Ellie and Her New Basket

I went to Michaels yesterday to buy Ellie a new toybasket.

I don't think she understands how a toy basketworks. She's not so smart. :)

Yes, she has a thing with toy baskets.
Karen

Another Edition of Modern Machinery Magazine

Shasta Dam, California

The Santa Ana River, California

Fairmont Creamery Company, Oklahoma
Domenigoni Valley Reservoir, California

Bonneville Dam, Oregon

Another Addition of Modern Machinery Magazine

Did you Forget?

Instead of Fire Pictures,

How About Dams and Abandoned Factories?

America Could Have Killed Usama bin Laden

America Could Have Killed Usama bin Laden — But Didn't

By Col. David Hunt

Because there is no shortage of things to yell about regarding the War on Terror, Iraq, Afghanistan, Homeland Security, and so on, deciding what to write about is always fun.

This week, I was going to yell about how the Bush administration leaked classified information — again — but we've been there before. Then, I thought I might write about Blackwater, but compared to so many things, Blackwater looks like back water.

I bet the few of you that read this stuff thought I would write about my short stint in the sights of those who complained or used my column last week for their own purposes. Nah, it ain't going to happen. Those who were yelling or using me on their TV shows — without bringing me on to comment — are hardly worth the print space. I am not that big a deal. Besides, these things are of little consequence when you realize how we missed, squandered, screwed up, made a mess of and were massively risk adverse — again — when we did not kill Usama bin Laden in Afghanistan just two short months ago.

We know, with a 70 percent level of certainty — which is huge in the world of intelligence — that in August of 2007, bin Laden was in a convoy headed south from Tora Bora. We had his butt, on camera, on satellite. We were listening to his conversations. We had the world’s best hunters/killers — Seal Team 6 — nearby. We had the world class Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) coordinating with the CIA and other agencies. We had unmanned drones overhead with missiles on their wings; we had the best Air Force on the planet, begging to drop one on the terrorist. We had him in our sights; we had done it. Nice job again guys — now, pull the damn trigger.

Unbelievably, and in my opinion, criminally, we did not kill Usama bin Laden. You cannot make this crap up; truth is always stranger and more telling than fiction. Our government, the current administration and yes, our military leaders included, failed to kill bin Laden for no other reason than incompetence.

The current “boneheads” in charge will tell you all day long that we are fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan to stop terrorists there so they do not come here. Nice talk, how about — just for a moment — acting like you mean what you say? You know walk the walk. These incidents, where we displayed a total lack of guts, like the one in August, are just too prevalent. The United States of America’s political and military leadership has, on at least three separate occasions, chosen not capture or kill bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahri. We have allowed Pakistan to become a safe haven for Al Qaeda. We have allowed Al Qaeda to reconstitute, partially because of money they (Al Qaeda in Iraq) have been sending to Al Qaeda in Pakistan.

We are in a war with terrorists. We are in a war with countries that support terrorists. We are in a war with people that fly planes into buildings and who never, ever hesitate to pull the trigger when given the chance to kill us. We cannot win and, I will tell you this now, we are losing this war every damn time we fail to take every single opportunity to kill murderers like Usama bin Laden. Less than two months ago, we lost again.

Our men and women are being blown up and killed every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every family who is separated from a loved one during this war is being insulted by our government when they fail to kill those who have already killed us and will not hesitate to do so again and again. Damn it guys, PULL THE DAMN TRIGGER.

Oremus

Out of curiosity, I got up very early this morning and attended a Latin mass held at a local church by the Norbertines. I have to say, I was fascinated. Despite growing up regularly attending mass--and even having attended masses in Irish and Spanish, I did not "catch" as much as I thought I would! See, it wasn't just in Latin---the Tridentine service is a different service all together from what I'm used to. Fortunately, booklets were passed out before mass from Una Voce, which helped quite a bit, but I really had to pay attention, not just to the Latin, but also to the silence--and the bells. The priest faced the altar for most of the mass, and communion was distributed to us while we were kneeling. I was quite surprised that not only the prayers, but all the readings were all in Latin (Deo Gratis for the translations!--yes, speaking Latin already!) Frankly, it was the best homily I've heard in a long time (not counting you, Fr. F!) about sins of speech and how we hurt and deceive one another so easily with our words. And I have to say, it was lovely and sacred in a way "regular" masses are not.

I did not wear a head covering, though most of the women did. I brought a scarf with me, just in case, but everyone was wearing those lovely mantillas, so I didn't pull mine out. At any rate, I have to admit that I'm not sure how I feel about head coverings for women. (But the mantillas are so beautiful--I might be talked into it!)

