Open Letter to Senator Gordon Smith Senator Smith,
Thank you for asking my opinion this evening through your very detailed phone poll. Perhaps the polling organization should ask if the respondent is a blogger as well as asking if they are a reporter, because this is going straight to my blog.
http://pslasswell.blogspot.com I wanted to communicate with you directly because some of my responses might be atypical, and I want to clarify them.
Please continue funding, and oversight, of the Title X contraception programs. I strongly believe that underage pregnancy is a substantial cause of misery in the United States. Tremendous potential is wasted when immature women become mothers, in both the parent and the child. I support adoption, but for many young girls with incomplete identities it is too hard to release the one person who will always make them unique. It is far better to help prevent a young woman's time of vulnerability from becoming permanent. The brutal truth is that nine out of ten underage mothers never climb out of poverty.
I also believe that you need to make sure that the funding for contraception is efficiently spent and reaching its intended users. I don't mind a little bit of wastage in making sure that plenty of contraception is available, because this is one form of medication that can save taxpayers a lot of money down the road. It is worth noting that all of Title X funding is less than the cost of one bridge in Alaska that serves no purpose other than to carry indigenous pork.
I would like to note that the one issue that matters to me most is the continued support of the Global War on Terror. Although it might seem attractive right now to start hedging away from President Bush on the war, I think that is due to a media bubble that is due to burst. The fact is that we are winning the war in Iraq and elsewhere, and those who think otherwise are watching biased media and not talking to the people who have been and are there. We have a stronger force than we had going into the war, and we are forging the leaders we will need for the rest of the century in the crucible of a very hard, but not very bloody war. (Look at the Battle of the Somme casualty statistics as a reference for what is a bloody fight.)
Thank you again for asking my opinion,
Patrick S Lasswell
Expert Advice on Disaster Relief CAPT Jason Van Steenwyk is an expert on military logistics:
I've been a battalion S4 in combat, an HHC XO for dozens of major moves of a hundred miles or more, and an HHC company commander for six hurricane mobilizations.
Which means he's moved more people, more miles in a coordinated, effective manner than just about anybody you know who isn't a professional truck dispatcher. Pay attention to
what he has to say about moving people or sound like an ass. Your call…
But suppose you stripped the evac effort dry and got enough busses to support a 5,000 man move. Well, a few hundred of them would show up driving the brigade's vehicles (armed with fuel cards to use at pumps that don't work, so the army would also have to transport in its own bulk fuel).
Well, in order to move 4,400 soldiers by bus in 48 hours, with a 1-day turnaround time, you would need 100 busses. Which is most of the FEMA effort right there. The available truck transportation would be hauling food, water, tents, portable kitchens, and other gear -- not troops.
Well, I think FEMA came up with 140 busses. You want to strip 70 percent of the FEMA effort to bring in National Guard? I didn't think so.
I hope that more people will be listening to reason in the coming days and not just spouting off about the lack of response. Keep reading Jason and keep things in perspective.
A Great Evening at the Movies: "Serenity" After waiting for a long time, I got to see a great science fiction movie tonight, "
Serenity". The most dense, chewy, flavor-packed science fiction since "Blade Runner" and maybe a bit more than that; there was something for everybody. I'm sure that there are movie reviewers dull and derivative enough to find fault with the film. The rest of the world will get to see something fine, though.
The thing is, you really need to watch the
original series to appreciate the depth of the character interaction and development. Please go out, rent the DVD set, watch it, and then go out and love the movie. Not because you deserve to see a great movie, but because I deserve to see as many sequels as possible.
Unlike the massive disappointments of other franchises, Writer-Director Joss Whedon knows how to stay true to his stories, especially when he is given room to develop them. More to the point, he knows how to get actors to give a lot more with familiar characters, and that just hasn't been the case elsewhere. The movie will be out on 30 September, unless you get to see an early screening like I did. You have plenty of time to get your hands on a copy of the series "
Firefly" so you can fully enjoy "
Serenity". Then maybe I'll be able to watch a series of great science fiction movies that I have been waiting my whole life for.
