That Yon is one brave dude.

Godspeed Michael Yon.

A camera in one hand, a gun in the other: He's comin' to get ya!

A deadly combination.

Stay safe, sir!

A great journalist, and a great person.

My prayers are with him.

I like those activists.

I'd really like to see some msm pukes do this. Yon has my utmost respect for going out with the troops.

Good luck, and I hope he comes home safely.

Guts, brains, and honesty. Be safe, Michael, you're truly a great one of a kind.

Every worthy endeavor comes with a cost.

Wise man. May God keep you safe.

Oh wait -- Charles, see this final paragraph of his report:

"In any case, tomorrow I go back into combat with the British infantry soldiers of 2 Rifles. The last mission I did with this excellent “Battle Group” (British for “Battalion”) was in Iraq, and they killed maybe 26-27 enemy during that mission. "

Your post says " with the real anti-jihad activists — the US Marines."

Perhaps an amendment is in order?

In a certain sense he is going into combat "alongside" or "in support of" the US Marines, but his post says he's shipping out with the Brits.

zombie,

I just caught that myself.

GO MARINES!

I see that my boys are living a life inspired by the US Marines, 'cause trust me, they live like animals.

(We finally got the "baby" to stop going commando.)

re: #10 scottishbuzzsaw

Wise man. May God keep you safe.

Yup.. Calm seas and following wind Mr. Yon

Michael Yon is the best source for an untarnished view of the war. He has lived with the troops, patrolled with the troops and talked to the commanders up to and including Gates. He hosts no illusions on how much more difficult Afghanistan is going to be than Iraq, something I don't think Obama has yet to realize. Obama thinks the surge in Iraq was about increased troop levels when in fact it was about new COIN techniques. Obama is under the impression that throwing more troops into Afghanistan will have the same effect. Yon had a great piece the other day at NRO that highlights the difficulties and the hopes in the Afghan war.
Sangow Bar Village

re: #15 HoosierHoops

Yup.. Calm seas and following wind Mr. Yon

I wish him always he width of a hand of water below his keel (i.e. a safe passage).

Obama during the campaign, 2008:
(Paraphrasing) "I am the peace candidate. If you want to end the wars against our Muslim brothers, vote for me!"

Michael Yon, 2009:
"The U.S. Marines are flooding in, and you might think that every Marine helicopter in our arsenal is here."

Moonbat voter who fell for Obama's lies:
"FOOOMM!" (sound of head exploding.)

re: #11 zombie

I know, but the post is largely about the Marines; I changed the wording to avoid confusion.

re: #16 Rancher

The book and mini-series Generation Kill are good sources too.

re: #19 Charles

I know, but the post is largely about the Marines; I changed the wording to avoid confusion.

OK, good. One less little detail for the ankle-biters to snap at.

I will not complain as I get on the freeway to commute to MY job...
I will not complain as I get on the freeway to commute to MY job...
I will not complain as I get on the freeway to commute to MY job...
I will not complain as I get on the freeway to commute to MY job...

/there are heroes

re: #22 IslandLibertarian

I will not complain as I get on the freeway to commute to MY job...
I will not complain as I get on the freeway to commute to MY job...
I will not complain as I get on the freeway to commute to MY job...
I will not complain as I get on the freeway to commute to MY job...

/there are heroes

Can I complain about my train ride? At least when some idjit offs himself on the tracks?

re: #21 zombie
It has been my eperience fucking ankle biters will snap at any thing.

Go Marines, go British 2nd Rifles, go Michael Yon, go all of them! I'm not gonna discriminate by nationality here--you fight against these terrorist dogs, you got my vote of confidence, okay?

the real anti-jihad activists

Take *that*, Robert, Pam, BNP, V.B. and the rest of you wanna'be's.

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

re: #20 Mad Al-Jaffee

The book and mini-series Generation Kill are good sources too.

Thanks, I'll check them out.

re: #21 zombie

One less little detail for the ankle-biters to snap at.

(Do I have to wait until after 100 comments to complain about the lack of supertanker-photo threads?)

/ < -- this means SARC

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

God bless you and your's.

