Girl Friday...Raquel Gibson Again?!?

Raquel's here again. Have a great weekend.

Disgusting Display

This was done at a high school in the state of California. It's pretty disgusting to see this, and normally I wouldn't post such a thing but it illustrates how little respect some people have for this nation and what it stands for...yet they try like hell to get and stay here...simply amazing the stupidity and ingratitude.

Teddy Roosevelt said this about imigrants...

In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...
...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.

Wise words indeed...Now, were the hell are my fajitas?

I don't think I'm watching "The Unit" anymore

Even though I found the couple of episodes I watched fairly entertaining and besides the fact that the title sounds like a code name for a p0rn show about someones...well...unit...I don't think I'll be watching this show much anymore. Retired CSM Eric Haney has been running his mouth lately. I will state that it is his right as a private citizen to say what he thinks...have at it Eric.

It is also my right as an American not to listen or otherwise encourage him in his pursuits. In that vein I'm not watching the show he's the "adviser" on, and I'm not buying any books he's written. Why you ask?

Read on...from the LA Daily News...in an "entertainment" column.

'Unit's' military expert has fighting words for Bush

By David Kronke, TV Critic
U-Entertainment

Eric Haney, a retired command sergeant major of the U.S. Army, was a founding member of Delta Force, the military's elite covert counter-terrorist unit. He culled his experiences for "Inside Delta Force" (Delta; $14), a memoir rich with harrowing stories, though in an interview, Haney declines with a shrug to estimate the number of times he was almost killed. (Perhaps the most high-profile incident that almost claimed his life was the 1980 failed rescue of the hostages in Iran.) Today, he's doing nothing nearly as dangerous: He serves as an executive producer and technical adviser for "The Unit," CBS' new hit drama based on his book, developed by playwright David Mamet. Even up against "American Idol," "The Unit" shows muscle, drawing 18 million viewers in its first two airings.
Since he has devoted his life to protecting his country in some of the world's most dangerous hot spots, you might assume Haney is sympathetic to the Bush administration's current plight in Iraq (the laudatory cover blurb on his book comes from none other than Fox's News' Bill O'Reilly). But he's also someone with close ties to the Pentagon, so he's privy to information denied the rest of us.

We recently spoke to Haney, an amiable, soft-spoken Southern gentleman, on the set of "The Unit."

Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?

A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward.

We have fomented civil war in Iraq. We have probably fomented internecine war in the Muslim world between the Shias and the Sunnis, and I think Bush may well have started the third world war, all for their own personal policies.

Q: What is the cost to our country?

A: For the first thing, our credibility is utterly zero. So we destroyed whatever credibility we had. ... And I say "we," because the American public went along with this. They voted for a second Bush administration out of fear, so fear is what they're going to have from now on.

Our military is completely consumed, so were there a real threat - thankfully, there is no real threat to the U.S. in the world, but were there one, we couldn't confront it. Right now, that may not be a bad thing, because that keeps Bush from trying something with Iran or with Venezuela.

Johansson Tops FHM's 'Sexiest Women' Poll

Johansson Tops FHM's 'Sexiest Women' Poll

Mar 27, 7:03 PM (ET)

NEW YORK (AP) - Scarlett Johansson tops a lovely list of the "100 Sexiest Women in the World," in a poll of readers by FHM magazine.

"One of the best things for a woman to hear is that she is sexy," the 21-year-old actress, star of "Match Point" and "Lost in Translation," said in a statement. "I'd like to thank FHM's readers for the huge compliment."

Angelina Jolie is No. 2 on the list, followed by Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, Keira Knightley, Halle Berry, Jenny McCarthy, Maria Sharapova, Carmen Electra and Teri Hatcher.

Yeah Baby! Personally I'd have chosen someone else, but not a bad choice overall. After all she was one of my "Girl Friday" picks...hey how come that got no recognition?... anyway I'd MUCH rather read about this than illegal Aliens Immigrants who can't understand why someone would want to label them as a criminal...I don't know maybe it's that whole illegal thing.

