Saturday, April 23, 2005
Free Iraqi: Asking few questions makes a difference.
Free Iraqi: Asking few questions makes a difference. Great Iraqi Post!
Chrenkoff Post Excellent
Chrenkoff: "Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is beating his head against the wall, or to be more precise, against the media:
'The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is encouraging newspaper editors to tell America the full story of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
' 'It�s particularly important today... because the American people need to know the full story,' Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said in addressing the American Society of Newspaper Editors, 'because it is going to be their resolve that is so critical to our ability to confront the extremist threat'.'
Which is precisely why many in the media insist on focusing on the bad news. Not all, by any means - many reporters and editors do their best to provide fair and balanced reporting; others are simply naturally biased in favor of the 'exciting' bad news at the expense of the 'boring' good news, whether they're writing from Boston or Baghdad - but a significant minority, which is personally opposed to Republican foreign policy, has been doing its best to repeat the brilliant performance of their Vietnam-era predecessors.
Wellington famously remarked that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton; today, America's wars are being lost in the cafeteria of the Columbia School of Journalism.
'Myers told the editors he reads far more about the problems of servicemembers� equipment and the latest insurgent attack than about 'the thousands of amazing things our troops are accomplishing'...
'The chairman said that part of the problem lies with the military. He said commanders must be more responsive and give more access to reporters. 'We�re working on that,' he told the editors.
'But still, 'a bomb blast is seen as more newsworthy than the steady progress of rebuilding communities and lives, remodeling schools and running vaccination programs and water purification plants'.'
See any edition of my 'Good news from Iraq'.
'Myers challenged the newspaper editors to ensure the American people understand the hundreds of ways their sons and daughters are improving lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
' 'In your profession and mine, (we are) working hard to defend our values, our way of life and our Constitution,' Myers said. 'We risk our comfort, our safety and our lives for what we believe in.' The chairman noted that more than 40 journalists have been killed while covering operations in Iraq. The 'Fourth Estate' always has covered conflicts, Myers noted, but what is different today is the amount of news and that it travels so much faster than in the past.
' 'What questions are the news reports trying to answer?' the chairman asked. 'The theme of the coverage lately seems to be 'When are the troops coming home?' rather than 'What are we accomplishing?'''
That's a rather charitable interpretation and a brave attempt by the General to find some common ground. In fact, 'our values', 'our way of life' and 'our Constitution' quite often tend to mean totally different things to military people and journalists.
'He said the military will work with the press. 'Our task is to give you better access, more timely information and we will do that,' he said. 'In return I would ask you to keep at the task of trying to show as complete a picture as you can. I know our troops deserve that, and I think the American people deserve it as well'.'
As we all know, just because you deserve something, it doesn't mean you're going to get it. Thank God for blogs."
'The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is encouraging newspaper editors to tell America the full story of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
' 'It�s particularly important today... because the American people need to know the full story,' Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said in addressing the American Society of Newspaper Editors, 'because it is going to be their resolve that is so critical to our ability to confront the extremist threat'.'
Which is precisely why many in the media insist on focusing on the bad news. Not all, by any means - many reporters and editors do their best to provide fair and balanced reporting; others are simply naturally biased in favor of the 'exciting' bad news at the expense of the 'boring' good news, whether they're writing from Boston or Baghdad - but a significant minority, which is personally opposed to Republican foreign policy, has been doing its best to repeat the brilliant performance of their Vietnam-era predecessors.
Wellington famously remarked that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton; today, America's wars are being lost in the cafeteria of the Columbia School of Journalism.
'Myers told the editors he reads far more about the problems of servicemembers� equipment and the latest insurgent attack than about 'the thousands of amazing things our troops are accomplishing'...
'The chairman said that part of the problem lies with the military. He said commanders must be more responsive and give more access to reporters. 'We�re working on that,' he told the editors.
'But still, 'a bomb blast is seen as more newsworthy than the steady progress of rebuilding communities and lives, remodeling schools and running vaccination programs and water purification plants'.'
See any edition of my 'Good news from Iraq'.
'Myers challenged the newspaper editors to ensure the American people understand the hundreds of ways their sons and daughters are improving lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
' 'In your profession and mine, (we are) working hard to defend our values, our way of life and our Constitution,' Myers said. 'We risk our comfort, our safety and our lives for what we believe in.' The chairman noted that more than 40 journalists have been killed while covering operations in Iraq. The 'Fourth Estate' always has covered conflicts, Myers noted, but what is different today is the amount of news and that it travels so much faster than in the past.
' 'What questions are the news reports trying to answer?' the chairman asked. 'The theme of the coverage lately seems to be 'When are the troops coming home?' rather than 'What are we accomplishing?'''
That's a rather charitable interpretation and a brave attempt by the General to find some common ground. In fact, 'our values', 'our way of life' and 'our Constitution' quite often tend to mean totally different things to military people and journalists.
'He said the military will work with the press. 'Our task is to give you better access, more timely information and we will do that,' he said. 'In return I would ask you to keep at the task of trying to show as complete a picture as you can. I know our troops deserve that, and I think the American people deserve it as well'.'
As we all know, just because you deserve something, it doesn't mean you're going to get it. Thank God for blogs."
