tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128833762024-03-07T08:08:22.234+03:30The Yankee SailorA U.S. Navy Sailor Blogs About All Things Naval (and a Few Things Not)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.comBlogger333125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1147102199965415522006-05-08T18:59:00.000+03:302006-05-08T18:59:59.980+03:30Light Blogging for a WhileI won't be posting much around here through about the 20th. Finished up my schools in Newport on Friday and am in transit to Japan with the family (with some stops to see family on the way).<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146784386887763972006-05-05T02:38:00.000+03:302006-05-05T02:43:06.906+03:30Fox Shows Signs of SanityMexican President Vicente Fox had a <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20060504-9999-1n4fox.html">moment of sanity</a> today.<br /><br /><blockquote>President Vicente Fox vetoed a controversial bill last night that would have permitted the possession of small quantities of drugs, sending the measure back to Congress after mounting criticism from the United States that his administration was backing away from drug enforcement.<br /><br />Fox refused to sign the bill in hopes of eliminating “any doubt that in our country the possession and consumption of drugs are and will continue being crimes.”<br /><br />Although he did not mention the United States in a statement that his office released last night, Fox's careful wording seemed aimed at concerns raised by U.S. officials over the past few days about Mexico's commitment to fight the drug cartels that smuggle billions of dollars of narcotics across the border.<br /><br />“The Mexican government will have to deepen the fight against drug trafficking,” Fox said. “In no way is it promoting the use of drugs. The objective of the bill is to attack with all the weight of the law the trafficking of narcotics, in particular small-scale trafficking.” </blockquote>Maybe they're further from becoming the <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2006/04/national-security-threat-south-of.html">genuine national security threat</a> I thought. But then, there's still that pesky illegal immigration problem.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146694950296174042006-05-04T01:48:00.000+03:302006-05-04T23:05:19.426+03:3010,000th Visitor Requests Permission to Come AboardVisitor number 10,000 walked up the brow of The Yankee Sailor at 1506 hours zulu time from <a href="http://skylogicnet.it/">skylogicnet.it</a> in Italy and took a tour.<br /><br />Thank you all for taking the time to stop by, come back soon and don't forget to tell your friends about the Sailor.<br /><br />By the way, I showed the eldest Agent of Chaos - HyperBoy, who's now six - the new site and he's given me the best compliment yet: "coooool, guns!"<br /><br />Open posted in <a href="http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/004491.html">Mudville</a> and <a href="http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/005724.html">Castle Argghhh</a>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146693907661485492006-05-04T01:23:00.000+03:302006-05-04T23:04:40.690+03:30Moussaoui Martyrdom PostponedA federal jury decided today <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR2006050300324.html">not to sentence Zacarias Moussaoui to death</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>After seven days of deliberation, the nine men and three women rebuffed the government's appeal for death for the only person charged in this country in the four suicide jetliner hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001.<br /><br />Three jurors said Moussaoui had only limited knowledge of the Sept. 11 plot and three described his role in the attacks as minor, if he had any role at all.</blockquote>If you've been reading for a while, you already know <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2006/04/moussaoui-doesnt-deserve-death.html">I agree</a>. I have been skeptical of how involved Moussaoui was in the actual plotting, because, though better educated he has never struck me as being much brighter than Richard "the Shoe Bomber" Reid." History may tell, but I'm not going to wait with bated breath for an answer.<br /><br />So now, we don't have to read his name in the news for the next decade as appeals play out, and he gets to rot in prison and die an ignoble death (preferably from pork products), rather than getting "rewarded" with martyrdom. Welcome to inglorious anonymity, prisoner number TBD.<br /><br />Smash has <a href="http://www.indepundit.com/archive2/2006/05/moussaoui_sente.html#">different ideas</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146677332921936992006-05-03T18:50:00.000+03:302006-05-03T20:58:53.113+03:30Why You Don't Want a Partitioned IraqA well-known Senator, who's a long-time member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and guy who pitched himself as a "foreign policy expert" in his short-lived presidential campaign, pitched <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/01/AR2006050101221.html">the <span style="font-style: italic;">de facto</span> partitioning of Iraq</a> Monday.<br /><br /><blockquote>In an op-ed essay in [May 1st]'s editions of the New York Times, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) wrote that the idea "is to maintain a united Iraq by decentralizing it, giving each ethno-religious group . . . room to run its own affairs, while leaving the central government in charge of common interests."</blockquote>The plan, basically, would create three quasi-autonomous regions, a Kurdish region in the northeast, a Sunni Arab region in central and western Iraq, and a Shi'a Arab region in southern and eastern Iraq.<br /><br />And, in one fell swoop you would create an oil-rich ally for Iran, a bigger Kurdish problem for staunch U.S. ally Turkey, and a really angry quasi-state of Sunni Arabs living in the resource-poor sands of the west. So, in short, you've poked your friend in the eye, given the Iranians and Syrians just what they want - more friends - and given ethnic and religious militias a better reason to start a no-holds-barred civil war over resources.