Was Saddam Hussein ever planning to attack his neighbors?

Was Saddam Hussein really a bad guy, or was he just misunderstood?

I know it’s difficult for most of us to believe, but since some time has passed, more than a few Americans have forgotten who Saddam Hussein was and what he did. They probably only vaguely remember the leftist mantra, “Bush lied, people died.” So a quick history lesson is in order.

Here’s an extract from the CIA country study on Iraq:

In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait’s liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime.

Yes, I know.

They spelled Saddam’s last name wrong. I don’t know if the spelling was changed when the page was updated on 6 November 2008 or some time earlier. After a little research I discovered that there are multiple acceptable spellings since it is merely a transliteration of the Arabic language. I don’t think it was intended to disassociate the dead dictator’s last name from the middle name of our President-elect.

Did I say dead dictator?

Yes I did.

Iraq’s High Tribunal found Saddam Hussein/Husayn guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to hang in 2006. The trial wasn’t about WMD or any intent to invade his neighbors, instead it was about some of his murders in 1982. To have tried him for all his crimes, would have taken many years–maybe decades. As it was, it only took one conviction and one hanging to put an end to him.

But we’re stuck with those lingering questions. Was it all a sham? How will we ever really know?

Come to think of it, how do you know anything? Think about it.

There’s only two ways to know anything. You either have to experience the event or believe somebody else’s account of what happened. Most of the stuff you know, you know because you’ve taken someone else’s word for it. The challenge is to decide who to believe.

In legal proceedings and in historic research, the closer the witness is to actually experiencing the event, the more reliable they are as a source. For instance, the personal testimony of an eye-witness is considered more reliable that the testimony of a person who read about the event in a newspaper or saw it on an edited television news cast. Even somebody who talked with an eye-witness of an event is more creditable than someone who formed an opinion based on a collection of news reports and documentaries. And when the testimony is supported by circumstantial evidence, greater credence can be given to the witness.

So what about the Iraqi WMD?

Many blogs and news reports declare that there weren’t any. But how could they know? And who has disagreed with them?

Bill Clinton did in 1998 and still did as late as 2003. Maybe he was wrong. Do you think? Several other people disagreed also, such people as Nancy Pelosi, Sandy Berger, and Madeline Albright. Maybe they were wrong too. Certainly they weren’t all liars. No, they had to believe what they were saying, which had to be based on some reliable source they had access to. So much of that high-level stuff remains unavailable to the average American due to classification levels.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could talk to an eye-witness about what was going in Iraq. Or at least be able to read a book written by a witness. Maybe then we could have some certainly about whether there were WMD in Iraq.

Well, now there is.

A retired Iraqi Air Force Vice Air-Marshall (a.k.a. General) Georges Sada has written his testimony called Saddam’s Secrets. It answers the questions I asked at the beginning of this column. If you’d prefer to read the book and find the answers yourself, you need to stop reading now. Otherwise, here goes:

Did Saddam Hussein’s Iraq have weapons of mass destruction (WMD)?

Yes (page 71).

Then what happened to them?

Some of them were found by occupying forces, but most of them were transported to Syria in the summer of 2002. Pretending to provide humanitarian support in response to a collapsed dam in Zeyzoun, fifty-six flights on modified commercial 747s and 727s transported hundreds of tons of WMD (pages 260-261). I found an article referencing an Agence France-Presse (AFP) story about 20 plane-loads of aid from Iraq to Syria on 9 June 2002. There are some people who say they know where the WMD in Syria are today.

Was Saddam Hussein planning to attack his neighbors?

Yes. As most people know he initiated an eight-year war with Iran and then in 1990 he invaded Kuwait. However, he also planned to attack Israel with a air-armada of 98 aircraft all using chemical WMD (pages 128-129, 135, 140). And he intended to attack Saudi Arabia with twelve combat divisions (pages 171, 172). The primary reason he canceled the attacks against Israel and Saudi Arabia is because of the US-led attack which neutered his military power (page 173).

Was Saddam Hussein really a bad guy, or was he just misunderstood?

He was about as bad as a human can be. See pages 299 and 300 for a summary, but multiple accounts are scattered throughout the 315-page book.

Who is this General Sada and why should we care about him?