More Hot KW Action

Bounty Hunter 6 flying over Baghdad as part of a "Pink Team" sometime in the summer of '04.

Terrorists Fight Like Girls

I found this through This is Rich
Good stuff and it makes wonder why someone hasn't really said this out loud before.

Terrorists Fight Like Girls
March 22nd, 2006



Anyone who has ever been in a schoolyard can see that boys and girls deal with conflict in diametrically different ways. When boys have a problem with each other, the cause of the feud is usually well known to both parties, and they tend to confront one another directly, often physically. The worst insult a boy can endure is to be told that he fights like a girl. While such battles can be violent, they are also short-lived. The victor often offers his hand and helps the defeated boy from the ground. More often then not, the fight is forgotten within days and the boys resume their friendship as if nothing had ever happened.

Girls, on the other hand, fight more subversive battles. Instead of confronting one another directly, they will wage a covert war by spreading rumors and ostracizing the object of their current anger. Very often, one party has no idea what caused the rift and may not even know that there is a war until she is blindsided by an unexpected attack, usually coming from another girl claiming to be her friend. Girls also tend to hold grudges and feuds can last for an interminable length of time. The attacks are often personal and aimed at emotional vulnerabilities as opposed to physical ones. Any parent of a middle-school age daughter can tell you that the focus of girls in grades 5-8 is to make each other miserable, and they are very good at it.

The Western way of war is rooted in the male style of fighting and is very much the way the United States has dealt with defeated enemies in the past. Confront them directly, hit them hard, and then give them the helping hand to rebuild and become an ally. Warfare has a set of rules, both written and unwritten, and there is the unspoken understanding that both sides will fight “like gentlemen.” An enemy who refuses to fight that way is often viewed as weak and too scared to “come out and fight like men.” In other words, they fight around the edges like girls.

You can read the rest at The American Thinker

Fixed Wing P0rn

A F-15E from Seymore-Johnson AFB, NC takes off during a RED FLAG exercise at Nellis AFB in MAR 04.

Meanwhile Larry the Cable Guy Opens in a Theater Near You

Which will win at the box office?

THIS? CHIMPPY MCBUSHITLER HATERS UNITE



OR THIS? NASCAR NATION HAS A NIGHT OUT AFTER THE RACE AND A STOP AT HARDEES


This is from Ace of Spades

Alan Moore: V For Vendetta Sucks, And the Wachowski Bros. Are Gutless Pussies Too
– Ace
I said no more on this, but when the author of the book the movie's based on pans it this badly, I have to quote him:

"V for Vendetta" was specifically about things like fascism and anarchy.
Those words, "fascism" and "anarchy," occur nowhere in the film. It's been turned into a Bush-era parable by people too timid to set a political satire in their own country. In my original story there had been a limited nuclear war, which had isolated Britain, caused a lot of chaos and a collapse of government, and a fascist totalitarian dictatorship had sprung up. Now, in the film, you've got a sinister group of right-wing figures — not fascists, but you know that they're bad guys — and what they have done is manufactured a bio-terror weapon in secret, so that they can fake a massive terrorist incident to get everybody on their side, so that they can pursue their right-wing agenda.

This won't mean a blessed thing to those who want Bush bashing with their hot buttered popcorn. To them I say, enjoy your movie!

I'm sure it's going to put a twist in someones panties when the "Larry the Cable Guy" movie or "Joe Dirt II" or whatever new "Cheech and Chong" rip off out grosses "Brokedick Mountain" and "V for Vendetta" in the first two weeks...and they wonder why the movie business is in trouble.

UPDATE
I was wrong...and I am man enough to admit it.
Here's this weekends figures

1- Inside Man $28,954,945
2- V for Vendetta $12,338,402
3- Stay Alive $10,726,406
4- Failure to Launch $10,462,474
5- The Shaggy Dog $9,035,928
6-She's the Man $7,296,562
7- Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector $6,922,767

Needlesss to say I won't be offered any jobs in the movie industry anytime soon. But hey, getting nearly 7 million for saying "Giter Done" is not a bad gig. And a re-make of a crappy Disney movie from the '60s pulled in 9 million bucks...you've got to be s#$tting me.

