So pre pre-schooler Baby Boo walks by as Your Business Blogger(R) is watching The Story of the Intrepid. The story of the famed WWII aircraft carrier.

The boy catches a few seconds of battle, of war, the triumph of good over evil; an American civics lesson. He listens to the music.

He asks, "Is this a Jesus movie?"

"No," I said. "But it's hard to tell the difference..."

Must see clips: USS Intrepid

We don't know exactly how Obama will attempt to lead as Commander-in-Chief. But we do know his liberal belief philosophy.

Where?

From his pastor: Jeremiah "God D@m America" Wright.

MEDIA ALERT: Charmaine on FOX, Cavuto Obama and Wright: Do They Hate America?

In contrast, another must see clip,

Thank you to USNA at Large for Intrepid's link.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 8:27 AM | Permalink
Comments (4)

Your Business Blogger(R) wanted a medal.

A piece of paper will have to do.

And it's not a check...

Certificate of Recognition
for service during the Cold War.
Robert Gates is grateful.

Robert Heinlein wrote in Starship Troopers that only veterans who served in the country's armed forces would be allowed the privilege to vote.

In Obama's administration, a voter doesn't have to be a citizen, goodness, doesn't have to even be a live citizen.

Obama is NOT Pro-Life: not for babies; not for voting citizens. A dead baby is just fine. A living citizen is not a requirement for voting.

Early in the presidential campaign, Obama maligned the military, for air-raiding villages. And Friended with fellow community activists who tried to blow up the Pentagon.

Will Obama continue his military re-malign-ment? It would appear so.

The popular fellow-liberal, congressional gender-free Barney Frank, not being happy with destroying Freddy and Fannie has now turned his sights on the pentagon, looking for a 25 percent cut in funding.

Veterans do not expect big money bonuses from the government for our service.

But, yes we do want some cash. We would like money... to provide for the common defense for the budget to secure and defend against all enemies foreign...

And domestic. As stated in the oath of office.

Does this mean Obama will go after Bill Ayers as president and commander-in-chief...?

Happy Veterans Day.

Thank you (foot)notes,

Cold War Warriors: Request Your Certificate

Veterans Day, The Liberal Prospective

I Was A Soldier

Arlington National Cemetery, John Wesley Yoest, USN, BMCS

Veterans' Day 2007 & The 13 Flag Folds

Posted at 8:27 AM | Permalink
Comments (1)

Obama will not salute our flag Your Business Blogger(R) did a tour of duty in combat arms.

One of the first tasks to learn on assuming a military position was

(as Bill Clinton was slow to learn) the military salute.

Another Democrat, Obama

and the war hero,
the war injured McCain

have one thing in common with the military.

If either is elected, neither will salute.

Obama: Because he won't.

McCain: Because he can't.

It was a delight to be in a very large room with with people with big ideas. Each who loves his country.

One of the Hosts, Colin Hanna, from Let Freedom Ring, was about to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and reminded us of legislation allowing veterans to render a hand salute, even if out of uniform, even if separated from active service.

The law was made possible by Senator Jim Inhoufe of Oklahoma -- a Republican, of course.

A conservative, of course. Who loves Jesus. Clinging to his religion and his guns...

So the next time you are at a ball game look for veterans during the National Anthem.

They'll be the ones saluting.

Inhofe Legislation Allows Veterans to Salute the Flag

By Ryan Cassin,
Thursday July 26, 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today praised the
passage by unanimous consent of his bill (S.1877) clarifying U.S. law to allow veterans
and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag.

Current law (US Code Title 4, Chapter 1) states that veterans and servicemen not in
uniform should place their hand over their heart without clarifying whether they can or
should salute the flag.

"The salute is a form of honor and respect, representing pride in one's military service," Senator Inhofe said.

"Veterans and service members continue representing the military services even when not in uniform.

"Unfortunately, current U.S. law leaves confusion as to whether veterans and service members out of uniform can or should salute the flag. My legislation will clarify this regulation, allowing veterans and servicemen alike to salute the flag, whether they are in uniform or not.

"I look forward to seeing those who have served saluting proudly at baseball games, parades, and formal events. I believe this is an appropriate way to honor and recognize the 25 million veterans in the United States who have served in the military and remain as role models to others citizens.

Those who are currently serving or have served in the military have earned this right, and their recognition will be an inspiration to others."

See
Gold Star Moms
Visit a cranky vet
Respect for the Flag

Alert Readers have also noticed that Barack Obama has no American Flag on his campaign aircraft. It is not known if he will remove the flag from Air Force One, if he is elected...

Barack Obama also demonstrates that it is impossible for him to support the troops. He took millions from Bill Ayers, the domestic terrorist who attempted to blow up the Pentagon.

How can Obama support the troops and support a terrorist who tried to kill the troops? Obama is not qualified to be commander in chief.

From NRO,

"There's reason to doubt that oft-repeated pledge of 'supporting the troops' when you've worked for a man who tried to kill the troops."

UPDATE on new regs at the jump.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 7:44 AM | Permalink
Comments (4)

Is nuclear power safe? John Howland and his vast readership offer observations on nuke power on its most intimate terms: a submarine.

And how's that working?

From the other side of the leaded glass pane.... I spent three years and five specops in fast attacks and enjoy showing nuke-doubters my radiological med-record for that period: I received less high-energy bombardment that if I had been on a small boy or (sorry for forgetting...) fossil-fueled CV deployed anywhere. 0. ZERO.

[The Penta-Posse is pictured in the forward torpedo room of a WWII submarine. There is not much more room in the new subs.]

And that was with about half of my workspaces next to the Tunnel, just forward and a deck or two above the you-know-what. Whatever other scientific wonders we were near is unknown to me, but I once heard a rumor that our detachment's enlisted people slept in the torpedo room.


It being true in any endeavor of consequence that "One Oh-heck" wipes out a billion atta-boys, the nuclear field cannot tolerate any mistakes greater than a burnt out lightbulb, and our erstwhile Comradette Jane used her cinematic best to take it well beyond the Pale in that regard.


Chernobyl's long term effects will not be known for several thousand years, but there are data that suggest BOTH that life of both flora and fauna types were impacted by the 1986 accident AND that renewed organic chemistry has burgeoned there since a couple of years after it. For fascinating details, see website "kidofspeed.com" a photographic reportage made by a recklessly brave (kinda cute, too!) Ukrainian lady motorcyclist who managed to enter the permanently closed region around the defunct power plant and record its emptiness for posterity. Thanks be, Chernobyl did not start Nuclear Winter -- and our photog lives to do other reckless things (politics, for one) without her suntan turning into a full-body keloid scar.

