THE RATS ARE LEAVING THE SINKING SHIP!

May 11, 2008

The primary election results in Indiana and North Carolina failed to bring a close to the drawn out fight for the nomination between Obama and Hillary. It appeared, for a time, that the party would go to convention with neither candidate holding the number of delegates required for unanimous conformation. It also appeared that the final determination would be made, not on the convention floor by the rank and file, but by the so-called superdelegates. Now these superdelegates are supposedly Democrat Party members of the highest standing, Jimmy Carter sorts, far above partisan politics and dedicated only to the ideals of the party and the best interest of our nation. Well anyway, that's what they're supposed to be. The whole idea seems a bit elitist to me, after all, isn't the Democrat Party supposed to be the 'one man, one vote' party, the party opposed to behind the scenes connivings and decisions made in smoke filled rooms? It looks more and more though, like business as usual. Some of the superdelegates, who've been pledging their troth to one candidate or the other, come Hell or high water, are now scampering down the lines like rats leaving a sinking ship. Under pressure from supporters of Obama, many are willing to abandon poor Hillary and leave her to sail her ship alone. (I wonder if husband Bill will eventually joint this crowd?) It's been a good show so far, much better than the run of the mill campaign. It's perfectly obvious that Obama and Hillary don't care the least bit for each other, and their version of 'The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat' has been a sight to behold. Let's hope this show isn't over yet, but it's looking more and more like it soon will be.

The recent primaries in Indiana and North Carolina were a split decision. Hillary won Indiana by a narrow margin, but North Carolina was a blowout for Obama. Indiana was interesting, as it is claimed that Hillary's narrow victory was influenced by Rush Limbaugh, a conservative entertainer with a popular radio show. I can't see how the Democrat Party can complain about this,  as they've been using Hollywood Bubble-heads to campaign for their causes for years, but they all up in arms about it nonetheless. There were also some shenanigans in some of the "African-American" districts in Gary, Indiana, reminding me of Chicago when Kennedy was elected, or Texas during LBJ's first Senatorial campaign. The clamor was short lived however, and the media has apparently forgotten all about it. Many were surprised that Hillary did so poorly in North Carolina, as her husband Bill campaigned vigorously for her there. Bill, as you probably know, has been a staunch friend of the "African-American", having done much for them when he was President, and claiming, in fact, to be "The First African American President of the U.S." This would seem a rather preposterous statement on the face of it, but he's been able to make preposterous statements all along and get away with them. Bill Clinton's assistance to the "African-American" has indeed been substantial, and he certainly had some reason to expect their support, going so far as to take it for granted. Well Bill, all bets are off! He's been repaid, as the"African-American" has always repaid those that assist them, with ingratitude and contempt. In North Carolina they ignored Hillary completely and turned out in droves to vote for the candidate of their own race. Now does this really surprise anyone? In major cities all across the US, once the "African-American" has achieved a majority of voters, they have elected their own. This has given us some of the worst run cities, and most corrupt political machinery since the infamous days of the Nineteenth Century. If Obama indeed becomes the Democrat Party's candidate for President, they will turn out again, along with the liberals of this country, who conform to the letter to what Malcolm Muggeridge so accurately described in his magnificent report on 'The Great Liberal Death Wish'. They could well get him elected. If so, the decline of the U.S. as a World Power, which has been underway since the great Ronald Reagan left office, will continue unabated.

HIP!

Lagos, Nigeria - December 12, 2007

Stable security conditions which had existed for some months in the offshore coastal waters of Nigeria near the mouth of the Escravos River were shattered in the early morning hours of December 10th by piracy. Chevron Nigeria, Ltd. operates extensive offshore oil fields here, where two vessels under contract were boarded by pirates. The pirates assaulted the vessels by speed boat with automatic weapon fire, machetes and knives. The vessels were boarded in turn about an hour apart and apparently no alarm was raised until after the pirates had escaped with their booty. Crewmen and workmen on the vessels were roughed up and terrorized, as the pirates relieved them and the vessel of all easily transportable property, including cash, jewelry, computers, and cell phones. No other information has been released, and it is not known at present from whence the pirates came. Incidents of this sort continue to make this country the most dangerous place in the world for oil field workers. The Nigerian Government has been ineffective in dealing with the problem, and the US Government appears unconcerned, tied up as they are in imbroglios elsewhere. Fortunately no serious bodily harm was done to any of the victims and no hostages taken, but this only serves to illustrate how vulnerable these offshore workers are, and what little has been done to improve the security situation.

