Jan 18 2007
The following photograph of Prime Minister Abe and his wife was taken in the Philippines during their recent state visit. Suffice it say , Mrs Abe does not look happy. Anyone want to know why?
H/T to Japundit! Leave your captions in the comments.
Jan 17 2007
Hi. This is Michelle Manhart. She will be unemployed soon.
She is the USAF Staff Sergeant who posed in Playboy-then went on TV and said she did not think anything would happen for it. You can check out her resume here and here and here. ( for research purposes only, you understand).
References can be found with these guys. Please hire this woman!
How in the heck does one get six rows of ribbons in only 8 years? Enquiring minds want to know!
My friends at Chairforce.com provided the following summary:
An Air Force spokesman said, “This staff sergeant’s
alleged action does not meet the high standards we expect of our Airmen, nor does it comply with the Air Force’s core values of integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do.”Ouch, that’s a little harsh, don’t you think? No integrity? No excellence? True, Manhart may have put her own desires before those of the Air Force, but how does posing for Playboy lack integrity and excellence? She wasn’t caught selling “her goods” on a San Antonio street corner. She posed for the world’s No. 1 men’s entertainment magazine. We’d say that’s excellence. Now, had she posed for D-Cup or Hustler, we might see the Air Force’s side of the story, but this is Playboy; arguably the world’s most respected and professional men’s entertainment magazine.
Jan 16 2007
“Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced today the selection of USS Gerald R. Ford as the name of the first aircraft carrier in what will be the Gerald R. Ford class of carriers.”
Ford class of carriers? Oh boy…..
I can hear the jokes now:
Buy a Ford and you buy the best. Drive the first mile and walk the rest.
Tom: My parents just bought me a Ford Mustang.
Jim: So what did you do to them to tick them off?
Do you know that Ford has admitted they are expensive and unreliable? That new commercial they are running says so! When that country singer says “If I had me some money” he admits he can’t afford one, and when he adds that he’d “buy a Ford truck or two” it because he needs a spare.
A Texan was talking big in a bar one night about how much money he had,how many women he had been with and how much land he owned. A young man, growing tired of all the big talk finally asked the Texan, “Just how much land do you actually own”? The Texan tipped back his cowboy hat and said to the young man ” Well sonny let me put it to ya like this, I can get in my pickup at sunrise, drive all day long,skip lunch and still not get to the other side of my property by sundown”. The young man shot back quickly, ” Oh yeah, I know what you mean, I used to own a Ford truck too”!
WHAT DID THE CHEVY SAY TO THE FORD?
Would you like a tow home?
FORD ACRONYMS:
Fix Or Repair Daily
Found On Road Dead
Backwards… Driver Returns On Foot
Backwards… Dorks Ride On Fords
Factory Ordered Road Disaster
Factory Ordered Rebuilt Dodge(Datsun)
Flip Over Read Directions
Four Old Rusted Doors
Fixed On Race Day
Ford Owner Really Dumb
For Only Retarded Drivers
Ford Owners Recommend Dodge
Flipped Over Russian Dunebuggy
Found On Russian Dump
For Off Road Death
it Freaking Only Runs Downhill
Fat Old Rusted Dog
Freaking Old Rusted Dodge(Datsun)
Frigin Oakies Really Dig it
Funky Old Road Dog
Found On Roadside’s Destroyed
Backwards…Don’t Ride Over Fifty
Fixed-up Old Repossesed Dodge
Found Old Rebuilt Dodge
Forget Out Running Dale
Found On Railroad Deserted
Found On Railroad Dead
Fools Only Read Directions
First On Repair Dolly
Favorite Of Redneck Drivers
Backwards- Dumb Retards Own Fords
Funny Old Rebuilt Dodge
Fast Only Rolling Downhill
Found On Russian Dump
Forfiet On Race Day
Found On River Dead
Failure Of Research & Development
The Navy thought the acronym BOHICA was bad-wait till Sailors get a hold of this. There’s some real money to be made in T-shirts and bumper stickers!
Jan 16 2007
I’ve been reluctant to post about the recent remarks of Barbara Boxer because of a) the trashing I have taken in other forums and b) questions in my own mind as to why the debate ever got this silly.
