Pentagon says "nyet" to YouTube, Myspace, blogging

I stumbled across this wonderful soldier blog today, Fight To Survive. I've always been fascinated with soldiers and the military life, especially what soldiers are feeling and thinking. Soldiers are more than just mindless robots as some imagine them to be, they are people as any other, with thoughts and feelings who have a damn hellish job to do. Ever since reading Colby Buzzell's blog and book "My War," I've been hooked on reading soldier blogs. I can understand that the Pentagon must ensure operational security, but most of the blogs I've read would not violate operational security any more than reading books and journals from Vietnam or World War II. In fact you can pick up books about US infantry tactics from World War II, and even the Ranger Handbook and some of the methods and tactics there are still used today.

I think that censoring soldiers' blogs and sites is wrong, especially ones that do not violate any operational security. Morale is getting kind of low, and soldiers do need an outlet to vent sometimes, and I think these sites give them that outlet. Watching funny videos on YouTube and catching up with your family on MySpace is also good for the lads on their days off. Still, it's a bit ironic that the Army has its own official YouTube and FlickR accounts, but they won't allow the individual soldier to use them now.

Prince Harry to Iraq, yes, no, maybe??? No...

So is he going to Iraq or isn't he? Why can't the MOD make up its mind whether or not to send young Prince Harry to war? He's a soldier for Pete's sake, not a buffoon unwilling to accept his share of the burden. The man wants to lead his men into battle, as rightly he should. We should be proud that young men like Prince Harry are willing to defend their country, quite literally. It's dangerous over there for EVERYBODY, not just royals. If they go out of their way to kidnap lowly American soldiers, it will not be much different with Prince Harry. Of course the MOD in all their wisdom, if they decide to send Prince Harry over there, will probably embed reporters with him, tell them what unit he will be assigned to and what province. The insurgents would only have to pick up a newspaper to know where he will be.

I say if they change their mind and send Prince Harry over there, they should keep it quiet and send him over there with another unit and not tell anybody about it. Still, he should be deployed with his unit, and they should treat him like every other officer. Otherwise they should strip all military titles and uniforms from royalty, they don't deserve to wear them.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/16/iraq.harry.ap/index.html

Forget American Idol, Estonia's SUPERSTAARI is where it's at, yo!

Dvids

Thanks to R. Lee Ermey's show Mail Call on the History Channel, I was introduced to Dvids. Dvids stands for Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System, and is run by the US Army, so you'll get an unbiased, objective view of the War on Terror from the troops on the ground. I highly recommend logging on and taking a look at the stories compiled by the armed forces public affairs personnel.

http://www.dvidshub.net/

R. Lee Ermey motivational figure!

I think I might have found the perfect motivational tool. I shall have to order one immediately. With the assistance of R. Lee Ermey I will be properly motivated to get my sorry ass into shape, as well as improve my performance at work. No doubt my cubicle mates will be overjoyed at hearing Gunny yelling, "Put some gas into it, numbnuts. You move slower than old people %*^*!"

One figure coming right up!
http://www.rleeermey.com/motivationalfigure.php

Women in the IDF

From the philes...

Got asthma? Sign up now!

I'm sorry but some of these kids should have known what they signed up for. Are today's kids just so damned gullible? And what about the parents? Nobody forces your kid to sign on the dotted line. You have to know that when your child joins the Army they will be lied to, shot at, and may be forced to kill people. It's the military, not the Boy Scouts. If you want to travel and see the world you can join the Peace Corps. You can also try to work very hard in school and get scholarships or do AmeriCorps service to get financial grants. If my child wants to join the military I will support them, but I will also let them know honestly what they are getting themselves into so that they will know all the facts. Talk to former soldiers, to veterans, and don't rely on anything that the recruiter says, in making an informed decision. If my child wants to talk to a recruiter I'm going to go with him or her, along with my wife who was in the National Guard. My whole family-in-law has been in the military as well, so they know what they are talking about.

The military is not bad, it's just people don't really know what the military's primary mission is, which is to fight and win wars. Some people are actually made for military life, they like the discipline, the rigidness, and the sense of belonging. Others do not, and are not made for the military, and consequently they will be making a mistake, a personal one, and wasting the military's time. Parents should protect their children from predatory recruiters, and young Americans themselves should not fool themselves into thinking that the military will be their sugar daddy giving them education and lots of money. As Dick Cheney said, "The reason to have a military is to be prepared to fight and win wars.... It's not a social welfare agency, it's not a jobs program."

Sweden the best place to be a mom!

According to Save the Children, Sweden is the best place in the world to be a mom. I'm not surprised, Sweden is very progressive, even allowing dads to take an entire year off to care for a child. Not bad at all. Countries on the top of the list include:

1 Sweden
2 Iceland
2 Norway
4 New Zealand
4 Australia
4 Denmark
7 Finland
8 Belgium
9 Spain
10 Germany

And you don't want to be a mom in any of these countries:

131 Djibouti
132 Burkina Faso
133 Ethiopia
134 Eritrea
135 Angola
136 Guinea-Bissau
137 Chad
138 Yemen
139 Sierra Leone
140 Niger

What I find most interesting is that the United States is not scoring very high on the list, taking the 26th place.

Getting in shape sucks

So I've been trying real hard lately to get in shape, but I'm finding it difficult. It's not like I'm really fat or anything, it's just that I think I'm just plain lazy. With no DI to motivate me, I keep blowing it all off, and this despite the fact that I had a very detailed work plan.

I was going to do 36 push-ups, 60 sit-ups, and run 1.5 miles every day. Instead I find myself sitting on the couch when I get home from work watching TV. This is no frakking way to live. I'm at a loss for how to properly motivate myself. Any suggestions?

Canadian Forces tribute redux

As the old Billy Ray Cyrus song goes, "all gave some, some gave all."

Blackwater Redux

Before You Enlist