Helicopter P0rn

A AH-64D from B Co 1-227th AVN RGT (Reapers) lands at Bicycle Lake AAF, Fort Irwin, CA (AKA NTC).

Marketing Genius!

I was checking out this DVD...to see if it was worth giving to a Texas Alum as a gift, and discovered something that shows just how stupid the marketing people of this world really are...

At the end of the fourth quarter, after Texas' victory celebration, the last thing on the video there is an ad for the DVD presentation of the "The Junction Boys".

For those of you who aren't familiar, TJB follows Bear Bryant's efforts to form the Texas A&M Aggie football team into a winning squad. Furthermore A&M is the hated rival of the University of Texas. Given that the market for this DVD would more than likely be fans of the University of Texas the decision to include this ad is wishful thinking at best or being used as a way to piss off the orange bloods by some bitter USC alum. Either way pretty dumb.

Girl Friday

Raquel Gibson is ready for the weekend.

Y'all be careful out there!

I Like My Grapes Sour

Especially if you are like some retired General Officers lately. I am currently reading the book Cobra II, and while I've skipped ahead and read the chapter about OBJ RAMS and the shoot-down of Vampire 13 (which I must say, was well researched and fairly accurate by all accounts), the opening chapter reads like an OP/ED piece in your standard major east coast newspaper (which could be because one of the authors writes for the NY Times). These gentlemen pretend to get inside the heads of all the major players in the GWOT and make some bold statements about the motives and reasons about why things were done they way they were at the begining of the war. Needless to say there is a lot of finger pointing going on by people who should know better.

It seems to me that a lot of folks in the head shed have heartburn with the SECDEF. Combine this book with an article in the NY Times by GEN Paul Eaton (RET) and there is a pattern of former GO's crying in their beer about how they were checked up on or otherwise made to explain their estimates or war plans by the SECDEF. Imagine that the Secretary of Defense wants to ask the people working for him about how they reached the conclusion that certain force requirements were necessary or that X course of action is the one that needs to be taken. Maybe the SECDEF was harsh in his treatment of said GOs or didn't stroke them enough.

Methinks (without knowing the SECDEF) that these guys (the Generals) are just getting a taste of their own leadership style medicine and it doesn't taste very good does it?

Of all people a retired General should know that you shouldn't conduct a public AAR in the middle of an operation. What possible good did they expect to come of this? The goal is obvious, they want to rid us of that devil Rumsfeld. And I guess, as now private citizens they can say what they want...but I would hope that they were men enough to say these things to Rumsfeld's face before they decided to print them in a newspaper...something makes me think they didn't, but I could be wrong. See ROFASIX for his take on this.

UPDATE: Welcome BLACKFIVE readers!

KW P0rn

A '58D from 1-25th ATK "Strike" takes off on another CM2RI mission from Camp Taji, Iraq.

Fixed Wing P0rn

A "high speed" pass by a T-6 Texan II.

Helicopter P0rn

Somewhere over Baghdad in 2004...please note all the satellite dishes, and they are all watching soccer.

Goodbye to the Tomcat

Neptunus Lex says adios to the F-14. My association with this aicraft involves standing off the end of the runway at the old Dallas Naval Air Station, waiting for a pair of cats to come back from a sortie so I could take their picture and watching them at the movies and at air shows...but anyone who has ever seen one in person can't deny the impression a "Cat" made when it came by in full burner. It's the end of an era.