Not familiar with the issue? Well hopefully readers from overeas have better things to think about and US readers have probably formed an opinion. For those of you still here , this is what happened:
Boxer, during her questioning of Rice, said she wanted to focus attention on the human consequences of the decision.
“Who pays the price? I’m not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old, and my grandchild is too young,” to serve, Boxer told Rice. “You’re not going to pay a price, as I understand it, within immediate family. So who pays the price? The American military and their families.”
Boxer was denounced Friday on the New York Post editorial page, which called the comments “a low blow.” The exchange generated a firestorm among conservative bloggers and cable news commentators.
“I think it was more than cheap — it was degrading,” Fox News commentator Karen Hanretty said in an interview. “There’s nothing more vicious than feminine politics, and Boxer proved herself a shrill harpy.”
White House spokesman Tony Snow — a former Fox commentator — called the comments “outrageous” and opined that Boxer had made “a great leap backward for feminism.”
Fox News ran headlines all day Friday on the topic, such as, “Will Boxer Apologize?” and “Boxer Slimes Rice,” and some conservative critics charged that Boxer inappropriately raised questions about Rice’s personal life.
Now what the current news seems to be ignoring is that there is no love lost between these two women. Hearken back to 2005:
Condoleezza Rice defended the war in Iraq during her Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, sparring with one Democrat who suggested her loyalty to President Bush and support for the conflict “overwhelmed your respect for the truth.”Rice bristled at the comment by Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. “I have to say that I have never, ever, lost respect for the truth in the service of anything,” she said. Rice, who has been Bush’s national security adviser for the past four years, faced more than nine hours of questioning before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on her nomination to replace Colin Powell as secretary of state.
Boxer was particularly aggressive, pointing out what she said were inconsistencies in Rice’s statements about the imminent threat of nuclear weapons in Iraq.
“This is a pattern here of what I see from you,” Boxer said. “It’s very troubling. … It’s hard for me to let go of this war because people are still dying.”
She said Rice has not acknowledged those deaths, has not laid out an exit strategy for Iraq and has been unwilling to admit mistakes — including going to war over weapons of mass destruction found later not to exist. (WMD report)
“If you can’t admit to this mistake, I hope that you will rethink it,” Boxer said.
“Senator, we can have this discussion in any way that you would like,” Rice replied. “But I really hope that you will refrain from impugning my integrity.”
MEOW!
First it proves what I have always known about women. Once they have a grudge they never , ever, give it up. Even against fellow women. In fact, women in my observation, seem to be hardest on other women they do not agree with.
Second, this particular line of attack is quite unecessary. It simply proves to me that Barbara Boxer is a c**t and a lousy Senator. Had she had any smarts at all and even a smidgen of understanding on what really appeals to people she could have attacked Rice on more factual groounds. Hating Bush still does not provide acceptable grounds for attacking him through his sycophants servants. You would think after so many years in the Senate-which also proves how really stupid the people of California are-would have taught the good Ms Boxer that. Guess not.
She could have stuck to the facts:
1- Condi Rice is not a particularly good Secretary of State. Her marital status has nothing to do with that whatsover. She simply has not been as diplomatic as she could be, as independent as she should be, and in the end misunderstands the people that work for her. As recently as 6 months ago critics noticed:
A senior Republican expressed unhappiness at the way that she was snubbed recently by Fouad Siniora, the Lebanese Prime Minister. “Henry Kissinger would never have been turned away from any capital,” he told The Times.Richard Armitage, who was deputy to her predecessor, Colin Powell, has publicly attacked her for ignoring opportunities to negotiate with Syria. “We get a little lazy, I think, when we spend all our time as diplomats talking to our friends and not to our enemies,” he said.
Richard Armitage, by the way is the guy who should have been the Secretary of State, but at least he had the balls to to say no after the way Colin Powell was treated by the “bonehead educator in chief”.
Thomas P.M. Barnett sums up Rice’s position quite well:
No big surprise there. Real clearing is Cheney’s, with Rummy as surrogate.Missing in the analysis so far: with caretaker in Pentagon, Baker now takes over de facto control of the war, as almost his own national security adviser, SECDEF AND SECSTATE.
No big whup for Gates. He knew that coming in. Quiet Hadley will do as told, as will Rice, but in reality, Rice’s been replaced without leaving office. Imagine being SECSTATE and kicked off the one foreign policy issue that defines the administration.
