Bryan Strawser

You are here: Home / Archives for Bryan Strawser

Bryan Strawser

Smash: Kerry’s First Flip-Flop

by ·

Smash has posted an excellent analysis of the Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth press conference today blasting Kerry as unfit to be commander in chief:

FORTUNATELY, it was just a dream. But for John Kerry, the nightmare is real. After he left Vietnam behind, he turned against his military brothers, accusing them of committing various acts of cruelty. He even went before Congress and testified about war crimes that he later admitted he had not personally witnessed.

Needless to say, some of these veterans aren’t very enamored with Senator Kerry. And now they’re throwing him a press conference.

Of course, this is all politically motivated. One can pick through Kerry’s military records, question whether he earned all of his medals, and ask why he requested reassignment after just four months in country – but none of this changes the fact that he volunteered for combat duty, and served bravely and honorably.

So why are partisan Republicans making an issue of Kerry’s military record?

Part of the blame lies with Kerry himself. Throughout the primary campaign, he repeatedly called attention to his service in Vietnam in order to differentiate himself from his opponents. He also brought along some of his fellow veterans on the campaign trail. He shouldn’t be surprised, then, that some of his former brothers-in-arms, who weren’t quite so happy about his post-war activities, have decided to speak up. While serving in Vietnam, Kerry was part of a very close-knit community of Sailors, Coastguardsmen, and Special Forces who make up the “Brown Water Navy.” Under fire, these men became as close as family. So Kerry’s sudden conversion from Navy Hero to Anti-War Activist must have come as quite a blow to these brave men.

Which brings us to the crux of the matter: Kerry’s political career begins with his decision to leave Vietnam, quit the military, and join the Anti-War Movement. To Kerry’s supporters, this decision represents a Change of Heart.

To his opponents, it was Kerry’s First Flip-Flop.

Much more to read over at Citizen Smash.

Fucking Safari

by ·

Working on a complete rewrite of one of the websites that I own here at the bar near the ocean here in St. Croix.

The site is powered by an off-the-sheld script called vRating – which is a quality piece of software.

I’m using Safari to do the webbased administration – and the damn thing keeps pausing with the little spinning wheel – it’s driving me fucking crazy.

I’m gonna get a drink.

Millions in the Field

by ·

When I was a student at The Indiana Academy for the last two years of high school, I was fortunate enough to be a student of Mark Watson – an extremely gifted instructor of History. My junior year he taught American History – my senior year he taught Government – or maybe it was the other way around, I don’t recall exactly – it was eleven years ago afterall.

But I do remember my senior year Mr. Watson handing out a cartoon from World War I that showed the grim reaper stretching his scythe across a field of two opposing armies at the Somme – we had some discussion about our feelings about that cartoon – and the word that I recall saying was “useless”.

Fast forward to just a few years ago, I scored tickets to an open rehearsal of theBoston Symphony of a War Requiem. There were two fabulous soloists, a choir, and of course – the outstanding Boston Symphony. The writer, a soldier later killed in the war, had seen the carnage at several of the battles of World War I… but still I knew little of that war. The piece was hauntingly moving… and still I knew little…

Move forward to the present – this afternoon, just after retreating from lunch at the oceanside bar here, I reached page 260 of The Guns of August and read of the first major clash in World War I between the French and German armies.

It would be known as the “Battle of the Frontier”. It was a fight that stretched over hundreds of miles involving more than seventy divisions on each side – more than 1.2 million troops on each side – fighting over one huge stretch of land across the Ardennes Forest. In the four day fight, more than 160,000 soldiers fell – killed or wounded – more than twice the size of the British Expeditionary Force that had just landed in France.

That’s more men killed or wounded in one battle than we have in the entire Middle East right now — all fallen in the span of four days.

And, from what I do remember about the Great War, this was only the beginning of what was to come.

New Blog Design

by ·

No, it’s not done. it’s in progress.

Give me a few days and everything will be working properly again.

Yes, it uses CSS. That’s a first for me. Thanks to Mary for the late night help with the markup.

Much more to come. Comments in the usual location….

Washington Post: Guantanamo’s Background and Strategy

by ·

Today’s Washington Post has an absolutely fascinating story about how Guantanamo’s holding area for enemy combatants and others came to be – including how the strategy was developed.. it’s a very interesting read:
There was little debate over how to classify those suspected of fighting for al Qaeda. The terrorist group was not a country and had never been a party to the Geneva conventions. Moreover, al Qaeda members intentionally killed civilians. Suspected terrorists captured by U.S. forces, the lawyers agreed, should be classified as enemy combatants and not given legal status as prisoners of war.

The status of Taliban fighters was less clear. Some lawyers reasoned that Afghanistan had signed the Geneva conventions and that the Taliban was recognized by some nations as a legitimate government, though not by the United States. These lawyers thought the Taliban fighters should be granted prisoner-of-war status, entitling them to certain rights and protections.

Other lawyers disagreed, arguing that the Taliban fighters should also be classified as enemy combatants.

“They were basically a criminal gang,” said a former Justice Department lawyer who participated in the strategy sessions and requested anonymity because of the confidential nature of the deliberations. “They massacred civilians. They summarily executed prisoners. If people violate the core notion of the law, they shouldn’t receive prisoner-of-war status. It’s reserved for honorable warriors.”

More later on my thoughts about this, I’m still digesting, and snorkeling awaits me….

Punk Ass Bitches

by ·

The following post is not about my boss – whom I love and respect dearly.

I hate bosses who lack the backbone and courage to deal with the real issue in front of them — you know – the big fucking white elephant in the middle of the room that no one wants to talk about – and instead goes out and makes an issue out of something that isn’t an issue and hurts someone who is just doing their job.

Punk ass bitches – you can rot in hell.

I feel much better now.