SamSaid!

G-2

     I can remember the first time I encountered the word “oxymoron”. The teacher explained that it meant mutually exclusive or contradictory terms. The example she cited was “military intelligence”. Frankly I was a bit miffed by that example because I had spent 18 months in an Air Force G-2 section and I thought we did quality work. Not the super secret cloak and dagger kind of stuff  — just accumulating information to be fed into a data bank, and receiving information disbursed from the same source.We did not regard ouselves as dolts or dimwits. But the GI experiencee whetted my appetite for the spy thrillers from Ian Fleming, John LeCarre, Robert Ludlum,Ken Follett, and Tom Clancy. Powerful reading.

     Spying on the enemy is as old as history, and it probably reached its peak in the Cold War years following WWII. It was the US vs the USSR with their agents and double agents. But many critics decried ”on the ground” human intelligence (humint as it is called)  as unreliable, incomplete, unsatisfactory, and a waste of money. And of course they were able to cite specific high visibility examples since intelligence failures are highly publicized while the successes are downplayed or consigned to dusty files. Then along came the attractive alternatives of electronic surveillance via intercepted messages and “spy in the sky” satellites. What could be better? The CIA was downgraded into relative obscurity.

     In the 2003 Iraqi War,  intelligence based on electronic surveillance and satellites is now being harshly criticized for being incomplete, unsatifactory, unreliable, and a waste of money. Now we complain about the absence of on-the-ground Humint   — and of course, we blame the CIA. There is little doubt that intelligence information was pooled almost world wide before the invasion of Iraq to depose Saddam. All of it concurred that he had to go for very explicit reasons –  and it is true that George Bush acted on the best informatiion that was available to the #1 guy in the world. Hindsight is always 20:20   –  just ask the beltway balloon (or is it buffoon), Teddy Kennedy, who accuses the President of lying to the American people about the decision to go to war in Iraq and depose Saddam. This from a guy who can't drive across a bridge without killing someone.

     Tough lessons are learned in the world of G-2. Electronic survaillence gives us a leg up  but humint is indispensable. The faint hearted have to understand that harsh fact of life in the “underground” world of international relations. Was the decision to take down Saddam a good one? You bet it was. George Bush – or any President – faces a harsh reality. You either wait until we are attacked and then respond, or we head them off at the pass ahead of time. George chose the latter  — and I think he was right. The very thought (Kerry?) that US forces would not be committed anywhere except thru the United Nations is unthinkable. I could never support a leader who would place the security of this country in the hands of the UN. Do we want UN support?  Of course! Are we handcuffed without it?  Never.  

     Intelligence is 90% of the game  — not 100%. And any leader depends upon the best information available. Finger pointing and baseless accusations by the oversized  beltway balloon benefit no one. To suggest that in Iraq we made the right decision for the wrong reason is debatable. But even so, the result is what counts. That's how history will see it.

     How about a Constructive Kennedy? Is that an oxymoron??

SPORTS

     I have been a sports fan all of my life from as far back as I can remember. Marbles, pin the tail on the donkey, quoits, horseshoes, track, softball, baseball, basketball, flag football, darts, volleyball, tennis, ping pong, cycling, soccer, skating, golf  –  you name it. And aside from the thrills of competing, I have witnessed some truly memorable events in the different sports. Along the way, I have attended the World Series, major college bowl games, the NCAA BB finals, big time track meets, tennis tourneys, etc etc. When I couldn't attend, I have been a faithful fan sitting in front of the TV. That very much applies to the  Super Bowls, especially when my home team won 4 times.

     Thus past January I watched the Cats vs the Pats  –  heckuva game (officially, Carolina vs New England). Worth every bit of the pre-game balleyhoo. However, I am proud to say that I did not watch 1 single minute of the half time show  –  and that has been my practice over the past 4-5 years. So to all of you big cats spending millions on half time commercials, I say, “you are wasting your time and money”. I have better things to do than watch nudity and simulated sex while being blasted out of the front room by what is loosely described as music. MTV is not exactly an unknown commodity, and I view with contempt the likes of Viacom's Mr. Karmazin who asks, “what is the definition of decency” , or the NFL's Mr Taglialube saying that “we all were surprised at Janet's bare boob”. Baloney. I tune in to watch a football game, not scurrilous and offensive behavior. Next year, I may just tape the game and Fast Forward thru the scuzzy commencials and the halftime show. I will not sit there at the mercy of scumbags who try to stretch the envelope in so-called entertainment.

     President Andrew Jackson has always been one of my heroes as was Stonewall Jackson, and in more recent times, I liked Senator Scoop Jackson. I even sympathized with the plight of Shoeless Joe Jackson. But of late the good name of Jackson has been badly damaged by Jesse who can't keep his pants zippered, Michael who like to sleep with little boys who aren't his, and Janet who wins the booby prize. What a sad trio.

     The other day I drove by a cemetery and noticed all of those tombstones dotting the lillside. I wondered if maybe a couple of them might have been for the Dodo bird and the Passenger pigeon  –  now long gone. If so, they are probably located alongside two more plots reserved for Decency and Modesty, courtesy of CBS, Viacom and the NFL.

      Oh sure, these kinds of people  will back off and be good boys  —   until the next time. You can bet on it!

READING

     When it comes to indoor sports, reading ranks right up near the top. Maybe not #1, but right up there with the leaders. You can read whenever you want, whatever you want and as long as you want. And you can allow your imagination to wander all over the landscape. But I wonder if nowadays we are being inundated with too much to read. Magazines, catalogs, brochures, fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, notices, and the ever present  junk mail. There is no stopping the avalanche. Face it, there is only so much time for anyone to read, particularly those of us who tend to snooze when the reading gets a little heavy. So what is the solution?  I pick and choose the authors.

     There are many good writers, but many of them are wordsmiths who are not tightly connected to the thought process. And so often they seem to specialize in long paragraphs that substitute for a couple of well drafted sentences. I confess that one of my favorite historical figures is Winston Churchill, but his lengthy prose leaves a lot to be desired. My list of current favorites is not very long. It includes Tom Freidman of the NY Times, George Will of the Washington Post, Rich Lowry of the National Review, Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated, William Buckley of the National Review, and syndicated columnist Michael Kinsley who sometimes writes for Time. When they write, I read. Tom Clancy and John Grisham are pretty good story tellers, but they only make the B team.

     In the midst of the great Techno revolution that envelopes all of us, I am sure that there are some splendid authors. Unfortunately we don't share the same language. So for the time being, when I pick up a magazine or newspaper, I look for my Big Six. And if I miss them, I try the internet. It tougher to take a nap while typing or moving the cursor.