Diary of the Mad Pigeon

We'd better be careful, this may turn into a series...

Between this post by antitool, following up this one by yours truly, and now this timely piece courtesy of the USAFA Association of Graduates (yes I am a member), we might have ourselves a little running series.  I wonder when our local Professor Himself (ahem, that's YOU Pidge) will chime in?

In that earlier post I wrote: 

"2) how you perceive the tug-og-war between preparing military officers for service and providing a degree-granting college education"

Perhaps an answer...

Professor of the year teaches future leaders 

By Butch Wehry
Academy Spirit staff

Is instructing at the Academy different than at a civilian school? "It had better be different," said Lt. Col. Tom McGuire, the 2007 Carnegie Foundation Advancement of Teaching Professor of the year. "There's the obvious knowledge that among your class you may have future squadron and wing commanders, general officers, and perhaps even congresswomen and congressmen. With this in mind, one tries to make a small contribution to the important formation of cadets by giving them a solid grounding in oral and written communication, ethical leadership, understanding character as well as cultivating a broad historical and cultural perspective."

The Department of English and Fine Arts associate English professor was presented the award in Washington, D.C. at a luncheon at the Willard InterContinental Hotel on Thursday. His particular field - the study of the intersection between literature and violence - receives different accents and emphasis in a military academy environment. Many civilian English professors teach and write about the literature of violence, but few specifically focus on war literature.

"Very few civilian universities, for example, devote an entire course to war literature - it's kind of taboo," said the 17 - and-one-half year Air Force veteran from Auburn, Calif. "We not only teach tons of war lit in my department, we publish an internationally acclaimed journal of war, literature and the arts - edited by my mentor Donald Anderson. In contrast to my civilian counterparts, I feel a profound responsibility to explore the literature of war with my cadets."

The fact that many of his students will soon be serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas, lends the study of war literature a certain immediacy and gravitas. So when he shares Osama Bin Laden's poetry with his students and analyzes it with an eye not only to its artistry but also its ideology, his students are keenly interested and invested in the study of war lit. For them and the colonel, it's not just an academic, ivory tower exercise....

(more)

And to think, civilian institutions probably think that they're avant garde` for studying UBL's poetry.  :)

BTW, sir:  Since I've graduated, I have developed a newfound respect and ability to enjoy Rudyard Kipling and any disgusted intellects out there, you can run and scream in horror now (racist!  fascist!  imperialist! yeah yeah yeah next slide).  Honestly, I would have liked to have taken this war literature class.  The closest we ever got war literature in my education prior to USAFA was "All Quiet on the Western Front" and Ambrose Bierce.  I guess those two works were supposed to tell me everything I (or any studuent) were supposed to know about this fundamental (and tragic, yes) human activity.

One thing I realized, wisely, when I was a cadet and have since grown to appreciate is that I did receive one hell of a comprehensive, well-rounded education (I know, I know, spare us the cliches and propaganda MOGS, but hear me out:  I have a Bachelor of Science in History.  Why?  How many history majors out there have also taken Aero(dynamics), Astro(nautical Engineering), Thermo(dynamics), Elec(trical) Engineering, you get the idea...okay so they were the "for poets" versions, but I think you get the picture):

Three things really stand out in my mind, in-line very much with what Lt Col McGuire here mentions:

1) My Russian classes taught by native speakers, who came to the US to escape the thumb of Soviet oppression.  Also, my veteran, dedicated "Cold Warrior" Russian instructors who could tell stories to leave YOUR hair white of the "old days" of a divided Berlin (the other day, I realized I was talking to a COLLEGE STUDENT WHO WAS BORN AFTER "THE WALL") - Let me tell you, that as much as these people respected, and even admired our Russian and Soviet adversaries, they had no illusions about the "worker's paradise" (see, you even get a MOGS' Russia Monologue Preview for free too).

2) My History of Unconventional Warfare Class (My favorite class in fact), with a professor who was a brilliant intelligence officer with a background in Special Operations, who let me read everything from Che's book (ptooey!), to Mao, to Ho Ngyuen Giap, the Handbook of the IRA, all sorts of nasty dirty little works that not only taught me much about the enemy, but about ourselves, about war, about idealism and how it could be used and abused (the Troubles come to mind)  It seems to me like some schools teach these things in a "how to  destroy Western Civilization" frame of mind.  I studied it in a "how to preserve it" frame of mind. 

