A meeting in the land of Gray

Summoned I stand at this cross-roads betwixt and between,
Neither light nor darkness or of sleeping nor of dream,
A figure walks out of a man I barely know,
And his countnance doth figure of his times to show.

'Hello, son,' he said to me in soft greetings,
And 'Hello, sir' said I in turn,
He held his hand out to me,
And shook it as I would not spurn.

'You know of me tis plain,
Though not studied over much.'
My nod and slow release,
So my hand it would not clutch.

'From hard times I lived,
And did all that I could do.
But the mending it unravels,
Our land does not renew.'

'Yes,' said I, 'you saved us once,
From calamity and disdain.
From a torn time you gave us
A land softened by bloody rain.'

He looked down at this Grayness
Then back up at me, with a fire
That smouldered but slowly banked,
And shut his eyes and knew I said not in ire.

'Yes, son, tis true that is,
My heart rended two ways.
And you do not gainsay the
Truth as I lived my days.'

His eyes opened and he looked,
Upon me once more and deep,
'I did my best for everyone,
A restored Republic to keep.'

I smiled softly to him this great man,
And nodded slowly then.
'Your heart shorn with the Nation,
And great peace was to save both within your ken.'

He smiled softly and looked around,
'I dislike this land of Gray.
It reminds me of those with me,
Who would not see the light of day.

How do you know I'm personage
And not some piece of dream?'
I looked at this visage and saw
A man troubled by such team.

'It matters not in this Gray land,
For spirits of all sorts roam.
But the truth is in their telling
Even if they be far from home.'

He laughed heartily and with mirth,
That deep and hearty soul.
'Well said!' and then burst out
In laughter that shook his coal.

The warmth burned pure from him,
A lesser light but still one of strength.
And if a dream had captured such,
I would give it that fair length.

As his laughter slowly stilled,
He looked deep upon me now.
'I did all I could to save my soul,
And the Nation to recover from my blow.'

'You gave the Nation back to us,
And stopped us from tearing more.
More than 140 years of peace,
And a Union of lengthy shore.'

He looked hard again, and deeper still,
'How can you know my soul?'
I smiled softly and pursed my lips,
And softly spoke, 'You showed it by your goal.'

Shivering once with the wind,
That came unto his back.
'I did all I could and my hands are red
My sorrow will never slack.'

'The redness not from one side, sir,
And that which you see as stain.
Is the mingling of blood in Union
Upon death's drear plane.'

'I castigated those that wished,
To continue the fight years and years to go.
And told those that could not amend,
That they maligned a peace settled in my soul.

I cannot come back to save that peace,
My time has run to end,
And few do I ever find in this land of Gray.
Those few can not keep my message I wish to send.'

I look to him, who bravely led,
And had seen friend and friend fight
Against each other and knew
That his burden is not light.

'Tell, me sir, for oft-times,
I can speak of this Gray crossroads.
And I hope not to mangle that
Which you need tell from this shadow mode.'

He smiled softly, warmth of sun
Came out from him, that a had led
Many a battle in land and heart.
'Then I give you from my view in red.

One Nation shorn apart could not
Have both parts stand to know it all.
And my hard won peace is ending,
Division returning with fierce call.

I beseech my sons and daughters
Who came from a re-united land:
Keep to that Republic forged in bloody fire,
And know the cleansing Sword at hand

And feel the warmth of past.
We gave Our blood unto you
And a mending land.
The Sword will die and the People to the last,

If the Republic you do not keep whole,
Then the Sword will reap hard and fast.
And you will all be ashamed deeply,
Right into your soul.

In the end that Sword wielded me,
Though I knew it not.
My peace for 140 years and more,
Kept deep blood from running hot.

But that heat is stilling, now,
The House dividing once again.
And soon only the Great Sword
Will be the Republic's to wield within its ken.

And Damned are you who betray,
The hard won gift of Peace.
Seeking to still the heart
Of the great gift of the deceased.

Keep this Nation whole for me,
It cost in blood and soul.
And feel the weight of that Sword
Glowing brightly from the coal.

