A friend of ours has started a new business, he is a party planner... Ok... an "Event Planner" to be correct... If you are looking at having an event, conference hail and bail or any other social, professional engagment, tell him dewey sent ya and he will give you the special Dewey Cheatem and Howe markup!
Just kidding but be sure to check out the "Wisdom Harvest" Link!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Nutz takes the cute neighbor girl into the wild blue yonder
So i am back in the swing of things and have returned to flying the mighty Tomahawk aeroplane!! Aaah the joys of aviation. Anyhow Crackerz was feeling a little under the weather so the Cute Neighbor girl (CNG) willingly vouluntreed to make the ascent into the azure skies over the tide water. I had fun and I think CNG had some fun as well. I do need to get my pretty wife up and fly her around, maybe when she starts felling a little better.. A bit of a naging cold is pestering her! If anyone in the area wants to go for a ride, please give me a shout and we can work something out!
They go in threes...
And the final one for this sequence is none other then the infamous and brutal dictator
Saddam Hussein!
I dont think he will be sharing a bungalo with JB and the pres.. Saddam's after-life real estate will be a little warmer...
Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Celebrity Death Watch
As I have eluded to over time, celebrities go in threes!
James Brown
Pres. Gerald Ford (East Grand Rapids native)
And ??
James Brown
Pres. Gerald Ford (East Grand Rapids native)
And ??
Who will be next?
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
HOLIDAY EATING TIPS
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet
table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see
carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum
balls.
table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see
carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum
balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt
scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You
can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares
that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to
turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have
one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of
gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of
your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy.
Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or
whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother?
It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control
your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat
other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?!
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New
Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.
This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the
buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of
eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like
frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position
yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before
becoming the center of attention.
They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're
never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or,
if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always
have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor
Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the
mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have
SOME standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party
or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread
tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, totally
worn out and screaming,
"WOO HOO what a ride!"
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Read carefully before you vote for the next President!
I concur with what the SS says about GW based off my conversations with SS agents aboard the USS IWO JIMA while it was moored in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina!
NUTZ
Air Force One Passengers
AS THEY SAY IN SPAIN, YOU CAN HAVE NO SECRETS FROM THE SERVANTS!
YOU WILL FIND THE SECRET SERVICE VIEWS ON THE PERSONALITIES OF PAST PRESIDENTS TO BE QUITE INTERESTING.
For those who don't know... Capt. Denny Keast flies for UAL and flew many SAM's (Special Air Mission's) for the White House.
Subject: Secret Service I flew 4 Presidential support missions in the C-141 out of Dover AFB, DE Two for President Johnson and two for President Nixon.
Johnson was a first class jerk and on the two occasions I flew for him, if the Secret Service and their Liaison in the Pentagon hadn't intervened, we would have had to stay on the airplane for hours while he (Johnson) was off somewhere. Nixon never required that and the four (4)
stops we made with him he was cordial to the Secret Service and to me and my crew.
We had a neighbor when I lived in DC who was part of the secret service presidential detail for many years. His stories of Kennedy and Johnson were the same as those I heard from the guys who flew the presidents' plane Yes, Kennedy did have Marilyn Monroe flown in for secret "dates," and LBJ was a typical Texas "good ole boy" womanizer. Nixon, Bush 41, and Carter never cheated on their wives. Clinton cheated, but couldn't match Kennedy or LBJ in style or variety.
The information below is accurate: The elder Bush and current president Bush make it a point to thank and take care of the air crews who fly them around.
When the president flies, there are several planes that also go, one carries the armored limo, another the security detail, plus usually a press aircraft.
Both Bush's made it a point to stay home on holidays, so the Air Force and security people could have a day with their families.
WHAT WAS:
Hillary Clinton was arrogant and orally abusive to her security detail.
She forbade her daughter, Chelsea , from exchanging pleasantries with them. Sometimes Chelsea , miffed at her mother's obvious conceit and mean spiritedness ignored her demands and exchanged pleasantries regardless, but never in her mother's presence.
