Issue 1: Iraq

This year I find myself on a roller-coaster of interest in the Presidential elections. Originally it was quite interesting...the likes of Giuliani and Huckabee switching fates...and Richardson/Biden getting thier arses kicked. BUUUUT, then it all basically boiled down to Billary and Obama...and to say the least...it got snoring. They both just kept saying the same things and arguing degrees of the same side of the issues. Occasionally it got a little amusing when they stepped on their own feet...but not enough to keep it interesting. And all the while McCain just mulled around half sleeping in the corner.

Now, that it appears Obama is setting his sights on McCain...and McCain appears to be awakening from his siesta...things might actually start to get interesting again. Clearly one of the first issues that Obama is trying to tee up is the "failed policies in Iraq" argument which in my opinion is a bit of a double edged sword for the chap. While it serves as an easy grenade to lob at the 'Pubs since public opinion is still 65%+ opposed to the war...it also potentially exposes him to a wider debate of his foreign policy and national security credentials...something to which a ~3 year Senator is rightfully exposed (FYI - he joined congress Jan 4, 2005). I guess that the Dems figure as long as they can successfully attach McCain to Bush/Iraq, then they will score easy points and potentially even improve his image in the trouble areas of foreign policy and national security. But what if public opinion for the war were to change? Crazy - I know... What if this does not follow the domino logic of crumbling public support like Vietnam? Wouldn't (or couldn't or shouldn't) that doubly expose Obama in these areas? Just imagine if we started to actually show meaningful progress both militarily and politically in Iraq...that sure could be bad for the Dems...so it would *appear* that there *may* be a conflict of interest here it things started going better. Would they be willing to admit that they may have been wrong? (Danger - insert conspiracy theory here)

Now...I am no war hawk and I personally believe that war is a terrible option and should always be used as a last resort (thanks Danno). I will admit that while I enjoy a good war flick now and then ...that does not impact real lives (both the service men/women AND their families/friends). Real lives changes the equation. But we are already in Iraq and we are making significant progress - both militarily and politically. Why would we stop and withdraw now? I pulled some data off the web from icasualties.org and put together a couple of graphs. The first is of the average number of US soldier deaths per day and the second is the average number of Iraqi civilian deaths per day. They are kind of morbid thoughts but it is probably the only true benchmark of what is going on over there since the media distorts everything (both ways). Two things were very clear from looking at the graphs. First, both the US and civilian rates dropped drastically post-surge. It would be very hard at this point to argue that the surge has not been successful militarily. While a complete withdraw would take US casualties to zero...I doubt that the same would hold true for Iraqi's who would likely end up in some form of a civil war.

This raises an interesting litmus test for our next commander-in-chief. Where did McCain and Obama stand on the surge...well, that one is easy to figure out. A quote from the weekly standard:

Democrats opposed the surge almost without exception. Barack Obama said
that the new policy would neither "make a dent" in the violence plaguing
Iraq nor "change the dynamics" there. A month after the president's
announcement, Obama declared it was time to remove American combat
troops from Iraq. In April, as the surge brigades were on their way to
the combat zone, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid proclaimed "this
war is lost" and that U.S. troops should pack up and come home. In July,
as surge operations were underway, the New York Times editorialized that
"it is time for the United States to leave Iraq." The Times's editorial
writers recognized Iraq "could be even bloodier and more chaotic after
Americans leave." But that didn't matter. "Keeping troops in Iraq will
only make things worse."

My surprise was obviously NOT with the fact that McCain supported it and Obama was against it...my surprise was more aligned with how wrong Obama was...."would not make a dent" "nor change the dynamics"?!?! In the best case - he simply did not have a fundamental grasp of what the strategy was...and in the worst case - he was fundamentally wrong in his logic and/or blindly following party lines. You can give him as much leniency here as you wish...

The second thing that struck me in the graphs was the sheer number of civilians killed. While the servicemen are still unfortunately above zero (at 0.6 per day), the civilians are still at 13 per day....and at the peak they averaged 113 per day in the month of Sept'06. That is staggering and it really demonstrates how asymmetrical this war has become.

In the end, I would rather America fights terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan than to watch it develop remotely and try to prevent it from coming to America. In this type of war it is impossible to simply play defense (kind of reminds me of the Giants when they first drafted Eli Manning). There are an infinite number of ways that our security can be breached. It is not because we have not tried...it is just a simple reality. If someone is willing to blow themselves up then they pretty much have the advantage. To trust that intelligence is going to accurately assess every threat is simply foolish.

