Category — Uncategorized

CNN is reporting that a U.S. sub collides with Japan ship. Actually the fast-attack submarine, USS Newport News, rear-ended the Japanese supertanker, Mogamikawa, near the Strait of Hormuz.

It will be interesting to read the explanation of the captain of a vessel designed to detect and hunt even Soviet submarines operating in stealth mode missed a supertanker which can be 300 meters long. If you executed an “emergency stop” with a supertanker, going full reverse with the engines, it takes almost two miles to stop. Someone wasn’t paying attention in one of the most crowded waterways on the planet.

This is going to cost us money, and is to be expected with all of the naval vessels trying to work in the Persian Gulf added to the normal traffic patterns.

Duncan noticed that CBS was asking the burning question: “Will Prince William Ever Find A Real Job?“

For the record and the pea brains at CBS, the BBC reports that Cornet William Wales has been assigned to the Blues and Royals regiment following graduation from Sandhurst and is being sent to the 5-month troop leader school for armored reconnaissance units. [A Cornet is a cavalry second lieutenant in the British army.]

It is expected he will later transfer to the RAF, probably becoming a pilot if he can qualify, and then a stint with the Royal Navy. As heir to the throne he is expected to serve in all of the major military branches, as he will be the leader of the military as king.

While his younger brother, Prince Harry, apparently likes the military and has chosen to become a career army officer, I don’t think William really wanted to do this, but he has obligations. Even though he will one day inherit his “real” job, the family demands that he jump through all of the hoops, and check off all of the qualifications.

The guy’s girl friend is subject to parliamentary inquiries for crying out loud. It’s bad enough when your parents start asking about whom you’re dating, but he has to put up with politicians.

As for CBS: being a military officer is a real job, a hell of a lot more real than putting on makeup and reading a teleprompter.

The bureaucrats of the European Union have demanded that that Sark alter its entire governmental structure to conform to their rules. The fact that Michael Beaumont, the Seigneur of Sark, has been doing a pretty good job, and the 600 residents of the 3.5 square mile island didn’t complain about feudalism, makes no difference to the pencil pushers in Brussels, the island had to create a democratic government.

One thing you can be certain of is that the current tax burden, approximately $3.50 per year for the entire island, will go up.

С Рождеством Христовым to my Orthodox friends who are still waiting to see how the calendar reform works out.

The BBC reports on a Diamond star some 50 light-years from the Earth in the constellation Centaurus. The huge cosmic diamond – technically known as BPM 37093 – is actually a crystallised white dwarf. Informally the astronomers have been calling it “Lucy.”

All of the heat and pressure of the death of this star has literally turned its carbon core into a massive diamond.

Via August Pollak, a New York Times article on why Saddam has become a martyr throughout the Sunni world.

No one of any significance was a fan of Saddam Hussein prior to his hanging. Even his Ba’athist party members knew what a thorough bastard he and his sons were. He murdered the husbands of his daughters. If he had bitten the heads off of kittens no one would have been surprised. There isn’t a public relations professional in the world that would have expected to be able to rehabilitate his image as a murderous thug.

Fubar offers Ten tips on how NOT to turn a monster into a martyr which these people should keep on file in case Osama bin Laden misses a bribe payment and is “captured.”

Lots of people moving around:

State Department:

John Negroponte moves from Director of National Intelligence to Deputy Secretary of State.
Zalmay Khalilzad moves from Ambassador to Iraq to United Nations Ambassador.
Ryan Crocker, a career foreign service office, becomes Ambassador to Iraq.

These are positive developments for the State Department, because these are competent people, even if Negroponte should probably be investigated as a war criminal for his activities in Central America.

Defense Department:

Richard Lawless, a former CIA expert, is becoming Assistant Secretary for Asia.
Jim Shinn, CIA NIO for Asia, is becoming Lawless’ principal deputy.
James Clapper, former mapping agency and DIA head, is becoming Undersecretary Of Defense For Intelligence.
Lieutenant General David Petraeus will replace General George Casey as top ground commander in Iraq.
Admiral William Fallon will replace General John Abizaid as Command of Central Command.