3). Philosophy.  Our one core curriculum philosophy course had a very certain book, which in the way it was used as both inspiration for the class itself AND part of its required readings is just so....meta I guess, as to be inherently awesome.  Between our studies of Kant, John Stuart Mill and others, we read

Starship Troopers, by one each Robert Anson Heinlein  :)  No, not the bloody movie, the goddamn cartoon show was closer to the actual book.  But, as far as the movie goes, Paul Verhoeven got it wrong.  Way wrong.  Way way way wrong.  That's another discussion.  Actually, in my case, it's a lecture.  I don't care how hot Denise Richards is, (okay, well actually I do, but that's small compensation), Robocop aside, Paul Verhoeven is an idiot.

See how cutting edge USAFA is?  We're META goddamitt!!!  Take THAT you post-modern POGUES :)

Sorry, back to the Philo class.  Seriously, moral philosophy and just war, jus in bello, jus ad bello, civic virtue, dulce et decorum est and all that.  Heinlein.  Citizenship.  The role of military.  Go all the way back to Plato and Homer even.  Jesus.  Mohammed.  Lao Tsu and Confuscious.  The only thing that would have owned even more, would have been if we'd read Ender's Game as a companion piece. 

Oh yeah, and that final.  Three questions.  Three hours.  Thirteen sides of lined paper, handwritten. One nasty writer's cramp.  A-

I may have an answer.

Thursday Open Roost

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

Sea-Tac International Airport - One Of The Worst! from The Violence Worker!
PHALLOCENTRISTS PICKING ON POOR HILLARY CLINTON from THE MIDNIGHT SUN
PUTIN: WORSHIP ME from THE MIDNIGHT SUN
The Knuckleheads of the Day award from The Florida Masochist
Iran: Use of the word women Banned On State TV from The Amboy Times
Murtha Backpedals from his Backpedaling on Iraq from Conservative Cat
For Shame! from Rhymes With Right
Joe Biden: I Don't Know Sh!t About The Constitution from Rhymes With Right
Stupid Journalist Tricks from Rhymes With Right
My Thought On The Democrat/Republican Debate from The World According to Carl
PhotoHunt 86: Red from The World According to Carl
Spring Creek Restaurant from The World According to Carl
Embryonic stem cells - debate no more? from Mark My Words

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?  Put your link in the comments section or email me at thebigpigeon-at-yahoo.com, and I'll add your submission to the list!

As long as we're being personally insightful and all...

This is what I do. In fact, I was just in the very trainer bay this guy mentions. We still use "grease pencils", actually Staedtler wet-erase markers, and there's a computer involved, but that's about the extent of the changes. Black humor lightens things considerably, and then there are the inevitable movie references, which I bust out at LEAST once a week (see photo).

Need I say more? Still, it's kind of weird. I mean, MOGS related his Post-USAFA-Dream-Syndrome experiences. I have dreams related to violations of Weapons System Safety Rules. C'est la vie, I guess, but I would rather be in Afghanistan on a PRT, or helping other teams hunt Taliban for sport.

What I'm trying to get at here is how very absurd quotidian life can be. I'm sober, I swear. Probably need some more liquid Christmas cheer right now, but I have a Danish test tomorrow and alert on Friday, so it's going to have to wait until, say, Saturday. (The DLPT is my beeyotch, though.)

In other news, there's some pretty interesting stuff on that same CDI site about Presidential decision-making in a nuclear crisis.

There's all sorts of chicanery involved with the YouTube "debates" (which just really end up showing the rest of the world how dumb we all are and why true democracy is a BAD idea), Communist dictatorships have shifty numbers, and we knew all along about Israeli nukes. In other news, water is wet, and it's cold outside.

Comments?

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

I'm not the most religious sort, but I just can't bring myself to post this video on Christmas Day.  It'd simply be too... uncouth.

With that, there's a valuable lesson to be learned here:  invest in good locks.

Download mommaissanta.wmv

Hey, we got ourselves a Bowl!

Academy accepts bid to Armed Forces Bowl

11/27/2007 - FORT WORTH, Texas (AFPN) -- U.S. Air Force Academy officials have accepted a bid to play in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on New Year's Eve at Fort Worth, Texas.

The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, an ESPN regional television owned-and-operated event, will be aired at 11:30 a.m. CST on ESPN, live from Amon G. Carter Stadium.

The previous four Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl games have been played on December 23 with the University of Utah defeating the University of Tulsa 25-13 last year.

"We are thrilled to have the Air Force Academy as the Mountain West Conference's representative in the 2007 game," said Tom Starr, the executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. "With our military theme, what better way is there to honor the armed forces by having an Academy play in our game. With nine wins and a strong finish to their season, the Falcons will bring an exciting brand of football to Amon G. Carter Stadium on New Year's Eve."