"Wer rastet, rostet," the Germans say: "He who stops, rusts." What, with the clear and present danger of merely being alive faces us TODAY, nuclear power, with its Rickoverian no-mistake rules looks mighty advantageous to this former cryppie.

If we don't have some new benefits from same, who will provide all that electricity to cook the Sierra Club's granola bars, assemble their Birkenstocks, or to blend blue and yellow basic colors to make green ones?

Forgive an old salt for waxing poetic over an X-ray film, but....

Steve
=============================================

If France can manage to produce 80% of their power from nuclear piles, I have to think we have it within us to do likewise.

With vast respect & ear-trumpets for sea-daddies everywhere,

Jason W.

There is no way to eliminate all risk on this side of eternity. Nuclear power is the safest method to generate power.

Posted at 9:51 AM | Permalink
Comments (7)

The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel will be conducting a hearing on the issue of homosexuals in the military. Among the witnesses who will offer testimony will be Brian Jones, a highly-decorated former Sergeant Major of the US Army's elite Delta Force, who served with the Department of Defense in Iraq in 2004.

Sgt. Maj. Jones will testify in support of the 1993 law stating that homosexuals are not eligible for military service. The law passed Congress with veto-proof majorities in 1993 and has been upheld as constitutional several times.

The hearing will take place in Room 2118 of the House Rayburn Office Building, at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, 23 July .

John Howland from USNA-at-Large sends this along from Allan Slaff,

I am delighted that...Sergeant Major Jones will be on hand to testify before the House Armed Service Committee on Personnel on 23 July in regards to gays in the military.

I am confident that...he will do a superb job. I have a concern...on the unique sociological problems that would be generated by permitting openly practicing gays to serve in the ships of the fleet. These unsolvable problems make it absolutely impossible to permit that to happen.

Let me summarize here:

The habitability standards under which our enlisted personnel serve in the ships of the fleet afford almost no possibilities for human privacy. I examined the habitability standards afforded our bluejackets at sea for the Secretary of the Navy many years ago and found that the habitability standards afforded our enlisted personal in the ships of the fleet were less than 50% of the habitability standards allowed our federal prisoners.

Other than a privacy curtain which may be pulled across a man's berth, there is none. Outside that small space of stacked berths the remainder of the compartment is completely open; thus public nakedness is the norm. The same applies to the heads, washrooms and showers.

These ships deploy for normally 9 months at a time and sometimes much longer. Unlike our air force and army personnel there is no leaving the base after normal working hours except on very restricted liberties when in foreign ports from time to time.


That compartment is our bluejackets' home 24/7 as long as the ship is deployed. It would create a truly impossible sociological situation to permit openly gay personnel to live in such an environment.


It would most assuredly wreak havoc with the good order and discipline of the ships company Requiring gays to abstain for long periods would be akin to berthing two heterosexual men in a compartment of essentially naked women for long periods; especially when those young men were being driven by an absolute rush off hormones. Impossible!


There is another issue. Homosexuals are as intellectually capable as heterosexuals. Therefore, eventually the gay will win advancement in rate. He will then be in a powerful position to bring exquisite sexual pressure on the non-rated personnel under his control.


As you know, I am also opposed to women serving in the combatant ships of the fleet. I base my opposition not on any failure of intelligence, courage, patriotism or ability of women.


It is based solely on the absolute impossibility of eliminating the powerful drive of sexuality. At least, however, in the case of the women, they may be isolated into their own living accommodations on board ship.


Instead of establishing my qualifications to speak with authority on this vitally important issue, I shall send along an abbreviated curriculum vitae. Please note the enormous experience I have had in serving in eleven ships of the fleet and commanding four of our very best.

Under a B. Hussein Obama administration, homosexuals will be allowed to openly serve in the armed forces. As Allan notes, this will destroy unit cohesion and hurt our military readiness.

Military Readiness will not matter under Obama anyhoo. He will simply surrender to the jihadists making our military power moot.

Voting for John McCain is important. He knows how to run the military.

B. Hussein Obama is an accomplished community organizer.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Update: Alert Reader CourtneyMD comments below on the need for the presentation of a compelling argument rather than two homosexuals pictured enjoying a cruise. This may help:

CourtneyMD, You are close: I'm not 14, but this is an argument any 14-year-old understands. Even My 15-year-old daughter.

We all may not have the reasoning power of a 14-year-old, but let us attempt a review.

The arguments are simple to comprehend, especially for those few that have served in the armed forces.

Close quarters, intimate surroundings strip away modesty. It does not promote good order and discipline in a military unit to enable sexual attraction. The military mission does not have the margin of error to tolerant the distraction caused by having a girlfriend or boyfriend in arm's reach in harm's way 24/7.

See close quarters -- men and women -- on a submarine.

This is different than the soft civilian life most people enjoy, even in dangerous occupations. Females and homosexual firefighters and police-persons can go off-duty.

Can't really go off-duty on a submarine.

In the absence of privacy, no person -- whatever they may tell the pollsters -- does not want other service members lusting after their bodies.

A sailor wants his buddy to watch his back -- not covet his backside.

As requested, see a compelling argument for unit cohesion.

And let's not forget B. Hussein Obama's other sugar stick women in combat.

B. Hussein Obama and Jesus.

Double standards for women in the military.

And thank you for noticing the repetition of B. Hussein Obama -- and thank you for repeating it back. Perhaps you are trainable.

Repeating back a negative is something even the professionals have trouble with. See the Bimbo Awards with the late Tony Snow.

Your Business Blogger(R) works at teaching business sense. Here, we are reduced to teaching common sense.

Thank you for commenting,
Jack

See Dana Milbank from the WaPo. Your Business Blogger(R) is not related to the Cynthia Yost mentioned in the Milbank article

Posted at 9:25 AM | Permalink
Comments (2)

Alert Reader Richard Neault sends this email,

Mr. Yoest,

I was stationed on the Bonefish (SS-582)from 1984-1988. In 1988 we had a fire that killed three of our friends and ended the career of the Bonefish. I had met the widow of the CO of the first Bonefish when she presented the crew with a Holy Bible.

