Al-Qaeda & The Taliban's New Objective: Pakistan

The Collapse of Pakistan’s Northwest Region to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
It has been going on for years now since 2003 or so, the slowly eroding grip of Pakistan’s Frontier Forces on this key province that is adjacent to Afghanistan. Like the domino effect of the cold war, here, one province has been infiltrated and slowly converted the extreme Islam that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda believe in. Pakistan’s military forces are similar to those of South Vietnam so many years ago: corrupt, weak, lack fighting spirit. When the Pakistani army launches an offensive, it is a success only where little resistance is present. When there is presence of significant terrorists, the battle ends in a defeat or draw. In every case so far, after several attempts to regain control of a region, the Pakistani settles for a negotiated peace hoping it will stop the devouring by the terrorists. Sadly, nobody outside of Pakistan can do much about it. In another time, the terrorist would be Hitler, the appeasers, France and Britain, they talked and looked the other way in 1938 as Czechslovakia and Austria were swallowed up by another ideology.
Northwest Pakistan
In Swat, during Operation Rah-e-haq (the Right Path) I and II, the Pakistani military was defeated twice by forces under Fazlullah in 2007 and 2008. Earlier this year, the military launched its third attempt to secure Swat, which has been totally under the control of the Taliban. The military managed to regained control of a small region of Swat but with fighting heavy.
Swat, spread out over 1,100 sq. miles with a population of 1.5 million, is just 100 miles from Islamabad. Controlled by Fazlullah and his 4500-man militia seized one town after another, looting armory and controlling police stations. This Mullah and his men controlled five of the seven sub-districts, then imposed the Taliban rule and regulations in the captured areas, collected taxes and ran kangaroo courts, forced Islamic dress, closed girl’s schools, destroyed music shops, barber shops. He was able to seize and then operated an FM radio station spouting Islamic ideology. The Mullah even dared the Pakistani regime by announcing he was the governor of Swat.
The Pakistani Military in the Northwest
The military has four brigades (15,000) in Swat, yet has been unable to defeat a Taliban force estimated between 2,000 to 5,000 strong. The Pakistani police there remains useless after the Taliban targeted its officers, killing many. Of its 1600 man police force, 800 police have deserted. This prompted military action starting with Rah-e-haq I, which failed. The second phase started on November 13, 2007 and was jointly executed by the 23rd Division of 10 Corps’ and 17th Division of 11th Corps’. The army cleared the valley by December 24th at a cost 36 KIA and 72 WIA, while nine civilians had died and another 45 injured. The Pakistanis killed 10 senior Taliban and almost arrested the militant leader, Fazlullah, he narrowly escaped. Thus, the army had achieved its primary objective in Swat Province by clearing the valley of terrorists and establishing government control there, at least for awhile. The operation had pushed the enemy to the remote Peochar area and to the mountains. Some 700 terrorists had been killed (out of an estimated 4500). It was a temporary victory. In Rah-e-haq III, which began late January, 2009, was the largest involving 17-20,000 soldiers, many from the same divisions before with additional brigades from other divisions, including the 14th Division. The general plan remained the same in occupying the highest terrain as the army sweeps along the main roads to secure the main city and clear the enemy. After a true combined arms attack, Minapura, was retaken and secured. The average death rate among the terrorists in Swat has been around 25-30 daily. It was estimated that 1700 terrorists were killed in this most recent offensive, however, tragically, the Pakistanis signed a truce with Fazlullah weeks later and have since pulled out of Swat! This allowed the Taliban to dictate the terms of the truce!
In the Bajaur district, Operation Sher-dil, started in August, 2008. Pitched battles were fought in a radius no greater than 7-8 miles. What began as a well coordinated siege of a small village on August 6 turned into a protracted battle. The Pakistanis armed with 9000 soldiers, tanks, up to 20 Cobra gunships and jets ended in a draw due to a potpourri of Islamist fighters, including al-Qaeda. Even after eliminating more than 1000 terrorists, Pakistani forces had only managed to retake only a 6-10 mile stretch of land. Bajaur had an estimated population of around 900,000. Since the beginning of hostilities, more than half of the population left for safer places. While the government figures put the number of displaced People at 250,000, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan believes that 700,000 have migrated. Still, Bajaur remains a command and control hub for al Qaeda and the Taliban entering to and from Afghanistan in the Northeast into Kunar province. It was located in the town of Shin Kot, south of Damadola, and had been the target of U.S.predator strikes. Terrorist leaders like Abdullah Meshud, command up to 30,000 Taliban and tribal levies, while others may command groups of not more than 5,000 fighters. The Taliban in this district number between 2000-3000 and organized under four commanders. The largest group comprising 1200 militants is led by Faqir Mohammad, the deputy of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. His headquarters is located in Sewai.
American intelligence estimates the number of fighters under the Taliban at around 200,000. However, large numbers are not hard-core Taliban. Regardless, the shear number of fighters under the Taliban is why al-Qaeda leaders are quite comfortable with the overall security situation in Northwest Pakistan. They are protected and insulated and can act with near immunity. Both terrorist groups use the standard guerrilla practices that have been around for centuries: night letters, threats, intimidation, executions, and shows of force, tight control.
Like the US Army in the Vietnam War, the Pakistani Army has no training in fighting a counterinsurgency and relies on airstrikes and artillery to destroy the Taliban. This was a typical method used by the US and French in Vietnam. Not effective. This causes “collateral damage” or civilian casualties. This turns the public against the army, which is trying to liberate them from the terrorists. The real battle is winning the hearts and minds of the locals with a combination of indoctrination and public education and building projects that held them. This, the terrorists know well.
Worse, the Pakistani Army, despite its fairly modern weapons, demonstrates to the public how corrupt and weak they are when confronting resistance. Time after time, the military is slow and even if they win the battle they seek a truce with the enemy. To the average Pakistani, they cannot be trusted. Sadly, only this army can ultimately keep Pakistan together as a country. This is not a reassuring thought for the region or the world.
Why Should the West Be Concerned: Ineffectiveness and Corruption
The Taliban and al-Qaeda from a command and control perspective are almost one now. While both maintain their own independent organizations, they have clearly created an alliance. Intelligence and informants indicate the Taliban have started an ideological conversion to Wahhabism, the radical form of Sunni Islam practiced by al Qaeda. Worse, there are joint Taliban and al Qaeda military formations under the command of the Shadow Army in the Northwest Frontier Province. This area has
more than 150 camps and more than 400 support locations. Most are "mobile" in nature. It is estimated that 25 to 40 of these camps are permanent training facilities.
Since August 2007, there have been suicide attacks at or near the Sargodha Air Force Base, a nuclear weapons and missile storage facility in central Punjab province. The base is home to Pakistan's short range tactical nuclear missiles that number between 34-80. In the Northwest sector, the Taliban and al-Qaeda have hit several military and police bases near Pakistani nuclear facilities. This Province not only serves as a base for the Taliban and al Qaeda Central Command, the territory is adjacent to nuclear sites in the province of Punjab. It will be only a matter of time until there are soldiers who will switch sides for a variety of reasons and allow the unthinkable to occur: nuclear weapons in terrorist hands. They are already knocking on the door.
Recently, newly declassified documents released by the US State Department dealing with Pakistan’s relations with the Taliban were made public on August 14, 2007. The release came within days of President Pervez Musharraf admitting that the Taliban were getting support from Pakistan soil. The documents prove that the Taliban was directly funded, armed and advised by Pakistan government agencies in the Islamabad area. Probably with some US dollars!
Records show that Pakistan paid the salaries of the Taliban administration - a sum of $300 million was paid in June 1996. Pakistan also gave direct military support to the Taliban through the middle-level officers of the Pakistan Army. These officers were deployed to train the Taliban and paid handsomely. Pakistani Army officials were involved in planning Taliban military operations. These officers also helped the Taliban capture large arms dumps in Spin Boldak, which contained some 18,000 Kalashnikovs, dozens of artillery pieces, large quantities of ammunition and vehicles. To be fair, like all armies, there are those who can be bought for a price. It just happens more frequently in Third World poorer nations. To wit, the average Pakistani foot soldier makes only $20.00 a month! When viewed from this perspective, it is not all surprising that part of the Pakistani Army is corrupt. Also, perhaps some of their soldiers secretly side with their Islam beliefs and feel that winning this fight is futile.
The Pakistani Army continues to make a deal with the Taliban one day (appeasement) and then joins with US and NATO forces to attack them the next (to continue receiving US support and money). Terrorists are using weapons of Iranian, Indian and Russian origin. Afghan war lords trafficking in drugs continue provide them with funds and drugs to destabilize Afghanistan and Pakistan.
They are all issues the US has known about for some time and have chosen, maybe by default, to ignore, as Pakistan must be included in the battle even if corrupt. The US really has little choice unless Pakistan requests a US military presence on their soil.
The Shadow Army
Formerly known as Brigade 055, Al Qaeda has now enlarged the predominantly Arab and Asian formation into a larger, more effective fighting unit known as the Lashkar al Zil (Shadow Army). It is this army that is in Pakistan's tribal areas: the Northwest Frontier Province and in eastern and southern Afghanistan. The force is well trained and equipped and has defeated the Pakistani Army in multiple engagements. Its morale is high. The Army has been active in successful Taliban campaigns in North and South Waziristan, Bajaur, Peshawar, Khyber, and Swat. Taliban forces have integrated into the al-Qaeda organization, specifically, the Tehrik-e-Taliban and Haqqani network.
in conventional battles. While the Shadow Army has been active, until now, there has been little visual evidence of its existence until a photograph of a unit operating in Pakistan's Swat district was snapped. The clothing of the fighters is revealing. According to experts, the length of the pants are at "al-Qaeda height" -- meaning only al-Qaeda and allied "Wahhabi/Salafi-jihadis" wear their pant legs this high. The type of masks worn and the tennis shoes indicate that these fighters are non-Afghan fighters, and probably Pakistanis or Arab/Central Asian fighters. Ironic, how street gangs and terrorists can be identified by how they look.
The military organization has a command structure with established ranks. A senior al-Qaeda military leader commands of the Shadow Army, while experienced officers command of the brigades and battalions or companies. The re-formed Brigade 055 is but one of an estimated three to four brigades in the Shadow Army. The unit served as al-Qaeda’s shock troops for the Taliban and probably has 2,000 soldiers and officers in the ranks. Several other Arab brigades have been formed, some were former members of Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guards as well as Iraqis, Saudis, Yemenis, Egyptians, North Africans, and others. Some of the camps are used to indoctrinate and train suicide bombers for attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and the West.
The Shadow Army has distinguished itself and clearly superior in some ways to the Pakistanis. Taliban forces under the command of Baitullah Mehsud defeated the Pakistani Army in South Waziristan during fighting in 2005-2006, and again repulsed the Pakistani Army in 2008 after fighting and overrunning a series of forts. In Bajaur, Taliban forces dug a series of sophisticated trench and tunnel networks as well as bunkers and pillboxes. It took the Pakistani military more than a month to clear a six-mile stretch of road in the Loisam region. Even Pakistani military officers acknowledge the Taliban have better weaponry and communications system than their own, and their tactics are very sophisticated and create defenses that hard to defeat.
The Taliban forces have also conducted battalion-sized operations in July 2008, where a Taliban unit laid siege to a police station and a fort in Hangu. The fort was abandoned by the Frontier Corps and the Taliban destroyed it. Then in July 2008, the unit made up of al Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizb-e-Islami joined forces and conducted a complex assault on a US outpost in Wanat in Nuristan province. The attack was repelled after the force nearly overran the base.
Still worse, the Taliban forces repulsed a battalion-sized assault from the 63rd Battalion of regular Pakistani Army troops supported by at least a platoon of tanks. Reports indicate the Pakistani tanks fled from the fighting, followed the Pakistani infantry after coming under fire! Luckily, some tank commander calls in for airstrikes to take out the Taliban positions, which halt the terrorist counterattack. However, Pakistani infantry and tanks continue their full retreat and return to their base.

