Three Laws...

Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite scientists and science fiction writers, craft the elegant three laws of robotics.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Later, a fourth law was added.

0. A robot may not injure humanity or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

This was known as the zeroth law. A lot of Asimov's work is poised around the idea of free will and the nature of action and inaction. As my beloved, Citizen Une, is even now embarking on her own journey of deeper discovery. I find myself pondering more encompassing issues.

One of these issues is moral relativism. Much of modern Western thought revolves around a non-judgemental philosophical view. I will not begin to argure the right or wrong of this, I am ill equipped. But I will posit, can we conceive of a set of simple laws by which humanity can be guided?

Are there a Three, four, five laws of humanity?

Half a decade...

We can not forget.

More importantly, we must understand.

Most of all, we must act.

Five years ago today I was working in Suffolk, Virginia when we received word that an aircraft had struck the WTC. We turned on a TV and I sent out one of my mechanics to buy another TV at WalMart.

The images were at first confusing, what kind of plane? Then the second tower was hit. I knew then that this was another battle in our ongoing war with the Islamo-Fascist Alliance (IFA).

I checked in with my unit. There was no immediate deployment order, yet. Later, most of my personnel were to be divided up and allocated around the world to protect military installations. This proved to be a hollow response as the targets selected by our enemies were unlikely to be hardened, military facilities. They were more likely to be nightclubs, train stations and aircraft. Symbols of commerce, areas of free association and very vulnerable.

Some would claim that this is not really a war, and yet there is significant and mounting evidence that it most certainly is. Although we do not find ourselves pitched directly against nation states, our opponents are as committed to the destruction or subjugation of our society as any enemy in history.

The challenge today is how do we respond? We are not a society which will permit wholesale and indiscriminate retaliation. We value the lives of the innocent above all else.

We also value the freedom and open nature of the Enlightened Free World (EFW). And yet that freedom and openness is used against us at every turn. Sometimes by nation states, sometimes by the transnational organizations who act against us and sometimes by individual actors who simply seek to vent their hate-filled philosophy against a society they despise.

One thing is certain, the citizens of the EFW can not afford to relax their posture against such an insidious threat. Our action must be temepred with justice, compassion and a deadly serious dedication to preserving our freedoms.

The war rages on, the time of its end remains in the future. However, we are the ones who must ensure the certainty of its outcome.

The Force is strong in this one...

I am, at heart, a nerd. I love science, math and nearly all thing technologic. I have devoured pages of SciFi, fantasy and even played Dungeons and Dragons. I followed the space program with wide eyed wonder, writing to astronauts (idolizing my hero Alan B. Sheperd– a Naval Officer) and suggesting all sorts of ideas to NASA.

This, I think, is a good thing. The world needs technology badly. It actually needs creative thinkers who can apply new ideas to old problems. I like to think of myself as part of that cadre of engineers, scientists and futurists who work to make things better. I am a doer, as Citizen Une says (accurately) “you are a human being, not a human doing”. But more on that in another, more reflective, post.

What I want to talk about is Star Wars.

Actually, the cult of Star Wars and all that it embodies. Unlike Star Trek, Star Wars invokes a mystical period of clear struggles between good and evil. While Star Trek emphasizes humanities triumph over the adversities of ignorance and the challenges beyond (well, all except Voyager).

Within that cult are a host of "fan films" . These range form the earliest Hardware Wars to one of the most sophisticated and recent (which may actually be better than some of the movies). A project originally called TROOPS II, from the original stormtrooper parody, TROOPS, this film is called I.M.P.S.. It is a documentary about Imperial Stromtroopers and their life aboard their starship. It is well crafted, scripted with some cynical sophistication and a labor of love for the creators.

The breadth of creativity of these producers and directors is stunning. I have no idea what Lucas and company think of all this, but do yourself a favor, download the teaser – if you like it download Chapter One.



The empire will never be the same again.

Unrep...

Inspired by the Major, I have added some original video from our little foray to Chile. The ships in the film are the USS CARNEY, ARAUCANO (Chile) and USCG MOHAWK. The setting, the southwest Pacific. A great night and unusual in that a USN and USCG ship were conducting underway replenishment at the same time from a Chilean oiler.

I recall...

Friends, I wanted to post the experience of a member of our armed services who was recently recalled to Iraq. His experience personifies the "purple" nature of operations. For the uninitiated, this means the use of joint (Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines/Coast Guard/SOF) units in contingencies. What is important to note is the tremendous work exercised to prepare a Navy guy for what was, traditionally, an Army job.