I have been assembling different items for a framed tribute piece for both the first and second bonefish. I have always been fascinated with the first boat and what happened to her.

I have been trying to find information about the battleflag of the first bonefish and have been unable to. I have also been trying to find an original, or at least a good reproduction, of the patch from the first bonefish. If you can help me with either of these items, I would be very grateful. I am in the process of founding a local museum about the Cold War and hope one day to place these items in the museum. It must have been an honor to have had a father who was a part of the Greatest Generation.

I appreciate his service to our country.

Please tell your wife that I also appreciate the things she has done and that we are one family that appreciates the FRC and the real conservatives in politics.

Richard Neault
www.calcoldwar.org

Here is the patch of which he may be speaking. I would be honored to donate the Bonefish artifact to the museum, if the item would be helpful.

If there are other Alert Readers who might have items of interest, please contact Mr. Neault through his website -- or email Your Business Blogger(R)

Thank you (foot)notes:

Also see USS Bonefish Lost: A Remembrance 18 June

See Virtual Paintings of Bonefish by Tom McMahon

Posted at 12:35 PM | Permalink
Comments (3)

The following was made available thru John Howland at USNA-AT-Large and deserves a wide audience.

General to General

Richard Carroll asked my opinion of General Tony McPeak, and his
current support of the far, Socialist-Left. He is co-chairman of
Obama's National Election Committee. I have been asked the same
question by many others.

Rich wrote this and asked for as much coverage as possible...

I consider this a weak version of how I really feel about Wesley
Clark, Tony McPeak, the traitor Army Generals, and the rest of their
ilk who are supporting the far-left in this election.

Most, if not all, waited until they thought there was a predictable winner to the
Democratic nomination, then ran to show their support in hopes of
receiving a Cabinet appointment after the election. This is
absolutely unforgivable to me, and the majority of the military
members that I served with for upward to 35 years. In my opinion,
they are supporting the destruction of our military, and willing to
do irreparable damage to our country strictly for their own personal gain.

J. C.
B/G, USAF, Ret.
==========================================
A Four Star Tool;
Generally Speaking

by Rich Carroll

'As one who for 37 years proudly wore the uniform of our
country'. General Merrill 'Tony' McPeak, Co-Chairman of Barack
Hussein Obama Campaign.

History, General, will remember you by not how proudly you wore your
uniform, but by how you betrayed our trust and by how defiantly your
current boss refuses to wear an American flag pin.

Veterans will remember you for choosing to support a political party that trashes
and degrades our military. You have separated yourself from 'those
who served' to become entrenched with a candidate inextricably
connected to a political and religious cult determined to control
America and murdering millions in their effort to do so.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 8:53 PM | Permalink
Comments (1)

Charmaine calls early morning from Edinburgh. "I'm having trouble flying into London," she says.
I'm still waking up -- I didn't see the news. I ask, "When can you come home?"

"I don't know," she says, her voice unsteady, "They're still clearing the bodies."

Three years ago Your Business Blogger(R) sent the Little Woman to the G-8 with the B3: Bono and Branson and Bush.

We here in the US of A have not been attacked on our soil since 9.11. We must be doing something right.

Bush must be doing something right. Would Obama be able to protect us as Bush has? As McCain would?

Charmaine on the plane with Richard Branson

Following is an edited cross post from Reasoned Audacity, July 1 - 7, 2005.

Charmaine calls early morning from Edinburgh. "I'm having trouble flying into London," she says.

I'm still waking up. I ask, "When can you come home?"

"I don't know," she says, her voice unsteady, "They're still clearing the bodies."

A wake up call.

London, welcome to the war.

It started, as most things these days do, with Powerline.

Following is original posting from London as Charmaine called it into me, when her site went down. Any inconsistencies may be due to transcription overload.

This is Jack, the husband: Charmaine called. Her site is still down, but she wanted to file a report to Powerline.

"Flew into Heathrow airport and took a $150 cab ride into north London to conduct interviews and document the bombsites. Bobbies cordoned off area around the sites sealing the scene of the explosions. I got to within a block or so of Edgware Tube station entrance with Londoners sitting calmly, relaxing in pubs. Everything is strangely calm, business as usual. I interviewed a woman, an interior designer, expecting some emotional display. There was none. "We don't do a lot of group hugging in England," she said, making me think of the stiff-upper lip. "We are not sentimental."

And she seemed to reflect the mood of the London population. Not for what they were doing but for what they were not doing: No candles, no out-pouring of grief, no hoards of gawkers milling around police tape, no teddy bears, no bouquets of flowers. No movement. No tears. Everything normal, except, maybe for that bus with the top blown off. Workers cleared and cleaned up the area real well. Spiffy. And got back to their pints.

I visited hospitals and learned that 'only' 37 were confirmed dead at that time. More confirmations were expected.

There were no moms with little children in downtown London. I interviewed middle-aged businessmen on cell phones and kids with Mohawks, none who were surprised.

Londoners gently reproached me about my concern over the bloodshed, "You Americans get sentimental over silly things. We're used to getting bombed." The IRA Troubles had hardened hearts as well as the London infrastructure.

I expected some grief, at least as much as there was when Lady Di died. And grief I got. I interviewed three very ordinary, normal teenaged English Muslims, one with short spiky hair (dressed not unlike my 10 year-old-dude). All three seems to be parroting Muslim talking points. "The bombings were a conspiracy by Blair to generate support for the war," they recited in a charming British accent.

The bombers were quite indiscriminate. Edgware is not far from the heart of Little Beirut, a Muslim ethnic neighborhood.

A young British black woman told me, "The bombings are Tony Blair's fault -- they killed a 100,000 Iraqis -- and it's like a boomerang [coming back at the British]." Most everyone I talked to believed that the British caused the bombing or had it coming.

Of the dozen or so people I interviewed only white males in business attire expressed surprise that anyone would think the British were at fault in anyway.

But these gentlemen were the minority. Most felt that the Brits were complicit. The people at London's ground zero were sounding like the "wobbly" Spanish after their train bombings.

The day is a cloudy, cold, rainy 7.7."

Charmaine is still out on the streets -- 9pm local London time and will be sending pictures soon.

Read the entire story at My Wife Flew off with Bono and Branson; Bombed in London 7.7.05 .

Posted at 12:54 PM | Permalink
Comments (0)

The following has been circulating on the web and deserves a wide audience. Please comment if the author is known. The writer should be acknowledged and acclaimed.