As an added kicker, it is strongly suspected (I think the Gov actually knows) that neighboring countries like Jordan, Syria and Iran are pumping combatants and arms into Iraq to fight the "West". It is simply all too logical. They expect that with enough casualties the US government/public will waiver and pull out of Iraq...drawing from our own history in Vietnam. That would set the US (and our Allies who are two sally to stand up for themselves) back decades and open the door wide open for more of the same in the region..."oh to defeat the infidels!" So not only do we get to take the offensive in a location other than in the US...we additionally have the bad guys funneling themselves into our military meat grinder. And yes, despite all the media badmouthing...we still have the best and strongest military in the world! Huah!

Now, we could argue about the past and if going there in the first place was a good thing...but that is not what this election is about. This election is about what we are GOING to do starting in January 2009.

Advantage: McCain. He has the experience to know better than to charge into a war...and also has the experience to know how to win one if it is required!

I wonder...

I will try to confirm this with the EESAYs.....Baghdad is a long way from Kansas Toto (or Kentucky for that matter) :

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department has begun to identify diplomats who could be forced to serve in Iraq next year unless enough volunteers come forward to fill about 300 positions, The Associated Press has learned.

A department-wide notice issued Tuesday says officials have looked through the files of all foreign service officers who will be applying or "bidding" for new jobs in 2009 and compiled a roster of candidates who are "particularly well-qualified" to work at the American Embassy in Baghdad and in outlying provinces.

Those on the list will be notified of their status this week and urged to volunteer, according to the internal notice, which was also sent by cable to all U.S. diplomatic missions abroad. If positions remain unfilled after the summer, they will become the core of a group of "prime candidates" who may be forced to go to Iraq, it says.

On my way to work...

Today, on my drive into work I saw yet another goofy thing to add to the list. About 30 meters (~100 feet) ahead of me in the right hand lane (I was in the leftmost of 3 lanes) I witnessed an 18 wheeler simply veer of the road straight into a tree. I shit you not! It just went off the road for no apparent reason. I am guessing the driver fell asleep. The tree was about 150mm (about 6 inches) in diameter and guess what...it got creamed. The leaves all shot off the tree in a huge expanding cloud. I have no idea what finally happened as I was past the whole thing before it was over...but I can't imagine it ended well for anyone.

Also, more exciting news today...apparently the EESAYs have decided to start a blog for themselves. I have added their link on the left side...it shall remain there as long as their website remains alive...which I am not so sure will be all that long knowing Andrea (who would rather talk) and JT (who would rather sleep or continue his search for the best Bourbon). If you want a long conversation with JT...just mention that you think Jack Daniels is a good Bourbon...and away you go.

FYI it goes something like this... All Bourbons are whiskey, but not all Whiskey's are Bourbon. To be a Bourbon it has to be made in the US in new charred white oak barrels. To be known as a Kentucky Bourbon, it has to be made and aged for at least one year in Kentucky. Jack Daniels while made similarly to Bourbon is not a Bourbon. It is a Tennessee Whiskey.

I have also added abother link on the left to Micael Yon's website. He is a blogger who was embedded with the Military in Iraq. He posts interesting stuff if you are interested in an objective viewpoint about what is going on with the war...not the jibberish spewed from the liberal media. Go back through the archives for a lot of good posts.

School Time!!!

The kiddos are still having a ton of fun at Home Two! Most recently Kade had a "Bonfire" night where the school had two open fit fires going and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the pits. Kade really loved throwing wood onto the fire...so we better warn Russ that he needs to bring extra wood when we go camping in Abq this summer! Payton even got into the action as you can see...she is watching Felipe throw wood onto the fire. To be honest, we were all a little skeptical of the concept...having loads of kids hopped up on sugar trying to get as close to the fire as possible. Apparently they had been teaching fire safety at school...so I guess it is all part of the CR curriculum!

The next picture on the left is of Payton at her agriculture day. She was dressed to the nines inclusive of her Dora the Explorer hat that has made its way to CR all the way from Meghan's birthday party in Fort Collins! The next picture on the right is of Payton at her PJ day. As you can see...she was quite proud of her diggs and was ready to model for Mommy. I am not sure the boy in the back got the memo.

The last pic on the left is of Kade at his agriculture day. As you can see the Libbinator (pink skirt) is definitely torn between Kade (on her left) and Felipe (on her right). The dresses on the far left are the traditional garb for the ladies. They actually have a farmer come in and sell fruit to the older kids...Kade was able to score 2 apples, one Mango and a watermelon with his $3. He was very impressed with his haul.