He graduated from Iraq’s Air Academy in 1959, received training in Great Britain, Russia, and the United States, trained many Iraqi pilots, and was the second ranking officer in Saddam Hussein’s air force. He was forced into retirement in 1986 because he was a member of the Baathist party, but was recalled during the First Gulf War to interrogate coalition pilots. He placed his life on the line by refusing to execute the coalition pilots as Qusay (the son of Saddam) ordered him to do (pages 181-187).

Without General Sada’s actions, no coalition pilots POWs would have survived to tell their tales.

When was this book, Saddam’s Secrets, published?

2006. 2006! Why haven’t I heard about this book before now?

He was briefly interviewed on Fox News’ Hannity and Combs, and then again on the comedic Daily Show. He has talked to a few churches around the country. But otherwise, he’s mostly ignored. I suggest there are at least six reasons why Saddam’s Secrets hasn’t been given much press coverage.

First of all, it is filled with little stories about Georges Sada’s life. For the reader who is searching for information about WMD, these stories can be annoying. Initially, I found them to be so, but the more of them I read, the more I grew to like the author. His account of his first flight in the MiG-21 on pages 54 to 62 was the turning point for me. As an Air Force pilot I understood what he went through as a 28-year-old aviator trying to do a mission without being fully trained for it. From there on, he was a friend telling me about his life. A life which had a connection to an evil dictator.

Saddam’s Secrets in not complimentary of the United Nations (UN). From high-level leadership down to the lowly blue-helmeted UN peace-keeper, they are all portrayed as bride-seeking individuals supporting nothing that relates to peace or justice. Some people might think it could bolster the traditional anti-UN sentiment of many Americans, whose tax-dollars pay 22% of the UN operating costs.

Georges Sada also talks about a Chinese connection in a deal to supply nuclear weapons to Iraq. Saddam offered them $100 million, but the deal was squashed when coalition-efforts prevented the transfer of funds. This information might set back the progress of elected officials working to convince Americans to accept China as a strategic partner and friend.

Probably the second worst offense in the book is that he warns us about a cultural invasion by the followers of Islam. Ever since shortly after 9/11, President Bush has repeatedly insisted that Islam is a religion of peace. Sada’s discussion on pages 285 to 291 suggests America and Europe are under going an assimilation that if ignored will soon transform our customs, history, and languages. This type of talk is not popular in an age where tolerance is culturally demanded, even written into our laws.

He criticizes the American handling of Iraq after the defeat of Saddam’s military. Not only were their major mistakes made after the 1991 war it was worse after the 2003 war. Disbanding the military the way it was, depleted the resources that could have been used to expedite stability and even worse encourage thousands of former officers to join the violent opposition. Shortly after the war, General Sada offered to establish security for Baghdad if he could have 40,000 UNARMED former Iraqi air force personnel assigned as police to him. The plan was rejected by the Americans in charge.

But Georges Sada’s greatest offense to the popular media might be that he is an Assyrian Christian. As an Assyrian, his ancestral claims to live where he does predate those of Arabs. It’s like a 2000-year trump card on the “evil-Crusading-invaders” argument used by many non-Christians. Greater than being Assyrian, the “Christian” descriptor is an obvious offense to non-Christians in the 21st century.

General Sada does more than just say he’s a Christian, throughout his book, he often gives thanks to Jesus for things that went right in his life. He also suggests that others should seek the truth of Christianity in several places throughout his book. He even has a small lecture for young people concerning their dress and sexual behavior–how dare he.

Personal testimonies of Christians often make non-Christians feel uncomfortable. I discovered through other sources that while Georges Sada was raised in the “old-style Christianity” of the middle-east, he actually became a born-again Christian in 1989. That was after an American preacher from California visited his church and taught about the individual relationship a person can have with Jesus. That explains a lot to those who understand what it means.

So Georges Sada has at least six reasons for people not to promote his book. Nevertheless the book is published and you might want to read it. If you don’t have a friend to lend one to you, it might be in your local library, or you can order a copy on-line at Amazon.com for about $17, it retails for about $25.

Another subplot in the book dealt with Saddam’s leadership style. Specifically, he placed very incompetent people below him in positions of great authority. While this tactic resulted in national leaders who were terrible at their jobs, they were totally loyal to Saddam. Without the power of Saddam to support and protect them, they would never be followed by the people they supervised. Thus revolution was impossible.

