The apple

"Look!  There!"  He pointed to the movement in the grass.  The blades bent and rustled to mark the course.

She saw it:  first, the triangular head that rose up above the grass, the lightning-flicker tongue that darted in and out quick as the eye.  Then, the sleek-muscled scaly red-and-black body, passing quickly like a wisp of breeze.  Even as she watched, the head lowered and the creature darted forward, slipping beneath the wall.  A deft flick of tail, like the stiff dance of conductor's baton, and it was gone.  Under the wall and into the garden.

"Beautiful," she said.  "Don't you think?"

He looked uneasy.  "Beautiful.  Maybe deadly."

And then, once again, it was the two of them, standing outside the gate.

"Funny that we meet here, after all this time," she said.  She bent her head downward, but she kept her eyes on his face.

He pulled at his lower lip, peering through the gate into the garden.  The vegetation had outgrown any thing like order.  No neatly kept rows, no tended plots.  More a jungle than a garden.  "I come here sometimes," he said.  "I don't know why."

"It was a lovely garden..." she said, "...back then."

He nodded.  "It was a beautiful season... short, but glorious."

He paused on the edge of a question.

She answered it anyway.  "It's so far overgrown, now.  It can't ever be what it was."

They were silent for a while.  Then, he said, "Do you remember that apple tree that grew near the back wall?"

She closed her eyes and smiled.  "Those were the best apples I can ever remember."

They stood quietly for a long moment. 

"Well, I suppose I should be getting home," he said.

"Me, too," she replied.

They turned away from each other, away from the garden gate.

"But I... I'm hungry."  His heart was in his throat.

A quick eternity.  Then, they each turned half a turn, and peered into the darkness of the garden, imagining the apple.

Incident at Fort Hood

On Thursday, November 5, 2009, a US Army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan entered the Soldier Readiness Center in the Fort Hood, Texas military base and opened fire with small arms.  So far, the casualty count is 13 dead and 39 wounded.  Not all of the wounded are expected to survive.  Major Hasan, himself, survived the incident, although he was shot 4 times by responding police officers.  He is reportedly in a coma at a military medical facility.

A terrible crime; an horrendous tragedy.

But leave it to fringe right-wingers, ever on the lookout for anything they can exploit, to leap at the opportunity to use the incident for political gain.  Even before all the details of the incident were known, shrieks of "Terrorism!" and "Islamic extremists!" were ringing in the public ears.

Leading the charge is (who else?) the repulsive senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman, who was on Fox News Sunday with this money quote:  "We don't know enough to say now, but there are very, very strong warning signs here that Dr. Hasan had become an Islamist extremist and, therefore, that this was a terrorist act."

In support of Lieberman's conjecture, it is being reported today that, in 2001, Hasan attended the same mosque in Virginia as two of the 9-11 hijackers.  There are also reports that Hasan attempted to contact "al-Qaeda" before his rampage.

Lieberman's verbal dysentery continued.  He said he would initiate a Senate investigation to uncover Hasan's motives and to determine "whether the Army missed warning signs." Now that's courage!

I have a couple questions:

1. If Hasan, by virtue of being an "Islamist extremist" (according to Lieberman's definition), has committed an act of terrorism, does that mean that "Christian extremist" Scott Roeder who murdered Dr. George Tiller as the doctor attended a service at his church also committed a "terrorist act?"
   
   
2.  And, if so, will brave Joe Lieberman initiate an investigation into Roeder's associations and contacts?
   

Color me doubtful.

Over the years, I have befriended many Muslims. Last weekend, I had occasion to speak with several of them about the issue. When I expressed concern that there will be a backlash against Muslims in this country, each of them agreed with me. They are expecting it.

And Joe Lieberman, the mealy-mouthed, self-serving pig that he is, has not disappointed.  Nor, of course, have the tea-bag crowd.  Trust me, they're just getting ramped up.  They will be pointing to this incident for years to come as proof positive of the "danger" of Islam. 

Listen, people:  Major Hasan was a deranged killer with a gun, nothing more, nothing less.  It is anything but helpful to have pigs like Lieberman using the tragedy to stoke fear against a particular demographic just to raise his political visibility.

Haven't we learned over the last 20 or so years that murderous shooting sprees by deranged killers is a recurring phenomenon in this country?

Shall we chronicle the carnage?

