JonSmith: 12.2004

Sunny Christmas

Topic: Blogging

Well, maybe not sunny. As I sit here typing it is snowing outside, and tommorrow I will be on a plane to California. I will be there for a week and a half and I may not have internet access, so... don't be suprised if things are a little quiet around here for a few days. Do be sure to check back soon, as I will be posting the moment the rubber hits the tarmac in Washington. Okay, maybe not that fast, but I WILL be back. And soon.

Have a blessed CHRISTmas, all.

Vehicle Armor in Iraq

Topic: Iraq

I don't normally blog twice in one day, but I've discovered a fantastic blog that I just had to share.

1st Lt. Neil Prakash is a platoon commander in the tank corps and currently stationed in Iraq. His blog Armor Geddon is a well written and engaging account of his experiences in Iraq.

By now I'm sure most of you have heard about the press conference Donald Rumsfield had in Iraq where a soldier (having been coached by a reporter) complained about lack of armor for vehicles. While Rumsfield's response was pretty aweful, Lt. Prakash had this to say:

I HATE WHINEY [expletive]... The problem isn't the equipment, it's the attitude of soldiers... Now I know what you're going to say. Blah blah something about having the right equipment and force protection for our soldiers. You want to know what force protection is?

DISCIPLINE. When you have discipline, everything else falls into place.

I'm disgusted by that convoy that refused orders in Baghdad. Give me a dune buggy. I'll deliver your groceries on Haifa street.

Just do your mission and shut up. It's not as bad as it seems on TV.

Time Warp

Topic: Blogging

Wow! I just "discovered" a bunch of my bros and sistas from college all have blogs. Awesome! My blogroll is about to grow exponentially! Not to mention the amount of blogs I will have to read, now. X-P And I suppose I'll have to start writing some personal shtuff to keep them interested...

So, how about a quick update from yer old bro, Sparky. (Thats right, Sparky. Quit laughing).

Following graduation from Fresno State Katrina and I packed up the U-Haul, put my red car on a dolly and drove 3,000+ miles to Washington, D.C. Katrina has been attending the University of Maryland and will complete her Masters of Music in Flute Performance in May. As a matter of fact, her grad recital is May 1st if any of you want to buy a plane ticket... or perhaps road trip?

I am now employed as the Electronic Resources Assistant at the library of The Catholic University of America. Its a great job, and I love being back on a university campus.

As for the future... Katrina will be taking a break from school to freelance, audition and teach and I will be going back to school part-time! One great thing about working for a university is FREE TUITION! I've decided to pursue a Masters of Library Science degree... the only question is whether to go the Music Librarian route or Information Systems.

Now for some shoutouts:
merLOT - for emailing the listserv... If I hadn't read your email I wouldn't have know about all the lovely blogs!
Rast'bone, Gauk, and 2% for coming to visit Katrina and I in DC/Maryland

Quotes

Topic: American Politics/News

"Trusting the game industry to police itself is akin to trusting tobacco companies to regulate themselves," - James Steyer, chief executive of the nonprofit watchdog group Common Sense Media on replacing ESRB ratings on video games with State regulation. LA Times

He's a "dumb [expletive]. I'm no [expletive] clown either... This guy started a jihad. This guy in office is an uneducated, real lying schmuck . . . and we still couldn't beat him with a bore like Kerry." - actor Chevy Chase while hosting awards ceremony for People for the American Way. Washington Post

"We, at this stage, are against the militarization of the intifada [uprising] because we want to negotiate. And because we want to negotiate, the atmosphere should be calm in preparation for political action." - Mahmoud Abbas, likely successor to leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. NY Post

"If you can have children it's a good thing to do... one for your husband, one for your wife and one for your country. Go home and do your patriotic duty tonight." - Australian Treasurer Peter Costello on the rising median age of Australians. Reuters

Authoritarian Russia

Topic: Chechnya/Russia

Sunday was Constitution Day in Russia. A day celebrating the adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation on December 12, 1993... of course following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Sunday, the eleventh anniversery of the Constitution President Putin signed a bill eliminating direct elections of governors. This new law gives Putin the power to appoint the 89 regional governors.

Does this worry anyone? This is a huge step backwords for democracy in Russia. Putin is going to place his cronies in these positions.