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146676037022013042006-05-03T18:40:00.000+03:302006-05-04T23:12:35.873+03:30The McCaffrey Report on IraqThere's <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060502-110459-2311r_page2.htm">an important story</a> in the Washington Times today on Gen. Barry McCaffrey's report following a trip to Iraq. The first major point is that the Iraqi Army is coming along, but it will be five to ten more years before they're where they need to be. Mostly equipment deficiencies are credited with the problems (no mention on any <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2006/03/can-america-build-effective-iraqi.html">cultural issues</a>, but that topic is probably way off limits). The second point is that there are big problems with corruption, infiltration and abuse in the intelligence and law enforcement agencies, but then that's not really news.<br /><br />There are, however, some key findings that got pushed to the bottom of the Times' story, but are probably more newsworthy:<br /><br /><ul><li>Foreign fighters led by al Qaeda in Iraq chief Abu Musab Zarqawi "have been defeated as a strategic and operational threat to the creation of an Iraqi government."</li><li>U.S. agency support for the Iraq operation is "grossly inadequate." "The bottom line is that only the CIA and the U.S. Armed Forces are at war." (U.S. officials have told The Washington Times that outdated personnel rules make it difficult to assign civil service workers to Iraq.)</li><li>The command has improved detainee treatment to the point where "we may be in danger of overreaching." Gen. McCaffrey writes, "Many of the [enemy] detainees accuse U.S. soldiers of abuse under the silliest factual situations knowing it will trigger an automatic investigation." </li></ul><br /><br />The Belmont Club's <a href="http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2006/05/mccaffrey-trip-report.html">talking it up</a>, too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146675311865342252006-05-03T18:30:00.000+03:302006-05-03T21:07:42.626+03:30The Focus of Russian Submarine ModernizationI've noted the Russian plan to modernize its submarine fleet <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2006/03/putin-names-fleet-modernization-among.html">before</a>, but a Russian Navy commander <a href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060503/47174899.html">provided the focus</a> yesterday.<br /><br /><blockquote>"We are allocating most funds for construction of new submarines," Admiral Vladimir Masorin told a news conference after a meeting with heads of defense industry companies in the Volga region of Tatarstan. "We should be able to replace strategic submarines with new ones in the near future."<br /><br />He said that the new Bulava ballistic missile had been designed specifically to equip new strategic submarines.<br /><br />Bulava missiles, a sea-based version of the Topol-M, could be deployed on Borey-class nuclear submarines as early as in 2008, a leading missile designer said earlier.<br /><br />Last year, Russia conducted two successful test launches of the Bulava. The first in-flight test launch was conducted on September 27, 2005, from the Dmitry Donskoi, a Typhoon-class ballistic missile submarine.<br /><br />On December 21, 2005, another Bulava was launched from the Dmitry Donskoi in the White Sea before traveling thousands of miles to hit a dummy target on the Kura test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula. It was the first time a Bulava had been launched from a submerged position.</blockquote>A recent article in <a href="http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060301faessay85204-p10/keir-a-lieber-daryl-g-press/the-rise-of-u-s-nuclear-primacy.html">Foreign Affairs</a> provides a quick sketch of the effects of lack of money and attention to the Russia's ballistic missile submarines (and gives you an idea of what a Russian news agency believes is a "successful" test).<br /><br /><blockquote>The third leg of Russia's nuclear triad has weakened the most. Since 2000, Russia's SSBNs have conducted approximately two patrols per year, down from 60 in 1990. (By contrast, the U.S. SSBN patrol rate today is about 40 per year.) Most of the time, all nine of Russia's ballistic missile submarines are sitting in port, where they make easy targets. Moreover, submarines require well-trained crews to be effective. Operating a ballistic missile submarine -- and silently coordinating its operations with surface ships and attack submarines to evade an enemy's forces -- is not simple. Without frequent patrols, the skills of Russian submariners, like the submarines themselves, are decaying. Revealingly, a 2004 test (attended by President Vladimir Putin) of several submarine-launched ballistic missiles was a total fiasco: all either failed to launch or veered off course. The fact that there were similar failures in the summer and fall of 2005 completes this unflattering picture of Russia's nuclear forces.</blockquote>On another note, the Russians may be onto something with their plan for their surface fleet.<br /><br /><blockquote>Masorin also said Russia would continue building small- and medium size surface ships, rather than "huge missile cruisers."<br /><br />"We already have them [the cruisers], and we will keep and modernize them," he said. "But we will continue building ships that are under construction, from small gunboats ... to frigates." </blockquote>Those folks in the Pentagon could use advice like that.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146599326355330402006-05-02T23:10:00.000+03:302006-05-03T00:02:47.426+03:30A Link from Where?!?Over the weekend I had a link picked up by the BuzzTracker at <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/">RealClearPolitics</a> to my post on <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2006/04/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about.html">Darfur</a>, and I thought it was a fluke. Today, my post on <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2006/05/khrushchev-nejad-bangs-his-shoe.html">Iran's latest maneuver</a> gets a link from, of all places, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043000869_Technorati.html">The Washington Post</a>! I know it's an automated thing powered by Technorati, but it's a victory nonetheless.<br /><br />Oh, and I got some nice kudos the other day for my piece on <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2006/04/nuclear-deterrence-in-age-of-terrorism.html">deterring nuclear terrorism</a>, which in a gratuitous fit of self-congratulation I posted at the top left of the page.