Saddam were still in power in Iraq. Saddam in 2005! Just imagine a different Iraq ... Saddam promises more bounties for suicide bombers in Rather interview In a much publicized second interview with CBS’s Dan Rather, Iraqi’s President Saddam Hussein insisted that continual American pressure had little effect. “Look at Afghanistan. Here it is almost October 2005, and America is still fighting the Taliban, so I don’t think they will dare come to our Iraq. But we are ready to be martyred nonetheless.” The Iraqi president who was hosting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas also denied rumors that Iraqi agents had attempted to assassinate former President Bill Clinton. On recent disclosures of a plot against him, President Clinton left nearby Kuwait, where he had lectured his hosts on the dangers of WMD proliferation in Iraq. ... It's both funny, and not funny - because the reality is there behind the sarcasm. Never so heavily, though, as in this segment : Conservatives fault Bush wavering The Project For The New American Century sent yet a third letter demanding the removal of Saddam Hussein. Spokesmen reminded President Bush that they had asked President Clinton for Saddam’s overthrow in 1998 (“The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing.”) Signers also pointed out to President George W. Bush that the group had written him as well, over four years ago and recited the key words of that September 20, 2001, warning, “…But even if evidence does not link Iraq directly to the [9/11] attack, any strategy aiming at the eradication of terrorism and its sponsors must include a determined effort to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. Failure to undertake such an effort will constitute an early and perhaps decisive surrender in the war on international terrorism.” One prominent signer sighed, “We are Bush’s base. If the losses mount in Iraq, he can always count on us — everyone of us who signed these letters is rock solid and will stick by their Commander-in-Chief, thick or thin. There is not a single one of us who is the sort who would ask for a war, then bail when it gets hairy.” Read it all of the way through - there's something for everyone, I promise.

Junfraujoch Revisited

My intentions to create a nicely ordered travel report have fallen under the wheels of getting back to work. (Sorry, Boq!) In the interim, I want to add some visual imagery to my previous post about riding a train to the Top of Europe: ... And from the top : Traveling to a snowcapped saddle between two Alps was definitely a great experience. The ride up on the Junfraujoch Railway is part of the whole experience : The Jungfrau Railway, the highest railway in Europe and one of the most interesting of all mountain lines, was constructed in 1896-1912 from the designs of Adolph Guyer-Zeller of Zürich. It attains a height of over 11,000 ft., thus bringing the most unathletic into the upper regions of the expert climber. Most of the line is on the rack system (Strub's patent), with overhead trolleys (steepest gradient 1:4), but there is also a short section beyond Eismeer on the ordinary or 'adhesive' system (gradient 1:14). The power is generated in works near Lauterbrunnen and Burglauenen, whence it is transmitted by high-tension lines. The gauge is 3 ft. 4 in. The first section of the line is in the open air, but beyond Eigergletscher it runs through a great tunnel (4-3/4 m. long, 10 ft. high, and 10 ft. wide), piercing the limestone and gneiss rock of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. From the Jungfraujoch the intention was to carry up the line for 2000 ft. more, leaving the summit to be attained by an elevator 242 ft. high, but there does not seem any immediate prospect of completion of this scheme. Telescopes are provided at the stations for the use of visitors. (Jungfraujoch Railway site) Let me tell you, the height of the Sphinx, in the saddle between the peaks, was high enough to enjoy. You can see it at the upper right in the picture at this site. Oh - there's a lens cap up there, on the rocks under the platform. I waved bye-bye to it as it bounced over the edge away from me. I'm prolly lucky that the Hubster didn't make me go get it !!!