Russia Today interviewed Congressman Kucinich and he commented on Afghanistan, War, Generals and more. Give a listen…

… on Afghanistan, Jobs, Generals, and the U.S, Constitution. Got a few minutes? This interview with Russia Today is worth listening to:

Hunched over their maps, two generals plan campaigns. They arrange their armies. The rug is ruched and wrinkled with great care. The terrain is mountainous, populated with goats and flowers.

The generals agree, after 4 arguments and rolling the dice, whose team is The Goodies: silent men, uniformly grey, standing in long, grim, lines. The Goodies fight with honor.  The Baddies hide under covers, furniture, behind the door. Virulent, poisonous, they have no scruples.

Wings flap. Bodies flail. Planes fall from the sky. Snakes hiss. Men scream.

The Baddies, ably led by Medusa, several Decepticons, and Polyphemus, defeat the modern warriors who bomb them from stealth planes. Even the snipers, belatedly adopting enemy tactics and hiding in the folds of the rug, are found and eaten.

“Next time,” shrieks General 1, stomping off, “I’m being The Baddies!”

The WU TANG MANAGMENT team is up to something….and we here at the Ski & Critical Show plan to find ou what its all about. If you listen to the show you might just find out what its all about. Check out this trailer:

“I am persuaded to say this because during my talks with one or two very high-ranking officers I discovered that they did not know the implications of the Oath taken by the troops of Pakistan. Of course, an oath is only a matter of form; what are more important are the true spirit and the heart.” – Jinnah at Staff College Quetta 14th June 1948

General Douglas MacArthur

Five Star General

For all his brilliance as a soldier he was very conscious of his image and behaved as a Prima Donna expecting spotlight wherever he chose to stand. In treating Korean War he, the soldier was for a total victory while President Harry S. Truman, the politician for a limited objective. Many of Presidential caution sent to him through his special envoys were ignored or treated as irrelevant.

Before their relationship could get any worse, the President asked for an interview. Their meeting was scheduled at Wake Island, about 4700 miles from San Francisco. The General had only 1900 miles from Tokyo.

MacArthur tried to hold up his landing so that Presidential plan would land ahead of him.

Truman got the point and he radioed the General,’You go ahead and land first. We’ve got plenty of gas and we will wait for you’. That was what happened.

During the interview MacArthur tried to embarrass the President by not turning up to receive him. After sometime the General came in his sunglasses, with his shirt unbuttoned and a cap carefully crumpled and a lot of hardware on his chest. Truman chose to ignore his outfit.

In the next meeting also MacArthur arrived late and Truman said,’Now you look here.I have come halfway across the world to meet you. I don’t give a goddamn who you do or think about Harry Truman. But don’t you ever again keep your Commander-in-Chief waiting. Is that clear.’

The face of the general went red and he nodded.

General George S. Patton (1885-1945)

U.S general

The flamboyant US Army commander accepted an invitation to dine at a press camp in Africa during the WWII. The wine was served in tin mugs. Patton poured cream and sugar into his mug as though it had been filled with coffee. One correspondent who watched this and hastened to correct the general,’That is wine,sir,not coffee.’

The General who could never be wrong, replied,’I know,I like my wine this way.’ And he drank it.

2.

General Patton paid a visit to the 15^th Army officer’s club in Bad Neuheim shortly after taking charge of that US Army unit in Oct.1945. As he entered every one including three other generals present stood to attention, except for one enlisted man who had recently discharged. It was a tense moment and all tose who were present waited to see the reaction of ‘Old Blood and Guts.’

The crusty General walked up to the young man’s table and stared down him who said,’ I am not in the army anymore, General,I am a civilian now.’

‘Son don’t you have any respect for an old man?’murmured the general.

The civilian rose quickly to a rigid and respectful attention.

อรุณสวัสดิ์

วันนี้ไม่ค่อยสดใสสำหรับผมสักเท่าไร รู้มั้ยว่าทำไม…….

เนื่องจากเมื่อเช้านี้มีเพื่อนของผมคนนึงอยู่ดีๆก้อโทรมา…ซึ่งผมว่ามันแปลก

แล้วก้อจริงคับ….มันมีเรื่องที่ไม่น่าเชื่อเกิดขึ้นและไม่ดีเลย คือ

เขาบอกผมว่า…รู้ข่าวหรือยัง..ผมก้องง…

เขาก้อบอกต่อว่า….”อ.เจี๋ย เสียแล้ว”…..