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

{Ema}

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

God bless him and heal him.

re: #23 Dianna

Can I complain about my train ride? At least when some idjit offs himself on the tracks?

Is that what caused the wreck?

re: #23 Dianna

...when some idjit offs himself on the tracks?

extra nap time?

/better the Taliban offs itself in front of the U.S.M.C.

Yon is one of the few whose stories you can trust.

re: #27 DisturbedEma

So sorry to hear about your son, Ema. All best wishes going in his direction.

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

{Ema}

re: #27 DisturbedEma

Thoughts and prayers ma'am. My wife knows I'm mad cause I can't go. Navy doesn't need 50 yr old chiefs running around!

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

How do you sleep at night?

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

You (and your brave sons) have our support!

re: #38 pingjockey

Thoughts and prayers ma'am. My wife knows I'm mad cause I can't go. Navy doesn't need 50 yr old chiefs running around!

My dad z'l would be there too!

re: #33 turn

Is that what caused the wreck?

Has there been yet another? Today?

Or do you mean the problem for MUNI, here in SF over the weekend?

re: #39 MandyManners

How do you sleep at night?

With both eyes open. . .having infant twins helps when you can't sleep. . .sigh

Informal poll: What does the esteemed Lizard peanut gallery think the end game in Afganastan is going to be?

Soviet Style Quagmire?
Middle Eastern Democracy?
Perpetual Occupation?
other?

re: #42 Dianna

Has there been yet another? Today?

Or do you mean the problem for MUNI, here in SF over the weekend?

Yes, the one over the weekend. I read about it briefly this morning.

re: #41 DisturbedEma
Damn straight. Old warhorses or firehorses. Run to sound of guns and bells.

re: #38 pingjockey

Thoughts and prayers ma'am. My wife knows I'm mad cause I can't go. Navy doesn't need 50 yr old chiefs running around!

*salute* for the desire

/they don't need 66-year-old E-4s either ... rats!

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

I offer my thoughts for both of them, "Thank you for all of your service to keep us safe from harm."

*salute*

Support Micheal Yon!

re: #44 DaddyG

Informal poll: What does the esteemed Lizard peanut gallery think the end game in Afganastan is going to be?

Soviet Style Quagmire?
Middle Eastern Democracy?
Perpetual Occupation?
other?

Perpetual occupation necessary, imo, to support ANY democracy in that region. . .Occupational democracy gets my vote. . .

re: #45 turn

Yes, the one over the weekend. I read about it briefly this morning.

I'm afraid that one looks like the MUNI driver was either unconscious or asleep. Bad thing. If I understand it correctly, it happened just before the automated controls would have kicked in.

Micheal?

/*ducking*

re: #23 Dianna

Can I complain about my train ride? At least when some idjit offs himself on the tracks?

Do you have any theories why there has been an epidemic of trains killing people in the Bay Area recently? Aside from your incident, there have been about 8 or 10 suicides, about 15 other "accidental" deaths from people walking on the tracks getting hit by trains, and some trains ramming into each other (such as the other day in SF), and all sorts of random incidents. This happens on CalTrain, Amtrak, Muni, and BART.

What the heck is going on? Worst train year in memory. Speculations?

re: #48 MrSilverDragon

I offer my thoughts for both of them, "Thank you for all of your service to keep us safe from harm."

*salute*

Thanks- I fully supported them in this, but now I am so aware of the price. . .I always knew, with my dad a vet, but now I am feeling it. . .personally

re: #47 pre-Boomer Marine brat
No kiddin' ! I retired in '97. After 9-11 I checked but the navy didn't need sonar techs! If I had been a Sea Bee, or a dock master, I could've went back in.

Nothing says "Hello" like a 20mm cannon with 70mm rockets and Hellfire and/or TOW missiles on a AH-1Z Super Cobra! I hope all the Cobra are now Zulus. That's the bird that started the whole dedicated helo gunship back in Vietnam and still going strong. It also shares a lot of parts with its mother bird the UH-1 Huey!

re: #27 DisturbedEma

(((Ema)))

re: #53 zombie

Do you have any theories why there has been an epidemic of trains killing people in the Bay Area recently?