<br /><br />I guess all that work buffing up my design and layout, cleaning up my code, updating my tags, and trying to get noticed is paying off...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146583379657581832006-05-02T18:30:00.000+03:302006-05-02T18:53:00.636+03:30Still Don't Think the Borders Need Securing?For those that still don't think there's anything wrong with how easy it is to get in America, read <a href="http://www.sierratimes.com/06/05/02/205_188_116_8_38858.htm">this story</a> from the Sierra Times:<br /><br /><blockquote>A 37-year-old Saudi psychiatrist made his initial appearance in federal court in Sacramento, California on Friday to face charges that he traveled to Vallejo, California, on Thursday to sexually molest a two-and-a-half-year-old girl after exchanging numerous emails with an undercover agent posing as the toddler's father.<br /><br />Nabil Al Rowais, who entered the United States on a nonimmigrant visa issued in Canada, was arrested Thursday night by agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as with the California Bureau of Investigation at a motel in Vallejo, California.<br />...<br />According to the affidavit filed in the case, an undercover agent posing as the father of a toddler daughter exchanged numerous emails with Al Rowais in which the suspect expressed a desire to travel to California to sexually molest the child. When the suspect, who claims to be a practicing psychiatrist, arrived at the Vallejo motel for the agreed upon meeting yesterday evening, he was taken into custody. The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.</blockquote>Now that's sick. What to do with people like this? Something involving a millstone and the sea comes to mind. After all, he probably came to America to feed his perversions because he knew the Saudis would seperate his head from his body if he did it there.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146525907233912792006-05-02T02:19:00.000+03:302006-05-03T03:08:17.403+03:30Khrushchev-nejad Bangs His ShoeIran's President Ahmadinejad <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060501/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_iran&printer=1;_ylt=ApBcn8AtDq7EQPqfK82lei0UewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-">banged his shoe at the U.N.</a> today and demanded the body take action against the U.S. for not ruling out nuclear strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.<br /><br /><blockquote>In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan obtained by The Associated Press, Iran's U.N. Ambassador Javad Zarif called President Bush's refusal April 18 to rule out a U.S. nuclear strike on Iran and a similar follow-up statement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "illegal and insolent threats."</blockquote>Of course, just three days ago, Khrushchev-nejad <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/710734.html">said the following</a> about his country's respect for U.N. resolutions:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Those who want to prevent Iranians from obtaining their right, should know that we do not give a damn about such resolutions," Ahmadinejad told a rally in northwest Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported.</blockquote>Ah, hypocrisy. On another note, it's uncanny how much it feels like we're on the brink of another Cold War. An ascendent totalitarian state, presumed to be a threat, begins to arm and exert its influence throughout its neighborhood. The free world notes the build-up and the dangerous ideology of the state and resolves to do something. However, the free world is unable to back up its diplomacy and take any substantive action because of other commitments. In the end, the dictators get what they want, and the West is left with only decades of political maneuvering ahead.<br /><br />There's a powerful cultural component in the Middle East that makes diplomacy exceedingly difficult, particularly when the issue is contentious. David Ignatius <a href="http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/04/30/opinion/letters/doc4452abbb7b993425066297.txt">recently commented on it</a>, and it's playing a divisive role in the non-negotiations between Iran and the U.S. Iran can't back down, or even discuss backing down, without looking weak. So, we in the West either have to find an option that saves face for the Iranians (and looks like <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043000869.html">appeasement</a>) or commit to an overextended hot war or another drawn out Cold War of lesser dimensions. We have crossed a line, I fear, and without the West resorting to military force, Iran will get their bomb.<br /><br />Trackbacked to <a href="http://wizbangblog.com/2006/05/02/iran-causing-more-problems.php">Wizbang</a>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146499434456804652006-05-01T18:30:00.000+03:302006-05-01T19:39:01.990+03:30Why You Should Read Bernard LewisThere's a worthwhile <a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008313">tribute to Bernard Lewis</a> by Fouad Ajami in <em>Opinion Journal</em> today that all students of the Middle East and our relationship with that region should read. I've sung Bernard Lewis' praises before in comments here and there, but Dr. Ajami thoroughly and eloquently sums up the value of Lewis' work.<br /><br /><blockquote>In the normal course of things, America is not a country given to excessive deference to historians and to the claims of history, for the past is truly a foreign country here. But the past quarter century was no normal time, and Mr. Lewis no typical historian. ... He is, through and through, a man of public affairs. He saw the coming of a war, a great civilizational struggle, and was to show no timidity about the facts of this war. "I'll teach you differences," Kent says to Lear. And Mr. Lewis has been teaching us differences. He knew Islam's splendor and its periods of enlightenment; he had celebrated the "dignity and meaning" it gave to "drab impoverished lives." He would not hesitate, then, to look into--and to name--the darkness and the rage that have overcome so many of its adherents in recent times.</blockquote>Lewis' essay, <a href="http://catholiceducation.org/articles/history/world/wh0067.html">The Roots of Muslim Rage</a> (1990) can be said to have been the first distant clarion call of impending struggle. Huntington merely became famous for quoting Lewis. Additionally, while many in the policy communities of the West know his value and judgement, even those who Lewis examines - and names as a threat - respect him.