That Sword was mighty in my time,
And I gave hard to make it greater still.
If the land be divided,
The Sword unleashed shall kill.

And then blood be upon your hands,
Reddening a deep dark stain.
To those who encouraged and sat by,
That deep red richness will be your only gain.

I paid my butcher's bill,
To that Great Sword just the once.
And then put it back into the Fire,
Hoping my peace would keep it nonce.'

He looked unto me, with quietude,
'It be long to say,
But I trust unto you,
From one who's seen the Sword at bay.'

'I shall do my best, fine sir,
And send your words clear out.
But you know tis not my place
To give rant and scream and shout.'

He chuckled as he turned,
Then walked into Gray mist.
'Such is best my son,
For a whisper heard is not a whisper missed'

I smiled some and was sad,
To watch him move from me.
And said unto him as Gray took his form,
'Keep safe, Our General Lee.'


Written as the fingers move, with only some amending for an attempt to keep semblance of meter and such. I failed, but it was what needed to be said.

Border Security, what it would look like

This is a concept paper as to what the linear border security zone along the southern United States would be like.

First off, all points of entry shall be secured, manned and protected against entry as best as possible. Incoming foot traffic will be segregated by type of ground transport used:

• Foot traffic - Shall undergo an inspection after metal detection. Those US Citizens with weapons shall be allowed in so long as original point of sale receipt or other legal receipt for such a weapon is used, or if it is already within the control system. All Citizens leaving the United States with weapons must show them for registration within the control system. A basic check for certain bomb materials will be done in an unobtrusive manner, preferably using trained dogs.

• Passenger vehicle traffic - Shall be inspected in a 'bay' system which allows for individual vehicle inspection and passenger inspection. Full video under-carriage inspection will be performed via cameras installed in the floor along with appropriate lighting. An all-compartment check will be performed for any contraband and to ensure that no illegal aliens are on-board. Similar checks for foot traffic will be performed. All luggage and other goods will undergo an x-ray inspection and bomb materials check. Weapons ownership for US Citizens shll be performed.

• Large passenger vehicle traffic - Shall undergo a thorough inspection of all individuals and the vehicle itself will have an under-carriage inspection and inspection of all compartments. All suitcases or similar will undergo an x-ray inspection and bomb materials check. Weapons ownership for US Citizens shall be performed.

• All vehicular cargo traffic - Shall have its contents verified. If it is sealed under a Dept. of Homeland Security or other cognizant department similar seal, the seal shall be checked for tampering. If the seal itself matches up in the inspection records and is not tampered, the vehicle itself will undergo a regular under-carriage inspection and all other compartments inspection. All luggage or other hand carried items will undergo a thorough x-ray inspection and bomb materials inspection. Weapons ownership for US Citizens shall be performed.

All border entry/exit points shall have a thorough sub-surface mapping done and shall have a 'shaker' device to regularly update the sub-surface model of that point on a daily or more frequent basis.

All such border entry/exit points shall: be staffed continuously, have appropirate sensor arrays for all portions of the area under control, have necessary communications links to all Local, State and Federal organizations and a dedicated link to NORTHCOM or equivalent.

All such border entry/exit points shall have a normal suite of weaponry, both hand held and physically emplaced for stopping unauthorized entry across the border.


Second, the double barrier system used up to maritime areas.

This system is a multi-layer system for detecting all unauthorized forms of border entry at ground, near-ground and underground levels.

The immediate outer system shall be a standard 10' high barbed wire fence with 10' pilings. This shall be established above the 100 year flood mark for those areas subject to inundation. Further the barbed wire shall be contained within a double-layer of chain link fencing so as to create a barbed meshwork that cannot easily be used for gaining hand or foot-holds. Such chain link fencing may have an interior electrical conductive core to measure changes in resistivity, conductivity or to pass an electrical charge through it.

The outer posts will each have a singular sign written in English and containing the skull and crossbones warning that illegal entry into the United States is prohibited and that lethal force is allowed without warning to those not crossing at normal border crossing areas. A lightning bolt isignia will be placed under the skull and cross bones.

