Icewind's Ramblings

It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the start of Desert Storm in the Gulf War to rid Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Iraq still owes its smaller neighbor billions in reparations and more than 1,000 people are still missing. Saddam is long gone . . . many of us only remember his statute falling at one of his palaces and the excellent “war” coverage by CNN. It was in August 1990 that Iraq invaded, declaring that Kuwait was its 19th province.  The United States led a counteroffensive starting January 16, 1991. War came to television in real time with the CNN broadcast by Peter Arnett, Bernard Shaw, and John Holliman who gave us continuous coverage from Baghdad for the first 16 intense hours from their room in the Al-Rashid Hotel.  January 17, 1991 the world’s new organizations and everyone on the planet was captivated by what was happening. Wolf Blitzer and Nic Robertson (the sound man during that broadcast) look back at the start of the war and it is i...

I . . . am curious to know your thoughts on this?  As you know, recent Earthquake activity has sparked death and fear throughout Chile , Haiti and Japan .  It seems that more and more earthquakes are occurring, more and more wars are beginning or starting and the rumors . . . such as Libya declaring a "jihad" of sorts against Switzerland .  What’s that all about?  Are we rushing towards the “End Times”?   What are your thoughts?  Is this simply sudden random acts of nature . . . or are the predictions of our Lord coming true? The news of yesterday’s earthquake in Chile brought to mind a bible verse I learned so long ago . . . Matthew 24:7 Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Ring of Fire Chile and Haiti . . . Two countries . . . Two earthquakes, both tragedies and apparently two vastly different outcomes. One , Chile : a relatively wealthy nation, one of th...

With the ongoing problems with people trying to do harm to our country there is a way that these ‘enemy combatants’ . . . yes we are still at ‘war’ after the attack on our country on 9/11 . . . could be handled that is workable for almost everyone. Trying to solve the world’s problems with style takes thinking outside the box.  This administration has been trying to figure out what to do with the Gitmo detainees.  Do we close the facility or continue to keep them in Gitmo? De we set them free to wander off to parts unknown to continue their mission?  What about sending them back to their home country to be revitalized into their organized cells?  Do we let them loose inside America to wreak havoc on our soil again? How do we get our heads around this so that it makes sense and can be monitored to ensure our safety?  This might work and can be done with technology that is already used . . . just modified somewhat in scope and magnitude.  Each detai...

I have not kept up with the news lately but the times I have had a chance to either watch a news program or a quick look online there have been a couple things that stood out. Veterans Day should not be a sad day. Yet, in the days before America pauses to honor the men and women who have fought for this great nation, the country was forced to note the awful handiwork of two one-time soldiers who dishonored their country and their comrades. The tragedy at Ft. Hood is one that hits hard with these fine men and women serving their country to be assaulted and killed on our home soil in a ‘secure’ environment of an Army post.  I guess it stands to reason when I was sworn in so many years ago the words “against all enemies, foreign and domestic” still rings true, today thirty nine years later. "I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true fa...

I was standing in line at the bank yesterday. As if there isn’t enough anxiety about banks these days, the branch where I go has a giant plasma screen TV behind the tellers so you can watch while you’re standing in line. Great. They always have it on CNN.  I’m worried about my account because of a mistake they made earlier and now I get to watch another war and more people with blood on their faces in Texas at Ft. Hood from an Army Major who is a coward killing soldiers and civilians as I wait to speak with a representative. Please pump all the fear and loathing you can into an otherwise normal trip to the bank, Wells Fargo! A shipment of Viagra was high jacked today I saw it on the news.  Police have put out an All-Points bulletin: Be on the lookout for two hardened criminals! They will face a stiff sentence when convicted and they'll surely be sent to a Penal Institution. Have you realized that in about 30 years, we'll have thousands of OLD LADIES running aro...

The global coordination of fans mourning in public was fascinating and the reporting of his death possibly even more telling about our society. How did Michael Jackson's death affect the internet's performance? Media has changed over the last 15 years as we see how technology has forced its way into our lives. Newspapers a long flag bearer of how we received our news and information as almost quietly dieing off as the digital age hammers us with new products, formats, and something else to occupy our time. I really didn’t think I would post anything else about Michael Jackson for several reasons . . . the first I really just don’t care about all of the hype within his lifetime both good and bad. Another is his persona like Elvis, left little to wonder about as both stars dimmed from all the craziness in each life. I like most of mine and younger generations grew up with the singer but with that said I don’t understand how the mystique stayed alive, ...