<br /><br /><blockquote>The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which once translated one of Mr. Lewis's books into Arabic, said that his book was "the work of a candid friend or an honest enemy." Either way, the Brotherhood said, it was the work of "someone who disdains falsification." </blockquote>And, In classic, understated Lewis style, he may very well have predicted the domestic struggles we're seeing play out today in America and Western Europe:<br /><br /><blockquote>In one of his many splendid books, "Cultures in Conflict: Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the Age of Discovery," [Lewis] gave voice to both his fears and to his faith. "It may be that Western culture will indeed go: The lack of conviction of many of those who should be its defenders and the passionate intensity of its accusers may well join to complete its destruction."</blockquote>If you've read Lewis and have looked around, you probably see clearly why we must all work with renewed committment to ensure that this Sage of Princeton is, this time at least, wrong. And, if you're not reading Lewis already, you should start. Soon.<br /><br />Trackbacked in <a href="http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/004478.html">Mudville</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146445055826505642006-05-01T04:20:00.000+03:302006-05-01T05:09:37.773+03:30The Final Word on Courts-Martial for RetireesIn a <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2006/04/courts-martial-for-retired-officers.html">previous post</a> I discussed the folly of recalling retired generals to prosecute them under the UCMJ for criticizing the Secretary of Defense. I still stand by my position that it's a bad idea, but I ran across an interesting item that should settle the debate about whether it can be done.<br /><br />And the answer is, for the Navy at least, been there, done that. From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selden_G._Hooper">Wikipedia</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Selden G. Hooper (25 December 1904 – 7 February 1976) was the only Admiral of the United States Navy to be convicted by court-martial.<br /><br />Hooper was the commissioning commanding officer of the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Uhlmann (DD-687).<br /><br />In U.S. V. Hooper, 26 CMR 417 (CMA, 1958), Hooper was tried by general court-martial for sodomy, conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the Armed Forces, and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Hooper had retired as a Rear Admiral in 1950, and the acts for which he was tried were committed after he had retired. The defence questioned the military court's jurisdiction, but the court explained that "retired personnel are a part of the land or naval forces."</span> The military retiree, then, is not simply a civilian. The court held that the admiral was "a part of the military forces of this country." He was described as "an officer of the Navy of the United States, entitled to wear the uniform and to draw pay as such." He was convicted and sentenced to dismissal and total forfeitures.<br /><br />Hooper was the only flag officer of the US Navy to be convicted by court-martial, and strictly speaking, the only Navy flag officer to ever be tried by court-martial. In 1995 Everett L. Greene was acquitted of sexual harassment and other related charges; he had been selected for promotion to Rear Admiral but was still a Captain when he was tried.</blockquote>Q.E.D. To paraphrase the court, so long as you take the King's shilling, you're the King's Man. Now, can we please get back to more important things?<br /><br />Oh, by the way, I've updated the <a href="http://yankeesailor.blogspot.com/2005/06/milbloggers-rules-of-engagement.html">Milblogger's Rules</a> to reflect the vulnerability of retirees.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146432707640697252006-05-01T00:52:00.000+03:302006-05-01T01:02:24.106+03:30The National Security Threat South of the BorderI now fully grasp just how powerful the drug cartels are in <a href="http://www.kfmb.com/stories/story.48361.html">Mexico</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>Mexicans would be allowed to possess small amounts of cocaine, heroin, even ecstasy for their personal use under a bill approved by lawmakers that some worry could prove to be a lure to young Americans.<br /><br />The bill now only needs President Vicente Fox's signature to become law and that does not appear to be an obstacle. His office said that decriminalizing drugs will free up police to focus on major dealers.<br /><br />"This law gives police and prosecutors better legal tools to combat drug crimes that do so much damage to our youth and children," said Fox's spokesman, Ruben Aguilar.<br />...<br />Police would no longer bother with possession of up to 25 milligrams of heroin, 5 grams of marijuana (about one-fifth of an ounce, or about four joints), or 0.5 grams of cocaine _ the equivalent of about 4 "lines," or half the standard street-sale quantity.<br /><br />The law lays out allowable quantities for a large array of other drugs, including LSD, MDA, MDMA (ecstasy, about two pills' worth), and amphetamines.</blockquote>First, we need to build our own little Maginot Line on the U.S.-Mexican border, then we need to start pushing for a little peaceful regime change in our misguided neighbor to the south.<br /><br />Hat tip, <a href="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/174407.php">Jawa</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146428966548637652006-04-30T23:57:00.000+03:302006-05-01T00:02:18.466+03:30Ummm.....Surface Warriors have been known to ground a ship now and then, but <a href="http://lubbers-line.blogspot.com/2006/04/uss-batfish-ss-310-museum-boat-photos.html">nothing like this</a>.<br /><br />I bet that captain didn't get a band at his change-of-command....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146428790002751152006-04-30T23:48:00.000+03:302006-05-01T00:01:34.356+03:30Everything You Wanted to Know About Darfur<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7972/1111/1600/darfur.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7972/1111/200/darfur.