• February 26, 2009, Miramar Beach, Florida
  
  
• September 24, 2003, Cold Spring, Minnesota
  
  
• June 10, 2009, Washington, DC
  
  
• December 11, 2007, Colorado Springs, Colorado
  
  
• November 6, 2007, Omaha, Nebraska
  
  
• July 27, 2008, Powell, Tennessee
  
  
• April 20, 1999, Jefferson County, Colorado
  
  
• October, 2002, Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia

This is not even close to a complete list.

Let's face the facts:  In this country, once or twice a year, somebody snaps and takes a gun (or guns) into a public place and starts randomly killing people.  Sometimes the killer is a Muslim; sometimes the killer is a Christian.  Sometimes the killer is a racist; sometimes the killer is a disillusioned teenager.

Symptoms of a world gone mad.

Or maybe it has always been this way.

I don't know.

 ***

Update:  The family of one of the victims, Michael Cahill speaks out.



People, that is truly Christian.

ASL: Back to the Barricades! (Pt. I)

Note to readers: This post won't make a lick of sense to anyone who isn't familiar with the Advanced Squad Leader game system. 

Attention interested ASL players

I love the winter time! The cold and the rain are tiresome and constant companions here in Oregon, but so long as I've got my hobbies, they can be ignored.

So old friend and ex-roommate, Dave Hauth, and I are near to the eve of another big battle over the Barricades. ASL players, you know what I'm talking about. Dave and I have come to mutual agreement to each maintain a "blog correspondence" wherein we individually publish our thoughts on our game with the agreement that neither will read his competitor's posts until our campaign game is complete. So, I present to those interested ASL players out there my half of said correspondence.

You can read Dave's half of the correspondence here.

You're welcome (encouraged even!) to make comment on my thinking and my strategy. But please be sure not to reveal any information to me or to Dave about our respective plans. 

And so, I begin! Hope you enjoy!

"Once more into the breach, lads!"

Preamble
I don't know how many Red Barricades campaign games Dave and I have played together.  Maybe a dozen?   I have played the Russians in all three of our most recent games, and so I called "player's privilege" this time in order to get the Germans.

Dave and I have come to the opinion that the "big" game, CG III:  The Barrikady, sets a pretty high hurdle for the Germans.  And, indeed, the Russians have won every campaign game we have played in the last several years.  Each game has played out similarly:  the Germans surge through the factories at a terrible price, absolutely mauling the Russians, but then finding themselves exhausted and at the uttermost end of their tether somewhere around hex row AA.

This has happened ever since Dave speculated and then proved (so far) that the key to Russian victory is to keep the German off the river!  This changes the axis of attack, for the Germans, from north-south to east-west, with no chance of isolating the factories.  In effect, the German must attack through the factories to achieve his objective.

So this time, we're playing CG I:  "Into the Factory" to see how the Germans fare in acheiving the relatively limited goal of capturing only the westernmost two-thirds of the map.

As my general strategy will reveal, I hope to make the name, "Into the Factory," --well, ironic.

My strategy

In a phrase:  Get to the river!

As I stated in the preamble, I think it is vital that the Germans deny the Russians a secure flank.  And, oh how bitterly have I learned that a German attack through the factories is folly?  The idea is to isolate the factories from the river.  If I can get to the Commissar's House and hold it, even if it is nothing but stone rubble, I'll be in a strong position.

But I'm not going to get there on Day 1; that is certain.  My goal for the day is simply this:  to get across the street that runs from V1 to V10.  Even if I don't get any further than hex row W or X.  I'll even accept a CG day loss if it means I can establish a foothold east of hex row V.

I'll ignore the west side of the map, for now.  That means that any forces the Russian has stationed over there (and I hope that includes the AT guns) will be out of position to meet my attack.  At least for the start of the scenario.

But I am fairly certain that Dave is going to guard hex row V strongly.  The past several of our campaign games have each started with a platoon of dug-in KV tanks, wire, mines and infantry in the vicinity, anchoring the Russian right flank.  I'm going to be punching into the face of some withering fire.  Dave could also have artillery trained on that area. 

 It's going to get pretty ugly over here.

Well, let him.  My initial forces are:
Rifle Coy
Sturm Coy
Pltn. PzIIIL
80mm Mtr OBA
Offboard observer:  M1
Pre-registered hexes:  M6, U4

My purchases for the day, no doubt, reveal my gamble:

Rifle Coy = 7CPP
O3 Heavy Artillery (Plentiful Ammo!) = 6CPP
Pre-registered hex:  X2  = 1CPP
Offboard Observer:  P0 = 1CPP

I've taken a risk, I think, by purchasing only 1 infantry company (and not even a Sturm company, at that). So I'm starting the campaign with only 3 infantry companies.  This could well leave me at a severe numeric disadvantage in the days to come. But I plan to crush whatever is in my way as I advance toward my objective for the day. So the Russian right flank is going to be pounded mercilessly by heavy artillery.  On turn 2, I hope to call down a smoke mission from the Battalion Mortar right around hex U4 to help cover the advancing infantry.  These will be my Sturm company.  A very slow advance behind smoke and artillery.  One hex at a time. 

