So many friends names on the Wall. Even almost 50 years have passed and the pain seems almost too much to bear. But, the clusterfuck in Afghanistan rips it open again. 

It would be easier to bear if we had learned from our evil enterprise in Vietnam. But, no. The same dereliction of duty, hubris, arrogance, and the central idea of American Exceptionalism endures. More loss, more pain, more suffering on an unimaginable scale. That's the very worst part. No lessons learned. 

The shame of leaving allies behind will never be erased. We can not ever atone. But, that's a question for another day. Right now, let's get everyone out that can be saved. 

Biden was right to end the endless war. It was never going to be pretty. Now the pundits, the Monday quarterbacks. and the arm chair generals that never even dreamed of putting themselves at risk or had to make a decision more important than what shade of socks to wear this morning are piling on. But, plenty of time for after action reports and lessons learned. 

Let's hope this time we learned some lessons.

 This may be the only blog in all of cyberspace where the author doesn't care if no one ever reads it. It's purely for my own therapy. 

Where Am I

It's dark
I don't recognize this place
I don't belong here
I'm afraid
I just want to go home

The Party

The party is in full swing at my college apartment in Charlottesville. Cigarette smoke, spilled beer, and the sounds of Joan Baez, The Beatles, and Kingston Trio fill the room.

It's loud. Guys are bull shitting about UVa football games, road trips to Sweetbriar, the Paris peach talks, combat missions, final exams, formation flying, Martin Luther King, space shots, basic training, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Presidents Kennedy Johnson and Nixon, movies, cars, cobras, bar girls, R&R, the Freedom Bird, fraternity rush, flares over the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Bobby Kennedy,

It's crowded. Rudolph Nunn, my mentor and ROTC instructor is there.  So is Mark Chenis who tried  to steal my girl at pilot training. No problem, I would have tried to steal his given the chance. Burt Beach's entire tanker crew are tilting back brews in the corner. A couple guys I tutored in first year math are leaning precariously against a wall. Guys I took classes in economics with, a guys I studied Spanish with, and others I went down the road with are enjoying Budweiser in the quart from the local Seven Eleven. A freshman football player from the dorm floor below me in Page Hall is having trouble navigating to the head.

It's loud. It stinks of smoke, spilled beer, and sweat. It's crowded. Good guys, young, warriors. Full of themselves, fearless, full of life. They never could have all been in the same room together, but that never occurrs to me.

The music stops. The room goes quiet. Everybody turns to me. One of them asks me, "Why did we all have to die?" I look back at them all and realize I am the only survivor in the room. I can't answer the question. Not then, not now, not ever. 

I wake up. My pillow is soaked. I turn it over. My wife asks me if I'm OK. Yes, I say. It's only a dream. She drifts back to sleep. 

NFL Kowtows to Trumpers

After 7 years as a Regular Air Force Officer which included sitting on the alert pad ready to fly a one way mission if the klaxon went off, and 250 combat missions refueling fighters and bombers in Vietnam, I'm entitled to my opinion on The NFL's recent ruling.

I love America, I served, and I'm a patriot. But, let's be honest with ourselves. Not all our history is glorious. Our moral compass hasn't always been aligned to true north. Look back and it's all there: Slavery, segregation, genocide, lynchings, germ warfare, colonialism, ethnic cleansing, detention of the Japanese during WW2, war crimes.

Despite past sins, one reason I love America is a sense that we have been evolving to a more perfect society. Driving this process, in large part, is our constitutionally protected right to protest: The  " right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress". 

By design protest is meant to be uncomfortable. It forces us to confront truths we might just prefer to ignore. It often takes courage to protest, especially for the early movers. You are not often showered with approval. You may be subject to retaliation. It's far easier to go along, hide in the crowd and watch injustice unfold.

It's hard to imagine a more peaceful protest than kneeling during the national anthem. That star athletes choose to use their prestige and reputation to point out injustice is their right and an expression of hope that the nation will notice and consider their consciences.

As a Veteran in no way do I feel that reflects disrespect on our armed forces. It's one of the precious American freedoms we fought for and swore to protect. Cadet Bone Spur either doesn't understand the Constitution, or worse yet, is using the subject to whip up the worst passions of his army of deplorables.

