New System Deployed Forward!

Sure, the Stryker is a fine fighting vehicle, and is quite high tech. But now it is unstoppable with the addition of the the new Forward Mobile Duck Parade (ForMDuP). The "Formed Up" as it has been called for short, can clear any known threat for several hundred meters!

[thanks to Army Knowledge Online]

Is it Wrong?

Is it wrong to look in on your sleeping children, look in your sleeping wife, then go to the computer and post on your blog while sipping single malt Scotch and cramming Gouda cheese into your gob? I'm just askin'...

Gratutious Afghanistan Photo of the Weekend (45)

"Why yes, I am grinning because I have done this before..." [preparing a 107 mm rocket for firing].

Dramatis Personae

I (Major John) wish to refresh everyone's recollection about who is here and why I asked them to be on this here blog.

Major John - I am the Administrator (ooh, I sound like a 60s Trek villian). I got into the blog world by falling into the role of the Instapundit's Afghanistan Correspondent [as a result of being deployed to Afghanistan 2004-2005]. I was also given some time in "Allah is in the House", "Chrenkoff" and "Tim Blair". "Major John" had been my 'comments' handle on several blogs, so I just kept it as a nom-de-blog. I was a lawyer at one time, now I work for Zurich North America. I asked some friends to join me in a group blog...

Running Dog - He is a practioner of the Dismal Science (an Economist). He was the best man at my wedding, and is a fine fellow all around. He has a weakness for puns, but I forgive him for he introduced me to good gin and single malt whisky (also, I introduced him to rugby and he got a broken collarbone for his efforts). A sharp wit to boot...

Tempus 42 - Wil E. Coyote, supra-genius. He once managed to explain 4 dimentional geometry to me, and I understood enough to be afraid (me, the man whom calculus had turned into pudding). If it is board game related, ask Brad. He knows. Period. He is probably the purest libertarian (note, small "l") of our bunch. For some reason he has the most musical talent of our bunch too (taste for heavy metal aside)...

Amiga 3000 - My oldest friend, and the one with the artistic skills. He is in academia, in the computer-instruction development/teaching world. Someday I might show you all one of his photoshop efforts. Edu-commentary is best directed to him (or the Running Dog)...

Mighty Quinn - I hope through base flattery to get him to do movie reviews again. Perhaps he will even tell of his involvment with a Ganett service paper, hmmm? He has been educated in medical ethics, and has an eclectic resume. Similar sharpness of wit to that of Running Dog, and an expertise in port wine...

Inner Prop - We were in the Guard together, deployed to Afghanistan together (I had a cool job, while he got stuck commanding the operations of a large Forward Operating Base) played rugby together in college (although he is a better player than I, knows more about the game, and seems to do waaayyyy better at avoiding injury). He will deploy his anthropology degree and Eagle Scoutness when required.

Ladies and Gentlemen...your MISERABLE DONUTS!

I Love Kebabs

Tim Worstall has a post on some kebab vendors in a spot of trouble. But as soon as I saw the kebab picture, I lost all interest in the story. Mmmm...kebabs....

Insert Head in Noose

After reading Major John's piece about blog partners not doing their part, I was moved to comment. I'll probably get strung up for this, but I hope that my comments will be received as they are offered - in a spirit of genuine friendship and mutual respect. That said...

Y'all are a bunch of right-wing, patriotic, liberal hatin' army guys who have, for better or worse, formed your own clique. As a non-vet, I simply cannot relate to your experience abroad, much less comment intelligently. What you experienced was so profoundly life-altering and alien to my everyday experiences that I am at a loss to add to your discussions. I don't mean to be ungrateful or whiney - I truly appreciate what you did. But at the same time, it's not a conversation I feel qualified (or even worthy) to participate in.

The tricky bit, and here's where I get strung up, is that veterans enjoy a special privilege. You gave years to serve our country. You left families and careers behind to do this. As such you have more than earned the privilege to gripe about 'moonbat' liberals, wimpy peace-nicks, and how biased the media coverage is. Problem is, I can't/won't argue with you. I'm not going to tell someone who spent a year in Iraq that I think the whole war is a clusterf#que. It's a respect thing, I suppose.

Problem is, if I keep letting you guys talk amongst yourselves you're going to end up with a blog that has a very narrow focus and will thus attract a very narrow audience.