Critics say the legislation returns Russia to the Soviet era, when the Kremlin appointed local Communist Party bosses. Critics also say it ends a major part of Russia's decade-long experiment with decentralization and undermines the country's status as a federation, which is stipulated in the constitution.
Russia: Putin Signs Bill Eliminating Direct Elections Of Governors... Radio Free Europe

Putin is slowly consildating power in Moscow - again. One word describes the current situation - disturbing. And he accuses the west of interfering with the democratic process in Ukraine. Please.

10th Anniv of Russian Invasion of Chechnya

Topic: Chechnya/Russia

Saturday marked the 10th anniversery of the day on which President Boris Yeltsin sent Russian troops into Chechnya. For an excellent summary of the conflict over the past ten years, including comparisons of Yeltsin's war (1994-1996) and Putin's war (1999-present) read the article written by Liz Fuller at Radio Free Europe, Analysis: Look Back In Anger -- Ten Years Of War In Chechnya. This article serves as a great summary and an excellent introduction to the crisis in the Chechen Republic of Ickeria.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev also had some words on the conflict:

"Certainly, what was going on in Chechnya at that time was alarming," Gorbachev said in an interview with Russia’s Interfax news agency, published Saturday. "But those problems were not unsolvable and the sending of troops into that republic was an absolutely inadequate measure. That was a great and tragic mistake which led to the military campaign and later to a terrorist war... Thousands of people were killed, Chechnya has suffered catastrophic devastation, but the situation there still remains unsettled," Gorbachev told the agency.

The Committee on Conscious at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum declared a genocide watch in 2001 and the Human Rights Watch continues to keep a close eye on the situation.
Committee on Conscious - Chechnya
Human Rights Watch - Chechnya

The crisis in Chechnya shows no signs of abating any time soon. Spread awareness.

PLO Elections

Topic: Israel/Palestine

With Arafat gone the potential for peace between Palestine and Israel is enormous. Many are holding their breath as various Palestinian factions become involved in the forthcoming PLO elections. Even militant organizations have tossed their hats in the ring.

Two weeks ago:

Sheikh Hassan Yusef, head of the Hamas political bureau in Ramallah said Monday that Hamas is willing to declare a 10 year hudna, or ceasefire.

In an interview with Israel Radio, the senior Hamas leader said that the Islamic movement would consider committing to a ceasefire in order to ultimately join a national unity government with the Palestinian leadership, as Hamas is interested in playing an active role in the new Palestinian government and participating in national decisions.

Sheikh Yusef: Hamas ready for 'hudna'... Jerusalem Post

Fast forward to yesterday:

Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers from the Beduin Desert Reconnaissance Battalion were killed and six more wounded when a tunnel filled with explosives blew up underneath the side of an IDF post near the Rafah terminal in the southern Gaza Strip early Sunday evening.
...
Hamas and Fatah claimed responsibility for the attack, in honor of "the martyr Yasser Arafat, who was slain by the Zionist hand," claiming that it took four months to dig an 800 meter-long tunnel from Rafah to the crossing and that one and a half tons of explosives were placed in barrels inside the tunnel for the blast.

Five soldiers killed in Gaza attack... Jerusalem Post

When I read this article, I just shook my head. This attack should have come as no surprise because organizations like Hamas have no interest in a Palestinian nation, or peace with Israel. They want one thing, the complete and utter destruction of the nation of Israel. I can't help but feel disgusted. There is absolutely nothing Israel can do that would make these people happy. During the Camp David Accords Yassar Arafat was offered nearly everything he had been asking for and yet he walked away from the talks without a word. No reasons, no counter-offer, he just walked away. Arafat's death is the best hope for peace in a long time, and despite the recent violence Israel is holding firm to its decision to withdraw during elections, a decision I admire.

Israeli troops will withdraw from Palestinian cities and towns for 72 hours during next month's Palestinian presidential election, the defense minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday.

Israel has said in the past it will do its utmost to allow the election for Palestinian Authority president to go smoothly. Monday's comments by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz marked the first time Israel provided details on troop deployment during the vote.

IDF to withdraw for PA election... Jerusalem Post

With the pending elections some moderate voices have emerged in Palestine. It is my hope that even if a moderate isn't elected, these factions will continue to grow and their voices will continue to be heard by the Palestinian people. I am just wary of allowing my hopes to get too high.

R.I.P. - "Dimebag" Darrell

Topic: Music

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A gunman charged onstage at a packed nightclub and opened fire on the band and the crowd, killing top heavy metal guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and three other people before a police officer shot him to death, authorities and witnesses said.

Former Pantera Guitarist Killed on Stage

Nathan Gale, 25, of Marysville, reportedly jumped onto a concert stage and open fire, NBC 4 reported.