An excerpt from Neptunus...
Even now, all these years later, it’s hard for me to say goodbye to the F-14. Not because I’ll miss it all that much - I think I’ve made my feelings clear on that score - but because momma always told me that if I couldn’t say anything nice, then I oughtn’t to say anything at all...
...But her cockpit combined the ruthless efficiency of the Italian bureaucracy with the user friendliness of a Parisian waiter, while in terms of reliability you might well be safer putting your life in the hands of a Tijuana policeman. A hundred mile missile was all to the good, but it was useless without a radar and there were a sufficient number of times a Tomcat somehow managed the consecutive miracles of struggling off the flight deck and making the briefed rendezvous on time, only to check in on my wing reporting “IFF only” to leave the top of my O2 mask caked with the salt of my tears. From the outside looking in, a Tomcat crew’s life was one of busy workarounds, pulled circuit breakers and crossed-fingers.
Oh, yes: And bolters. Many, many bolters. At least a first. Landing the airplane at night would be a challenge sufficient to break many a good man down, and it only now occurs to me that the affection some of the F-14 guys had for their bird was not unlike the tragic and affectionate gratitude of a spouse who’s happy that the beatings have finally stopped.
Still, in spite of (or maybe because of) their many trials and tribulations, the F-14 crews formed an unusually solid bond between themselves, threw great “happy to be alive” parties and were generally fun to be around, taken in small doses. They’re welcome to the Hornet ranks, so long as they pitch their voices civil, and don’t go around taking on airs, says I.
For a different perspective on all this, check Pinch. Who, along with his friends, is getting all weepy and everything.
“If you could look behind the sunglasses of these pilots out here watching this, you’d see a lot of wet eyes,” Cmdr. Mark Black said. “I know that’s why I wore sunglasses today.”
Whatever.

BBQ and Idiots on the Interstate

I had Friday off, so I decided to take a drive up I-35 to Waco and go to my favorite BBQ establishment, Viteks BBQ.

A small mom and pop operation located off I-35 near Baylor University, Viteks is known by many for the "Gut Pack". A concoction made from BBQ, Fritos, Cheese, Jalapeños and some other stuff...it's quite popular but, it's not my cup of tea. I've been going to Viteks since I was in high school, mostly getting the same thing, a hot link sandwich followed by a sliced beef sandwich with lots of sauce. With a pickle and chips on the side washed down by an ice cold Dr Pepper...awesome stuff. A heart attack waiting to happen. It was not to be however, due to Quad P (piss poor prior planning) I failed to account for the fact that Viteks was closed for spring break.

Spring break also explained the traffic on I-35. And speaking of traffic, when did it become OK for your slow driving ass to hang out in the left lane? Now I personally don't care if you drive over there as long as you move over when faster traffic comes along. But somewhere down the line...I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's when they took drivers education out of the public schools...drivers quit driving "Texas Friendly". I-35 is road rage waiting to happen. If I weren't already inviting heart attack by shoveling down loads of BBQ, the self induced stress from driving this highway would do the trick.

SO after the interstate lunacy and the disappointment of my favorite BBQ joint being closed I went to the back-up plan, Uncle Dan's Rib House. Located a few blocks from my parents old house Uncle Dan's is a Waco tradition. I had the two meat combo with brisket and sausage with two sides of chili beans and cole slaw finishing up with a 32 ounce iced tea...it almost made me forget about the traffic.

If you're ever in Waco check out Viteks or Uncle Dan's you won't be disappointed.

I know this will sound strange to those not from the central Texas area, but it was great to get back to Texas for a change. I enjoy my job, but being around soldiers 24/7 can just flat ass wear you down after a while. Good thing I'm not deploying soon or anything like that...HA!

Flying Cows and Burning Cop Cars only in Texas

H/T Texan Tattler

Flying Cow Leaves Two Police Cars in Flames

A cow came flying out of its trailer, sent DPS and police scrambling, and left two police cars going up in flames.Talk about a wild night near Seguin.

Only in Texas could you get a story like this....That headline is awesome.
Bottom line is we can blame this on those damn illegals.

Girl Friday

Jennifer says have a great weekend and Happy St. Patty's day!
(She's not wearing any green so feel free to pinch her...if you've got a lawyer on speed dial.)