With three-straight wins and six victories in their last seven games to end the 2007 season, the Falcons are the first school since the inaugural Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl game in 2003 to enter the Amon G. Carter Stadium game with more than seven regular-season wins. The Academy is currently 9-3 this fall after posting a 55-23 win at home Nov. 18 over San Diego State.

The 9-3 record is Air Force's first winning season since posting a 7-5 mark in 2003. The Falcons' six wins in Mountain West Conference play is their most ever and best league record since finishing the 1998 season with a 7-1 record in the Western Athletic Conference.

Read the rest on Air Force Link

Go Air Force!

Air Force Academy Chapel, by Walter Netsch/ SOM, at Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1956 to 1962. Photo by William A. Yokel. © William A. Yokel, available from Artifice Images

(say what you will about the architecture of the place - for some reason, everytime I see the damn chapel, all I can think of is this music.  You couldn't march during Noon Meal Formation to it though)

You know, I think everyone who's ever gone to the Blue Zoo (or Hudson High or U. of Squid for that matter) goes through different "stages" of love and hate relationships with the place after they've left it.  The earliest phase is wearing the college sweater or t-shirt of ANY SCHOOL BUT the one you went to (though the haircuts and early lack of socialization tends to give it away).  Some folks loved every minute of it (no lie).  Some folks wonder if going there was the worst mistake they ever made, some never question it, some would do over again if they had to...

(sidebar: PUDS:  n: urban legend, "Post-USAFA Dream Syndrome" - surprisingly widely reported event prominent in the first year or two post graduation, where the patient suffers a "dream within a dream", straight out of the movies.  The individual "awakens" in his or her old dorm room, usually to the sound of reveille or "calling minutes" with the delusion that a) he's still a cadet and has been having one funky-ass dream or b) "something happened" some admin foul-up or whatever, they have to repeat some or all of their Academy experience.  It is usually the later which causes a cold sweat-inducing rapid transition from sleep to full awareness.  The former might be better classified as a nightmare, as it can go on for what seems like hours before the "cadet" realizes his dream state and wakes himself up.  "Vision Quest" this is not.)

I'll be honest, it was only in the last two years or so that I wanted to get myself some football memorabilia (sweater, the standard stuff), hang up some old photos, my class print, and take updated pictures of the place again.  Meeting antitool (our erstwhile new full-time contributor) when I was up there for eye surgery and getting a "old decrepit veteran's" tour of the place while I reminisced on the "brown shoe days" was a hoot, though I really doubt antitool found it so ;)

Also, your opinion of the place has a lot to do with what you

1) think the role of intercollegiate NCAA sports should be at a federal military service academy

2) how you perceive the tug-og-war between preparing military officers for service and providing a degree-granting college education

3) believe about how the place conducts military training;  whether it succeeds "in spite of" or "because of" the way it's done, or some combination thereof

I've got plenty of opinions on how I would run the place, naturally.  I'm proud as all hell I went and graduated.  These days I don't dwell on the past so much, and seeing the Falcons return to some football prominence in the last year has stirred up some nostalgia, especially with a reunion beginning to circle overheard....

I still get hives everytime I go through North or South Gate though.

More Short Films from another Mad Pigeon

Julien Vergne over at Mad Pigeon films has some new shorts available!  Here's the dope:

Cop Lobsters is on line now! Beware of what you eat…

And a new bonus Mad Pigeon: OIL FEVER, a highly political near future vision. No actor was drugged in this movie.

As always, all music is composed by yours truly, this time mostly inspired by the work of Lalo Schifrin, as for the lobsters. This film is 5 min long, 17 megabytes to download. Please be patient, I’m putting all my films in bigger (hence heavier) format little by little, so that you receive a better quality picture!

You can also see some mad pigeon on youtube.com, but the size and quality is inferior, for about the same download time.

Enjoy, with a glass of white wine!

Rrrrrrrrr

www.madpigeon.com

About that whole "Golden Compass" thing...

“The Golden Compass” Pleases No One
by: Kiera M. McCaffrey, November 21, 2007

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on how “The Golden Compass” is being criticized by friend and foe alike:

“Poor Philip Pullman—he’s getting it from all sides. In today’s U.K. daily The Telegraph, it states that the movie version of Pullman’s book, ‘The Golden Compass,’ has had ‘a troubled transition to the screen.’ To be specific, it says that ‘The adaptation has managed to upset both Christians and atheists, the former because of the book’s anti-religious themes and the latter because those very themes have been watered down and virtually excised from the film.’ The article also says that the ‘watering down’ has been condemned by the National Secular Society—they like their bigotry naked. Say what you want about the group, they’re at least honest, which is more than can be said about Pullman and his lackeys.