Al Qaeda’s most elite unit, sworn to defend Osama Bin Laden till death are his Black Guard, a 200-500 well trained unit. Probably similar to special forces.
The Taliban forces use an impressive array of weapons which includes machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-aircraft guns, and also IED’s. They employ suicide bombers against security forces and pro-government tribals. Their communication systems are superior to that used by the Pakistani Army. Key Taliban
Key Terrorist Groups and Leaders
The LeT or the” Army of Pure”, and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) or the” Army of Muhammad”, are two of the largest Jihadi organizations in Pakistan. The LeT (name changed to Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) in 2005) began as an armed wing of Markaz Dawat-ul Irshad (MDI), a group which received $200,000 from Osama bin Laden’s Afghan Service Bureau to set up its sprawling headquarters at Muridke. While Muridke remains the nerve centre of the organization, it has offices all over Pakistan. This Markaz runs 200 secondary schools, 11 madrasas, two science colleges, an ambulance service, mobile clinics and blood banks, and a charity organization called Idara Khidmat-e-Khalq. The educational curriculum of these schools and colleges are guided by the JuD leader Hafiz Saeed’s philosophy to achieve jihad, which translates into indoctrination through all means and at all levels. All anti-West.
Fazlullah in Swat, was a local student who once earned a living ferrying passengers and goods across the Swat river. He studied under Maulana Sufi Muhammad, a religious teacher who founded the Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammaidi (Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Law) in the 1990s. In 2002, TNSM was banned, and Muhammad thrown in jail for mobilizing thousands to fight American forces in Afghanistan. Fazlullah, continued the campaign for Sharia using the platform of his popular FM radio show. He remains the leader of the Taliban forces in Swat district and grows stronger after the recent truce with the Pakistani army. He commands up to 4500 fighters.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban is the Pakistani Taliban movement led by Baitullah Mehsud, a South Waziristan leader who has defeated Pakistani Army forces multiple times.
The American Intervention
On September 3, 2004 at 0300, two US CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters landed in the village of Zawlolai, South Waziristan, Pakistan with ground troops from the US Special Operation Forces. The troops fired at three houses and killed over 17, including five women and four sleeping children.
In 2006, US troops had landed in the border village of Saidgi in North Waziristan. This time, it was a bigger and more intense attack using two jet fighters and two gunship helicopters to provide air cover for the 30 min operation, more than a mile inside the Pakistan border
Currently, the CIA is operating several attack Predator drones from a secret unused Pakistani airfield in South Pakistan for their attacks. President Obama has promised more serious intrusions will occur in the future depending on events. The airbase is the Shamsi airbase in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan. It was used by the US as early as 2006, and also known as Bandari, which is about 200 miles southwest of Quetta, also a known Taliban staging post. The Predator carries two laser-guided Hellfire missiles, and can fly for up to 454 miles, at speed of up to 135mph, and at altitudes of up to 25,000ft. It is probable that several dozen US personnel are also present with the Pakistani blessing. It is thought that 3-4 drones are present.
Most recently, after successfully ambushing the US and NATO convoys along the Khyber Pass Highway that transits through the Khyber Pass, over 300 NATO supply trucks were torched on December 7-8, 2008, at their depots. Whether the US can continue to move supplies over the Khyber Pass Highway remains to be seen.

Pakistan's Army Order of Battle 2009

I Corps at Mangla – This is a "strike" corps, it commands 6th Armored Division, 8th Independent Armored Brigade and 37th Mechanized Infantry Division. Some elements of 17th Division have been deployed to North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to assist in countering terrorists and securing the border with Afghanistan. The Home base for the 6th and 17th is Kharian. The 37th is at Gujranwala.

II Corps at Multan - Another "strike" corps with the 40th Mechanized Infantry Division, the 14th Infantry Division, which was deployed to South Waziristan in 2007, 1st Armored Division and an Independent Armored Brigade at Multam. The others at Okara.

IV Corps at Lahore – This unit is to defend the area of Punjab province opposite Amritsar in India. It has two Infantry Divisions, the 10th and 11th, two Independent Infantry Brigade Groups (partly mechanized), and one Independent Armored Brigade Group.

V Corps, Karachi
16th and 18th Infantry Division, Hyderabad (partly mechanized)

Three Independent Armoured Brigades, Malir (?), Pano Aqil (?), Hyderabad (?)

X Corps, Rawalpindi
Northern Area, Gilget (equivalent of a division, possibly five infantry divisions)
12th Infantry Division at Murree
19th Infantry Division at Jhelum
23rd Infantry Division at Gujrat
111 Independent Infantry Brigade at Rawalpindi

Most infantry units are Northern Light Infantry Battalions (13th), the three Infantry Divisions (12th, 19th, 23rd) have a total of 12 Brigades along the Line of Control (LOC).

HQ XI Corps at Peshawar, currently contains the 7th, 9th, 14th, 17th (less 1 brigade), and 23rd Divisions. The 14th, 17th, 23rd recently reinforced the Corps’ from other units probably temporarily. It is unclear if the 16th Division is assigned or not. The Corps has two independent infantry brigades. The 14th Division is in the Dir-Bajaur area. The 7th at Marden, 9th at Kohat.

XII Corps at Quetta - Two Infantry Divisions (33rd and 41st) responsible for western Sindh, the Afghan border, and for reinforcement of eastern formations.

XXX Corps at Gujranwala – 8th, 15th Infantry Divisions (at Sailkot), two Independent Armored Brigade Groups. Responsible for the defense of the Eastern front, south of IV Corps boundaries.

XXXI Corps at Bahawalpur - Provides depth defense and available for exploitation and counter attack. Commands the 26th Mechanized Division and two Infantry Divisions (35th and 40th), of which elements have been redeployed to the west to fight the Taliban. The 35th Infantry Division is at Bahawalpur, the 34th Infantry Division at Pano Aqil, 105 Independent Brigade Group, Bahawalpur(?).
Special Forces
The Special Services Group (SSG) is headquartered at Cherat and has a base at Attack. it is also responsible for the Airborne School at Peshawar. It consists of three battalions each of four companies.

Other SSG elements include: Akbar Company (Combat Diver Unit), Zarrar Company (Counter-terrorism), Iqbal Company (Communications Unit)


Army Aviation Corps

VIP Flight Squadron At Rawalpindi - SA-330, KING-AIR 200, CITATION V, CESSNA 421, COMMANDER 690, COMMANDER 840, H-500 (special duties)

Aviation School and Centre, Rawalpindi (Qasim) - MUSHSHAK, ALOUETTE III, SCHWEIZER 300, BELL 206B, other on attachment.

2nd Squadron, Lahore - MUSHSHAK, UH-1H.

3rd Squadron, Multan - MUSHSHAK.

4th Squadron, HQ at Qasim (formerly known as Dhamial), - south of Rawalpindi. detachments at Rahwali, Gilget, Samugli (Quetta) - Mi-17.

5th Squadron, Qasim - ALOUETTE III.

6th Squadron, Qasim - UH-1H, Mi-17.

7th Squadron, Shahrae-Faisal - CESSNA O-1, MUSHSHAK.

8th Squadron, Qasim - SA 315/316 LAMA.

9th Squadron, Peshawar - CESSNA O-1(?), MUSHSHAK, ALOUETTE III

13th Squadron, Qasim - CESSNA O-1(?), MUSHSHAK, Y-12.

21st Squadron, Multan - PUMA, UH-IH.

24st Squadron, Multan - PUMA

25st Squadron, Dhamial (detachment at Gilget) - PUMA

31st Squadron, Multan - AH-1F COBRA ANTI-TANK. Sent to XI Corps area.

32nd Squadron, Multan - AH-1F COBRA ANTI-TANK. Sent to XI Corps area.

Army Key Weapons

Armor
Type: Al-Khalid
Manufacturer: HIT
Role: MBT
Original Total:220

Type: Type 59/59M (including Zarrar)
Manufacturer: HIT
Role:MBT
Original Total:600

Type: Type 69 (PRC improved version of Type 59. 100mm gun. Not battle survivable)
Manufacturer: Chinese State Factories
Role:MBT
Original Total:350

Type: Type 85 IIAP
Manufacturer: Chinese State Factories
Role:MBT
Original Total:300 (local assembly of kits and manufacture of some components. 125mm gun but fire-control system basic in early versions (upgrade in progress)) total planned production unknown.