Trains don't kill people. People with trains kill people./

re: #51 Dianna

I'm afraid that one looks like the MUNI driver was either unconscious or asleep. Bad thing. If I understand it correctly, it happened just before the automated controls would have kicked in.

Thanks, there sure have been a lot of train mishaps lately. I couldn't believe that conductors would sleep and text message on the job, how irresponsible. I hope they get canned.

re: #44 DaddyG

Informal poll: What does the esteemed Lizard peanut gallery think the end game in Afganastan is going to be?

Soviet Style Quagmire?
Middle Eastern Democracy?
Perpetual Occupation?
other?

Corrupt semi-democracy that occasionally plays wack-a-mole with the terrorists in the countryside but basically just runs a couple major cities, propped up by massive foreign aid and the west turning a blind eye to the drug production.

re: #43 DisturbedEma

With both eyes open. . .having infant twins helps when you can't sleep. . .sigh

Oh, my stars! I'd forgotten about the babies!

re: #44 DaddyG

Informal poll: What does the esteemed Lizard peanut gallery think the end game in Afganastan is going to be?

Soviet Style Quagmire?
Middle Eastern Democracy?
Perpetual Occupation?
other?

Perhaps a dictionary definition?

"Taliban", n. 1. A group of fanatics that once caused widespread death and destruction in the Afghan region. This is an antiquated term that was used to describe a group that no longer exists.

(I can hope, right?)

re: #53 zombie

Do you have any theories why there has been an epidemic of trains killing people in the Bay Area recently? Aside from your incident, there have been about 8 or 10 suicides, about 15 other "accidental" deaths from people walking on the tracks getting hit by trains, and some trains ramming into each other (such as the other day in SF), and all sorts of random incidents. This happens on CalTrain, Amtrak, Muni, and BART.

What the heck is going on? Worst train year in memory. Speculations?

Has usage increased significantly at any time recently? Any time some one gives incident numbers, I like to establish percentages to see whether it was the rate of incidences or the base line which had grown.

There is a big difference between a negligent train engineer (texting, napping, smoking a joint) and someone who commits suicide by train. There is nothing an engineer can do about a suicide or a careless driver who tries to cross the tracks in front of a speeding train. When I worked for a short line RR in the late 80s we had about two deaths by train a year (no fault of the RR) and it really shook the engineers up.

As far as increased numbers it could be an increase in reporting due to the interest generated by DC metro wreck, a real increase in incidents or a combination of both.

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

God Bless you Ema.. I know the stain of having a child in a combat zone..
Be strong and we will pray for you.

re: #60 JustABill

Corrupt semi-democracy that occasionally plays wack-a-mole with the terrorists in the countryside but basically just runs a couple major cities, propped up by massive foreign aid and the west turning a blind eye to the drug production.

Sadly that may be the most accurate description.

re: #53 zombie

Do you have any theories why there has been an epidemic of trains killing people in the Bay Area recently? Aside from your incident, there have been about 8 or 10 suicides, about 15 other "accidental" deaths from people walking on the tracks getting hit by trains, and some trains ramming into each other (such as the other day in SF), and all sorts of random incidents. This happens on CalTrain, Amtrak, Muni, and BART.

What the heck is going on? Worst train year in memory. Speculations?

The suicides have been really astonishing - so many have been teenagers in San Mateo; it's evidently one of those frightening swarms of hysterical action teenagers are prone to. I used to swear that the second one girl started showing signs of anorexia she ought to be instantly removed from school and (to all intents and purposes) quarantined. The way you'd see rashes of girls with "eating disorders", we're seeing this swarm of suicides.

The others? I don't quite know. I've wondered (since BART's staff is half-way to complete mutiny) if that hasn't something to do with BART's problems. As to this MUNI crash? I am worried that the operator was sick.

re: #53 zombie

Up here in Toronto we get about 1 to 2 suicides/attempted suicides a week on our subway service. It's not broadcast or published a lot unless something really tragic happens at the same time. Been on a train when it's happened, and my circle of friends have at least similar stories about their public transit adventures in the same vein.

re: #62 subsailor68

Perhaps a dictionary definition?