John E. Roberts

World Correspondent at Large

San Diego Beachlife Magazine

April 3, 2007

Classmates,

Bob sent me the appended article nearly a year ago, having apparently taken it at face value as being a stride forward in the uniforming of military personnel. I took one look at it and realized it was a disastrous idea, advanced by a so-called task force that knew absolutely nothing about the working part of the term working uniform. I meant to comment on it then, but until now have not taken the time to do so.

Any article of apparel containing polyester fabric is trash. I do not wear it, nor do I allow my grandchildren to wear it. In the first place, polyester is a sort of plastic, and when it burns, it melts. If it's on your back it melts right into your flesh. In the second place, if you've ever gone outside your air conditioned office in the tropics wearing such apparel, you know it's not only hot, much hotter that practical cotton fabrics, but it sticks to your skin most uncomfortably. Obviously these stuffed shirts sitting on that board never had to work in a hot engine room or on deck under a broiling tropical sun. Those of you not in your dotage should recall how uncomfortable that dress blue uniform we wore in parades became once June Week drew nigh, and that was only wool, without the addition of polyester.

I went through boot camp a long time ago, forty-eight years ago in fact, yet I still recall two lectures presented to us there that stick in my mind to this day. First was a lecture on damage control, and the importance of controlled flooding. The example cited was either a German battleship or heavy cruiser. She was holed through and through, and sinking, but as she went to the bottom, and with her main deck awash, she was on an even keel and all batteries were still firing! The second lecture concerned the sailor's cotton working dungaree uniform, and the practicality and inherent safety of it. Not only is cotton the most cool and comfortable of fabrics, it is safe. In a flash fire from a volatile vapor or gunpowder explosion, it acts as a wick, absorbing the heat of the flame. A graphic photograph was presented, showing the naked backs of four sailors exposed to just such an explosion. They had 2nd & 3rd degree burns on the backs of their necks and hands, but the skin underneath the cotton shirt was unharmed even though the shirts had been completely burned off their backs in the flame! That made a believer out of me!

Nearly all of us served in Viet Nam where the working uniform was cotton khaki for officers and chiefs, and dungarees for enlisted, or else wore the jungle fatigues, which were all 100% cotton. These uniforms were practical, easily cleaned, comfortable, and inexpensive. These uniforms can also be folded once washed and dry, and put under the mattress on your bunk, and come out nearly as smooth and military as had they been pressed.

Since I left the Navy another incident comes to mind, similar in misconception to this present proposal. The Army adopted synthetic fabric into it’s field uniform and went to war with it in Panama. It had no doubt been chosen because it wore well, did not fade, lasted longer than cotton fabric, and did not wrinkle, all desirable characteristics from a Hollywood soldier's outlook. The only thing wrong was once the men got into the jungle wearing them they were dropping like flies from heat stroke and exhaustion. The uniforms were then, most sensibly, replaced. They should never have been adopted in the first place!

I have recently read a marvelous book, Queen Victoria's Little Wars, by Byron Farwell and I recommend it highly as there are parallels there to our present difficulties in Iraq & Afghanistan. It also made mention of how soldiers of the Indian Army dressed entirely differently from those in the Queen's Army in India. The Indian virtually invented the practical cotton fabric, i.e. madras, seersucker, etc. They incorporated these fabrics into their practical tropical uniforms and could never understand why the Queen's soldiers wore such uncomfortable wool clothing in that clime.

I might also add, cotton is a 100% American product, and in the section of the country from whence I come, once King. In fact, some of my forebears once raised the crop. I wear it with comfort and great pride!

Regards,

John Edwin Roberts
Editorialist & World Correspondent at Large
San Diego Beachlife Magazine

Mr. Roberts is responding to the following article which apeared in.

Navy newsstand - "The Source for Navy News"

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22519

CNO Approves New Navy Uniforms
Michael Foutch | March 03, 2006
Washington D.C. - Outfitting the Sailor of the future took
another step forward last week when Chief of Naval Operations Adm.
Mike Mullen approved plans for a single working uniform for all
ranks and a year-round service uniform for E-6 and below Sailors.
Based on recommendations made during a comprehensive briefing by
Task Force Uniform Feb. 24, Mullen agreed to production of both
a BDU-style working uniform for all Sailors E-1 to O-10 and a
more practical, year-round service uniform to withstand day-to-day
classroom and office-like environments where the service uniform
is typically worn.