So for the record,
- Karl Rove should be shot for revealing the name of a CIA operative.
- George W. Bush started an unjust war in Iraq based on bogus intelligence to take out a guy who stayed in power longer than his father.
- Because of the Iraq business, the justifiable Afghanistan theater was undermanned, undersupplied and underfunded.
- The Patriot Act is an atrocity and one of the bigger victories the terrorist have won.
- The American involvement in Iraq will go down as the most de-stabilizing event in the Middle East since the creation of Israel.
- America didn't get where it is today by 'working harder' or 'being smarter' than everyone else. Go ask a untouchable gutter cleaner in India about who 'works hard' for a living. I won't even get into the 'burden' we must carry if Americans are indeed smarter than everyone else.
- I'm all in favor of limiting every type of civilian fire-arm ownership - especially handguns. Any device designed specifically, and exclusively, for the purpose of killing people should be strictly regulated.
- The death penalty is wrong-headed. I don't approve of any laws that affords the state a right to kill its citizens (especially a state run by George Bush).

Phew, that oughta be enough to get at least a couple comments :-)

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (44)

The leders of the village of Rogmati. We met them at an important town facility...no, not a mosque, but the pharmacy. When we came into town, 3 of them whipped out cell phones and called the others to come meet us. No matter where you go, you cannot avoid cellphones...

Blog Discouragement

While I never expected to put up something that would make Glenn Reynolds bow in page view/visit submission, or have Jeff Goldstein kowtow to my style, I had expected a little more from this blog. Part of it comes from a drop off on my part due to a new job - I am still trying to get a handle on it (hence, no more than the Afghanistan Photo of the day when I sit down at my terminal in the morning, and maybe a brief entry over lunchtime). Also, beyond a few entries from 'Prop - I ain't seen much out of the other Donuteers lately. For example, Running Dog or Tempus can pop in and toss off an entry and they draw more commentary than I get in any two days of entries...so, yes, I am prodding them to put more up on the blog. I asked the others in because they are deuced clever, and have interesting thoughts. The very first entry on this blog mentioned that I am not enough to keep it going...

British Sense of Priority - Advertisment Control

Go over to e-claire and see the British boldly confront...overly attractive men in alcohol advertising!

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (43)

Someone took this one while I was on a humanitarian assistance drop. The only thing that comes to mind when I see this photo is the phrase, "strike a pose"...

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (42)

This is the village of Nar-e-Kalan, near the border of Parwan and Kabul provinces. When we rolled in, kids started appearing from everywhere. I felt like I was with Ringling Bros., not the 3/166th INF...

Boy Scout Leaders Struck by Lightening?

Looks like God is smiting those EVIL Boy Scouts for not accepting in their ranks girls, homosexuals or athiests.

(Actually my condolences go out to the families)

When Your Opponent Looks Vulnerable...Be Sure to Play the Fool?!

Stunts like this remind one why Chicago continues to remain a single party stronghold. Faced with very serious corruption being uncovered in the Chicago Democratic Machine, the Cook County Republican Party reveals itself as an unserious option. To me, Daley did some very good things to start his run as mayor - he got the schools back from the brink (he has wobbled lately, but did start strong) and turned policies toward making Chicago a place people would want to live in again. However, it seems that there has always been a price to pay for this progress. Contracts to the connected and/or donors (ie. the Duff family), and an appetite for taxpayer money has never been sated. A more aggressive US Attorney (of course, being more aggressive than Scott Lazar was...ain't to hard) has started to erode the patronage and corruption in hiring and contracting that has kept the political peace in the city. Should be some fun times ahead - a pity the Republican party offers no serious alternative right now.

See What Happens When I Leave Bagram?

Little bit o' trouble at BAF. My very unofficial sources tell me that a lot of this may be related to labor trouble too.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (41)

"OK, tell him I do think this is an excellent place for a large university - but I am only authorized to help you build a grade school here....What? They say they'll take it? I rather imagined they would..."

Take that, Vodkapundit!

Stephen Green, aka the Vodkapundit, has been known to enjoy a martini or two once in a great while. While I was in Afghanistan, he live "drunkblogged" the Presidential debates. I was most impressed. So here is a belated toast to him and his blog (with Will Collier).

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (40)

Graffiti doesn't bother me that much. However, most of it just plain bores me. Scrawling your name on the wreckage of the old Afghan Air Force is about as creative as picking your teeth. That being said, if you look carefully at the body of the closest aircraft you'll see something I consider a fine piece of commentary..."www.holyducttape.com" - Now that is clever graffiti.