BUSH'S RESIGNATION SPEECH

The following 'speech' was written recently by an ordinary Maineiac [a resident of the People's Republic of Maine ]. While satirical in nature, all satire must have a basis in fact to be effective. This is an excellent piece by a person who does not write for a living.

The speech George W. Bush might give:

Normally, I start these things out by saying 'My Fellow Americans.'

Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that many of you are really not fellow Americans any longer.

I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.

The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people. I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too d@mned lazy to do your homework and figure it out.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 1:39 PM | Permalink
Comments (4)

Following is from a Naval Aviator. The Dude, pictured on left with Baby Boo a few years ago at the Air Force Academy, loves jets and jet noise and wants to fly.

Charmaine is not so sure.

The Air Force crashes about 75 jets in routine training accidents apart from the war zones. The Navy budgets two jet losses per carrier per deployment.

Producing a number of widows, orphans and grieving families.

Even training is dangerous.

Our cousin Will was an F-18 pilot after graduating from Harvard.

He assures us that Naval Aviation is safe.

Except when it isn't.

Subject: Oyster Here . . I Think We Need To Rig The Barricade [ To Catch This Thing ] !

Here's a personal story of an F-18 pilot's . . at o'dark thirty . . with the carrier's barrier in place. The barricade's an impressive 20 foot high stiff net, that can be stretched across the deck to ' capture ' birds during extreme emergencies.

" Oyster, here. This note is to share with you the exciting night I had the other month. So There I was .

. . manned up with pins pulled on the hot seat for a 2030 night launch on the Hornet about 500 miles north of Hawaii. I taxied off toward the carrier's island where I did a 180 and got spotted on Cat number 1. They lowered my launch bar into position and the take-off routine began. On the run-up, all systems appeared to be ' in the green.'

After waiting the requisite 5 seconds to make sure all my flight controls were OK, I turned on the exterior lights, then shifted my eyes to the catwalk to watch the deck edge dude move his head while clearing me, left and right.

With the back of my helmet, I touched the head rest for...what was coming.

The Hornet cat shot is pretty impressive. Particularly at night. As the cat fired, I clicked in both afterburners...and I am along for the ride. But just prior to the end of the stroke there's a huge flash with a simultaneous B-O-O-M ! ...

continue reading at the jump.

This article has been circulating on the web. Credit to John Howland's USNA-At-Large.

Be sure to read Your Business Blogger(R) getting bested by his pre-teen Diva. And no, this is not a case study for women in combat. Read The FireDrill: Practice Success to Avoid Failure,

Your (Army) Business Blogger[R] had no business in the cockpit. My instructor was a Vietnam vet with MigKlr license plates on his truck.

He said the F-14 was a "Man's Plane." He sounded sexist. He explained that the old-generation hydraulics required real strength -- after a couple of hours, even the manliest studs needed two hands on the stick.

No place for girls.

Or so I thought.

But I was wrong, again.

I bring the Five-kid Penta-Posse to Oceana Naval Air Station to show them how macho military men (like their father) defeated Communism.

We get invited to some F-14 training. I climb in the simulator. No photography is permitted. And a good thing, too...

Alert Readers know that the F-14 is now retired.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 3:49 PM | Permalink
Comments (0)

Two items for June 18th:

1) It is a day of remembrance in Your Business Blogger(R)'s household, and
2) Charmaine gave speech.

Charmaine's talk was on the impact that women can have in our culture.
See her From Femme to Fatale.ppt Power point presentation.

MEDIA ALERT: Charmaine to speak at the EPC 28th Assembly

Charmaine's talk reminded us of the eternal values. Life and Death; this side of eternity and beyond.

At a recent funeral -- they seem to come faster and faster as we get older and older -- we talked about burials. Cremation, well, lights our fire and speeds up that dust-to-dust transition.

Charmaine asked what we plan to do with the ashes, where on earth to put them. We talk about the extended family's burial plots.

"Where do you want to get buried?" She asks.

"37º18'N, 137º55'E," I say.

"What?"

"The Sea of Japan," I remind her. Women!

"What's there?" she wonders.

Bonefish.

June 18th is the day we remember the loss of USS Bonefish.

My father, then only a teen-ager from Jersey, left high school, went to war and was assigned to the submarine, USS Bonefish. Just before the final mission of the Bonefish, my father walked off the gangplank - transferred to another assignment. Another man took his place.

On its eighth mission, on June 18, 1945, the Bonefish was lost fighting the enemy in the Sea of Japan, with the loss of all 53 officers and men. It was the last U.S. submarine sunk in World War II...

The article was first published by a number of outlets including the Virginian-Pilot in my hometown.

Posted at 10:38 PM | Permalink
Comments (0)

Remembering the fallen

Watch the video
courtesy: Military Times
Alert Readers know that Your Business Blogger(R) does not care to see women any where near combat.

Real men fight their own battles.

Real men fight their country's battles.

Watch how How One Woman Serves. This is why men fight. She is why families sacrifice.

Thank you (foot)notes:

The forward torpedo room Pictured is the Penta-Posse on the retired submarine USS Becuna moored at Philadelphia. This highlights the close quarters men and women would live for months at a time under a Obamanation.

When boys and girls are close together, they get, well, close together.

The Navy will not tell us how many women get pregnant.

Our guess is that the pregnancy numbers are so high that the politically correct Navy will not disclose the prego incidents for fear of feminists. One anonymous service member said that the only women not getting pregnant in the military are the lesbians.

Barack X. Obama, the metro-sexual, girlie-man plans to put women in land combat, in harm's way and into submarines.

He is not quite a real man.

John McCain does not want women on submarines or in combat. He is a real man. With the scars to prove it.

McCain gives us his body once broken. Obama has never broken a sweat. Never had a blister, the poor sweet man.

Our poor country...

Your Business Blogger(R) was once honored to give a speech to some sub vets,

Submariners' Memorial Service, Saturday May 13, 2000, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Debt of Honor

It is an honor to join you here today and remember the submariners "still on patrol." And to remember our debt of honor due. I've asked my son, John, to join us today -- a day I expect him to remember and take to his grave.

During World War II, my dad, a teenager from New Jersey, left high school, went to submarine school and was assigned to the USS Bonefish.