By the way, Jimmy is normally a pretty well compensated civilian engineer. Time and again I read about the "economic" gap of our nations best off not serving. Rest assured, this is pure bunk. Almost all the senior officers (certainly the medical and legal recalls) come from very successful civilian roles, and suffer significantly upon deployment. Although I don't expect to run into Ned Lamont (or his kids - their choice, by the way), I have met more than a few well off folks taking significant personal

Apologies, there are a LOT of TLA (three letter acronyms) in the text. My apologies, I will happily explain to the curious, however, there are a number of very good military acronym sites.

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One of our members asked me to share the recall experience with you - this is probably a good idea since each of you is likely to have a similar experience in the future.

I was recalled on the 10th of January of this year. I received the news on New Years Eve. From what I can tell, I was recalled due to a combination of my MAS code of "VOL" and dropping into IAP status for a few weeks while my unit transitioned from SUBPAC to SUBLANT in late 2005.

I was mobilized through Millington, TN (the closest mob site to my Fort Worth reserve center). I went to Millington for a few days and then was sent to Fort Jackson, SC. My initial orders indicated that I was to go to Afghanistan as a Navy Individual Augmentee (IA), although I ended up in Iraq.

I was in the first Navy IA class at Jackson which was called the Navy Combat Course. We learned the rudiments of being ground-pounding soldiers from OUTSTANDING Army Reserve drill instructors who normally run the Army's Common Task Training (CTT) program for Army IRR soldiers. This is basically an infantry refresher course. It focused on small arms, crew served weapons, convoy procedures, land navigation, CBR training, 1st Aid, communications, small unit movement, and related skills. Since we were the first course, there was a steep learning curve for the Army and the Navy. The instruction was very thorough. Most of my classmates deployed to the CENTCOM AOR with most going to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Just before I was to deploy, the Army realized that it had really intended to make me a Civil Affairs officer. So I was sent to Fort Bragg for three more months with the Army's Special Operations Command. I am administratively assigned to the Navy's new Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC). NECC is tasked with establishing a Maritime CA capability in the near future. The Navy folks that took this course and deployed with me comprise the
pool of folks for this contingency. As such, we anticipate future recall as Navy CA bubbas.

At Bragg, I attended a 4-week Civil Affairs course run by the Special Operations command and had additional combat training that duplicated much of the Fort Jackson experience. The Fort Bragg training included additional focus on preparing for the Iraq theater with a lot of time spent on tactical vehicle operations (HUMVEEs and their ilk), a Combat Life Saver (CLS) course, and other things required by the Special Operations command. At completion of this training I was assigned the Army's 38A MOS (Civil Affairs Officer) and the Navy's CA NOBC.

At Bragg, I was assigned to the US Army's 354th Civil Affairs Brigade along with a number of other Navy Officers and enlisted. This unit is the HQ unit for the various CA Battalions and Companies currently deployed here. In the process, we were issued a lot of stuff. I was issued DCU uniforms (some other IAs wear the Army's ACU uniform). They pretty much gave us everything you could imagine - 4 full seabags of stuff. You name it and they gave it to us. The basic combat kit consists of a Advanced Combat Helmet, a set of Individual Body Armor (IBA) that included the vest, shoulder protection, and ceramic armor plate inserts, a set of load bearing gear, an M-4 carbine, an M-9 pistol, basic combat load, camel back, CLS aid bag, combat knife, ballistic goggles, combat gloves, and knee/elbow pads. My walking around town kit weighs 81 pounds. We deployed in late April and relieved the 322nd CA Brigade. This was a historic event as the first US CA unit comprised of Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen to deploy in combat.

I lead the brigade's Humanitarian Assistance (HA) team whose job is to coordinate HA for the Iraqi theater. As such, we coordinate the distribution of medical supplies, clothing, food, school supplies, toys, sporting goods, and equipment to the maneuver units in the field. We receive these items from government donations, excess US military property, and donations from various charity groups. This is a very rewarding job.

My other assignment is to a team of folks that perform assessments of various Iraqi industrial facilities. I lead the technical assessment of the facilities. Our goal is to determine what needs to happen to get the facility back into full production. This is a great opportunity for an ED with a manufacturing background.

So what do you need to do to get ready? Good question - PT, PT, and PT some more. It is hot as blazes here and the armor is a burden to wear all day in the desert heat. I cannot emphasize how important it is to be in good physical condition in the event you are recalled. In my case, I had the better part of 4 months to get used to the kit, but most people will spend only a few weeks in the states before you arrive here. You also need to get your affairs in order. Given my short notice, I had a couple of days at work and then the rest was focused on packing and hugging good-bye. You do not want to spend that time trying to get a will, POA, passport, financial arrangements, in place. Do it now. Pack your seabag so that you can go when called. If you have BDUs or DCUs plan to bring them with you.

