Diary of the Mad Pigeon

Iraqi artists bring color to dull blast walls

It's refreshing to know that in war, there is still creativity.

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Note from a Reader

Canuckistani writes:  "Where is everyone?"

Indeed, where's the commentary, the lively debate, the abject fisticuffs?  As always, I encourage my readers to contribute to my acerbic commentary. 

Anyways, not to be pushy, but... well, [PIGEONED] I am being pushy!  I defend Freedom of Speech with my life, and freedom of speech means the freedom to disagree.  As I tell my own students in class, if you don't agree with me you can walk right up to me and punch me in the face--all I ask is you back up the punch with well-thought remarks.

With that, I'm particularly surprised with the low turnout for the latest Open Topic:  Gun Control.  This topic is just as divisive as abortion, racism, the Iraq War, and the Less Filling/Tastes Great debate!

So don't be shy--I love hearing what my readers have to say!  As always, you can also reach me by email at thebigpigeon-at-yahoo.com

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Criticizing George Tenet

Officers: Ex-CIA chief Tenet a 'failed' leader

CNN:  In a letter written Saturday to former CIA Director George Tenet, six former CIA officers described their former boss as "the Alberto Gonzales of the intelligence community," and called his book "an admission of failed leadership." The writers said Tenet has "a moral obligation" to return the Medal of Freedom he received from President Bush.  They also called on him to give more than half the royalties he gets from book, "At the Center of the Storm," to U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq and families of the dead.

The writers accused Tenet of having helped send "very mixed signals" to Americans and their legislators prior to the war.  "CIA field operatives produced solid intelligence in September 2002 that stated clearly there was no stockpile of any kind of WMD in Iraq.

"This intelligence was ignored and later misused."  The letter said CIA officers learned later that month Iraq had no contact with Osama bin Laden and that then-President Saddam Hussein considered the al Qaeda leader to be an enemy. Still, Tenet "went before Congress in February 2003 and testified that Iraq did indeed have links to al Qaeda.

"You showed a lack of leadership and courage in January of 2003 as the Bush administration pushed and cajoled analysts and managers to let them make the bogus claim that Iraq was on the verge of getting its hands on uranium. You signed off on Colin Powell's presentation to the United Nations. And, at his insistence, you sat behind him and visibly squandered CIA's most precious asset - credibility."  CONTINUED

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1)  Intel does not formulate policy; they just tell the commander how it is as objectively as possible and leave the decisions in policy maker's hands.

2)  Although there's no such thing as perfect intel, analysts must not provide shoddy or outright false information.  Nor should analysts spin intel to meet what leaders want to hear; it must be what leaders need to hear.  Otherwise people die quick.

3)  If it's false intel, blame intel.  But if leadership refuses to believe good information, or continues to act on false information despite the clarifications and protests of analysts...  well, we know where the responsibility lies.

Based on the words of the accusers, culpability rests in multiple hands in this case.  If the accusations are true (I don't follow CIA issues close enough to cast guilt), then I'd say not only is Tenet's credibility in the toilet, but there's also no Brillo pad big or rough enough to wash the blood off his hands.  But it still goes back to what leaders want to believe:  in fairness, Tenet could've briefed the truth 'til he was blue in the face, but if Dubya wanted WMD or link to al-Qaida he could spin the intel every which way he wanted to force the specters rise from the divining pool.

I'm still convinced there were plenty of other good, solid reasons to take Saddam out of power.  But who am I to say?  I'm just a pigeon, and most folks think pigeons are flying rats.

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Trackposted to Pet's Garden Blog, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Mark My Words, third world county, DragonLady's World, Shadowscope, Pirate's Cove, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, Dumb Ox Daily News, Conservative Cat, High Desert Wanderer, and Conservative Thoughts, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Leave it to the Brits...

So funny, so painful, so true

Hey, heehryah!

Accents.  Like it or not, most of us probably have them.  Some are much more noticeable than others.  I've been told mine is umm....distinct.

What American accent do you have?
Created by Xavier on Memegen.net

Mid-Atlantic. This is what everyone calls a Philadelphia accent although it's also the accent of south Jersey, Baltimore, and Wilmington. Well, everyone that lives near there, that is. Outsiders can tell you talk differently from them even though they can't tell what your accent is.

Take this quiz now - it's easy!

We're going to start with "cot" and "caught." When you say those words do they sound the same or different?

Same Different Same, no wait I mean different, maybe, a little bit different...