The last two pictures are of Payton's birthday party at school. Apparently they put this big sombrero on their head...Payton loved all of it....especially the cupcakes that supermom made!

Sunday - Parque Diversiones

This weekend was a total whirlwind. As you can see from our Saturday we had a full day. But - the holy Sabbath - the day of rest - was not to be outdone by some sorry excuse of a day like Saturday. So in out best effort to completely overdo our weekend we put our game faces on and headed out to Parque Diversiones...the local amusement park her in San Jose.

We got up and at'em a little late for true go-getters...seeing as the BBQ the night before went into extra innings....but we managed to meet our Friends, the JJs, at Bagelman's about 9. We trudged on outta there about 10 and headed over to the Park. It was easy to get there seeing as how it is like 10 mins from our house. We were pleased to see that admission was only $10 per person for unlimited rides...we were not so pleased to see that even Payton had to pay full price at a whopping 2 years old. At least it is not the ~$50 that Six Flags bends you over for these days...but at least Six Flags lets 2 year olds in for free. Anyway, we got in with no issue (again - all in Spanish) and immediately headed to the first kiddie ride we saw...the ferris wheel.

From there we progressed to roller coasters, truck driving and tea cups. As you can see from the truck driving ride...Kade appears to have yet another calling in life...a Scott toilet paper delivery man...rounding the list out to 5 impressive vocation possibilities. You may also notice that Rachel does not appear to be heading in that direction...not an altogether bad decision. Or maybe she does in fact want to be a trucker...but does not fully appreciate being in the passenger seat of a big rig....tough call.

Big news for the Libbinator and EESAYs though...as you can see...Kade and Rachel were getting awfully close...even holding hands at one point...I smell a problem brewing! I guess we will have to see what the JJ family has to offer...can they compete with Kentucky Royalty??? Hmmm...

While Jen and I were walking around the park we noticed that everything seemed (as is true with most everything in the Costa Rica) to be reminisce of the 1980's. Even the rides were more like cut-rate county fair rides more than the Six Flag kind. So we got into a conversation about amusement parks that we loved when we were kids. Oh the memories...Cha-Cha can confirm this one. Every year we used to head up to Agawam MA and ride the Cyclone and Black Widow at Riverside Amusement park. Apparently it has been bough out by Six Flags and a few new rides put in...but it still serves as some of my best childhood memories with the fambly. A heck of a lot better than "The Last Outpost" as I recall ;-)

I will leave you with a video collection of the kiddos on various rides...as you can see...it was pure torture for them ;-)

Saturday - Hike the Crosses

One of the big hikes in the San Jose Area is to trek the three crosses in Escazu. EVERYBODY is doing it...so we finally said what the heck and went up this weekend. We took along our CR millionaire friends --> the Ice's (pronounced EE-SAYs) of the famed ICE empire/monopoly....who also lay claim to being blood relatives of the colonel. I am still not sure if I believe those folks...but since their daughter the Libbinator has already called dibbs and plans to marry Kade...I figure we will give them the benefit of the doubt...no prenups here.

Anyway, the entrance to the crosses hike is an unmarked dirt road right next to restaurant Valle Azul. As you may remember, this restaurant holds special meaning for me as it was involved in my original discovery of Jen's alternate life on the internet - and not for the reason you may be thinking ;-) Wow - I am filled with tangents today.

Really, so we hiked up to the first cross which was quite a hike for the kiddos. As you can see, the terrain was not the easiest stuff and we were all glad that we actually had on our Merrell hiking boots and not our Tiva's. I was very impressed with the Mrs. who has been working out a LOT lately. She was not huffing a bit...probably in better shape than me (but don't tell her I said that).

You will notice that the cross apparently does not command too much respect seeing as how everyone feels compelled to spray paint their name on it...but I guess that is to be expected anywhere in the world these days.

You may also notice that Kade hitched a piggyback ride with Kentucky Royalty...senor JT. The two EESAY girls were a little miffed by the whole thing...and one demanded her own ride a little later on.

Finally, in the lower right photo you will see our two monkeys running around the cross. Funny...what is up with our kids and sticking out their tongues?

We tried to make it to the second cross but the Mrs. prevailed in her argument that the kiddos were getting tired and we should turn back while there was still gas in the tanks. She was right as it turns out...as evidenced by the piggyback above...Kade ran out of gas first apparently. He did explain himself though...he informed us all that he had not eaten enough breakfast and thus did not have the energy to continue. Pretty logical for a kid who you can not reason with.