You will send all your other uniforms back home before you deploy. Have that long talk with your loved ones about the sacrifice each of you may face before you ever get the call. Plan to be deployed to a bad place and if it happens you will be ready. Did I mention PT?

It has been the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life. When you go to war you learn a lot about yourself and why you are here in this world. The depth of need in this place is stunning. Have no doubts that we are fighting the good fight in Iraq. The enemy practices evil not seen since WWII. I obviously miss my family and friends, but the sacrifice is worth it when you look into the eyes of children that have had no hope all their lives. We are working hard to get the schools open, the lights on, and destroy the tyranny that reigned unabated in this country. It is a very difficult job. Each step forward is bought with the nations treasure of our soldiers' lives and our country's riches. To whom much is given much is expected. Thank you for your service and supporting our nation.

If you have any questions, feel free to write me.

CDR Jimmy Cox, USN / 354th Civil Affairs Brigade / APO AE 09342

It's all relative...

I have had too much overpriced red wine. Although, the Melka vineyard produces Mettise in the Napa valley, a rather fine Cabernet blend, be sure to get the 2001 vintage.

Can we, as a race (human that is) determine a moral pinnacle on the planet? There is much discussion over moral relativism of late and it is significant to the events which plague us now.

Can someone truly claim the high ground in this conflict of ideals? I would be interested to hear from the seven (okay, maybe six - if I discount Marock) readers of this blog if such a thing can exist.

I am interested because I think that may form the foundation for a discussion of topics of interest to all of us. Of note, Sonic has conceded that Iraq was an error, a position which I disagree with vehemently.

Citizen Une posits that there can be no absolutes. I am troubled by this stance. So to you I pose the question, does it exist? Or is there a point of debarkation from debate and agreement on what is and is not right.

By the way, I must ask that you set aside faith. For it is subjective and not impervious to logic.

UPDATE - Never drink and blog.

Time is running out...

I suppose it was only a matter of time before the trolling, e-mail spider hunters latched onto my posted e-mail and began dumping the latest Netherlands Lotto winners notification and Cote d' Ivoire pleas for hiding untold millions in suspisciously obtained funds. But the time has indeed arrived. I have received a number of good responses. The overall gist will be posted in the coming weeks, preceded by my own views of DADT.

I am disappointed that the responses to my mini-poll on Military.com were not as sucessful. There are several good forums there which I would direct you to view and/or participate in to obtain a flavor for military views. A word of caution, the people on the forum may or may not be actual military members.

The Human Rights Campaign has a good synopsis of some of the more seminal events in the history of the policy. However, some of their reporting is from the SLDN, a group whose sole purpose is to overturn DADTDPDH (the full acronym of the policy). Oddly, this public action by SLDN is the right forum, although their efforts seem to be aimed at the DoD and not Congress, which is the ultimate arbiter of policy.

For a detailed history of the whole debate, originally started by President Jimmy Carter's outright ban on homosexuals in military service, see the Aaron Belkin's Army War College's article in their publication Parameters.

Comparisons of the US to other nations militaries must be made against those which have similar major commonalities. The comparitive forces must be all volunteer, must be selected based upon a meritocracy (best candidates) and must be of a high state of proficiency.

This in itself is a unique status. But, I note, it seems to align well with members of the EFW (Elightened Free World).

Ask me no questions...

UPDATED!!

Alright, it begins. I am going to be reaching out to my military colleagues to do a little unscientific survey of the present state of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and its effect on the military as well as glean any perceptions from folks regarding changes to opinions on homosexuals in the military.

I have added a mail link and a spoof account to collect the input. For your persual, the following includes the range of questions;

All information will remain confidential and reported only in aggregate

Background
1) Military Branch
2) Retired / Current
3) Reserve / Active
4) Years of Service
5) Present / Retiring Rank / Rate
6) Any details I should know about your service (prior enlisted, multi-service, broken service, etc.)
DADT Inquiry
7) What is your understanding of the Don't Ask / Don't Tell policy?
8) Do you have any first hand experience in observing it applied?
9) In your opinion, was it applied equitably?
10) What (if any) changes should be made to Don't Ask / Don't Tell?
Homosexuals in the Military
11) Have you ever personally known homosexuals during your time of service
12) If so, what was your general experience with regard to their service
13) What is your view on homosexuals in the military?
Open Section
14) Any other thoughts or views on this topic?