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>...and a few things you didn't. There's a big march (okay, it's only 10-15,000 people) scheduled today to try and <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060430/ap_on_re_us/us_sudan;_ylt=AjWe.fLAaS5edZLrJGojphes0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MjBwMWtkBHNlYwM3MTg-">bring some attention</a> to what's going on in Darfur. If you don't know what's going on there, here's a snapshot:<br /><br /><blockquote>Rebels from the Darfur region of western Sudan are dissatisfied with a proposed peace settlement, rebel leaders said Friday, as global pressure built for them to strike a deal with the Sudanese government by a Sunday deadline.<br /><br />Mediators from the African Union have proposed a draft agreement aimed at ending a three-year-old conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead and forced 2 million to flee to refugee camps in Darfur and neighboring Chad. The draft addresses security, power-sharing and the division of wealth.</blockquote>If you want to know more, visit <a href="http://">Live from the FDNF</a>. He's been following the situation for a long time and has some great info and commentary.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146364975304958462006-04-30T06:11:00.000+03:302006-04-30T10:02:13.883+03:30Death to the Float Drop!For those of you returning visitors browsing with Firefox or Mozilla, you'll notice that I fixed the float drop problem and the page is (finally) rendering correctly.<br /><br />I shuffled the code around to speed things up a bit for everyone, too.<br /><br />Please, hold your applause....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146352677065565882006-04-30T02:42:00.000+03:302006-04-30T02:51:33.833+03:30Welcome New Readers!Welcome aboard the Yankee Sailor, all of you who've clicked through from <a href="http://www.proteinwisdom.com/index.php/weblog/entry/20235/">Protein Wisdom</a>, <a href="http://stoptheaclu.com/archives/2006/04/28/nuclear-wake-up-call/">Stop the ACLU</a> and <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/buzztracker/">Real Clear Politics</a>. Take your time, have a look around and come back soon.<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">JUST DON'T STAND IN FRONT OF THE GUNS!</span></div><div align="center"> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146327257296111082006-04-29T19:27:00.000+03:302006-04-29T21:07:29.400+03:30The (Original) Star-Spangled BannerWith all the hubub over a Spanish version of the U.S. national anthem (Technorati logged <a href="http://www.technorati.com/chart/national%20anthem?chartdays=7&language=n&authority=n">over 1,400 posts</a> on the subject yeserday), I though I'd repost the lyrics here in their entirety. Please, as you read them, note two things: 1) what language you're reading, and 2) all the rather un-PC language about God, conquest and national survival in the parts that don't make it into common usage.<br /><br /><blockquote>Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,<br />What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?<br />Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,<br />O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?<br />And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,<br />Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.<br />O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave<br />O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?<br /><br />On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,<br />Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,<br />What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,<br />As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?<br />Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,<br />In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:<br />'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave<br />O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!<br /><br />And where is that band who so vauntingly swore<br />That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion<br />A home and a country should leave us no more?<br />Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.<br />No refuge could save the hireling and slave<br />From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:<br />And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave<br />O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.<br /><br />O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,<br />Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;<br />Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land<br />Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!<br />Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,<br />And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"<br />And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave<br />O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!</blockquote>I don't normally get into the public outcry game, but for this I'll make an exception. How about all bloggers that remember what the national anthem really stands for post these lyrics in their entirety over the next week or so?<br /><br />Go ahead, you can do it.<br /><br />Trackbacked to <a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2006/04/otb_caption_jamtm-46/">OTB</a> and the <a href="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/174220.php">Jawa Report</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146325515158844492006-04-29T18:52:00.000+03:302006-05-01T19:46:23.580+03:30I Just Have to LaughMessage number three in recent weeks from the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060429/ap_on_re_mi_ea/qaida_video">Murderous Mohammedan Moonbats</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>The U.S. military has only seen "loss, disaster and misfortune" in Iraq, al-Qaida's No. 2 said, in a video message that a U.S. official deemed part of a propaganda campaign to demonstrate the terror network's relevancy.<br /><br />The video by Ayman al-Zawahri, posted on an Islamic militant Web forum Saturday, came within the same week as an audiotape by Osama bin Laden and a video by the head of al-Qaida's branch in Iraq - a volley of messages by the group's most prominent figures.<br /><br />Al-Zawahri, an Egyptian militant believed to be hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan, also denounced the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq as "traitors" and called on Muslims to rise up to "confront them."