Slowly, slowly turn the screw...

One rifle company , supported by tanks, will advance due south along hex rows K through Q.  My second rifle company, which enters on Turn 2 will move to reinforce one thrust or the other, according to the needs of the moment.

My infantry assault is going to be nearly glacial.  Advance no more than one or two hexes per turn; maintain concealment as much as possible, screen with smoke (both from the OBA mortars and from the PzIIIL tanks).  Blast any Russians that poke their heads out. 

In past game days, early on the German beat the hell out of the Russian, but then made the mistake of sprinting recklessly to gain ground in the last turn or two.  Many campaign days play out with the Germans punishing the Russians for the first 4 or 5 turns, maintaining a 2 to 1 casualty ratio, only to suffer some disastrous losses at the very end of the scenario and wrecking it all.  Not this time, if I can help it.

This is what I hope to see before I move a single unit.

 Our first game is scheduled for November 14th.  We'll see how it goes...

To be continued...

Gallery

The day I fill my gallery I'll don a thorny crown,

And strike a pose mid-stage under the light;

And there I'll stand as still as stone, awaiting audience,

To take its seats, my captives for the night;

I'll linger long ere I begin my sharp soliloquy;

Each gaze I'll meet 'til I espy its guilt,

Then, satisfied that I'm their lamb, I'll softly clear my throat,

And murmur low as I begin my lilt;

And everyone who wronged me will be seated square before,

And mutely will endure my free acquittal;

Each sin they've done against me will be aired and thrown away;

A tear, a kiss, a saw upon the fiddle;

And then I'll open up the pipes and sing aloud my pain;

 I'll bear my burdened soul to every sight;

And when I'm sure they're all secure in how they've brought me low,

I'll cut my throat and bid them all "Good night!"

Reading the post-election tea leaves

Yesterday's off-year election results are a mixed bag.  Democrats lose two governor's races; tea-baggers get stuffed.

The way I read it, there are two principle lessons to be had:

1. President Obama had better start delivering on the agenda he outlined in his presidential campaign.
   
   
2. The Republican party is in a shambles.

Governors races:  a lesson for Rahm Emanuel

 Future of the Republican party?

In New Jersey, incumbent governor Jon Corzine, a Democrat, was unseated by Republican Chris Christie.  I didn't follow this race particularly closely, but it seems that Jon Corzine, was a very unpopular governor.  He apparently failed to deliver on campaign promises (attention:  Rahm Emanuel!) and he is a former senior partner at Goldman Sachs, which is bound to make anybody stink.  Chris Christie was not a particularly strong candidate; he had a number of gaffs.  But he ended up winning.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell coasted to a win over the Democrat Creigh Deeds.  An interesting aspect of this race is that, contrary to the loud-and-proud outrage advocated by the tea-bag crowd, McDonnell spent his campaign running away from his conservative bona fides.  Early on in the campaign, McDonnell's master thesis surfaced, wherein he expressed some pretty "out there" opinions regarding women, homosexuals, and other social issues.  (You can read about it here.)  But since that time, McDonnell has downplayed his "conservatism" presenting himself as more of a secular, centrist candidate.  Well, it worked and I hope it is sincere.  McDonnell, if he really is the man he claims to be, might not be a bad seed for the GOP to use in its reinvention.  Let's see how he governs.  I'd love to see the Republican party steer away from the neo-Confederate thrust it seems to have taken.  (And let me say this about Creigh Deeds:  he was definitely the candidate with the most interesting name!)

So, looking at those two races, it was a good night for Republicans.  The Democrats did not vote in numbers like they had in 2008.  There was not much enthusiasm from the left this time around.  And the Obama administration had better make note of that.  The administration has already disappointed the left by seeming to concede too much.  (Single payer health plan, anyone?  And why is Dick Cheney not behind bars?)

What's it gonna be, Mr. President?