Yes, yes, expect many protestations to the contrary and watch Baker go out of his way, using the study group as cover, not to upstage her.
But make no mistake, we now have caretakers (and not the real players) in both the Building and Foggy Bottom.
2- The Democrats of today are analogous to the golfer who hits a good drive then pisses it away inside the 150 yard marker. You drive for show, but you play the short game for dough and the Dems will be lucky to make the cut.
Consider: Instead of passing resolutions or whining again and again about the “surge” something that they cannot stop before fall of 2007, they could be VERY effectively attacking the President on his flanks. If the Democrats had half an inkling about how to get real things accomplished they would be sitting and waiting for him to submit his military budget. And then working for some real goals:
a) A pay raise of any significance. Bush will not propose one. The Dems could make real money by demanding a pay raise of at LEAST 5%.
b) Proposals of real significance to give a lot more extra pay to those serving in combat zones. The Democrats have proposals on the table to fix this. George W. Bush doesn’t. Instead he has let “Dr Scrooge” chip away at benefits that have been earned.
c) An improved GI Bill. Sen James Webb has proposed in legislation a REAL GI bill for servicement who have to serve during this period of war. I am suprised there has not been more attention paid to it.
d) Proposals to remove stupid laws like prohibitions against concurrent receipt and reforming the USFSPA.
My point is, since the Bush budget will have none of these things, the Democrats can use that callous disregard of serving miltary members sacrifice to their advantage. Because with the “surge” Bush is asking troops to sacrifice. However his administration is loath to pay for that sacrifice. That too, is typical of his record, talk a good game- but screw the troops at the drive through when he submits his budget.
It would be something with meat that the Democrats could sink their teeth into and it would highlight Bush’s hypocrisy. Certainly it would do so better than symbolic resolutions passed in Congress that have no weight. Done visibly and with great fanfare it would create loads of good sound bites and expose the President as a man who talks a good game but does not deliver when it counts. It would also buy time for the Democrats as the Iraqi government doesn’t deliver(s) on its promises, and that too could be capitalized on. Certainly that would be better than worrying about cutting off funding for the war, which is political suicide.
That’s the great thing about Democrats however, give them a chance, they will screw something away. Which explains why Boxer is a Senator in the first place.
Jan 15 2007
Considering the holiday, it seems more than appropriate to suggest that both Condi Rice and Barbara Boxer could have learned a thing or two from this man. This video is an interesting contrast of the slime that passes for political discussion now and the words of great oratory in the past.
Bill Reilly vs Dr King-no contest at all. Dr King wins all rounds! H/T to C&L and American Maxim.
Jan 15 2007
First, for the men out there, one should know the facts about your best friend.
After that bit of enlightment, I think you should read Juan Cole’s analysis of why the Sunnis will still play the role of angry mother in law. Its enlightening in what is says about the US’s ability to counter their discontent.
Finally for Bad Bob, the link you need to follow is here. It will save you time searching my archives.
Gotta run for now!
Jan 15 2007
Yes it’s Martin Luther King day, but more importantly its my mother’s birthday! In the grand scheme of things that is more important to yours truly.
Happy Birthday MOM!
Jan 14 2007
Iwao Takamoto passed away this past week. He was the creator of Scooby Doo and worked in the Hanna Barbera Cartoon empire for many years. Gwen Muranaka published this tribute in todays’ Japan Times:
Click on the cartoon to read it better!
I never realized ol Scoob was another product of Japanses animation……..and imagination. I’m also a Secret Squirrel fan. Thank goodness for Cartoon Network!
Jan 13 2007
While being hungover and waiting for the Tsunami to hit.
Yea you heard me right. For the second time in a couple of months the Tsunami alert went off. Big earthquake north of Hokkaido. Tsunami warning all up and down the west coast of Japan.
So what seemed the right thing to do? Google “ping pong ball queefing bitch Malkin” and see where it took me.
It took me to many strange places.
Which then led me to the Michelle Malkin is an Idiot web site. ( I realize using the word idiot and Malkin in the same sentence is redundant but…..)
Where I learned how to play Monopoly:
The internet is such a useful porn surfing learning tool.
Jan 13 2007
There is a myth that goes around here in Japan that drinking sake does not leave you with a hangover. I’m here today to tell you that is not the truth. Drink enough of those little cups and you do get your ass kicked.