Chelsea really was a nice, kindhearted, and lovely young lady. The consensus opinion was that Chelsea loved her Mom but did not like her.
Hillary Clinton was continuously rude and abrasive to those who were charged to protect her life. Her security detail dutifully did their job, as professionals should, but they all loathed her and wanted to be on a different detail.
Hillary Clinton was despised by the Secret Service as a whole. Former President Bill Clinton was much more amiable than his wife. Often the Secret Service would cringe at the verbal attacks Hillary would use against her husband. They were embarrassed for his sake by the manner and frequency in which she verbally insulted him, sometimes in the presence of the Secret Service, and sometimes behind closed doors. Even behind closed doors Hillary Clinton would scream and holler so loudly that everyone could hear what she was saying.
Many felt sorry for President Clinton and most wondered why he tolerated it instead of just divorcing his "attack dog" wife. It was crystal clear that the Clinton 's neither liked nor respected each other and this was true long before the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Theirs was genuinely a "marriage of convenience."
Chelsea was much closer to her father than her mother, even after the Lewinsky scandal, which hurt her gravely. Bill Clinton did in fact have charisma, and occasionally would smile at or shake hands with his security detail. Still, he always displayed an obvious air of superiority towards them.
His security detail uniformly believed him to be disingenuous, false, and that he did nothing without a motive that in some way would enhance his image and political career. He was polite, but not kind. They did not particularly like him and nobody trusted him.
WHAT COUL D HAVE BEEN:
Al Gore was the male version of Hillary Clinton. They were more friendly toward each other than either of them were towards former President Clinton.
They were not intimate, so please don't read that in. They were very close in a political way. Tipper Gore was generally nice and pleasant.
She initially liked Hillary but soon after the election she had her "pegged" and no longer liked her or associated with her except for events that were politically obligatory.
Al Gore was far more left wing than Bill Clinton. Al Gore resented Bill Clinton and thought he was too "centrist." He despised all Republicans.
His hatred was bitter and this was long before he announced for the Presidency. This hatred was something that he and Hillary had in common.
They often said as much, even in the presence of their security detail.
Neither of them trusted Bill Clinton and, the Secret Service opined, neither of them even liked Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton did have some good qualities, whereas Al Gore and Hillary had none, in the view of their security details.
Al Gore, like Hillary, was very rude and arrogant toward his security detail. He was extremely unappreciative and would not hesitate to scold them in the presence of their peers for minor details over which they had no control. Al Gore also looked down on them, as they finally observed and learned with certainty on one occasion. Al got angry at his offspring and pointed at his security detail and said, "Do you want to grow up and be like them?"
Word of this insult by the former Vice-President quickly spread and he became disliked by the Secret Service as Hillary. Most of them prayed Al Gore would not be elected President, and they really did have private celebrations in a few of their homes after President Bush won. This was not necessarily to celebrate President Bush's election, but to celebrate Al Gore's defeat.
WHAT IS:
Everyone in the Secret Service wants to be on First Lady Laura Bush's detail. Without exception, they concede that she is perhaps the nicest and most kind person they have ever had the privilege of serving. Where Hillary patently refused to allow her picture to be taken with her security detail, Laura Bush doesn't even have to be asked, she offers.
She doesn't just shake their hand and say, "Thank you." Very often, she will give members of her detail a kindhearted hug to express her appreciation. There is nothing false about her. This is her genuine nature. Her security detail considers her to be a "breath of fresh air."
They joke that comparing Laura Bush with Hillary Clinton is like comparing "Mother Teresa" with the "Wicked Witch of the North."
Likewise, the Secret Service considers President Bush to be a gem of a man to work for. He always treats them with genuine respect and he always trusts and listens to their expert advice. They really like the Crawford, Texas detail. Every time the president goes to Crawford he has a Bar-B-Q for his security detail and he helps serve their meals. He sits with them, eats with them, and talks with them. He knows each of them by their first name, and calls them by their first name as a show of affection. He always asks about their family, the names of which he always remembers. They believe that he is deeply and genuinely appreciative of their service. They could not like, love, or respect anyone more than President Bush.
