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| Herrerano |
Posted on: 01-Aug-2006, 12:42 PM |
Replies: 329
Views: 8,318
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Good points Stormeil.
Sometimes in the heat of an argument it is way too simple and easy to just pull out the old, "He's right because God said so" reasoning.
Not to take anything away from those who have a more religiously fundamental worldview (notice I did not say Christian here), but the basic tenants of an argument should hold up despite particular beliefs. (wow, trying to say this in a general way to make it clear that it concerns all belief systems is really really hard).
Anyway, there are a couple of things that this left me thinking as I lay my head on my pillow last night. First of all, to CC, and his remark about honor etc. It's that desire to hold ourselves and those we think of as 'honorable' to a higher standard that causes such deep disappointment when something like the incident at Qana happens. On the other hand, it is not that hard to see how those things could have happened either. Hizbollah hides like cowards amongst the civilian population and shields itself with innocents as it fires its missiles towards Israel. Israelies, now infected with the desire to win, but to win cheaply, without spending those groundpounding grunt lives tries to do what has always been impossible from the air and wage war without looking into the eyes and faces of the enemy. That is all it takes for a tragic incident like that to occur and instantly Israel has practically handed victory over to Hizbollah.
If you're interested in reading a bit more about this here are a couple of links.
THE ROAD TO QANA Cheap War Gets Expensive
Israel Is Losing This War
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Oh yeah, remember, the IDF comprises the whole of the Israeli defense forces, most of them are just regular folks. Weren't you really referring to the 'spooks' among them when you made this comment?
stoirmeil Posted on 01-Aug-2006, 12:27 PM
| QUOTE | The IDF has a history of ruthlessness, and as I keep saying it is chilling what it does to them and apparently makes them capable of -- but they have paid plenty of lives.
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But then that would really be the subject of an entirely new thread, and could apply to sof people in any branch of service in any country. Well, back to my midget racing and endless speculations about Cuba.  Leo  |
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Forum: Politics & Current Events · Post Preview: #158710 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 01-Aug-2006, 08:01 AM |
Replies: 28
Views: 1,015
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Ok, now I understand a whole lot better.
| QUOTE | | So -- the Stamping Grounds, I think Cape Wrath would be a good site. Or maybe the little sea-stack that's right off the point. |
Personally I think a good arm wrestling match followed by much boasting would serve just as well. But, at any rate, please bring beer to chase the whisky with once it's all over. Oh yeah, try and have something to munch on please. Kippers go good with pain and heavy drinking. Leo |
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Forum: Politics & Current Events · Post Preview: #158681 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 31-Jul-2006, 06:32 PM |
Replies: 329
Views: 8,318
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CelticCoalition Posted on 31-Jul-2006, 07:21 PM
| QUOTE | | They should deal with them with intelligence, honor, and precision. Not blunt, brute, unguided force and anhilation. If they use the same ideas and tactics against their enemy that their enemy is accused of, how are they better? |
Some people just plain aren't interested in talking or listening. Believe it or not, there really and truly are evil people in the world to whom no amount of talking or reasoning will ever make a difference. I say this after having learned it myself, by being stupidly naive, when I would have been better served being cunning and crafty. Some of us learn our lessons hard. I think the argument could be made here that sometimes intelligence and precision and honor require blunt brute force. Leo |
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Forum: Politics & Current Events · Post Preview: #158618 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 31-Jul-2006, 04:56 PM |
Replies: 329
Views: 8,318
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No, if the events transpired as reported, then it is indeed incredibly sad.
One supposes that those whom had the means fled, and those who didn't hunkered down and stayed, hoping for the best.
One can argue forever that modern technical advances in warfare prove that whenever civilians are killed it was intentional. But that argument presupposes that all of the conditions at a weapons deployment were at least equal to its ideal parameters in design. Sort of a naive viewpoint of war.
If you are interested a fairly comprehensive report of the Qana incident one is given here: The Sydney Morning Herald
Below is an excerpt from the article:
| QUOTE | Israeli warplanes struck Qana only hours after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah threatened to rocket more cities in central Israel if attacks on Lebanon continued.
"There are many cities in central Israel which will come into target range ... if the barbaric aggression on our country and people continues," he said yesterday.
Israel's air force was unaware that civilians were sheltering in a building it bombed in Qana, the military chief said.
"We did not know of the whereabouts of civilians in the village," Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz was quoted as saying by the NRG Maariv website after meeting President Moshe Katsav.