A Realization

Recently I have noticed that I live in a nice house in the suburbs (in a good school district) with my wife and two children, 1 boy and 1 girl. We have a minivan and a sensible 4 door sedan. I have a job that pays well enough and has good benefits. I am on the board of directors of a local women's shelter. I am a Major in the Army National Guard - and I recently came home from a year long deployment to Afghanistan, plus I was healthy and whole. I am a member of my local American Legion post. Both my parents, and my wife's parents are living and in good health...
If I didn't know any better, I'd think the Almighty has decided, personally, to use me as an example of how good it can get. So, this leaves me with one request..If any of you ever catch me bitching about something petty, please find me and slap me upside the head. I'll understand.

That is all.

UPDATE: Oh, I forgot to mention that my friends tend toward being smart, funny and supportive. Plus, some of them have even decided to blog here with me...

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Weekend (XXXIX)

"I tell you Waheed, it gets harder every day to find a parking spot in downtown Charikar."

Gratuitous Afghan Resturant Photo II

This was probably the only Afghan resturant on a US military base in Afghanistan, for a while.

In 2001 the Afghan government found out that the US 82nd Airborne Division was going to establish a base at the site of one of their safehouses. Knowing that the Afghan Militia Forces (AMF) would be working in conjunction with the US to provide security they sent Mr. Aziz (a very poor man) to the new base called Salerno to establish a bakery and provide food for the AMF.

Salerno grew and annexed Aziz's bakery and several abandoned and occupied buildings. Aziz began selling bread to the US troops (unofficially).

In June 04, while I was away in BAF (Bagram Airfield) our engineer officer (who we nicknamed "Buddy-FET") gave the green light for Aziz to renovate this building and start a resturant.

Like a good Chicagoan, I looked the other way, neither condoning nor forbidding the questionable establishment. That is until the Vet Corps officer came in July and told us that he did not have an approved food source and recommended shutting it down. That was all the excuse I needed. I wrote a memo banning US personnel from patronizing the place. The AMF (now renamed a more politically correct: Khowst Provincial Force) were still welcome there.

Today the US has bought Aziz out and he is the manager of what amounts to a convention center with an authentic Afghan atmosphere.

By the way, the sign was a gift from our engineer company who were supposed to be building buildings, roads and such.

And Unto Them a PROP Was Born

I have a new nephew!

With a name like Garrett William he is bound for great proptitude. I can already guess his nickname: The Prez (G-Dubya, get it?).

Congrats to his parents.

Why I read the Gateway Pundit

Gateway Pundit casts a keen eye over the wide world. This summary of Secretary Rice's current trip abroad is why you should look in on that site. Also, be sure to keep scrolling down to meet "Team Saddam".

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXXVIII)

As CSM Mark Bowman pointed out to me, this guy is a complete newcomer to the kabob business. I mean, seriously, his family in Charikar has only been doing it for a mere 300 years. Good luck pal, it's a hard business to get established in.

Now THAT is a weapons cache

Michael Yon gives a terrific account of uncovering and dealing with a large weapons cache in Mosul. And to think I was excited when we got the little one pictured above...sheesh.

[Thanks to the Instapundit, who else?]

Happenings in London

It appears as if things are a poppin' in London. Remember, there are two people you go to when things like this happen. Tim Worstall and Professor Reynolds.

Gratuitous Morning Commute in Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXXVII)

Morning commuters in Charikar, Parwan Province. This is one of the three main paved roads in town, and it runs through a mainly retail/bazaar area.

Where Men Are No Longer Men

I can't believe it! Our beloved Rugby House at UIUC is now (ooh, I almost can't bear to say it) the HQ for the Illini Lacrosse Team.

I guess it could be worse.

That's a dangerous sport. Did you know they give them sticks to hit each other with?

Dear dear 59 East Chalmers, where I met Mrs. Prop (although at that time she was the future Mrs. Loose Forward), where I met Major John, home of the Rugby Museum (about which I wrote a paper and got an A in a 300 level Anthropology course), where I paid rent but never actually lived, where we directed people to look for the "bike in the tree out front" and of course site of many a party.

I would suggest we crash the place next Ole' Boys, but, they have sticks.

Oh heck, I don't care if we break the sticks, let's go aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!

A new "Friend of the Donuts"

This one should make our resident Signal Corps Officer (The Inner Prop) happy, heh heh. It's the Signaleer!

Curse you, Loeb Classical Library!

So I am churning my way through C. Bradford Welles' translation of Diodorus Siculus' books XVI.66-XVII, when what do I see in footnote 5 on page 361-2 of the 1970 reprinting of the 1963 edition?