Most of them did not know they would feel this way, until they had an opportunity to work for him and learn that his manner was genuine and consistent. It has never changed since he began his Presidency. He always treats them with the utmost respect, kindness, and compassion.
NUTZ
Air Force One Passengers
AS THEY SAY IN SPAIN, YOU CAN HAVE NO SECRETS FROM THE SERVANTS!
YOU WILL FIND THE SECRET SERVICE VIEWS ON THE PERSONALITIES OF PAST PRESIDENTS TO BE QUITE INTERESTING.
For those who don't know... Capt. Denny Keast flies for UAL and flew many SAM's (Special Air Mission's) for the White House.
Subject: Secret Service I flew 4 Presidential support missions in the C-141 out of Dover AFB, DE Two for President Johnson and two for President Nixon.
Johnson was a first class jerk and on the two occasions I flew for him, if the Secret Service and their Liaison in the Pentagon hadn't intervened, we would have had to stay on the airplane for hours while he (Johnson) was off somewhere. Nixon never required that and the four (4)
stops we made with him he was cordial to the Secret Service and to me and my crew.
We had a neighbor when I lived in DC who was part of the secret service presidential detail for many years. His stories of Kennedy and Johnson were the same as those I heard from the guys who flew the presidents' plane Yes, Kennedy did have Marilyn Monroe flown in for secret "dates," and LBJ was a typical Texas "good ole boy" womanizer. Nixon, Bush 41, and Carter never cheated on their wives. Clinton cheated, but couldn't match Kennedy or LBJ in style or variety.
The information below is accurate: The elder Bush and current president Bush make it a point to thank and take care of the air crews who fly them around.
When the president flies, there are several planes that also go, one carries the armored limo, another the security detail, plus usually a press aircraft.
Both Bush's made it a point to stay home on holidays, so the Air Force and security people could have a day with their families.
WHAT WAS:
Hillary Clinton was arrogant and orally abusive to her security detail.
She forbade her daughter, Chelsea , from exchanging pleasantries with them. Sometimes Chelsea , miffed at her mother's obvious conceit and mean spiritedness ignored her demands and exchanged pleasantries regardless, but never in her mother's presence.
Chelsea really was a nice, kindhearted, and lovely young lady. The consensus opinion was that Chelsea loved her Mom but did not like her.
Hillary Clinton was continuously rude and abrasive to those who were charged to protect her life. Her security detail dutifully did their job, as professionals should, but they all loathed her and wanted to be on a different detail.
Hillary Clinton was despised by the Secret Service as a whole. Former President Bill Clinton was much more amiable than his wife. Often the Secret Service would cringe at the verbal attacks Hillary would use against her husband. They were embarrassed for his sake by the manner and frequency in which she verbally insulted him, sometimes in the presence of the Secret Service, and sometimes behind closed doors. Even behind closed doors Hillary Clinton would scream and holler so loudly that everyone could hear what she was saying.
Many felt sorry for President Clinton and most wondered why he tolerated it instead of just divorcing his "attack dog" wife. It was crystal clear that the Clinton 's neither liked nor respected each other and this was true long before the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Theirs was genuinely a "marriage of convenience."
Chelsea was much closer to her father than her mother, even after the Lewinsky scandal, which hurt her gravely. Bill Clinton did in fact have charisma, and occasionally would smile at or shake hands with his security detail. Still, he always displayed an obvious air of superiority towards them.
His security detail uniformly believed him to be disingenuous, false, and that he did nothing without a motive that in some way would enhance his image and political career. He was polite, but not kind. They did not particularly like him and nobody trusted him.
WHAT COUL D HAVE BEEN:
Al Gore was the male version of Hillary Clinton. They were more friendly toward each other than either of them were towards former President Clinton.
They were not intimate, so please don't read that in. They were very close in a political way. Tipper Gore was generally nice and pleasant.
She initially liked Hillary but soon after the election she had her "pegged" and no longer liked her or associated with her except for events that were politically obligatory.
Al Gore was far more left wing than Bill Clinton. Al Gore resented Bill Clinton and thought he was too "centrist." He despised all Republicans.
