George Blanda, R.I.P.

As sports, we know, are more important than life itself, today we honor the brutal life of a God of Sport - George Blanda: University of Kentucky Army R.O.TC., honor graduate 1948; Pro football quarterback and place kicker, 1949 - 1975; retired at age 48 before being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1981.

Nonetheless, Mr. Blanda is best remembered for his meritorious service with the French Foreign Legion, commanding an artillery platoon at Dien Bien Phu, Feb. thru April (off season) 1954.

Hey Barry, I've got your Back at last

New Bob Woodward Book, Obama's Wars, details how the President demanded (before approving 30,000 troop Surge last December) of his Generals an Exit Strategy for Afghanistan. So, he got one right at last; ok, partially right anyway. I'm with Joe Biden on Afghanistan - we should end forthwith the occupation of the "Graveyard of Empires for 3000 Years" (See, Post of 8/21/09 below), not just starting in July of 2011.

Many Republican pols. and the Party's House Organ, Fox News, have served up a bitter pill of vitriol - "President refuses to Win the War". Get Real guys, Togo is not coming to the Battleship Missouri anytime soon to surrender to MacArthur. Peace in Afghanistan is and always will be a Chimera, a Mirage, a Delusion, a Phantasm even. (8/21 Post).

Then they add - "President refuses to listen to his top Generals". Good for him then. President Obama is the one Elected Commander-in-Chief, so any contention that only the Pentagon gets to decide national defense policy in wartime is just nonsense. (See Abe Lincoln).

So, I say again (8/21/09 Post) the Time is Right to Declare Victory in Afghanistan and bring the troops Home Now. Just pleading ...

Why Dien Bien Phu Still Matters - Deuxieme

As I anticipated, a veritable chorus of condemnation has fallen upon Your Humble Blogger over yesterday's memorial Post. Ok, not exactly; indeed, the only feedback seeped in from Mom and Aunt Pat. (Pat recalled, with a tear in both eyes, her dear memories of June 19th, as would be expected). Mom, however, related how my brother assured her that the French soldiers at Dien Bien Phu were not heroic freedom fighters. Rather, my envious Bro. (sibling rivalry truly does have its dark side) told Mom that the thousands of French soldiers volunteered to die so that their rich countrymen could continue to exploit Viet laborers on their rubber plantations. Yeah Right!

As a real student of history (Bro. just dabbles), I have interviewed a large number of Dien Bien Phu survivors (yes hyperbole: I did read a few oral histories). To a Man, the heroes of the Big Frontier Administrative Center attested to their condemnation of colonial oppression of the indigenous Vietnamese population. The French paratroopers without exception saw themselves as being like the "Brave Texans at the Alamo" fighting, and dying willingly, for the defeat of Godless commie bastards, who they knew were the real oppressors of peoples.

Yes, Virginia, (and Kim Robert Onsdorff) the French martyrs of May 8, 1954 deserve the appellation of the Glorious Dead, and are fully worthy of honor as protectors of American values. Just saying again...

Why Dien Bien Phu Still Matters

Well, loyal listeners, Do U remember exactly where U were -

* October 4, 1957 (USSR launch of first earth satellite);

* October 29, 1956 (Brits and French seize Suez Canal);

* May 8, 1954 (French army surrenders at Dien Bien Phu);

* June 19, 1949 (Your humble blogger born).

Subsequent Posts will examine how the World has been changed, some say saved, by three of these events. As the title above implies, we now return to the winter and spring of 1954, when thousands of doomed french army volunteers parachuted into the equivalent of Little Big Horn, many after their Custer-like fate had been sealed and THEY KNEW IT. (An aside, I have always been struck by the lyrical ring of the place's name, and in researching this Post I learned that its is not merely a translation of the Vietnamese, it means "Big Frontier Administrative Center", Weekly Standard Cover Article, 9/13/10, pg. 22. Kinda takes away some of the magic, indeed).

Whatever; the Question remains - why exactly does Dien Bien Phu matter, more than a half century later?

It does because, as does Khe Sanh, Mogidishu and Anbar Province, western civilization must honor and never forget the "Glorious Dead", those warriors who gladly gave their last full measure of devotion to the Idea of personal liberty and national freedom.

As the beneficiaries of these sacrifices - thousands of french heroes perished at the "BFAC" - we civilians are constantly urged from their long lost graves to make their deaths not to have been in vain.

All they ask is that we participate fully in the benefits and solemn obligations of republican government - not to bestow the consent of the governed passively by our silence. Accordingly, please let your Voice be Heard in the public square between today and Election Day 2010.

Why Sports are more important than Life Itself

NO, loyal listeners from Venus, it is not because watching goes so well with drinking beer; Sports have such significance because Merit is always rewarded, the sensible Rules are always enforced by Disinterested Persons qualified to do so, and Wrong Doers are appropriately sanctioned to preserve the Integrity of the Game. In this alternative Universe, we from Mars have proof of the existence of GOD - the Office of the Commissioner.

So, after hearing of these random events, even the most pious may ask: Is God Dead?

* Derek Jeter fakes getting hit by a pitched baseball, thereby stealing first base. He has sinned.