Seinfeld's writers are jerks...SUPRISE!

Former ‘Seinfeld’ writers win film prize
‘Live Free or Die’ is quirky comedy set in New Hampshire


Updated: 3:24 p.m. ET March 16, 2006
AUSTIN, Texas - Ever wonder what happens when a couple of former “Seinfeld” scribes try their hand at writing and directing their first movie?

No not really, but I bet you will tell me anyway.

They end up winning one of the top prizes at the South by Southwest film festival.

I enjoy Seinfeld. I think it's one of the most consistantly funny shows that ever appeared on TV. That being said the stuff coming out of the writers mouth in reference to the setting of their now award winning movie doesn't suprise me at all.

“The state’s trying really hard,” Robin chimes in. “It’s got kind of a dumb, in-your-face attitude which is evident by the state motto. You know, ’Live Free or Die,’ everything’s so extreme.

I've never been to New Hampshire so I don't know the accuracy of their accusations. I also don't know if that was their attempt at being funny...because it's not really that funny. It's like when James Rosen former White House corrispondant for Fox News chose to crack wise about Crawford and Waco, Texas in an article for the "American Spectator." When you are the one with advantage, with more money and supposedly more education it is considered rude and not funny to talk crap about your hosts. I may have ID'd the source of these guys problem...

Kavet and Robin, both 37, met while studying at Harvard and writing for the Lampoon. They thought New Hampshire would provide a great source of comedy, especially compared to Vermont and Maine, which Robin described as more “effete.” They took their title from the state’s motto, inspired by the Revolutionary War, and shot the movie there over 21 days.

I haven't seen the movie...for all I know it's funny as hell. There's jsut something going on here that doesn't sit well with me...but I could be wrong.

KILLER ROBOTS ARE ON THE LOOSE IN IRAQ!

Thank the maker, this oil bath is going to feel SOOOOO good.

From www.theinquirer.net

Robots break Asimov’s first law

And so it begins


By Nick Farrell: Wednesday 15 March 2006, 08:20

THE US Army is deploying armed robots in Iraq that are capable of breaking Asimov’s first law that they should not harm a human.

SOOOOO, Let me get this straight, we are supposed to base everything we do on the works of a late SF author. Since when did his scribblings become the holy writ? And since we are following advise from SF authors why not Heinlein?

UPDATE Since the entire Terminator scenario is what these folks are worried about I suggest we be on the lookout for anyone resembling this woman...if you spot her let me know and I will come and "take care" of the problem

A VERY Funny Video...

WHAT UP??? MY JEDI BEOTHCHES!


At least to me. I know some will find this offensive or stupid or whatever...but the idea of Princess Queen Amidala doing gangsta rap is funny as all hell to me.

Check it out HERE at Devil Ducky...NBC also had a link but I can't find it right now.

There Are No Flags For Sale Here!

Being the loser that I am, I have noticed that at least once or twice a day someone (most likely the poor shlub who has to buy the Co or the 1st SGTs going away gift) stumbles on to this site after Googling "Guidons".

Sorry guys there are no guidons for sale here. The only thing here are lame ass jokes and pictures of helicopters and half nekid women...nothing to see here really, thanks for visiting, now move along.

I really do apologize for any confusion and or inconvenience you might have been caused. If you are in the market for a guidon and are in the Killeen/Ft. Hood area, try Air and Armor or Diana's Flags and Guidons they both deal in that sort of thing...I on the other hand do not.

I deal in this:



and this:



NOT these:



I am almost tempted to change the name of this site to G Cubed just so I don't confuse anyone...but then I would probably get overrun by white trash rapper wannabes or some such.


Anyhow if you came here looking to buy a gudion, I'm sorry I don't have any...but please feel free to look around and browse the store for our other fine products...smart assery and bovine excrement.

CHEERS!

They Say It's Your Birthday!

Yes folks it's Eva Longoria's birthday...or so say "Fox and Friends" this AM. I haven't heard from her in a while ( OK ever, why don't you call? =)) so based on past history we can expect some evil shenanigans from her soon.