The civilian changes are good news, reflecting a move on the part of Gates to hire competent people, but the military moves are problematic.

Petraeus was effective in the area of Mosul during his first tour in Iraq as commander of the 101^st. Unfortunately too much has happened since his successful start to make his tactics successful now. There are too many bodies and too much spilled blood.

Casey was given the command because he fell in behind the policies of Rumsfeld. When Rumsfeld became a liability, so did Casey.

Pat Lang is really suspicious of the appointment of Admiral William Fallon to Centcom, and I hope Pat’s wrong, or someone puts the brakes on these fools.

In addition to Pat at Sic Semper Tyrannis, you should be reading Laura Rozen at War and Piece, Juan Cole at Informed Comment, and the crowd at Needlenose for more commentary.

While many of the changes are welcome, they would have been much better back in 2003 when there was a chance of salvaging Iraq.

Today marks the Feast of the Epiphany, end of the twelve days of Christmas, and Día de los Reyes in Spanish-speaking countries.

The is the customary day for gift exchanges in many Christian cultures.

Ford reveals Mustang-based concept: Ford is going to call it Interceptor and position it to compete with the Dodge Charger.

Just what they need to sell with oil running out and the price of gas not going down anytime soon, a 400 horsepower V8 in a 4 passenger sedan.

If you haven’t read it, check out Digby’s Campaign Promises.

I received an e-mail from Media Matters on this issue and the distortions circulating in the media.

There is no way the Democratic leadership in Congress can make the Republicans behave themselves and work to get things done. A look at the record of the 109^th Congress tells you all you need to know about the desire of the Republicans to do what best for the country.

You can’t pull the partisan crap that the Republican leadership used to get their way and expect anyone, including the voters, to trust them anytime soon.

The Republicans passed the rules that are cutting them out, now that they are in the minority. They were warned when they did it that they wouldn’t like it when they were in the minority, but they did it anyway.

It’s called karma; Republicans need to get used to it. If they don’t understand what that means they can ask the two new Buddhists in the House to explain the concept.

Harriet Miers on Thursday submitted her resignation as White House counsel. This has nothing to do, of course, with a Democratic Congress about to take its oversight obligations seriously and a White House need for really good attorneys.

Linton Brooks, National Nuclear Security Administration chief, forced to quit because nuclear weapons secrets are showing up in the trailers of junkies and no one can find hard drives of classified data.

If you want to work at a US port you are going to have to pay up to $159 for an ID card good for 5 years according t the AP article, Port workers to pay for Homeland Security ID.

Workers have to get cards in the near future, but no decision has been made as to when the ports have to have the equipment to read the cards. This program was required by Congress in 2002, but they didn’t do anything until Congress reminded them in October, 2006.

You would have thought that they could have used the cards they designed for airports, but there are no cards for airports. They won’t be introduced until later.

CNN is carrying an AP report, U.S. intelligence chief to switch jobs, that says National Intelligence Director John Negroponte will resign to become deputy secretary of state, the number two position at the State Department, a position that has been vacant for months.

Rumor has it that retired Admiral Mike McConnell, who was the director of NSA from 1992 to 1996 will be appointed NID.

What, they couldn’t find anyone in the State Department willing to work for Rice? Are they running out of Kool-Aid drinkers?

Update: J.M. [Mike] McConnell is a retired Vice Admiral [three stars] which is another wrinkle in this mess, and, yes, that makes a difference among flag officers, whether active duty or retired.

Blogger is definitely balky today, with the most successful strategy being going to a non-BlogSpot site between BlogSpot sites.

Every form of comments has rejected me tonight: Blogger, WordPress, HaloScan – all for different reasons, but the effect is the same.

Lots of equipment got broken by the “hired help” on the rehab project, and he thinks it is necessary to move everything around every time I leave the site, so that I have to go search for tools when I get back.

Sox rolled in something sticky and was totally unhappy with my cleaning efforts, but Dot refused to go near him and take care of the problem, as she normally does.

I need to take down the Christmas lights at my Mother’s house, but the ladders I need are at the rehab site.