Arrogance

Republicans are starting to line up against Donald Rumsfeld's comments made in response to a soldier's question about the lack of armor on vehicles destined for Iraq. ".... "you go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have."

Where was the planning? Where was the strategy? Why is this guy still our DOD Secretary?

It reflects the arrogance of the administration, from the top, about our ability to successfully wage a war without cause. Or for that manner, without a clear plan for the aftermath. At the same time, our armed service personnel, especially the ones in harm's way, are scrounging through scrap heaps for bits of metal and bullet-proof glass to attach to their vehicles in an attempt to avoid getting killed.

Here's a thought. Since all the top brass in the administration are too old to serve, they should send instead a few top aides, let's say those 20-40 years old, to stand and participate side by side with our troops who are most involved in the fight against the insurgents in Iraq. Assuming they survive a 6 months to a year deployment, they can report back to their bosses just how safe it is and how we're winning the peace.

post election....

A month since the election, and Washington State still really doesn't have a governor. Well, we do, but with only 42 more votes than the runner up (with ~2.8 million votes cast, after the first and mandatory machine recount), the hand recount is now proceeding and should be completed before Christmas. Of course, if this re-recount changes the results, will we have another one?

I wish we could recount the national election. But, all conspiracy theories aside, the results are what we have to live with for the next four years. It's not that I think the country cannot survive the administration. It will. In my lifetime we survived Viet Nam, Nixon and Watergate, Reagan's trickle down economics and 14% interest rates, Clinton's lying and affairs, and 9/11. We'll survive the loss of US prestige in the world, and we'll survive the war(s) we've become embroiled in. We'll even, eventually, get by the fact that besides going to war in Iraq for false reasons, in doing so we've created even more potential terrorists with a deep and all encompassing hatred of our country, and who only want to kill Americans and to damage our country physically and economically.

What's really been bothering me though, is that while the country will survive, so many in our armed services will not. How long can even the half of the country that supports our involvement in Iraq continue to do so without a clear reason? Will we end up slowly backing out, an exit strategy that we make up as we go? Will this end up being our next mini Viet Nam?

moving day, again

I'm moving all the entries to a different server space. I decided I want to be somewhat anonymous in these postings. Not that anybody's actually reading them, but they do pop up on google under my name and I'd rather be free to say what I want to, including anything I might want to say about my job, my employer (a science-based agency of the US Government), or whatever. In doing so, I'm not even going to try to have separate blogs for science, computer musings, or even those old posts that were really about my personal life. It will all go here. No rhyme or reason, no major theme.

Whatever.