Type: T 80UD
Manufacturer: Malayshev Plant, Ukraine.
Role:MBT
Original Total:320

Gunships
Type: AH 1F/S Huey Cobra
Manufacturer: Bell
Role: Attack
Original Total: 28

Type: AH 1S Huey Cobra
Manufacturer: Bell
Role: Attack
Original Total: 6

Other Air Assets:
Type: Y 12 (II)
Manufacturer: HAI
Role: Transport
Original Total: 4

Type: Y 12 (II)
Manufacturer: HAI
Role: Transport
Original Total: 4

Type: 206B Jetranger III
Manufacturer: Bell
Role: Observation
Original Total: 12

Type: O 1 Bird Dog
Manufacturer: Dhamial (Cessna)
Role: Utility
Original Total: n/a (10 surviving)

Type: Mushshak
Manufacturer: PAC
Role: Utility
Original Total: n/a (120 surviving)

Type: Super Mushshak
Manufacturer: PAC
Role: Utility
Original Total: 42 (stated requirement - none delivered so far)

Type: Mi 17 Hip H
Manufacturer: Mil
Role: Utility
Original Total: 37

Type: SA 330J Puma
Manufacturer: Aerospatiale
Role: Utility
Original Total: 32

Type: SA 315B Lama
Manufacturer: Aerospatiale
Role: Utility
Original Total: 24

Terrorists and Their Legal Rights

La La Land
This topic is a mess. It's like an attorney defending a guy he knows probably did the crime yet because of the dollar\pound\lira or whatever, he takes the case and tries to get the suspect off on some technicality. Pathetic!

The left wing, with regards to terrorists, feel as if they are the same as your average criminal and should be accorded due process and other rights your typical criminal receives. Excuse me, but a terrorist is WAY bad and has no morals whatsoever. They are driven by some devout, sick belief that really few Westerners can begin to understand, and to many of us, they are akin to what Satan might be like.

Yes, we are talking of women and men, boys and girls, who strap on those plastic explosives and pretend they are sweet and nice while they mix and get into position. The remote signal goes off and sudden mayhem and body parts go flying, families are destroyed, headlines flash across the world. Then some terrorist group claims this act in the name of alah! I see, alah, god wanted this to happen in order for somene to have 99 virgins for themselves. If the terrorist is a woman, what do they do with 99 virgins? do they have to be gay? Or does the award only apply to men? Hmm, what a strange God alah is. You mean, he is prejudice against women? Seems so.

Demi Lovato has a new song called, La La Land. Need I say more?

Of course, the right thinks they should only be given the most basic rights and conditions that even these despictable humans should have. That was the point to a prison on the fringe of Cuba, that will close soon.

All the nations who demanded it closed, none are willing to accept any of the 200 terrorists. Even within the US, no State wants them. Now what? Well, in the case of one, which happened to be UK citizen, a terrorist who killed freely, he is being shipped home. How nice. When he gets home, the UK authorities will not imprision him, only watch him. This is incredible! A known terrorist will be free to plan etc., another attack on UK citizens. How reassuring. Is anyone really thinking???

Terrorists do not, I repeat, do not , should not, get the same rights afforded to your typical criminal. Do I need to repeat why? Terrorists have multiple connections, cells, they continue planning and killing for sake of Alah. I do not think all terrorists are so devout in their beliefs. They use it to justify whatever real reasons they have. Typical criminals are usually in it for themselves or acted out of carelessness. Evidence usually will work against them, especially DNA.

Affording Terrorists the same laws is really quite stupid. They are not even from our culture, yet we reward them after killing us, our rights? La La Land. Why should they even be given a trial if they were caught and the evidence is solid. Why spend our money for the trial in attorney fees? What attorney in their right conscience would even take a case of a known terrorist who killed many? Where are the legal ethics for this? Is it still, every one has a right to counsel and their day in court?

Terrorists are the exception to this rule. Yet, the West, has this overly concern about giving them their rights. Hey, what about the rights of the slaughtered? The loved ones that need to pick up the pieces? Guess they do not count as much as the killer. Perverse sense of justice. La La Land.

Terrorists only deserve the most basic of anything. Food, water, a place to sleep. Depending on whether the evidence is either direct or circumstantial, the strength of the evidence, should they have a right to present their case through a pro bono attorney. No attorney fees should ever be awarded for defending a terrorists, if it must occur, a mininum rate. These are not glory cases.

Now we come to torture. In this society, where everyone is so sensitive about how they look, what they say, what they do, how it looks to another and on and on ad nauseum, we say we will not torture. The word alone conjures up all sorts of weird concepts in anyone's mind. It has been part of war since BC. It is not a crime. Just because a nation does not "declare" war, does not mean that a war does not exist. Semantics. The leftists think if you treat the terrorists with compassion and justice, they will respect you. La La Land. They will carry on what they think is for Alah, which is blowing infidels apart. Water boarding is a mild torture, if you must use the word. The bottom line is that they behead their captives and other horrendous things once they get the info they want. What do we do in the West? Give them their rights and basics in hopes they will provide data. Now we can only do what the Geneva Convention has instructed.

This convention remains for civilized, western type countries. The terrorists or no Islam nation I know of, is part of this accord passed after WW2. Hmm, funny, I thought the West is fighting a terrorist insurgency. So, logically, the Geneva Conventions does not apply as it is for a conventional style war. The West is really making it tougher on themselves by tieing their hands and expecting the terrorists will freely provide the info requested. La La Land.

Terrorists deserve no better than what happened to thier innocent victims: women, children, babies, men, students. I say, the West should shed their correctness and play as dirty as the terrorists. An eye for an eye.

Pakistan is allowing the US to base their remote attacking Drones at an airbase. The Drones fly to their targets and fire their missiles. Pakistani government remains silent because of the 20 million in US dollars. However, oddly enough, Pakistan forbids the drones to attack the top leader targets of the Taliband and Al-Qaeda! And.........for the money spent by the US to get Pakistan's support, it is ironic that the population now hates the US even more! What a quagmire. They hate us because of the drone missiles killing terrorists and innocents. In any war, throughout history, there is collateral damage not meant to happen. Nothing is perfect and fighting a counterinsurgency war is far from perfect. It is far more difficult than the days of Vietnam War, when the same kinds of attacks would happen in Saigon.

The whole effort is in la la land. Dealing with terrorists is in la la land. Dealing with Pakistan is in la la land.

Pakistan, the Taliban & Al Qaeda: A Dangerous Mix

Pakistan in Peril
Most Americans probably have not paid much attention to recent news from the Middle East area. Most could probably care less, but should. The two worst terrorist groups are the Taliban (some consider them even more extreme in their Islam beliefs) and Al-Qaeda. It seems only America and Barack Obama is fighting the war. Our European "friends" are only providing verbal support instead of military support, yet, already, the Germans and French are sending their ministers to Iraq to secure lucrative contracts since the US has now "secured" the country, without any help from either!

Not mentioned is that while both terrorist groups are on different strategies and goals, they are "tolerating" one another in the secure areas of remote Pakistan, where they thrive and the Pakistani Army has been unable to stand up to them. Why is this a problem to a nation thousands of miles away such as us?

Pakistan has over 100 nuclear weapons and rockets that can deliever them.

After one year of fighting and 12,000 Pakistani troops with tanks etc., the Pakistani army managed to only clear a small part of the Swat Valley and was unable to break the Taliban's hold on it. This is not a good omen for the Pakistani Army that has modern weapons. The Swat Valley, in northwest Pakistan's province Malakand, prior to the Taliban was a honeymoon mecca 100 miles from Islamabad, a renowned local resort area. The idyllic valley has gone really bad, its image distorted beyond recognition. Pakistan’s most popular tourist destination is now haunted by death and fear; few officials now dare to go and serve there. Up to a third of the valley's 1.5 million people have fled and the scenic area is now believed to be mostly under militant control. Some 2,000 militants are believed to operate in the valley, and yet, the Pakistani army and airforce refuse to wield their power to save their country! Amazing!

It seems that in 59 villages, the militants set up a "parallel government" with Islamic courts using sharia law. The region was largely under effective militant control as of January 2009 despite the presence of 20,000 Pakistani troops. Taliban enforcement of a complete ban on female education in the Swat district. Some 400 private schools enrolling 40,000 girls have been shut down.

The Taliban's strategy is to operate on whatever front is the most successful. Both the Afghanistan and Pakistan fronts are successful. It is far easier for them to operate on the fringe of Afghanistan and now that they have secured their onw province inside Pakistan because of this Accord, it is opening the door for much more infiltration of harsh islam law into Pakistan's secular government. Al-Qaeda's strategy seems to more more "gobal", Pakistan provides a free base to operate from, but their goals may not be the same as Taliban's. There is a chance that they have indeed joined forces, which remain separate, yet with the same goals. This too, is not a good mix for the West. Pakistan is not strong. It is Islam and Secular. It is not like Turkey, where the secular has a strong control over the system. Pakistan is corrupt and divided. It talk's the talk to fight terrorism, yet does not do the walk. This is to continue to receive the millions of aid from the US. And yet, US troops are forbidden to enter and take the terrorists out.

History shows that appeasing the enemy fails. France and Britain appeased Hitler by looking the other way as Hitler invaded and seized Poland, Austria, Czechslovakia. They tried other ways to appear Hitler, who was pleasant and smile and accepted, yet continued on with his ultimate plan. This is what is now happening in Pakistan.

Pakistan, realizing that they do not have the will to crush them have now signed an Accord allowing the Taliban to control a huge province and impose strict Islam practices not done anywhere else in the country. This is appeasement in hopes it "satisfies" the Taliban's and Al-Qaeda's hunger. There may be a pause, but it will not stop with this. It will continue until yet another and another province falls. Finally, the secular government will fail and is taken over by the extremists.

And what do you think will happen to the 100 nukes they have? Fire at India? Fire at Aghanistan? Fire at Iraq? Provide material to the Hamas in the Gaza? or Iran? and then Iran can fire at Israel?

This is the danger for everyone. It is not pie-in-the sky stuff. If a nuke goes off anywhere, the world will be changed forever again. It might start a regional nuclear exchange, yes, India has nukes also.

Even though Pakistan's President Zardari admits that the Taliban is trying to take over the country and secular Pakistan is in danger for its survival, he tries to appease! Many in Pakistan consider a "surrender" because the country is under two laws and this will eventually tear it apart. Disintegrate.

The handwriting is on the wall. The West should care and pay attention becasue our world will be impacted.

1965: THE PIVOTAL YEAR

Anyone who was between 8 and 20 yrs. in 1965 and was cognizant of the world around them knows instinctively 1965 was a turning point. It set the stage for how the world be in the USA. Trying to convey this to those who were not around is difficult. For 1965 was when the new replaced the old. Some of the items were simple every day things, others were style and culture.

