Tragedy in Fallujah

Words fail me. We’ve now lost 600 soldiers, and we’re replaying Black Hawk Down in Fallujah.
Please, let’s stop the madness. I’ll write more about this, but I can’t right now. It’s one thing to think that Iraq is closer to chaos than freedom, but to see it is something totally different.
My thoughts are with [...]

Rocking the Air Waves

I’m waiting for the future Mrs. Arkhangel to arrive here in the Springs. I’m also listening to the first day of broadcasting by Air America. I’m listening to the stream, since there isn’t an affiliate in the Colorado Springs area.
I have to say, it’s highly entertaining. I just heard Randi Rhoades, who’s from South Florida, [...]

Heart and Honor

I’m slowly getting used to living a normal life again. I’ve been relaxing these last few days, running errands and getting the place ready for the future Mrs. Arkhangel to come over from Boston.
Along those lines, I stopped by local Democratic HQ to check on my voter registration, and get information on the local candidates. [...]

Rest & Relaxation

Just so you know, I’m now in the US. I landed at 4 AM Friday morning, and, let me tell you, there hasn’t been a sweeter sight than that…US soil.
I’ll be back in force later today; I just needed a couple of days to catch my breath. I’ll need more to get used to being [...]

“I Failed You”

Haven’t had the chance to see the testimony of the 9/11 Commission, but I did have the chance to see Richard Clarke’s opening statement just now.
Wow.
I think–and this is just my gut feeling–that Clarke will end up being the “John Dean” figure in this whole tragic, sorry affair. My impression of him is that he [...]

Truth & Consequences

Well, I should be leaving Iraq tomorrow morning, God willing. Wish me luck.
And as a parting post before I leave this tragic land, I bring you Richard Clarke. As many of you know, Clarke was the chief counter-terrorism advisor to the White House. Reputedly, he delivered a brief to the President predicting the September 11 [...]

An Open Letter

Over the past year, all kinds of right wing bloggers have ceaselessly harped on their belief that a liberal version of the war on terror would be soft and weak. In doing so, they resemble nothing as much as a toy monkey banging a pair of cymbals together, over and over, until it eventually keels [...]

One Year Ago

One year ago, our war with Iraq started.
Since then, 564 Americans, and over 10,000 Iraqis, have died.
My fellow soldiers gave their lives in service. May it be that they did not do so in vain.
Please take a moment to remember those who’ve been lost, and remember this more:
War is hell.

Changes in latitudes…

Well, I’m still waiting to leave Iraq. We were supposed to leave six days ago, but as is usual in a large organization like the Army, schedules slip and other things take priority.
So I’m basically enjoying a forced holiday from redeployment matters. That explains why I’ve been able to post more frequently.
I’ve decided [...]

Winning Hearts and Minds

I just came across this poll conducted by Pew Research. It was undertaken to see how Muslims in Pakistan, Jordan, Morocco and Turkey view us. There is both good and bad in it, but the bad is highly worrisome, nearly three years after 9/11.
Osama bin Laden, for one, is still a very popular man. [...]