Author: Dick

No, Led Zepplin will not — as unamazing as it seems — be coming to my town. But a zepplin will. This is something I certainly would love to know more about. Surely the 246-foot airship is not inflated and riding inside a ship. So is it in a crate (or barrel?)How big is an uninflated airship? How will they lay it out and air it up before they fly it to our regional airport? Why did they send the ship to Beaumont on the Gulf of Mexico rather than put it on a ship going through the Big Ditch toward El A? So many questions. So many, many questions. Oh the humanity!

The above wanted poster from the Texas Democratic Party struck me as funny yet poignant.

Sadly, Rove has and continues to thumb his nose and the rest of his girth to the law and more importantly to the citizens who fell for his crapola. The point of the ad is that the Texas Democrats want money and if I had it to spare I might give them some. Unfortunately, I must spend my money this week on the relatively unimportant items such as food and gasoline.

But it really is a good ad. I am glad someone can find some humor in the otherwise infuriating and depressing subject of Karl Rove.

Georgian soldiers await their turn to fire the Soviet PKM medium machine gun during the live fire training conducted by U.S. Marines in 2003.< U.S.M.C. photo by: 1st Lt. Justin M. Colvin

The proverbial fit has hit the shan in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.

An invasion by neighboring Russia over the break-away Georgian province of South Ossetia has even the latter nation’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili, running for cover.

Russian forces apparently are doing more than, in the words of Russian Defense Ministry Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn ” … protect(ing)its peacekeepers and the residents of South Ossetia … ” One must wonder, however, how messed up is it that Russia’s military has a rank called “Colonel-General?” Just a bit o’ levity. A very little bit.

Georgia, the Republic and not the state from which Peanut Jimmy Carter hails, has become good buddies with the U.S. and wants to join NATO but apparently Russia replies with a big, fat “Nyet,” which interestingly enough isn’t a contraction for “not yet.”

But chances the U.S. will come riding to Georgia’s rescue are about as likely as pigs flying and firing air-to-surface missiles. About all the U.S. can do, specifically its president and other politicians, is to get out their hats and promptly eat them because otherwise things could get very uckedfay were the U.S. to foolishly try something militarily at this time.

One must also look at this current conflict with some context. Both sides probably share some blame for the situation and, although Russia is the perpetual Boris Badenov in the soap opera of world relationships, Georgia is hardly the true, blue beacon of democracy that it seems is being portrayed.

Nonetheless, all the damage and loss of life is not a good way to start the week or even the month. Hopefully the two sides will be able to knock it off sooner than later, for the sake of all.

A disturbing trend has emerged in today’s high-tech Navy as evidenced by sailors on episodes of PBS’s 10-part Carrier series. Some swabbies are actually confused as to what is a ship and what is a boat.

It was understood back in the old days (the 1970s)when I was a young squid that in Navy terminology, a “boat” was a submarine and every other large floating vessel was a “ship.” There were exceptions of course. Small craft such as patrol boats and Swift boats (before it became a Republican-originated pejorative term)were boats as were motor whale boats and I suppose a Captain’s gig might be called a boat even though it was still a Captain’s gig.

Now some types of ships were further distinguished in Navy lingo. Carriers were called “bird” farms and destroyers were “tin cans.”

Terminology differed and I am sure it still does among the various “sectors” of the Navy such as the “black shoe” or surface warfare Navy, “brown shoe” aviation Navy and submariners. This is even though it is all one Navy (of which the Marines are a part.) However, I have heard “boat” for “ship” being something peculiar to the “black shoe” Navy and sailors who serve on carriers might technically be considered brown shoes even though some may transfer to a surface warfare ship or even (God forbid) shore duty.

But it seems the Navy still prefers “boats for subs etc. My reasoning is that this distinction is made in the Navy’s Style Guide for all of that branch’s writers. The guide goes on to point out such interesting nuggets as “SECNAV,” meaning the Secretary of the Navy is acceptable on first reference and, quite correctly right that “close proximity” is a redundancy redundancy.

What does all of this matter in terms of our national defense posture and command of the seas? Nada, zip, less-than-zero, not a damn thing. I just found it odd and had a few minutes to kill. Sorry. Geez, people are so sensitive these days.

Tropical Storm Edouard turned out to be not a lot even though it made landfall in my county. Luckily, I didn’t have to work so after confirming that with my supervisor, I crawled back under the cover for another two hours and slept until 10 a.m. It certainly made for good sleeping weather. In addition to a little rain, the temp in the low 70s was heaven after a couple of days right at the edge of 100 degrees.

I have things to do and no great thoughts or revelations, not that I ever do. So I think I better mosey. Actually, in the spirit of the Olympics, I intend to go practice my 300-kilometer mosey.