100' to 150' or at a distance determined by topography and/or military needs, shall be established between the outer fence and inner wall structure.

This area is a military 'free fire' and testing area. There are no recriminations for use of firearms into that area. Only bodies identified as those of US Citizens shall be retrieved by cognizant authorities.

The ground surface shall be denuded of all trees or other obstacles so as to create as best as possible a clear and unobstructed view over the area between the fence and the wall. This area shall contain ground sensors and other devices for monitoring surface and subsurface activity and shall be under the design and control of NORTHCOM, although other uses will be permitted by that authority.

The inner wall shall be no lower than 20' high and have 70' pilings spaced at intervals indicated by good NORTHCOM. The wall shall be steel-reinforced concrete with any necessary other mixes or forms as indicated by NORTHCOM needs. A full suite of sensor arrays, passive or active emitters, and necessary networking and propagation systems shall be defined by NORTHCOM. At intervals of 1 km or as needed by NORTHCOM or dictated by topography, a single Close-in Weapons System point defense capability shall be established. Other such systems may include: automated mine deployment devices, sniper platforms, ground vegetation removal devices or any other system, device or capability that NORTHCOM needs to adequately stop incursion and invasion over the US border.

The full set of sensor arrays shall be networked into command areas at the border entry/exit points or at nearby civilian areas. NORTHCOM shall dedicate staff to ensure that the border is guarded at all times. Each of these areas will have immediate feedback into the system of border defenses. The border area within the confines of the cleared zone shall be kept clear of intrusion up to 50' above the zone (or higher) and subsurface for at least 150' or more. The entire system of sensor arrays, point defense and other systems, shall be augmented by UAV/UCAV use and by other designated units to interact with the Border Control System. NORTHCOM will site appropriate overlook or other areas for positioning personnel for long-range interdiction and indicate inclement weather capability either through the distribution of personnel closer to the border, through the use of mobile intermediate control facilities or through any other method or means to ensure border security during disasters of all sorts common to areas of the border.

At areas that rivers cross the border, the double wall system may be built somewhat further from the actual river and be hardened against flooding. Additional CIWS points inside the border used to give interdicting cross-fire shall be established. NORTHCOM shall establish all necessary passive and active measures to ensure the border at such areas.

At seashore and maritime areas, the border zone double wall system shall give way to a standard seashore to offshore interdiction capability. The US Coast Guard and US Navy shall help establish types and kinds of buoys, hydrophones and other systems to ensure that there is no infiltration of the border below surface, at surface or above surface. Netting is prohibited for marine wildelife concerns. All other passive forms that will not target wildlife are allowable. A seashore CIWS battery shall ensure thorough interdiction out to the horizon and antiship missile systems using remote radar shall also be established. Subsurface interdiction is left up to the best practices by the US Coast Guard and US Navy. NORTHCOM shall integrate the maritime border areas with the US Coast Guard and US Navy and they given mandate to properly secure, staff and organize those systems under NORTHCOM control.

The US Coast Guard and US Navy shall design a fully maritime patrol and interdiction capability for all unauthorized entry into the United States territorial waters.

NORTHCOM may perform any sort of training, equipment testing, explosives testing or similar so long as it will do no permanent harm to the Border Control System or negatively impact nearby US communities.

Lethal force is to be used for all unauthorized entry across this passive/active system, regardless of nation of origin. No criminal proceedings outside of the UCMJ will be allowed for this region. No Foreign Nation may bring suit against the United States for fatalities, injury, or loss of commerce or loss of capital goods by this system.

As Canada has offered help and friendship in border control along the northern border, a set of treaties covering this arrangement shall be instituted so that Free Peoples may secure both Nations and have freer movement between them. This shall take place once Canada establishes a thorough port of entry screening capability similar to that of the US.

That is it, folks. Help us and we can be friendly

Spurn us and do not take us seriously, and the US shall defend itself thoroughly.

I expect the cost of this will be far under the cost of rebuilding the sinking city of New Orleans to pre-Katrina levels.

