Author: Zero Ponsdorf

My pal, and a commenter here, OWB, captured a thing that has eluded me.

There are people who come into our lives who quietly have a positive impact upon us.  If we are lucky, we realize it before it is too late to thank them.

Such a person was Sharon.  While not a veteran herself, she became something of a mama bear to many of us.  She married a veteran, a buddy of mine, and for her unfailing support of him I am extremely grateful.  But beyond that, she was herself a great patriot.  I have no doubt that without her troupe of veterans she would still have contributed to the strength of this country in many positive ways.  She did just that and still supported the veteran community.

We lost our mama bear Sharon this week.  Suddenly.  She was there one moment and gone the next.  It’s not something for which any of us was prepared.

One thing that OWB left out is that Sharon stood with us during GoE and her husband was one of the prime movers.  Like most of us involved she was determined that younger vets didn’t get the welcome we did.

But…

A coupla weeks ago a Marine ‘Nam vet passed away. He had been a friend here for years.

Getting reminded of one’s mortality isn’t really my point, although that hints at it.

Although we’ve watched the WWI generation depart, and noted the passing of those vets who survived WWII and the Korean War we ‘Nam vets are now of THAT generation.

Please forgive the rambling. Although it is a VERY trivial thing compared to the loss suffered by the families involved it is an eye opener. and just maybe worthy of some small note here.

NB: Not something from The Onion nor our pals at TDB.

Peace in our time? Scientist makes bold prediction that war is on the wane and will halve over next 40 years

‘In the 1700s it was normal to go to war to expand your country’s territory. This strategy has passed its sell by date. But, demands for democracy may be suppressed with violence and result in more violence in the short term. As in Libya.’

His research has found there has been a decrease in armed conflicts and the number of people killed since World War II and this trend will continue.

‘War has become less acceptable, just like duelling, torture and the death penalty.’

I’ll leave it to you to read further at the link if this resonates. Keeping in mind that the article uses excerpts of a scholarly paper I haven’t read I still found the snippets interesting.  Before you closet neo-hippies begin partying you should note the disappointment:

‘Prior to the Arabian spring, we expected 5 per cent of the countries in the world to be involved in a conflict in 2050. This percentage has now risen to 7 per cent.

‘The conflicts in the Middle East weaken the clear correlation between socio-economic development and the absence of civil war. The conflicts in Syria and Libya show that we also have to include democratisation processes in the model.

‘To achieve this, we are now working on projecting democratic systems of government and regime changes,’ explains Prof Hegre

Rats… reality bites don’t it?

Kinda missed this. Thanks  to Kanani and FB you don’t have to.
007 joins UK Forces in Afghanistan for Skyfall screening

Soldiers, sailors and airmen serving at Camp Bastion in Helmand, southern Afghanistan, met 007 star Daniel Craig when he visited the base today, 18 November 2012.

He surprised the 800 troops who were about to watch Skyfall, the latest Bond film.

After a brief introduction of the film to the enthusiastic audience, Daniel was given a tour of the camp during which he had an opportunity to meet soldiers and see some of the training they do before they deploy to forward operating bases.

I’ve never seen him in a movie as 007. His character in Cowboys & Aliens is my only real reference.  Speaking of character; this might define the word.

OWB sent me this. I am so used to THEM not getting “IT” I was surprised. Maybe you will be as well.

In a move that must have led to dancing in the streets of Tel Aviv Washington has  acknowledged that:

The White House says it believes Israel “has the right to defend itself” against attack and that the Israelis will make their own decisions about their “military tactics and operations.”

So this particular story is only the AP via Fox News. Still I can’t  find ANY story, anywhere,  that indicates that our government has officially said that it will actually support Israel.

Also can’t find any stories that suggest the Israelis  are leaving their shelters over this heartfelt show of support so probably not much dancing going on after all.

Oh yeah… It’s all on Israel – not us.

Jonn already noted via UJ that things are stirring.

More recently our pal David Bellavia noted an uptick on FaceBook.

Here’s the link that matters: From Haaretz

Just the lede:

Rockets strike Holon, Rishon Letzion; IDF: Expect a night without calm in central Israel’ three soldiers wounded in attack on Eshkol region; Military sources: more than 250 rockets fired by Gaza militants explode in Israel since beginning of operation, Iron Dome intercepts 105; IDF strikes over 250 targets in Gaza.

Slow news day?

Watch it happen blow-by-blow and consider what comes next.

Of course someone was watching OUR election results!

ETA: Also try this one.  Israel National News

Thanks to Concrete Bob I didn’t forget.

Lawrence Joel. Been to his grave at Arlington.