"Undermining my electoral viability since 2001."

Iraq At The Moment

Bush lauds progress of Iraqi security forces, which seems to be mostly hokum, suggests a token troop reduction. Meanwhile Sy Hersh says bombing will increase; others suspect the El Salvador option.

Out of sheer nerdly compulsion, I'm poking through the National Strategy For Victory In Iraq Report, a very corporate, bullet-pointed, repetative piece of communication that's less a plan and more a summary of everything we already know.

This isn't a strategy document; it's an extended tautology. Victory through the winning.

To the extent that there are any tangible specifics, it reads like wishful thinking. From the executive summary, the three tracks to victory:

  • The Political Track involves working to forge a broadly supported national compact for democratic
    governance by helping the Iraqi government:
    • Isolate enemy elements from those who can be won over to the political process by countering false propaganda and demonstrating to all Iraqis that they have a stake in a democratic Iraq;
    • Engage those outside the political process and invite in those willing to turn away from violence through ever-expanding avenues of participation; and
    • Build stable, pluralistic, and effective national institutions that can protect the interests of all Iraqis, and facilitate Iraq’s full integration into the international community.
  • The Security Track involves carrying out a campaign to defeat the terrorists and neutralize the
    insurgency, developing Iraqi security forces, and helping the Iraqi government:
    • Clear areas of enemy control by remaining on the offensive, killing and capturing enemy fighters and denying them safe-haven;
    • Hold areas freed from enemy influence by ensuring that they remain under the control of the Iraqi government with an adequate Iraqi security force presence; and
    • Build Iraqi Security Forces and the capacity of local institutions to deliver services, advance the rule of law, and nurture civil society.
  • The Economic Track involves setting the foundation for a sound and self-sustaining economy by
    helping the Iraqi government:
    • Restore Iraq’s infrastructure to meet increasing demand and the needs of a growing economy;
    • Reform Iraq’s economy, which in the past has been shaped by war, dictatorship, and sanctions, so that it can be self-sustaining in the future; and
    • Build the capacity of Iraqi institutions to maintain infrastructure, rejoin the international economic community, and improve the general welfare of all Iraqis.

Three tracks with three bullet points each -- this is as meaty as it gets. I don't doubt that acheving all these things would signify great success in Iraq. But unfortunately it isn't going to happen.

While the political process can be slogged out, there's no way I can see creating even the appearance of success on the security and economic tracks. This strategy will fail because the political track alone isn't going to do squat. It's one thing to have an election on a date, to have some guys who are your "government." It's another thing to have them actually able to govern (e.g. some degree of security) over a society worth living in (e.g. one with electricity).

The reality is that Clear/Hold operations can never be successful against a Guerrilla opponent. The reality is that protecting critical economic infrastructure from motivated attacks by native people is impossible without imposing a complete police state. Steps 1 and 2 of the security track and step 1 of the economic track are unachievable unless some sort of cease-fire can be reached with insurgents. Since (as the document points out) there is no entity with which to negotiate, this will not happen.

And so it seems the war will grind on. Maybe more bombing; maybe more local paramilitaries; but basically the same war. Something's gotta give.

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BarCampNYC

Hey NYC nerds: BarCampNYC

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Gear Grinding

0078h by M83

That's music; click it and see. I feel on the cusp, right about at 2:34 in that track. Felt like this before, though, and I know it doesn't mean anything necessarily.

God damn things seem complex sometimes. Too many irons in the fire maybe. To many moving parts. The gears are grinding. I've been back here in beloved BKLYN for about two months now and already I've got itchy feet, curse of the rambler, thinking about how Mark's got the internets now out in Westhaven, thinking about how to take up hermitage in the Siesta, rack up billable hours, write at a book, maybe get fat or something.

Ginding my gears, spinning my wheels. Time for a tune up? Too much sleep over the holiday; got the sluggishness. Wake it and shake it! Man, maybe time for the gym, for structure. Fuck getting fat, how about getting ripped again? Really hit it and throw some weight around. Or maybe a yoga class is the thing. I seen Ginger Legon (ol' theater comrade) is teaching in the neighborhood. What am I doing with my life? I need to get health and dental insurance and checkups. I need to pay off the IRS, pay off MBNA. I need to get rid of that old mattress and replace it with a bookshelf.

I really need to do some art. I need that sweaty unconcsious moment. I need I need I need. I need to not be bored. I need a distraction, a downer, an upper, a challenge, a doorway to a new dimension. Videogames, drugs, women; anything to throw me into the heat of battle so I don't have to feel the cold out here on the edges. Everyone's sweating the transition. Where's that fucking easy button?

UPDATE: Note to self -- remember to eat food. It helps your mind work right.

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Gear Grinding

0078h by M83

That's music; click it and see. I feel on the cusp, right about at 2:34 in that track. Felt like this before, though, and I know it doesn't mean anything necessarily.

God damn things seem complex sometimes. Too many irons in the fire maybe. To many moving parts. The gears are grinding. I've been back here in beloved BKLYN for about two months now and already I've got itchy feet, curse of the rambler, thinking about how Mark's got the internets now out in Westhaven, thinking about how to take up hermitage in the Siesta, rack up billable hours, write at a book, maybe get fat or something.

Ginding my gears, spinning my wheels. Time for a tune up? Too much sleep over the holiday; got the sluggishness. Wake it and shake it! Man, maybe time for the gym, for structure. Fuck getting fat, how about getting ripped again? Really hit it and throw some weight around. Or maybe a yoga class is the thing. I seen Ginger Legon (ol' theater comrade) is teaching in the neighborhood. What am I doing with my life? I need to get health and dental insurance and checkups. I need to pay off the IRS, pay off MBNA. I need to get rid of that old mattress and replace it with a bookshelf.