When John saw previews of the blockbuster movie U-571, he asked if it was about his grandfather. The movie is a story about honor, courage, strength, character, what being a man, a warrior really is. Yes John, your grandfather was in the movie, and so were each of the submariners here today.

But in the movie the men came home. We are here today for the men who didn't.

The only women on submarines during WWII were the Korean "Comfort Women" used as sex slaves on the Japanese boats. We won that war.

Posted at 6:43 AM | Permalink
Comments (0)

Martha McCallum on FOX Charmaine will be appearing on the FOX News Live Desk with Martha McCallum to discuss today's hot topics:

Clinton's undisciplined messaging; McCain invites Obama to Iraq; Allergic to WiFi under ADA?

Alert Readers might be interested in our recent article in National Review Online by Your Business Blogger(R) and Charmaine on Hillary Clinton's management style: The woman can’t manage. “Bad Management”

Hit time is 1pm eastern on FOX News.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Please email us your comments.

See Does Wi-Fi Violate the ADA?

I'm dubious that this is a violation of the ADA. If the plaintiffs feel the effects of Wi-Fi signals even inside their specially protected homes, it's hard to see how the city (which has got to be an awfully minor contributor to the aggregate Wi-Fi signals within its boundaries) could reasonably modify its policies and practices to avoid the problems these plaintiffs are facing.

USAToday, Allergic to WiFi? Group fights Internet hotspots in Santa Fe,

[t]he World Health Organization says there's little to suggest that electromagnetic fields are responsible for the "range of non-specific symptoms" that such sufferers have described.

"A number of studies have been conducted where [electromagnetic hypersensitivity] individuals were exposed to [electromagnetic fields] similar to those that they attributed to the cause of their symptoms. The aim was to elicit symptoms under controlled laboratory conditions," the organization says. "The majority of studies indicate that EHS individuals cannot detect EMF exposure any more accurately than non-EHS individuals. Well controlled and conducted double-blind studies have shown that symptoms were not correlated with EMF exposure."

The World Health Organization reports on This reputed sensitivity to EMF has been generally termed “electromagnetic hypersensitivity” or EHS,

A number of studies have been conducted where EHS individuals were exposed to EMF similar to those that they attributed to the cause of their symptoms. The aim was to elicit symptoms under controlled laboratory conditions.

The majority of studies indicate that EHS individuals cannot detect EMF exposure any more accurately than non-EHS individuals. Well controlled and conducted double-blind studies have shown that symptoms were not correlated with EMF exposure.

It has been suggested that symptoms experienced by some EHS individuals might arise from environmental factors unrelated to EMF. Examples may include “flicker” from fluorescent lights, glare and other visual problems with VDUs, and poor ergonomic design of computer workstations. Other factors that may play a role include poor indoor air quality or stress in the workplace or living environment.

There are also some indications that these symptoms may be due to pre-existing psychiatric conditions as well as stress reactions as a result of worrying about EMF health effects, rather than the EMF exposure itself.

From TechDirt, If You're Going To Claim That WiFi Violates The ADA, Shouldn't You Need To Prove It Actually Hurts People?

Posted at 10:42 AM | Permalink
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In Remembrance of
those in the
Submarine Service 40 Years ago the USS Scorpion was due in Norfolk, VA. She never returned.

She is, as the veterans say, on Eternal Patrol.

John Howland at USNA-AT-LARGE has set up a group for the boat,

Dedicated to and in honor of the 99 U.S. Navy submariners who perished in the loss of SCORPION in May 1968. The 40th Anniversary of that tragedy ...[is] (May 2008), yet the cause(s) of the loss remain a complete mystery.

USS Scorpion
40 Years on Eternal Patrol

This lack of clarity and closure has created a void into which charlatans now have full play in creating bogus theories for profit.

This unsatisfactory situation may result in the SCORPION 99 going into history forever at the mercy of the unscrupulous.

The solution that this group will work toward will be to encourage the U.S. Navy to, at the very least, put to rest the loss scenarios which have MINIMAL TO NO PROBABILITY of having actually occurred.

Your Business Blogger(R) wrote an article for National Review Online about those left behind from the loss of the USS Scorpion.

Five Days in May: The loss of the USS Scorpion.

By Jack Yoest

Yolanda Mazzuchi was about the prettiest girl in our school class. Our dads were in the Navy, often gone for months at a time. And they would be welcomed home at dockside with cheers and homemade signs. These gatherings at the D&S Piers at the Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia, were a regular part of our lives growing up. Families often took children out of school to celebrate a ship’s homecoming.

At 1 in the afternoon on Monday, May 27, 1968, at the height of the Cold War the USS Scorpion was due in port.

Yolanda didn’t know it then, but her dad was already dead....

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

More from BubbleHead.

And read about the Loss of the Bonefish.

Your Business Blogger(R) of Management Training of DC, LLC, is a licensed agent for the William Oncken Corporation, presenters of Managing Management Time(TM) fondly known as Monkey Management.

Remember Me at the jump.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 12:53 PM | Permalink
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The Penta-Posse at
Arlington National Cemetary, 2005 Our good friend Mackubin Owens, Ph.D., has a terrific article up on NRO, Mystic Chords of Memory, From America's Founding, to the sacrifices of her sons and daughters, we remember.

This weekend, we mark the 140th anniversary of the first official observation of the holiday we now call Memorial Day, as established by General John A. Logan’s “General Order No. 11” of the Grand Army of the Republic dated 5 May, 1868. This order reads in part: “The 30th day of May 1868 is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers and otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” Logan’s order served to ratify a practice that was already widespread, both in the North and the South, in the years immediately following the Civil War.

Alas, for many Americans today, Memorial Day has come to signify nothing more than another three-day weekend, a mere excuse for a weekend cook-out. Such an observance of Memorial Day obscures even the vestiges of its intended meaning: a solemn time, serving both as catharsis for those who fought and survived, and to ensure that those who follow will not forget the sacrifice of those who died that the American Republic and the principles that sustain it, might live.

"Mac" continues,

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address gives universal meaning to the particular deaths that occurred on that hallowed ground, thus allowing us to understand Memorial Day in the light of the Fourth of July, to comprehend the honorable end of the soldiers in the light of the glorious beginning and purpose of the nation. The deaths of the soldiers at Gettysburg, of those who died during the Civil War as a whole, and indeed of those who have fallen in all the wars of America, are validated by reference to the nation and its founding principles as articulated in the Declaration of Independence.