…..

…

ฮะ…..จิงดิ…อ.ช็อกเมื่อคืน

ผมก้อช็อกเหมือนกันเมื่อได้ยิน อาจารย์คนนึงที่ผมได้รู้จักมาตั้งแต่ปีหนึ่งจนจบ ช่วยเหลือผมมาโดยตลอด แทบจะเรียกได้ว่า ถ้าไม่มีอ.เจี๋ยคนนี้ผมก้อคงจะไม่จบแน่ๆเลย เพราะอ.ให้คำปรึกษาต่างๆในเรื่องทำสัมมนา เรื่องเรียนและเรื่องจิปาฐะต่างๆ

เราเคยได้ไปกินข้าวด้วยกัน ถึงแม้ผมจะไม่เคยได้ถ่ายรูปกะอาจารย์มากนักหรือไม่เลย แต่ผมก้อยังมีรูปอยู่บ้าง

ตอนที่ผมไปสัมมนาที่เชียงใหม่อาจารย์ยังเลี้ยง mk เลย….เจอกันเราก้อทักทาย…แถมอาจารย์เพิ่งจะแต่งงานไปเมื่อไม่นานมานี้ประมาณสองปีแล้วมั้งผมเองก้อจำไม่ได้ ผมเลยไม่คิดว่าจะมีความเีสียใจแบบนี้เกิดขึ้นในทันที….ผมคิดว่ามันเร็วมากๆจนผมคาดไม่ถึง

ผมเองในฐานะลูกศิษย์คนนึงหรือจะเรียกว่าเป็นรุ่นน้องคนนึงของเขา…ผมต้องขอแสดงความเสียใจอย่างมากสำหรับอาจารย์ผู้ที่ให้ความรู้กับผมมานาน

จนผมยังคิดว่าผมจะไปหาอาจารย์บ้างเรื่องภาพถ่ายดาวเทียม….

เห้ออ….

ผมขอให้อาจารย์จงไปสู่สุขคตินะคับ….ผมรักอาจารย์คับ

แล้วเราคงจะได้เจอกันอีก

สักวันนึง

R.I.P ….อ.สุรัตน์ เจียรนัยวิวัฒน์

….

…

อรุณสวัสดิ์

คำว่า Expectation ตามเท่าที่รู้หมายถึง “การคาดหวัง” ไม่รู้อาจจะมีความหมายมากกว่าหรือลึกซึ้งมากกว่านี้

เคยมั้ยคับกับการที่เราพยายามทำสิ่งใดสิ่งหนึ่งเพื่อต้องการให้ใครสักคนนั้นประทับใจ แต่ว่า….คนนั้นเค้าบอกว่ายังดีไม่พอ  แต่เราเองก้อคิดว่ามันดีกว่าเดิมพอสมควรแล้วนะแต่อาจจะยังดีไม่พอในสายตาเค้า  ไม่เป็นไร เราก้อพยายามกันต่อไป แต่เรียกได้ว่า “ผิดหวัง” คับ

คือ…ผมเองก้อคาดหวังว่าจะได้รับคำชมเชยเล็กๆน้อยๆบ้างในขณะที่ที่ได้ออกแรงทำอะไรบางอย่างลงไปด้วยหัวใจ และความตั้งใจ รวมไปถึงคาดหวัง…ก้อนะ…แต่สุดท้าย…ผมก้อได้รับคำที่….ก้อนะ….ไม่รู้สิคับ….บอกว่า “ทำหรือไม่ทำก้อเหมือนเดิม”….

เรียกได้ว่ามันทำให้ผม…..”ผิดหวัง”…… แต่ก้อนะ…ผมก้อต้องยิ้มให้เป็นปกติแต่ก้อยังทำในสิ่งที่เค้าคาดหวังได้บ้างเล็กน้อย อาจจะยังไม่พอใจนัก ขออภัยนะ….แต่ก้อจะทำให้ดีที่สุด…คับ…

…Fail…

By Colonel Andy O’Meara (US Army, Ret): LTG Thomas McInerney (US Air Force, Ret); MG Paul Vallely (US Army, Ret)

Men have fought wars throughout the annals of history. Americans have known wars since the birth of the nation with aspirations that set our people apart from all others. These lofty aspirations have tested our people in wars to preserve our freedom with decades of domestic strife to make good our claims to the cause of human freedom. Within the brief span of two centuries, Americans have fought wars to fulfill a destiny defined by our Founding Fathers. Each conflict has tested our courage while shaping our identity which stands apart from the Western Civilization that is our heritage. The struggle to endure and preserve our ideals – the love of freedom and the dedication to self-government – has made us unique and has made America an example that inspires mankind.