His hatred was bitter and this was long before he announced for the Presidency. This hatred was something that he and Hillary had in common.
They often said as much, even in the presence of their security detail.
Neither of them trusted Bill Clinton and, the Secret Service opined, neither of them even liked Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton did have some good qualities, whereas Al Gore and Hillary had none, in the view of their security details.
Al Gore, like Hillary, was very rude and arrogant toward his security detail. He was extremely unappreciative and would not hesitate to scold them in the presence of their peers for minor details over which they had no control. Al Gore also looked down on them, as they finally observed and learned with certainty on one occasion. Al got angry at his offspring and pointed at his security detail and said, "Do you want to grow up and be like them?"
Word of this insult by the former Vice-President quickly spread and he became disliked by the Secret Service as Hillary. Most of them prayed Al Gore would not be elected President, and they really did have private celebrations in a few of their homes after President Bush won. This was not necessarily to celebrate President Bush's election, but to celebrate Al Gore's defeat.
WHAT IS:
Everyone in the Secret Service wants to be on First Lady Laura Bush's detail. Without exception, they concede that she is perhaps the nicest and most kind person they have ever had the privilege of serving. Where Hillary patently refused to allow her picture to be taken with her security detail, Laura Bush doesn't even have to be asked, she offers.
She doesn't just shake their hand and say, "Thank you." Very often, she will give members of her detail a kindhearted hug to express her appreciation. There is nothing false about her. This is her genuine nature. Her security detail considers her to be a "breath of fresh air."
They joke that comparing Laura Bush with Hillary Clinton is like comparing "Mother Teresa" with the "Wicked Witch of the North."
Likewise, the Secret Service considers President Bush to be a gem of a man to work for. He always treats them with genuine respect and he always trusts and listens to their expert advice. They really like the Crawford, Texas detail. Every time the president goes to Crawford he has a Bar-B-Q for his security detail and he helps serve their meals. He sits with them, eats with them, and talks with them. He knows each of them by their first name, and calls them by their first name as a show of affection. He always asks about their family, the names of which he always remembers. They believe that he is deeply and genuinely appreciative of their service. They could not like, love, or respect anyone more than President Bush.
Most of them did not know they would feel this way, until they had an opportunity to work for him and learn that his manner was genuine and consistent. It has never changed since he began his Presidency. He always treats them with the utmost respect, kindness, and compassion.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
My Sweet Husband
For my birthday, Nutz took me to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner and then to the symphony. Here's a picture taken at dinner.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Cool guy stuff
I am quite thankful of the opportunities life has provided me. Recently
Crackerz and I were sitting on the couch watching the news and a little
blurb came on about bees being used to search for explosives. I proudly
admitted to my lovely wife that a year ago I was briefed on this
particular project. Shortly there after on NCIS, the episode focused on
a "killer" autonomous hummer. One of the characters had a striking
similarity to the director of the Stanford team that participated in
DARPA Challenge 2006. Yes I met this guy as well and rode around in his
cool guy fully autonomous Volkswagen! Not quite a hummer but still
pretty darn cool!
Think I am smoking crack? Check these links out...
http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2006Nov/gee20061130041046.htm
http://cs.stanford.edu/group/roadrunner/
Nutz
Crackerz and I were sitting on the couch watching the news and a little
blurb came on about bees being used to search for explosives. I proudly
admitted to my lovely wife that a year ago I was briefed on this
particular project. Shortly there after on NCIS, the episode focused on
a "killer" autonomous hummer. One of the characters had a striking
similarity to the director of the Stanford team that participated in
DARPA Challenge 2006. Yes I met this guy as well and rode around in his
cool guy fully autonomous Volkswagen! Not quite a hummer but still
pretty darn cool!
Think I am smoking crack? Check these links out...
http://www.geek.com/news
http://cs.stanford.edu/group
Nutz
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Crazy Crumbs Website
In an attempt to keep our family and friends updated about Crazy Crumbs, we've created a blog specifically for this purpose. To check it out, go to http://crazycrumbs.blogspot.com.