* Derek Jeter then joked about his larceny - mortal sin, as both the Queen and the Ump were not amused.

* Philadelphia Eagles coaches allow concussed player (seen by the entire world knocked out cold) to return to play after five minutes of head injury testing on the sidelines.

* Eagles next day acknowledge severity of brain damage sufficient to hold player out of practice and games indefinitely.

* NFL Commissioner next day announces that five minutes of sideline testing was an inadequate amount of time for a thorough neurological evaluation.

* No one in Eagles organization, NFL management or NFL Players union acknowledge the obvious: We don't need no stinkin sideline testing; when a player goes down like a stone, he is no longer a player, but a patient sent to the hospital not sent back to the huddle. Shame on All.

*USC running back Reggie Bush self stripped of his Heisman Trophy for taking agent payments under the table. USC running back O.J. Simpson keeps his Heisman Trophy, allowing him to receive his annual candidate ballot, invitation to attend the Award Ceremonies and Award Dinner, open only to the living members of the Trophy Winners Club. O. J.'s travel to this NYC celebration each December remains discretionary, however, within the sole prerogative of the Nevada Commissioner of Prisons until 2039.

* Alex Rodriquez, after looking at a non-called third strike, hits a three run walk off home run.

Go figure.

Vacations are Done; Time to go back to Work

Citizenship, like freedom, should and is not free of responsibility. With the mid-term elections fast approaching, all informed Americans should be engaged in ensuring that our national government remains fully accountable to the governed. Crucial issues that are front and center include federal spending, taxes, debt levels and immigration.

I am now requesting Elite Members also engage their federal representatives and candidates on an issue currently getting zero attention in the public square - targeted killings of suspected terrorists - ACLU appellation. While showing immense distain for everything Bush, the current Administration has taken to Bush-originated Drone Bombings in Pakistan, and elsewhere, as if this taking of life was totally consequence free. Possibly it is, U say, as these terminations w/. extreme prejudice affect only a few individuals at one time. Not so fast, loyal listeners.

Due to the absence of debate on lawful application of targeted terrorist killings inside the political branches, the ACLU last week sought to invoke the federal courts to control this War Power of the President. A more unworkable means to establish national policy can not be devised. Accordingly, to prevent unaccountable judges, with zero war fighting expertise, from running the Pentagon and CIA, we must demand that Congress address this issue, that if left to the Judiciary could cripple our nation's military defense against Radical Islam, making it exclusively a criminal prosecution enterprise.

ACLU states: "In zones of armed conflict, targeted killing can be a lawful tactic." ACLU wants a Judge to designate the exact geographic boundaries of the ongoing war, so that terrorists will be told where to move to be given full immunity from attack in such sanctuaries. ACLU states: "Innocent people will be executed, w/o. criminal charges, trial or any due process whatsoever. A wrongly imprisoned suspect may eventually be set free. But there is no recourse from a missile." In particular, ACLU demands that the court declare it is unconstitutional to bomb any location while targeting an American citizen, who can not be deprived of his life w/o. due process of law. Inevitable and Immediate Result: No foreign terrorist will live w/o. at least one sympathetic US citizen holding his hand - perfect buddy system for guaranteed survival.

All that said, completely uncontrolled federal authority to kill identified enemies of the nation is wholly unacceptable, as we know power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Accordingly, our Nation of Laws needs to have the lawful scope of targeted killings codified in a federal law, with the most intense scrutiny and oversight by Congress. War is too important to be left to the Generals or the Courts - to be waged consistent with our moral principles, we the people must govern ourselves in this matter of life and death. So let your voice be heard.

Summer's Last Edition of "Small Bites" sliding between your Ears

* President has Oval Office redecorated during his most recent two week vacation, hanging alternating bright yellow and pale yellow striped wallpaper thruout the room. Pattern/colors identical to my own 1950s era master bathroom (Photos to follow to Super Elite Members).

* No word on whether Mr. Obama has also redecorated the Presidential Yacht, or merely moved around its deck chairs for better viewing of the icebergs.

* On a more serious note (not that spending $800,000.00 on office decor in the current economy is not symbolically significant) Hamas brutally murdered four Israeli civilians, including a pregnant mother, leaving seven other children as orphans. Hamas' Boss Thug then issued a Public Statement congratulating the killers as courageous heroes in its war of extinction against the Jews.

* Presently, I am unaware of any Public Statement from the European Union, Turkey or the United Nations; indeed no calls for sanctions or creation of an International Commission to get to the bottom of the underlying causes of this slaughter of innocent life, or demands for the perpetrators' bosses to be brought to justice. Nothing, nada, niet....

* Perhaps, however, these four jewish citizens of Israel will not have died in vain, should their murders remind the world of the underlying causes of the IDF's poorly executed boarding of the one blockade runner boat off the Gaza Strip, for which the above named entities got their worthy international commission. Hey, it exists, so lets just give it an expanded agenda.

* So, now, Labor Day weekend beckons all loyal listeners: do make merry and count our many blessings - good friends, family and, hopefully, a job next Tuesday. Just saying ...