Now the cost of something close to this has been estimated at $2.2B. Far less than $20B for NOLA Cat 5 hurricane *upgrades* and that would be AFTER the rebuilding of the current system back to Cat 3, which I have heard estimates between $10-60B and UP. And while a wall will have overhead (call it 1%/year of original cost) and such, it will also be manned using military personnel on training and backed by Border Patrol where necessary. In fact the Border Patrol could slack off and concentrate on high traffic zones, if there are any.

So call initial outlay $5B and per year maintenance and upgrade cost $50M/yr.

Compare to the cost of a modern nuclear aircraft carrier (CVN-77) running in at $5.2B and operating cost of $169M/yr.

VERY doable when looking at a minimum of $30B for a total NOLA repair and upgrade and who knows how much in maintenance for a sinking city....

Extremely cheap and gets the US peace of mind, too.

Mark Steyn, Instapundit, and Jacksonians!

Ahhh... a new day and another round of insanity from the Hill! The gelatinous, spineless, wool covered masses in the Two Chambers upon the Hill do slither and leave slime wherever they go. Trying their best to give away the country, destroy the will to resist being even slightly offensive and, in general, acting like the politicians they are. Yes, Used Car Salesmen should be put in their place... at least they are *honest* crooks, cheats, swindlers and thieves! And they might actually know something about defending the Republic. But onwards... Instapundit had a nice column from Mark Steyn examining how a certain segment of civilization is remaining quiet while the rest starts to cave into PC-ness giving into Islamic Authoritarianism because calling it what it is just isn't nice! And this part really does say it all:

If I had to propose a model for Western rhetoric, it would be the Australians. In the days after Sept. 11, the French got all the attention for that Le Monde headline -- "Nous sommes tous Americains" -- "We are all Americans," though they didn't mean it, even then. But John Howard, the Aussie prime minister, put it better and kept his word: "This is no time to be an 80 percent ally."

Perhaps Australians can come and run a few ports for us? Basically, outside of the US, Australians are the people most likely to understand Jacksonianism. And that was brought up to Instapundit and he got this lovely little response from reader Barry Dauphin :

It does sound like the Jacksonians might be bailing on the President, but then they aren’t able to live up to Jackson. This isn’t 1940s where dissemination of information was controlled through filters called “editors” and prior to the plethora of relativisms of contemporary times. If the Jacksonians have another candidate in mind, let them name him/her. The silence will be deafening. If the Jacksonians truly believe their rhetoric, it’s time to suck it up and carry some of the rhetorical weight that someone like Steyn have been carrying. Too many are sounding retreat or simply grousing. Is this a long, hard slog or not? If it is, then the tough Jacksonians should stop acting like whining, ninny wimps and instead be constructive. Dealing with the anti-war rhetoric or with policy that is not exactly to their liking is surely easier than actually crafting and implementing policy in these times.

Well,now, doesn't THAT hold a few misperceptions? Let me take a quick look at this...

Bailing on the President? As I have stated elsewhere and vituperated on a number of times, Jacksonians are NOT lockstep with *anyone* or *any party*. The last party to have Jacksonian supporters were the Democrats, and they told Jacksonians that Vietnam was a war that had to be done and then turned viciously on the Jacksonians when they thought they could replace us with the Youth vote of the late '60's and early '70's. Vietnam suddenly became a bad place and the Democrats caught that train out of the station... leaving Jacksonians with the baggage and having sons coming home being spit upon by the various folks supporting the Democrats. Then the damned Democrats decided to cut off our ally South Vietnam and feed it to the Communist wolves, killing tens of thousands, causing the Boat People crisis and tipping Cambodia in to the killing fields. All because the Youth vote was, you know, the 'new thing'. So much for the party of Jackson supporting his spiritual sons and daughters.