Some will object, claiming that linking Memorial Day and Independence Day glorifies war and trivializes individual loss and the end of youth and joy. How can the loved ones of a fallen soldier ever recover from such a loss? I corresponded with the mother of one of my Marines who died in Vietnam for some time after his death. He was an only child and her inconsolable pain and grief put me in mind of Rudyard Kipling’s poem, Epitaphs of the War, verse IV, “An Only Son”:

I have slain none but my mother, She
(Blessing her slayer) died of grief for me.

Kipling too, lost his only son in World War I.

But as Holmes said in 1884, “[G]rief is not the end of all. I seem to hear the funeral march become a paean. I see beyond the forest the moving banners of a hidden column. Our dead brothers still live for us, and bid us think of life, not death — of life to which in their youth they lent the passion and joy of the spring. As I listen, the great chorus of life and joy begins again, and amid the awful orchestra of seen and unseen powers and destinies of good and evil our trumpets sound once more a note of daring, hope and will.”

This Memorial Day the household of Your Business Blogger(R) will fly our Flag as we always do and remember those who "gave the last full measure" and died in service.

Dad is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The years on his head stone tell of his full life. Our family was so lucky.

Nearby head stones tell of service men who died far too soon. Far too young. In war for us.

Danny Boy
The BalladThe Irish classic Danny Boy has a long and varied history. The following explanation is my favorite and the simplest,

Once, a long time ago there was an old man who had raised many sons who he loved dearly. A war raged over the land that they lived in and one by one he saw each of them go off to fight and not return. Then one day, as harvest time drew near, he knew that his youngest, and most precious, son would soon be going off to fight just as his brothers before him. The old man was sad and knew that he may never see his last boy alive. He looked intently at the young lad, and with tears in his eyes he sang this song.

The ballad cannot begin to reveal the emotion and the pain of fathers and mothers who bury sons in a time of war.

I do not know how families do this.

But I do know that we must be grateful.

We are so lucky. Happy Memorial Day.

Thank you (foot)notes:

See Meditation on Suffering and Sacrifice,

The famous chapel on the grounds of the United States Air Force Academy nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains is more truly a cathedral. Outwardly, it is all sleek silver-wing metal, with seventeen external buttresses, knifing severely skyward. Designed to evoke an air-frame, the architecture does not immediately summon spiritual devotion.

But cross the threshold, step inside, and one is transported to another plane. The solemn air is bathed in the soft splendor of muted light. While the stern steel silhouette dominates the external view, the interior reveals the fragile panels of stained-glass that the harsh ribs support. The intricate glass panes filter and animate the sunlight, illuminating the sacred space with almost a visual hush.

At the front of the chapel, a single row is roped off. "Reserved" the sign says, for all the United States aviators who are missing in action or prisoners of war. The only occupant of the pew is a single, burning candle.

"Greater love hath no man than this. . ." reads the plaque. The Scripture it alludes to concludes: "that a man lays down his life for his friends."

My thoughts immediately fly to my boy, my sweet Dude, who wants to be a fighter pilot. And baby Boo, who will almost certainly want to follow his older brother. My heart blanches. How could I bear it? And yet so many other mothers -- gold-star mothers -- even this very day, must find a way when their sons have given the last measure of devotion.

Be sure to read Charmaine's post from 2005, Memorial Day: Arlington National Cemetery

Danny Boy Lyrics at the jump

Continue Reading »

Posted at 9:54 PM | Permalink
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McDonald's is funding homosexual activism--and I'm NOT lovin' it!

Charmaine and the Penta-Posse
at a McDonald's
somewhere in Middle America
circa 2005 Buying a McDonald's hamburger now promotes the homosexual lifestyle. Here's a sample open letter to the McDonald's leadership, supplied by the Family Research Council,

Dear Chairman McKenna,

We are writing to request that you end your "Corporate Partnership" with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and refrain from making corporate contributions to this or other homosexual organizations.

[If individual members of the board of McDonald's wishes to give to any charity, have it your way, so to say -- but a corporation should not
use earnings for charity. Charity is a test of the individual heart -- not corporate or government largess.]

We also request that you adopt a policy which would prevent your corporate officers from using the McDonald's corporate name to lend legitimacy to work they may do for such organizations. The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce exists to generate business for companies that are owned by homosexuals. While we do not object to McDonald's doing business with any suppliers who can provide a quality product or service at a good price, we also do not understand why anyone would engage in affirmative steps to seek out suppliers based on their sexual behavior, or assist in promoting businesses for that reason.

[Your Business Blogger(R) has spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours in McDonald's PlayPlaces. I'm not sure I've ever seen a homosexual in a McDonald's. The demographics do not fit the fast food market segment.

No. The homosexuals do not want to eat at McDonald's any more than they really want to serve in the military. Homosexuals are on a marketing campaign for normalcy. And they are looking for a stamp of approval in basic cultural institutions: Ronald McDonald, marriage and the military.]

However, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce does not exist just to promote the economic interests of their members. They also promote an extensive political agenda, including explicit support for legislation and litigation that would:

* Undermine the unique treatment granted to marriage between one man and one woman under the law
* Treat homosexual and "transgender" behavior on the same basis as race under federal civil rights laws
* Label disapproval of homosexual behavior a form of "hate" under so-called "hate crime" laws.

[Parents should ask if McDonald's will embrace open unisex restrooms where transgenders and transvestites and cross-dressers can have proximity to the wee ones.]

The NGLCC promotes a controversial social and political agenda that is offensive to tens of millions of your customers. A corporation like McDonald's, which prides itself on providing a family-friendly product in a family-friendly environment, should not be associated with any narrow political agenda. Thank you for considering my views.

Let the homosexuals dine on fast food at Starbucks. With the rest of the liberals.

Nope. The next time I need to take the Penta-Posse out for fast food -- Lord, the money we spend -- we will not go to McDonald's. And neither should you.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Market Research for McDonald's

Your Business Blogger(R) has enjoyed eating at McDonald's the world over. I'm not sure of the support for homosexuals in, say, China. See China's New Statue for Brotherhood and World Peace. And learn where the ad, I'm Lovin' It was developed.

Posted at 9:04 PM | Permalink
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Your Business Blogger(R) has an old article at National Review Online about the loss of the submarine,

Five Days in May: The loss of the USS Scorpion.

