Huh?

A quick click over to CNN led me to this headline - I am not kidding - Obama says he's 'been very consistent' on Iraq

I doublechecked and realized I was indeed on CNN and not on the Onion.

Consistently defeatist, wrongheaded and obtuse, perhaps.

"The belief that we have a national security interest in making sure Iraq is secure, I've been saying consistently,"

Huh. See, I pay pretty close attention, and that's not what I have taken away from the Senator's statements.

Obama reiterated his commitment to his withdraw plan again. “I will call my joint chiefs of staff and give them an assignment and that is to end the war,” he said.

Well, ok. 'Cause running on a promise to prioritize an immediate end to our activities in Iraq doesn't sound like the plan of a man who believes we have a national security interest in making sure Iraq is secure. But maybe I missed something, being just an old dumb sergeant and all.

[rolls eyes, heads to fridge for more beer]

Stupid huuurts! (Part II)

It's really not easy being Abby these days.

I was cutting...cucumbers or onions or something yesterday. I finished chopping, scooped up the cutting board and knife, and lost control of it, sending the knife to the floor.

Well, not directly to the floor.



As far a dropping a paring knife point-down onto a toe, it was about as painless as it could have been.

I should probably be wearing a helmet, at the rate I'm going.

cleaning at midnight

(not really, but if I was a slightly more domestic chick, I sure would be)

Dad is driving down to visit, and is currently racked out in his vehicle, in Oklahoma.

Not as far away as I would hope he'd be, considering we have some pretty decent work ahead of us making the house look decent tomorrow.

Ah, well. That's why I have stepchildren, and a bullwhip.

Stupid huuurts!

There I was, at the range. I burned through about 150 rounds of .45, then decided to put a few through the M9. Whereupon, I hurt myself.



Yes - it seems I chambered the fat part of my left index finger. My best guess (since it happened rather rapidly), is that somehow my slingshot slide-release technique that functions just fine with the 1911 doesn't jive so well when rapidly applied to the M9.

See - this works just fine and I have never hurt myself doing it.



It's the same way I grab the slide to clear a stoppage, so I figured it would be best to always grab the slide that way. For some reason, today, the first time I chambered a round in the M9, the above approach translated as the one pictured below.



No - I don't know how that happened. But I'm fairly certain I'll be extra aware of what I'm doing with that finger every time I handle an M9 from here on out.

And, just as an extra, because I found it on the camera, here's a picture of Sparky on the dining room table. Apparently, while I was at Court Licks, the chilluns went on a spree of photographing him on various prohibited surfaces.



Just something to keep in mind, for those of you who might find yourself at our dinner table.

I've been remiss

in my performance of happy dances.

Of course, along with all the other gun nuts out there, I did the Heller happy dance (that links to the entire decision, FYI). Seriously - you mean the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right? Next major Supreme Court surprise - the right to breathe in implies an individual right to breathe out.

Anyway. A win.

Now, I'm not going to put my freebies from Uncle Sugar on the same plane of importance as the Bill of Rights, but I'm also doing the happy dance about the recent GI Bill upgrade.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill will provide up to 100% of your tuition. In addition, the program provides a monthly housing stipend, and a stipend of up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies. If you attend less than full-time you will receive a portion of the payment based on the number of units of study.

...

100% - 36 or more total months
100% - 30 or more consecutive days with Disability related Discharge.
90% - 30 total months
80% - 24 total months
70% - 18 total months
60% - 12 total months
50% - six total months
40% - 90 or more consecutive days

For Active Component folks like the Mister, this is pretty simple. For Reversists like moi, however, it will require clarification. Some of these service amounts include time on active duty other than on "mobilization orders," some don't seem to. There's also the always-interesting question for what is probably the most mobile demographic in the US this side of migrant fruit pickers - how is the state determined?

Fortunately, the DoD always pays someone to figure this crap out and put it in a pamphlet written simply enough that even soldiers can understand it.

[pauses, does math] My last mob was 14 months and change, I did a six month tour at SILLYCOM, there's probably another six months of active duty for various schools and exercises...and, well, there's a good chunk of time left on my current enlistment.[rubs hands, does Mr. Burns impression] Eeeexcellent.

This is gonna be a sweet deal no matter how they break it down.

What can one say

about this sort of thing?

Postcards showing police dog-in-training Rebel, a German shepherd born in early December, are causing a furor among the region’s Muslims who believe dogs are "ritually unclean," the Daily Mail reports.

[sigh]

Sometimes, you really gotta wonder if the clash of civilizations crowd is on to something.

I mean, I try. I do. I really do.

But any group of people who can get their knickers in a twist over this...



The ritual oppression of all things female is bad. The general disdain for secular learning and genuine expansion of knowledge...also bad. But affecting great offense at a cute puppy on a public-safety flier?

This crap needs to be booted back to its miserable hovels in fly-infested third-world hellholes. Most ricky tick.

I did not know there was a market

for this sort of thing, but a stop at the Fort Worth Star Telegram website enlightened me. Did you know you can buy handmade FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Latterday Saints) clothing? On the internet?

The group's site seems to focus largely on children's outfits, so you could outfit your short people to look like this:



A good look for tearful goodbyes as government agents take your children away, it seems.

Anyway, if that's your bag, the site is FLDS Dress, and it looks like you might be able to place special orders if you want something similar for the taller folks in your life.