Doesn’t that make you wonder?

If you ever worked for an incompetent boss, did you ever wonder how he got there? Was it just a fluke, or was it a parallel of the Saddam principle of leadership?

Kinda makes you think about what your boss’s boss is thinking.

It just makes sense.

It’s not a lot different from what we experienced in the service. In 32 years I had 18 assignments and I had 32 commanders (I might be off by 3% or so). Your ratio was probably something close to that.

The lesson that came out of that was not to worry too much if you drew an idiot for a commander–he’d be moving on before too long. Likewise, if you drew a great commander you weren’t supposed to get to used to him because he’d be gone soon enough too.

There’s a great lesson in life that comes from that. Don’t put your faith in mortal kings. Unless you can shield yourself from the media completely, you’ve had your eyes and ears assaulted with the rejoicing of the loud-mouthed 52% “majority” who think they’ve elected the Messiah.

As we watch our Misery Index rise over the next couple of years, you might have a chance to ask somebody, “How do you like him now?” Of course, it’s way to early for that. Believe me when I say you’ll get your chance to ask somebody that … remember to have smile on your face when you say it–you’ll feel better for it.

We really should pray for BHO because the worse he does, the more we’ll feel it. I believe he’s very smart, it’s possible that he only pretended to be a Marxist in order to get the 52% to excrete their support. I really hope he does a good job for America.

I pray he is convicted, or even haunted by the Holy Spirit every time he shuts his eyes to think about the 50,000,0000 Americans who’ve been slaughtered since 1973 in the American Holocaust. Maybe that will encourage him to consider nominating Supreme Court judges who are at least open to discussing overturning Roe-v-Wade instead of being militantly supportive of abortion on demand.

I pray that when he looks at the Flag he notices that the red is the color of the blood shed by generations of American’s who’ve ensured our freedom. Maybe that will make him reconsider his rhetoric that he might dismantle our military advantage over the peoples who hate us and want to kill us.

I pray that whenever he sees a penny on the ground, he will understand that massive tax-hikes during an economic down-turn will result in worse economic conditions. Then he will also understand that the destruction of the US economy will not just hurt “the rich” but it will bring great misery to other folks too.

If BHO was the pilot of an airliner you were a passenger on, you’d want him to fly safe and land well. Even more so, if your family were passengers. As President he’ll “have the aircraft” for the next four-years.

Even if he does as poorly as some may think he will do, let us not forget:

The Tomb is still empty. We serve a risen Savior. God is in control. Nothing can change any of that.

Happy Veterans’ Day my Band of Brothers.

I am…of course… in a particular foul mood.  I think we all knew this was going to happen; and now we are faced with the reality.  So… I avoid watching much television and news paper reading, internet news ect ect. 

Still I keep reviewing over and over again in my mind and in my nightmares the notion that we “the Americans” are riding on the Titanic that just hit the mother of all ice burgs, in the middle of shark infested ice water….and most of the passengers are planning to attend the inauguration ball for the new captain.  Hell the ship stewards are all out crying “change is coming and the new captain wants everyone to start taking swimming lessons!”  The ships officers are all in meetings developing plans to sue the maker of the ice burg and the kitchen staff is holding contest on who can hold their breath the longest. Of course the ships finance officer is handing out dixie cups so we can start bailing when the water gets over the gunwales.  The captain has assured us that he has signaled the SS France, SS Russia, SS Cuba and SS Iran for advice on navigation.  They have all forwarded detailed plans for replacing the port holes with screen doors.  The ship’s news paper men are broadcasting that under the new administration everyone will be employed in new high paying jobs as whale watchers.  Hell you won’t even have to leave your birth to see the sea life. You will have your own port hole view!  Who needs internet porn when you can watch half naked mermaids!
As for me and my lot we have purchased our berths in the California section were the Cali nut-jobs have decided not to wait for the ice berg damage to sink the ship.  No they have listened to the NEA teachers section and have decided that Archimedes was wrong –because he was a bitter old white man — So they have started drilling holes in the boat hull (and each other) to let the water out.  As for the upper class berths, there will be no escape on the few life boats.  No the California groups have launched all the life boats with the livestock on board to provide more living space for the chickens, hogs and cows.  Besides all the San Francisco men have are already dressed as women and children…no not to escape on the boats…they are holding a protest rally on the promenade in drag, until the new captain marry’s them to each other. Down below in the third class berths all the poor assholes, after drinking the blue cool-aid, are trying to lift the boat and make it fly by pulling on their shoe strings chanting “yes we can”.    