"Taliban", n. 1. A group of fanatics that once caused widespread death and destruction in the Afghan region. This is an antiquated term that was used to describe a group that no longer exists.

(I can hope, right?)

The Taliban, by whatever name, have been living in the Afghanistan - NW Pakistan region since the dawn of recorded history. (And way before the introduction of Islam, which happens to suit them to a tee.) They aren't going away anytime soon. They've seen invaders come and invaders go - usually with their tails between their collective legs. Iraq has been easy, compared to the job in Afghanistan.

re: #53 zombie

Do you have any theories why there has been an epidemic of trains killing people in the Bay Area recently? Aside from your incident, there have been about 8 or 10 suicides, about 15 other "accidental" deaths from people walking on the tracks getting hit by trains, and some trains ramming into each other (such as the other day in SF), and all sorts of random incidents. This happens on CalTrain, Amtrak, Muni, and BART.

What the heck is going on? Worst train year in memory. Speculations?

My last fire district had a major rail line. Accidents, as apposed to suicides often had something in common, head phones, a high number of those that were ruled accidental where listening to music.

Trains are remarkable quiet as they approach away. The noise is as they are passing. Add an earphone and even moderately loud music, a person who made the mistake of being on or close to tracks would never hear the train.

re: #53 zombie

Perhaps, as animals in nature behave in agitated manner prior to an earthquake or tsunami, maybe our tools of civilization are acting out in anticipation of the coming collapse of society.

/my Twilight Zone plot line...

bbl

re: #72 IslandLibertarian

Perhaps, as animals in nature behave in agitated manner prior to an earthquake or tsunami, maybe our tools of civilization are acting out in anticipation of the coming collapse of society.

/my Twilight Zone plot line...

you have an active imagination... but I like the plot

re: #72 IslandLibertarian

Perhaps, as animals in nature behave in agitated manner prior to an earthquake or tsunami, maybe our tools of civilization are acting out in anticipation of the coming collapse of society.

/my Twilight Zone plot line...

OOOWWW... NICE!!

re: #72 IslandLibertarian

Perhaps, as animals in nature behave in agitated manner prior to an earthquake or tsunami, maybe our tools of civilization are acting out in anticipation of the coming collapse of society.

/my Twilight Zone plot line...

Or its the Alien space ship causing the machines to revolt

/Maximum Overdrive

re: #53 zombie

If it is commuters, then I have an explanation based on what we've seen in Chicagoland. It's impatience. Commuters who don't want to wait for the crossing gates to raise before cutting across the tracks to their cars or bus stop on the other side. We've had case after case of impatient commuters who ignore the warning signals and get hit by either a freight train or an express commuter train.

A very famous one was at the Metra BNSF line at the Downers Grove Fairview Avenue station. A railfan was videotaping the trains and was taping several commuters crossing in front of the train while the gates were down. The last one was hit by a freight train moving at 60mph. The video is currently used by Operation Lifesaver as a training video.

re: #76 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Or its the Alien space ship causing the machines to revolt

/Maximum Overdrive

It's all Stephen King's fault!

re: #67 Dianna

I didn't know that. This site said proximity to a school might be why teenagers are overrepresented. What a screwed up way to kill yourself, you don't die instantly, it screws up the day for thousands of other people, and your parents get caught with a huge bill.
[Link: suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org...]

Monkey!

re: #78 jcm

It's all Stephen King's fault!

Are you taking a Stand?

re: #78 jcm

It's all Stephen King's fault!

Ya. He thinks a Pet Cemetery is one of those Needful Things.

re: #69 Son of the Black Dog

Alas, you're right! When I read stories like this, though, it makes me want to weep:

Taliban kill Afghan students, burn schools

re: #79 turn

I didn't know that. This site said proximity to a school might be why teenagers are overrepresented. What a screwed up way to kill yourself, you don't die instantly, it screws up the day for thousands of other people, and your parents get caught with a huge bill.
[Link: suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org ...]

It takes something out of the response crews too.