“These are good uniforms, designed to support the modern
Sailor,” said Mullen. “Durability, safety, ease of wear and cleaning
were all factors that weighed heavily on my mind, as did, quite
frankly, the survey data and the opinions of wear testers. This
wasn’t a popularity contest by any stretch, but we would have been
foolish not to consider the opinions of the men and women who
will wear these uniforms.”

The BDU-style working uniform, designed to replace seven
different styles of current working uniforms, is made of a near
maintenance-free permanent press 50/50 nylon and cotton blend. Worn
with a blue cotton t-shirt, it will include an eight-point cover, a
black web belt with closed buckle, and black smooth leather
boots, with black suede no-shine boots for optional wear while
assigned to non-shipboard commands.
“When I walk down the piers, I see a Sailors standing watch as a
pier sentry in January and it's 30 degrees and freezing rain,”
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SS/AW) Terry Scott said.
“You have to ask yourself, does the uniform that we currently
issue protect us, and the answer is no.”

To meet the all-weather requirement, the new working uniform
will include several cold weather options, such as a unisex
pullover sweater, a fleece jacket, and a parka. It will also be made in
three variants, all in a multi-color digital print pattern:
predominately blue, with some gray, for the majority of Sailors and
shipboard use; and a woodland digital pattern and a desert
digital pattern for Sailors serving in units requiring those types of
uniforms.

“The intent of TFU always has been to give our Sailors a uniform
in which they can work comfortably everyday and is more
appropriate for the joint environment in which we operate,” Scott said.
“Even better, we’ve created a uniform that’s also easier to
maintain, is longer lasting, helps reduce the size of the sea bag,
while at the same time recognizing the tradition and heritage of
serving in the Navy.”

The service uniform for E-6 and below is comprised of a
short-sleeve khaki shirt for males and an over-blouse for females, made
from a wash and wear 75/25 polyester and wool blend, with
permanent military creases, black trousers for males with belt less
slacks for females and optional belt less skirt, and a black
unisex garrison cap. Silver anodized-metal rank insignia will be worn
on shirt/blouse collars and cap. The service uniform will also
include a black relaxed-fit Eisenhower-style jacket with a knit
stand-up collar and epaulets, on which petty officers will wear
large, silver anodized-metal rank insignia. Those entitled to
wear gold chevrons will continue to wear gold chevrons on the large
metal rank insignia on the jacket.

“In our research, we found the group most dissatisfied with
their present uniforms were E-6 and below,” Scott said.
The manner of wear for both of these new uniforms remains under
development by TFU and will not be effective until guidelines on
prescribed wear are incorporated in the Navy Uniform
Regulations.

“There are a lot of concerns about the manner of wear for the
working and service uniforms that we need to address, so we have a
smooth transition when the time comes,” TFU Director
CNO-Directed Command Master Chief Robert Carroll said.
The working uniform and service uniform are not expected to be
available for purchase and wear until late fall of 2007, after
which they will be introduced to Recruit Training Command and
eventually distributed to the rest of the fleet. Details on when the
uniforms will be available for purchase and wear at specific
geographic locations will be released at a future date.
Until the new uniforms are available for wear, all existing
uniform regulations will apply. During the expected two-year
transition period, Sailors will be required to maintain a complete
inventory of sea bag items with each reflecting a professional
appearance.

“We want our Sailors to keep a professional appearance,” Carroll
said. “We don’t want people wearing worn-out uniforms because
they’re waiting for the new ones to hit the shelves.”
Once the working and service uniforms are adopted, Sailors will
receive a uniform maintenance allowance appropriate to support
purchase and wear.

The announcement of the new uniforms, Carroll said, is the
culmination of a three-year project that began with the charter of
Task Force Uniform to deliver a proposal to reflect the
requirements of a 21st century Navy. An analysis of a fleet-wide survey
conducted during the summer of 2003 led to the creation of
concepts for working and service uniforms for a wear test and another
fleet-wide survey last summer.

“I just can’t say enough about how meticulous and thorough TFU
Director Master Chief Rob Carroll and his team approached their
work,” stressed Mullen. “The process they established and
maintained was rock solid -- measured and analytical. They looked at
hundreds of options, studied countless pattern and color designs,
and fretted over every minor detail, from button style to
stitching. I am enormously proud of their effort, and every Sailor can
be, too.”