 I can’t imagine having to tred 30 degree water for eight years. My only solace is being able to watch some of the idiots who voted for this
Moron drown first. 

Oh yeah Happy Vets Day!

Peace Out!

I just wanted to say hello to everybody, and let you know that I enjoy the videos and the commentaries that are posted on here.  I do not get to write a lot, because as I have mentioned I have opened my own small business.   For me it is exciting, and scary at the same time.  I have now hired a legal assistant, a paralegal, and have a Secretary that helps me.  Now before you get too excited the legal assistant and the paralegal are part time and I cannot pay the wages they deserve.

So far we are undefeated in legal issues.  the firm has started operating six days a week, which sometimes means that I work seven days a week.  Hopefully that’ll be for a short while, but it is such an exciting and interesting world that I do not mind the long weeks.  I have a current case at the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which is taking up a lot of our time.  the case involves a Korean War veteran.  I really hope to get his VA benefits for him.  On the other hand we have some local trials which is very interesting.  I mainly due consumer law with a specialization of landlord-tenant and home repair issues.  The consumer law cases or paying the bills, until hopefully we start earning money through the veterans claims.

We currently have about 30 veteran claims that are being worked.  So far we are doing pretty well.

One thing that I wanted to state to all of the all is that by reading your posts, they remind me what a very talented and diverse group that you are.  It is quite interesting to see a telescope being built, read about the home improvement projects, and just remember what wonderful people you are.

I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas.  I hope each one of you has a wonderful week and if your down in Texas and especially in Houston please give a call.  Bob

What followed was an attempt to stir up national outrage. Biden denied Obama had any plans to spread the wealth around, the campaign put WFTV on a restricted list, and a small army of minions countered the suggestion on various news networks. Some people have suggested “Marxism” is just another code word for racists. The apparent goal is for anyone who makes the comparison to appear to be racist, ignorant, or an idiot.

A lot of energy was invested into attacking the questioner, as it was when Joe the Plumber asked Obama if he would pay more taxes under Obama’s plan.

But those on the left do nothing to explain how Obama’s ideals are not Marxist. To make the connection, we need to know something about Marxism and where it came from.

So what is Marxism? Who was Karl Marx? What came of Marxism? So what?

Karl Heinrich Marx was born in Prussia (modern day Germany) in 1818 to a family with a reputation for producing rabbis. Breaking with that tradition, his mother and father had embraced Christianity. Hirschel Marx, his father, was a wealthy businessman and provided for young Karl Marx’s needs. Hirschel was distrubed after Karl went to the University of Bonn and grew arrogant, contemptuous, and selfish.

Can you relate with that? Your kid goes to college and becomes someone you don’t know.

Karl Marx goes to college and rejects everything his parents have tried to teach him. His early writings (Han Events, Vol. XVI, No. 43, Article Section II) expressed a hatred for Jewish people with words unacceptable for repetition in 21st century America media. One of young Karl’s mentors was the atheist Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach, a professional academic who used his intellectual talents to craft convincing arguments to the spiritual weak that humanism was the secret to happiness. Karl Marx sucked it up with a straw.

Karl’s mind raced away with Feuerbach’s principles. After he left college, he married and failed at an attempt to make a living as a journalist in Paris and Brussels. They moved to London in 1849. Eventually forlorn Jenny von Westphalen-Marx longed for death as an escape her miserable existence with Karl. Marx cared nothing about the feelings of others, he was immersed into developing his economic and political theories.

Marx spoke of class struggles as a state of being. To solve the problem he was against everything behind classes to include all churches and all existing governments. Everything needed to be brushed away and replaced with something else–a new Order. Propagating class-hatred to achieve a vague concept of perfection, he denied the foundation for inherent rights. To eliminate class struggles all individual rights had to be cut away.

Ironically the governments that were established under Marxism ideology were nothing more than a dictatorship cloaked in the facade of a “people’s government.” Twenty-first century examples that remain are Cuba and North Korea. Are you ready to move to those utopias? Have a nice trip.

