I'll be back soon

For those loyal followers of this blog, (and I thank both of you!) I'll have a new post up soon. I've been knee deep in work on a new venture and it's been taking up my blogging time.

But I have a lot I want to post about the current events and to update all of you on some new exciting info I've come across.

So please be patient, and loyal, and I'll have a new post or two this holiday weekend.

Armada build up in Middle East

Something you haven't heard much about in the MSM is the fact that the United States, along with Britain, France and other supportive countries are quietly assembling the largest armada of ships in the Middle East since the start of the Gulf War.

Already in the Gulf region from the US are the nuclear supercarriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Harry Truman, and the expeditionary carrier USS Peleliu.

You know what a supercarrier with it's squadrons of strike jets are for. What you may not know is the expeditionary carriers have USMC Harrier jump jets and an assortment of assault and attack helicopters. The Expeditionary Strike Groups have powerful USMC Expeditionary Units with amphibious armor and ground forces trained for operating in shallow waters and in seizures of land assets, such as Qeshm Island (a 50 mile long island off of Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz and headquarters off the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps)."

Joining them will be the supercarriers USS Ronald Reagan and USS Theodore Roosevelt and the expeditionary carrier USS Iwo Jima along with the British Royal Navy carrier HMS Ark Royal. The Roosevelt, Iwo Jima and Ark Royal are fresh from the recent Joint Task Force Exercise, Operation Brimstone, a war games exercise in the north Atlantic which was specifically designed to practice a naval blockade against Iran.

So when all is said and done, we'll have 4 supercarrier strike groups, 2 expeditionary carrier strike groups, a British carrier group and an assortment of multinational warships from France, Australia, Pakistan, Britain and others setting up in the Middle East waters, basically surrounding Iran.

This is a major buildup that combined with the activity between Russian and Georgia, is beginning to look ominous.

Something's not right in Georgia

There's more going on in the Caucasus region then we're being told. Why would Georgia, a small nation, decide to bitch slap the Russian bear?

The Georgians had to have known they had no chance militarily against the Russians? They knew that Putin would react! Swiftly and harshly! So what's going on here?

Here are some of the facts:

• Georgia is a big ally of the US.
• Georgia and the US are trying to get Georgia into NATO
• Putin and the Russians see NATO (in this post cold war era) as a military threat to Russia
• The US and Georgia completed joint military exercises in Georgia just a few days ago
• Russia conducted "anti-terrorist" exercises just across the Georgian border a few day ago
• There is a major oil pipeline going through Georgia that supplies oil to Israel
• Georgia attacked first, going after civilians in the separatist regions that are friendly to Russia.

Those are some weird facts, that don't add up. I really don't have an hypothesis of why this is going down, but it's troubling to me. Somebody pushed somebody into a stupid, losing conflict for some reason that's yet to be seen.

I may be wrong, I hope so, but this doesn't feel like just a passing regional conflict. I think we all should watch it closely to see what develops.

Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Bilbo Baggins

If you're not a fan of the Lord of the Rings, then this post probably won't make much sense.

I was watching the Olympics coverage last night and saw an interview of Mark Spitz, the Olympic swimmer whose record of 7 gold medals in a single Olympics is being chased by Michael Phelps in Beijing. For those that may not know much about Mark Spitz (like those that weren't even born when he captured the gold medals in Munich in 1972) he is considered one of the greatest athletes of his time, having won every event he entered in the 1972 Olympics and setting a world record in each. It was an amazing feat, not matched in decades, which makes Phelps attempt to break it that much more captivating.

But despite Spitz's fame in the pool, he unfortunately was also remembered as someone that tried too hard to capitalize on his Olympic fame. Americans are funny, we like a hero, a great athlete, but we want them to have some humility, to eat a little of the humble pie. Mark Spitz appeared to have none of that and quickly turned off an admiring nation. His movie-star good looks were loved by the ladies, but he never captured the love and hearts of America. He was too brash, too cocky, he seemed to have the attitude that we should be honored to be in his presence. Of course I never met the man personally, so this may not be his true nature, but given his lack of success in his post-Olympic period, I'm confident many folks agreed with my feeling toward the Olympic champion.

So seeing him on TV, his iconic black mustache and long hair replaced with short salt & pepper hair and sans a mustache was a little odd. The interviewer was asking him the obvious questions about Phelps quest and how it makes Spitz feel to possibly see his long-standing record fall. Spitz response was interesting. He looked tired, tired of the questions, tired of the notoriety, tired of the burden of being the only man to have won 7 gold medals in a single Olympics. He said he was ready to pass the title on to Phelps. To let him carry the charge now. To deal with the media, the pressure, the demands on his time.

But at the same time he had this underlying tone of never wanting to give up the title, of loving the fame, of having grown old with the comfort, the sense of being special, having something that no one else had. It had defined Mark Spitz, his life, his world and while he knew it was time, that he needed to let it go for the betterment of others, to let someone else carry the flag now, you could see a deep, deep part of him never wanted it to happen. It was noticeable in his eyes.

As an ardent Lord of the Rings fan, it struck me oddly reminiscent of Bilbo Baggins. the hobbit from the Shire, and his relationship with the Ring. Bilbo, having found the Ring deep in the heart of the Misty Mountains, was forever bound to it and it's mysterious powers. He used it's powers to help him and his friends slay Smaug the Dragon and thus win an immense fortune, which allowed him to return to the Shire a wealthy man. There he led a good life, but was always burdened by the presence of the Ring. He could never escape it's tentacles. He loved it and the pleasures it brought, but also knew there would come a time when he'd have to let it go. It began to weigh heavy on him and he longed to be out from under the power of it.

Thus when Gandalf, the Wizard came and had Bilbo give the Ring to Frodo to be destroyed, he understood this on a logical, outward level. He acknowledged and supported the decision. But when it came time to actually give up the ring, to physically turn it over to Frodo, he couldn't. He fought it and a mean, terrible side of him came out. Only by Gandalf exerting his power and demanding it did he give it up.

That's what I was seeing in Mark Spitz's eyes and tone. He was like Bilbo, knowing it is time to pass his burdensome fame to Phelps, but deep down not ever wanting to let go of it. I find it fascinating how close to Tolkiens tale is the real life drama playing out today.

Lone Survivor

I just finished reading Lone Survivor, the Eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heros of SEAL Team 10. Everyone needs to read this to understand and appreciate the sacrifices being made by our young men and women everyday in order that this country can remain free and safe from terror.

This is an extremely emotional book as it recounts in excruciating detail the fatal operation in which 3 SEALs were lost in a battle in Afghanistan, along with another 16 SEALs and Rangers who died trying to rescue them. It was the largest loss of life in SEAL history. But it's not just about the battle and the dauntless, heroic actions of the men in battle. It's also about the training and sacrifice and mindset of becoming a SEAL, arguably the most potent Special Ops soldier in the world.

You learn from Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor of Operation Redwing and the author of the book, all about the famed SEAL boot camp and Hell Week. How men are pushed to their physical, mental and psychological limits in order to select only the best. And how it's the intangible, the unexplainable that separates the ones that make it from the ones that don't.

Some people may be put off by his tone. It's has a bravado tone to it. But this isn't a swaggering show of courage, it's the tone of a highly-trained, confident warrior, sure of his place and his mission. As the ole saying goes, "it ain't bragging if you can do it" And the SEALs can do it!

Enjoy this book and then take a moment to say a prayer for these fine men, some of our country's finest, and the families they left behind.

Here's Marcus Luttrell speaking at a recent NRA convention.