The work of TFU will not stop. Next on the agenda is to evaluate
additional uniform options, such as reviving the traditional
Service Dress Khaki uniform for chiefs and officers, conducting
research on the feasibility, cost and distribution of a
service-wide physical training uniform, consider adoption of a ceremonial
cutlass for chiefs, and investigate adopting a more practical
service-wide, all-weather coat that would provide a better military
appearance.

“The bottom line for me in making these decisions,” said the
CNO, “is culture. Uniforms reflect our culture -- who we are --
what we stand for. I've said all along that no matter which way we
go, I want Sailors to look like Sailors. I really believe these
uniforms pass that test.”

0530 2 APR 07 local time - NIGERIA

Boss,

I hope you are breaking this story, as you should be the first in the US to recive accurate information regarding the incident.

The area in which Chevron's fields are located in this area is just a few miles off the beach near the mouth of the Escravos River. Chevron has a base camp and processiig facility at Escravos. The vessel seized by the pirates was assailed by approximately a dozen boats, some dugout type fishing craft, others speedboats, and the pirates were well armed. They attempted to take the boat upriver with the material barge in tow but went aground at the mouth of the river. Fortunately they only roughed up the crew and did not take them captive and hold them for ransom. Obviously the grounding prevented that option. They stole all they could carry off, even making a return trip for more booty, but the tug captain was able to alert Chevron authorities on another radio once they'd left the barge in the first instance. It was hours before the pitifully ineaduaquate security force provided by Chevron arrived on the scene. The boat is presently immovable, the towing cable being wound in one of the ship's screws, and the swells are presently causing the towed barge to bump against the tug. Divers will have to clear the prop before the tug can be moved. Indications are it was an inside job. Cell phones are now prevelant in the 3rd world, and information of the ship's vulnerability must have been passed to the pirates in that the boat caried no security force aboard.

More to follow.

Your humble reporter,

John Edwin Roberts
World Correspondent at Large
San Diego Beachlife Magazine

0030 2 APR 07 local time - NIGERIA

Just awakened, vessel getting underway to close on lay barge Cheyenne. Tug boat Gulf Fleet has been siezed by militants in same general area. Tug had just delivered a deck onboard a materhal barge which she was towing that was set on a platform a couple of days ago. Our security onboard (of somewhat dubious value) is alerted and we have gone to darken ship to give better night vision to them. I have instructed them to shoot to kill if militants approach this vessel. I will advise as events unfold.

John Edwin Roberts
World Correspondent at Large
San Diego Beachlife Magazine

John Edwin Roberts
April 14, 2004
Pensacola, Florida

Dear Sir:

A GRAVE MISTAKE

It has now become perfectly obvious to all but the most blind of observers, that though the Bush Administration had an excellent plan for the defeat of the Iraqi Army and the toppling of Saddam Hussein, they had little or none for the occupation and administration of the country afterward. General Jay Garner was not long at his post as administrator before he was ordered relieved by Paul Bremer. Whether
Garner made significant mistakes, or just fell afoul of the Bush Administration, I don't know. One thing I do know, however, is that he did not make the catastrophic mistake that his successor has, a mistake that has led to utter chaos in Iraq and a situation bordering on civil war.

In ancient times a defeated army was dealt with in one of two ways, they were either put to the sword or led away in chains. In more recent times, only those
unfortunate armies surrendered to the Russians in WWII suffered a similar fate. As generals became more enlightened and capable, their defeated foes were often welcomed as comrades in arms for future campaigns. This became the policy of both Alexander and Caesar, two of the most successful generals in history. In more recent times, defeated armies were retained in camp, and even under arms in certain situations, until conditions in their conquered territory was satisfactory to allow for their return to civilian life. The free world allies in WWII retained the vast majority of their German and Japanese prisoners in military formations for a
considerable time after the conclusion of hostilities. The only successful instance I know of a defeated army that was released in their home country prior to the
establishment of military and administrative authority was the Southern armies at the conclusion of the War Between The States. Armies are, after all, not of
themselves evil. They may be led by evil men, and directed to perform evil tasks, but in the main, armies are composed of young men performing the tasks required of a soldier. Kept in place, a conquered army can become a very useful tool. For one thing, disarmed and in place they are capable of little mischief. Under close supervision and direction they can be set to useful tasks, with the bad apples in their ranks being identified and weeded out as necessary. Turned loose, with little skills other than those of the soldier, they soon join the ranks of the unemployed and a society in disarray. "An idle mind", they say, "is the Devil's workshop.", and none, I believe, will argue with this old saw. Many of these summarily discharged soldiers were shortly turned to evil purpose by the persuasions and cash payments of the
henchmen of Saddam Hussein yet on the loose, or fell in with the warlords who mask their evil ambitions under the guise of religion.