Communism, the brand of socialism espoused by Marx, had limited success in the second half of the twentieth century. The Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic aspired to conquer the entire world through a series of peoples revolutions and direct invasions, but were opposed by a policy of containment by the west. That struggle of containment was called the “Cold War” and ended on December 25, 1991. The USSR’s hammer-and-sickle adorned banner was lowered from over the Kremlin and never went back up. Even though a arsenal of Armageddon-potential had been readied, it was never used–because it was readied. But that’s another discussion.

So, what happens in Marxism?

Change. Marx called for lots of change, he wanted everything destroyed and replaced with something else. A lot of people believed him and modeled governments that resulted in misery for the people. Be careful when the only thing you want is change. Look through the annals of history and you’ll see that all populist leaders came to power on that mantra. Change is great word in theory, but the details of that change in practice can be disappointing.

Humans have no inherent rights. Not even the first amendment? Is the ban on WFTV just the tip of the iceberg of how an Obama-led government will deal with hard questions?

Central government controls everything. Is it really patriotic to pay more taxes as Joe Biden says?

Class warfare. Identified by Marx as a constant. Exploited by Marxists everywhere. Used by dictators to keep the people at odds with each other while they continue to build their own power. All the while, the Marxist goal is to strip all rights from all people.

Is it any wonder that any politician would deny any suggestion of a resemblance with Marxism. But is denial enough?

We face a lot of problems in America today. We need solutions. But more government is not always the best solution.

Marxist is as Marxist does.

It just makes sense.

The last email I had from him was on Oct 5th, which ended with two quotations. The first, very serious, as our lives are in times like these:

Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood — the virtues that made America. - Theodore Roosevelt, 1917

The second, sure to bring a smile to your face, a Burma Shave jingle from 1950:

A whiskery kiss
For the one
You adore
May not make her mad
But her face will be sore
Burma-Shave

His email concerned an up-coming Centenary Writers Club meeting on 10 Oct, which was going to be my last chance to see him in this world. But I missed it — my loss.

Our lives just briefly touched each other in the Centenary Writers Club and the few emails we exchanged. I definitely got most out of that relationship.

His wit and humor were always sharp. I used to read his writings from our meetings to Cindy after I got home.

He played basketball for the LSU-Baton Rouge Tigers from 1953-1958. Retired after 30 years of being a Senior Research Chemist for Pennzoil Products. He was a member of Broadmoor United Methodist Church, the Sons of the American Revolution, Shreveport Writers Club, and Centenary Writers Club. He authored two books, Hubcaps Biscuits and Corncob Wars and Hominy Ridge.

I wished I’d known him longer. But I’m thankful for the little time our lives did over-lap. I can’t help but thinking of the brief experience as something like a Burma-Shave advertisement metaphor. For the very young, they were like mini-billboards along the old highways. Five or six signs and the last one always said “Burma-Shave.”

I read his writings, I smiled, and I’m better for it.

Thanks for the jingle, Troy. You’re missed by many.

So here’s an easy question for you: Do you agree?

If you do, then you also agree with the early Americans who declared that some rights are given to people by an authority higher than the local, state, or federal governments. Inalienable rights are endowed to people by God and are not legally subject to infringement by a government. The Declaration insists that people have the right to alter or abolish a government that attempts to do such things. Such insistence was proven by the blood of patriots. So now it is a fact and not just a belief.

Thus some arguments since then have not been whether people have inalienable rights. Rather it has been about who is really a person. Sounds ludicrous at the surface, but when you dig deeper selfish motives can be uncovered.

In 1857, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision on the Dred Scott case that Africans residing in America, whether free or slave, could not become citizens. In other words, they were not people. From a 21st century viewpoint, the decision is not only wrong it is criminal. Just a few years after that landmark law-of-the-land ruling, America was thrust into the most violent and costly war of its history.

Following the Civil War, a series of Constitutional Amendments and legislative action worked together to culminate with the 1873 Slaughter-House Cases, which was a 5-4 decision that is generally recognized as the over-turning of Dred Scott.

Five to four? After sixteen years of blood shed, destruction of property, violence, debate, rebuilding and three Amendments–it was still that close! It is apparent that the folks who get on the Supreme Court can influence the nation for a long time. We need to be careful who we hire to select our future judges. As important as freedom is, we still want to be considered a human by our nation’s highest court.