Note to self: 15 cups of different kinds of Sake drunk in the space of 2 hours is probably not a good idea. Especially when you are finishing with a rough type of Sake that has the alcohol content of 120 proof whiskey…………
So what did I do?
Came home and had one of these:
And then fell asleep without getting one of these:
Which is dissapointing to say the least!
Back to bed.
Jan 12 2007
The one that is coming to an armed service near and dear to you.
I have tried and tried to come up with some coherent line of thought about the Presidents speech-I can’t. To tell the truth, I don’t think he can either. All he knows that in his mind, staying equates to winning, leaving equates to losing. Does not matter if the people we are staying for, are worth staying for ( spoiler alert: they are not), however he will be able to go into the history books as the guy who did not lose Iraq on his watch.
Hugh Hewitt likes it which is enough reason for me to be scared. All of the other usual suspects either like it or hate the President’s new plan. There are plenty of places one can read reasoned analysis, here, here and here.
My primary concern in my little world is the mechanics of the plan’s execution-and the cost that will be paid-in lives, in resources, in lost opportunity elsewhere, and in terms of the long term affect on an institution that I have spent a long time serving.
By settling on 21,000, Bush is looking to the art of the possible. Without a reduction of commitment elsewhere, and /or a full time, long term, mobilization of the reserves and Guard- keeping about 160,000 troops in Iraq is about the most the armed forces can do over the long haul. Now assuming the Army gets 65,000 more Soldiers and the Marine Corps gets another 27,000 over the coming few years the demands may get more palatable. Personally, I don’t think the Army will grow to where it needs to be, neither will the Marine Corps. That’s just the bait to go along with this particular bait and switch argument. Bush has to come up with the money to pay for those troops and over the last 6 years their track record on doing that is less than spectacular. My buddy Dr Chu will come up with argument after argument that we cannot afford them. Even if they do increase end strength, the other services will get schwacked to pay for it-which is not what’s needed. Especially since he is not going to be doing anything to increase federal revenue coming in the door. Bush likes tax cuts more than he likes Iraq-and for some strange reason he really likes Iraq. I know I don’t. I hate the Iraqi people-sight unseen. They have, however, proven that no matter how low one sets expectations for Arabs-they cannot meet them.
Today the Pentagon announced the “who do you screw” list to pull off the “surge”. Here it is:
The 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, N.C., and currently assigned as the call forward force in Kuwait, will move into Iraq and assume a security mission there.
The 1st Brigade, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard, will be extended in its current mission for up to 125 days and will redeploy not later than August 2007.
The 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based at Ft. Riley, Kan., will deploy in February 2007 as previously announced.
Three other Army combat brigades will deploy as follows:
- The 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Ft. Benning, Ga., will deploy in March 2007.
- The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Ft. Lewis, Wash., will deploy in April 2007.
- The 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Ft. Stewart, Ga., will deploy in May 2007.
The Marine Corps will extend two reinforced infantry battalions for approximately 60 days. Additionally, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) will remain in Iraq for approximately 45 additional days.
Other combat-support and combat-service-support units may also be deployed as necessary once new requirements are assessed.
(We’ll come back to this point-Skippy-san).
Finally, the USS Stennis Carrier Strike Group and the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Regiment will deploy to the region to bolster security.
The key point about this whole thing is what has NOT been announced. First, lets look at that “combat support” paragraph above. One can expect a whole host of Requests for Forces as the ramifications of getting the units there are announced. That will be personnel deployed to Iraq over and above the 21,000. I’m also assuming the Stennis battle group is over and above the 21,000-however their deployment was already announced. There will be a ripple effect as commitments they were supposed to meet elsewhere have to be met.
There is also a “downstream affect” as the units listed above have to be replaced and other units have to be worked into a bigger and better rotation scheme.
So when its all said and done it will be closer to 100,000 US troops who will have their lives disrupted to because the Iraqis still cannot get their collective stuff together as a nation and as a people. Thanks guys-thanks a lot!
I wish I could get excited about this as a plan for victory. However, I cannot. Here is why:
1) It’ s too dependent on the Iraqis. I personally believe that most of Malaki’s rhetoric against the Shia militia is intended for US consumption, not Al Sadr consumption. If anything, I agree with those who believe that Malaki owes too much to the various Shias and so the only thing he is really asking them to do is lay low. If the Americans push attacks on the Shias as they must, the Iraqis will find a way to fuck it up slow it down.