Colin Kaepernick is a hero that has conducted himself as a perfect gentleman. Even if I disagreed with his stand (I don't), I will defend his right to protest.

On the other hand there is the disgraceful example of the NFL, toadying to the White House and the least highly evolved of their fans. They are the cowards in this story.  Their weak kneed response is a disgrace and abandons a true American value. Shame on them.

It’s Good To Be King

It’s good to be king

You can of course grab women any place you like. Why? Because you can.

But, for even more fun, just put your tiny little hand on the button to launch 59 cruise missiles while entertaining your fellow emperor.  Now, there’s a kingly gesture, guaranteed to shock and awe all those around your gilded table.  How many kings can top that?

You can just imagine Arnold eating his heart out. He can only do that in the movies or on his iPhone. That will put him right in his place.

And it’s great for ratings too. As a rule of thumb, when ratings suck, it’s always good to do something a little nut-so to get the attention you crave.

A knee jerk reaction is the best you can do with your reptilian little brain. No thought or strategy required. Fire, Ready, Aim! It feels so good!

Anyway, let the rest of the world wonder if you are crazy, because by George, you are!

The Elephant in the Room

Somehow, we find ourselves with a President that is totally nuts. Leaving aside issues of his lack of preparation for the job, serious corruption, political views in sharp contrast to the majority of Americans, despicable character, and moral bankruptcy, having a nutcase with his tiny little fingers on the nuclear trigger is frightening.

A very few Republicans have broken with the President on one issue or another, but no one has yet spoken what many must be thinking: This guy is totally unhinged.

Short of nuclear war the amount of damage this loony tunes President can do to our economy, global image, foreign policy, and democracy is beyond imagination. This is a one man existential threat to America.

I am a confessed liberal Democrat. However, I appreciate the contributions of a center right party to our democracy. It's not necessarily evil to be a Republican.

But, for the Republican's own good, and incidentally for the good of the nation,  they need to distance themselves from him, and it's time to consider that removing him from office is an imperative.

As a liberal, I have limited enthusiasm for Pence or Paul Ryan. In there own way they could perhaps move America even further right then Trump might. After all, from the liberal point of view the best thing that can be said about Trump is that he's totally incompetent. But, I suspect Pence and Ryan  are at least rational and I would sleep better with them in office. That way we could all live to fight another day.

Cheap Political Trick

Trust a psychopath to use a widow's anguish for a cheap cynical political prop. Has he no shame at all?

The warrior in question, CPO William Owens, is every bit the hero. The wife's pain can't even be imagined. The mission was totally fucked up from beginning to end. Certainly not the SEAL's fault. Trump caught some flack for approving it. Almost certainly not fair. War is a nasty business, and losses occur.

God bless the SEALs and their families. The very best of the best. As for Trump, the less said the better. May they both find their appropriate karma.

As a veteran, it offends me to see a draft dodging politician use her despair for his own political gain. Sad. 

This Single Obscene Tax Loophole Costs Treasury Billions

Hedge fund managers produce nothing of economic value, and their returns across the entire class are certainly underwhelming. Even if you are dumb enough to  pay a hedge fund manager "2 and 20", do you really think his income should be taxed at 15% capital gains rate? Those types of obscene tax provisions couldn't happen if Wall Street hadn't bought and paid for the US Government.

Collectively, this single provision costs the Treasury hundreds of billions. Maybe all of us ought to start our own PAC so we could get a fair break like all those multimillionaires/billionaires. You too can have the best government money can buy.

Seriously folks, how many of you think this is a fair tax treatment? Leave your comments below. 

Rotten to the Core

As if American's opinion of their government couldn't get much lower, we discover that Congress and other government officials are exempt from insider trading or otherwise profiting from information they obtain as a result of their privileged positions. Moreover, a few have been found with their dirty little snouts in the public's trough. Somehow,  they don't think that's offensive enough to demand immediate change. They are on their way home for the holidays to bask in the approval of their fellow citizens that they claim to represent.

It's enough to make a guy cynical. 

One small step towards restoring faith in government might be to repeal those odious exemptions ASAP.