Music
Anyone who liked Elvis was old. Elvis by this time had become the "Frank Sinatra" of rock, meaning, he was old school (greasy hair slicked back, silly rock songs that appealed only to those 20 yr and older, he was a crooner).

Tweeners and Teenagers only rocked to these bands:
The Beatles (Help, I'm down, The Word, Rain, Paperback Writer)
The Rolling stones (Satisfaction)
The Kinks (You really got me, All the day, All the night)
The Dave Clark Five (Bits and Pieces, Glad All Over)
The Supremes (Stop, In the name of Love, Baby love)

TV and other Media
This medium was in a state of transition. Most homes only had black and white TV because most TV shows were in that mode. However, staring in this year, many more shows were in color and began the demand for color TV. This transition to color broadcasting was completed by 1967, when nearly all shows were now in color and many more homes now owned a color TV, which cost $500 or more (this was a substantial sum when you consider that a new Chevy rear engine Corvair cost $2200, as did the Ford Mustang). Going to a friend's house to watch Hullabaloo in color was an "event", especially when The Beatles were on it!

Most popular shows:

Mission Impossible (Spy, action)
I spy (Spy)
Wild, Wild West (Action)
Man from U.N.C.L.E (spy)
Bewitched (comedy)
I Dream of Jeanie (comedy)
Outer Limits (scary)
Twilight Zone (scary)
One Step Beyond (scary)
My Three sons (single dad with 3 sons comedy)
Secret Agent Man (spy)
Bonanza (western)
Gilligan's Island (comedy)
Gidget (teenage sitcom)
McHale's Navy (comedy)
Shindig (rock show of top bands)
Hullabaloo (rock show of top bands)
Where the Action is (rock show of top bands)
Batman

Many of the shows created the sitcom formula still used today and most still remain quite good.
In other media, from Japan, small transistor radios, small tape recorders, hand held hair dryers, clock radios (8 track tapes and Cassettes were still many years away).

Culture
Tight jeans or bell-bottoms
Beatle hair cuts (meaning, dry hair with bangs, shaggy but not long, no grease, no Elvis look)
New words in the vocabulary: bitchin, boss, far out = very cool
Skateboards
Stingray bikes butterfly handlebars and knobby tires
Surfer shirts (collarless shirts)
Wide 2-3" belts
Peace signs
Bright colors
Paisley
Housing subdivisions with new homes for 20K on big lots.
Vietnam War (where every night one could watch combat footage on the news)
Marijuana and joints, lids
The slogan, "Don't trust anyone under 30" (meaning, anyone older will not be cool)
The phrase, "You really turn me on" "turn me on"
The start of the youth movement, where the world was defined by youthful things, the "now generation" (those 25 and under)
The start of instant communication with satellites across the globe

Cars
The hottest were:
Chevy Corvair, Stingray, Malibu
Ford Mustang
Ponitac GTO, Le Mans, Bonneville
Plymouth Barracuda
VW
Dodge Charger
AMC Marlin

Do the Jonas Brothers = The Beatles?

For those who are in the dark about this rock group (if you have children between 8-16, you know about them)the Jonas Brothers are brothers, cute, ages from 16-19, play guitars and write songs. Their vocals are limited but girls love the angst their voices blast out. The music is pop with edge and fairly decent tunes. They are a indirect product of the Disney pop rock machine that also produced Hillary Duff, Miley Cyrus (Hanna Montana) Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and more. All these performers are under 19. Their target audience is pre-teen and teen. They all make a lot of money for Disney (Miley alone makes up to 20 million a year).Unlike the others, the JB never had their own TV show that promoted the band.

There some similarities between JB and the Fab Four: All were good looking guys, both bands were popular in their originating country before being exported to other countries (The Beatles first attempt to conquer America was in 1963 on the Vee-Jay label, which totally failed as their LP sold only 5000 copies! Yet, in the UK and Europe, thousands of girls screamed at their concerts), and both had screaming girls.

JB seems to be a miniature version of Beatlemania 1964-66, on a much smaller scale. Girls scream at their concerts, seem to be mesmerized but it is tame, controlled. The Beatles caused chaos wherever they went and in concerts, girls went into a real frenzy, fainting, panic attacks and broke through police lines. The apex of this can be seen at the world's first rock concert at Shea Stadium in August 1965 and its 58,000 fans shrieked until the Beatles could not even hear themselves sing! Even today, it remains awesome to watch.

JB songs are about the same topics that The Beatles sang about, JB's best two songs remain SOS and Lovebug. Both have great riffs and melodies. Most of their other material is less original and more of "borrowing from other songs" and repackaged in their style and presented in the JB manner. As a band, well, only two of them really play guitars. They are backed up by professionals all playing bass, guitar and drums. So, it is difficult to see how talented they really are. Their backup band acts as "camouflage" for them.

It really is the screaming girls at their concerts that connects them to The Beatles. Other similarities include their hair, well, we all know where JB got the style- the Beatle cut, which permeates all men's haircuts ever since 1964. And movies. Disney is cashing in with a new release of the JB movie. Scenes from the film are directly taken out from TThe Beatles' Hard Day's Night, and updated--JB trying to escape from screaming fans and being chased down a street etc.

History does repeat. It may be happening again with JB. Fans of The Beatles will no doubt compare. But JB will never be a legend. They will be forgotten 20 yrs. from now. The Beatles will still be heard.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Movie

The movie is a very insightful look about how love changes, evolves between a man and a woman over time. The twist here is that Benjamin is born as a old man and gets younger until he dies as an infant. The woman he loves starts as a 10 yr old girl, but it is not until each is in their 40s does this love fully bloom and is expressed, yet they loved one another from the moment they met. In their prime, yet going in opposite directions on the timeline of life, they love and create a baby. As time moves on, Benjamin gets younger into his 20s, his wife, in her 50s. He leaves knowing it is the best, as if he stayed, he could not be a father in the normal sense. Years fly, and she is 60 and he is 17, Brad Pitt looks just like he did when he first arrived. She feels too old and yet still loves him. They love one last time. It is at this time when he meets his 13 yr old daughter. Time continues and now he is an unruly, confused 6 yr old boy. She is 65. Now she takes him in as an orphaned boy until he finally dies as a baby.

The makeup is excellent.How they age the actors is very real. How they make Brad look younger is also. His acting is low key, tender. Overall, the movie is well worth the 2.5 hrs and never gets boring. The movie begins in 1918 and ends with his wife dieing of very old age in 2004. We see how things change over decades, styles, music. It is a movie about everyone's life in a way. The emotions of life are the same, always the same but cloaked in different times of the decade. Sooner or later, we all experience it. A moving film.

Sex and the Chevrolet Corvair

In 1966, Chevrolet advertised its new rear engine air cooled Corvair model with an ad that has "implied" sex all over it. You know the story. The same old story of the middle aged guy, not so attractive caused by the ravages of age in sleek, cool, sports car-this time, a Corvair convertible! A long-legged, nicely shaped 20-something blonde graces her body on the Corvair body. The middle age man glances back at her. There is little doubt about what he is thinking or wants besides his new 1966 Corvair.

For 1966, it was a spicy ad that still holds up today.

President Elect Barack Obama

All campaigns have a defining moment for many voters, many of the undecided. For this voter, a McCain supporter, I switched sides during the last debate. The question was about health care. McCain indicated that is was not a "right" for every American, Obama said it was. McCain said his $5000 credit would be the answer. I laughed. Most anyone would laugh. $5000 is NOTHING when it comes to health care costs. In fact, a family of 3-4 pays $1100 for Kaiser coverage a month! McCain is obviously so rich he has no real clue about what the middle and poor classes really deal with. I was also sick of his bashing Obama about this or that. Bragging about his tour of duty in Nam. Hey, he was a pilot who was shot down, tortured and in the end, did talk! A true hero, I suppose, depending on your definition. What about the others that where there? I still like things about McCain, but overall, Obama has more to offer.

Sarah Palin and John McCain

The selection of Sarah Palin for the VP spot on the Republican ticket creates a whirlwind of news frenzy. Palin is such a normal person, mom, woman that it entices one to like her and dislike her simultaneously. She is like a "Rocky" figure, a normal everyday woman, struggling with issues of her kids and job, never intended this path that she has stumbled upon. A hockey mom, PTA, Mayor of a town with 8,000, then a Govenor of Alaska with only 650,000 (SF has more people!). Her husband a fisherman. Now, she is in the middle and must be thinking, "Jesus Christ"! how did this happen? Why me?
All of this is so likeable. Many of the middle of the roaders, identify with her, single Dads identify with her. The downside of all this is if McCain dies while in office, could she do the job? Many women say yes, many say no. Same applies to men. So, remove the gender issue. Does being a govenor for less than two years actually prepare one to be President? If so, how? Many list a host of items that she has accomplished, but the problem is that the length of time dealing with the same issues is much shorter, so she is still very inexperienced, even more than Obama, who has four years in the Senate. It is like a new law grad getting his first job and learning the ropes for two years in a firm, you just do not hand him a high profile legal case-that is a sure loser. You let the most seasoned lawyers handle it.

This is the position Sarah Palin is in. John McCain should have selected Joe Lieberman, or even Condolezza Rice.

Now of course, Palin's 16 yr old is due to have a baby. Her boyfriend, Levi Johnston, has stated in his blog, My Space, that: "I am just a fucking redneck....in a relationship...I live to play hockey..I don't want kids"

Sounds like your typical 18 yr old guy. The only reason why this is news is because Sarah Palin said they were going to get married. Think not. Does it matter? Not really.

John McCain's choice was done to show he is unpredictable, he can change, he wants the far right on his side but what about the large middle section of voters, which are and may decide the race? Prior to the selection, he was wooing this group.

The race will be close. But in the end, I think Palin will cause the White House to be Democrat. The experience or inexperience issue is really too serious for the VP spot. Biden can easily be President. Comparing Biden to Palin is comparing a seasoned professional to a rookie.

The scarey thing this time is that something could happen to either McCain or Obama, which is why the VP spot and choice is so important. It is not just window dressing this time around.

Panzer Schlacht, Hungary, 1944

In stock and available! Helion & Company Ltd June 2008 ISBN 978-1-906033-16-3 Hardback 305mm x 222mm 136 pages 8pp colour profiles, c 150 b/w photos, 18 maps
£29.95 ($60.00 US) (order online and receive a 10% discount!). Visit WWW.HELION.CO.UK or in the US at: Casematepublishing.com

'Panzerschlacht' covers in detail the unravelling of the southern sector of the Eastern Front during late summer and autumn 1944, which led to some of the largest and most vicious, yet unknown, tank battles of the Second World War.

