Coined by the NGB CSM
Today I was coined by Command Sergeant Major Hudson, the Command Sergeant Major of the National Guard Bureau. We had a short conversation about the importance of NCOES (the Non-Commissioned Officer Education System), and on the way out he coined me and the other Specialist who was in on the conversation. I tend not to make a big deal about getting coined but it was pretty cool today, probably because CSM Hudson seemed like a pretty down to earth type guy.
Guests of the Ayatollah
I just finished reading Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden and I must give it 5 stars.
Michael D. Rose, a reviewer on Amazon.com states it better than I will be able to:
“His outstanding research, interviews, and story telling weave the most compelling narrative of what actually occurred behind the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran during the 444 days that America was held captive. You actually feel like you are right there amongst the American hostages battling anger, fear, depression, smiling inward with every small personal victory over the Iranian students, and contemplating ways to escape the nightmare both physically and mentally. You also get a clear picture of a President who is angered by the turn of events in Iran, but is too weak to do anything about it. The inclusion of the details of the bold, but ill-fated American rescue mission (Operation Eagle Claw) is fascinating in itself and brilliantly woven into the story.â€
If you are at all interested in Military History, International Relationships, Human Nature, or just a want a good read, you should check out Guests of the Ayatollah.
Inteview with a GITMO Psychiatric Nurse
Patterico just finished posting five installments of an interview he conducted with “Stashiu”, a Psychiatric Nurse who worked at Guantanamo Bay. I’m not a fan of how it was hyped as an interview with someone who has talked with terrorists, it just seemed kind of cheesy, but it does provide a good insight to GITMO. I can’t verify the validity of it but I believe it is on the up and up from my familiarity with the Military Intelligence Community, Detainee Operations, Conversations with a Human Intelligence Collector that was stationed at GITMO, and the way Parrerico cited traditional media reports.
Here is how Patterico has split up the interview, I’d suggest starting at Part One…
Part One: Introduction. Stashiu tells us about a terrorist who threatened to have Zarqawi (who was then still alive) cut off the heads of Stashiu’s family while he watched — and then cut off Stashiu’s head.
Part Two: Stashiu arrives at GTMO, and tells us what the terrorists are like.
Part Three: Hunger strikes, suicides and suicide attempts, and mental illness. Stashiu opines that the suicides were a political act.
Part Four: Treatment of the detainees, and the detainees’ treatment of guards. Also, desecration of the Koran — but by whom?
Part Five: Stashiu reacts to Big Media pieces about GTMO.
Arming Wisconsin’s Teachers???
Following three violent school shooting that struck the nation in the past two weeks, including one in a small rural town in Wisconsin, State Representative Frank Lasee (R-Bellevue) announced his plans to introduce legislation that will allow teachers, principals, administrators, and other school personnel to carry concealed weapons. The lawmaker said that while his idea may not be politically correct, it has worked effectively in other countries.
Teachers should be in charge of teaching our nation’s children, not gunning them down. If there is a security or safety threat, the School District should bring in security guards or foster a stronger relationship with the community police.
Having a loaded weapon in the classroom is not a valid answer as the risk of abuse is huge. What happens when a teacher goes crazy because they can’t control little Jimmy? Before it was handled with a little physical abuse, now little Jimmy will have a Glock pointed at him? What happens when the high schooler over powers the teacher, and now has a loaded weapon?
Representative Lasee points out that it has worked in other countries, his usual example is Israel. Does he realize the situations are no where near similar? In Israel the threat is from terrorists and extremists, and everyone lives in fear. In Wisconsin, the threat is children who have been bullied and are emotionally unstable. A teacher who shoots a terrorist is one thing, but a teacher who shoots a 13 year old boy?
It’s a good thing this bill will never pass, especially in a Wisconsin, a state still struggling to pass a normal concealed carry bill…