now don't tell ME you're all just sweet tomatoes!

Saturday, October 6, at 9.15 p.m., at the Roxie Theater at 3117 16th Street at Valencia in San Francisco, 1 1/2 blocks from the 16th street Bart Station.

San Francisco film festival will be showing a documentary called "Shakey's Hill." It was produced by a former CBS cameraman who went out with 5/7th Cav on the Cambodia Incursion in May of 1970 when the unit uncovered the biggest NVA weapons cashe of the war. He found the old 16mm film and re-cut it for this 100-minute documentary.

I haven't seen it, but it's not just another glorification of Vietnam. Rather, it blends the old CBS footage with recent interviews with the old farts who were "soldiers once, and young." Some of them still believe the cause was righteous, some don't. But the contrast between then and now in the faces of the men who served is to me, the most fascinating and telling part about war and warriors. We age and we retire to the dust of the ages, never having a good answer for those who might ask, "why?"

You were with the replacement FNG.

Our Company D was named No DEROS DELTA.

The way we left the 'Nam (DEROS- date estimated to return from over seas) was in a zipped up black plastic body bag or in a airlift medieval chopper. That was about the only dark Ginnis dinner time Bell I ever heard. The hot beer was flat. The REMF' black market crew sent forth by the GOP stole the Budweiser.

Our flat cans of beer were rusty.

I swear with my honor and whatever little integrity Ive got Left here @ the Salon saloon. loon.

But, to the best of my knowledge, there's no active "Blackwater" thread. Has anybody seen this?

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/20043.html

From the article...

Five days later, three Iraqi security guards were gunned down inside the fortified compound that houses the government-funded Iraqi Media Network, which is also known as Iraqiya.

Habib Sadr, the network's director general, said the three guards, members of Iraq's Facilities Protection Service, were at their post at the back of the complex. A towering blast wall was a short distance in front of them to protect the compound from Haifa Street, which is notorious for car bombings and drive-by shootings.

According to Sadr and Interior Ministry officials, the three were picked off one by one by Blackwater snipers stationed on the roof of the 10-story Justice Ministry about 220 yards away on the opposite side of the street.

Nibras Mohammed Dawood was shot first as he stood in a sand-bagged guard post. Azhar Abdullah Ali was shot when he ran to help. Sabah Salman Hassoun was shot when he, too, tried to aid his wounded colleagues. All were between the ages of 20 and 25, Sadr said.

It's unclear what motivated the shootings. From where they were standing, the guards weren't likely to have been threatening to the Blackwater snipers, who were stationed nearly a city block away and perhaps 80 to 100 feet above street level.

Blackwater didn't respond to a request for information. One U.S. official confirmed that the incident had happened. He asked that his name not be disclosed because he wasn't authorized to talk.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said the incident was captured on videotape, but he declined to share the tape. He said the incident is among seven submitted to an Iraqi magistrate recently to determine if criminal charges should be brought against Blackwater contractors.

"The investigation showed that they were killed in cold blood and in an aggressive and unjustified way," Sadr said. "I believe that if this happened in any state in the United States and they killed an animal, it would be condemned by all.

"They were target practice," Sadr said.

Okay. So what is a eastern farmer supposed to do? Hitch a mule caravan?

Ya expect me to form a New Line of Underwear Treat's Factory that won't ride-up the crotch while spurring a trotting horse?

So- You Cali-o-fornicators want us east coast folk to hop a dusty Stage Coach?

okay- Where is the Globe Tavern? Is there a chance of panning for gold while there? I need to give a donation to saint get'rude sweet-maria, and ask for an indulgence for my unkindness to mr. sugarcube.

no feed sugar cubes to donkey's. Put honey in a hot-cup of fine green tea, and good china.

O, prorietore of what? 'i' tore my pants and no wear undies. I really got to go, and I know its been very stupid of me. sugarman agrees. apologies.

I couldn't stomach having to live with myself if I did that.

My first elections, I voted Peace and Freedom, Eldridge Cleaver and Angela Davis, irrc. ... In the last 20 years, I've voted Green more often than not. I thought I was "sending a message"... but, yes, you're correct, the democratic party doesn't give much thought to me or the thousands/millions like me. I don't want to Recreate 1969... that didn't work out so well, either.

I believe strongly in my right and your right to vote for whomever you want or to not vote at all, so I am certainly not arguing for you to vote this way or that (unlike too many democrats I've heard from in the last 20 years). I know how many of my "ilk" they have already alienated. But, having said that, without an alternative, I'm not anxious to encourage splintering, more and faster, of the Democratic Party in 2007/2008. The republican candidates, imho, are truly nightmarish. Earlier this year, I resolved to not "decide" for as long as possible. Funny how people's positions "harden" once they've "made up their mind." So, I'm keeping the door ajar.

While I never envisioned a congressional action repudiating MoveOn, part of my initial concern about the ad was that it would result, as it has, in senior democrats publically, embarassingly, stupidly joining the ME-TOO choir. Damn they're dumb. We will have to wait and see how many continue to publically distance themselves from MoveOn and that segment of their "base" ... Actually, this has all evolved pretty much as I expected (except for "congress" stepping in and how long this has remained a topic)... If MoveOn had intended a set-up, and I don't think they did, it's doubtful they could have been more effective. As it is, they are the only folks benefiting as far as I can tell.