A senior air force commander said a precision-guided bomb was dropped on a home in Qana on the assumption that it was sheltering Hezbollah crews that had fired several volleys of missiles into northern Israel.
"Had we known there were that many civilians inside, especially women and children, we certainly would not have attacked it," the commander told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Asked how Israel's intelligence services could know about missile launches from Qana but not about the presence of dozens of civilians, the commander said: "We are capable of detecting missile launches because they are very dynamic."
By contrast, he said the civilians appeared to have been holed up in the building for days, and were therefore almost impossible for aerial surveillance systems to discern.
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Leo
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Forum: Politics & Current Events · Post Preview: #158596 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 31-Jul-2006, 04:03 PM |
Replies: 329
Views: 8,318
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From a story on the BBC (27/7/06)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_ea...ast/5219360.stm
| QUOTE | Mr Ramon - a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - said "everyone understands that a victory for Hezbollah is a victory for world terror".
He said that in order to prevent casualties among Israeli soldiers battling Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, villages should be flattened by the Israeli air force before ground troops moved in.
He added that Israel had given the civilians of southern Lebanon ample time to quit the area and therefore anyone still remaining there could be considered a Hezbollah supporter.
"All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah," Mr Ramon said.
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(emphasis added)As you can see, the meaning is somewhat different then was previously implied. Context makes a big difference. Leo |
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Forum: Politics & Current Events · Post Preview: #158592 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 29-Jul-2006, 10:45 AM |
Replies: 6
Views: 396
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| QUOTE | birddog20002001 Posted on 29-Jul-2006, 09:46 AM
No. me stay, me love you long time... Celtic man too beaucoup. lets go bang bang. get marie someday 18 F Siberia.
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Birddog, I see you have been associating with a higher class of lady then I have. It must be the wonders of the internet age. The ones I know still yell out the things they used to say when you drove out the front gate of Howard or Rodman... "OYE! OYE!... .....You want ..descriptive term here.....other descriptive term......I love gringo mucho....2 dolas...love you long time... Of course, once you know them by name they are much more tranquilo and sociable, although their taste in 'gifts' always seemed to increase proportionately  Well, (cough, cough) or so I've heard, not that I would know any of that myself. Leo |
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #157841 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 28-Jul-2006, 11:01 AM |
Replies: 13
Views: 430
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| QUOTE | YOu come up with the Midgets in Kilts who can dance and I am so there!!
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We'll work that in to our next years Highland games, although around here we usually dress our midgets in shorts. Leo |
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Forum: Celtic Music · Post Preview: #157628 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 28-Jul-2006, 09:58 AM |
Replies: 13
Views: 430
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Someone mention midget dancers???
Hey Mikel,
When are we going to see: Arminta And Blaq Lily - In Pese, Herrera?
We can even bring in some heavy duty accordeon players to round out the entertainment.
Nothing like the sound of a Panamanian accordeon to send the chills up your spine, and set your feet to dancing. I could even round up some midget dancers.
Leo |
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Forum: Celtic Music · Post Preview: #157617 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 28-Jul-2006, 08:57 AM |
Replies: 28
Views: 1,015
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Gee, I took MacE's comment as a compliment, it made me feel good to know someone else appreciated my point of view.
stoirmeil Posted on 27-Jul-2006, 11:57 AM
| QUOTE | | You're going to have a hard time flying that one in Sutherland, Ross-shire, Lewis, Harris and the Orkneys and Shetlands. But you will get to discover definitively what's under a kilt, because you will be stomped to death by highlanders and all you'll have to do is look up for once. |
This one just sort of impresses me as stingy. Both for myself and for friends and fellows from the aforementioned northern counties (although you forgot to mention Caithness). Most of them that I know are a bit bigger in heart then that. Leo Oh, and by the way, do they wear something different under their kilts then I wear under mine? |
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Forum: Politics & Current Events · Post Preview: #157614 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 27-Jul-2006, 09:46 AM |
Replies: 2,510
Views: 68,703
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About 29C, sunny with some clouds. Probably rain this afternoon and cool things off for tonight. Not much breeze during rainy season, good thing or it would knock all our coconuts off the trees.
Leo |
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Forum: The Jester's Court · Post Preview: #157453 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 25-Jul-2006, 07:35 AM |
Replies: 8
Views: 429
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Birddog, sorry to hear of your new yankeedom. Don't believe any of those other people no matter what they say, Cinncinati is not part of the south. Cripes, that's just wishful thinking folks and I'm ashamed of you. Don't matter how close to Kentucky it is either, their case is pretty shakey itself.
