Serenity

Aaahhh, another net ninja rears his head. You look like you're about 12. Step into my net Dojo! Grab my hand, my OTHER hand, with YOUR other hand! YSd2-nYQzsY

What's your phone number? (I'm posting to promote my new avatar. Thanks Pandora!) It's like My Little Pony!

post holier , nice photos!

I'll probably be up there about that time working on my postholing, survival skiing technique.

Same article. The link was in the subject header, but I removed it and added it at the bottom just for you Rob. PM sent.

I posted this 3 weeks ago. It contains some more details. http://vaultedsky.blogspot.com/

I've always felt like October's early storms we're the perfect time to get a lap on the Muir. Guess I better get up there. Appreciate the stoke.

It's a good debate, but numbing all the same. We could win without a shot being fired. We could all just start pressuring the oil lobbyist/politicians to make home grown bio-fuels our MAIN NATIONAL PRIORITY. This way we can cut out the middle east altogether, and we'll never have to deal with any of them again. I'd go out and buy a car that runs on corn. Just let me buy my 50,000 acres of cornfields first (and fortify them).

I suggest you up your Iranian history IQ a bit, then join in on the big folks conversations. Chuck, you sound scared. Are you scared? Because you sound pretty scared. I'm sure my life expectancy will diminish considerably if something happens with Iran, worse yet, maybe not even be able to get home from that part of the world period. Now what are you scared about again Chuck? You worry too much, I got your back.

I know you both deserve a good response from me. I'm going to pretty busy the next couple of days, but I will respond as soon as I can. I don't think anyone is arguing that there has been some serious and costly mistakes by the current administration. Certainly you won't hear that rhetoric coming from my mouth, but I will defend the small man on the ground who's patriotism and career have been shot like a cannon downrange, and now left to cope. I want to make sure the little part I can play might help us achieve some type of dignity when the smoke clears. Rest assured, there are good, even great men and women, on the ground trying their hardest to make things right. Have no doubt about that, and be proud of their work. No one is a bloodthirsty anything, just average folks sometimes scared for their lives, doing the job they volunteered to do. Best, Mike

Furthermore, here's a piece of news you may have overlooked in your vehemence to destroy a valuable government asset. Targeted assassination attempt with collateral damage that was anticipated and ignored. But hey, these are our enemies doing this, so why should that be newsworthy? Let's bash on good Americans risking their life and limb instead. http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1847374&Language=en

Yeah, I do. Why do you just automatically assume that SOMEONE needs to be prosecuted? Why do you condone the language of mercenary, which has been argued ad naseum in various forums and journals? I have a problem with you quoting unnamed and unverified sources such as your quote above. I have a problem with journalists, and obvious laymen quoting figures and stats they simply can't verify or twist to suit some purpose. In those figures I have heard that those counted were roughly 85% Iraqi and third country nationals performing important and dangerous work. Of the other 15% I would estimate a fair amount of those to be British citizens performing work in support of their governments aims. It's estimated that there are roughly 2-3K American security contractors providing for various mission objectives under control of DoD and DoS. I posted a link to http://icasualties.org a few pages back which documents coalition casualties succinctly. My problem is with your reading comprehension. Unless you want to pony up, get down there and volunteer I suggest you simply tip your hat, and say thanks for risking your life in a shitty war you don't support anyway. BECAUSE HERE IS THE BOTTOM LINE, UNLESS YOU WANT TO SUPPORT REINSTATING THE DRAFT (including yourself if you are 42 and under), WHICH MANDATES SERVICE FOR ALL CITIZENS UNDER A FAIR SYSTEM, THEN YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO OFFER INCENTIVES FOR PEOPLE TO RISK GETTING KILLED IN 140 DEGREE HEAT, 13,000 MILES FROM HOME.

I'll have to take some time to reply to the other thread, but I did want to comment that this is indeed a slap in the face to those folks. It's an indictment of the lack of real trust that those guys deserve for their service. I'm sure it will be worked out, but it never should have happened to begin with.