“Everyone should watch (click here)the interview that Pullman has with Donna Freitas, a Boston University professor who recently tried in vain to bail him out. It’s pathetic. Equally embarrassing is her comment about the film in the November 8 Chicago Sun-Times. She said it’s ‘a thrilling, cutting-edge work of Christian theology.’ It’s gets better: ‘What’s distressing about Donohue’s message is he’s talking about [the book] as if it’s this atheist manifesto geared at children. He’s forgetting this is a wonderful literary fantasy for children.’ This leaves me speechless.

“Not to be outdone, the official response from Scholastic, the mega-publisher of educational materials which is co-producing the movie, is to brag how the film ‘celebrates freedom, love, courage and responsibility.’ Guess they forgot about the atheism and the Catholic bashing.

“Best of all is movie critic Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel. ‘Pullman’s subconscious directs the novels not towards an all-out assault on Christianity. He didn’t set out, as he has glibly claimed, ‘to kill God.’ Really? So in the mind of this Freudian deconstructionist, Pullman really likes Christianity. Look for Moore to get a job teaching psychology or philosophy at a local college. They’ll love him.”

Keira M. McCaffrey is the Director of Communications for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

Ganked from Campus Report Online - a worthy site I might add.

Okay, here's the MOGS-eye view.  For the utter hell of it, I went ahead and read this first part of "His Dark Materials", haven't gotten to the other two books yet, might not at all, but here's what I think:

It's a well-written fantasy.  It's the kind of book you want to read to your kids or get them to read on their own.  At the same token, the mishmash of themes - steampunk/gaslamp-ish fantasy mixed with pseudo-religious mysticism - while the world presented "works" (it has internal consistency and logic, enough to suspend disbelief), the grabbag of "cool stuff" (armored talking polar bears, airships, witches, ersatz gypsies) I felt like I was reading a novelized concept album, or perhaps "Michael Moorcock for kids" - especially with the whole alternate universe/dimensional travel, based in "another England".  It's a very "modern" fantasy, as much informed by pop culture, movies, music and video games, but the roots of early fantasy - (the overwhleming sense of "wonder" and "loss") are there.  I don't know much about the author himself, but for some reason the book made me think of the old Nintendo role-playing games, especially the later "Final Fantasy" games, probably due to the "science fantasy" trappings and the pace and flow of the story...this ain't Tolkien, that's for sure.   

Despite these unsettling features, I still found it enjoyable, but definitely a book that parents ought to read with their kids and talk about.  There's some truly wonderful set pieces.  There's big huge issues dealt with in it (death, religion, the endangerment of children, social change, war, you know, grown-upish stuff).

As far as the religious controversy goes, here's my take on it. 

I didn't see it anti-religious so much as anti-Catholic, and not because I thought the author had any particular hate for the Church itself, more that:

1) he's English, and given English animity towards "popery" and the history of English relations with the Catholic Church in war and peace since the time of the Tudors, I attributed it to a smart author basing a conflict in his story on a complex and driving conflict in real life. 

2) it's (the Church) a convenient source of things like "secret" societies, cloistered, ritualistic organizations, things whose trappings make great fodder for fantasy works, where you honestly need a little bit o'that stuff.  Take some real world, often misunderstood and much-rumored about fancy-sounding forbidding-sounding ancient and scary-looking Church Stuff, twiddle with it and make it sinister, and voila, instant villains!

Why not base your villains on the Church?  As Dan Brown showed, it's pretty easy to sell a million books by doing just that, and I'll admit, a large, poweful body up to its armpits in ancient texts, dead languages, obscure doctrine, saints, sinners, miracles, secretive bodies with Latin names - a ready made template that just takes a little creative "push"....

However, in making the Church and its henchmen a bunch of kid-stealing evil experimenting heartless bastards, I was less offended by the idea of holy villainy than I was by the blindingly simplistic execution -  I thought the author did it rather clumsily and heavy-handed, but hey it is a kid's book. 

The anti-Narnia, "The Golden Compass" is not.  Your kids ain't gonna turn atheist from reading this thing, if that's what you're worried about, or hoping even.

So, for parents, let the kiddies read it, let 'em see the movie.  HEY HERE'S AN IDEA.  Use it as something you can sit down and talk with them about!  Talk about your ideas and beliefs, why you believe them, what message the book had, you might be surprised at the results - like getting to know your offspring.  Or, go the other route, and just go in and enjoy the ride, and be thankful it's not yet another Harry Potter book or Disney movie.   

The New FISA Bill: Security versus Liberty?

Sam Tresler writes:  Ain't quite savvy on his trackback technology... What are your thoughts on telco immunity?