It is now a bit late to reverse course and recall the Iraqi army, that would be too much loss of face for the administration, and too much fodder for the Presidential aspirations of John Kerry. The US must now either bite the bullet and fight and destroy the forces that oppose them, or take the course of the cowardly Clinton, who, after the debacle in Somalia, declared victory and withdrew his army in humiliation and disgrace.

John Edwin Roberts
February 14, 2004
Lexington, Kentucky

KANGAROO COURT FOR MARTHA STEWART!

Martha Stewart, a successful, intelligent, entrepreneurial lady, has had her name dragged through the mud, and her well deserved reputation trashed, for a crime she didn't commit. The US Government is now conducting a kangaroo court, in a monumental attempt to put her behind bars, and all for the glorification of the (so-called) Justice Department and a group of slick and slimy prosecuting attorneys assigned to the case. The media has aided and abetted this outrage to the fullest by keeping her name and picture in the forefront of news and portraying her as a criminal. "The truth", they say, "shall set you free.", but it obviously doesn't sell newspapers, so don't go looking for it there. The real criminal in this case has never even been mentioned, nor even hinted at in fact. He remains unnamed and unindicted, and from the looks of things, will go scot-free, while others suffer underserved consequences for his crime. The story goes like this, and pay particular attention, because you've never gotten it in true format from either the media or the government. I'm also going to lay it out for you right here, without all the legal gobbledygook and extraneous and unnecessary details. Sam Waksal had a company called ImClone. It was a drug company, and as such, it developed, well drugs of course. One such product was a cancer fighting agent which had been submitted to the FDA for approval, a sometimes long and laborious process. The FDA at some point decided it was ineffective. (A decision that has since been reversed, a typical government action.) That information, supposed to be of utmost secrecy until released to the general public, was leaked to Sam Waksal prior to this public release by someone within the FDA. Who leaked it to Waksal we don't know, but he's the crook that betrayed the public trust and the man that should be serving ten to twenty years in the slammer, not Martha Stewart. Now it gets tricky, the information Waksal had is known as 'inside information' for obvious reasons, and if you have it, you are required by law to keep it secret and not to profit by it. Waksal doesn't keep it under his hat and tips family members to unload the stock. Now get this, Sam Waksal doesn't tell Martha Stewart, he doesn't tell stockbroker Peter Bacanovic either, he only tips his family, but Bacanovic gets wind of it by virtue of noticing that Waksal's family is unloading the stock, and he puts two and two together. After all, this is his job, he's a stockbroker, he's supposed to have a feel for the market, as well as a responsibility to his clients to advise them effectively on their stock transactions.

Well it looks to Bacanovic like something has gone wrong at ImClone if Waksal's family is unloading their stock and that it may soon drop in value, perhaps drastically. Now Martha Stewart is his main client as well as a friend, he makes vast amounts of money as commission off her stock transactions, and he retains this 'bread and butter' client because he gives her good advice. He therefore orders his subordinate, Douglas Faneuil, to inform Martha that he expects ImClone to drop in value and advise her to sell her stock before she has incurred a loss.

