It is officially summer and the travel season is in full swing. For better or worse I have been a pretty frequent year-round traveller for many years. I can't help but notice that the attire of the American travelling public seems to be in a perpetual state of decline. Summer seems to bring out the worst in travel attire. Airports, train stations, hotel lobbys are all pretty much the same story. Rag-tag travellers, frequently sporting clothes that should have been tossed years ago.
It is odd that people seem to intentionally dress down when travelling. I understand travel dress that is comfortable, but some of the outfits of the travelling public are at best ridiculous. Walking to catch a train this week in Union Station, it seemed that each gate had a cadre of clowns getting ready to board their train, each more ridoculously clad than the last. It kind of makes me pine for the days that I have seen in old movies and news clips, but never experienced when people dressed up when they travelled. Rich, poor, black, white...male travellers were wearing coats and ties, female travellers in dresses. What drove me to long for the days of dressing up to travel? The male foot, that's what.
I have nothing against the male foot. In fact, I am a fan. I have two myself and use them daily. They have carried me across the finish lines of four marathons. They get me to work every day. I walk 18 holes far more often than I ride. I don't know what I would do without them. However, there is a fact about the male foot the travellers need to understand. The male foot, while tremendously useful, is neither attractive nor decorative. Its asthetics are the inverse of its functionality. It needs to be kept away from sight. Especially when travelling, the male foot needs to be like a good umpire crew in a baseball game. They are doing their job, the game could not proceed without them, but when they are at their best, no one notices them, they are essentially invisible. The male foot needs to be similarly invisible when travelling. The only thing that makes an airplane meal on a cross country flight less appealing is sharing that meal with exposed male feet in flip flops.
While the male foot in flip flops or sandals is the nadir of the male traveller's woredrobe. A close second is the sockless male foot stuffed into a flimpsy black Italian loafers, when wearing shorts. Who in the world thinks this is a good look? When your mother told you that if you were in an accident, she hoped you would be wearing clean underwear...I think she assumed that your outward appearance would not include fat feet stuffed into loafers paired with short pants...while you stood in line to board your flight to Paris. Maybe Parisians are rude to Americans because they can spot us a mile away.
No one is ever going to call my sense of fashion hip or trendy. Puttering around the house or the neighborhood, I am the first one to choose comfort over style and am all for flip flops and shorts. However, I think we can get the male foot undercover where it belongs. I call on wives and mothers everywhere to help keep the male foot hidden from view. Help us help you. This is not the time to be polite. We are drowning in a sea of bad male footwear. I think this is a case of "by any means necessary". Ladies, this fight is up to you. Good luck, like always, we can't help ourselves and are counting on you.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Not Exactly "Give Peace a Chance" But Time for a Change
I am not a war monger. I am certainly no peace nick. I believe that when the United States is pushed into a situation where war is the only answer we should go in 100%, win with devastating force, and then get out after we have accomplished our objectives.
I am also a realist and understand that the United States has finite resources. Our cash resources are becoming more finite every month. Our access to seemingly endless credit is thankfully drawing to a close. This is cause for great angst and consternation for citizens, investors, and patriots.
I think the time has come to wind down both the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns, not because they are not worthy and noble, but because we have not gone in with everything we have to win decisive victory and hence have costly years-long struggles in which we are playing by self imposed "rules" so we do not upset local leaders, other nations, and "independent" voters. Mostly however, I believe we have to draw down our resources in Afghanistan and Iraq with all haste because we simply do not have the cash to pay for these endeavors in nation building. It is time for America to decide what it can afford and what it cannot. Two foreign campaigns with less than clear final resolution have become something we simply do not have the cash to support.
I realize that we have to plan for as orderly a transition as possible, but I would plan to cut funding for both Iraq and Afghanistan by 75% in 12 months. Our foreign campaign should then shift into a large scale, new-century warfare. I would invest heavily in Drone attacks, intelligence operations, special forces, and cyber attacks against our enemies. A massive investment in these new tools of war would cost far less than our traditional deployments of hundreds of thousands of troops across the globe. The objective would be to keep Al Qaeda, the Taliban, et al off balance by continually and aggressively striking at their leadership and infrastructure assets killing and destroying whomever and whatever we have to without reservation.