I'm very intrigued. I'm fascinated to learn where we as Catholics have come from. It was easy to see where misunderstandings could occur in a service where so much is said in a different language, or not said aloud at all! (Again, thanks be to God for the booklet that so thoroughly explained everything!) I would like to take James sometime, and make this a part of our understanding of our faith. I'm curious to know what he will think!

DC Adventures 2007

Fall Flowers at Monticello

Marching Band at Williamsburg

World War II Memorial

All-Service Honor Guard at Arlington

James & I just returned from a whirlwind 5-day trip with the 8th grade to Washington D.C., where we saw many amazing things! The weather was absolutely perfect, and the fall colors were starting to appear. There were NO CROWDS. It was wonderful.

Highlights included Jamestown, Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Monticello, Mount Vernon, the Smithsonian, the Capitol building, Arlington National Cemetery and many monuments and memorials. James was brave enough to go to the top of the Washington Memorial. Not I. :) I stayed safely at the bottom and counted the students as they exited. I've been chaperoning this trip for more years than I can count, but one of the more unusual things was that we were able to see was the Minister of Defense for the State of Israel and an All-Service Honor Guard lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. It was very impressive. There were some Royal Airmen in attendance as well, and James was quite impressed.

James loved the opportunity to travel and to see new things. I actually didn't spend much time with him--he was enjoying his friends and a bit of freedom. It is always so amazing to see the students grow up a bit on this trip and take more responsibility for themselves--and all this happens in just a few days! It is an amazing learning experience, and not just for the history and politics they learn, but also for the street sense, budgeting skills and travel-savvy they learn along the way. What an amazing journey!

This is one of my favorite pictures--the expressions on the boys' faces as they took in all the firepower displayed in the foyer of the Governor's Mansion in Williamsburg. It makes me laugh!

The Road to Eagle

James has been promoted to Second Class in Boy Scouts. He had quite the night at the Court of Honor, receiving his summer camp patch, awards for 5 & 10 miles hiked, his 1 year service award, merit badges in archery, first aid and rifle shooting, and his 2nd class promotion as well. Well done, Fossa! We are proud of you!

Best Friends Forever!

Mark’s New Addition
Ellie and Oso

Sean Has Flowers Too!!!!

Sean Has Flowers Too!!!!

Fall Roses and Blooms

Goodbye

Cinnamon

December 1st, 1993-October 6th, 2007

From "Shannon"
words and music by Henry Gross

Shannon is gone I heard
She's drifting out to sea
She always loved to swim away
Maybe she'll find an island
With a shaded tree
Just like the one in our back yard

But finally the tears fill our eyes
And I know that somewhere tonight
She knows how much we really miss her

Goodbye, my sweet girl! What a blessing you have been to all of us. We will miss you so much....

Fall Fiction + Jane Austen

Ken Follett, author of Pillars of the Earth is has written a new novel, World Without End, due out October 4th. Pillars is an epic story of a family involved in the design and building of a fictional cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. It was an amazing book, and one that helped me understand the history of the design of European cathedrals, and the incredible amount of work and faith (and a bit of corruption as well) involved in the raising of these amazing buildings. Pillars is definitely on my Top Twelve books(--or are we at thirteen now? :) Anyway, I'm very excited about this new book of Follett's centering on the same village, 200 years later as it enters the Black Plague.

Also, the luminous Irish writer (Ok, I stole that word from one of his critics, but I can't think of a better one) of Four Letters of Love and As It Is in Heaven, Niall Williams, has written three more since I was last in Ireland--none of which have been published in the US. (Do you see how deprived we are in a literary sense?) I love Williams' poetic prose--there is no other way to describe his writing...well, except for perhaps "luminous" (smile). He is a novelist with the soul of a poet, and this is reflected vibrantly in his writing. It doesn't seem to matter if his main character is young or old, man or woman, Irish or American, I am able to connect with that person on a very deep level. There is such an amazing sense of recognition--almost an anam cara experience, but with a fictional character. I was delighted to find his new books, and am savoring each one. I finished his short story, "Unrequited", and am currently enjoying Only Say the Word, about a young father who has lost his wife, and is dealing with his own grief, the grief of his children and is coming to grips with his own past losses all at once. That's how grief is though, isn't it? Each loss seems to bring all our previous losses to mind and heart once again.


Finally, I can't wait for the release of A Walk With Jane Austen: A Journey of Adventure, Love & Faith, by Lori Smith. That sounds like exactly what I need right now!