She was born in 1975...so she's probably crying her eyes out right now.

You can talk about Jesus all you want...

But if you say anything about Scientology you've apparently gone too far. So much for chocolate salty balls.

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Isaac Hayes has quit "South Park," where he voices Chef, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religion.

Hayes, who has played the ladies' man/school cook in the animated Comedy Central satire since 1997, said in a statement Monday that he feels a line has been crossed.

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," the 63-year-old soul singer and outspoken Scientologist said.

"Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored," he continued. "As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."

"South Park" co-creator Matt Stone responded sharply in an interview with The Associated Press Monday, saying, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians."

Last November, "South Park" targeted the Church of Scientology and its celebrity followers, including actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, in a top-rated episode called "Trapped in the Closet." In the episode, Stan, one of the show's four mischievous fourth graders, is hailed as a reluctant savior by Scientology leaders, while a cartoon Cruise locks himself in a closet and won't come out.

Stone told The AP he and co-creator Trey Parker "never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."

In Other News...Canada beats the USA in Baseball

Military Shuns Many of Recruiting Age

Mar 12, 5:08 PM (ET)

By PAULINE JELINEK

WASHINGTON (AP) - Uncle Sam wants YOU, that famous Army recruiting poster says. But does he really? Not if you're a Ritalin-taking, overweight, Generation Y couch potato - or some combination of the above.

As for that fashionable "body art" that the military still calls a tattoo, having one is grounds for rejection, too.

With U.S. casualties rising in wars overseas and more opportunities in the civilian work force from an improved U.S. economy, many young people are shunning a career in the armed forces. But recruiting is still a two-way street - and the military, too, doesn't want most people in this prime recruiting age group of 17 to 24.

Of some 32 million Americans now in this group, the Army deems the vast majority too obese, too uneducated, too flawed in some way, according to its estimates for the current budget year.

"As you look at overall population and you start factoring out people, many are not eligible in the first place to apply," said Doug Smith, spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command.

Some experts are skeptical. They should put "experts" in parentheses

Previous Defense Department studies have found that 75 percent of young people are ineligible for military service, noted Charles Moskos of Northwestern University. While the professor emeritus who specializes in military sociology says it is "a baloney number," he acknowledges he has no figures to counter it.

"Recruiters are looking for reasons other than themselves," said David R. Segal, director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland. "So they blame the pool."

The military's figures are estimates, based partly on census numbers. They are part of an elaborate analysis the military does as it struggles each year to compete with colleges and companies for the nation's best and brightest, plan for future needs and maintain diversity.

The Census Bureau estimates that the overall pool of people who would be in the military's prime target age has shrunk as American society ages. There were 1 million fewer 18- to 24-year olds in 2004 than in 2000, the agency says.

The pool shrinks to 13.6 million when only high school graduates and those who score in the upper half on a military service aptitude test are considered. The 30 percent who are high school dropouts are not the top choice of today's professional, all-volunteer and increasingly high-tech military force.

Other factors include:

_the rising rate of obesity; some 30 percent of U.S. adults are now considered obese.

_a decline in physical fitness; one-third of teenagers are now believed to be incapable of passing a treadmill test.

_a near-epidemic rise in the use of Ritalin and other stimulants to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Potential recruits are ineligible for military service if they have taken such a drug in the previous year.

Doctors prescribe these drugs to about 2 million children and 1 million adults a month, according to a federal survey. Many more are believed to be using such stimulants recreationally and to stay awake longer to boost academic and physical performance.

Other potential recruits are rejected because they have criminal histories and too many dependents. Subtract 4.4 million from the pool for these people and for the overweight.

Others can be rejected for medical problems, from blindness to asthma. The Army estimate has subtracted 2.6 million for this group.

That leaves 4.3 million fully qualified potential recruits and an estimated 2.3 million more who might qualify if given waivers on some of their problems.

The bottom line: a total 6.6 million potential recruits from all men and women in the 32 million-person age group.

