Monday, March 31, 2003

Gnashing of teeth and despair about the Wolves on today's Game Pipeline.  Also, the sad state of the Detroit Tigers... 3:27:46 PM    Say what?[]

Tangents It's wrong for baseball to start in March, football to start in August and basketball and hockey to be played in June.  I know this deep in my heart. How do people in the U.S. that are opposed to the war in Iraq feel about the reports of military miscalculation on the part of the U.S. battle planners?  There is now increasing scrutiny and evidence that the U.S. war games to prepare for this war were short-sighted and perhaps geared to support a pre-determined conclusion.  Hyperbole posted this link, but it's worth a read if the war is a source of concern for you: http://slate.msn.com/id/2080814 I guess my point is, I can understand the emotional reaction that anti-war people (and I am one of them in many ways) would have to hearing that the U.S. isn't just able to walk in and dominate.  And we all love an underdog, right?  But even if you are against the war, don't you have to hope that once we make the decision to take action, that the battle plans are correct and a decisive victory is won quickly?  A flawed battle plan only results in more deaths of Americans, Brits and Iraqis (military and civilian), while not necessarily delaying a certain outcome.  Even if you are against the war, I think you have to root for a quick win. Which causes me to ask: What are the people protesting the war really advocating?  That we pull out now?  Wouldn't that lead to the kind of recriminations that the Shiite minority saw in Basrah in 1991 after the U.S. left them high and dry?  How does pulling out help the Iraqi civilian population now?  Even if this war is unjust, it's too late to stop it, even if it should be stopped.  Why aren't peace groups working on the next solution, like how to feed Iraq?  I know many of them are, but I see so many signs in yards here that say "No War In Iraq", and I'd really like to ask them what they mean, specifically.  To simply say "War is wrong" seems to me to not address the complexities of what is really happening in Iraq, in terms of Saddam's brutality. The reports about the Coalition's long supply lines are troubling, and smack of a miscalculation as the U.S. forces sped past Iraqi units in a race to get to Baghdad.  Of course, that left their rear open and made their supply train vulnerable.  Why would the military do that if they really thought the Iraqis were a threat?  Answer: They wouldn't.  So these denials from Rummy and Crew don't pass muster with me.  Is it such a sign of weakness to just say that you're adapting?  It's not like these jokers had any credibility with me anyway, but to so blatantly deny what seems so clear now, and what so many outside (and inside) military people are saying, just makes them look even worse. I spent all of Saturday in my basement with my brother-in-law installing copper water pipes.  Fortunately, my brother-in-law is a nice guy to spend time with.  Of course, this meant I didn't get to see much of Marquette's ass-whipping of Kentucky.  So, when Linus was downstairs "helping" us, I told him to go upstairs, and have Jane write the score down on a piece of paper, and bring it back to me.  He loves to help, so he was thrilled to deliver this very important message to her.  And what does my wife send back?  Not only the score, but the time remaining, and the fact that Dwayne Wade had a triple-double.  We love people for a lot of big reasons, but also some little ones, and the detail in that note was a great example of a little reason why I love her.   3:27:00 PM    Say what?[]

© Copyright 2003 Doug Hennessee. Last update: 4/1/2003; 3:15:42 PM.