Odds and Sods

Greetings! I have not been able to post in a while due to problems with blogger. So this will be kind of a potpourri of things that I was going to write about now condensed into one column. Since I am listening to The Who CD Odds and Sods, thus will be the title of this piece.

News
First up, the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a good thing. End of story. On the day of his demise I heard so much about the "ifs", "howevers", and "buts". I wish that for one day the American media could just celebrate the death of this animal. So many "experts" say he will be replaced. Yes, he will physically, there will be a new leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq (really the terrorists call it Mesopotamia since they don't recognize the way the Middle East was carved up after the fall of the Ottoman Empire). But like I have said before, will he have the charisma, the leadership qualities, and the ruthlessness that was Zarqawi? I doubt it. This is a big win no doubt about it. Congratulations to Task Force 145 and the Iraqi people, as well as President Bush. Hey, if you are going to criticize him for the bad you have to give credit for the good.

Another good thing last week was that the USS Cole sailed again for the Middle East. Don't you remember that was the carrier that had a hole blown in the side of it by al-Qaeda in October 2000 killing 17 sailors off the shores of Yemen. Due to the timing, America never responded as President Clinton was on the way out and there was nothing to gain politically by an attack. Again, by not responding it showed America to be a "paper tiger" which is what the jihadists believe we are. If you want to understand how badly the investigation was bumbled read "The Cell" by John Miller and Michael Stone with Chris Mitchell. This non-fiction book reads like a Tom Clancy novel. That is, fast and furious.

The comments by Ann Coulter in her new book are deplorable as she insulted the four widows whose husbands were killed on 9/11. Known as the "Jersey Girls" I applaud them for not being sucked in to a battle with Coulter and also for their past work of pressuring the government to investigate the attacks of September 11, 2001 as well as implementing new security measures to prevent a future attack.

On the same note, kudos to Bill O'Reilly for taking Ms. Coulter to task on his radio show and not pandering to her like some conservative talk-show hosts. O'Reilly is about as fair and balanced as their is.

Bad news for America and the world last week as Islamist militiamen seized control of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. The New York Post among others reported that the CIA is providing arms and financial support to the tribal warlords who were defeated. So in essence we are fighting a proxy war. Which allegedly is occurring between Ethiopia(U.S. supported) and Eritrea(Islamist militiamen-supported).

However, more good news for the U.S.A. but you would never know it. The U.S. Army hit its 12th monthly recruiting target in a row in May. The Pentagon released its recruiting figures for May showing the active-duty army got 5,806 recruits topping their goal of 5,400. While, part-time Army National Guard and Army Reserve also reached their targets. This according to a report on yahoo.com. But who would know about this. Certainly not those who only read the New York Times. It is amazing that phenom golfer Michelle Wie gets front page coverage for playing in a qualifier for the U.S. Open. She came up short, of course. Yes she is talented and probably will play in a men's golf major some day. But let's keep things in perspective. Which has a bigger impact on our country. The U.S. Army meeting its recruitment goals or a teenage-golfer? Oh, by the way how many tournaments has Wie won? Yes, the lady in the third row is correct. ZERO!!

Miscellaneous
I really wanted Edmonton to beat Carolina in the Stanley Cup Finals. But once goalie Dwayne Roloson went down it was kind of a given the Hurricanes would win. Still, although the Oilers are down 3-1 I'm pulling for a miracle.

The New Jersey Devils tapped Claude Julien to be their new Head Coach. Question: Why? Prediction: He'll be fired around Christmas.

The New York Islanders named Neil Smith their new General Manager and Ted Nolan their new Head Coach. Blogger's Verdict: Outstanding! Outstanding! Prediction: Islanders will make it to a Stanley Cup Final within three years.

I like Shaquille O'Neal. I like Dwyane Wade. But sorry Pat Reilly you screwed the Knicks therefore I am rooting for the Dallas Mavericks. Just remember there is no 'I' in team but there is an 'I' in Reilly.

I recently saw Mission Impossible III. I must admit I really enjoyed it. However, it is hard to take Tom Cruise seriously. I still can't get past him jumping up and down on couches. But he is a heck of an actor.

L.A. Confidential was on late one night. Talk about a great movie. I guess that's why cable never puts it on or they show it late at night. No they would rather put on insipid movies like Dirty Dancing! Ugggh!

Well, if you are not a wrestling fan or never have been then there is nothing left to read here. But tonight marks the return of ECW(Extreme Championship Wrestling). This is for the hardcore that want to see people get hit with tables and chairs. I went to ECW about 11 years ago at the Yonkers Raceway. I was leery at first. But my friend said the at-the-time magic words: cheap beer. The event was held in an old barn and all I can remember was some giant named the Bruise Brother taking my chair, MY CHAIR, and smashing another wrestler named Mr. Hughes over the head with it. No I didn't ask for it back. I think I chugged a couple of lagers to calm my nerves after that. But I am curious to watch ECW tonight on the Sci-Fi Channel at 10. It's like Al Pacino said in Godfather III, "Every time I try to get out it pulls me right back in."

Cheers!