WEEK 15 REVIEW

Ladies and Gentlemen, your week in review for this, the 15th week of 2006.

Gens Say Rumsfeld Should Fold
Bird Flu on the Atlantic

Rummy the Dummy

Six Generals are now calling for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, the United States Secretary of Defense. Of course I picked up a New York Times this morning when I saw the headline "More Retired Generals Call For Rumsfeld's Resignation." How could one resist? For all of you with those "Support Our Troops" magnets on the backs of your vehicles, paired with a W '04 sticker, read very VERY carefully:

"My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions--or bury the results. The troops in the Middle East have performed their duty. Now we need people in Washington who can construct a unified strategy worthy of them."

Words from Lt. General Gregory Newbold, the Director of Operations in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Cutting words from a man who knows what the war is. Time published these words just a week ago.

Now I return to my intended audience--the supporters of this Administration. You're telling me to support our troops as well as supporting our President and his Cabinet--so I'm telling you that's as easily done as lighting an ice cube on fire. Here's my call to you: support the troops, or support the idiots killing them while they sit at their desks and stand at their podiums repeating the "Freedom isn't free" mantra. Choose carefully, because it can't be both.

When Ashcroft dropped from the cabinet in January 2005, I was praying that Rumsfeld would do the same. Now, with support from the true military leaders, perhaps we'll have another chance.

An Avian Update

Guess what, gang? The dreaded Avian Flu has reached Egypt, Holland, and Scotland...which means that isolated incidents have pushed as far west as the Atlantic Ocean. No one seems to be flipping out too badly. The question is in the lottery of the virus possibly jumping hosts and infecting humans at devastating rates. Given that it's gotten across the biggest land mass in the world without becoming a deep red-alert top-prioirty issue, that means one of two things:

1. It's not a big deal and the news is causing way too much stir over it, or
2. It's a really big deal and no one seems to care.

I'm not sure which it is, but given option two, it could be a situation that warrants a bit more caution. Remember, gang, caution and panic are NOT the same thing. Oh yeah, they also found another Mad Cow in British Columbia. Maybe we should handle our food a little more carefully. Where's the beef?