Crackerz
Crackerz
Monday, November 27, 2006
Words to Live by
1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me,
for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either; just leave me
alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a
flat tire.
for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either; just leave me
alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a
flat tire.
3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your
neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
4. Don't be irreplaceable; if you can't be replaced, you can't be
promoted.
5. No one is listening until you make a mistake.
6. Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.
7. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
8. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a
warning to others.
9. It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities
without your help.
10. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of
car payments.
11. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their
shoes.
12. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
13. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish,
and he will sit in a boat & drink beer all day.
14. If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was
probably worth it.
15. Don't squat with your spurs on.
16. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
17. If you drink, don't park; accidents cause people.
18. Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.
19. Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes
from bad judgment.
20. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put
it in your pocket.
21. Timing has an awful lot to do with the outcome of a raindance.
22. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
23. Duct tape is like the force; it has a light side & a dark side, and
it holds the universe together.
24. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
25. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your mouth is
moving.
26. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
27. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
A google shared document experiment!
This is a cool thing from Google!!
29 Nov 2006 Did I mention how cool this is??
Crackerz was here!! No I wasn't...now I've been here! Love, me xoxo
You are a goof ball!!! I love you though my pretty wife!! Smoooch... when ru coming home I miss you???
Check this out..
Did anything change?
Check this out..
Did anything change?In the middle of the night...
It is kind of interesting wokring the night shift from 7pm to 7am... I wake up around 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon. Do a few errons, take a shower grab a bite to eat and by 6:15pm I am no the road to the office..I get to work, do my thing for a couple of hours. Around 1am I take an extended lunch and go to the gym to "wakeup" for about 30-45minutes. Arond 2:30am I am eating lunch! At 7am my relief comes in, and I drive home with traffic and all the problems the cause. By 8:30am I am lights out, the cycle repeats.
This sort of wreaks havoc on my social life but it actually works out well for Crackerz and I. By 830am Crackerz is on her way out the door to the office and shortly after I wake up, she is on her way home from the office. So we do see easch other for a few hours.. How lucky!
Nutz
This sort of wreaks havoc on my social life but it actually works out well for Crackerz and I. By 830am Crackerz is on her way out the door to the office and shortly after I wake up, she is on her way home from the office. So we do see easch other for a few hours.. How lucky!
Nutz
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Things are beginning to look a lot like....
A Different Christmas Poem
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room
and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic
in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, Transforming the yard to a
winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, Completed the magic that was
Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by
love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I
started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,But I opened my eyes when
it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of
footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear, And I crept to the door
just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, A lone figure stood,
his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old, Perhaps a Marine, huddled
here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled, Standing watch over me, and
my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear, "Come in this moment, it's
freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve, You should be at
home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift, Away from the cold and the
snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light Then he sighed and he
said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night." "It's my duty to stand at
the front of the line, That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm proud to stand here like my
fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December," Then he sighed, "That's
a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam', And now it is my turn
and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while, But my wife sends me
pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag, The red, white, and
blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone, Away from my family, my
house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet, I can sleep in a
foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another, Or lay down my life with my
sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all, To ensure for all time that
this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Your family is waiting
and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least, "Give you money," I
asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from
your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love
us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone, To stand your own
watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we
fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust, That we mattered to you
as you mattered to us."
Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S.service
men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's
try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop
and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for
us.
Political Correctness has gone too far
ARABIAN NIGHTMARES
By RALPH PETERS
November 15, 2006 -- YESTERDAY, 80 terrorists in police uniforms raided
an Iraqi research institute in Baghdad, rounded up 100-plus male
students, loaded them into vehicles in broad daylight and drove away.
They couldn't have pulled it off without the complicity of key elements
within the Iraqi security services and the government: "our guys."
The students probably will be executed and dumped somewhere. Partly for
the crime of wanting to study and build a future, but primarily just to
step up the level of terror yet again.
Apart from highlighting the type of regime of which both Shia and Sunni
Arab extremists dream - a land of disciplined ignorance and slavish
devotion - the mass kidnapping also highlights the feebleness of our
attempts to overcome ruthless enemies with generosity and good manners.
