All posts by Steve Stern

A walk in the sun

Bay Area Walks, San Mateo County

Today it stopped raining for awhile – and the sun came out. In our backyard, all kinds of plants are starting to bloom. The jade tree or crassula argentea – or crassula ovata – that Michele got from her mother's front door stoop:

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A hybrid cymbidium we got from somewhere,

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And almost all our fruit trees.

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The area where we live is part of the Town of Portola Valley but, because the roads are so narrow and sub-standard, the town will not maintain them. So we have a private maintenance district that is run by a Homeowners Club that is supported in part by the residents and by an allowance from the Town.

Last weekend, we cleared an old trail to the next road over. So, when the sun came out, Michele and I went for a walk on the newly opened trail.

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Past all kinds of mushrooms that I am sure are deadly,

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the giant wake robin or trillium chloropetalum or, as Michele calls them, just trillium,

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and – of course, because it is February – there are acacias everywhere.


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And vibrant moss on everything including the benches.

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Finally, at the top of the trail, is a view of Stanford and Palo Alto.

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Gays in the military 2: Obama as a Jedi master

Americana

Now, General Ray Odierno, the commanding general of the U.S. forces in Iraq, says that he is OK with gays serving in the military. (Seeing here giving Stephen Colbert a haircut.)

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It is like the Chinese water torture (enhanced interrogation?) – only in reverse – every week some new commander comes out saying that they are OK with gays serving in the military.

The U.S. military, Afghanistan, and change

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NATO soldier training Afghan in the proper use of a rocket propelled grenade launcher – something I would not have expected they would need. 

Yesterday – or maybe the day before yesterday – we – that being the coalition forces or ISAF – bombed and killed, by error, a group of Afghan civilians and General McCrystal apologized. Personally! On Afghan National TV. This is the general who is accused of stonewalling the friendly fire killing of Spc. Pat Tillman and of abusing detainees in Iraq!  

And he was put there after firing the last commander, General David McKiernan. Firing a commander is pretty unusual in the Army and this was even more unusual because McKiernan was a classic Army commander who came up through the ranks in Armor. For at least the last 60 years, Armor has been the preferred path to promotion in the Army. Sort of like being an aircraft carrier guy in the Navy.

Then the Armor guy is replaced by a Special Forces guy – or snake eater as they used to be called. And now the snake eater is apologizing for killing Afghans. The same day, the new Afghan governor – or mayor – moved into Marjah before the fighting even stopped. He came with a lot of money, is backed by the Marines, and supported by U.S. State Department personnel. 

This is an amazing change of attitude. A sea change in the culture of the U.S. Military and the Army in particular. This is a huge bureaucratic organization that is totally changing in the middle of the dance. It is like General Motors changing to manufacturing only compact cars in 1995. (BTW as an example of how hard that is – The General just hired – as a consultant – the CEO the Obama administration forced them to fire last year.)

The military has gone from measuring success by high body counts to courting the local loyal jurga. I am astounded! And delighted at how serious and sincere the Obama Administration and the United States military are – even though I am still not convinced we should be there.

 

 

Gays in the military: Obama as a Jedi master

Obama, What's a man?

A week or couple ago, Jon Stewart was on the Bill O'Reilly show – The Factor to the consignetti – and O'Reilly asked Stewart how is President Obama is doing, so far? Stewart answered that he wasn't sure if  Obama is a Jedi master playing chess on a three level board, or if this is kicking his ass. He then went on to say that it is complicated.

It seems to me that in the matter of gays in the military – atleast – Obama is playing it like a Jedi master. First the Chief of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen, came out in favor of letting open gays serve in the military saying I have served with homosexuals since 1968. Everybody in
the military has.,

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then General Colin Powell came out in support.

Now, General David Petraeus

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has come out in support. It just seems to be spontaneously happening. But, of course, it isn't spontaneous. But it is happening. My guess – and my hope – is that by summer, DADT will be history.