Went in today, to the old place. Checked out with
admin, got my fitness report debriefed by the boss. The FITREP said all the
right things, glowing actually, to the point where I once again wondered who
this person was that they were talking about. Sure would like to meet him. Then
I noticed that the SSN was off by one number, and the whole thing would have to
be done again. Which could only be done by the one guy, who wasn't there, so,
"See you on Monday!"
It's funny, going
back to a place after a month off - especially a place where you've been a
central cog in the gearbox for a such a long time. My relief was on board since
before I left, we had a thorough pass down and all the gerbils had kept their
respective wheels spinning in my absence, just like I knew they would. Everyone
smiled and said, "Nice mustache!" and then went back to what it was they'd been
doing before. So it goes, and so I guess it will go at least one more time as I
move into the new thing Monday, probably for the last
time.
At the end of the day, the Navy
is a kind of huge sausage factory, one that keeps on grinding. Somewhere out
there is a third class midshipman enjoying the last few days of his summer break
whose role in life it will be to plug the gap that I leave empty when I finally
move my sea bag ashore for the last time, some three years down the road. Well,
he'll fill the gap once he's got 23 years of commissioned service behind him,
but you know what I mean. The factory keeps
grinding.
And,
"Les cimetiéres sont pleine des
hommes indispensables." - Charles de Gaulle.
So put that in your pipe and smoke
it.
----------
So,
what does thirty days off get you? The leisure to decide whether or not you
might go fishing. To play a round or two (or three) of guilt-free golf. To go to
the gym and take as long as it takes to get it done, none of your mad rushing
about.
It does not get you a spot to
park your car in the garage, however. Not by
itself.
Selah.
----------
Been
a while since I've bashed the NYT, and I'm feeling sort of remiss. This
provides the perfect opportunity,
though: -
The New York Times has been asking
lawyers who specialize in adoption cases for advice on how to get into the
sealed court records on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' two adopted
children.
-
There is no indication The Times
had any evidence there was anything improper in the family's adoption of
five-year-old Josie and four-year-old Jack, both born in Latin America. Sources
familiar with the matter told FOX News that at least one lawyer turned the Times
down flat, saying that any effort to pry into adoption case records, which are
always sealed, would be reprehensible.
-
A Times spokesman said the paper
was simply asking questions, and that only initial inquiries had been
made.
-
All the news that's fit to print, and some that
probably isn't: I have a hard time understanding what legitimate public purpose
could possibly be served by digging into a Supreme Court candidate's
adoption
records. Especially in that, as far as wild-eyed strict constructionists go, it
seems to me that Roberts should be a rather sympathetic character , to those on the
left:
-
Judge John G. Roberts Jr., the
Supreme Court nominee, gave advice to advocates for gay rights a decade ago,
helping them win a landmark 1996 ruling protecting gay men and lesbians from
state-sanctioned discrimination.
-
Judge Roberts, at the time an
appellate lawyer for the Washington firm of Hogan & Hartson, did not write
legal briefs or argue the case, lawyers involved said. But they said he did
provide invaluable strategic guidance working pro bono to formulate legal
theories and coach them in moot court
sessions. - There
are so many possible stories out there, one can't possibly fit them all in. Some
will have to remain
unreported - not enough news value, really. And some of them are
so
far away, in parts of the country no one really cares about. Like the
Bronx: - In
early 2004, the directors of the nascent Air America network were scouring the
nation for potential contributors to its start-up. One of the network's
directors, Evan Montvel Cohen, appears to have partially solved the problem by
arranging loans from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club that eventually
totaled at least $480,000, and possibly
more. - According
to reports, Cohen was in an advantageous position to secure the loans: In
addition to directing Air America, Cohen also served as development director of
the Gloria Wise club.
- At
the same time, it is worth noting, Cohen also secured loans to himself. All
told, he borrowed more than $800,000, according to club
officials. - In
this case, "borrow" seems to be a loose term. The club's president says Cohen
made at least one of the Air America loans - $213,000 - without her approval.
Cohen no longer works for either the club or the network, and there is some
indication that the current owner of Air America, Piquant LLC, may not have been
aware of the loans at the time it purchased the network on May 24,
2004. - For
the Boys & Girls Club, meanwhile, the results have been disastrous. The New
York Department of Investigation announced in June that city grants and
contracts to Gloria Wise - about $10 million worth - were to be suspended
because its officials had approved "significant inappropriate transactions and
falsified documents that were submitted to various city
agencies." - There.
I believe that satisfies my NYT bashing itch for a while. After all, if the
Times is going to recognize bloggers ,
then bloggers ought to return the favor. (And by the way, if either of my
readers are concerned about this article from the Boston Herald, purporting that we're all typing
in our jammies, I want to reassure you that I've never, ever blogged in what I
wear to bed. Ever.)
And that's all I
have to say about
that.
----------------
Thin
gruel, I know - but it's off to dine on raw seafood with the Hobbit and
her our brood - apart from Son Number One, who's enjoying the
hospitality of his best high school friend in Ireland (and the holy land of Ireland, and time runs on said she)
and with the addition of the Biscuit's best friend who now lives in Seattle, but
is visiting with her father (oh, the humanity!) here in Sandy
Eggo.
Nothing left but a prayer for
those poor Russians at the bottom of the sea. Good
Lord, I hope it works out for them. I'd hate to be a submariner, at times like
these, faced with the sum of all their
fears.
The idea of all this is alien to
me: In aviation, we are promised a fast life, and a quick
death.
-----------------
Upon
that happy thought, I release you for the weekend - Have a great
one!
Posted @
05:38 PM
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Posted in
""
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Sendit
|
Credo
"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." - John Paul Jones
"Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Ceasar and Cleopatra"
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friederich Nietzsche