"The end of Diodorus's year 328/7 and the beginning of 327/6 B.C. have been lost in a long break in the manuscript from which our text derives; it is now the autumn of 327. The Scythian, Bactrian, and Sogdian campaigns are over, with such familiar incidents as the quarrel with Cleitus, the arrest of Callisthenes in connection with the introduction of proscynesis and the Pages' Conspiracy, and the marriage of Roxane (cp. the subject headings in the Table of Contents, pp. 111-113)."

You rotten SOBs. Go hire Indiana Jones or somesuch to find your freakin' missing manuscript pages. I only bought the bloody thing to read about Alexander's Afghan Campaigns! Bah.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXXVI)

Looking from a hill in Parwan into Kapisa Province, on the far side of the Panjshir River.

A Summer Night

Kane County (Illinois) Cougars vs. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - single A ball at it's best. The kids have more fun than a Major League game, the beer is better and cheaper and the parking is free.

Prefix versus Suffix

I just got my new license plates in the mail. The State of Illinois, in their infinite need to spend money, had decided that speciality plates should have suffixes instead of prefixes.

Now, instead of my plate reading: "N10571" it reads: "10571NG."

I see cost here and can't envision where savings or ease could possibly come into play. I tried to google why this was done and couldn't find anything (I am notorously bad at googling though and regardless of what I use to search I end up with photos of someone's dog or a porn site).

I think someone in the Illinois Secretary of State's office got a case of the remodeling bug that seems to be going around (I site as evidence for the bug all the home improvement shows that my wife seems to find while I have similar results searching cable for Rugby as I do with all google attempts).

JUST LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE!

European Knowledge EUphoria

If you want to learn things about the EU (and I mean really interesting and useful things) when you are done on our blog, go to EU Rota and just keep scrolling. That is one seriously cool blog...

Threat to National Security

I took a flight late last week and learned that I am a threat to national security. I was informed by the nice lady at the United counter that I was on the 'No Fly List.' I asked why, but she didn't know. I began to sweat - What had I done? Who did I know? Where had I been? I puckered my anus for the full cavity search as she explained that I had been placed on the TSA's (Transportation Security Administration) "federal watch list." Then the interrogation began:

"What's your birthday?" she queried.
I responded with the proper date.
"OK, you're fine," she smiled. "Go ahead and board."
That was it. I'd threaded the needle of TSA security and got on my plane.

I'm not sure what was more unsettling: finding myself on some Orwellian watch list, or getting off said list by simply supplying my birthdate. Apparently the birthday ruse is one the terrorists haven't yet figured out. They may kill thousands of innocent people on a hijacked plane, but lie about a birthday? Never.

As an epilogue, I shared this with a good friend at the other end of my flight. He laughed, poured me a drink, and admitted that he too had been put on the list and narrowly escaped with the birthday feint. Together over dinner we conspired as wanted men. This friend, by the way, has government security clearence.

Will anyone hear about this on TV?

I had heard about this on the radio, and apparently the USA Today saw fit to print it. Any of us who served over in Afghanistan or Iraq aren't really surprised by this. At Bagram, AF, we ended up having to double the size of the small re-enlistment office on the base in early 2005. I personally renlisted one NCO for 6 years, and she was looking for a 3 year Active tour to boot. Considering how any recruiting shortfall is shouted from the TV screen, I have to wonder if someone like Keith Olbermann will feature this story. Yeah. Right.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Rocket Damage Photo of the Day (XXXV)

107 mm rocket, storage container. Storage container, 107 mm rocket. Hmmm. Doesn't look like a good match after all...

Good On Ya Mates

I just saw this, it sounded great and I wanted to try out some blogging advice I got from Major John this weekend.

I hope I got it right Major J.

I'm Still Here!

Last week my employer, a corporation not to be named, had a major restructuring and about 700 jobs were cut.

I am very happy to report that I am still here and looking forward to doing wonderful things for my corporation to prove that I was worth keeping.

After having been downsized from Motorola and reorganized out of Littelfuse I am very appreciative of being on the correct side of the ballance.

A grateful Prop

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXXIV)

If you are ever shopping for carpets in Kabul, stop in at Haji Qandi Shah on 123 Chicken Street, Shari-Now district and tell 'em I sent you. That's Haji Zabiullah on the right and his younger brother Jaweed on the left.

Back on the Chain Gang

The 'Prop and I had drill this weekend. The first mandatory assembly since our unit got back from Afghanistan. It was good to see some of the people again. I found myself saddened by coming home and realizing that I had worn my Desert Camoflague Uniform (DCUs) for the last time. Back to the green stuff - and if I get deployed again, it will be in the new ACUs. I think I now know how a ball player that hangs an old uniform up for the last time feels...