Take another landmark case, Roe v Wade, when the US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in 1973 that an unborn human is not a person. Thus the right to life, liberty, and property and due process of law does not apply to the unborn.

Since then, 35 years later, somewhere around 50 million unborn Americans have had their births aborted. That’s a lot of people. If they really were people. If they really were human. How can we know? Is it a faith question or fact question?

Bible believers know that life begins at conception. (see Psalm 139:13, 16) Not everyone believes the Bible. Some people think it is just something that simple people cling to when they’re confused or threaten. Those people might believe in science.

So what does science tell us?

In 2003, science actually mapped the genome of the human species. While mannequins, statues, wax figures, cartoon characters, and even some animals might look something like a human, science knows that it is our DNA that makes us human. Certain chromosomes and genes and chemical pairs all work together to make a human. That combination is in all of our cells. Even the one made at the moment of conception.

Wow. Science proves Psalm 139:13. What goes around comes around. It’s not just a belief, it’s a scientific fact.

That means 50 million humans have been killed in America because they were too weak to defend themselves from a cultural bias against them. Just because it has been legal doesn’t make it right. Just like the Dred Scott Decision, it seems more than wrong, it seems criminal.

What have we done to ourselves? What are we still doing?

Who is so gifted with clairvoyance to declare with certainty that most of those aborted 50 million humans would be in our prisons or on our welfare roles if they had lived? Such a statement is the most vile form of stereotyping.

Not everyone who starts with meager means or limited parents are doomed to a parasitic existence. Nearly half of those people would now be adults in the workforce. They’d be buying houses, cars, and investing in the stock market. They’d have children of their own. They’d be paying taxes. They’d be good Americans making the best of their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

So what do we do now? What can we do?

We can’t start where we were, only where we are. If we can’t stop killing unborn Americans now, how about if we just set a limit on it? How do we do that? To start with, it takes a combination of audacity and luck.

If fate should offer you a Joe-the-Plumber moment, here’s a simple but tough question for your candidate of opportunity:

Since science has already proven that the genome is what determines if someone is a human and since 1973 we’ve already prematurely ended about 50 million American lives with our abortion industry, how many more human lives should be ended before we stop? Is it 75 million? Would 100 million be enough or too many? We really need a number.

If you can’t get a number from them, maybe they think we’ve already exceeded our quota. Ask them that too, if you haven’t been shouted down by the culture that doesn’t believe everyone is created equal. This problem isn’t just going to go away by itself.

It just makes sense.

Finally got some time to write a little for the BoB.  I have enjoyed Andy’s videos.  Probably too much as it reminds me of the hole in my heart left by not being able to fly the Buff anymore.  It always amazes me how few people really know what we did and how we did it - from the sacrifices we made to the absolute sheer fun and enjoyment we felt.   Gratz to Andy for getting a small part of the history out for folks to enjoy.  I was looking for my password for the Blog in old e-mail and a found an e-mail that I sent to Chuck back in 2006.  We had just moved to Southern California from Shreveport and the shock of what we found out here was in full force.  I did’nt realise that my rant about conditions locally and in the country in general would be so accurate.  Here is what I wrote Nov 2006: (”How are things in Shreveport?   We miss this time of year there when it finally gets cool. We sure miss the people there.  Britt made the same comment that California is full of some weird and bad people.  Nobody on our block talks to anyone else.  Hawaii was the same way.  They have made everything so competitive and restrictive and have given rights to the wrong people out here so that everyone looks at their neighbor with suspicion and hatred.  Just in our community (Palmdale/Lancaster) there are over 3000 section 8 homes. This makes owning a home a real crap shoot.  You can buy in a nice hood and have a piece of crap move in right beside you devaluing the whole area.  The homes are going for $400,000 to $800,000 for a place comparable to the place we left in Bossier.  These prices are extremely over valued as there is nothing….and I mean nothing! about the local area that is worth that much.  I truly believe the prices reflect a hidden wave of real-estate speculation that hit the nation over the past few years.  I also think that a huge correction is in order along with a real bad ass-whipping for the economy for supporting so much fraudulent speculation.  You can not believe what sells for one half million dollars here!  All sorts of people who should not have gotten loans have property that is way over their heads.  You can tell because there are scores of newer homes with absolutely no landscaping or improvements from the time they were bought.  I think when these people start going bankrupt –because they can’t flip the house and get out with a handful of cash — the economy will decline steeply. The fool banks are going to take a big hit — oops I mean the fool tax payers because the loans are federally insured. Oh well I guess the fool tax payers are going to take a beating from all sides again.  There is something about living in a democracy when the people figure out it’s easier to vote your neighbors money into their pockets instead of working for it.  I think the Greeks warned that this is what kills democracy.  We are right there now.”) 