<br /><br />He said that U.S. and British forces in Iraq had bogged down in Iraq and "have achieved nothing but loss, disaster and misfortune."<br /><br />Al-Qaida in Iraq "alone has carried out 800 martyrdom operations (suicide attacks) in three years, besides the sacrifices of the other mujahedeen, and this is what has broken the back of American in Iraq," al-Zawahri said.</blockquote>Let's look at the evidence:<br /><ul><li>The Al-Qaida leadership has been in fear of their lives and hiding in holes for the last four years. </li><li>Al-Qaida has only managed a handful of major attacks since 9/11.</li><li>Al-Qaida has executed zero operations in the territory of the United States, their main enemy, since 9/11.</li><li>Al-Qaida recently fired their top commander in Iraq, al-Zarqawi, for mishandling the Iraq campaign.</li><li>And, Al-Qaida has recently shifted its strategic focus to Sudan and Israel, effectively ceding the battlefield of Iraq to the Coalition, </li></ul>And it's <em>our</em> back that's been broken? Talk about failure of analysis! I think it's time for all the "retired" terrorist leaders to call for bin Laden's resignation.<br /><br />On a more serious note, this upswing in messages could mean one of two things. Either bin Laden and his boys know that they're in trouble with the Arab street and are in the midst of a massive PR campaign to shore up support, or they're busily sending messages and another significant attack is nearing execution. Let's hope it's the former and not the latter.<br /><br />Trackbacked to <a href="http://stoptheaclu.com/archives/2006/04/28/al-zawahiri-claims-al-qaeda-in-iraq-broke-the-back-of-us-military/">Stop the ACLU</a> and <a href="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/174533.php">The Jawa Report</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146323941606110432006-04-29T18:42:00.000+03:302006-04-29T19:20:22.860+03:30You Think We've Got "Big Brother" Problems....Pubs in Britain <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060428/od_afp/britaindrinktechnology_060428151148">scanning customers' fingerprints</a> to control access.<br /><br /><blockquote>Revellers in a British town are to have their fingerprints scanned when they enter pubs and clubs in a scheme aimed at weeding out drunken troublemakers.<br /><br />The "In Touch" project is the first of its kind in Britain.<br /><br />Biometric finger-scanning machines have been installed at six venues in Yeovil, southwest England. Clubbers will be asked to have their right index finger scanned and show picture identification to register on the system.<br /><br />The data is then stored on a computer network which other pubs and clubs in the scheme can access so that information on louts can be passed on quickly.<br /><br />"It will identify those who have previously been intent on causing trouble," said Sergeant Jackie Gold, of Avon and Somerset Police.</blockquote>Now that's scary.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1145462752001399332006-04-28T18:50:00.000+03:302006-04-28T21:28:54.376+03:30Courts-Martial for Retired OfficersMuch thought and ink has been expended of late on the subject of retired military officers speaking their minds on political issues and criticizing the Secretary of Defense. As the debate raged on, this Sailor remained silent because we're only talking about a handful of the over 8,000 retired admirals and generals still on the payroll. Six of 8,000 does not exactly make for a serious mutiny, and that's something a good Chief Petty Officer should be able to put down. So, I let the shouting rage around me and pretended to ignore it, until that is, I really started thinking about it.<br /><br />Yes, as Fred Kaplan so <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2140616/?nav=ais">thoroughly explains</a>, retired officers still receiving pay remain subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and are still subject to the punitive authority of the Secretary of Defense and President. I suppose the rationale for keeping this legal authority in effect after retirement is to prevent high-profile or large groups of retired officers from undermining the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and other high-ranking civilian leaders. It's a civilian control of the military and checks and balances issue, the argument goes. And, that seems to be a completely reasonable goal, to me.<br /><br />But as retired officers, they aren't subject to the orders of SecDef or the President unless and until they're recalled to active duty, so they're not being disobedient now. In addition, there's no evidence any one of these fine officers ever failed significantly to execute their duties, even when they claim they were in disagreement with the policy. So how, exactly, is civilian control and good order and discipline impacted? Not much, I'd say.<br /><br />However, if you're one of those who is truly committed to punishing retired officers for calling on Rumsfeld to step aside, then you've got my "go ahead." And I'll even tell you who the first defendent should be: Rep. John Murtha for <a href="http://www.wjactv.com/news/8826946/detail.html?rss=john&psp=news">calling on Sec. Rumsfeld to step down</a>. He is, though retired, still an officer and collecting pay, is he not?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146236290907367482006-04-28T18:40:00.000+03:302006-04-28T18:28:10.906+03:30First Littoral Combat Ships Going to San DiegoThe first four <a href="http://peoships.crane.navy.mil/lcs/">LCS</a>s are headed for <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/sddt/20060428/lo_sddt/navysnewestshipstocallsandiegohome">San Diego</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>San Diego will be home to the newest members of the Navy's fleet of surface ships, the military announced Thursday. Four Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) -- the first in a series of agile, highly adaptable vessels -- will be docked at Naval Station San Diego beginning early next year.<br /><br />San Diego was chosen as the initial homeport because of the Navy's increased emphasis on the Pacific theater, as determined by the latest Quadrennial Defense Review.