2) It does not really change the dynamic of conflict. Maybe it will make some difference in the Baghdad security situation, but the insurgents have shown an interesting abilty to flex to other locations. Plus as I noted above, they can blend into the population and recconoiter how this plays out.
3)The jury is out on whether the empahsis on reconstruction will make any difference. Its been 4 years and we still have not built what we promised. It does provide a good future for all the investors in Halliburton stock though. Probably time to buy some.
4) Finally, I agree with Olberman, when it comes to Iraq, Bush has no credibilty anymore. He’s said so much, so many times, and so much of it is contradictory that he really has nothing left that can be believed. Now that may make me a wingnut, but I’ve been thrown out of better bars than that one, so I can live with it. Still makes it true, Bush’s remarks have to be examined against the context of the past things he has said.
However Bush does not really have to worry about that any more. By this course of action he has agreed to keep going in Iraq until the end of Presidency. His successor will inherit the war, and have to figure out a way out. That’s what Bush really accomplished last night. After all, an action passed is still an action taken-right?
Jan 11 2007
Jan 10 2007
It was a news filled day yesterday while I sat and slept the night away…….
Lest there be any doubt about it, I am sick. Ergo this will be short. I will watch the Presidents speech tomorrow and with sufficient energy I’ll have some comment on it.
Lets start with the big news in Japan, namely that a US submarine collided with a Japanese super tanker in the Persian Gulf. (Actually it was outside of the straits of Hormuz so that may be technically incorrect..). I learned once again that Kanji is a great medium to convey ideas visually…provided one knows the short cuts they use.
For example, the Asahi Shinbun, a left of center paper the S.O. likes (and is delivered to us each AM) had this headline: ???????????It translates to Japan ship and America submarine contact. However it really means that that an American submarine and and Japanese tanker collided. What I discovered yet again, was the annoying Japanese habit of dropping kanji from the sentence to make the headline fit the paper. Native Japanese understand it from the context. Idiots like me wonder where the other part of the word went. For example: the proper word for submarine in Japanese is sensuikan (????, however in the paper’s headline they only printed the first kanji. Same with atomic powered submarine(genshisensuikan): ?????, which becomes gensenn (??? in the paper. Makes sense to Japanese, drives me nuts and makes me have to BEG the S.O. to help me with the morning paper. (Incidentally, in the article they did spell the words out in Kanji…). Why? I have no idea, probably to give the S.O. yet one more thing to lord over me. And to remind me again of my own failures.
On the same front page was also the news that the Defense Agency was now a ministry. That’s a big deal here in Japan because it puts the Defense Establishment on the same footing as the opther ministries and implies other things to come vis a vis the role of the Self Defense forces and Japanese policy here in Asia. The next step to be seen is whether Prime Minister Abe will move to repeal Article 9 of the Japanese constitiution.
One final bit of news is that Momofuku Ando, the man who invented instant ramen and founded Nissin Foods, died last Friday in Osaka Prefecture of heart failure at 96 years of age. Anyone who has ever relied on this outstanding invention to restore nutrients to one’s body during a hangover (as I have on several occasions…), realizes what a great man he truly was. He believed that “Peace will come to the world when the people have enough to eat.”
Also, Monday was Coming of Age day in Japan. 20 year olds donned suits and Kimono’s and went to Shrines and City Halls to hear abou their acension to the status of adulthood.
Maybe the US Congress needs a “Coming of Age Day”. From what I have seen on TV, there are a lot of Congressmen (and others) who are not being very adult right about now.
Got to get back to bed……….
Japundit found a some great links to some live Japan Web cams. Check them out! Here is one of Mt Fuji.
I hate not feeling well. And to add insult to injury, I have this to worry about!
Jan 09 2007
This is becoming an all too predictable pattern. Come home from work, go work out. Come home from the gym, eat dinner. 8pm fall asleep on the couch. Wake up go to bed at 9pm.
Its got to change to something better………..
News to follow tomorrow.
Jan 08 2007
A Frenchman thinks that the Phibian and I are worth the reading…………..Good company for me to be sure.
Click here to see for yourself!
Good babes, too, on his site! What can I say, Vive le France!!