Coming from that Democratic background the last thing Jacksonians would want to do was vote Republican and, indeed, many Jacksonians filtered *out* of political life. A goodly number voted for Ronald Reagan and broke the Democratic stranglehold on the South. And while Reagan actually could address the hearts, he had problems actually carrying through on his promises of a smaller government. Jacksonians were becoming seriously disenchanted with the Republicans by the end of the '80's and by then the large exfiltration of Jacksonians could be seen in the polls. When 40% of the population isn't voting, you can bet that they are disgusted with the ALL of the parties involved. Jacksonians have been and *continue* to vote in the time-honored tradition of the United States saying: To Hell With You Both.

Republicans stirred enough residual interest in the 90's to finally break the back of the Democratic party in Congress, but just barely. And then they found their own footing was not stable either. This has been cast as the Red/Blue or 50/50 America... well 50% of those who vote having any faith in either party. Call it the 30/30/40 America and you are looking at the true nature of the People. And if you take out the 10% who are perennial 'can't be bothered to vote' folks the Nation then is a 3-way split: 30/30/30/10. I have looked at how this can play out, elsewhere.

This system is one in a supersaturated state: any minor disturbance can suddenly cause it to crystallize out, and since the first two 30% areas are already at their maximum state, the disturbance will crystallize the Jacksonians and carve into the existing parties. A third party will become an instant majority *if* it appeals to Jacksonians. The Republicans could pull this off by expelling the RINOs and standing hard for National Security, National Defense and damn spare government. The Democrats have lost Jacksonians for at least two more generations if not more, there is no one in that party that will be able to regain that trust for a couple of generations.

As to WHY the Jacksonians do not nominate a Candidate? Because we are a force in neither party and we could not support either as they are currently constituted. Plainly: Both Parties Disgust Us as being dishonorable and unable to even abide by friendship. The silence may be deafening, Mr. Dauphin, but the guns and knives would be coming out the moment that is *demanded* of Jacksonians. If one of the precious two parties could swallow its ego and act just a bit humble that they do *not* have the tablets delivered to Moses but left behind on how to form a good government, Jacksonians *might* decide to pitch in and HELP.

And it is not a case of believing or not believing in rhetoric, Mr. Dauphin, it is a case of this is how we approach our entire *lives*. Jacksonians have been condescended to, verbally demeaned, declared to be all sorts of derogatory things for how we *think* and, essentially, being told by the Left and the Right that we are not being respected for our life outlook. It is not swallowing rhetoric, Mr. Dauphin, it is seeing that Jacksonians would be stabbed in the back by either party the moment the use of Jacksonians was done with. The two parties do not understand honor and friendship and, in disdaining BOTH, will NOT GAIN OUR HELP.

And the only damn thing I have heard ANY Jacksonian complain about, besides myself and I do point out problems *and* solutions, Mr. Dauphin, is that our men and women in the Armed Forces are not being given any recognition or thanks by the rest of the GODDAMN COUNTRY. Which includes, Mr. Dauphin, both political parties. Does it really and truly take so much of your ego away that you cannot say, simply, to the men and women of the Armed Forces: I thank you for protecting Our Nation, at home and abroad and thank you for putting your life on the line for me. Is that so very and terribly hard? And not adding in any weasel words about 'supporting the troops, but not the war'? Because that is as hard a slap to any one in the Armed Forces as an actual, physical slap... forward and backhand. The nightly depiction of Our Armed Forces as: occupiers, killers, destroyers, and incompetent is doing nothing, not one little itsy-bitsy thing to convince Jacksonians that the general population even *likes* the Armed Forces and the hard jobs they have.

And as to carrying the rhetorical load, have you ever heard: Speak softly but carry a big stick?

As to your final point "Dealing with the anti-war rhetoric or with policy that is not exactly to their liking is surely easier than actually crafting and implementing policy in these times." I suggest you take a LOOK at how easy it IS for a Jacksonian to make something to their liking in Foreign and Domestic policy. Because what you are saying is that as 1/3 of the population we should just suck it up and take what another 1/3 will hand to us! How about the rest of YOU look at what Jacksonians would LIKE in the way of Foreign and Domestic policy and sucking in YOUR GODDAMN SUPERCILIOUS RHETORIC? If you think that only the high and mighty Republicans and Democrats have an idea of how to shape Foreign and Domestic policy, you are basically saying that the Jacksonian viewpoint is NOT WORTH CONSIDERING!