So, October is full of good reading--I guess, like most months around here. :) Book reviews to follow, but for now, I'm enjoying fall weather, and most of all, the writing.

L

Warrior Leader Course, September 2007

Welcome to the Warrior Leader Course and Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Fort Lewis Washington. This is a career development service school, designed for those personnel whose performance indicated their potential for advancement and increased responsibility. Your selection to attend this course is tangible evidence of your professional ability and the confidence placed in you by your unit.

The mission of the Noncommissioned Officer Academy is to train future Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs). The course focuses on the duties, responsibilities, and authority of the NCO. This course equips junior NCOs with the self-confidence, knowledge, and the sense of responsibility necessary to train, supervise, and lead subordinates. We provide training in the doctrine, principles, and attributes, which when put into action, will help Soldiers realize their potential as an effective Leader.

This academy has no challenges or obstacles that are not attainable to students. With this in mind, prepare yourself for this challenge with a positive mental attitude and the confidence that you can and will graduate. We will provide you with all the necessary assets to accomplish this task. The cadre is here to coach and mentor you in every way. They will train to standard while setting the example. They will be very critical and they will use common sense and fairness in the evaluations of your performance.

To become effective leaders you must first obtain knowledge and develop the self-confidence in your abilities to accomplish any task or mission. You must wear the uniform with strict attention to detail and reflect a professional image. We will place you in these conditions on a daily basis. It is your responsibility to achieve and maintain these standards.

The Academy focuses on preparing the Army’s NCO Leadership to prepare, train, and deploy units in the Current Operating Environment, which supports the Nation’s fight in the Global War on Terrorism. The Academy has the distinction of being the only NCO Academy to have deployed to Iraq to train the Iraqi Army NCO Leadership. Additionally, we train Soldiers from all three Army Components, which provides an opportunity for you to learn from the unique perspectives of your peers from the Active Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. We do not make Leaders at this Academy, we provide the future Army Leaders with the tools they need to become effective NCOs and Role Models. You will be challenged both mentally and physically as the course packs an enormous amount of information and tasks into a short two-week period. It is important that you are prepared to hit the ground ready to train, with the proper equipment, and a Can-Do attitude. Proper preparation will be the key for you to have a successful educational experience.

Again, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Noncommissioned Officer Academy.

Things to Consider:

• Getting up at 3:30 in the morning
• Going to bed after 10:00 (22:00)
• Giving up TV’s, radios, and your cell phone (unless clandestinely in your wall locker)
• Giving a class on Physical Training
• Drill and Ceremony
• Taking a to-standard PT Test
• Giving a Class in front of your peers
• A three-hour land navigation test
• Squad movement and tactics
• Leading that squad into battle, i.e. ambushes and battle drill practice
• In the field for 96 hours, and it rains in Washington (be prepared)
• The written examination has been changed to another research task
• Intense learning on the following subjects: Leadership, Counseling, tactical reports, Troops Leading Procedures, and how to give a proper class
• Being in the classroom for 136 hours, but don’t fret, there is a coffee pot in class Barracks maintenance, personal hygiene, and dress right dress apparel is all part of the fun
• Helpful Information: TASS Unit Pre-Execution Checklist and WLC Course Management Plan - Example
• WLC Packing List for Students - This is for the Active Duty PLDC (although it does provide the best packing list with the items you will need) Class A's are not required
• Active Duty NCO Academy - Henery H Lind Academy (AKO Required)
• Reserve/National Guard/and Active Duty NCO Academy - US Army NCO Academy Website (AKo Required)

I can’t wait to go again!

Oh and don’t forget to clear your weapon before you go into the building!

Happy October!

October has arrived--my favorite month. The weather (finally!) cools down, sweaters come out, the leaves turn, pumpkins are in season, candy corn is on display in the stores(which always will remind me of you, CAD), pumpkin spice lattes can be savored at Starbucks :). All is well.

This is also the last real bloom before winter--the last roses of summer, so to speak. Here are two of my favorites that are currently in bloom in our garden:

Tommy Cairns, which has a bit of a ghostly cast to it. That's not a reflection, it's actually white on the outside of the petals.

Diana, Princess of Wales--affectionately referred to as the "Turlock Rose" because that's where I found her last winter. (Forgive the evidence the insect attack. I think I have it under control. Organic gardening is a bit of a challenge, but worth it.)

And lastly, don't forget to change your wallpaper at Kate.net. Enjoy! (It's free!)