Slammed by continuous Russian attacks that ripped the Romanian Front to pieces and by late August had caused Romania to defect to the Soviets, Germans forces were left threadbare. Only Hungary narrowly failed to defect to the USSR, and was coerced into remaining Germany's ally. Despite a gross imbalance in numbers, the German Army, and more notably, their Panzer divisions (some with only 30 AFVs) delayed, disrupted and destroyed much larger Russian units with successful counter-attacks.

As the Russians blitzed through Romania and neared Hungary in late August 1944, it was the Hungarian Army that stymied the Red horde. The Hungarian units pulled themselves together and in September conducted two very important and overlooked counterattacks: Arad and Torda. The Arad counterattack sent the defending Romanians reeling, forcing them to give up the city of Arad and beyond as the Hungarian 1st Armoured Division faced little opposition. At Torda, the Hungarian 2nd Armoured Division also made significant gains towards the mountain passes until the arrival of Russian armour. The book covers these in detail with maps so often missing in other accounts. Both battles temporarily put the 'brake' on the Russian blitzkrieg.

The Happening Movie & the End Times

The Happeningmovie is a thoughtful thriller. A cross between your zombie kind of movie and something tied to religious and scientific beliefs. It is not scarey of the "edge of your seat" genre, as I was genuinely scared only once. The basic premise seems to be rooted in what many believe are the end times, one of the early warnings that "these times" are upon us AND the effect that global weather patterns are having. In this case, the Bees have mysteriously vanished, no bodies, no nothing (that is a little too odd). The result being that some unexplainable biologic change also occurs to the human population, which basically turns the exposed into killer zombies dead in their tracks. These zombies only kill themselves, however. How nice.

Basically, the key characters run for thier lives and learn that by staying in small groups, the "virus" does not infect them. This virus is carried by the wind. So, whenever the wind shakes the leaves on the tree, danger is near!

That is about it. What is intellectual about this is that the natural virus is never explained, it just stops and starts suddenly. The only explanation is that it is a warning to mankind from mother nature (aka, God) that mankind is reaching the line of no return in harming our planet. This all ties into the belief of the End times as described in the Book of Revelations of the Bible.

It is there, clearly stating that in the early portion of end times, one of the early warnings will be frequent weather anomalies, topsy-turvey seasons, droughts, famine, ocean's dying etc. Look how these events are being explained-in a logical manner. The Bee's are vanishing-it really is for real. Yet, we hear the warning and shrug our shoulders and continue on with our daily lives, to bothered to be really concerned about it until it us personally.

The Happening should be seen. Think about what is currently happening in the world today, global warming and it's impact, extreme weather. Is this also a sign of the end times that Daniel spoke of in a vision over 2000 yrs. ago?

YTB Travel Cruises

YTB is a great way to make extra income to start and if you pursue it, like Mary Kay, one can easily allow you to retire. The system is easy and there is NO INVENTORY to buy or sell. Once you sign up, you are provided a website, a travel website that is as good as any Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and YTB prices are almost always 10-25% less!

As a Referring Travel Agent, you can promite your travel website that directly links and uses the travel search engines used by all. If you want to earn more, recruit additional people under you, just like Mary Kay.

Unlike Mary Kay, the appeal of this product is vast and across all incomes, as everyone does take vacations, travel, fly, take cruises, buy concert tickets, buy Disney tickets and so much more. Unlike MK, your only inventory is on the web- your travel website. Plus, you can write off the expenses as business at the end of the year!

YTB is a multi-million dollar travel giant based in Illinois and listed on the US Stock Exchange.

As an agent, you also may receive special vacation packages that are discounted even more so you can visit and sell the spot on your site.

If you are looking, one should consider this!

Is Obama the Antichrist?

Yes, have a good laugh. But consider this: his popularity is increasing, he appeals to all kinds of people, he provides the masses a message of change for the better, his position is one of a real socialist, the government will be in your life more and more if he is elected.

Ask any follower what he has accomplished to warrant him being president, their answers are elusive and vague as Obama's are when asked key questions. They cite accolades of his 2 yr experience as a Senator, they like his platfom in theory, he's black or he's also white, his youth.

In other words, the large crowds follow him due to his charisma. That is it. If one knows about the end days and the Antichrist, one knows that this person has to appeal to the masses with his charisma, at least for awhile. Obama certainly fills this, even the terrorist group, Hamas, support him!
The antichrist will appear as a friend to Israel and to others. Because Obama is really running his campaign on his charisma, it is food to think about.

It may be that even he is not aware of this as the Antichrist grows slowly into this being(whoever it is).

In the end days, the first early signs are changes in world weather patterns, and a slow yet increasingly steady rate of natural disasters that the world will brush off. As time goes on, they increase with intensity and destruction. However, the key thing is that there is instant worldwide communciation. Taken all together, there is little doubt we are entering the final days. The antichrist will be a person who plays all sides in order to gain world power through monetary means and banks.

Is Obama the antichrist, no one knows, as Jesus will come like a thief, but there are signs. Keep your mind open. It is a hard concept to fathom and beware! There is no real reason while Obama is so popular and no reason why he would make a good president of the world's most powerful nation!

Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr is so wrong for Barack Obama

Event to most liberal democrats or republicans, the words of Jeremiah Wright's anti-white, anti-America only serve to alienate Obama's most important voting block:  Non- black America. Wright's vicious self serving oratory is based upon his own life  and upon the injustices in his own life. They have no relation to Obama. Let's not forget Obama IS more White than not. He grew up in a White enivronment, had friends of all colors, he only embraced his Black culture after he entered into High School and later. Obama may be more radical than he looks and his lack of answering key questions regarding his personal relationships with characters like Wright and former members of the Weatherman Underground, a domestic terriost group in the early 70's, only makes him appear more suspicious.

 

Worse is the hypocrisy of Wright's oratory blasting America and Whites. Wright owns a $10,000,000 home situated along a golf course in a predominantly White area! So, here is a Reverend that, for show, for the media, screws up Obama's chances by his now famous, "Goddamn America" speech, where he rips into our nation and the majority of White America. I guess he forgot to recall Obama is 50% White. I think every Black voting for Obama should remember this. Obama is not black black. 

 

Wright's hypocrisy is this: without America, he would not be so successful being able to pursue his academics as he did, without White's, I am sure he would not have achieved as much as he has because there are key individuals that helped him that were White, without America, his personal success would not have allowed him to preach such BS that millions have heard, nor allowed him to have a 10 million dollar home in a White area.

 

In the end, his ego and rhetoric only alienates many of Obama's would be supporters of any color. Wright appeals to poor Blacks because he is radical but in reality, Wright is a very rich Black being supported by those Blacks far below him on the economic ladder. Obama's reluctance to really publically denounce him also turns off many voters.

 

I was an Obama supporter. No longer. I find him "too risky", "too vague", "question his ability to make the correct decisions without undue influence", "lacking personal fortitude".

 

For me, my vote, it's either McCain or Clinton. Obama has lost my vote and my respect. When Obama is asked tough questions, he stumbles or he defers and deflects his answer.He just cannot answer the question.

The 1965 Corvair Convertible

I recently found a unique 1965 Corvair Chevrolet Convertible in near new condition with only 47,000 original miles! There is little wrong with it. I bought it online from a noted Psychology professor, Ron Baenninger, who has written many textbooks. He bought it a few years ago, parked it in his garage and never drove it. As you can see, it is nearly new and for $3700.00, it was a deal I could not pass.

Corvair had a nine year life span, 1960-1969. It was a rear engine based upon the Porsche, but it was Chevrolet's economy car and sold for $1900-2300.00 in 1965. The thing about these cars is that you either love them or hate them. If you love them, you overlook their annoying issues (oil leaks). Even though the car is 40+ years, one can find all the parts and even rebuild it. Several places produce only parts for these cars-which is a testament about their popularity. One is Clark's Corvair Parts on the East Coast, and Corvair Underground, on the West coast. The parts are not that expensive. You can rebuild an engine for around $2000.00. The corvair engine is robust and currently is used in small light single engine aircraft.

The body style of the 1965-69 remains popular and has a sort timeless look, much as the Ford Mustang. The Corsa was the racing edition with four carbs and either 140 or 180 Hp.

While you can find the parts, the real issue is finding someone who knows how to work on them. The Chevy shop manuals are still available for the car and are the bible when working on them.

For me, I was lukewarm about the parent's 1962. It was not until the 1965 came out did I fall in love with them as a 4th grader. Corvairs rock!

ATO Releases Paukenschlag with Stunning Map!

After a year in development, my latest ATO game on the German U-boat operation off the US coast in 1942, is released.

Craig Grando's superb and innovative game map looks 3D and like a movie poster. Simply stunning! The game uses the actual German plotting system of WW2 to regulate movement. In addition, the great "what-if" is explored: The planned German long range bombing of the East coast. The combo make the game a sure winner with appeal on a variety of levels. The game design took a few weeks to develop and research.

Let the dice fly!

Definately Maybe is definately deceptive

From the movie ad on TV, the viewer is led to believe that this movie is a cute, funny kid type movie. The little girl is cute and a good actress. The scenes are family oriented and attracts many girls from 8 yrs. old and up.

Naturally, I took my 9 yr. old daughter who really wanted to see it. So, we went.

The film opens up with the uneasy parental topic at any age of sex. Sex education. The girl's school is in an uproar about teaching sex ed to 4th graders, so the scene has chaos, parents angry etc. Girls are coming into the scene using words like penis, vagina, sex, condoms (you get the picture). I'm talking girls 9 yrs old and older. As if that was not uncomfortable enough for us, the little girl in the movie is trying to force her 30ish dad to have a conversation about it as they stroll out of the scene! Totally inapproriate from the start. This was not Disney.

Liberal or not, it was a parent's nightmare. I was hoping it would get better. Where was the fast forward?

The cute girl is really a little too mature and obnoxious regarding this topic. So, her parents are getting a divorce. Now, she wants to know all the details of doing it. Finally, the dad has had enough (thank god!). So, the girl switches gears and wants to know how they met etc.

So, for the next 55 minutes or so, that is the movie. There is no girl or cute interaction with her Dad as seen in the ads. It is just your typical"how boy meets girl" thing. Some items were not even for PG-13 rating. Who rates these movies??