With Iraqi society decomposing - or, at best, reverting to a medieval
state with cell phones - the debate in Washington over whether to try to
save the day by deploying more troops or withdrawing some is of
secondary relevance.
What really matters is what our forces are ordered - and permitted - to
do. With political correctness permeating our government and even the
upper echelons of the military, we never tried the one technique that
has a solid track record of defeating insurgents if applied
consistently: the rigorous imposition of public order.
That means killing the bad guys. Not winning their hearts and minds,
placating them or bringing them into the government. Killing them.
If you're not willing to lay down a rule that any Iraqi or foreign
terrorist masquerading as a security official or military member will be
shot, you can't win. And that's just one example of the type of
sternness this sort of fight requires.
With the situation in Iraq deteriorating daily, sending more troops
would simply offer our enemies more targets - unless we decided to use
our soldiers and Marines for the primary purpose for which they exist:
To fight.
Of course, we've made a decisive shift in our behavior difficult. After
empowering a sectarian regime before imposing order in the streets, we
would have to defy an elected government. Leading voices in the Baghdad
regime - starting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki - would demand
that we halt any serious effort to defeat Shia militias and eliminate
their death squads.
Killing Sunni Arabs would be fine, of course. The Maliki government's
reason for being is to promote Shia power.
Reportedly, our CENTCOM commander, Gen. George Abizaid, just had a "come
to Jesus meeting" (metaphor fully intended) with Maliki, warning him
that our continued support is contingent on the government moving to
impose public order and protect all of Iraq's people. The result is
predictable: A few law-enforcement gestures by daylight, some reshuffled
government appointments - and more sectarian killing.
>From the Iraqi perspective, we're of less and less relevance. They're
sure we'll leave. And every faction is determined to do as much damage
as possible to the other before we go. Our troops have become human
shields for our enemies.
To master Iraq now - if it could be done - we'd have to fight every
faction except the Kurds. Are we willing to do that? Are we willing to
kill mass murderers and cold-blooded executioners on the spot?
If not, we can't win, no matter what else we do.
Arrest them? We've tried that. Iraq's judges are so partisan or so
terrified (or both) that they release the worst thugs within weeks -
sometimes within days.
How would you like to be one of Iraq's handful of relatively honest cops
knowing that any terrorist or sectarian butcher you bust is going to be
back on the block before your next payday? And yeah, they know where you
live.
Our "humanity" is cowardice masquerading as morality. We're protecting
self-appointed religious executioners with our emphasis on a "universal
code of behavior" that only exists in our fantasies. By letting the
thugs run the streets, we've abandoned the millions of Iraqis who really
would prefer peaceful lives and a modicum of progress.
We're blind to the fundamental moral travesty in Iraq (and elsewhere):
Spare the killers in the name of human rights, and you deprive the
overwhelming majority of the population of their human rights. Instead
of being proud of ourselves for our "moral superiority," we should be
ashamed to the depths of our souls.
We're not really the enemy of the terrorists, militiamen and insurgents.
We're their enablers. In the end, the future of Iraq will be determined
by its people. The question is, which people?
Our naive version of wartime morality handed Iraq to the murderers. Will
our excuse for a sectarian bloodbath be that we "behaved with
restraint?"
Any code of ethics that squanders the lives of tens of thousands and the
future of millions so we can "claim the moral high ground" is hypocrisy
worthy of the Europeans who made excuses for the Holocaust.
If we want to give Iraq's silent - and terrified - majority a last
chance, we would have to accept the world's condemnation for killing the
killers. If we are unwilling to do that, Iraq's finished.
Ralph Peters' most recent book is "Never Quit the Fight."
By RALPH PETERS
November 15, 2006 -- YESTERDAY, 80 terrorists in police uniforms raided
an Iraqi research institute in Baghdad, rounded up 100-plus male
students, loaded them into vehicles in broad daylight and drove away.
They couldn't have pulled it off without the complicity of key elements
within the Iraqi security services and the government: "our guys."