And that, folks, is the sort of things Jacksonians get: Oh, we have a big tent, but your food is awful, you are stuck with ours. Why thanks, but no.... we Jacksonians will go on a picnic for a bit, we eat sparingly, and once you folks are done gorging yourselves and ruining the country, then we will put the government on a nice Jacksonian menu plan. And if you thought we were small government conservatives, you haven't seen ANYTHING like what a Jacksonian wants a government to look like. Nearly two dimensional without one little piece of pork or fat on it.

So, Mr. Dauphin, thank you for your viewpoint. It takes two to tango, but neither party seems skilled at dancing, just commanding. If either party needs some Adult Supervision, you may kindly and respectfully ask US.

But you will have to lose that attitude, FIRST.

Where Iraq is headed in general

Well, I have done a few posts here and there on the situation in Iraq and will give the flavor of them. So you will get much verbiage and some accreditation before I continue on with the main point. For those of you familiar with my outlook, a scroll down will be faster than reading.

First up at Texas Fred's site on the attitude of Condaleeza Rice on Iraq and where things are going, I posted this comment:

Probably repeating myself, but why not?

Even if Afghanistan and Iraq descend into absolute chaos and sectarian violence, and that spreads to Iran, Syria, Pakistan and Turkey, that would not be so bad. Terrorists would just be another faction and without their state sponsors to supply them they would not have much leverage. Absolute chaos is a good thing.

If there can be just enough of a political establishment in both countries to turn it into large factional struggles politically or via low-level conflict, that would mean that outsiders would come to be viewed very harshly, indeed. Most factional struggles turn vicious on outsiders trying to take their precious fights from them. Again, terrorists would just be supporting one faction or be another faction and have no State leverage. That would be a Good Thing (patent pending).

The worst of all possible worlds is an Authoritarian state supplying terrorists. That is what we are breaking up in the Muddle East. If we can do that to another couple of states, and get them either into absolute chaos or internecine factionalism, that will eat up their time and they will have no time for external terrorism. That is a Very Good Thing (patent pending).

And when the Canadian Oil Sands are in full production, their neighbor to the South will buy up every last barrel and be a ready market, and we shall kiss the Muddle East good-bye if they have not given Us friendship and then watch their house of cards tumble as their oil production flattens and goes down and the money starts to dry up and the factions squabble over *that*.

That would be a Most Excellent Very Good Thing. If we can keep the hotheads from blowing it.

So pollyanna, isn't it? But lets face it, literally ANYTHING is better than directed Totalitarian states hooking up with Transnational Terrorists. Even complete chaos is better.

Then at Wretchard the Cat's site, he had an analysis of what the Ba'athists and sectarian militias were trying to do and I posted a comment to lighten up the doom and gloomery:

The US Forces have also implemented a training feedback cycle unlike anything I can think of. Daily and weekly material goes back to stateside training areas so that troops spinning up to deploy get to go through the scenarios, analyze them, look at different motives and conflict types, go through those, then feed that back to the in-theater troops. They use that, analyze it and see if anything makes sense, try it out, see what happens, feedback... etc. Plus all soldiers are getting basic language and cultural training and it becomes more intense the higher in rank.

As to Baghdad... I remember the predictions of 'Stalingrad', meaning to those doing the predicting it would eat up any armored force. My reply was, 'Yes, it will be a sniper's heaven to demoralize the enemy. And we have the best snipers around.' And what really happened was a synthesis of new warfare operations that broke down heavy armor units to support and be supported by infantry, snipers and CAS. As we refined our capability, got better at adjusting to the local environment and learned who to trust, information flowed in... and the various enemies started to unravel.