Boring. Seen it all before. Hints of her mom being a lesbian, hints of her mom being loose and is poking some 50 yr old writer because he's famous, not because she loves him. Not a nice picture for a girl to know.

So, for the first hour or so, it is boring and pushing the PG 13 limit. It was not funny, nor cute.

The deception is that why have a cute 9 yr old actress in a film rated PG-13, in a role that she barely appears in until the end.The film is not about a parent\child relationship or a dad and his daughter. A waste of money.

US Navy and Iran Clash at Hormuz Straits

A recent naval report indicated an ominous result further supporting the USN wargame in which USN were suddenly attacked and sunk by Iranian missiles. The report, dated several years ago, indicated that even though the C-802 missiles are of lower technology than what the USN has, Iranian missile attacks from shore or from their Houdong or CAT-14 platforms (ships)could overwhelm the AEGIS defense systems. In the scenario, when 6 or more C-802 missiles were fired at the same ship there is a high probability that at least 1 or 2 would impact the target especially when coordinated with numerous FAC attack from divergent directions simultaneously. If 8 or more were fired, it was a 90% chance impact would occur. The CWIS Phalanax can only handle so many targets simultaneously within a 3 mile range. Other USN defense systems, likewise, could handle 4-5 such incoming missiles with fairly safe consequences. Thus, the Iranian swarm tactics upon 1 or 2 USN ships could and would be successful, either crippling or sinking them. If you add to this scenario that the Iranian attack would have to be a "Pearl harbor" type, add their Mig-29, F4E with AS missiles, all happening suddenly and simultaneously, USN defenses could be overwhelmed. The worst thing the USN should do is to underestimate this threat and to be over confident in their ECM. Remember, David did bring down Goliath!

The Beatles Are Across the Universe

To date, there have been two movies with dedicated soundtracks of nothing but Beatle songs, I Am Sam and Across the Universe. Both, as movies, are excellent films for a variety of reasons. It is obvious that the generation that lived and breathed Beatles are now in command. Bill O'Reilly is a huge Beatles fan. NASA launched the band's, Across the Universe (1968), into space, so their presence is known. The issue and problem with either movie using only Beatle songs (or any movie using their songs) is that:
1. The Beatles'recordings from 1964-1969 remain vibrant and high quality. They have not dated that much.
2. Using their songs with them doing them costs more than making the movie in royalty fees etc. You seldom, if ever, hear their songs done by them in a movie or commercial.
3. Doing a cover of their songs (as in both movies)by other artists poses major problems to them, which they acknowledge. These are:

A. Why change something that is so good in the original?
B. How can the cover artist create a "better" song? They are all already very good.
C. Competing with the vocals of John and Paul is simply impossible as the listener will compare and the original will win.
D. Do they follow the original arrangement and song structure (which is usually the best)or divert and try a different approach with the risk of total failure?

Artists facing doing a cover of a Beatle song have these dilemmas. Some artists asked refused to cover The Beatles, knowing it is pointless to try out do them and whatever the end result is will be much lesser than the original. It is like trying to copy a Van Gogh.

Listen to the I Am Sam or Across the Universe soundtracks. Some take a new "modern" approach, which usually sounds stupid compared to the original. Other artists stick with the original only deviating occassionally. Some speed or slow down the song.
Sadly, the cover is always compared to the original. The cover is always worse. To Beatle fans, they are grateful for such a tribute, yet, laugh at how the covers are done. The only covers of Beatle songs that are any good are those which were written by Lennon & McCartney but never performed by The Beatles (I'm in Love, Mary Jane, Not Guilty, World Without Love, Bad To Me, are a few).

The oddest thing remains that while others cannot cover a Beatles' song, the Beatles always greatly improved on ANY cover they did ( Long Tall Sally, Kansas City, Please Mr. Postman, Chains, Boys, Roll over Beethoven and so many more). The Beatles remain on the same level as Beethoven-both revolutionized their own brand of music. They truly are legends and all others pale in comparision.

Upcoming Wargame Designs

The following are new designs slated for the first quarter of this year:

1. La Coruna Jan 1937 - A fierce battle between the Nationalists and Republicans for the highway from Las Rozas to Madrid. It was the last phase of the Nationalists offensive to surround and cutoff Madrid. Armed with German Panzer 1 and Italian CV-33tanks, the seemingly invincible Nationalists were met with stout resistance from the Republicans and their Russian T-26B tanks and I-16, SB-2 aircraft. What followed was a desperate battle to control this key road!

2. Rampage, August 1919- Using the well played and award winning system of the Russian Civil War Series, the game covers the last great cavalry offensive of the 20th Century! Mamontov's cavalry army attacked the Red line east of Voronzeh busting through with Mk V tanks. What followed was a deep rear raid on the Reds which were totally caught by surprise! During the two week attack, the Reds tossed everything they had, including aircraft. It was a very wild affair that ended with Mamontov almost being trapped!

3. Operation Sinyavino- August 1942- covers the dramatic Russian offensive to free Leningrad from the German blockade from two opposite directions! Includes the first use of the new Tiger tank!

4. Zolfaqar's Blow: Iranian Killing Fields - a future history game covering a surprise Iranian attack with fast attack boats, C-802 missiles, EM-53 mines, submarines upon oil tankers and US naval ships (incl. an aircraft carrier) in the narrow Straits of Hormuz.

Martin Luther King and the Reality of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The recent comments by Hilary Clinton that King's call for racial equality was realized only with a president's action are correct, NOT incorrect. Hey, I hate to provide a reality check but without President Johnson's full support and backing and "pushing it through the legislature" at various tumes, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, would not have passed. Sure, maybe, it would pass in 1965, 66, 67 or whatever, but not in 1964. Anyone who thinks otherwise is making Martin Luther King a God-like creature. He could never have done it without the support and promotion by President Johnson and others. Without other key politcial figures in places of influence and power, and most were white then who agreed with Martin Luther King, the US Senate would not have passed it. It would never have reached President Johnson to sign into law. End of story.

It is not diminishing King's legacy, as he was instrumental in bringing to the public, galvanizing millions etc. But, he alone, could not create the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Give credit where credit is due. There is plenty to go around.......

US Presidential Campaign 2008 - Is it Really Up in the Air?

The 2008 US presidential election will most likely end in the following manner:

The Democratic party will nominate Hilary Clinton for President, and, Obama, for VP. if this sequence fails, then, it will be reversed. That is, Obama for President and Clinton for VP.

That makes for a very powerful ticket for the Republicans to beat. The appeal of this ticket would capture a majority of American votes (women, men, blacks, hispanic). I really cannot see John Edwards making it to the end.

For the Republicans, it is more complicated are harder to predict. There is no one strong contender at this point. I want to say John McCain, but his strength is debatable. Huckabee is likeable, kinda a down-home guy, but like all the Republican candidates, his strength is debateful.

Would a McCain- Romney defeat a Clinton-Obama ticket? I doubt it. How about a McCain - Huckabee? I doubt it. How about Romney - Huckabee? Some think that is a strong ticket. Let's not even discuss Thompson, he will be out by August.

So, the Republicans lack the passion, lack the ability to excite the voter. They are basically boring. The Democrats clearly have the edge here and I see no way that will diminish. I think the Democrats will win in November.. unless... world events and the US economy make the Republicans look attractive.

Iranian Swarming and its Potential

The recent events in the Straits of Hormuz between Iranian attack boats and the US Navy may be a clue of things to come at some point in time. Iran could create a major crisis by cutting the narrow 20 mile wide entry into the Persian Gulf. Using their 3000 Chinese made mines, many of the EM-58 type (rocket propelled), these can be easily laid in deep water. Once in place, ships moving over them are dead, they have a 80% success rate. Swarming single USN ships with up to 20 speedboats armed with weapons and explosives from divergent directions simulaneously might overload the ability of the ship's weapons to defend itself. In fact, some would get through. And, if that was not enough, Iran has perhaps 50 -60 cruise missiles from the Chinese, these are not rejects, but the S-300 and C-801, 802. The latter has a 90% kill rate and there is no real defense against them.

The issue is why are they obtaining these weapons? Self defense? Come on, they know the US would never be able to invade the country and air attacks are more symbolic than of value. Why do they have 12 mini subs all capabale of laying mines and torpedoes?

The only reason is take some sort of offensive action in the Persian Gulf, at some point in time. Let's say they sink a few USN ships or begin attacking oil tankers or they mine the Straits of Hormuz. In all cases, the world oil skyrockets. Besides being isolated, and they already are, what could the US do about it besides make some symbolic air to ground attacks on iranian facilities? Nothing.

Bombing Iran may not be as safe as it was, they have acquired some 29 TOR M1 Russian air defense missile systems. Their early warning would react.

The only hope is that once the US does make some air attacks upon Iran, the local population (50% are under 30)would not like this and attempt some sort of overthrow of the government. The change would have to come from within because isolation has not worked well and the US does not have capacity nor interest in invading Iran. Such an invasion would only reinforce their resolve.

Stay tuned... the next war or battle will be in that area.

The Impact of The Beatles

If you are under age 50 or over 60, it is highly likely that you probably either underrate the Fab Four or minimize their impact on music and men's styles. Why? The reason is because if you are under 50, you were too young to experience the insanity of Beatlemania. It really was historical. If over 60, you probably did not like their radical look nor their music and style (your style is more in line with Elvis, which is ironic because all of The Beatles idolized Elvis).

There is a narrow age group and now middle aged Americans or Britons who were dramatically impacted by the band. Their ages are between 51 to 59 or so. It was this age group that was prime in 1964, when they were between 8 to 16, that took part and were eyewitnesses to their arrival in the US. If you watch the footage of The Beatles' Shea Stadium 30 minute concert, you will see mostly 60,000 fans of this age, screaming, fainting, climbing the fence, dazed. There has never been such an entertainment event.

The 73 million Americans who watched their debut on Ed Sullivan remains embedded in history-unsurpassed. Beatlemania lasted until 1966, but their influence then and now remain.

The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Dave Clark Five, Jerry and the Pacemakers followed in the British Invasion as did many others. It was the British rock bands that showed America how it should be done.

America, then, was like the movie, "Hairspray". Very clean cut, the music-sappy and stupid-innocent. Even Elvis, who was the 50's rebel, seemed to have lost his edge and became too clean, too nice, his songs simply sucked.