I recognize that this change in US policy is not without national security risk. However, as the nation begins to realize that there is not an infinite source of cash to fund endless social programs and entitlements, we are a the point where everything that is a cost to the United States government has to be on the table for review. Our investments in Iraq and Afghanistan have been costly, with questionable hard returns. These are investments we cannot continue to fund, so we need a swift exist strategy and a massive shift to more cost effective ways of fighting those who would destroy us, before we do it to ourselves.
I am also a realist and understand that the United States has finite resources. Our cash resources are becoming more finite every month. Our access to seemingly endless credit is thankfully drawing to a close. This is cause for great angst and consternation for citizens, investors, and patriots.
I think the time has come to wind down both the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns, not because they are not worthy and noble, but because we have not gone in with everything we have to win decisive victory and hence have costly years-long struggles in which we are playing by self imposed "rules" so we do not upset local leaders, other nations, and "independent" voters. Mostly however, I believe we have to draw down our resources in Afghanistan and Iraq with all haste because we simply do not have the cash to pay for these endeavors in nation building. It is time for America to decide what it can afford and what it cannot. Two foreign campaigns with less than clear final resolution have become something we simply do not have the cash to support.
I realize that we have to plan for as orderly a transition as possible, but I would plan to cut funding for both Iraq and Afghanistan by 75% in 12 months. Our foreign campaign should then shift into a large scale, new-century warfare. I would invest heavily in Drone attacks, intelligence operations, special forces, and cyber attacks against our enemies. A massive investment in these new tools of war would cost far less than our traditional deployments of hundreds of thousands of troops across the globe. The objective would be to keep Al Qaeda, the Taliban, et al off balance by continually and aggressively striking at their leadership and infrastructure assets killing and destroying whomever and whatever we have to without reservation.
I recognize that this change in US policy is not without national security risk. However, as the nation begins to realize that there is not an infinite source of cash to fund endless social programs and entitlements, we are a the point where everything that is a cost to the United States government has to be on the table for review. Our investments in Iraq and Afghanistan have been costly, with questionable hard returns. These are investments we cannot continue to fund, so we need a swift exist strategy and a massive shift to more cost effective ways of fighting those who would destroy us, before we do it to ourselves.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Greatest Victory
On its 67th anniversary, D-Day stands as one of the great accomplishments in military history. An invasion of necessity, not of choice, dictated by the Nazi takeover of the continent of Europe, the invasion to liberate Europe remains startling in its impact on our world. It is equally awe inspiring in its story, its drama, and its magnitude.
Over two years in its preparation, I am always struck by how the allies pulled victory from the jaws of defeat and changed the face of the world. Despite years of careful planning, training, and mock invasions, before the first Higgins boat dropped its ramp, the D-Day invasion plans were in disarray. Pre-invasion paratroopers were scattered across Normandy, with few in the right DZ, sometimes miles from their objective. Separated from their equipment by a last minute decision to add a tethered equipment bag to the jump, soldiers were in the wrong place, ill-equipped, not ill-prepared, but in a tenuous situation to say the least.
On the beaches of Normandy, bombing raids the nights before D-Day intended to soften the German resistance completely missed their targets. Expected rag-tag German conscripts defending the beaches turned out to be well armed, well trained, highly motivated German units more than ready to repel an attack. Expected fox holes for cover on the beaches weren't there. Units uniformly missed their landing zones. Swimming tanks sunk. The weather was awful, the low tide created hundreds of yards of open killing fields for German defenders, waves of allied units were met with machine gun fire from well fortified German positions.
After years of training, the entire D-Day operation was in tatters minutes after H-Hour. Omaha Beach was particularly disastrous as entire platoons were wiped our before they hit the beach. The boys from Bedford Virginia took the highest casualty toll of any unit in the invasion force. In its early stages, D-Day was a recipe for disaster. Eisenhower had a public statement at the ready stating why the D-Day invasion had failed and restating the allied commitment to the liberation of Europe.
