All US Troops have left Iraq. What happens there now is up to the Iraqis. This day has always been coming. I'll let others argue over whether it was too soon, too late, or just right. Iraqis will have to decide, for themselves, if they want what America wants for them, peace and prosperity, or if they want what the insurgents want for them. From the safety of distance, it looks like a no-brainer to me. Will they have the courage to make that easy choice? I hope so. The QOTD is exactly right, though.
Saints v Vikings today at noon in Minneapolis. Everything, everything, everything concerns me about this game. The Saints have been known to lay an egg in a game like this. They did it against the Rams a few weeks ago. The Vikings are better than the Rams and have been very competitive, especially at home. Drew Brees is playing very well right now and hasn't thrown an interception in a few games. He's the difference. If the Saints play smart and take care of the ball, they'll take care of the Vikes. If they're looking past the Vikings to the Falcons next Monday, they will lose this game.
I offer one today from the Library of Congress archives because something reminded me of a passage I read in high school about the German Army passing through Brussels during World War I.
Germans in Belgium -- on the way to the front
All through the night, like a tumult of a river when it races between the cliffs of a canyon, in my sleep I could hear the steady roar of the passing army. And when early in the morning I went to the window the chain of steel was still unbroken. It was like German troops advance the torrent that swept down the Connemaugh Valley and destroyed Johnstown. This was a machine, endless, tireless, with the delicate organization of a watch and the brute power of a steam roller. And for three days and three nights through Brussels it roared and rumbled, a cataract of molten lead. The infantry marched singing, with their iron-shod boots beating out the time. They sang Fatherland, My Fatherland. Between each line of song they took three steps. At times 2000 men were singing together in absolute rhythm and beat. It was like blows from giant pile-drivers. When the melody gave way the silence was broken only by the stamp of iron-shod boots, and then again the song rose. When the singing ceased the bands played marches. They were followed by the rumble of the howitzers, the creaking of wheels and of chains clanking against the cobblestones, and the sharp, bell-like voices of the bugles.
5 song iTunes shuffle from the CrabAppleLane Five Star Playlist:
- Shoot Shoot - UFO - Essential UFO
- Blowin' Free - Wishbone Ash - Argus
- Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf - All Time Greatest Hits
- Hotel Yorba - The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
- Highway Star - Deep Purple - Made In Japan
Quote of the Day
I don't expect them to turn into South Korea or Japan overnight.
Captain Mark Askew, 28
Blog of the day is here.
Quote from said blog: "I’ve become convinced that the term “school of fish” is planted by grammar saboteurs. There is nothing school-like about fish traveling together. They dart and shoot around like meth-addled rainbows, completely lacking in discipline or academic focus."