I expect the process to take about three weeks. I will only consider input from military personnel.

MAIL!

UPDATE: Well the rounds have left the tube. I have begun to receive some good feedback on the e-mail questionaire. I also created a shorter, even more anonymous, query on Military.com. They have a rather extensive set of forums which are also (supposedly) populated by military personnel. My survey is at DADT Short Survey, direct the more retiring types towards that one.

I may have bitten off more than I can chew!

This is a must read...

Great reading from Armed Forces Journal. The expansion of Clausewitz is right on target! Take some time to preview the future of our military posture in the current conflict.

Clausewitz and World War IV

Very encouraging, if a little late!

Yes, I am working on my DADT piece, I would like to get Major John's view as well as a few contemporary colleagues (anonymously of course!). I plan on building a mailbox for submitted opinions.

So there I was...

A beautiful church in Valparaiso.

I never finished the Chile story. I owe so many people posts on the recent uptick in challenges to DADT, but I will get to that. In short, the actions by the Virginia group are probably the right way to get attention to the problems with DADT, although I don;t think they are defensible as a legal challenge.

Now about Chile.

On the last night in Vina del Mar, I received word from Naval Personnel Command that I was one of the lucky recipients of more work. More work in the form of selection to Lieutenant Commander.

Woo hoo! It is often said that there are two terrible ranks in the Navy and they both wear gold. Note to self, ask Major John if it's true in the Army.

Anyway, upon receipt of this pleasant news, I decided to celebrate. Alas and alack, there was no one with which to share my good fortune. I managed to find one of my former unit mates and we set off for the nearest Argentinian restaurant.

Mmmm steak!

Well dinner was great and then out into the early South American evening. The fleet was definitely in town and everywhere we looked we saw groups of eager sailors. Not just the usual running shoes / khaki wearing Americans, but Columbians, Ecuadorans, Chileans and Peruvians. A friendly club had a band out front playing Lynrd Skynrd (why does everyone outside the US think playing Sweet Home Alabama will attract Americans? Never mind that it did)

Note - Best rendition of SHA was by all girl Filipino band in Bahrain.

The club was open in the front and dungeon like in the middle. At the back was a dance floor and stage. Both empty, after all it was only 10pm. Finally a lone guitarist arrived to get the growing crowd going with some outstanding flamenco and classical renditions. Then the club music started and the party started to hit its stride.

Now, as Scoot will attest, I am not the best at selecting clubs. Please don't remind me of my past attempts at a New Years extravaganza. However, since I did not technically pick this spot, the event was perfect. At last some of my fellow selectees arrived and in true Navy tradition we ordered rounds and rounds for one another.

Pisco sours, whiskey, G&T. The Chileans pour two to three ounces of alcohol and then hand you the mixer.

Oh my head. No problem, I rationalized, I am walking - a few blocks from my hotel - and not obligated to anything tomorrow except getting back on a plane to the states. At last my meringe skills wore out and I slogged back to my room. All my charges were safely in and I could sleep!

Until just a few hours later.
A raucous noise raised me from my slumber. There was a lot of yelling and running up and down the hall on my seventh floor. Great, I mused, more dingbats from one of the ships waking a guy up.

I poked my head out of my room and was first hit by the distinct smell of smoke.

Crap.

As I looked at the floor above from the inside curve of the hotel, I noticed the flames and smoke pouring from the eigth floor. The hotel was on fire.

No alarm, no power, no panic. Hotel staff were actively engaged in clearing the building and fighting the fire! I quickly assembled some critical gear and made ready to depart. A few times in and out of my room, until one of the staff insisted I depart. In Chile, I am told, all the firefighters (bomberos) are volunteers. In short order a host of vehicles arrived, along with top rate fire engines and the battle was joined.

We were ushered across the street to await the fate of our comrades and belongings. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The hotel was under control by noon with the upper three floors a total loss (mostly due to smoke and water). Oddly, the ground floor casino was open by 3pm that day!

The Chilean Navy, in their usual quick action, whisked us to their country club cabanas for a change of clothes, shower and lunch. Their hospitality was outstanding. And the view from the cabanas took in the whole curve of the Vina and Valparaiso coastline.

This set of exercises was probably the most rewarding and well conducted I have seen in my Navy career. It is important to note that UNITAS is the oldest Naval exercis in the world, having been started by the Brazilians and continuously executed for 47 years!

If you get a chance to go to Chile, for any reason. Do it. It is a nation of energy and excitement. You will find the best of many worlds with significant promise for the future.