That being said, elswhere in the country, all of us "Yankees" or "Northerners" or "Northeasterners" tend to get lumped in as generic "New York" or "Boston" sounding accents (the two most common I hear outside the part of the country extending west of Chicago, south of Ohio, and south of Virginia. Interesting, all that. Also, I would haveta say that dis quizheah is pretty freakin' accurat, youseknowwidaimsayinheah?

Eh yo, Tony, go get the [PIGEONED] canolis!

Pigeontrack: The Pulitzer Racket

I'm ducking out of my writing duties in favor of grilling a sirloin steak and drinking a few beers on my back porch.

With that, this article by Brent Bozell on Townhall caught my eye, so I figured I'd pass it along:

The Pulitzer Racket

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An Excerpt from my Textbook

"Generals should receive advice, in the first place from the experts who are both specially skilled in military matters and have learned from experience; secondly, from those who are on the scene of action, who see the terrain, the enemy, the fitness of the occasion, who are sharers in the danger, as it were, aboard the same vessel.

Thus, if there is anyone who is confident that he can advise me as to the best advantage of the state in this campaign which I am about to conduct, let him not refuse his services to the state, but come with me to Macedonia. ...If anyone is reluctant to do this and prefers the leisure of the city to the hardships of campaigning, let him not steer the ship from on shore. They city itself provides enough subjects for conversation; let him confine his garrulity to these; and let him be aware that I shall be satisfied with the advice originating in camp."

- Anonymous Roman General embarking on the Third Macedonian War, quoted by Titus Livius

Aiding the Enemy

LA Times:  A U.S. military commander who helped oversee the prison camp that once held Saddam Hussein has been charged with aiding the enemy, mishandling classified information and engaging in "inappropriate" relationships, officials said Thursday.  Lt. Col. William H. Steele was arrested last month and accused of nine violations of U.S. military code, including keeping classified information in his living space, failing to monitor funds, disobeying an order and possessing pornographic videos, the military said.

The most serious accusation, that of aiding the enemy, arose from allegations that Steele provided an unmonitored cellphone to detainees between October 2005 and October 2006.  CONTINUED

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Innocent until proven guilty, of course... but man, just imagine if all the charges are true!  How do you expain yourself to the superiors, peers and subordinates you willfully compromised on the battlefield? 

At the very least, how would you explain yourself to momma?  "Sorry honey, I watched pr0n on duty and slept with the enemy," wouldn't even rate a couch in the dog house.

Open Topic of the Week: Gun Control

With all the gun control discussions heating the airwaves I figured this would be a good time to put the topic in your hands.

I gathered many sources for this topic; it's testy enough to warrant the extra research opportunity in my humble pigeon opinion. 

As usual, you're welcome to add any source materials (to include your own blog posts) in the comments.  I'm mostly citing the Virginia Tech massacre, but please don't feel confined to a single event.

In addition, I invite my foreign readers to not only comment on the US from their perspectives, but also cite the gun issues of their own respective countries.

RESEARCH SITES AND THE NEWSWIRES:

The Second Amendment, with Legal Annotations and Footnotes 

Sources on the Second Amendment and Rights to Keep and Bear Arms in State Constitutions

Second Amendment Research Center

Two gun control measures fail in Illinois House

Gun-control advocates make their case at Pa. Capitol

The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Gun Control 

After Virginia Tech: Gun-control backers armed with misconceptions 

And, of course, the National Rifle Association

RANDOM NOTES FROM THE BLOGOSPHERE:

JunkYardBlog with Debunkin'  

The Republic of T with The Queer Thing About School Shooters, Pt. 3

Right Wing Nation with NRA On Virginia Tech

The Violence Worker! with The Mind Of A Monster

The Volokh Conspiracy with Yale, realistic-looking stage weapons, and the prospects of zero tolerance policies   

Stay cordial, but otherwise don't hold back.  And as I tell my students, no matter how hot you get under the collar you'll never go wrong by rationally backing up your arguments.

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Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Allie Is Wired, , basil's blog, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Conservative Cat, High Desert Wanderer, Pursuing Holiness, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe

Thursday Open Roost

Have a post to share?  Trackback it here!  Note I have to manually approve trackbacks, so there'll be a delay before I add your ping to the list:

The Amboy Times writes in with Weekend Open Trackback
Conservative Cat writes in with Welcome To Hell 
The Right Nation writes in with Long Weekend (Open) Must-Read List 
Third World Country writes in with thought is half murdered
Church of Integrity writes in with Church of Integrity

Want to participate?  You can read the rules here, and a discourse on the point of open trackback sessions here.

Don't have trackback capability, or just want to submit a link you found?  Email your post to thebigpigeon-at-yahoo.com and I'll add your submission to the list!