<br /><br />"Homeporting the first four ships in San Diego will enable us to establish synergy between the ships and with local commands," said Vice Adm. Terry Etnyre, commander, Naval Surface Forces, based in Coronado. "With the Undersea Warfare Command here in San Diego and the Mine Warfare Command moving here soon, the undersea warfare and mine warfare mission packages will have direct coordination and representation locally."</blockquote>Fortunately, when and if I screen for command, there'll be enough of them in the fleet that moving to San Diego won't be the only opportunity to command one of these.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146235975852801152006-04-28T18:30:00.000+03:302006-04-28T18:29:08.166+03:30Standby for Heavy RollsPresident Bush <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060428/ts_nm/security_dubai_bush_dc">approved the purchase</a> of a British defense firm with U.S. facilities by a Dubai company.<br /><br /><blockquote>President George W. Bush approved Dubai's $1.24 billion takeover of Doncasters, a British engineering company with U.S. plants that supply the Pentagon, the White House said on Friday.<br /><br />The decision, announced by White House spokesman Scott McClellan, followed a congressional uproar over security fears that scuttled another Dubai state-owned company's plan to acquire operations at major U.S. ports.<br /><br />The interagency Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States sent its confidential recommendation on the Dubai takeover of Doncasters to Bush on April 13.<br /><br />"The president this morning accepted the committee's recommendation," McClellan said. "The committee recommended approval of the transaction after closely scrutinizing it and concluding that it would not compromise our national security."</blockquote>I expect the reaction will be swift in the blogosphere, and the deal will get methodically picked apart in the near future.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1144357217673596552006-04-28T13:30:00.000+03:302006-04-29T05:17:28.573+03:30Nuclear Deterrence in the Age of TerrorismThe end of the Cold War brought about an initial euphoria that the threat of nuclear annihilation had dissipated and dramatic changes in the deterrence postures of the major powers could be enacted. Time, though, has shown that prevailing doctrines of nuclear deterrence are essentially unchanged between the major powers. The change that has created a need for further development of nuclear deterrence doctrine in the last fifteen years, however, is the appearance of nations with small nuclear forces (SNF) and non-state actors pursuing nuclear capability.<br /><br />From the start of the 20th Century to the beginning of WWII, deterrence relied upon conventional arms races and preventive war. The German pre-WWI posture serves as an excellent example. The Germans relied on starting a preventive war against Russia and France to prevent being attacked itself. The Germans could see they were gradually being eclipsed by French and Russian military power and believed war was inevitable, so Germany chose to fight while they were still relatively strong. Similar thinking is documented in Germany and Japan at the start of the Second World War.<br /><br />Later, following the advent of atomic weapons, theories of nuclear deterrence arose. Of these theories, there were two major schools of thought: 1) deterrence by punishment – retaliation against population centers in the event of an attack, and 2) deterrence by denial – successful first strike against an opponent’s arsenal. The U.S. and Russia pursued both strategies at one time and another. A third theory, existential deterrence, emerged following the Cuban missile crisis and argued it was the fear of nuclear war that made deterrence work and resulted in a “tradition of non-use.” These theories worked well to prevent nuclear conflict and direct confrontation between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., but as McGeorge Bundy pointed out in <em>The Unimpressive Record of Atomic Diplomacy</em>, this nuclear stalemate did little to prevent any of the large number of proxy wars between the two superpowers.<br /><br />As stated before, it seems little has changed in the postures of the major nuclear powers, despite the end of the Cold War and emerging American nuclear primacy. Surely, the U.S. and Russia have dramatically cut their stockpiles since the end of the Cold War and have removed tactical nuclear weapons from forward bases and deployed ships and submarines, but both nations maintain strategic missile submarines (as do the Chinese, French and British), the U.S. and Russia still maintain large stockpiles, and strategic forces remain on high alert. In addition, the U.S. is also pursuing a long term program for anti-ballistic missile defense. Finally, ongoing unilateral disarmament efforts by the U.S. and Russia have not deterred nations like India, Pakistan, N. Korea and Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, and China from expanding its strategic forces.<br /><br />Going forward into the 21st Century, however, a number of changes in the balance of nuclear power have resulted in doubts about the utility of current doctrines of nuclear deterrence. Today there are three major challenges to future nuclear deterrence: 1) the small nuclear forces of new atomic states, 2) anti-state or non-state actors, and 3) return of preventive war as an acceptable deterrence doctrine.<br /><br />In the case of nations possessing small nuclear forces (SNF), like Pakistan and India, the applicability of traditional theories of deterrence are shaky at best. Deterrence by denial by a SNF is useless against opponents with LNF, and against other SNF powers the applicability depends upon many other factors, like intelligence, delivery and early warning systems. Deterrence by punishment, again, may be effective against other SNF states, but against LNF states it has minimal value. And existential deterrence’s effectiveness depends heavily on the cultural and religious values of the SNF state, and might be impossible to quantify.<br /><br />The dangers posed by antistate actors in the nuclear balance of power are even more troubling. Deterrence is based on reason, and while states are generally “rational actors”, terrorist organizations (essentially “anti-state” actors) are often “irrational actors.” States have stable political and military systems and organizations, with checks and balances, populations, territory and resources to protect, and have a vested interest in being rational and predictable. Anti-state actors, however, have none of these elements, usually possess radical political or religious ideologies, and often take pride in their unpredictability and willingness to escalate conflicts.