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Weekend (XXXIV)

We are nothing, if not fair, here at Miserable Donuts. Hence...equal time for the girls from the village of Shaka.

The Illinois Air Force?

Illinois Governor Blagojevic confiscates F-16s from USAF. At least that is what it looks like he is saying. Having a fair amount of experience with the Illinois National Guard, I am fairly certain that those aircraft were provided by the US Air Force. If forced to choose, I would have to say that I'd take Rumsfeld in a stare down with Governor B...

[Thanks to Brian, via the Instapundit]

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXXIII)

I wish the Afghan children would not have been so shy every time I tried to take a picture...This is in the village of Shaka, Parwan Province.

An Afghan News Service

I was a bit surprised to find this outfit. Thanks to Arthur Chrenkoff, I now know another way to keep up on what is going on back in the 'stan.

UPDATE: er...try the link now, it should be English rather than Pashto, heh heh.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXXII)

No, we have yes bananas. A street vendor in Charikar, along the end of the main bazaar street.

The REVOLUTION Kills Kids

"The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not 'insurgents' or 'terrorists' or 'The Enemy.' They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow -- and they will win." So sayeth Michael Moore.

Are you proud of your "Minutemen" today Mr. Moore?

Are you sad that I didn't get blown up while taking the above photo? Or can we call the Taliban and the HIG 'terrorists' or 'The Enemy'.

UPDATE: I have no idea why that picture is coming out distorted. I am still struggling with Blogger Imaging/Photos.

UPDATE II: Fixing the photos was so simple, I outsmarted myself. Sorry about that Blogger...

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXXI)

Stilgar....wormsign! Well, no, not really. Actually it is a semi-abandoned part of a village near Rogmati, Parwan Province. I had never felt so far away from everything, as when I was on this patrol.

Guns, Germs and Steel

Did anyone catch the first hour of "Guns, Germs and Steel" on PBS last night (please excuse reference to 'liberal moonbat' network)? It's based on yet another book I haven't had time to read. Anyhow, it touched on exactly the question raised by Tempus a few weeks back - why did some countries make it to the industrial age while others still hunt and gather? Author's theory was it had to do with the availablity of grain and barley along with domesticate-able animals. Fascinating stuff.

Deploying Blogger

James Ruhland, aka Porphyrogentius is deploying to Iraq soon. He wrote a very kind article, linking to a note I had sent the Instapundit after Pat Tillman was killed (he had come out of Bagram). I exchanged a couple of e-mails with him after that, and learned he was going back into the service after having previously gotten out. He is walking the walk... Take a moment to wish him Godspeed.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXX)

Don't you just hate having a 7.62mm round come through your office ceiling? I know I did.

Awww...Crap!

This is completely inexplicable to me. Beside the usual anti-US, snotty BBC asides that is...

I'd love to explain more about the layout of the area, and how weird this is, but I'm not too keen on facing a court-marshal. So take my vague, non-security clearance breaking word for it, if you please.

More Good News

Arthur's round up of the Good News From Afghanistan is up!

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXIX)

In honor of Dale Jr.'s win at the Chicagoland Speedway... This fellow was some sort of movie star - the crowd told us he was a star of 6 movies made in Pakistan (he was an exile during the Taliban rule). I guess this is what people who dislike the US would point out - he's wearing a freakin' number 3 jacket.

I Have Met the Enemy...and It Has Hooves

#$%&! "My Little Pony Points" are going to expire at the end of July. To be sure, my 4 year old daughter has a veritable herd of these things. But what kind of Dad wouldn't make sure the special limited edition flippin' pony, not to mention various posters, etc., wasn't secured in time? So it is Sunday night at the kitchen table with the order form...

Thank God my wife collected and kept all those little bits of cardboard and packaging while I was gone.

Traffic

What little traffic this site gets is the result of a few things: blogrolling/links from Scribal Terror, Maggie Katzen, et al.; the original pair of Instalanches; people looking here due to comments (and a link) on Protein Wisdom or Trey Jackson's site, and not too darn much else. Thanks to those folks for getting us the visits we have had!

P.S. I know their are others out there who have linked to us here, for example uab, etc. I am just going by the traffic reports I have seen lately. I am grateful for any blogrolling or links.