Today, we find ourselves in a difficult and new kind of war. It is a war that we did not start nor can we end without destroying those who have declared war upon us. Unique to our experience, we find ourselves attacked by assailants who wear no uniform and claim allegiance to no sovereign state and follow a barbaric ideology that takes no prisoners. Our assailants aspire to world domination and wage war to destroy the very aspirations of freedom and democracy.

The terrorists conceal themselves within civil populations that provide human shields to these radical zealots that follow a barbaric ideology that takes no prisoners. Their mode of conflict strikes at the values we hold sacred, while they use our aspirations and self-restraint to conceal and protect their assassins. It is a war that tests our men and women in combat more severely than any conflict we have waged before.

We have attempted to keep the faith and honor our traditions as well as our noble culture of freedom. In this time of bitter war, the Armed Forces impose strict rules of engagement upon our soldiers as they confront the barbarism of the radical Islamists who exercise absolutely no restraint. No crime is too heinous and no act of treachery too despicable to deter their quest of victory and ultimately world conquest.

In former times, our soldiers have fought on even terms against foes who in many ways shared our commitment to international law and the Geneva Conventions. Such conflict recognized basic human rights and sought to punish those who violated the “Law of Land Warfare”. Such conflicts saw humane treatment of prisoners as the rule and atrocities were the exception. Yet in the bitterest struggles of World War II, the “greatest generation” resorted to retaliation for unprovoked air attacks upon British civilians that resulted in massive bombing attacks of civilian targets in the Third Reich.

Were we to use such tactics today to obliterate the sanctuaries of the enemies, as we did in World War II, the cry of the international media and the United Nations would be filled with outrage at the American combatants? And the United Nations, which we formed at the end of World War II to preserve peace, would side with our enemies openly declaring the American combatants as war criminals. It is fair to say that we live with double standards today that are ignored by the international media and nation-states that support international terrorism.

Americans are trained and expected to conduct themselves with the utmost restraint complying with the most humane rules of engagement, standards of conduct that are simply ignored by our enemies. We are asking a lot of our people. They must fight the enemy with great restraint and even the appearances of transgression of the rules of engagement by Americans are punished most severely by our own military courts.

A recent case of apparent transgression of the rules of engagement occurred in Afghanistan that has resulted in the courts martial of one of our finest young warriors who discovered that their Afghan comrades were enemy agents providing valuable intelligence to the enemy. The results of the enemy agents sequestered in the base of an American company resulted in a series of ambushes that killed and wounded numerous soldiers of the 101st Air Assault Division. The Company Commander, Captain Roger Hill, detained the suspected agents and requested they be evacuated by his higher headquarters which request was denied.

Given the limited time detainees are allowed to be held without charges and the lack of support from his superiors, Captain Hill and his subordinates interrogated the detainees. While no detainee was physically injured during the interrogations, Captain Hill was charged with violation of the rules of engagement for making verbal threats during his interrogations. He was called before the equivalent of a grand jury and criminal charges were pressed against him, which could have resulted in the loss of his commission, a dishonorable discharge and a prison sentence.

His defense attorney was advised that if he pleaded guilty to the charges that no courts martial would be conducted and Captain Hill agreed to accept the plea bargain. He was fined by his commander and ordered to be “discharged” from the Army under other than honorable conditions – a harsh sentence for a fine professional officer operating under duress in a harsh environment the enemy had successfully infiltrated. Our hope is that the Secretary of the Army will authorize an honorable discharge for Captain Roger Hill or keep his career in tack as a professional Army Officer.

This is not too much to ask since they decided to downgrade everything to an Article 15 and allowed him to resign his commission (a way to subtly oust him from the Army).  He deserves all Veteran benefits after 4 years at West Point and nine years of honorable service, including two wars.  His highest personal decoration is the Bronze Star.