And if you go, drink a Pisco Sour for me.

This is no game...

The recent revelations of the multi-pronged attack planned on transoceanic airliners is further evidence just how serious and dangerous this war is. For those just tuning in, take a look at the past few issues of the Economist magazine. In that publication is a list of short news summaries from around the world. They do a nice job of encapsulating the critical news events (without the use of PhotoShop).

What is telling is the number of reported terrorist attacks listed. Most interesting is the attributed culprits behind these attacks. In nearly every event, the culprits are classified as Muslim extremists.

Huh.

I did a post earlier on the fact that we are engaged in World War IV. It is a war which has been brewing (like all wars) for some time. It is a war unlike any other. It is a war in which the impact of clever computer manipulation is just as important as explosives on aircraft or missiles fired from behind apartment homes. It is also unlike any other war in that the goals and demands of the protagonists are not negotiable.

The implementation of Sharia Law.




The restoration of the Caliphate.

The eradication of Israel.

The death of non believers.

We can argue and bicker about the origins of these grievances. We can debate the hijacking of a world religion for sinister purposes. The bottom line is that the war is real, it is lethal and it is not going away via policy alone.

And yet despite the cries by some of our progression towards a new theocratic, fascist state. The United States and the rest of the Enlightened Free World (EFW) remain open and accepting societies. In my own hometown, a beautiful mosque is nearing completion, its minaret visible from most of the city. Remember, this is a town which saw some of toughest struggles in the civil rights movement.

I do not advocate a reduction in rights, the wholesale round up of "profiled" individuals. I do advocate continued, aggressive military prosecution against our enemies. I am in favor of the use of technology to root out the "religious hijackers" who seek to wreak havoc throughout the world. I also want our government to support opposition movements and initiatives which counter the effects of extremist idealogy.

Part of this stems from my firm belief that our values system is superior to those of our enemies. While imperfect, it represents a higher level of social evolution that exist in much of the rest of the world.

Forget oil, this too shall pass - new tehcnologies are already in the offing to supplant this as a principal transportation energy source.

Forget ideas of "crusade" - during time of stress, most societies cling to their core beliefs, this is not indicative of a slide into a religious hegemony. Our enemies are truly opposed to our culture at every level.

Forget Zionism - Israel's current state of conflict resulted from their perceived weakness after they conducted a unilateral WITHDRAWAL and were subsequently assaulted by Hezbollah.

This conflict is not the result of one administration, religion or nation.

It is the very battle between ignorance and elightenment.

It is a war which we can not afford to lose.

For whom the bell tolls...

Lieberman onward as an independent, McKinney out on her ear.

 

There is nothing more brutal than internecine warfare.  Joe Lieberman waged a tough campaign, but was undone by the concentrated efforts of MoveOn and Lamont's millions.  The internal battle for the heart and soul of the democratic party was on full display in Connecticut.  Let's recall that just a few years ago, Lieberman was a viable presidential candidate.  The senator from Connecticut has been a principled and above all honest broker for his state.  A state which has a disproportionate share of wealth versus its meager population.

 

And yet the party chose to unseat him.  Ironic, there is a good likelihood that he will win as an independent.  This means that a "seat" in the senate has effectively been lost to the democrats.  Lieberman's new campaign may signal a new opportunity for American politics.  Independents at the congressional level may be able to more accurately reflect their voters concerns and speak out openly on issues of importance to them.  No longer tied to the party line, we may see the return of a vital and engaged legislature!

 

Alright, I am putting down the martini.

 

Cynthia McKinney is a perfect example of someone killing the goose that laid the golden egg.  Her removal was motivated strictly on her non-performance.  The good people of her district decided that they had enough and replaced her with a candidate who will look out for their interests.  This is the second time that McKinney has been booted out by a more competent candidate.  Will she run as an independent?  Perhaps.  Will that reveal her to be the true icon of race-baiting, conspiracy theorists?  I don't see what more could be revealed. 

 

If we can say one thing about the two defeated incumbents, it is that their honesty was their undoing.

 

Scoot rocks with "Give A Man Enough Rope...."

Scoot, my much more literate friend has cooked up a worthy commentary on his blog which earned a nod from Slate
For those not familiar with his work, check this out and peruse his blog. I believe he has a number of great and accurate insights into politics, society and culture. I don't agree with some of his views - but this guy is sharp!

Give A Man Enough Rope....

PS - And if you drop by, be sure to let him know I did get him something from Chile, even if it was after a little too much Emergency Protocol 417.