Baghdad is a city that is larger than Los Angeles greater metro area. Over the past 5 years there have been hundreds of car bombings, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries. This tends to make people nervous when cars don't immediately take heed of warnings to stop. There are daily rocket and mortar attacks on most of the principal government locations, which tend to be scattered all over the city. There are armed militias, corrupt police, people with vendettas and motives. Try to imagine that you need to go see someone in charge of finance or oil and their office is all the way across town and you have to cross this no mans land where anything can happen. You know people who have been killed and injured, sometimes several a year, but it's important work that is being accomplished because there are good Iraqi people who want the violence to stop and are willing to work with the people who want the best for them. A lot of the state department folks are well educated, travelled, well meaning types who want to see Iraq succeed, but there is the the constant threat of death, and almost certain death to travel unescorted. It's a 360 degree battlefield with no clear front line, and often no indication of where you can and cannot go at any point or time. What's safe one minute of the center of the maelstrom the next. The real blow back is that it appears that Maliki is aiding Sadr by providing propoganda coups such as this one that weakens the goal we are trying to produce. I agree that it is a tragic occurrence, in a series of tragedies. I tend to focus more on Iranian trained militias planning raids using subterfuge that kidnap, torture, and then murder American soldiers. That signals a need to win this thing and quit being JosephH's looking back over our shoulders with hindsight "I told you so's & "We gotta get out" "Bush sux" and get the job done without wincing at every tragedy, and playing politico pundit. I do agree that the current administration has not done everything right, but with the current state of the US, their would probably be a similar level of griping, bitching, and moaning and expert advice on how we woulda, coulda, shoulda hit Normandy Beach better.

By Jay Price, McClatchy Newspapers Tue Oct 9, 6:34 PM ET BAGHDAD — When private contractors escort clients around the Iraqi capital, they use one of two methods. Low-profile security details rely on going unnoticed for safety and opt for older, nondescript vehicles. They often dress like Iraqis and keep their weapons out of sight. ADVERTISEMENT High-profile details, such as those used for U.S. diplomats, typically use large, new armored SUVs or specially designed vehicles and are often recognizable at a distance. Such convoys are at obvious risk from suicide car bombs, among other threats, and have to keep other traffic at a safe distance. Often the vehicles bear signs telling drivers to keep back 100 meters (110 yards). Police said the trucks in the convoy Tuesday had those signs. Contractors on such high-profile missions use hand signals, shout and sometimes toss objects such as water bottles or flares to warn vehicles that get too close. Depending on the circumstances, if a vehicle keeps coming, they may shoot into the road, then into the radiator grill, then at the driver. In Tuesday's fatal shooting, Iraqi policeman Hamed Ali , who was at the scene, said no shots were fired into the road or grill of the car carrying the two women who were killed. Other witnesses disagreed and said the contractors fired at least one warning shot into the radiator. The roads in Iraq are often chaotic, and civilians can be shot when, among other things, they misunderstand the situation or don't see the convoys in time to slow down.

Fact is you see one side of the coin, and I see the other. As respectfully as I can state this I will. JosephH-I'll stack my 2 decades of service up against yours any day. Perhaps your past experience has made you jaded or ignorant of the current Middle East experience. And we're not talking Israel here. We're not talking foreign policy anyway, we're talking about the need for highly trained armed guards to provide safety for diplomats in a country that is at war (not occupied as has been insinuated) You make sense in some ways, I even respect your views (not always your tone) but I feel like you're preaching an attitude of appeasement, to say it as simply as I can. I would preach victory, with the understanding that military means alone will not provide that. Their must be diplomacy, and for that reason there are teams of trained individuals who are willing to lay their lives on the line for the safety of the diplomatic missions that go out into the red zone every day. It's harsh and dangerous work, and I know you've never been in a firefight, or you wouldn't be so vehement in your protest of their use. Bottom line is that the diplomatic missions cannot operate without security, and this isn't the embassies you worked in previously. The world has changed, and I say that in no condescending tone whatsoever. I feel that security contractors can be used much more effectively, and I think DSS would be smart to start deputizing some new agents from the ranks of contractors they have relied on. I also feel they have demonstrated their usefulness in past conflicts, high threat regions, and will continue to do so in the future.

Ha-ha..you have some deep seated conspiracy theories rolling around in your head don't you? I bet you yell out in your sleep "That bastard Johnson!" You honestly believe that you can change the course of a big ship such as DSS overnight? Maybe you weren't paying attention in NAVY school. That ship isn't going to change course more than 2-3 degrees at any one time. The vast MAJORITY of private contractors ARE local nationals with oversight by small teams of highly qualified privatized contractors. This is a valuable move prividing disenfranchised locals with reputable work. The fact that you have zero experience with this type of work, and the last time you served in any capacity was about 30 years ago, makes it tedious to read your continued tirades. In addition your hindsight 20/20 analysis is such a con job it's laughable. You take that stuff verbatim from General Zinny?

TLG, Don't need a ride, but enjoyed the Olympic Peninsula photos.