Given the uneven playing field upon which our combatants are waging war and the barbaric attacks our soldiers are subjected to, it is time for a public debate regarding the double standards that bind our hands in battle, but impose absolutely no restraint upon the enemy.

The bottom line is we must support our valiant American fighting men and women. They are fighting under the most difficult conditions and they are being second guessed by military lawyers (JAGs) and bureaucrats holding down desk jobs secure in the rear areas. Our generation will never succeed in protecting our sacred freedoms unless we are prepared to back our men and women on the battlefield.

Stand behind our men in battle or kiss our democracy and freedoms goodbye. We must do all we can as to restore the honorable status of Captain Hill and others like him. Our Armed Forces deserve better.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College is proud to announce Saturday College, a simple program that allows busy, working people to get a Monday through Friday education on Saturday.

Check out all that can be done in Saturday College at Anoka-Ramsey.

• Eight weeks of web-enhanced courses can lead to an associate in arts degree in just five semesters.
• Three semesters of Saturday College can result in completed generals to transfer to a four-year degree program.
• 16-week courses in English and reading can provide a refresher before beginning regular college courses.
• A one-credit course in Educational Planning could set a student on a great career course.
• Art, writing, psychology and business courses could be great for Saturday scholars and lifelong learners.

Anyone who is interested can take Saturday courses though they are specifically designed for working adults who recognize the need for more education, but still need to maintain their family, and professional and personal obligations.

New or returning students can attend full or part time.

Saturday College is a complete college experience, based on a traditional curriculum that has been redesigned to meet the schedules of today’s busy schedules.

Small classes allow for personalized instruction from Anoka-Ramsey’s outstanding faculty, and Web-enhanced courses mean students can completed courses in an eight-week semester by doing half the coursework online.

For students looking for generals to transfer, Anoka-Ramsey has efficiently scheduled three routes to complete generals in just three semesters. Each path offers a slightly different theme—sociopolitical, scientific or cultural.

Here’s an example of one Saturday College path to completing generals over three semesters:

Paths are currently being developed for students seeking to complete an entire associate in arts degree in five semesters, and over the next three semesters, courses will be offered in a variety of subject areas including:

• Art
• Biology
• Biomedical
• Chemistry
• Economics
• English
• Humanities
• Math
• Philosophy
• Speech/Theatre

For more information, visit www.AnokaRamsey.edu/classes/SaturdayCollege.aspx.

The Bridgewater College Eagles (3-2, 1-0 ODAC) beat the Washington and Lee Generals (4-2, 0-1 ODAC) 68-64 on December 2 at Lexington Va.

Dominic Trawick lead the Eagles in scoring with 16 points. He also was tied for the team lead in rebounds with six. Rick Maloney also had six rebounds.

The Eagles almost lost their 24 point lead in the last 10 minutes, but they made their last four free throws to get a four point win. With 32 turnovers by the Eagles, the team will take the win and look to improve.

From the field, the Eagles were 26-46 (8-15 three-point field goals). The Generals shot 17-55 from the field (6-18 three-point field goals).

The Eagles’ next game will tip-off at 3:00 p.m., December 5th, on the Campus of Bridgewater College in Nininger Hall against Randolph College. This will be game two of a women’s and men’s double-header.

The Eagles made their last four free throws to get the win 68-64 over the Generals. Dominic Trawick made two of the free throws. That put his total at 16 points for the night, the highest scorer for the Eagles.

The Generals went up 62-61 on a Ben Goetsch three-pointer with less than a minute in the second half. However, Dominic Trawick score two points with in a few seconds to regain the lead, 63-62. Trawick leads the Eagles in scoring with 14 points.

Jason Cimino of the Generals hit a huge three-pointer, cutting the lead to three. The Eagles are trying to hold on to a 60-57 lead with one minute and 27 seconds left. The Generals called a timeout after Kyle Hammond of the Eagles fouled Ben Goetsch. Goetsch made both free throws. The lead is now 60-59 in the Eagles favor.

Segar Jordan fouled out with a little more than five minuets left. He had eight points, shooting 4-5 from the field, and five rebounds for the Eagles.

The Generals have cut the lead down to eight points with four minutes left. The score is 58-50 in the Eagles favor.

The Eagles are up 55-36 with eight minutes left to play. Dominic Trawick remains the leading scorer for the Eagles with 12 points. Jake Johnson, Segar Jordan and Kordero Thompson each have eight points.