The overall goal of ensuring a Three Part Iraq is proving out to be a good one. No one in their right mind wants to have a two-sided civil war in a three section state. The less we hear of the Kurds, the more their influence shows. As two sides squabble the Kurds look on, simply smiling... if asked to bring peace they would and I do believe the New Iraqi Army would help. Luckily the Army doesn't need that so the Kurds can tend to their knitting becoming more of a trade and manufacturing area day by day. Building a civil society to meet their needs. By quiet demonstration they are showing the way to peace through armed security for a civil society. And waiting for the children in the south to settle down and join them. Unstated, but always there. 'If we backwards Kurds can do this, then why can't you?' And that is the wound that will finally bring down the sectarian militias.

Ensured civil security.

It took Poles to give the lie to Communism and the Worker's Paradise.

And it looks like it will take Kurds to show the Arabs on how to build peace.

A *lot* of steps between here and there, but that is looking to be the heart of the end-game to the factional violence. It could all go to pot, but all the trend lines point differently.

So let the combined units roam to bring peace, under the watchful eyes of snipers as the insurgents get *plinked* to death from silent fire day and night. Better a stand up fight than ignominious death from nowhere... day after day. For that will surely destroy the morale of the enemy...

Just as the Germans learned at Stalingrad. By not teaching about military history people think that a battle means just one thing... while it is a complex array of things happening together and to look at a single aspect loses the entire context of the conflict.

Do note that I also synthesize my idea of why there will be no Iraqi Civil War into that. Truly the end-game is shaping up even as the middle act is still in play. And I espand a bit on that at Neo's site, with this post in which I add some commentary on the goings on in Iraq:

This latest round of violence... the post Golden Mosque one... you know the one the Iraqi Army quieted down without killing anyone, and that Sunni Imams donated a huge chunk of cash to the Golden Mosque to have it rebuilt because they revere it too... is Ba'athist. They have been using Saddam's billions to purchase uniforms via terrorist networks as seen in the recent riverine raids where hundreds of uniforms and ID making equipment were found.

The terrorists have been on the run from the Coalition, Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police, and, now, Shia and Sunni militias who are trying to justify their existance after the Golden Mosque bombing (most likely instigated by terrorists).

We are at the Iraqi end-game for internal cleansing of: terrorists, Ba'athists, and sectarian militias. The Iraqi Army has stated over and over that it will take no sides and enforce peace on *everyone* so that civilian rule may prevail. And the southern Shia and Sunni sects are realizing their militias are now in the cross-hairs, as do the Ba'athists. And they also know that the THIRD side of Iraq wants peace and the military just might follow them if they can't get their act together in the south.

For if you really want to see a dispirited set of sects, think of what it would be like for them to have to honor the Kurds as peacemakers! And I do believe the Army would help heartily in that if the Kurds asked them to. Possibly relocate Parliament northwards so they can have civil sessions.

If you can only see two sides in Iraq, then you will have no idea what will happen. And as the Shia coalition breaks apart into smaller factions, a coalition government between break-away Shias, Sunni and Kurds will need to come together. And the Iraqi Army will continue to knock heads until they do.

Oh, and the reason the Ba'athists are staging now? Revenge killings are now the largest number of killings in Iraq on a monthly basis. These are personal pay-backs to Ba'athists that lorded it over the mere population for over 3 decades. Somehow I don't see them coming back into power any time soon... or any time at all for that matter. Not that fighting will help them one damn bit.

My guess is Baghdad and all of Iraq under control of the New Iraqi Army by years end. They are getting a hard training in logistics and supply right now, as well as combat smarts. They still need some aerial capability and logistical help, and leavening here and there, but large scale unit ops is now well within their capability and there are many ops that are now fully independent of the Coalition going on.

Just another decade of destabilizing Totalitarianism in the Muddle East. Give Canada time to get the Oil Sands into full production. And then see the bottom of the house of cards removed from the Muddle East.

Patience and shrewd work is the key to long-term victory now. Even absolute chaos is better than totalitarianism.

And so I synthesize many ideas together in that post. Needless to say I have been trying to keep abreast of things going on in Iraq, and so it was with pleasure that I visited Austin Bay's blog, in which he gives us a Strategypage look at the current goings on in Iraq.

Yes, trend-line analysis has been looking good in Iraq for quite some time and continues to do so. As my Uncle Joe used to say, and which I apply to the MSM:

"Figures don't lie. But liars sure *can* figure!"