I remember every train pedestrian accident I responded to.

re: #81 Mad Al-Jaffee

Are you taking a Stand?

Cujo please not start a pun thread?

re: #85 Russkilitlover

Cujo please not start a pun thread?

I'm taking a "Shining" to them.

FYI: I'm listening to the audio over at wechoosethemoon.org, going over the moon landing from 40 years. Very, very cool. It's "realtime" in the sense that they will touch down in about two hours.

re: #79 turn

I've always thought those things you list are part of the point. Public suicides are all about making people sorry.

re: #84 jcm

It takes something out of the response crews too.

I remember every train pedestrian accident I responded to.

I never had any of those calls when I was an EMT, but I have heard some over the scanners and talked to other crews who responded. There were never any survivors.

re: #85 Russkilitlover

Cujo please not start a pun thread?

No! Carrie on!

re: #85 Russkilitlover

Cujo please not start a pun thread?

I thought you Mist the last one.

re: #91 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

I thought you Mist the last one.

I might have to take a Long Walk away from this blog for a while.

re: #89 Mad Al-Jaffee

I never had any of those calls when I was an EMT, but I have heard some over the scanners and talked to other crews who responded. There were never any survivors.

I was never on a survivor. Messy business getting hit by a train.

re: #77 Honorary Yooper That was a dangerous station even in the 80s. The Downtown Downers Grove station was just as bad with people not waiting for a clear track before crossing the tracks.

re: #91 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

I thought you Mist the last one.

Oh the Misery.

I'll keep him in my prayers. I look forward (with some reluctance, knowing the heartbreak I could experience due to the content) to the upcoming reports. Be safe.

re: #90 Mad Al-Jaffee

No! Carrie on!

Puns are such Misery.

re: #92 Mad Al-Jaffee

I might have to take a Long Walk away from this blog for a while.

Why don't you just take a Stand? It is what I would do.

re: #95 midwestgak

Oh the Misery.

re: #97 jcm

Puns are such Misery.

7 seconds, damn!

re: #97 jcm

Puns are such Misery.

It's time to take a stand or else no redemption for you at Shawshank. Instead, it's the Green Mile for you.

re: #84 jcm

It takes something out of the response crews too.

I remember every train pedestrian accident I responded to.

I bet you do, it must really be ugly. Thanks for doing hard stuff like that jcm.

re: #97 jcm

Puns are such Misery.

Don't be a Creep. Show me some more original puns.

re: #93 jcm

I was never on a survivor. Messy business getting hit by a train.

I'll skip some of the things I've seen. But I managed, once, to get to someone who'd been driving me nuts for months by saying, "At least it's not still twitching."

re: #69 Son of the Black Dog

Not true at all. The Taliban were trained and formed in the madrassas of Pakistan during the late 80's & early 1990's. "Taliban means "student". The came to power in the 1990's when they invaded Af'stan to fight against the various warlord factions in power. Today the Taliban foot-soldiers are drawn from 2 of the 4 Pashtun tribes. The leadership of the Taliban are closely aligned with Al Qaeda. So-called "Taliban" units in Afghanistan & Pakistan often include Arabs, Chechens and other foreign jihadis.

re: #92 Mad Al-Jaffee

I might have to take a Long Walk away from this blog for a while.

Well, start Running Man...

Jawa Report on the disgraceful smearing of our soldier held hostage...
Was Bergdahl a Deserter? Back to the Rape Analogy

No person deserves the fate of a hostage in the hands of the Taliban. I'm told by a friend that Islamists are having a field day over at a certain well known forum contrasting how well Bergdahl is being treated by the Taliban with how poorly the US treats its POWs captured in the War on Terror.

If you think they make a good point, you are a moral idiot.
...
As for the desertion claim that some are writing in to Michelle Malkin about, I have no idea.
...
As I've said over and over through the years, hostages often exercise extremely poor judgment and put themselves in situations which lead to their captivity.

But so do rape victims. Putting yourself in a bad situation does not morally excuse the monsters who would take advantage of your poor judgment. The person who is raped is a victim plain and simple.

