Dann Todd's 'Dain Bramage'^**

Normalcy In The Oddest Places

Apparently, Garrison Keillor appears to have moments when he is almost normal.

I don't miss the old days. Well, actually I do, sometimes. I miss the jolliness. We had lovely illusions in the old days. We felt giddy and free in that speeding car. The cigarette was a token of our immortality. We chowed down on whatever tasted good. We thrived on ignorance. We all were a little jiggly around the waist and didn't worry about it. My in-laws were suburban Republicans who kicked off family dinners with hefty Manhattans, which eased the social strain considerably. After two, my father-in-law and I got almost chummy. He knew I was a Democrat and a heretic in suburbia; in the gentle mist of bourbon, it began to matter less and less. They won't tell you this at Hazelden, but alcohol can be a real mercy sometimes.

What a refreshing column.

by Dann 

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Actually Being There....vs. Staying In The Hotel

J.D. Johannes is interviewed over at Tech Central. He also has posted his recent speech to the American Enterprise Institute.

Both of which are worth your time. His thoughts regarding media coverage of our Iraqi campaign are thoughtful and cogent.

by Dann 

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A Round of Golf....

.....and the best thing about it was this picture. Click for a larger view.

At least it wasn't a total loss.

by Dann 

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The Basis for Discussion

Entirely too often, it seems that there are those who appear to seek to use any issue as a cudgel to cause the United States to prematurely disengage from the Middle East and our larger war against terrorism. Or as I like to call it: World War IV.

I infer from their words and actions that they find an American defeat (or anything that they could unreasonably label defeat) preferable. Such people seem to be unaware that the outcome of our Middle Eastern campaigns will directly affect them and their heirs for decades to come. Losing not only will have the immediate effect of limiting global oil supplies, it will have the long term effect of giving Islamic theocrats a home base from which to mobilize and send forth successive waves of militants with the objective of placing to place as much of the world as possible under Sharia law.

Before discussing the Middle East, we ought to answer the following questions:

1. Do the people of that region want to have more input into how their nations are governed?

2. Does the US military possess the ability to adapt on a fluid battlefield and beat the terrorists on their home turf?

3. Would it be better for the US to win or lose in the Middle East?

In my opinion, the answers are "yes", "hell, yes", and an unequivocal "win".

Discussion of all other issues related to the region should progress from that point.

by Dann 

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You Got That Right, B-5

We are a different breed.

by Dann 

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