You know, the really sad thing is that up there, people really do live in trailer parks and nobody jokes about it.
Leo |
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #157168 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 24-Jul-2006, 02:57 PM |
Replies: 28
Views: 1,015
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Hola a todos,
I don't have a lot of time to write anymore, but do try from time to time to read over the posts here. I read through this one the other day and started to reply, then decided I really didn't have anything to say and then found that throughout the weekend my mind kept turning this subject over.
My position on this is somewhat influenced by my own circumstance of being an expatriated American citizen. I suppose one of the reasons I decided to go on and respond to this is that there were some arguments made in the discussion of this topic which would probably have been formulated differently if the writers would have had a bit more information. (Ie: if the authors of those remarks actually knew what the hell they were talking about for instance. )
I would like to point out that the U.S. State Dept. issues all kinds of information from Current Travel Warnings (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/t...tw/tw_1764.html), to Consular Information (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/c...is/cis_994.html). Travel warnings are issued concerning perceived threats in specific countries and the consular information is issued concerning, well, things of interest to Americans abroad for just about anywhere. Despite the fact that it seems to be handy to use as the butt of jokes concerning foreign info, the Consular Information is really pretty accurate and an up to date source of general information and warnings.
People expatriate for a variety of reasons, work, school, adventure, retirement, and many more reasons but they are still U. S. citizens entitled to vote etc, although it is not as clear-cut and simple as many people seem to think. The paying taxes argument is always interesting, because it always seems to be those folks who earn less then the taxable amount who are so quick to pull it out and wave it around. However, it is worth pointing out a couple of things concerning the paying taxes business. Still, a working person living abroad can earn up to USD 80,000 a year without paying taxes on it in the U. S.. This does not count on retirement income though so those retired fogeys need to keep on paying in.
Now, back to the point of this which has to do with evacuating U. S. citizens from a dangerous foreign land. As previously mentioned, the U.S. government does go to lengths to maintain current threat information available. Of course they cannot insure that every single citizen sees it, but it is there if anyone is inclined to look. Citizens have the option of registering with the embassy (providing them with a method of contacting them) so that if there is some dire threat or emergency, they can at least be warned if a warning is possible. Having been in some rather odd situations myself, I find remarks insinuating or saying that the government “knew” things were about to happen sort of naïve. I personally have seen one situation (in a place other then where I now live) change overnight. We literally went to bed one Sunday night to wake up on Monday morning with a complete change in the local government including a very rapidly deteriorating military situation which included local regional military and police commanders suddenly using the men under their command as private armies. This came as a complete surprise, and at that particular time we were very well informed concerning our threat levels. In short, sometimes things happen which are completely unexpected and are nasty.
Now, do I think the U.S. should send in troops etc. to extract its citizens. Well, for the most part I do. However, I can see the sense in considering the overall risk situation as well, and if someone who never had the sense to come in out of the cold (so to speak) gets left behind, well, sorry. I suppose (trying to clarify what I really think here) that if one has a chance to see the situation going bad and one has the desire to leave, then one should do everything in his own power to get out. If the situation has already gone south, then that’s a bit different and it’s really not unreasonable in that instance to hope like hell the next thing you see flying in is big, green and says U.S. Marines on the side of it.
Leo
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Forum: Politics & Current Events · Post Preview: #157062 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 19-Jun-2006, 06:13 PM |
Replies: 474
Views: 8,998
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Hey y'all, I don't get in here often anymore but just happened to have a minute and saw this and figured y'all could use some really good advice.
Ok, what to do on a memorable occasion like an anniversary or something? Go on and do something really, really romantic. I think the zoo idea is fine, but then maybe you could follow it up with a really fantastic dinner at one of those places that serves exotic game. Doesn't that sound cool? After an afternoon of watching elephants and ostriches and crocodiles and monkeys you could then set down to a really neat dinner and eat some of them.
Hey, don't be afraid to show that little woman that you really do care for her. Remember too, that women are always more vulnerable and agreeable after eating exotic food. This is a special day and you really should go all out, after all this is a good opportunity to build up points that will help out during the year when things get a little rough. Do as much as you can, spend as much as you can then spend more on her this day. Look, how many times will a subtle remark reminding her of this special day and the wonderful time you had help get you into the house at four thirty in the morning when you can't find the door key? Cripes, anything you can do to build up equity is a plus, especially if you're like me and talk in your sleep.