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Praactice Ammo
Bad Example: "CHEAPEST PRACTICE AMMO EVER FOR THE CHEAPEST PRACTICE EVER
(A Guest Post by blogless Peter, for Carnival of Cordite)
Let's face it, few of us can really afford to shoot enough to really get absolutely confident in our skill. It's not just the ammunition costs, either. Range time is expensive and with gas costs it's even expensive driving to the range. Then when we get there, we find there are all kinds of restrictions on how we can shoot. Some ranges don't allow rapid fire, most will go into hysterics if we try to work on a draw, and Lord help you if you need to practice engaging a threat from behind.
There is an answer, actually more than one. Primer powered wax, rubber and plastic bullets. Someone who is already a handloader is at least partially set up to use these handy little wonders. Someone who isn't will need some tools and some supplies. Some you have around the house already - a small hammer, a drill - some you'll have to buy, and there are other things that can speed the process up.
The first thing we need is modified cartridge cases. Unless you are already set up to handload, start with new, unprimed cases. Otherwise it's hard to find something that is thin enough to go through the factory flash hole yet strong enough to knock the spent primer out. Most outfits sell cartridge cases by the hundred. A little later on I'll tell you where to buy them and the priming tool you'll need.
The first thing we must do is drill the primer flash hole a little larger with a three-sixteenth inch drill bit. You'll need to hold the cartridge case with a pair of pliers and work the drill with the other hand...it's really a job for two people unless you have three hands. Hold the case as close to the rim as possible with those pliers, the metal is thicker down there and you won't be as likely to smoosh it and make it so it won't chamber. Whatever you do, do NOT omit this step. For technical reasons, a primer - fired with no powder behind a normal-weight bullet - will back out of the case and tie up a revolver. In an autoloader it might come completely out and get stuck in the works. Just trust me on this. I have the technical information and I'm not afraid to use it, it would only take about two pages to explain it." ETC ETC
(A Guest Post by blogless Peter, for Carnival of Cordite)
Let's face it, few of us can really afford to shoot enough to really get absolutely confident in our skill. It's not just the ammunition costs, either. Range time is expensive and with gas costs it's even expensive driving to the range. Then when we get there, we find there are all kinds of restrictions on how we can shoot. Some ranges don't allow rapid fire, most will go into hysterics if we try to work on a draw, and Lord help you if you need to practice engaging a threat from behind.
There is an answer, actually more than one. Primer powered wax, rubber and plastic bullets. Someone who is already a handloader is at least partially set up to use these handy little wonders. Someone who isn't will need some tools and some supplies. Some you have around the house already - a small hammer, a drill - some you'll have to buy, and there are other things that can speed the process up.
The first thing we need is modified cartridge cases. Unless you are already set up to handload, start with new, unprimed cases. Otherwise it's hard to find something that is thin enough to go through the factory flash hole yet strong enough to knock the spent primer out. Most outfits sell cartridge cases by the hundred. A little later on I'll tell you where to buy them and the priming tool you'll need.
The first thing we must do is drill the primer flash hole a little larger with a three-sixteenth inch drill bit. You'll need to hold the cartridge case with a pair of pliers and work the drill with the other hand...it's really a job for two people unless you have three hands. Hold the case as close to the rim as possible with those pliers, the metal is thicker down there and you won't be as likely to smoosh it and make it so it won't chamber. Whatever you do, do NOT omit this step. For technical reasons, a primer - fired with no powder behind a normal-weight bullet - will back out of the case and tie up a revolver. In an autoloader it might come completely out and get stuck in the works. Just trust me on this. I have the technical information and I'm not afraid to use it, it would only take about two pages to explain it." ETC ETC
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Power Line: Oil-For-Food Investigators Resign
Power Line: Oil-For-Food Investigators Resign: "Oil-For-Food Investigators Resign
Roger Simon had this story first: two top investigators for Paul Volcker's U.N.-sponsored inquiry into the U.N.'s Oil-For-Food program have resigned because they thought the initial Volcker report was too easy on Kofi Annan. 'You follow a trail and you want to see people pick it up,' a spokesman for Volcker's team said. The committee 'told the story' that the investigators presented, he added, 'but we made different conclusions than they would have.' One of those who resigned was the Volcker committee's senior investigative counsel, Robert Parton."
Roger Simon had this story first: two top investigators for Paul Volcker's U.N.-sponsored inquiry into the U.N.'s Oil-For-Food program have resigned because they thought the initial Volcker report was too easy on Kofi Annan. 'You follow a trail and you want to see people pick it up,' a spokesman for Volcker's team said. The committee 'told the story' that the investigators presented, he added, 'but we made different conclusions than they would have.' One of those who resigned was the Volcker committee's senior investigative counsel, Robert Parton."
Monday, April 18, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Past Prognostications
Our Not-So-Wise Experts
A litany of past failure
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online
Brent Scowcroft predicted on the eve of the Iraqi elections that voting there would increase the risk of civil war. Indeed, he foresaw “a great potential for deepening the conflict.” He also once assured us that Iraq “could become a Vietnam in a way that the Vietnam war never did.” Did he mean perhaps worse than ten years of war and over 50,000 American dead, with the Cambodian holocaust next door? etc
A litany of past failure
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online
Brent Scowcroft predicted on the eve of the Iraqi elections that voting there would increase the risk of civil war. Indeed, he foresaw “a great potential for deepening the conflict.” He also once assured us that Iraq “could become a Vietnam in a way that the Vietnam war never did.” Did he mean perhaps worse than ten years of war and over 50,000 American dead, with the Cambodian holocaust next door? etc
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