I really need to do some art. I need that sweaty unconcsious moment. I need I need I need. I need to not be bored. I need a distraction, a downer, an upper, a challenge, a doorway to a new dimension. Videogames, drugs, women; anything to throw me into the heat of battle so I don't have to feel the cold out here on the edges. Everyone's sweating the transition. Where's that fucking easy button?

UPDATE: Note to self -- remember to eat food. It helps your mind work right.

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Secunia - Advisories - Microsoft Internet Explorer

Secunia - Advisories - Microsoft Internet Explorer "window()" Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

Fer cryin' out loud, if you've got the option switch to Firefox. I understand about work compuers and admin passwords and if your local IT hefe wants to run the risk (or has to because you got some crap-ass tool that's IE-only) that's really his business.

But if you're running IE by choice, think about switching. It will make the internet a better place and if you use the link I've got up on top of my page I'll get a buckaroo.

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Bush To Announce Withdrawl?

That's the buzz around the water cooler. Another "major speech" announced for tomorrow, and the word of the day is "widthdrawl." As in "pulling out." As in we're going to unleash our load of freedom all over the supple belly of Iraq. Dirty.

I wonder how tense it will be around the White House what with Cheney thinking Bush is a trator now.

Anyway, snark aside, this can't begin a moment too soon. It's abundantly clear that our kung-fu is not working. As much as it may pain the pulsing masss of Angry White Males at the core of the GOP, we're shitty imperialists and we need to stop.

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Old Crow

A-Stock's birthday last night, in the old neighborhood, where on a Monday the most bang for your buck is a Buddy and a shot of old crow for a five-spot. What did I have, six? Slusarz and I got into it at the end, talking old times. Making a date for Friday night at the Palace. The old days. Yeah.

Back in September aught-two, I wrote the following:

After all this I helped Jeremy and his coworkers pack up (they were there to sell books for Shakespeare and Co) and get cleared out. Victoria (my English crush) was there, but I didn't really speak with her. It was actually kind of weird. I don't think I'll see her again before she returns to her home country, and this makes me sad. I was innocent, but confused. Fascinating to me the way soulful/intellectual attraction still induces palm-moistening nerves, tiny panics and hesitation, the deisre to take a charging dive at the bottle. Much more complex and difficult than the freewheeling zoot-suit character of lust and easy company, but in the end a mite bit more valuable and rare too. Mad at myself for apparently missing out on something that might have happened.

We talk about this girl for a while because it turns out that -- hey imagine that, beautiful witty tall chiquita with an accent -- we were both hooked at the time. It makes sense, seeing how Jeremy tried to wave me off that one time back sitting at that big round dark-wood bar. "Bad Josh," he said in that big-brotherly way he has from time to time. He had a girlfriend already, and a good one, and he's an honorable man, so he couldn't come out and say much more. But it makes sense peering through history. Those were interesting times.

And now to one of those good six-hour-drunk-sleep days of work. Time to rack up some billable hours before my skillset skips off to Bangalore.

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Old Crow

A-Stock's birthday last night, in the old neighborhood, where on a Monday the most bang for your buck is a Buddy and a shot of old crow for a five-spot. What did I have, six? Slusarz and I got into it at the end, talking old times. Making a date for Friday night at the Palace. The old days. Yeah.

Back in September aught-two, I wrote the following:

After all this I helped Jeremy and his coworkers pack up (they were there to sell books for Shakespeare and Co) and get cleared out. Victoria (my English crush) was there, but I didn't really speak with her. It was actually kind of weird. I don't think I'll see her again before she returns to her home country, and this makes me sad. I was innocent, but confused. Fascinating to me the way soulful/intellectual attraction still induces palm-moistening nerves, tiny panics and hesitation, the deisre to take a charging dive at the bottle. Much more complex and difficult than the freewheeling zoot-suit character of lust and easy company, but in the end a mite bit more valuable and rare too. Mad at myself for apparently missing out on something that might have happened.

We talk about this girl for a while because it turns out that -- hey imagine that, beautiful witty tall chiquita with an accent -- we were both hooked at the time. It makes sense, seeing how Jeremy tried to wave me off that one time back sitting at that big round dark-wood bar. "Bad Josh," he said in that big-brotherly way he has from time to time. He had a girlfriend already, and a good one, and he's an honorable man, so he couldn't come out and say much more. But it makes sense peering through history. Those were interesting times.

And now to one of those good six-hour-drunk-sleep days of work. Time to rack up some billable hours before my skillset skips off to Bangalore.

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Cell Phone Rage

Cell phones make me angry.

They're undeniably utilitarian, but the manner in which the industry has developed is so brain-dead from a consumer perspective, it's almost offensive.

For instance, I just got a new hand-me-down phone (thanks Aaron) and there's no way to transfer my phone book. This is fucking ridiculous. It's expected, yeah, but it's totally fucking ridiculous from a technology perspective. There's absolutely no goddamn reason I shouldn't be able to import/export phone books, even if it has to be through my provider's website. This is piss easy to do, and yet it doesn't exist. Why? They think its a revenue line.

Anyway, on the plus side I had a nice street-level experience at the PCS store; a little independent dealership run by a couple of Russian guys. "You pay cash, we save you tax." Very good.

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Bowling Alley RIP

It comes to me via email this morning that the M&M Bowling alley in Onowa, Iowa, where my kin would sit and share pizza and beer and raunchy jokes and gossip, has burned to the ground. Total Loss. Tragedy.

I'll dredge up the vagabender photos and post them shortly.

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