GOP internecine warfare

Dick and Newt in happier times

But then, there was the race up in New York's 23rd district.  This one pitted Democrat Bill Owens against a Conservative party candidate, Doug Hoffman, who had the support of the virulent tea-bag crowd.  The tea-baggers were all full of piss and vinegar about this race because they had forced a "moderate" Republican candidate, Deedee Scozzafava, to drop out.

The race gained national attention when big name conservative freaks started weighing in:  Sweet Sister Sarah, Man-on-Dog Rick Santorum, jowly, half-asleep Fred Thompson, and Governor Tim Pawlenty.  They all thought they saw something happening, some movement that was afoot and they leaped to get in front of it.

And the race had the added deliciousness of being a proxy war between two of the most obnoxious and despicable right-wing demogogues:  Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey.  These two have hated each other for years.  Newt had endorsed Scozzafava early on.  But Dick trumped Newt by taking Hoffman under his wing, in that avuncular way that only he can do.  He held Hoffman's hand during an interview with the local Watertown Daily Times, and threw the weight of his FreedomWorks goon squad into the race.

Well, on Tuesday night, the voters of New York's 23rd district let it be known, I think, that they resented a bunch of outsiders coming in and trying to influence the way they voted.  And they ended up electing Bill Owens, the Democrat, in a district that most considered to be solidly Republican.

So how does the Republican scorecard look now that it's over?

• Dick Armey looks stupid which matters not a whit to him --it's all part of the job;
  
  
• Newt Gingrich looks stupid and adds a hash mark under the column marked "Dick" in his little book of vendettas;
  
  
• Tim Pawlenty looks stupid and feels a little embarrassed (after all, he's the only one in this crowd that is still human);
  
  
• Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Honey, and the whole tea-bag family look stupid, --but remain too stupid to know it.

All in all, I'm satisfied.

Virulent conservatism

Here it comes, folks.  The handful of elections that occur in various parts of the country today are, I predict, going to result in mostly right-wing victories.  The governors' mansions in Virginia and New Jersey and the congressional seat in New York's 23rd district are likely to be awarded by voters to the right-wing candidates.

We can be sure that Fox News blowhards and talk radio demagogues will be trumpeting these "victories" as proof positive that the American electorate rejects President Obama and his agenda.  And, believe it or not, that's fine with me.  Because I think that as a result of these elections, Republicans will conclude that their path back to power is to purge their own ranks of all those who are not displaying the proper "revolutionary fervor."  And that is bad for them.

Here's why:  The so-called "conservative movement" is an ideologically rigid entity that, I believe, is the reaction of a particular demographic within the United States to the realization that its lofty perch at the top of the American political ladder is irretrievably lost.

It's a panicky knee-jerk response to the irreversible changes that are occurring within the United States.  Changes in demographics, changes in religious make-up, changes in social mores. 

Go right down the line with the issues:

1. Immigration - the conservative movement is for more or less militarizing the border with Mexico, has attempted on more than one occasion to formally recognize English as the official language of the United States, and refers to undocumented workers as "illegals."  Translation:  xenophobia.
   
   
2. Religious freedom - the conservative movement is unabashedly Christian.  Jews are tolerated insofar as they are allies in foreign policy issues, advocating aggressive military posturing.  But Muslims are certainly not welcome within the movement, which is ironic considering how very conservative are most Muslims.  Translation:  eschatological fervor.
   
   
3. Social issues - the conservative movement is dead set against gay marriage, fanatical (to the point of murder and terror bombings) about abortion, and mostly in favor of the "War on Drugs."  Any infringement on corporate behavior, any public spending for the common good, any recognition of the rights of different demographic groups, they call "socialism."  Translation:  recognition of a permanent decline in political status.

So, today's elections are likely to lend momentum to the purge that is occurring within the GOP.  The next Republican victim is likely to be Florida Governor Charlie Crist, a moderate Republican who is being challenged in the primary by conservative fire-breather Marc Rubio in the race for the soon-to-be-open senate seat. And Maine's two Republican senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, had each better have one eye over her shoulder.

I think this movement, this tea-bag thing, is bad for the country.  This is not like people protesting a war.  This is a people flirting with armed rebellion.  The news is full of stories of violence from the conservative movement. From Dr. Tiller to the unfortunate security guard at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. Frenzied jingoism permeates the public airwaves, and even echoes in the houses of Congress.

This so-called "conservative movement" is a virulent strain of the nativist, Know-Nothing movement that has always existed in this country.  As our own American history has shown, when this movement is faced with new realities that threaten to upset its ever-tenuous feelings of security, it lashes out with real violence, even open warfare.

