The Quarter-Billion Dollar War Games We Ignored January 3, 2007March 5, 2017 R.I.P., MR. PRESIDENT President Ford was, by unanimous consent, a highly decent, fair-minded man. One more example: “I think they [gays] ought to be treated equally. Period. I don’t see why they shouldn’t [get the same Social Security, tax and other federal benefits as married couples]. I think that’s a proper goal. … I have a longstanding record in favor of legislation to do away with discrimination.” – Former President Gerald R. Ford, in a 2001 interview with Detroit News columnist Deb Price. JOINT CHIEFS CHAIR: Go ahead and tell. Retired General Shalikashvili, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, writing in the New York Times: Last year I held a number of meetings with gay soldiers and marines, including some with combat experience in Iraq, and an openly gay senior sailor who was serving effectively as a member of a nuclear submarine crew. These conversations showed me just how much the military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be accepted by their peers. . . . I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces. Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job. . . . And speaking of the military: IF ONLY WE HAD KNOWN THEN WHAT WE KNEW THEN It seems we war-gamed Iraq way back in 2002 – and lost: In July 2002 . . . at the cost of a quarter-billion dollars, the Pentagon launched the most elaborate war games in its history, immodestly entitled “Millennium Challenge 02.” These involved all four services in “17 simulation locations and nine live-force training sites.” Officially a war against a fictional country in the Persian Gulf region — but obviously Iraq — it was specifically scripted to prove the efficacy of the Rumsfeld-style invasion that the Bush administration had already decided to launch. Click here for the sad account. (Thanks, Peter.)
Betavacation (From the Dept. of Shamless Self-Promotion) January 2, 2007March 5, 2017 So a couple of friends and I are building a resortlet in Costa Rica. (Resortlet: n., a very – very – small resort.) Click paradisebreezes.com to see it. In no time, you could be shooing monkeys off the deck of your four-bedroom villa overlooking the Pacific (complete with broadband, flat screen TVs, little soaps – all that) . . . bird-watching in a wildlife refuge less than two miles away . . . riding horseback to a waterfall, surfing in Manuel Antonio or snorkeling through nearby coral reefs, whitewater rafting, sportfishing, zip-lining . . . or just getting a massage out by your private infinity pool. I can take no credit for the website. The copy I submitted was deemed ‘unhelpful’ by my partners. (‘Zip-lining,’ I wrote, ‘involves a tremendously strenuous climb to the canopy of the rain forest, where you are hooked onto a wire – that could break, for crying out loud – to ‘zip’ from tree to tree, easy prey for whatever lives up there that wants to bite you, sting you, or peck yours eyes out. Are you out of your mind?’ This was revised to: ‘Climb to a height of over 100 feet with your English-speaking guide and savor the beauty of this rare and awe-inspiring natural resource, while perched on the canopy of one of the primary rainforest’s ancient trees. Once you’ve had the time to observe the rainforest’s exotic birds and wildlife, you’ll fly from treetop to treetop, adding even more excitement to your adventure!’) But the website does answer most of the questions you’d be likely to have. And while I’m not suggesting that a lavish vacation is a good way to enhance your financial security (didn’t you just resolve yesterday to live beneath your means?) – what if you split the villa two or three or four ways? What if you booked now, at the 33% off ‘shake-down’ rate? It becomes so cheap that way, it’s almost as if we’re paying you to come. As for the cost of ‘getting there,’ why, dear reader, do you suppose God invented frequent flier miles? If you do check out the website, please don’t be shy about making suggestions or reporting bugs. We’re in beta. Happy New Year!