Darrell Abbott, who was known as "Dimebag Darrell," was pronounced dead at the scene, NBC 4's Kyle Anderson reported. Police released the names of two others who died. They were Nathan Bray and Erin Halk, both audience members.

Police Identify Alleged Gunman In Deadly Nightclub Shooting

I'm in shock. A great metal guitarist, shot dead during a concert. Nobody seems to know who this Nathan Gale guy was. And audience members were killed as well. Tragic.

Please pray for the family members.

Russian losses in Chechnya exceed those in Afghanistan

Topic: Chechnya/Russia

A veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan told a Tambov meeting on Nov. 26 that Russian losses in Chechnya had exceeded the country's losses in Afghanistan.

Eye on Eurasia: The costs of Chechnya... Washington Times.

And yet the world hardly takes notice. Of course, it is hard to get anything in the way of reliable news from Russia, with the independent press rapidly disappearing. Nor does it help that foreign journalists are not allowed into the Chechen conflict zone, much less the Red Cross.

Natalia Zhukova, chairwoman of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, had an opinion article appear recently in the Chicago Tribune.

Once upon a time, Americans felt threatened by my country's military. During the Cold War, the United States felt compelled to undertake huge military expenditures to match its rival's might and vice versa.

Those days, thankfully, are over.

But today, the Russian armed forces still pose a serious threat--to our own people.

The Committee of Soldier's Mothers is the organization that recently tried to meet with the envoy of the elected President of Chechnya, now living in exile in the U.K, to talk about peace. They were to meet in Belgium, but at the last moment were denied Visas.

Belgian Interior Ministry officials had indicated they had been approached by "the Russian side," which had expressed opposition to allowing Zakaev into Belgium. Likewise, the non-government organization Pax Christi International, which was also involved in arranging the talks, warned that the meeting might be scuttled as a result of pressure on Brussels from Russia's Foreign Ministry

ZAKAEV MEETING WITH SOLDIERS' MOTHERS SCUTTLED... The Jamestown Foundation

Its really quite simple. The last time legitimate elections were held in Chechnya, Aslan Maskhadov, a Chechen patriot yet also a moderate in dealings with Russia, was elected President. Now he is in exile, and Moscow would rather obliterate the Chechens than talk with their leader. The Committee of Soldier's Mothers, decided to take matters into their own hands. They approached Maskhadov about a meeting to talk about a possible peace. Maskhadov himself can't attend, because Brussels would allow Russia to arrest him. So Maskhadov assigns a representative to meet with them in Brussels, Belgium. With days left before the meeting the Belgian consulate refuses to issue the Committee's delagation visas, citing "technical" problems. Yeah, right. How about, "political" problems? Or maybe just "we-don't-want-to-piss-off-Moscow" problems.

Join the Open Source Revolution

Topic: Computers

Viva la open source!
I have been very happy with the latest open source browser, Firefox... in fact I use it almost exclusively at home now. If IE weren't so entangled with WinXP I would give it the boot. I wouldn't mind dumping Micro$oft altogether if only I didn't enjoy a good video game now and again. Now, before you anti-M$ elitests begin dumping on me, do know that I have a Linux OS (Mandrake) on one of my two boxes. I just need to spend more time with it.
I had a pleasant suprise at work today when the SysAdmin asked me what I thought about Firefox. I said, "Yes, Yes, Yes! Let's use it!" or something like that. So now we're "testing" it out on a few employee computers and soon (so long as it works with all the databases we subscribe to) the TOTAL CONVERSION of all the comps in the library to Firefox. Awesome! After that, we will take over the rest of the university and finally, THE WORLD! Muwahaha.
The open source revolution doesn't end there. This past month I have been researching Content Management Systems and have settled on a couple to test... although I am strongly leaning towards one in particular (to remain annonymous for now). Open source, of course.
I like my job. ;-)

Last week I was tearing apart an old computer to, as I like to say, "cannibalize" parts for my other boxes and I was reminded of a very old MegaTokyo comic "N3kkid skillz". hehe. While we're on the subject, here's another really old I like very much, "no b3r3 h3r3". Ok, so that one doesn't make much sense out of context, I really just love the frame when Largo says, "Ph33r my lack of b33r!" Sorry, done being silly now. Go read some news or something.

China vs. Google

Topic: Computers

China Blocking Access to Google News Site... Slashdot

Be sure to follow the links mentioned in the Slashdot article about China. Wow. I will have to ponder this article. Better put my thinking cap on.