(Just two days ago, people who call themselves conservatives tried to hold an online raffle on eBay to raise funds to defend Scott Roeder, the assassin of Dr.George Tiller. You know what they were selling? A David versus Goliath representation of Dr. Tiller’s murder, autographed by Scott Roeder himself!)

I'm not afraid of them.  "Wary," would be a better word for it.  This "Night of the Long Knives" within the Republican party provides an opportunity to expose the true nature of the conservative movement; an opportunity to strip away the phoniness and spin to reveal the fear and loathing that is behind it all.  And then, the American people can decide in the stark light of day, whether or not it offers anything at all for them. 

So there you have it.

GOP season of the Long Knives

"Sorry, Dierdre.  Nothing personal."

 Hey, everybody!  It's purge time in the Grand Ol' Party! 

Tomorrow, there is a special election in New York's 23rd congressional district to select a replacement for Republican US Representative John McHugh, who is taking a job as Secretary of the Army in the Obama administration.  Up until last weekend, there were three candidates in the race.  The Democratic candidate is Bill Owens.  The Republican candidate was a woman named Diedre Sozzafava, a state Assemblywoman, and a Republican in the old, moderate sense.

New York's 23rd has been a Republican bulwark. But that will officially end this year.

Because, although Ms. Scozzafava was selected to run for the seat by local Republican party officials, national Republicans have determined that she is "too liberal" to represent New York's 23rd.  Ms. Scozzafava is "pro-choice," "pro-union," and "pro-gay marriage."  In other words, Ms. Scozzafava does not adhere to the neo-confederate litany of positions that today's Republican party dogmatically barks out over the Fox News network and talk radio.

So, New York's Conservative Party has nominated their own candidate, Doug Hoffman, to run.  Hoffman who is not actually a resident of New York's 23rd district, is something of an empty suit.  According to the Watertown Daily Times, a local newspaper, Mr. Hoffman is less than knowledgeable about local transportation and economic issues.  During an interview with the Daily Times, Mr. Hoffman  became flustered and complained that he should have been given a list of questions before the interview.  His performance, by most accounts was miserable.

But Hoffman's main advantage is that big name freaks like former House Majority Leader Dick (and I do mean "dick") Armey, Sweet Sister Sarah, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, sock puppet Fred Thompson, and Christian Warrior Mike Huckabee have thrown their support behind him. 

Armey brushed off Hoffman's poor performance in the interview with the Daily Times, saying that regional concerns were "parochial" issues.  Or, to put it another way, Hoffman may be an empty suit, but that's not important.  What is important is that Armey and his right-wing conspirators have the perception of a victory that has national visibility.  Never mind what happens to New York's 23rd district, Armey has a national movement to build!

Because, you see, Dick Army and his cohorts are hoping that history will repeat itself in next year's national mid-term elections.  Traditionally, the party that holds the White House takes a bath in the mid-terms.  Double-digit losses in Congress, governorships, state legislatures, are not uncommon.  And with all the tea-bagger sturm und drang, the neo-confederates are licking their chops in anticipation of a backlash against the Democrats.  So the important thing for the neo-confederates is to position themselves such that they are perceived to be the benefactors of this backlash.  Even though confidence in Republican leadership is at an all-time low (21%), these neo-confederates believe they can ride some kind of anti-Obama wave back into power.  And so, the first step in getting there is to purge their own ranks of dissenters and ideologically impure candidates.

In Germany, in the summer of 1934, a virulent right-wing party, the National Socialists, conducted a purge of their own ranks, moving against the Sturmabteilung, or Brownshirts.  After a rough and tumble week of violence and terror, Adolf Hitler emerged as the undisputed leader of Germany's right-wing political movement.  His potential rivals were all dead or imprisoned.  This purge was dubbed the Night of the Long Knives.

Well, last weekend, Ms. Scozzafava dropped out of the race.  It was a bitter decision, apparently:  she threw her support behind Bill Owen, the Democratic candidate!

Hoffman is still likely to win this seat, and be assured that Dick Armey and his band of zombies will trumpet the election result as an omen of things to come.  In fact, Armey is probably already gleefully rubbing his palms at the thought of all those fat contribution checks rolling into his FreedomWorks scam.

At this point, it seems to me that the Republican party is ridding itself of those few virtues that it once possessed. All that is left now is a thoroughly toxic, hateful entity driven by xenophobia, homophobia and hatred. These United States will either find a way to defeat it or, failing that, will succumb to it.