After that romantic dinner and maybe some time spent sipping stupid nasty wine (sacrifice this day, sacrifice) you could then surprise her with a night in a romantic hotel suite. Plan ahead, tip the concierge so that you can surprise her with a layout of sexy lingerie on the bed as you carry her in for the evening of wild abandon. OH Hey! I'm not talking about the old Rosemont motel either with the mirrors on the ceiling (Good lord, first thing you know she will be wondering how you knew about it. Best she never finds out.) The key here is excess finesse. Splurge buddy, you never know when you may need to cash in some of these memories.
Hope that helps.
Leo
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Forum: The Jester's Court · Post Preview: #152371 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 16-Mar-2006, 11:07 AM |
Replies: 2,510
Views: 68,703
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Here just outside of Chitré, Republic of Panamá it's up in the low 90's (F) with a good breeze from the North East. Normally we would be approaching the end of the dry season about now, but this year it looks like it might go on a while longer yet. There has been rain in other parts of the country, but out here it is normally drier.
The new school year just started this week.
Leo |
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Forum: The Jester's Court · Post Preview: #142674 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 10-Mar-2006, 08:53 AM |
Replies: 41
Views: 1,229
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It's looking like it may be at least another month before 'winter' starts down here. Although that doesn't really mean much temperature wise. Winter is the rainy season. For now though, hot and dry and windy.
Every day there is a strong wind from the East that blows in off the Pacific. Now into our third month of this dry season there is always a fair amount of dust in the air as well. At least some of the big sugar cane farms have stopped burning the stubble after the harvest and have started baling the stuff for fodder. That helps cut down on the smoke and ash in the air.
If anyone is interested, someone tried to sell me a place on the beach for a paltry $5000.00 a couple of weeks ago. Great veiw of the Pacific from the front porch although the road in is a little bad.
Leo |
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #142169 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 23-Feb-2006, 02:32 PM |
Replies: 5
Views: 335
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Hey Mike,
That wouldn't be the first time, although in reality they always landed on the baseball field across the street.
If you land in my front yard you'll squish our mango tree, and blow the zinc off the roof.
Like I said before, anytime you want to stop by just let me know. I'm easy to find since I am the only gringo in town.
Leo |
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #140773 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 23-Feb-2006, 12:12 PM |
Replies: 5
Views: 335
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The biggest celebration of the year starts tomorrow night down here. Carnaval, the four days prior to Ash Wednesday.
It is always a pretty wild time out here where I am, although I will be happy to just have almost a week of uninterrupted time off to barbecue, and drink beer and just take it easy.
Leo |
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #140755 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 07-Feb-2006, 03:20 PM |
Replies: 24
Views: 1,028
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| QUOTE | | en anglais sil vous plait!!!!!!!! |
¿Y Por Que? Leo |
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #139421 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 07-Feb-2006, 10:41 AM |
Replies: 24
Views: 1,028
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¡OYE! Sr. Cuervo, fuimos a Panamá (la ciudad) la otra semana y comimos en un lugar mexicana. Ellos servian un pico de gallo hecho de habañeros. ¡DIOS MIO! Me gusto picante mucho pero no podria come eso. Quemó mi lengua
Leo |
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #139383 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 06-Feb-2006, 11:00 AM |
Replies: 24
Views: 1,028
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Oh yeah, by the way, that was Superbowl XL.
You see, obviously there was a reason to learn those pesky Roman Numerals aside from being able to ascertain when movies were copyrighted.
Leo |
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #139253 |
| Herrerano |
Posted on: 06-Feb-2006, 10:58 AM |
Replies: 24
Views: 1,028
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We ate barbecued chicken. I had a few Panamanian Guinnesses while doing the barbecue thing then switched to Ron Abuelo and grapefruit juice to keep my blood alchol level elevated during the game.
Ended up talking to a friend of mine in Pma City by phone when I noticed how tardy the Rolling Stones were in making their way out to the stage. They must have gotten their walkers all tangled up.
The international version doesn't have any good commercials so missed all of that.
But, Thank God the Steelers won. I understand the Seahawks and the people
of Seattle were sacrificing small children and animals to heathen gods. Looks like they've been stymied in their evil desires now.
Leo
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Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #139252 |
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