Steven Pressfield

Do you want to become smarter, instantly? Do you want to understand what is going on in Afghanistan and why what we are doing there is important and may be futile unless we change our approach?

Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire has a blog that is fairly new, (which means you can get caught up on the reading, watching and discussion pretty quick), where he is discussing the conflict in Afghanistan and exploring the thesis that tribes and tribal interaction are key and he has some ideas on how to win.

Lots of good stuff over there and Mr. Pressfield's book, Gates of Fire, is one of my favorites. Glad to see he is working on a new book too.

Go read and watch: Steven Pressfield: War and Reality in Afghanistan: "It's the Tribes Stupid"

.

Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776

Saw this Twittered this morning by Michelle Malkin and it just about brought me to tears. I have read it so many times now that I was finally just able to read it aloud to Brigid and not get choked up (as much).

John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776

Best part:

You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.


God Bless America


.

Honduras

Confused about what is going on in the Honduras? Here is all you need to know…

Young men wearing black T-shirts imprinted with the face of revolutionary icon Che Guevara used boulders, signposts and metal sheets yanked from fences to block all streets leading to the presidential palace on Wednesday, just hours after soldiers took down their own barricades and allowed traffic to flow.

The faces of the Zelaya supporters were covered by bandannas and they had armed themselves with tree branches, metal poles and glass bottles filled with gasoline.

Ahh, good ol’ Che Guevara t-shirts…..’nuf said.

It also helps clarify why Obama is supporting Zelaya and why he didn’t do or say anything of import regarding Iran. He is a POS and November 2012 can’t get here soon enough for me. I just hope the country is still in one piece by then.

.

Good joke

Got this from Gramps via email and thought I would share – it’s a good one.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN GUILTY OF LOOKING AT OTHERS YOUR OWN AGE AND THINKING, SURELY I CAN'T LOOK THAT OLD. WELL.... YOU'LL LOVE THIS ONE.

MY NAME IS ALICE SMITH AND I WAS SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW DENTIST. I NOTICED HIS DDS DIPLOMA, WHICH BORE HIS FULL NAME.

SUDDENLY, I REMEMBERED A TALL, HANDSOME, DARK-HAIRED BOY WITH THE SAME NAME HAD BEEN IN MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS SOME 30-ODD YEARS AGO.

COULD HE BE THE SAME GUY THAT I HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON, WAY BACK THEN?

UPON SEEING HIM, HOWEVER, I QUICKLY DISCARDED ANY SUCH THOUGHT.

THIS BALDING, GRAY-HAIRED MAN WITH THE DEEPLY LINED FACE WAS WAY TOO OLD TO HAVE BEEN MY CLASSMATE.

AFTER HE EXAMINED MY TEETH, I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ATTENDED MORGAN PARK HIGH SCHOOL .

'YES. YES , I DID. I'M A MUSTANG,' HE GLEAMED WITH PRIDE.

'WHEN DID YOU GRADUATE?' I ASKED.

HE ANSWERED , 'IN 1975.. WHY DO YOU ASK?'

'YOU WERE IN MY CLASS!', I EXCLAIMED.

HE LOOKED AT ME CLOSELY.

THEN, THAT UGLY,

OLD,

BALD,

WRINKLED,

FAT ASS,

GRAY-HAIRED,

DECREPIT,

SON-OF-A-BITCH ASKED,

'WHAT DID YOU TEACH ???"

.

Scouts and Scouting

James over at The Next Chapter posted a set of links to a series of articles on Scouts and Scouting by ASM826 at his site called Random Acts of Patriotism.

I have just started into them but what I have seen so far prompted me to spread the word and I know that my folks, my brother and my grandfather will all enjoy the Boy Scout memories.

Lordy, just after reading just a couple of those posts, the memories are flooding back...

James has all the posts lined up in order, so go check them out.

I just had a discussion with a fellow Eagle Scout on Friday and we talked about how important Scouting was to us and still is to us. It made me realize that I need to give back to the scouts with my time and my support.

Go read those posts.

.