File under "intelligent conversation." File under "User is now on ignore feature". Another one hand clapper.

Posting of images without direct ties to an event, and or emotive responses contribute nothing to the overall discussion. But hey, this is the internet, and CascadeCLIMBERS.

I've argued privately for a long time about paying CERTAIN troops (Combat arms-Intel) more money, (much more $), making the services extremely selective (not just the special operations forces), and reducing the number of officers. We could probably discuss that for a long time. You can call back individuals with certain skills from IRR (Inactive Reserve), but once a guy retires out, then they don't owe any further obligation. I state once again that the majority of the high end contractors are retirees and in my mind are being paid fairly for the type of consulting work they are being asked to do, in the conditions they do it in, with the level of risk they face. These guys aren't your everyday Joe off the block looking for some GI Bill money, or some cheap thrill. Some of these guys are like the Olympians of warfare. Look at how much we pay pro sports players and what exactly do they contribute overall versus how much they get paid? There are tremendous advantages to being a soldier that contractors do not enjoy, in particular the mission sets. You're not going to see contractors actioning intelligence and conducting raid packages. Contractors are going to be standing around with an aimpoint glued to their foreheads waiting to take a bullet for some guy. Now if you paid them the same pay, which would you rather do? I'd rather be kicking a$$ and taking names. I read somewhere, maybe http://icasualties.org that you are statistically MORE likely to be killed or injured in contracting work.

A majority of contractors are already retired veterans. There is little that would entice them back into a system they have already given a lifetime, several wives, and blood to. The fact that these guys are in their late thirties, early forties with a lifetime of institutional knowledge makes them incredibly valuable, but the hierarchy of the military is based on a model that is no longer attractive to intelligent, and capable individuals who have already provided a lifetime of service to the nation. Paying them good salaries was the only way to entice them back in the fold.

Great pictures! Thanks for posting them.

Some insights into the Waxman hearings on Oct 3, 2007 Although marred by a good deal of political infighting the hearings highlighted a couple of key points: 1. Much of the information that the Members of Congress based their questions on was hopelessly biased, and collapsed in the face of the testimony. A memo the Committee released the day before the testimony included some eye-popping allegations about costs and numbers that just didn't hold water and undermined the quality of questions. Industry critics and sensationalist media too often ignore industry information and then get quoted in Congressional press releases - a recipe for bad policy. For example, left out was the fact that the overwhelming number of contractors in Iraq are Iraqis - the people who one would hope would be doing the security and reconstruction of their country. In fact, as many as 100,000 Iraqis have jobs with private sector companies supporting U.S. policies, it may be the single greatest factor countering the insurgency. Also left out was a more accurate understanding of the numbers doing security work and their nationalities. Only about 2,000 Americans are doing high-level bodyguard work, in addition to 3-5,000 other Westerners and 5-8,000 Third Country Nationals (who are doing mostly doing static and convoy security) - but the bulk of private security is done by Iraqis. Much of this information is widely available for researchers and staffers interested in keeping Congress appraised with accurate information - something that would be helpful when creating laws to enhance the use, oversight and accountability of the industry. 2. Contractors play a critical role - not just in Iraq and Afghanistan, but in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Somalia and many other places where international peace and stability operations are underway. Indeed, peacekeeping could not happen without them. Good laws and effective oversight would do much to improve the use of contractors in the future - beyond Iraq. It is rather appalling to see the use of the private sector treated as a political ping pong ball when lots can be done to improve the use, oversight and accountability. Nothing is helped by turning contractor utilization into a partisan issue. The United States has used contractors to vastly enhance U.S. foreign policies in the past, we will do the same in the future. 3. We often point out that U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are the best supported and supplied military operations in history. Yes, lots can be done to improve them further, and this came out clearly in the testimony, but we should focus on doing those improvements rather than trying to 'throw the baby out with the bathwater.' 3. Accountability of contractors was a key question raised during the hearings and Mr. Prince pointed out that companies are limited by law in the ways they can sanction employees for misbehavior. When an incident happens is incumbent on government agencies to do much of the follow up and to carry out legal proceedings. Congressman David Price of North Carolina has been the key supporter of the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), the primary tool the Department of Justice has to prosecute contractors working for the U.S. government abroad who have been accused of a felony-level crime. This law is being enhanced with the "MEJA Expansion and Enforcement Act of 2007" and the International Peace Operations Association fully endorses the bill - see below for the full text of our press release. Our 40+ member companies firmly believe that good oversight and accountability are good for good companies.

Nice cam. Thanks Kevino.