Let's abolish elections

Is there anyone that believes a single US Congressman deserves reelection? Can you imagine any randomly selected group of 435 citizens could have done a worse job?
As an alternative, just suppose we simply randomly drew out 435 names to serve a two year term. They wake up one morning, open their mailbox, and there it is: "Greetings....." Just like my draft notice.
They arrive in Washington, stay at a government barracks (let's buy Watergate for them), can serve only one term, and cannot be re-elected. The simply go home. Furthermore, they may not lobby or counsel any corporation that contracts with the US Government for 10 years after their term.
Without the need for campaigning, with no need to stand for re-election, and no prospect for self promotion, they owe nobody and can devote themselves to the people's business. Wouldn't that be a nice change?

Another Whipping

This weekend marked the end of our war in Iraq. Or did it? We leave behind a force of contractors, civilians, mercenaries and consultants of almost equal size as our occupying force.
Here's a thought. It's been 65 years since the US won a war. And perhaps only South Korea is better off because or our intervention in their affairs.
We didn't win this war, and never should have been there in the first place.
The outcome was a disaster on every front. The war never should have been fought. Sadam had no weapons of mass distruction, didn't participate in 911, was firmly contained in his little box by allied forces, and posed no danger to anybody but his own people.
The idea that the Iraqis will welcome our occupaiton, convert to Baptists, become hard core Republicans, embrace western values, join the Chamber of Commerce, and join together to sing Kumbaya is far fetched.
We leave behind as big a mess as we found. Meanwhile, we lost more soldiers than civilians died in 911, created enemies faster than we could kill them, bankrupt our treasury, diminished the world's opinion of us, strengthened Iran, ground up and over stretched our military, displaced a couple of million Iraqis and  killed over 100,000 of their people. Not our proudest accomplishment.
God bless our forces who carried out their assigned missions with professionalism and courage. Our soldiers don't get to choose their missions. But, let's hope the politicians that sent them there rot in hell.

How do you spell corruption?

How do you spell corruption? Campaign Finance.
Can anyone honestly believe that we don't have the best government Goldman Sachs can buy? Or more exactly Wall Street, pharma, big oil, and Military Industrial Complex collectively own Congress and the White House. We might as well put their billboards on the walls there.
We are becoming as corrupt as any nation on earth. The reason, politicians are bought and paid for through perfectly legal campaign finance donations. The Supreme Court enabled this outrage through their decision that corporations are the same as natural persons and that furthermore they have a right to purchase any and all politicians they care to through donations protected by their free speech rights. Am I the only person that thinks that's a stretch? Could the court possibly not have understood what they were creating?
Today so called Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited funds from wealthy donors, unions, and corporations.
Yesterday a Washington Post article pointed out that Romney's campaign had not spent one cent in Iowa, yet various PACs, and Super PACs unleashed a torrent of advertising supporting him. Is it remotely possible that these donors are not expecting payback, influence, access and favors not regularly granted to citizens?
To be fair, Mr. Romney is no more slimy than any other politician, and he's on record against PACs even though they intend to spend more than $3.1 Million in Iowa to support him.  We don't mean to single him out. Rest assured Mr. Obama and all the competing Republican candidates will have their own super PACs busily raising funds to buy their candidate's souls. That's life in a corrupt society.

On Centerline

In another life as an Air Force and Airline Pilot, I spent a lot of time on Centerline. It's where we wanted to be on the runway for takeoff or landing, and a comforting place to be during approach.

Today, I'd describe my social, political and economic views as on centerline. But, it's a lonely place to be. Isn't anybody in the center anymore? More interestingly, doesn't anybody represent the center anymore? The political right is just to the right of Attila the Hun, while the left has forgotten what they stand for. But, the two sides meet in the center just long enough to punch one another then retreat to their respective wings to await another round.

Truth is the first casualty. Can either side really believe what they are saying? A charitable explanation is that both sides are populated by just plain stupid people, but that explanation strains credibility. They can't be that stupid.

A blog may be the most egocentric exercise on the planet. Perhaps no one will be interested. But, if nothing else, I expect it will be therapeutic to unload from time to time. Short of urging revolution, this will be my protest against the established order. Come along for the ride if you care to.