5 Things on a Friday: Templating Trump’s America

I didn’t get what I wanted on Tuesday, but I’m still an American, and what I want more than anything is for this country to come back together to find some common ground.  We need to move forward.  In reading the coverage since the election, however, it seems that we’re more divided now than we have been at any other time in my entire life.  I honestly don’t know what to do with that.

Protesting doesn’t help.  You had your chance at the ballot box, and you failed.  That’s life.  The question is—what do you do now?

Jim Webb's signature issue turned this election.

As I’ve watched people melt down this week, I’ve wondered if maybe this isn’t the first time some of these folks have lost an election in which they had an actual stake.  For me, it’s not.  I watched helplessly as George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton in the immediate aftermath of America’s most successful overseas conflict just as the economy was turning around following an extremely minor recession.  In that case, America turned away from a guy who left Yale as a teenager to fight the Japanese, who’d served as Ambassador to China and Director of the CIA, in favor of a mildly successful serial philanderer from Arkansas.  We were still dealing with the aftereffects of that disastrous decision up until the polls closed Tuesday night.  America then re-elected Clinton over war hero Bob Dole, elected George W. Bush over Al Gore, who had at least served with Combat Camera in Vietnam, and then again over John Kerry, who won a Silver Star.  We picked Obama over John McCain, and this past year we wouldn’t even give Democrat Jim Webb—Marine Corps veteran, bestselling author, and former Sec. of the Navy—so much as a hearing in the primaries despite the reality that his signature issue was the plight of America’s rural poor and working classes.  

I don’t know if you noticed, but that became kind of an important issue.

The takeaway?  Americans may put bumper stickers on their cars to support veterans, but they don’t give half-a-shit about their leaders’ commitment to service.  Hell, today is Veterans’ Day, and most Americans don’t even have the day off.  My kids both have school.  And here we are.  All these years later, our nation’s wanton disregard of service has come home for all of us.  

I hope you’re happy with how that’s turning out.

Army Football Preview: Notre Dame

After a disheartening loss at home, Army travels to the wilds of Texas this week to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Why is this game being played in the Alamodome?

Who knows?

What we do know is that Army’s ticket allotment is sold-out, and with Ft. Hood only a few hours away, it’s a good bet that Army fans will be out in force.  Whether they’ll be enough to drown out the inevitable legion from Notre Dame remains to be seen.  Deep in the heart of Texas, however, this remains at least a theoretical possibility.  

The Shamrock Series: Army vs. Notre Dame

This game is being billed as part of the “Shamrock Series”.  I think that means this is technically a Notre Dame home game.

Quick Thoughts: U.S. Election

Wow.  To say that I am surprised is the understatement of the week.  Ladies and gentlemen, your president-elect is Donald J. Trump, like it or lump it.

Speaking personally, I can't fucking believe it.

Strolling through Twitter: It's Almost Over

Our long national nightmare is almost over.  The election is tomorrow, and with it, God willing, this divisive political season will come to a close.

Tired of hearing about e-mails and groping? Read our policy briefs on Trump and Clinton https://t.co/XAqkgijU2w pic.twitter.com/mO7qTwWRNK

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) November 7, 2016

Quick Thoughts: Air Force

Up until now, I've felt like Army lost because it made mistakes, giving away games that the team could have won.  It wasn't like that yesterday.  Yesterday, the Black Knights played a team with bigger, faster players, and that's why they lost.  There were several times when Army had the right defensive call, when linebackers got into the backfield to bring Air Force QB Arion Worthman down for a loss, but they just could not make the play because Worthman had too much speed.  He beat linebackers to the corner, forced coverage to drop to defend his scrambles, and he threw with great accuracy on the run.  He was the best player on the field--by quite a bit--and there's no shame in admitting it.

5 Things on a Friday: Air Force Week!

It's Air Force Week, and tomorrow is the Air Force game.  Army hasn't beaten Air Force since Trent Steelman was the quarterback, way back in 2012.

via @DrunkOldGrad & Twitter.

I'm excited to say the least.

Army Football Preview: Air Force

It’s Air Force Week!

Yes, this week cadets from the nation’s #3 service academy travel to Michie Stadium to take on the Army Black Knights.  

Henry "Hap" Arnold, a West Pointer,
was the first General of the Air Force.

Though they are perhaps best-known in the modern era for sending remote-controlled airplanes into combat in support of America’s valiant ground forces, the United States Air Force has a distinguished history.  Men such as Henry “Hap” Arnold and Benjamin O. Davis Jr., both West Point graduates, led this nation’s air forces through the early days of American Combat Aviation, establishing a standard of excellence that the U.S. Air Force Academy today struggles to uphold.  More recently, the Air Force has deigned to fly the A-10 Warthog in actual close air support missions against real live foes despite the fact that Air Force leadership stands squarely against the airframe on account of its lack of speed and overall “sexiness”.  Indeed, the Air Force has shown time and again that it will meet any challenge presented, so long as there’s air conditioning.  U.S. News and Forbes rarely agree on how colleges should be ranked, but both magazines put the cadets of Air Force solidly into the bronze in the military academy competition, relatively closely behind only the cadets of Army and the midshipmen of Navy.  Indeed, Air Force leads the way in both sexual harassment claims and the use of internal secret police.

Bravo Air Force!  Well done!

Quick Thoughts: Army at Wake Forest

5 Things on a Friday: Joanne

Happy Friday, everybody!  It’s almost time for the weekend.

Summer Reading List: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Let’s start with the obvious.  I’m not writing about Army Football this week.  Army sucked last Saturday against North Texas, losing a game in which they gained nearly a hundred more yards and dominated time-of-possession by almost fifteen minutes.  

How do you lose like that?

You by letting your quarterback go 7-21 passing with no TDs and 4 interceptions, and add 3 more fumbles-lost.  

I have therefore had it with Army this week.  Until they play a little better, I am on strike.

So.  

The Summer Reading List project started last spring.  We’ve had three installments to date through which I:

 -- introduced my Summer Reading List,

 -- introduced a West Point-themed Reading List for grads, cadets, and candidates,

 -- and gave feedback on my initial selections.

In anticipation of Dr. Strange’s release next, it’s time to turn the page.  The following works are my essential Summer Reading List guide to what’s happened up to now in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  Your mileage may vary, so if you additions, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Thanks!

To My Wife, Who Woke Up Tired

Sally woke up in a bad mood on Friday.  It was my fault; there was no denying it.  She asked me to write her a haiku, so she'd feel better, but the idea came out a little longer than that.

It's speed poetry.  Read on at your own risk.

Quick Thoughts: Army vs. North Texas

I thought Army was going to go into Michie Stadium yesterday and win a close game in tough conditions.  That's the second time I've thought that, only to watch them lay an egg.  The team ran pretty well early, but QB Ahmad Bradshaw was off target with his passes for the first three quarters of the game, giving up a pick-6 on a very high pass that his receiver tipped to a North Texas DB.  The defense played well enough to keep the team in the game for a half, but we still headed into the break down by four.

5 Things on a Friday: Hooked on a Feeling, Vol. 2

I discovered last week that 5 Things is a lot less work than the NFL picks pool I was running previously and has at least twice as many readers.  I still feel like the series may ran its course during the primary season, but who knows?  Maybe with election itself coming to a close, we’re almost ready to move on.

Anyway, there’s plenty to talk about this week.