Weekend Notes

Quick note to pass along that VAJoe.com has an interview of Your Humble Scribe up at his site.  Try not to laugh too hard…

The rains (and oppressive humidity) have relented so with blue skies in the offing, believe it’s time to hit the roads for the mountains of WVa with the family – in the ‘vert of course  

Couple of items for next week include a round up of the kiss-fest between Hugo (‘Don’t Call Me Hew-go) Chavez and that other paragon of democratic freedoms, Vladimir Putin.  I’d say you won’t believe what was said, but we know our readership better than that.  Also some discussion about layered defenses as it relates to missile defense.  Kicking around some ideas for Flightdeck Friday next week as well — BTW, if there is a particular topic you’d like to see, drop me a line.  This week’s piece came courtesy a query from a reader and as you see, I’m ecumenical in my approach… 

In the meantime, an interesting commentary is up this past week in Navy Times (may need a subscription to access the link) on the lack of a Maritime Strategy (something that is also near/dear to YHS’ heart).  Having served with the writer at a couple of commands he knows whereof he speaks – here’s the money quote:

"It is utterly inexcusable that we are now 18 years past the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet empire, that we are six years past the Sept 11 attacks and the start of OEF, and still there is no central, guiding document that outlines our Maritime Strategy.  Instead we have frittered the time away on "business practice" methodologies, haltingly developed a generation of lesser, unimaginative documents, and otherwise engaged in a host of minor "busy" actions that add questionable efficiency to our fighting ability"

Word.

Be careful out there and have a great weekend.

– SJS

"Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belong…"