Now Martha didn't get to where she is in life by being dumb, and so she immediately instructs Faneuil to unload her holdings in ImClone. Well it isn't very many days later that it becomes obvious that all this ImClone stock had been most suspiciously sold right before the stock dropped to nearly nothing in value. It obviously doesn't take too much perception to realize that the Waksal family members that unloaded
their holdings must have gotten that information from Sam. Well Sam soon fesses up, and right now he's serving seven years in a federal prison for his crime, but he doesn't implicate Martha Stewart or Peter Bacanovic, despite government entreaties that he do so. Waskal doesn't implicate them because he told them nothing, and even though the government offers him leniency in return for this implication, he refuses. Well by now Stewart and Bacanovic realize they're in
trouble, not because they've actually done anything wrong, but because it looks bad, and much of Stewart's fortune as well as Bacanovic's reputation is built on public trust. At this point they cook up this cockamamie story about an agreement to sell the stock once it dropped below a certain value, and they so inform FBI agents assigned to the case. Of course Stewart realizes now this was a very serious mistake. It used to be that you could lie to anyone in this country you wanted to, so long as you weren't under oath. It might not have been the proper thing to do, but you couldn't go to jail for it. Well that's all changed, our all knowing Congress has passed a law making anything you say to a known FBI agent the same as it were testimony under oath. (Of course the FBI itself isn't held to these high standards, and regularly lies with impunity to the American Public, the Congress, and whomever. Otherwise the criminals responsible for the murders at Ruby Ridge and the immolation of the children at Waco would be in jail.) Martha would have been far better off using the Clinton Defense of "I don't remember." She'd also have been better off if she'd read Hunter S. Thompson in her spare time, who says, "Never believe the first thing an FBI agent tells you about anything - especially, not if he seems to believe you are guilty of a crime." In the meantime the government has gotten to Bacanovic's assistant, Douglas Faneuil, and forced him to recant his previous testimony. In fact, they've got his so scared he's willing to say anything they want him to in order to convict Stewart and Bacanovic. If the jury is willing to accept this testimony by a notorious liar, perjurer, and doper, I suppose poor
Martha and Bacanovic are soon off to the penintenary.

So what's th' big deal?

The overwhelming fear in America today isn't Terrorism, it's Mad Cow Disease! It seems that if you ingest beef from a Mad Cow an insidious protein invades your body, eventually settling in your brain where it multiplies and turns it to sponge.

Hell, 90% of Americans might as well have sponge for brain for what little use they get out of it, so what difference does it make if it's already sponge or eventually will be? (Perhaps with Mad Cow more people may vote for Howard Dean? That could be of great concern to Republicans. J. Edgar Ashcroft better look into the possibility of just such a conspiracy!) The important thing is the price of beef is going down and now I have changed my mind about the menu and will have steak for dinner tonight instead of pork chops!

DEATH OF A GIANT

I was driving through Dixieland last night, frantically surfing the radio dial for something I could possibly stand listening to, but with very little success. Finally I got a bit North of Birmingham and Nashville's WSM, the finest Station in the South, came into range. A short while later I learned that Don Gibson, a true great in the music industry, had passed away that afternoon in Nashville at the age of seventy-five. It was sad news, but as the station played some of his classics in tribute, a warm glow began to envelop me. Gibson wasn't like one of the pretty boys stars of today who prance around in
front of a rock band mumbling the insipid drivel that is foisted off on the public as country music. No indeed, Gibson, a North Carolina native who had broken out in the music business around Knoxville nearly fifty years ago, was the Real McCoy. He was an accomplished guitarist, a very good singer, and a
magnificent song writer; in short he could do it all, and did! A member of the Grand Ole Opry for forty years, the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, the Country
Music Hall of Fame, and with a long list of awards, tributes and recognitions far too numerous to mention, he was indeed a giant in Country Music. His music also had broad spectrum appeal, not only did he top the Country charts on many occasions but his music played well on the Pop charts as well. Many of his songs, with their plaintive sound and message of heartbreak, were covered by R&B artists. His music can still be heard today being played in the heart of the Cajun Country of Louisiana. No one that grew up in this country during the late 50's and 60's, when Don Gibson hit full stride, could help but be moved by the likes of OH LONESOME ME, SEA OF HEARTBREAK, JUST ONE TIME, and I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU. His music, like that of other American greats, will live forever. Farewell Don Gibson, thank you, and God bless you.

John Edwin Roberts
November 6, 2003
New Orleans, LA

OUTRAGEOUS ARMY INJUSTICE

The enemy now faced in Iraq is without doubt the most uncivilized foe our country has encountered throughout our history. They are not an army, represent no nation, country, tribe, nor civilization, and they are totally barbaric and vicious in their methods of warfare. They are loosely affiliated groups of terrorists and assassins only, and as such are nothing but outlaws and outcasts of civilization. They are protected by no international law, treaty or convention of war, and US troops are not required to deal with them as enemy combatants. When encountered in hostile situations they should be struck and eliminated from the ranks of the living in the most efficient manner possible. They have no international rights to protect them from whatever may happen to them should they fall live into our hands, though we as Americans can be expected to behave in a civilized manner regardless. This, however, does not mean that we should behave as fools, consequently exposing our troops to unnecessary death and destruction because of some lamely conceived notions about the delicacy of methods of interrogation which must be used to obtain critical information from a prisoner.

