Please Define Victory

Bob Woodward of Watergate fame made the statement that the Bush administration is not being candid about the number of attacks US forces are facing in Iraq. It’s not too hard to believe in light of how many other things we have discovered the government has mislead us about.
I would like someone to clearly define what victory in Iraq is. Like crime, it may never be totally eliminated. So is that a reasonable goal? We can’t stop crime in this country and remain a “free” society. There will probably always be some dissidents in Iraq (not to mention the entire Mid-East). And who says we have to totally rebuild the country and make it a prospering democratic society. Isn’t toppling the dictator and putting the majority in power enough?
How much of the fighting is caused by our presence? For some strange reason we have become the “bad guys” over there. The fight is no longer about the insurgency putting Saddam back in power. It’s about fighting the western infidals.
I thought the Al-Quida and the talaban were the enemy terrorist. I thought the war on terror was in the Afghanistan theater of war. Putting our resources there would make more sense if our goal is to caprure or kill Osama Bin Laden. So why do we let Iraq make more problems in addition to draining resources from more worthwile endevors.

I have long suspected one of the major motovations for staying the course there is to have a military presense in the region that is close to Iran.

The Steely Dan Dictionary

Steely Dan is one of my favorite bands. I realize the songs are moldy oldies to many of you. 🙂 but some of their song lyrics contain interesting cultural references and slang. The Steely Dan Dictionary is the place to find out exactly what they all mean. Here are a few examples.

Black Cow
“Drink your big black cow / And get out of here”Song: Black Cow Album: Aja
A type of soda. Depending on who you ask, a true black cow consists of either Coke or root beer mixed with either milk or ice cream (with optional chocolate sauce). There’s even an alcoholic version, containing Grand Marnier and cold coffee.

Doctor Wu
“Are you with me Doctor Wu / Are you really just a shadow / Of the man that I once knew”Song: Doctor Wu Album: Katy Lied
Doctor Jing Nuan Wu (1933-2002), an acupuncturist and artist based in Washington DC. Emigrated from China to the US at a young age and graduated from Harvard to become a Wall Street venture capitalist, finally setting up a Taoist clinic in Washington in 1973. Apparently helped one of the band to overcome drug addiction in the mid-70s, hence the lyrical tribute.

Whats your favorite Steely Dan song?(If you have one that is.)

At the Movies: Upcoming Blockbusters

I have been watching previews on TV for a couple upcoming movies that look fantastic. They caught my attention because of the unusual plot and story lines compared to recent mainstream movie. Both of the Websites for the movies are well done and worth a visit.

The Movies

The first one to be released is Flyboys starring James Franco. It looks like a great World War One aviation story. Look for it in theaters on September 22nd.

The second one is The Guardian staring Kevin Costner. This looks like an intense action and rescue drama movie featuring the US Coast Guard. The Guardian will be out on September 29th.

Check the Nugget and Entertainment Theaters for showtimes.

Current Events: Iran president cements ties with Venezuela

Trust me when I say that thier alliance is not good for the United States.
Both countries have the power to cause trouble for us and increase the price of fuel. We currently get a lot of oil from Venezuela, even though Chavez does not think very highly of the U.S. Our dependence leaves us vulnerable to his whims.
Read the MSNBC article to learn more.