UPDATE: When I get a bit o' time, I'll be adding a few more blogroll links to friends of the program.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Weekend (XXVIII)

"Hey! Don't get all sleepy now - you were the ones who wanted this meeting in the first place." Nothing like trying to pay attention to an un-airconditioned room full of people speaking Dari and it is 100 degrees out...

How About Some Good News from Afghanistan?

This is very good news. I really hate the HIG, and anything that pulls their teeth is fine by me. When the Afghan government put the amnesty program in place (only for those deemed salvagable) - we knew it would work. But I never expected the HIG to have this many come in from the cold. Now if only ol' Gulbuddin (he's the "G" in "HIG") could get his butt capped...

[Thanks to Captain's Quarters]

UPDATE: I added the "Honk if you're HIG" picture of a patrol I went on.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of a British Atrocity of the Day (XXVII)

Another Anglo-crusader atrocity in the Islamic world...

A British charity builds a bridge for a poor Afghan town. Fanatical Islamists blow Londoners up. Discuss the contrast for 5 points. Note the irony for another 5 points.

News from London

This blog can only steer people toward sources and other sites that are worthwhile for news, at a time like this. Winds of Change is going to dial up on this. Tim Worstall is a massive presence in the British Blogosphere - he will be quite useful today.

As I learn more, I am sure I will have plenty to say. But for now, check out the above links and say a prayer for the dead and injured and their loved ones.

UPDATE: As usual, the Instapundit is an invaluable source of links on this.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXVI)

This vineyard had a .. er, different kind of plant at the end of each row. The guys thought this was hilarious - until I asked them what the narc dog at the gate would do when we got back. They moved away from the plant after that...
I promise, this is the last picture of this nature for a long while - everyone is going to think the Afghans are nothing but druggies!

Terrorists, Real and Imagined

I just got a SF story about terrorists published on anotherealm.org (that's right, .org).

Our prayers go out to the people of London.

IP

Aussie Madness

I think the Opposition Leader in Australia must have taken a rugby boot to the skull. Or maybe somebody bounced a cricket bat off his mellon. Something has to explain this.

[courtesy of Tim Blair]

Fear that Reduceth a Man to a Mere Gibbering Beast

Slowly and steadily, the horror of what I had seen began to erode my sanity... there are some things that Man Was Not Meant To See. (Or Chips That Man Was Not Meant To Make).

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XXV)

By Popular Demand, Abdul "Snoopdog" Satur and Friends. Smoke 'em if you got 'em...[note our RAF friend vainly trying to stay out of the hashish smoke cloud, heh]

Funnel Cloud over Champaign-Urbana

Funnel Cloud, originally uploaded by amiga3000.

I spotted this funnel cloud this morning as I walked from my "South Farms" office to my UIUC campus office.

Blogger is Having It's Usual Difficulties

Folks, I have been trying for hours to get a simple Afghanistan Photo of the day posted on Blogger. Apparently they haven't worked all the bugs out - and Hello has crapped out on me too. I will keep trying, darn itall.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (XIV)

The man, the myth, the legendary beast...Abdul "Snoopdog" Satur. Bahkshkeyl's most famous resident. He was a legendary fighter against the Soviets and later the Taliban. He has since , uh, retired to more relaxing pursuits...

Independence Day Parade - South Elgin, Illinois

Everyone stood up when the veteran's groups marched by. Man, I got chills...

Gratuitous Rocket's Red Glare Photo of the Day (XXIII)

107mm rocket in flight. At least this one was not headed toward us.

I hope everyone who sees this has a safe and enjoyable Independence Day. Don't forget what its all about.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Weekend (XXII)

The finest intel officer in the US Army...and one of her sources.

Nancy Pelosi...WTF?

Read this and ask yourself why Nancy Pelosi has a leadership position in anything greater than the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce. I certainly cannot tell you why.

[thanks to the Instapundit]

What? I Leave the Legal Profession and O'Connor Quits!

Gosh, I didn't know Sandra Day O'Connor cared...But on my last day in the ranks of the lawyers, she decided to hang it up too. SCOTUS Blog is an excellent place to go get some info and commentary. Give 'em a look.

Whither Turkey?

EU Rota (your source o' EU smarts) continues to analyze the possible Turkish entry into the EU. Hypocrisy abounds. I have a simple request for the EU - tell the Turks they will never be let in and to quit trying, or stop stalling and let them in. Simplisme, non?

Gratuitous Afghanistan Picture of the Day (XXI)

"So, you like what I have done with the place?" In honor of Austin Bay, who was recently in this area, the lovely village of Bahkshkeyl.