In the case of hostages it is even more troubling than after the fact analysis of other crimes where the victim exercised poor judgment. That we are talking about Bergdahl's role in his own victimization while that victimization continues seems pretty bad to me. I don't know what to call it. Call it bad manners.
...
The bad guys in this story are the Taliban. Bergdahl is the good guy. A flawed protagonist? Maybe. Like Clint Eastwood in insert-name-of-all-Clint-Eastwood-movies-here. But the protagonist nonetheless.

We're rooting for you Bowe Bergdahl. You and your family are in our prayers.

re: #102 Mad Al-Jaffee

Don't be a Creep. Show me some more original puns.

Not a real King fan, out of puns I am Running, Man!

re: #99 jcm

7 seconds, damn!

You look Thinner.

re: #105 BlueCanuck

Well, start Running Man...

Do you think that running would help me get Thinner?

re: #105 BlueCanuck

Well, start Running Man...

Run The Green Mile.

re: #88 Dianna

I've always thought those things you list are part of the point. Public suicides are all about making people sorry.

That didn't cross my mind, good point - especially considering teenagers. Obviously I haven't put to much thought into committing suicide.

re: #110 midwestgak

Run The Green Mile.

Since there were already some corn puns posted today, can this be the Children of the Corn?

re: #80 Killgore Trout

Monkey!

Chick!

re: #106 Killgore Trout

Can you imagine being one of this man's family members, scared out of your wits for your son/brother/cousin/whathaveyou and hearing/reading such things. Appalling.

re: #112 Mad Al-Jaffee

Since there were already some corn puns posted today, can this be the Children of the Corn?

Is that you Christine?

re: #27 DisturbedEma

My 19 year old son was wounded slightly 3 days ago. . .that is Marine slightly. . .I am so scared for the both of them. . .my 2 oldest are there

Prayers for a hedge of protecion for both your boys.

re: #94 DaddyG

That was a dangerous station even in the 80s. The Downtown Downers Grove station was just as bad with people not waiting for a clear track before crossing the tracks.

People just don't seem to want to wait for the crossing gates to raise before crossing the tracks. Unfortunately, we hear of a couple of people a year getting hit by a train or clipped by a train for their impatience.

re: #27 DisturbedEma

Ema - Prayers for a quick and complete recovery to both your son and you (babies and sleep deprivation).

Worst Stephen King book ever:The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon. I didn't make it to the end.

Has this thread died? Or is my computer going mad?

re: #119 KenJen

Worst Stephen King book ever:The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon. I didn't make it to the end.

It must have been - I've never heard of it.

re: #120 Dianna

Has this thread died? Or is my computer going mad?

It's the afternoon doldrums.

re: #113 wrenchwench

Chick!

Armadillo!

re: #120 Dianna

Has this thread died? Or is my computer going mad?

No we're still here. I was off checking out the list of Stephen King books, man that dude is a prolific writer.

re: #120 Dianna

Has this thread died? Or is my computer going mad?

Maybe it has a case of the mondays.

re: #117 Honorary Yooper

People just don't seem to want to wait for the crossing gates to raise before crossing the tracks. Unfortunately, we hear of a couple of people a year getting hit by a train or clipped by a train for their impatience.

Yooper - Have we ridden the same trains?! You're absolutely correct IMHO!

The worst thing is the injury to the train crews - specially the engineers. There is a whole lot of mental anguish that results from seeing someone on the tracks and BEING ABLE TO DO NOTHING!

re: #119 KenJen

Worst Stephen King book ever:The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon. I didn't make it to the end.

Worst Stephen King movie ever: "My Dog Cujo". Nobody cried when he died at the end.

;-)

re: #120 Dianna

Has this thread died? Or is my computer going mad?

um, it isn't the computer that's going mad./

re: #113 wrenchwench

Chick?

re: #121 Dianna

It must have been - I've never heard of it.

Really bad. It's about a girl lost in the woods being chased by a beehive or a bear. I can't remember which.

re: #119 KenJen

Worst Stephen King book ever:The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon. I didn't make it to the end.