<br /><br />Complicating this is the fact that anti-state actors also work to destabilize the very systems and organizations that make state actors rational. In <em>The Stability of Nuclear Deterrence in South Asia: The Clash Between State and Antistate Actors</em>, Mohan Malik concludes that South Asia is particularly vulnerable to the influence of anti-state actors, as the nations in the region have yet to fully develop the checks and balances in their political systems and mature, redundant controls over their arsenals.<br /><br />There appears to be some progress with respect to the SNF problems. India has made gains in stabilizing and securing their arsenal to address the dangers of SNF and anti-state actors as an example to other new nuclear powers. First, India has adopted a strict policy of no first use. Second, India asserts that it will not resort to nukes against non-nuclear and non-aligned states. India’s current doctrine is focused on denial by punishment, and they are pursuing a triad of air, land and sea based systems to ensure second strike capability. Third, India has enforced strict civilian control by democratically elected leaders through a survivable command and control system, and their arsenal is protected by adequate security and safety systems to prevent unauthorized use. And fourth, though India will not accept limitations on its maintenance, testing and R&D, its stated goal is to continue to emphasize and pursue global nuclear disarmament.<br /><br />Where no progress has been made is with regard to the irrational state and anti-state actors. The Bush Administration’s doctrine of preemptive war was intended as a step towards addressing the new security threats, but there are many dangers inherent in this approach. With the invasion of Iraq the Global War on Terror became as much a war of counterproliferation as a war on terrorism.<br /><br />In the past nonproliferation and counterproliferation entailed diplomacy, sanctions, deterrence, defenses and the capacity to strike at another nation’s nuclear arsenal, command and control and delivery systems. This shift is a tacit acknowledgement that the Non-Proliferation Treaty does not guarantee a nation will not develop or acquire nuclear arms. Deterrence now, at least for the time being, has broadened to include not just deterring a nuclear state from using their weapons, but also includes preventing non-nuclear states and non-state actors from acquiring nuclear weapons. And in the case of Iran, this approach appears to be failing. Indeed, the Bush Doctrine and preoccupation of America’s conventional military on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan may have actually had the opposite effect and accelerated development efforts by states that were already pursuing nuclear weapons.<br /><br />All of which begs the question: where do America and nuclear deterrence go from here? The current global security situation has been and will continue to be a challenge to large and small powers alike. Major powers are confronted with threats that their vast arsenals appear useless to deter, and are reverting to risky, offensive doctrines of the past. In response, small powers and anti-state actors are deciding to pursue nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in attempts to deter a major power they believe is an irrational, uncontrollable threat.<br /><br />So, with the vexing problem of anti-state actors rendering deterrence by denial and existential deterrence dead letters, deterrence by punishment seems to be the only remaining option for America. This would entail warning the most likely cooperative sources of a terrorist bomb or bomb technology - Iran, Pakistan and North Korea – that if an unexplained nuclear detonation takes place on the territory of the United States, Tehran, Islamabad and Pyongyang would pay a heavy price. Ten years ago this kind of policy would have been unthinkable, but the brave new world of atomic proliferation seems to demand it.<br /><br />Smash <a href="http://www.indepundit.com/archive2/2006/04/iran_doesnt_giv.html#">gets it</a>, too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12883376.post-1146159970485083112006-04-27T18:30:00.000+03:302006-04-28T01:25:00.866+03:30Italy to Get the "Spanish Treatment?"Thus far, staunch U.S. ally Italy has managed to avoid or prevent any major terrorist attacks on its soil or forces in Iraq. That <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060427/ap_on_re_eu/italy_iraq&printer=1;_ylt=AuITSZZgWc1Myty2e2TUglxbbBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-">may be changing</a> with the upcoming change of government in Italy, however.<br /><br /><blockquote>A bomb blast rocked an Italian convoy on a road in southern Iraq on Thursday, killing four people — three Italian soldiers and one from Romania, the Defense Ministry said.<br /><br />An officer with the Carabinieri was seriously wounded and was taken to a U.S. hospital about 93 miles from Kuwait City, Defense Minister Antonio Martino said.<br /><br />The roadside bomb targeted a four-vehicle convoy carrying 17 troops to relieve those at the local Iraqi police station in the city of Nasiriyah.<br /><br />Romano Prodi, who will head the next Italian government, said he had no plans to speed up Italy's withdrawal because of the bombing. Prodi had opposed the war and has pledged to bring Italian troops home by the end of the year.<br /><br />"Our position is not changed," Prodi said at a news conference at his coalition's headquarters. "We've discussed it with the whole coalition."<br /><br />Prodi's extreme left coalition allies seized on the news to criticize Premier Silvio Berlusconi's decision to send troops to Iraq and to demand a quicker withdrawal.</blockquote>Could the terrorists, noticing a leftist government on the eve of taking power, be turning up the heat in Italy to get Italians to demand the withdrawl of its troops in Iraq? After all, if it worked on Spain, why wouldn't it work on Italy, too? Don't be surprised if we read more about dead Italians in the coming weeks and months.<br /><br />Open trackbacked to <a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2006/04/beltway_traffic_jam-226/">OTB</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306302426740657411noreply@blogger.com0