The Army has recently filed a criminal assault charge against an American officer who coerced an Iraqi suspect into providing information that foiled a planned attack on U.S. soldiers. The interrogation technique utilized caused no physical harm, but was quite effective in frightening the prisoner into revealing a deadly plot against US troops as well as the name of his co-conspirators. A proper report of the entire incident was made by the officer in charge to his superiors as required by regulations and, quite properly, he considered the matter closed. Not so however, some group of army inspectors arrived at a later date to conduct some sort of review of the command. In the process the report of the incident was discovered and subsequently, criminal assault charges have been brought against the officer involved. He now stands to appear before a court martial board, and if found guilty, may expect punishment up to and including dishonorable discharge and imprisonment.

This is an absolute outrage! A competent and conscientious officer may forfeit his career, his reputation and his future because some chair bound weasel in the Pentagon has decided to court martial him. I suggest a congressional investigation be convened to look into the entire matter, not only into the incident itself but into the circumstances surrounding the preferring of the actual charge. I also suggest the inquiry look into the officer or officers in the Pentagon that are responsible for preferring this charge, both as to their reasons for doing so, as well as to their own competence as combat soldiers. I suspect you will find no combat records of any merit whatsoever, only desk bound generals with monumental egos to balance their complete lack of operational ability. If court martial charges are to be brought against anyone I suggest the Pentagon officers responsible for preferred the charge be tried for criminal incompetence. As well as the damage to the officer charged, if these charges are maintained, damage to the army itself will become monumental. Troop morale, already low, in spite of government assertions to the contrary, will plummet even further. If an officer doing his job in pressing the war against the enemy is ruined for doing his duty, can any reasonable soldier be expected to see any point in subjecting himself to possible court martial and ruin? Our troops will begin to avoid the enemy rather than seek him out, in hope of seeing their tour in that Hellhole come to an end so they can return safely to their home. The parallels to Vietnam are becoming uncanny!

John Edwin Roberts
October 31, 2003
New Orleans, LA

FIRE DISCIPLINE

John Edwin Roberts
October 30, 2003
New Orleans, LA

The Poor Sap!

John Edwin Roberts
October 27, 2003
New Orleans, LA

A BRAVE AND FEARLESS REPORTER!

As a reporter myself, I understand that to be in the forefront of your chosen profession you must go to the location where news is being made. Many times this places you in the very path of great and imminent danger but any reporter worth his salt will be there regardless. I was therefore very gratified to see on the news last night that Great Icon, that National Institution, that Magnificent Man, none other than 'Gunga Dan' Rather himself right there in San Diego and facing the worst fires in all of California history. He had strategically placed himself right there by San Diego Harbor, no doubt assisting the bucket brigade in their efforts to quench the fires, and in the background you could plainly see the smoke rolling off the hills to the East of the city. Unfortunately I am unable to be there myself, but were I, why you would find me right there by my fellow reporter's side, ably reporting the news in the very teeth of imminent danger. Yes, it's very dangerous
there by the dock in San Diego Harbor, at least twenty miles from any active fires, and close to the very finest restaurants, hotels and bars. I'm surprised the son-of-a-b@#$* didn't don firefighter's apparel to make him appear even more credible, just as he once posed in fighter's garb in Pakistan with a rag tied round his head, pretending all the while to be at the front line in Afghanistan! Yeah, that Gunga Dan's a real piece of work ain't he? In actuality, being a Staff Reporter for San Diego Beachlife Magazine, had I, or another fine reporter such as Charles De Tomasi of the International Bureau, been in the area you could have found us perched atop Frank Tom's observation deck overlooking Harbison Canyon and right in the midst of the firey inferno that is East San Diego County. I am sure my fearless Boss, Editor Marshall, can be found in a position of similiar access to the actual fires as we speak. Therefore, if you look for real news, don't bother to tune in the evening gabble from such as Gunga Dan, or the other two nightly nitwits, but go right straight to a real news source!

John E. Roberts
Staff Report - Editorial Writer
email: JohnEdwinRoberts@sdbeachlife.com

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Tom C. Marshall
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San Diego, CA 92167
Email Publisher@sdbeachlife.com
(619) 222-5489