I used to be a huge King fan when I was much younger (like in middle school and high school.) I gave up on him when I read It and The Tommyknockers and they were pretty much the same book.

re: #130 KenJen

Really bad. It's about a girl lost in the woods being chased by a beehive or a bear. I can't remember which.

Bears with beehives shooting bees out of their mouths. :)

re: #114 kynna

Can you imagine being one of this man's family members, scared out of your wits for your son/brother/cousin/whathaveyou and hearing/reading such things. Appalling.

That was my first thought when I saw this stuff starting yesterday. It just makes my blood boil.

re: #67 Dianna

The suicides have been really astonishing - so many have been teenagers in San Mateo; it's evidently one of those frightening swarms of hysterical action teenagers are prone to. I used to swear that the second one girl started showing signs of anorexia she ought to be instantly removed from school and (to all intents and purposes) quarantined. The way you'd see rashes of girls with "eating disorders", we're seeing this swarm of suicides.

The others? I don't quite know. I've wondered (since BART's staff is half-way to complete mutiny) if that hasn't something to do with BART's problems. As to this MUNI crash? I am worried that the operator was sick.

Parental stress, due to lost or wavering jobs, reduction in retirement savings and other unpleasant effects of the current economic downturn spill over onto the whole family, too. It's quite possible that this spike is related; even though teenagers are viewed as having few responsibilities or worries, they aren't oblivious to the world around them.

re: #132 BlueCanuck

Bears with beehives shooting bees out of their mouths. :)

Smithers - release the robotic Richard Simmons!

re: #114 kynna

I can't imagine what his family and friends are thinking, but there are several versions of what happened when he disappeared: 1) he walked off on his own w/o alerting his fellow soldiers; 2) he got drunk and wandered off; and 3) he was captured while lagging behind during a patrol.

No word on which one is accurate. No word on whether his own actions contributed to his capture. The military isn't saying which version is accurate or reliable either, leaving much to speculation.

This much we do know - the Taliban are going to milk this for all it's worth. And when the Taliban find that holding him isn't going to be worth their time or effort, they'll kill him and likely make a video of same to boast of their feat.

Semper Fi.

I wish them -- the Marines, mind you -- good luck and good hunting.

And I wish Mr. Yon what he already has, a ringside seat for excellence in action.

:)

re: #104 Kenneth

Not true at all. The Taliban were trained and formed in the madrassas of Pakistan during the late 80's & early 1990's. "Taliban means "student". The came to power in the 1990's when they invaded Af'stan to fight against the various warlord factions in power. Today the Taliban foot-soldiers are drawn from 2 of the 4 Pashtun tribes. The leadership of the Taliban are closely aligned with Al Qaeda. So-called "Taliban" units in Afghanistan & Pakistan often include Arabs, Chechens and other foreign jihadis.

You're correct w/r/t the specific group we call the Taliban. My point is that both the Taliban mentality and a strict interpretation of Islam fit very neatly into the culture that has persisted in the mountains for uncounted centuries.

We are going to have a much more difficult time bringing this culture up to something we would recognize as modern than we have in Iraq, where there was an educated middle class within living memory. Iraq is a modern society when compared to what the British referred to as the NW Frontier.

Godspeed, Mr. Yon. I recall vividly your posts about LTC K. There's no better man for the job.

re: #71 jcm

My last fire district had a major rail line. Accidents, as apposed to suicides often had something in common, head phones, a high number of those that were ruled accidental where listening to music.

Trains are remarkable quiet as they approach away. The noise is as they are passing. Add an earphone and even moderately loud music, a person who made the mistake of being on or close to tracks would never hear the train.

Maybe a sign of warning, something like: "STOP - LOOK - LISTEN" would be in order.

re: #125 Mad Al-Jaffee

Maybe it has a case of the mondays.

PIYF - Mondaze.

Godspeed, Mr. Yon.

Please let our Marines know how much they are loved and supported here at home, whenever you have the opportunity to do so.

Because of the sheer volume of dispatches that Mr. Yon has written over the years, I have not been able to read them all. However, I have read enough to be convinced Michael Yon is the Ernie Pyle of our generation.

Godspeed, sir. And always - always tell us like it really is over there.