The Mad Pigeon:  First, here's an excerpt from Sam's site - Long story short: The government spied on us. They listened to our phone calls, and the telephone companies gave them neat access to do this. The telecom's knew they were potentially breaking a constitutional law and they didn't do one thing to stand up against it. Now, they are asking for retroactive immunity for what they did.  CONTINUED

And a Link the the bill in question.

An excerpt from Crooks and Liars: The bill has two basic components. First, it creates a carve-out that exempts nearly all international communications (even when one party is in the U.S.) from FISA’s regular provisions (which require individualized warrants, minimization, judicial review, etc.). The second half of the bill then grants the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence the power to authorize warrantless surveillance of the category of communications carved out by the first half of the bill. This authority is conditioned on compliance with a series of not-very-rigorous procedures and oversight requirements. The Attorney General and DNI must certify in writing (and under oath) that certain factual predicates have been met, and they must come up a set of operating protocols designed to ensure that only the carved out category of communications are intercepted. These operating protocols are then submitted to the FISA court for review on an annual basis (the court reviews them under the highly deferential “clearly erroneous” standard).

Most of the debate in Congress and coverage of the bill in the media has focused on whether these procedures and oversight requirements are sufficiently rigorous to protect Americans’ civil liberties. They’re not. But that’s more or less beside the point because–and this is what I think many people do not yet appreciate–given the way FISA is structured, the President is under no obligation to follow even these watered-down oversight requirements. They are merely optional.

Finally, more commentary at Salon:  The cooperation between the various military/intelligence branches of the Federal Government -- particularly the Pentagon and the NSA -- and the private telecommunications corporations is extraordinary and endless. They really are, in every respect, virtually indistinguishable. The Federal Government has its hands dug deeply into the entire ostensibly "private" telecommunications infrastructure and, in return, the nation's telecoms are recipients of enormous amounts of revenues by virtue of turning themselves into branches of the Federal Government.

All that said, just the idea that the gov'mint is listening in on average Joes without proper legal coverage gives me piles. 

You see, we have this program--at least within the Department of Defense--called Intelligence Oversight, which governs how intel personnel gather data on US citizens.

Basically, rule #1 is the DoD does not spy on our own people, unless ubder strict rules, regulations, and evidence-backed probable cause.  The thought of ogling into Sam Tresler's window stinks of a bad McCarthy-esque Sci-Fi film.

As for how the CIA or FBI handles it, that's their business.  But as a pigeon who already thinks the Federal Government's far bigger than the founders planned, I do not like seeing Dubya playing with civil liberties like a box of tinker toys.

But this does beg a question:  how much liberty are we willing to give up for security?  That's why I like showing "V for Vendetta" in class and discussing the Star Wars mythology.  Just by watching the respective movies, the viewer never really learns why the ironclad security apparati are so sinister:  people are at the pub in "V," or watching the TV, or going to work.  In Star Wars, the economy seems to be doing well, and the legions of Storm Troopers are probably flush with college money.

In the case of "V," one has to consider if the comfort of a cold pint and comfortable job make up for censorship.  And as MOGS pointed out to me, the Star Wars movies may not demonstrate why the empire is evil, but the books sure as hell do.

In short, Sam, I'm with ya: I don't like the idea of someone listening in on my calls home to Momma or combing my blog for damning evidence.  I'll take liberty over security, since I think excessive security plays right into our opponent's hands.

"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." - Thomas Jefferson

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Trackposted to Rosemary's Thoughts, DragonLady's World, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, Chuck Adkins, High Desert Wanderer, and Adeline and Hazel, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Russia Teaser: Pt II

Amateurs Unravel Russia’s Last Royal Mystery

Agence France Presse

Czar Nicholas II of Russia, his wife, Alexandra, wearing crown, and their children in 1914, four years before they were killed.

Published: November 25, 2007

YEKATERINBURG, Russia — On the outskirts of this burly industrial center, off a road like any other, on a nowhere scrap of land — here unfolded the final act of one of the last century’s most momentous events.

Excavations were done near Yekaterinburg in September. An archaeologist oversaw the search.

A short way through a clearing, toward a cluster of birch trees, the killers deposited their victims’ bodies, which had been mutilated, burned and doused with acid to mask their origins. It would be 73 more years, in 1991, before the remains would be reclaimed and the announcement would ring out: the grave of the last Russian czar, Nicholas II, and his family had been found.

But the story does not end there....(more)

The Last Stand

Since MOGS, Antitool and I love all things zombie, I figured I'd post a link to a free zombie flash game I read about in the lastest Games for Windows magazine:

http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/the-last-stand/

Enjoy!