A Comment on Boundless

I received word from editor Martha Krienke, indicating that Boundless was not allowed to publish the following comment for this thread, because I mentioned the name of a Presidential candidate (President Obama):

I’d say there’s room for celebration. Not so much that OBL is dead, but rather that our forces have earned a very well-deserved victory. Credit is due all the way around.

(1) Many key facts of intelligence were gleaned from controversial detention (CIA prisons, Gitmo) and “enhanced interrogation techniques”. Score one for President Bush.

(2) Our CIA–which was in total disarray before 9/11–has materially improved to the point where (a) they are developing intelligence more effectively, and (b) they are sharing that intelligence with key decisionmakers. Score another one for President Bush.

(3) Our Special Operations groups are nothing short of outstanding. What they accomplished in Pakistan is the stuff you read about in Clancy novels (Think Rainbow Six and Executive Orders). This is the most impressive U.S. military operation since the raid on Cabanatuan POW camp in WWII. Score a big one for our military Special Operations community.

(4) President Obama took a very big risk, and it paid off big. He did not KNOW that it was OBL, and his advisors were divided on whether to execute the mission as they did. Moreover, we have a history of bungling such operations–Desert One (Operation Eagle Claw) in 1979 for instance–so success was anything but guaranteed.

But give Obama credit: he made the decision; he took the risk; and it turned out that the intel folks were correct: it was OBL. And they took him down with no American casualties. This in spite of a firefight that lasted 40 minutes. (In the world of tactical operations, that is as close to an eternity as you are going to get.)

Many conservatives are hounding the President, but I say let him take the credit. He took the risk, and won. When you do that, you get credit. As far as Presidents deserve credit when such things are successful, Obama deserves it here.

I’m not saying we should have paraded OBL’s carcass in the streets (a la Mussolini), but incinerating him in pork fat might not have been a bad thing. (A would-be terrorist who knows that his body may be desecrated by pigs, may get second thoughts…)

While a sea burial was otherwise classy, I do believe that showing the picture of the body–to clarify the act to would-be naysayers, and to those would-be terrorists who need a reality check–is in order.

Osama bin Laden is Dead

He can now get on with more pressing matters, like which Virginian–he thought they were “virgins”–gets to pound the crap out of him today.

As for Obama’s speech yesterday, I say give the man credit where credit is due. He had less-reliable intel than Clinton had, and yet he authorized an operation that Clinton had not the testicular fortitude to authorize. He signed off on it, the operation was successful, and he should get the credit.

Yes, he used the intel apparatus that Bush had put in place. Yes, the intel gathered would not have been possible but for specific policies by Bush–namely, his disposition of detainees.

But Obama had the shot, took the risk, and succeeded. He gets credit, to the extent that a President ought to get it.

But God bless our Navy SEALs who took OBL out.

Our Special Operations have progressed quite well since the disaster in Desert One. Today, what our SEALs accomplished here is as momentous as the work of Col. Henry Mucci, Cpt Robert Prince, and the fine soldiers of the 6th Ranger Battalion, who executed the great rescue at Cabanatuan.

Similarly, our CIA–much-maligned, and for good reason–has reason to celebrate a well-deserved victory.

Normality

For some reason, this year, I find myself not quite a joyous around this time as I normally am. I’m still settling into the new rhythm of married life. We had a theory for how we were going to approach the holidays and it’s kind of gotten blown to shreds in Round 1. (Or is this now Round 2?? Do I even count last year since we were newly married and just wanted to stay put after all of the wedding hoopla??)

Christmas is different this year. It’s not so much that it’s different, but of why it’s different.

Family is spread out all over the place. Part of that is just life in the 20th/21st century. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Part of it is a bad thing. Divorce happened. There will never be a Christmas when everyone is all together.

I was excited for Christmas last year because it was my first Christmas when I was not going to have 3 or more separate Christmas celebrations. It was just going to be my husband & I. It was thrilling for many reasons.

I’m excited for Christmas this year, too. I’m also a little sad. Amir’s family is spread out all over the country. There will never be a Christmas when all of them are together.

This gets the wheels in my head turning. I have to think what would cross a person’s radar to want to splinter everyone up. Why would they not want to at least make a real effort to keep the family intact? Why desire the splintering?

Now, I’ll admit, I had/have it easy in that respect. Both of my biological parents are more or less in the same area. They never made an effort to move out of state. I’ve always been glad for this. Yet, there are the 3+ different Christmas celebrations to attend. Growing up, some years where as high 5. I got tons of presents, but I was going to 5 different places to celebrate Christmas.

Still, though, it’s frustrating. Hopefully, after a couple generations of Larijanis, our offspring will be able to have an “at-home” Christmas celebration. Family will (want to) gather together. It will a good time of reflecting on the past year, they can thank the Lord together for what has been, is and is to come.

Amir & I are quite used to fractured Christmas celebrations. It will be somewhat normal for our children too, as they will be with us as we travel together to visit different parts of the family. Hopefully, we can teach our kids that the fractured Christmas isn’t our goal and shouldn’t be theirs. It’s a result of the ancestral sin that, by God’s grace, we are granted repentance from.

Hopefully, our kids can give their kids something different than what they were given. Something along the lines of an in-tact Christmas. One big celebration for the whole family. It can be the start of something new.

Something that wouldn’t have been possible if not for the work of Christ.

Coverup on Able Danger

Anyone with at least a double-digit IQ knew that the 9/11 Commission report was political schlock. When the Deputy Attorney General–Jamie Gorelick–who helped craft the policies regarding the sharing of information between the CIA and FBI was sitting on the committee, instead of being a witness, it was clear that this was nothing but smoke and mirrors and CYA.

Now, Fox is reporting what we knew was the case.

This also brings to mind my proposed Able Danger cadence:

Able Danger is our name!
We bust our ass for Uncle Sam!

Slogging, crunching, searching hard.
We find those ragheads in our yard!

We knock on the door of our J.A.G.
We say, “We have stuff you gotta see!”

He says, “you have mighty fine intel!”
But you might as well just go to hell!

Nice Work, If You Can Get It

While the state is all but bankrupt, and unemployment is approaching Great Depression levels, Illinois is about to hand 40,000 unionized state employees a 14% pay raise.

There are grumblings among Kentucky state employees about potential unionization. (I’ve always contended that the existing merit system is effectively that.) Given that employee pay raises have been close to nonexistent for the last 10 years–long before the current debacle–and given that health insurance premiums are spiking badly, there is more talk about unionization than ever before.

I absolutely, positively oppose unionization. I also oppose “card-check”, which is nothing more than government legitimization of overt union thuggery. (Right now, there is plenty of thuggery, but it’s covert.) Unions are a disaster for the taxpayer, and the state that accepts the unionization of state employees, is a band of fools.

This is why I will personally beat the [expletive] out of any union rep who comes into my office. They will get one warning. They don’t let me carry a gun in the building, but I have plenty of other non-artillery-firing implements at my disposal. And I will put them to use. Pilgrim might even join in on the action.