Enter The Beatles. Long hair. Loud music. Radical yet cool look. Beatle boots. Tight suits. Witty personalities and great humor not mention four very distinctive and recongnizable voices. Add to this, harmony with good looks.

While they did do cover songs, they clearly were great songwriters from the start. After the Ed Sullivan broadcast, nearly all public pop stations were devoted to Beatle music. In some cases, they only played their music for days. That is yet another historical event in broadcasting.

For the age group mentioned, they were Gods. Despite naysayers, they knew this band would have a worldwide impact.

For guys, it meant style and long hair from that time onward. No more hair grease, no combing it back from the forehead like Elvis, no more haircuts with rims around the ear. That was a very major cultural event in the 60s. Teenage clothing copied the Beatle look with collarless shirts, tight jeans, Beatle boots. The Fashion originated in London on Carnaby street. Schools and many parents fought long hair for many years, some high schools had a policy of no long hair to the collar up until 1967-8.

Musically, The Beatles showed pop music how to be a rock band with their huge Marshall amplifiers or Vox equipment. Ask Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Oasis, Nirvana or any rock artist about influences, The Beatles are there.

The Beatles' impact is all over today. Listen to pop music, whether it is a guitar lick, harmonies, song structure, lyrics, if you are of the age group noted before, you know where the influence came from. You hear their songs on ads now. There have been two movies where the soundtrack consisted of only Beatle songs (done as covers).

The concept of Beatlemania is hard to comprehend if you were not alive or were too young, or simply missed it. It was one of those things that you say, "you had to be there". No amount of words can even begin to show the impact of The Beatles. The Beatles DVD set is the best we now have.

If you are still in doubt, well, look at any ad with teenagers. You will see the early Beatle look, just more unruly. The long hair the band introduced is just one of their legacies they left. Like Beethoven, The Beatles will always be with us in their music and how they touched all of us in either a small or large way.

Veronica Mars Rocks

One of the best recent new shows was Veronica Mars. I say was because after three years of great shows, it was cancelled. Why talk about this? Well, the acting and storyline writing was right on point. All of the actors are in their early 20's, all unknown, yet, the show's real strength was in its authenticity regarding the High School of today.
Veronica is akin to a very suave, cool, hip private eye for this century, not the Nancy Drew of the 20th Century. She helps solve serious and not so serious issues in a manner that is witty and intelligent. Adding to this success was the soundtrack. Very good rock music, especially the theme song. Its creator was a High School teacher for many years before he burned out and went to Hollywood.

I highly recommend watching all of this series DVDs. Great entertainment if you want to see the youth of today in their element. I would rate this PG most of the time.

Heroic Frenzy: Petrograd 1919

Soon to be released is the new FFG game, Heroic Frenzy Oct. 1919, which covers the closet advance that any White Army had made against the Reds. In this case, Yudenich's tanks and night attacks decimated the Red 7th Army, leaving Petrograd (now St. Petersburg)wide open. Trotsky himself entered the battle to rally his men near Pulkovo Hill, the last obstacle before the city. It is a fast moving game on this pivotal battle!

Islamic Facists

Recent news clearly shows there is a fundamental problem with the extremists in Islam.

 

1. A British teacher names a Teddy Bear the name of Mohammid in the Sudan. She is taken to trial and convicted. At first it was to be 15 lashes, then changed to 15 days in jail. Now, the lunatics are demanding that she be killed! This is so incredible because the stuffed animal was named after a boy in her class, not the Almighty!

 

2. Worse, is what happened in Saudi Arabia. There, a woman had been ganged raped. The brave woman took it to their so called court. That Court convicted the woman! Yes, she was convicted for luring the men by the way she looked or some silly thing and received a penalty of 50 or so lashes from a whip. As to men who ganged banged her, nothing!

 

The West and East are strange bedfellows for economic reasons. We are horrified by these unjust acts in the name of Allah, yet we look the other way. Allah would never allow such injustices occur that have been written in the Koran. What kind of God would this be? Much of the Koran, I am sure, is really some other human person who put their own spin on what the real Koran said. God, Allah would never say some of the things the Koran does.

BBC, Perry Moore, Pakistan-India War 1965, and Consimworld

In a rare action, I had posted my comments regarding the Iranian nuclear situation on the BBC News site. A day later, a woman called from the BBC asking me if I would participate in a round table discussion on the subject.

 

At first, I thought it was a joke, but the woman continued by asking me to elaborate my position. She went on to say that I was contacted by my intelligent analysis and how I had tied it to past history. Later that day, I was on the BBC with a worldwide audience, which is also a podcast. The whole experience remains bizarre.

 

The first ever wargame on the Pakistan-Indian War, 1965, had been published. Entitled, Pakistan Invades India, the game begins with the Indian units already inside of Pakistan in their own offensive. A day later, the unsuspecting Indian units felt the wrath of that region's premiere armor division, the Pakistani 1st Armor, armed with over 200 M-48 tanks. India had only a few Centurions, and obsolete AMX-13, Sherman V!

 

The Pakistanis had planned a "Rommel" type offensive to penetrate deep into the rear of the Indian 11th Corps, cut them off and force them to retreat. It was such a  bold plan supported by their airforce.  If you are interested in this simulation, visit: firefight-games.com.

 

Maybe I am missing something, but....from Consimworld, the premiere wargame site, I received a news alert stating that Richard Berg's Blog is now back! Why is this news? Who cares and why is this more important than any other blog? Yes, I know, Richard is the last of SPI staffers still around (they all must be hitting 60ish), he remains an interesting, non-practicing attorney, with very colorful comments from A to Z, but....is this really that important? I think not.  A visit to the blog will surely tell you otherwise..it reads like a frat blog where stupid, idiotic comments linger about stupid, idiotic things. Entertainment?  Wargame related? Well, sometimes, but why bother...on second thought, I am not missing something at all. I get it...a very slow news day in the wargame world.

Hilary Clinton: A Good Choice for the Next President?

Like most Americans, the choice for our next president is a difficult one. Like most, I listen to news, try to get a balance and establish a gut reaction to the candidates. The internet is deluged with info and video, all has an impact.

 

At this stage, none of the candidates really turn me on. There is something about all of them I distrust. I am not swayed by dirt the opposing side brings up about their past. We all have some. Usually, those that bring up the dirt are equally guilty and trying to divert my attention. Like most Americans, I decide for myself. I am neither a Republican nor Democrat, but both parties have good positions and various topics, so I comprise of the "middle of the road" group that can vote either way.

 

Hilary Clinton's only real governmental experience is her few years as a Senator. Sure, she is an attorney, but in all reality, not a practicing one. So what, so am I. She is (or was) the wife of one of America's most popular President's, Bill Clinton. But she is absolutely no Bill Clinton when in public. The charisma is not there. She was in the White House, but left no visible mark. Of course, nobody can read the memos and discussions between Bill and Hilary until long after the election. This begs for a "why"? Hilary was a mom and wife. That could be her only connection with many women out there. Isn't it odd that little to nothing has been asked of Chelsea, their daughter? What kind of parent was Hilary?

 

Hilary's flip flopping on the issues or never providing a detailed answer to questions really bothers me. I was going to vote for her, being a woman had nothing to do with it (there have been many great woman leaders in history), but changing her position on an issue one week and then again a week later only shows she is willing to say or do anything to win. She no doubt's desperately wants to be the first woman president of the US. It's starting to show. She accused the "male" candidates of ganging up on her in a debate and tried to play the sexism card. It reveals a dark side of her character--blaming others when she is responsible for her own mucking up the debate with answers that even she could not keep straight. Hey, it happens to men , too.

 

She continues to play the sexism card, stating how old ladies of 90 yrs come up to her and claim to state they will vote for her because she is a woman. How nice. Tell me, how many of this old timers have you actually seen in ANY of her campaign stops? Zero. First, those women would've been born in 1917, I doubt if they are in any shape to fight the crowds etc. It is obvious she wants and hopes all women will vote for her simply because she is a woman first, and a good candidate, second.

 

Her experience with foreign policy is zero. Condolezza Rice would be far better!  Hilary is really a socialist--the government will be in your life even more than it is now. She has never even been a mayor of a small town, let alone, a city. She has never operated a private business. Never been a governor of a state.

 

Hilary, when it comes to REAL qualifications, has Bill (I am sure he will be her major consultant if she wins), 2-3 years as senator, and the White House years.

Speaking of that, most women would divorce and move from a husband who cheats on them, let alone, how Bill did Monica. Yet, Hilary "stood by her man", the question is: is this a good thing? what were the motives (avoid scandal, personal embarrassment, have different beds yet stick together to brave the storm).

Maybe Hilary did not want to lose what she had, maybe she did not care, she was staying with Bill for her own personal gain?

 

Many women will vote for her simply because she is a woman and they have a problem with men. Other women will vote for her because of her so called qualifications. At this point, no really understands what her positions are on key issues. Her answers seem to evade and cloak a position.

 

However, I think it is in her character to say and do anything to be elected and to enter the history books. Of course, the other candidates do this also but at least you know what they stand for to some degree.

 

Unless she improves, my vote will go elsewhere because my gut tells me not to trust her. Period.

 

 

 

What Britney Spears Needs to Do

Anyone who has been around knows what is happening to Britney. She is like a Marilyn Monroe figure, loves attention and when it does not happen, she acts extreme. This kind of personality usually ends in tragedy.

 

Britney should completely get out of the limelight for at least a year, vanish from LA and NY. Just be a normal woman and chill. Be a mom.  Maybe with her this is not realistic but it would certainly help her and keep her from the edge of the abyss.

Ahmadinejad is a Hitler Scripted President

My take on this whole nuclear issue with Iran echoes what I have heard and read. The Iranian president cannot be trusted and is an expert of dodging on point questions using deflective language. He does nothing more than dance around the point regarding nuclear weapons. When the BBC contacted me to be on their round table show recently, I was stunned. My views remain that history repeats. In the 30's, Hitler was rising to power. He was in the "friendly stage", trying to woo others, which he succeeded. The other countries all tried to appease him with concessions or by "ignoring him" thinking the problem would vanish! Hitler would then accept them and not really concede anything but continued to be cordial and nice--reassuring the world that he only wanted what was best for Germany. Time went on. Inside Germany, the military had been building up and training all along. The citizens themselves had little clue what Hitler really wanted at the time (30's). It all seemed "Okay", to anyone who simply casually looked. To others, they saw danger and tried to warn an ignorant world.