However, D-Day wasn't a disaster. It wasn't the greatest allied set back in WW II. D-Day was in fact our finest hour. Though thousands of slain brave soldiers will be forever young, storming the beaches of Normandy, fighting to liberate people they never knew and would never meet, the story of D-Day is one of "get it done". It is what made America great and what can keep America great. The American soldiers on Omaha beach found ways to traverse the beaches, scale the cliffs, take out German positions, and secure a toehold on the continent of Europe. It was gruesome. It was gutty. It was the shining example of American resolve and the ultimate example of American ingenuity. Lost soldiers regrouped into new platoons, NCOs devised new attack strategies while under fire on the beach, and the expeditionary force that should have been obliterated and shoved back into the sea carried the day and set in motion the ultimate destruction of the German atrocity.
On Monday, when we remember the events of D-Day, when we reflect on the thousands whose final resting spot is marked with a tiny white stone thousands of miles away, I hope we think of American resolve. I hope it inspires us to stand on our own two feet, to cut our own path, and to strive for greatest good. Every day the news paper obituaries read of the deaths of those who served in WW II. These were the ones fortunate enough to return home. They, along with their fallen brothers in arms left a large legacy for all of us to follow. I hope we are up to the task. I hope the leadership of our nation, stops on Monday to reflect upon the magnitude of this event, of the sacrifices made by those who got it done on D-Day. The problems we are facing today pale in comparison. I think a little reflection and perspective might be just what this country needs as we forge ahead. Let's storm the beach, let's climb the cliffs, let's take on the fight. I think we owe it to those who showed us how 67 years ago.
Over two years in its preparation, I am always struck by how the allies pulled victory from the jaws of defeat and changed the face of the world. Despite years of careful planning, training, and mock invasions, before the first Higgins boat dropped its ramp, the D-Day invasion plans were in disarray. Pre-invasion paratroopers were scattered across Normandy, with few in the right DZ, sometimes miles from their objective. Separated from their equipment by a last minute decision to add a tethered equipment bag to the jump, soldiers were in the wrong place, ill-equipped, not ill-prepared, but in a tenuous situation to say the least.
On the beaches of Normandy, bombing raids the nights before D-Day intended to soften the German resistance completely missed their targets. Expected rag-tag German conscripts defending the beaches turned out to be well armed, well trained, highly motivated German units more than ready to repel an attack. Expected fox holes for cover on the beaches weren't there. Units uniformly missed their landing zones. Swimming tanks sunk. The weather was awful, the low tide created hundreds of yards of open killing fields for German defenders, waves of allied units were met with machine gun fire from well fortified German positions.
After years of training, the entire D-Day operation was in tatters minutes after H-Hour. Omaha Beach was particularly disastrous as entire platoons were wiped our before they hit the beach. The boys from Bedford Virginia took the highest casualty toll of any unit in the invasion force. In its early stages, D-Day was a recipe for disaster. Eisenhower had a public statement at the ready stating why the D-Day invasion had failed and restating the allied commitment to the liberation of Europe.
However, D-Day wasn't a disaster. It wasn't the greatest allied set back in WW II. D-Day was in fact our finest hour. Though thousands of slain brave soldiers will be forever young, storming the beaches of Normandy, fighting to liberate people they never knew and would never meet, the story of D-Day is one of "get it done". It is what made America great and what can keep America great. The American soldiers on Omaha beach found ways to traverse the beaches, scale the cliffs, take out German positions, and secure a toehold on the continent of Europe. It was gruesome. It was gutty. It was the shining example of American resolve and the ultimate example of American ingenuity. Lost soldiers regrouped into new platoons, NCOs devised new attack strategies while under fire on the beach, and the expeditionary force that should have been obliterated and shoved back into the sea carried the day and set in motion the ultimate destruction of the German atrocity.
On Monday, when we remember the events of D-Day, when we reflect on the thousands whose final resting spot is marked with a tiny white stone thousands of miles away, I hope we think of American resolve. I hope it inspires us to stand on our own two feet, to cut our own path, and to strive for greatest good. Every day the news paper obituaries read of the deaths of those who served in WW II. These were the ones fortunate enough to return home. They, along with their fallen brothers in arms left a large legacy for all of us to follow. I hope we are up to the task. I hope the leadership of our nation, stops on Monday to reflect upon the magnitude of this event, of the sacrifices made by those who got it done on D-Day. The problems we are facing today pale in comparison. I think a little reflection and perspective might be just what this country needs as we forge ahead. Let's storm the beach, let's climb the cliffs, let's take on the fight. I think we owe it to those who showed us how 67 years ago.
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