In the budget year that ended last September, 15 percent of recruits required a waiver in order to be accepted for active duty services - or about 11,000 people of some 73,000 recruited.

Most waivers were for medical problems. Some were for misdemeanors such as public drunkenness, resisting arrest or misdemeanor assault - prompting criticism that the Army is lowering its standards.

This year the Army is trying to recruit 80,000 people; all the services are recruiting about 180,000.

And about the tattoos: They are not supposed to be on your neck, refer to gang membership, be offensive, or in any way conflict with military standards on integrity, respect and team work. The military is increasingly giving waivers for some types of tattoos, officials said.

---

On the Net:

Defense Department career and aptitude exploration site: http://www.asvabprogram.com



What's interesting here is that the reporter fails to mention that both the National Guard and the active duty Army have more than made their recruiting goals this year (it's true! look it up). Also the entire slant seems to be that recruiters are looking for a way to explain failure, rather than the obvious social commentary that we're becoming a nation of slobs. Thanks X-Box!

Helicopter P0rn

An HH-60 from the 66th RQS makes an approach into Bicycle Lake AAF at Fort Irwin, CA.

Secret Spaceplane Revealed

This should drive all the "Black Helicopter" people around the bend...I for one, find this incredibly cool.

Two-Stage-to-Orbit 'Blackstar' System Shelved at Groom Lake?
By William B. Scott
03/05/2006 04:07:33 PM


SPACEPLANE SHELVED?

For 16 years, Aviation Week & Space Technology has investigated myriad sightings of a two-stage-to-orbit system that could place a small military spaceplane in orbit. Considerable evidence supports the existence of such a highly classified system, and top Pentagon officials have hinted that it's "out there," but iron-clad confirmation that meets AW&ST standards has remained elusive. Now facing the possibility that this innovative "Blackstar" system may have been shelved, we elected to share what we've learned about it with our readers, rather than let an intriguing technological breakthrough vanish into "black world" history, known to only a few insiders. U.S. intelligence agencies may have quietly mothballed a highly classified two-stage-to-orbit spaceplane system designed in the 1980s for reconnaissance, satellite-insertion and, possibly, weapons delivery. It could be a victim of shrinking federal budgets strained by war costs, or it may not have met performance or operational goals.

This two-vehicle "Blackstar" carrier/orbiter system may have been declared operational during the 1990s.

A large "mothership," closely resembling the U.S. Air Force's historic XB-70 supersonic bomber, carries the orbital component conformally under its fuselage, accelerating to supersonic speeds at high altitude before dropping the spaceplane. The orbiter's engines fire and boost the vehicle into space. If mission requirements dictate, the spaceplane can either reach low Earth orbit or remain suborbital.

The manned orbiter's primary military advantage would be surprise overflight. There would be no forewarning of its presence, prior to the first orbit, allowing ground targets to be imaged before they could be hidden. In contrast, satellite orbits are predictable enough that activities having intelligence value can be scheduled to avoid overflights.

Exactly what missions the Blackstar system may have been designed for and built to accomplish are as yet unconfirmed, but U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) officers and contractors have been toying with similar spaceplane-operational concepts for years. Besides reconnaissance, they call for inserting small satellites into orbit, and either retrieving or servicing other spacecraft. Conceivably, such a vehicle could serve as an anti-satellite or space-to-ground weapons-delivery platform, as well.

Once a Blackstar orbiter reenters the atmosphere, it can land horizontally at almost any location having a sufficiently long runway. So far, observed spaceplane landings have been reported at Hurlburt AFB, Fla.; Kadena AB, Okinawa; and Holloman AFB, N.M.


For the complete story please visit this Aviation Leak Week web page.

H/T ROFASIX

Ben Stein is my HERO!

I didn't see the Oscars because I was working...I wouldn't have watched them if I was home anyway so there you go. But, Ben Stein (of "Win Ben Stein's Money and "Ferris Beuler's Day Off") wrote a little bit about them HERE. Please read it all!