 

Ahmadinejad is following the same script Hitler wrote and performed. The world today is smarter.  His goal is to destroy Israel. He does have designs on Iraq in a covert manner. Iran could control some of Iraq through covert activity, for instance, control Basra, key to oil and ports. He is not that dumb to do this overtly with military activity- he is a fox. A sly, cunning leader.

 

If the world waits until Iran does do something with even a tactical nuclear weapon, it is too late. With a nuclear weapon, Iran would be a threat to most nearby countries. Instability would increase dramatically. The problem for the West is that no solution is even a good one. They are all only the best of a bad selection of choices to counter this. It is a "damned if you do, damned if don't" situation. We all know that even with pinpoint bombing is inaccurate if the intelligence of the nuclear locations is incorrect.  The best we could do would be to destroy the obvious above ground nuclear facilities, and of course, Iran would keep such material in this obvious place. At least, serious damage could be made along with destroying their oil refineries. Perhaps the Iranian people would then be angry enough to overthrow the regime, for it is their government which has brought this upon them. The common Iranian is no different than the common American in many ways.

 

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said a nuclear Iran could threaten the world. How true. He is also quite correct that unless Iran proves to the world it is "clean", the West will sooner or later use military force.

 

Iran should allow the inspectors in their country, free access to any location they wish to pursue, stay as long as they want, talk to anyone they want. Anything short of this is akin to a person who knows they are guilty when charged with a crime--they dodge questions, confuse issues, and to a policeman, act suspiciously by refusing to cooperate.

 

A person who is truly innocent has nothing to hide. That is the simple clue. Iran is not this person.

Pakistan-India War of 1965-The Battle of Assal Uttar

Currently being designed is a company\battalion level game on a battle that was the largest tank battle since WW2. The Pakistani armor division, armed with M48 tanks, conducted a surprise attack into India near Khem Karan and for the next 10 days, bitter tank battles occurred as the Pakistanis attempted to cut-off the Indian 11th Corps in a Rommel-like blitz!

Democratic Presidential Candidates

As I watch the 2008 election spin and boil, there seems to be little doubt that Hilary Clinton or Obama will be the Democratic candidates. The next question is, will they form a team with Obama as the VP on a ticket. If this occurs, I think the Republicans will have a tough time winning the election. The Republicans have no clear runner to challenge yet. I am like many Americans, I vote for the candidate and issues, not the party. President Bush has really made it hard for the Repblicans to win the White House again.

Remagen 1945, Kakhovka 1920

Since my last post, two games have come out:

Kakhovka: Wrangel's Kursk, Oct 14, 1920. This depicts the largest use of tanks in the Russian Civil War and also the last major battle! The game is very intesting set piece and really was a kind of Kursk in some ways.

Remagen 1945 depicts the battle of luck using a point to point system. Luck because the US found a bridge over the Rhine and despite the Germans tossing V2 rockets, jet bombers, JagdTiger tanks, and sending SS frogmen to destroy it, it was all unsuccessful. The game shows what happened and could have happened had luck turned, even a little, in the German favor! Very interesting. It is nothing at all like the old SPI game. It is way more accurate and tense.

Being tested now is Operation Westindien 1942- a U-boat game on the battle for the Caribbean. This is also a point to point game and depicts how vital the refineries and oil was in the Aruba area.

Bringing New Blood into the Hobby - Mark Woloshen's Contribution!

I have been a wargamer for over 30 years now, and in that time I have seen the Golden Age of Wargaming, the demise of much beloved companies (SPI, Battleline, GDW, Avalon Hill etc.), and the prophesied demise of board gaming as we know it. As a member of the hobby, how can one, lone gamer influence this downward trend?  The doom-sayers saw that computer war games were going to replace our faithful cardboard and paper companions. The hobby was not attracting new gamers, so how can this trend be reversed?

 

Well here we are, continuing to play wargames of the cardboard and paper variety. The hobby seems as vibrant as I can remember, and the "big" companies (GMT, MMP, Avalanche, Clash of Arms etc.) seem to be offering interesting designs that might attract new gamers. The number of really strong DTP companies (Firefight, Khyber Pass, Schutz Games etc) fills the esoteric void left by the larger companies, and they too might attract new players to the hobby. Is this enough? Well, here is how I have tried to help.

 

As a high school Humanities (integrated Social Studies and English) and history teacher, I am in a unique position to bring new gamers into the fold. How? Not necessarily by what I teach (though that is a bonus), but by starting a games club! That is correct, start an extra-curricular club. On the one hand, it provides a much needed activity for students at lunch or after school - I run mine at lunch. On the other, it gives me a chance to play games with people who may one day want to play more historically accurate board games (more about this later).

 

Our school population is approximately 1600 grade 8 to 12 students in a middle class community. Our lunch "hour" is only about 45 minutes, so getting games that are playable in a short period of time, or the space to store longer play games, become two very important organizational considerations. Assuming you will be using your own classroom, the next steps will help get the club off to a great start.

 

First, you need to get the support of the administration. Usually they will be happy to support (both morally and financially) any endeavor which occupies students during the lunch hour. Second, you need to have a few games on hand to "get things started". Initially, I brought games from my own collection, then augmented those with other games purchased using school funds. After solidifying your initial club game collection, begin to advertise to the school body. This can be done through the school intercom notices, student newsletters, school website, posters, and of course, word of mouth.

 

The third factor to consider is the type of games to be included in the club's collection. Now, I'm partial to hardcore military simulation games. Unfortunately, very few students want to get into those types of games. So, we compromise and bring in games that will appeal to the widest possible student audience. The first games from my collection included: Risk, Axis and Allies, Stratego, Battleship, Shogun (Samurai Swords), Quebec 1759, War of 1812, and Rommel in the Desert. With student government funds, these initial offerings were supplemented with other games like: Carcassone, Settlers of Catan, Civilisation, Age of Mythology, Risk 2210, Lord of the Rings Risk, Star Wars Risk, Monopoly, Clue, Guess Who, Candyland - just to name a few.

 

Finally, you have to consider how you will store games that take more than one lunch period to play to completion. I had a cupboard in my room with four pull out drawers. I could place one complete game on each drawer. After a while, we had to carefully stack more than one game in a drawer because so many games were being played. If you have a dynamic industrial education department in your school, perhaps the student government would supply sufficient funds to have a games cabinet built. It would be a good project for the Industrial Ed. Students and it certainly helps out the games club. Ideally the cabinet should be designed to allow game boards to be stored with all the cards, pieces, dice etc. necessary for play. You'll be ready for action once you have this all set-up.

 

Generally, I keep the club open to any and all students of the school. All grades and both genders are welcome. It has been my experience that the vast majority (98%) of the gamers in our school are male. We do have some girls who show up on a regular basis, which is great! There are also a number of teachers who periodically attend - especially if we have a game of Diplomacy going!! (Recently, three teachers and three students had a game of Diplomacy - the teacher's - very experienced Diplomacy players - got their clocks cleaned by the students! Wait until next year!!)

 

Games that are visually pleasing (such as anything by Days of Wonder, Fantasy Flight, Eagle Games, and Milton Bradley) certainly attract students into the room. Some days there are so many people they have to play their games on the floor! (We average between 25 to 35 students each lunch hour we run the club - Tuesdays and Fridays at lunch.) People (both students and staff) drift into the room and have a quick look before moving on. Some come back, others get a look at a game and end up buying either for themselves, or in the case of some of the adults who come in, their children.

 

At the beginning of each school year, I approach the student government for funds to purchase new games. I usually request between $300.00 to $400.00 for the year. Not surprisingly, this money does not go far, given the price of games these days. But it is enough to add a few titles to the collection. We also get games by donation, so now we have just about every type of Risk ever published (except Godstorm Risk). Currently, there are 65 games in our collection. Popular games this year included: Blockus, Hey, That's My Fish, World of Warcraft, Settlers, Command and Colors: Ancients, Axis & Allies Miniatures, and Memoir '44. A host of other games were also played, not to mention chess, checkers, and great games like Apples to Apples. Next year we will be adding to the collection. Sometimes with modules for pre-existing games, and sometimes new game hot off the press. I might even buy a copy or two of games that I have had published (For Bloody Honor by Firefight Games and Prairie Aflame by Khyber Pass Games), to try and entice students into the more historical realm of gaming.

 

All in all, the club has been a rousing success at my school. The admin are happy because it gives a large number of students something to do at lunch. The students are happy because they get to play games with their friends and school. I'm happy because I get to play games, and some of those gamers have grown up to become wargamers. And that's what it's all about, isn't it! If you are a teacher, try it at your school. You'll be amazed at the results. If you're not a teacher, perhaps check in with your local Boys & Girls club to see whether there might be an opportunity there to begin a club to attract new gamers.

 

The endeavor has been worthwhile and a lot of fun. Maybe we can have another Golden Age of Gaming with all the new blood entering the hobby. I for one hope so.

The War in Iraq and the End Times

Seeing history repeat within my own lifetime is astonishing. I am talking about the mess of the Vietnam war, that I watched as a teenager in High School, and the War in Iraq, that I watch on the TV with the same similar mess. Then, it was President Johnson declaring that we must stop Communism in Nam, otherwise, where will it end? Now, it is President Bush, stopping the terrorists. 

 

In 1983 or so, I designed and published a game called, Locust. It was done based upon a class I had taken on the Book of Revelations in the Bible. I am not a religious person, though I do believe in God, divine intervention etc. Locust is what my instructor indicated would happen in the End Times. I was so fascinated with the subject, interpretations of Daniel etc., I felt the game would be accurate. It was and is. Iran had become a world power because of their nukes. Russian and Chinese interests Iran all were intertwined because of trade agreements, to which all needed and were lucrative. America's reputation had been seriously eroded from past errors. Israel felt isolated, though continued to receive full US support.

 

War breaks out when Iranian nukes are tossed into Israel, igniting the Final War. Russian (the bear in the Revelations) invades Iran to secure its own interests and oil. This action provokes the Common Market nations and the US to counter this thrust and a brief tactical nuke exchange occurs. Arab nations also begin to attack Israel to retake what they always thought belonged to them. The region is ravaged.

 

Of course, Jesus is not used in the game, because all these things are to happen--allowed to happen. One of the most early signs of end times is the weather change globally. The ability to instantly communicate with others across the globe is another. This just recently happen.

 

Anyway, the game was interesting and it should be interesting if it does happen,