Truer words were never spoken! So whenever people want to naysay Iraq, I just ask them to point to the trend lines showing gloom and doom... and either they give me something 2 or more years out of date or say: 'Well we have lost X many lives there!'

To which I reply: "Yes, and the death toll goes up in this country every day. And the world. Should we abandon both while we are still alive?"

I remember my history teacher asking when the turning point was in the European theater of World War II. Needless to say my hand shot up (as did a number of others)... that instructor had learned and called on a few other first and not getting the desired response, and knowing I was not going to give him the one he *wanted* but one that *did* answer the question, I responded: The tank battle at Kursk.

"Well," he said," that actually is true, but not the generally perceived turning point..."

And the whispers across the room started... 'What did he say?'... 'Which battle?'... 'You mean it wasn't...?'

Yes, it wasn't D-Day. That just confirmed that the end would be swift. Stalingrad stopped the momentum of the German Army, but Kursk reversed the tide on the counter-attack. And it was Kursk that confirmed the trend line... if you actually bothered to study the war... and not just listen to the documentaries.

In Iraq the trend-lines have been going solidly in our favor since the standing up of the New Iraqi Army, and there is not a single trend-line pointing to defeat. Failure by lack of political will is possible, but as the trends continue, it will be harder and harder to justify leaving Iraq to fall into chaos. And the naysayers should be warned, the Jacksonians just *left* the political scene after the betrayal of Vietnam... this will bring them back with fire in their eye as treachery will be seen.

And the trend lines in the US Population is demonstrating this as the MSM falls further and further downwards and both political parties hover in the Used Car Salesman area of trustworthiness. Like any supersaturated solution, it looks extremely stable until just one minor thing happens... and then there is a sudden change of state as a new form crystallizes nearly instantly.

THAT is where the electorate stands today.

Just one little thing.

The Charge of Racism is Segregationist!

Yet another fine post by Mr. Z at Bloviating Zeppelin! This time on Rep. Cynthia McKinney (Moonbat - GA) and her little racist tirade at being caught Princess while Representative. And I wish that Ms. Mckinney were only an APRIL Fool, instead of a year round one. So, while very tired today, I could not murderize an entire encyclopedia, and so settled for a mere Doomsday book. Again, posted as-is, no extra carbs, guaranteed to be fully Atkin's approved and definitive as to why a continuous charge of one thing indicates something even more pernicious:

Do note that whenever the Left needs to denigrate someone the *first* thing they do is say: racism!

No matter what the area of discussion, no matter what technicalities it is always and has been for decades: racism!

Pulling drunks over at night: racism!
Bringing criminal gangs to heel: racism!
A highly black city that is sinking: racism!
Profiling prospective terrorists: racism!
Junk food eaten by the poor: racism!
No black quarterbacks: racism!
No black hockey teams: racism!
No blacks on the currency: racism!

In fact, just about every damn thing is racist... except charging racism. That seems to be fair.

There is a word for people who charge racism to keep society apart: segregationist.

Do remember that when you see people pointing and saying racism at every damn thing. They are segregationists wanting to divide the People of America into color coded groups. With some colors being more equal than others.

Those charging racism want to control your thoughts.

I charge segregationist to stop pernicious division-making in society because that is the result of those performing that action.

And so it is!

Racism, racism! Separate from those racists into your racial groups...

Oh, yea and verily *someone* is racist...

And when you point that finger out, Ms. McKinney, rightly three point back at you with that same charge. And as you offer nothing better to build the Republic you shall only have the effect of a racist in your life and that is how you shall be rememberd if at all. For that last finger reminds you of your fate if you offer nothing better to the Republic.

And you offer nothing at all, Ms. McKinney. A prime ZERO in life.

Save for being a racist and racial segregationist doing NOTHING to bring harmony to the races in this Republic.

Thanks for nothing, Ms. McKinney. Nothing at all....

Cynthia... who?

Already history turns the page and such racism shall only devour itself.

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (Racist - GA)