Here's a little bit to whet your appetite:

Now for a few humble thoughts about the Oscars.

I did not see every second of it, but my wife did, and she joins me in noting that there was not one word of tribute, not one breath, to our fighting men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan or to their families or their widows or orphans...

No doubt the men and women who came to the Oscars in gowns that cost more than an Army Sergeant makes in a year, in limousines with champagne in the back seat, think they are working class heroes to attack America -- which has made it all possible for them. They are not. They would be heroes if they said that Moslem extremists are the worst threat to human decency since Hitler and Stalin. But someone might yell at them or even attack them with a knife if they said that, so they never will.

Hollywood is above all about self: self-congratulation, self-promotion, and above all, self-protection. This is human and basic, but let's not kid ourselves. There is no greatness there in the Kodak theater. The greatness is on patrol in Kirkuk. The greatness lies unable to sleep worrying about her man in Mosul. The greatness sleeps at Arlington National Cemetery and lies waiting for death in VA Hospitals. God help us that we have sunk so low as to confuse foolish and petty boasting with the real courage that keeps this nation and the many fools in it alive and flourishing on national TV.

I'm Back and it's time for Girl Friday.

I'm back from a staff planning hell that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy...

But it's Friday and Pilar says have a great weekend!

Breaking Station

There will be a break in coverage for about a week as I am away on business.

In the meantime here's a topic for you, The civil war in Iraq is neither civil or a war...discuss.

Girl Friday

Scarlett...sweet Scarlett. It's easy to see why some gay guy was feeling you up on cable TV.

Have a great weekend!

Texas Our Texas, Oh Hail The Mighty State!

It's Texas Independence Day!

And if you don't like Texas...you can kiss my ass!

COL Peters lets fly!

Do yourself a favor and read the latest from Ralph Peters

For anyone who has ever served in Iraq this should come as no suprise.

March 1, 2006 -- THE reporting out of Baghdad continues to be hysterical and dishonest. There is no civil war in the streets. None. Period.

Terrorism, yes. Civil war, no. Clear enough?

Jet P0rn

An A-10 lays on a few G's...

Shot at Hogsmoke '04 in Alexandria, LA...too bad the sun wasn't out.

Now Jessica is whining

The is from theSmoking Gun
My comments are in parentheses

Alba Threatens Playboy Over Cover Pic
Actress: Magazine wants readers to think she's in a nude pictorial (ya' think?)


FEBRUARY 28--Actress Jessica Alba, who appears in a bikini on the cover of Playboy's March issue, is threatening to sue the magazine, claiming that Hugh Hefner & Co. are trying to make it seem that she appears in a "nude or semi-nude pictorial." In a February 23 legal threat letter, a copy of which you'll find below, Alba's lawyer demands that Playboy cease distributing the magazine and provide the 25-year-old actress with a "monetary settlement" for its unauthorized use of her image for commercial purposes. According to Brian Wolf, Alba's counsel, the venerable men's magazine has caused the young star "immeasurable harm" (there's a real joke...you mean more harm than her appearing in "Punked") by placing her on its cover (Alba appears next to a cover line billboarding a story on the 25 sexiest celebrities). Wolf charges that Playboy initially offered to pay Alba to appear on the cover, but that they were flatly turned down. The magazine, he added, then resorted to a ruse to obtain a promotional photo of a bikini-clad Alba from Columbia Pictures. That sultry image, from the film "Into the Blue," (so it's OK to be in the bikini for the movie but not OK to be on Playboy? Color me puzzled) appears on Playboy's cover. Along with the legal letter from Wolf, a partner at the Los Angeles firm Lavely & Singer, Playboy also received a February 24 letter from a Columbia executive expressing the studio's dismay over the "outrageous, unethical behavior utilized by Playboy personnel to obtain" the Alba promotional photograph. While reserving its legal rights, the studio is demanding an apology for both it and Alba. (I smell a desperate attempt for attention...but I could be wrong)