The students probably will be executed and dumped somewhere. Partly for
the crime of wanting to study and build a future, but primarily just to
step up the level of terror yet again.
Apart from highlighting the type of regime of which both Shia and Sunni
Arab extremists dream - a land of disciplined ignorance and slavish
devotion - the mass kidnapping also highlights the feebleness of our
attempts to overcome ruthless enemies with generosity and good manners.
With Iraqi society decomposing - or, at best, reverting to a medieval
state with cell phones - the debate in Washington over whether to try to
save the day by deploying more troops or withdrawing some is of
secondary relevance.
What really matters is what our forces are ordered - and permitted - to
do. With political correctness permeating our government and even the
upper echelons of the military, we never tried the one technique that
has a solid track record of defeating insurgents if applied
consistently: the rigorous imposition of public order.
That means killing the bad guys. Not winning their hearts and minds,
placating them or bringing them into the government. Killing them.
If you're not willing to lay down a rule that any Iraqi or foreign
terrorist masquerading as a security official or military member will be
shot, you can't win. And that's just one example of the type of
sternness this sort of fight requires.
With the situation in Iraq deteriorating daily, sending more troops
would simply offer our enemies more targets - unless we decided to use
our soldiers and Marines for the primary purpose for which they exist:
To fight.
Of course, we've made a decisive shift in our behavior difficult. After
empowering a sectarian regime before imposing order in the streets, we
would have to defy an elected government. Leading voices in the Baghdad
regime - starting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki - would demand
that we halt any serious effort to defeat Shia militias and eliminate
their death squads.
Killing Sunni Arabs would be fine, of course. The Maliki government's
reason for being is to promote Shia power.
Reportedly, our CENTCOM commander, Gen. George Abizaid, just had a "come
to Jesus meeting" (metaphor fully intended) with Maliki, warning him
that our continued support is contingent on the government moving to
impose public order and protect all of Iraq's people. The result is
predictable: A few law-enforcement gestures by daylight, some reshuffled
government appointments - and more sectarian killing.
>From the Iraqi perspective, we're of less and less relevance. They're
sure we'll leave. And every faction is determined to do as much damage
as possible to the other before we go. Our troops have become human
shields for our enemies.
To master Iraq now - if it could be done - we'd have to fight every
faction except the Kurds. Are we willing to do that? Are we willing to
kill mass murderers and cold-blooded executioners on the spot?
If not, we can't win, no matter what else we do.
Arrest them? We've tried that. Iraq's judges are so partisan or so
terrified (or both) that they release the worst thugs within weeks -
sometimes within days.
How would you like to be one of Iraq's handful of relatively honest cops
knowing that any terrorist or sectarian butcher you bust is going to be
back on the block before your next payday? And yeah, they know where you
live.
Our "humanity" is cowardice masquerading as morality. We're protecting
self-appointed religious executioners with our emphasis on a "universal
code of behavior" that only exists in our fantasies. By letting the
thugs run the streets, we've abandoned the millions of Iraqis who really
would prefer peaceful lives and a modicum of progress.
We're blind to the fundamental moral travesty in Iraq (and elsewhere):
Spare the killers in the name of human rights, and you deprive the
overwhelming majority of the population of their human rights. Instead
of being proud of ourselves for our "moral superiority," we should be
ashamed to the depths of our souls.
We're not really the enemy of the terrorists, militiamen and insurgents.
We're their enablers. In the end, the future of Iraq will be determined
by its people. The question is, which people?
Our naive version of wartime morality handed Iraq to the murderers. Will
our excuse for a sectarian bloodbath be that we "behaved with
restraint?"
Any code of ethics that squanders the lives of tens of thousands and the
future of millions so we can "claim the moral high ground" is hypocrisy
worthy of the Europeans who made excuses for the Holocaust.
If we want to give Iraq's silent - and terrified - majority a last
chance, we would have to accept the world's condemnation for killing the
killers. If we are unwilling to do that, Iraq's finished.
Ralph Peters' most recent book is "Never Quit the Fight."
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