By Jack Yoest

Yolanda Mazzuchi was about the prettiest girl in our school class. Our dads were in the Navy, often gone for months at a time. And they would be welcomed home at dockside with cheers and homemade signs. These gatherings at the D&S Piers at the Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia, were a regular part of our lives growing up. Families often took children out of school to celebrate a ship’s homecoming.

At 1 in the afternoon on Monday, May 27, 1968, at the height of the Cold War the USS Scorpion was due in port.

Yolanda didn’t know it then, but her dad was already dead....

Follows is an invitation to the 40th Anniversary Memorial Weekend for the USS Scorpion.

April 24, 2008

Dear USS Scorpion Families / Shipmates / Friends:

MaryEtta and I hope you have made your reservations at Norfolk’s Downtown Radison Hotel for the USS Scorpion, SSN-589 40th Anniversary Memorial Service weekend. The program has been finalized and we are honored to have Vice Admiral John J. Donnelly, Commander, Submarine Forces, as our keynote speaker at the memorial service. We have a full weekend planned, thanks to our sponsors and your support of our T-shirt sale.

After checking-in at the Radison, please join us in the USS Scorpion, SSN-589 Hospitality Room. There you can pick up all the information for the weekend activities as well as reuniting with old friends. The room will be open all day and well into the evening, so if you are staying at another location, please come by and say hello.

***Note to USS Scorpion family members and crew***
The Newport News Father Bader Assembly of the Knights of Columbus is hosting a picnic at Fleet Park starting at 1:00 PM on Saturday in honor of the USS Scorpion family and former crewmembers. This is a ticketed event, so please see Barbara Lake in the Hospitality Room to receive your tickets. If you can’t pick them up on Friday, please see me before or after the memorial service.

This will be the last mailing we will be sending out before the memorial service. As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to call Mary Etta.... I will have my cell phone on all weekend if anyone needs assistance or information.

Attached you will find the full schedule events. Look forward to seeing everyone very soon.

Sincerely,

Art Nolan
In honor of Wally Bishop, Chief of the Boat

More at the jump.

Thank you to John Howland at USNA-AT-LARGE

Continue Reading »

Posted at 9:42 PM | Permalink
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Obama Surrendering in 60 Seconds Alert Reader Jx sends this clip along,

"Ha! Where's he going to run to when the enemies of the USA start/continue war with us because they hear that his goal is to make us defenseless?"

Thank you (foot)notes:

Jx is from Texas. A Red State where normal people live.

Full Disclosure: Charmaine, wife of Your Business Blogger(R) served as senior advisor to the Huckabee Campaign and with Mike Huckabee is supporting McCain for President. A real Commander-in-Chief.

McCain: Commander-in-Chief. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Posted at 5:53 PM | Permalink
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Our liberal friends at PBS have put together a program on the Navy.

Remember, any time 'Hollywood' gets near the military, the result always degenerates to an anti-war film.

USS Nimitz From: Chief of Naval Operations...

Beginning Sunday, April 27, PBS will air a reality-TV documentary
entitled "CARRIER", filmed while the production company was embarked
during the entire USS NIMITZ's 2005 deployment. The program will air
over five nights from Sunday, April 27, to Thursday, May 1, 2008,
9:00-11:00 p.m. ET.

Ten hours of film will be aired, selected from almost 2,000 hours that
were shot over the course of a 6-month deployment to CENTCOM. I have
viewed the production and want to share context and some thoughts
with you.

While "Carrier" shows the outstanding work our young Sailors do every
day and the opportunities the Navy offers, it also shows Sailors
making mistakes in their personal and professional lives. The
snapshot is frank and may be somewhat disconcerting to some who came
into the Navy some time ago. However, that said, I believe it will
also resonate with a significant segment of our country, especially
potential recruits and young Sailors serving today.

1) What we did. We provided unprecedented access to our Sailors,
and this production tells their story in a very personal way. There
is no narrator -- the stories are told by the Sailors themselves.
You get unvarnished views from junior personnel about their hopes,
aspirations, and challenges of life in the Navy aboard the carrier.
We did not get between the film crews and the Sailors.

2) What we got. The production highlights the racial, gender,
religious, and socio-economic diversity of our Navy. The hard work
our Sailors perform and the remarkable feat of forging thousands of
individuals on a carrier into a truly unique team really shines
through. Culling through hundreds of hours of video, the producers
created a 10-hour reality-TV documentary that shows selected aspects
of our Sailors' personal and professional challenges. The
cinematography is very high quality and the visuals and music are
sure to appeal to younger audiences.

3) What we did not get. We did not get a Navy "commercial" in the
traditional sense. "CARRIER" is very different from the hardware
documentaries we have supported in the past. This program focuses on
our people and the reality-TV approach gives it a sense of
authenticity and credibility. Since we did not monitor the
individual interviews and ongoing production, the program contains
material that does not always and fully represent the discipline,
values and mission of the U.S. Navy.

You will see some Sailors making personal and professional mistakes,
and expressing opinions that are different from the Navy's. However,
the production shows that these are the exception, not the norm, and
that leadership is engaged to shape lives and appropriate outcomes.
There are abundant examples of how the Navy changed Sailors' lives
for the better by giving them opportunities and a disciplined
environment.

4) Why did we agree to the project? This production, although not an
all-inclusive picture of the Navy, will give potential recruits and
those who influence them a glimpse of what life is really like in the
Navy. We want the American people to know, understand and appreciate
the contribution our Sailors make each and every day while deployed
around the world. We also want them to know us, not as a monolithic
bureaucratic entity, but as a diverse organization of individual
Americans who have set aside the comforts of home and have put
themselves on the line to serve a greater cause. You already know
how inspiring our people are, but few in our Nation get to see our
people in an operational environment.

Some of you may be called upon to offer public comments about this
film to the media or to community groups. We will soon distribute PA
guidance to support your efforts and will be putting additional
information on www.navy.mil in the near future. If you need any
additional information, please contact CHINFO, RDML Frank Thorp.

Thank you for all that you do.

All the best,

Gary Roughead

Thank you (foot)notes:

Thank you to John Howland at USNA-AT-LARGE for sending this out.

See more pictures.

Posted at 11:35 AM | Permalink
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Sherman Tank vs Ford Mustang,
Fort Knox, KY, ca 1978
credit: Your Business Blogger(R)
Back in the days of the horse cavalry, Your Business Blogger(R) served a tour of duty as an Armored Officer.