Ouch!  I’m no Prophet for sure!!! Though it’s really gotta make you think that if a stupid Schlub like me could see this mess coming two years ago, what has that got to say about our country’s fearless leadership, both current and future wanabee’s. Alas being a “Casandra” is a punishment only the Gods can levey against a human. I have to watch TV with a time delay because anytime Obama or McCain show there lying mugs on the screen I have to fast forward past until Sara Palin is playing (now there is a a short skirt and a pair of legs you can vote for…Oei vegh!!).  Honestly..how did we get in this mess? Obama scares hell out of me as I see him as being the last great bomb thrown at our country by that hippy commy asshole Bill Ayers.  Then of course, to our rescue rides McCain and his campaign of middle of the road luke warm tapioca pudding for all….lord help us(:-O  Well enough about that stuff.  Still working on the telescope project.  I missed our completion date for the California State Star party.  The mirror vendor we contracted last January was unable to complete the project.  It was a gamble from the outset as we where investing in new technology that was supposed to help alleviate allot of the problems with large glass mirrors.  We had to fire that vendor and I contracted with a guy from Portland Oregon to make a more conventional mirror.  He quoted a delivery date of this October so we are still waiting on the optics for the scope. My son and I still attended the California Star Party and had a great time.  It was a week of perfect weather and grand viewing.  We slept next to our telescope on cots I rented from the base.  We had allot of fun abusing the hippies from San Francisco that sponsored the event. Most are from the silicon valley and are ubber rich so we could’nt lord too much over them.  We did hang a McCain Palin sign from our tent to offset the Obama bumber stickers and Toyota Prius’s parked around.

Till next time..

Ponch

I hope everyone has enjoyed the videos as much as I putting them together!  And thanks for your comments too!  Big trip down memory lane and it’s been great.  My office has turned into a home studio, video tapes everywhere, our old vhs camcorder laying on the floor, and the VCR/DVD player hooked up to the computer.

I’ll just get started on the editing when Heather interrupts to take photos for her portfolio.  This time it was the Angelina Jolie – Lara Croft – Tomb Raider look…actually some turn out pretty good.  We had a fog machine to add to the background.  Those didn’t turn out so well…blurred the image to much because the lense was trying to focus on the fog and not Heather.

O’well, there is about two move video maybe three; one on the B-52Gs arsenal of weapons, coming home to land and a trip through the Boneyard.  The arsenal one is a collection from my days at the 49 Test.  When I first arrived they didn’t quit know where to put me, so I converted all their 16mm reel film into VHS formatted tapes…I made three sets; two for them, one for me!  The problem I’m having is that I have so much good footage; I do not know what to keep in that section.   I did break it down into parts, Conventional versus Nukes, then from CBUs to General Purpose, from bombs to missiles.  And keep it under 5 minutes!

The Boneyard one is footage I took while TDY there in 2006.  I was there for a DMO conference, but managed to get some time with the ARMAC PA.   He allowed me to crawl inside one, but watched me like a hawk!  I’d ask about getting a little souvenir, but said he could get fired over something like that.  It wasn’t like I was asking for the RNMP panel of something bigger; like the RN’s seat!  Anyway, I did get some good footage, just need to work up a story.

O’ if anyone knows a Radar type retiring soon, Rockwell Collins is hiring another to help with the entire mission planning effort that is coming with the Targeting POD modification and the Defense re-host.  So if you know anyone, have them give me a call…

As for history, not sure Reed if you knew they re-activated the 379^th as an Expeditionary Wing in Qatar with Gen Mike Moeller as the wing king.  Their History person contacted me to get images for their new headquarters building.  You know I should go into the consulting business with this history stuff, wonder if there is any money in it?

O’well, it diner time got to go…

Until next time, take care…