And volunteered at the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, KY. Working on restoring vintage military hardware.

One of the first lessons taught was that large armored tracked vehicles, ie, tanks, had limited fields of vision in close quarters. So a ground guide -- a human walking in front and behind -- was routinely assigned to keep the masses of metal from unnecessary collisions.

Not always successful.

Sometimes deadly.

Watch the video comparison test between another wheeled and a tracked vehicle. Surprise ending.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Credit to Marshall Manson from London for Twittering this comparison .

And no, I was not driving either vehicle...

Please email your comments.

Posted at 7:07 AM | Permalink
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William Tecumseh Sherman.
National Archives Our friends at Military.com have a short, four question test to determine which military model of leadership you might fit.

No wrong answer.

No bad answers either.

Your Business Blogger(R) tests out as Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman.

Well.

I married into a Georgia family with deep Confederate roots. Poor back then, they would remind me when we visit near Atlanta, No slaves.

They are still mad about Sherman's March to the Sea. They'all are not going to appreciate my test results.

When in the south, do not say "Civil War." It was technically, "The War Between The States." We just wanted to leave, say my southern kin. The North wouldn't let us be and came after us.

Firing on Fort Sumter didn't help, though...

Take the Leadership Profile evaluation.

But if you are thankful for our current, reunited uniformed services, you might consider the Grateful American Coin. It is a Challenge Coin to present to veterans. Neat gift. 100% of Net Proceeds Benefit Wounded Veterans.

Your Business Blogger(R) bought a bunch. You should too. Why?

Why are we doing all of this? ...The answer is gratitude.

Grateful American Coin was founded on the belief that it is out of a deep sense of gratitude that we should honor and acknowledge the sacrifices of members of the U.S. military. In doing so, we should individually do what we can, however small, to help those service men and women who have sustained the most severe injuries.

We feel that there are a great many Americans who share our sense of gratitude and are looking for an ideal way to express it.

Grateful American Coin is a non-profit organization and has submitted a 501(c)(3) application.

Grateful American Coin is based outside of Tampa, FL and is entirely staffed with non-paid volunteers.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Thanks to John Howland at USNA at Large for the referral to Grateful American Coin. Unpaid link.

What's a Challenge Coin?

Continue Reading »

Posted at 7:06 AM | Permalink
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An Alert Reader sends this,

I had told many of you about the command given by the new Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy: The flags of the United States and the Brigade of Midshipmen may no longer be processed down the center aisle of the Chapel and no longer can they be dipped before the altar of God.

Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler underscored his direct order with the word that if his command was not obeyed, he would no longer worship at the 11:00 am Protestant worship service.

Many retired military members of the Chapel community wrote to protest this unlawful order. We prayed and worked to have this order countermanded.

Last Sunday, the flags returned to the Chapel. They were processed down the center aisle. Many were in tears at seeing their return.

The "Supe," however, did not return.

We would welcome Admiral Fowler and his family, but not at the price of our precious religious liberty.

Our family, and hundreds of others, thank God for this result.

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement during this difficult time.

Admiral Fowler is clearly confused on the hierarchy between the state and the church. It would appear that he, like most Godless liberals, fear the dominance of the Creator.

Liberals should fear not.

Bible believing Jesus lovers know well that every Christian is commanded to obey every law of the state.

Every law, save one.

There is one law that the Christian is commanded NOT to obey. The Christian is commanded to share the Good News even if the state forbids. This is the only law that the Christian can knowingly break.

Admiral Fowler should know that that any order he gives will be followed. He didnot need to worry about the Flags rendering respect. Or the loyalty of the service members under his command. They will obey him.

Unless.

Unless Fowler forbids the sharing of the Gospel.

So Admiral Fowler doesn't care for God on Campus. But probably doesn't mind Girls on Carriers:

John Howland, at USNA-At-Large, writes

This stuff is Exhibit A why women should not be allowed anywhere near combatant warships.

Think hard. Imagine, for example, that this clip and other "related clips" are just brief visual manifestations of an iceberg of incredibly complex interpersonal dynamics throughout the entire thousands of personnel aboard this ship.

And, you are going to go into a real war with that?!?

As former Secretary of the Navy James Webb attests, military institutions must be coercive, hierarchical, and self-sacrificial, and as such they depend on a rigid code of fairness with regard to conduct, performance, and deportment, promotion on merit, and egalitarian treatment that by its nature cannot be gender- neutral.

For as soon as the sexes are mixed in close quarters, especially for prolonged and tense intervals, the jealousies, courtships, and favoritism that are bound to erupt must corrode fairness and discipline.

Imagine, writes Webb, a ship at sea for a hundred days during which numerous crew members pair off for sex. That in itself spawns favoritism, duplicity, and pregnancies.

But what of the crewmen who don’t “score” with shipmates and must stifle their libido for months? “The inescapable feelings of resentment, competition, and anger that follow create a powder keg of emotions that cannot help but affect morale, discipline, and attention to duty.”

To military expert Edward Luttwak, the belief that mixing the sexes need not affect order and discipline is “a grotesque, puritanical hypocrisy.

The Army can’t do something that eluded the Franciscans. It can’t run a mixed monastery.”

DoS problems persist -- email comments here.

UPDATE: The Naval Academy dips the Flag; The Air Force Academy reserves a pew.

At the front of the chapel, a single row is roped off. "Reserved" the sign says, for all the United States aviators who are missing in action or prisoners of war. The only occupant of the pew is a single, burning candle.

"Greater love hath no man than this. . ." reads the plaque. The Scripture it alludes to concludes: "that a man lays down his life for his friends."

Bryant Jordan at Military.com has the story.

The traditions with the Flag are rich and varied. The Flag covered my father's coffin. Illustrators use a stylized Flag to make a point. There are places where the Flag flies on eternal patrol. The opening scene in Private Ryan.

UPDATE: the email above is from Alert Reader Bob Morrison. He says, "Vice Admiral Fowler is to be commended for changing his mind on this. He now knows, I'm sure, that his JAG officers had given him bad advice. The posting of the flags at the Chapel is a revered tradition of the Academy." Bob, like most Alert Readers, is so much more diplomatic than Your Business Blogger (R).

Posted at 3:55 PM | Permalink
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Your Business Blogger
circa 1979
courtesy: US Army "A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon," Napoleon Bonaparte.

S