Oh well, it was a nice morning hike overall, which we followed up with a quick stop at "Old McDonalds" and then a dip in the swimming pool. Saturday night we ended up hosting a last minute block party in our garage when the weather decided to not cooperate...more time with the EESAYs. It was just one of those kinds of days.

Speaking of Detroit....

Amy unexpectedly picked up a CR flight so she visited us the other week. We took her up to La Paz waterfall gardens since she has not been there yet and it is a good day trip from San Jose. Interestingly enough, this time my Spanish was good enough that I could get the actual local rate - which is $16 vs. the going rate of $32 - which I guess means that all our Spanish lessons are literally finally paying off! Anyway, this time we visited the aviary which was notopen the last time we were there. It was really cool. The pictures on the left hand side are all of the cool birds that we saw. You will notice one picture where everyone is laughing and running. That was "the great escape". A smartass bird had just attacked Jen and they were all haulin' ass to get away from the madness. Literally the bird went right for Jen's head...it is a good thing Jen ducked (pun intended).

The kiddos both had a great time...especially when they were on the loose and could play in and around the mini-waterfalls. Payton was starting to get a little tired by the time we took our fambly picture...which explains the lack of excitement...at least that is our story and we're stickin' to it.

The final picture in the lower right hand is of Jen "off the path". Oh yeah, she's breaking the law ...they kind of frown upon you climbing over the fencing...but hey...when the Paci has fallen down into a ravine what is a sane mother going to do? Absolutely...you climb over the fence and head down into that gulch of slippery rocks to get that baby her damned Paci!!!

And last but not least, there is a video of Payton "doing the dishes". She absolutely loves to pretend to wash dishes....she would do this all day long if we would let her (of course with the water running the whole time...). Tonight she washed my coffee mug about 10 times while we cooked diner ;-) Notice at the end...she is asking for more soap...one of her favorite words. She loves soap! It must be a girl thing.

1 down and 1 to go!!!

Today, May 8, signifies more than the fact we are now only 91 days until the GMEN take the field again...no...it is the 1 year anniversary for the Cav's in CR! I tried to explain this to Kade on the way home from POPS ice cream...

Dad: "Kade, Payton, today is a special day...we have been in CR for 1 year now!"
Kade: "One day?"
Dad: "No, 1 year"
Mom: "365 days"
Dad: "Technically 366 since it was a leap year"
Mom: "Oh yeah, you owe me huge"

Fresa milkshakes and a Vaca Negro (light)....that is how we celebrated tonight.

3 months!

So today (May 7) can only mean one thing...we are officially 3 months away from the first pre-season game where we will be able to once again see the World Champion New York Giants take the field. And much to my pleasure....the first game is unbelievably against DETROIT! I guess that will give me and Amy something to talk about the next time she pops in on us in CR. Also note that in the last pre-season game...the GMen get to take on the Patsies (way to go Roberge). I personally find it amazing that ESPN would cover the Cleveland game but not the Patsy game...odd indeed!

Thursday, 8/7	7:00 PM ET	WNBC	@ Detroit
Monday, 8/18	8:00 PM ET	ESPN	Cleveland
Saturday, 8/23	7:00 PM ET	WCBS	@ Jets
Thursday, 8/28	7:00 PM ET	WNBC	New England

Then the real deal starts in 119 days!

Thursday, 9/4	7:00 PM ET	NBC	Washington
Sunday, 9/14	1:00 PM ET	FOX	@ St. Louis
Sunday, 9/21	1:00 PM ET	CBS	Cincinnati
Sunday, 9/28	BYE	BYE	BYE	BYE
Sunday, 10/5	1:00 PM ET	FOX	Seattle
Monday, 10/13	8:30 PM ET	ESPN	@ Cleveland
Sunday, 10/19	1:00 PM ET	FOX	San Francisco
Sunday, 10/26	4:15 PM ET	FOX	@ Pittsburgh
Sunday, 11/2	4:15 PM ET	FOX	Dallas
Sunday, 11/9	8:15 PM ET	NBC	@ Philadelphia
Sunday, 11/16	1:00 PM ET*	CBS	Baltimore
Sunday, 11/23	4:15 PM ET*	FOX	@ Arizona
Sunday, 11/30	1:00 PM ET*	FOX	@ Washington
Sunday, 12/7	1:00 PM ET*	FOX	Philadelphia
Sunday, 12/14	8:15 PM ET*	NBC	@ Dallas
Sunday, 12/21	1:00 PM ET*	FOX	Carolina
Sunday, 12/28	1:00 PM ET*	FOX	@Minnesota

Hiners visit Costa Rica

The last of the planned visitors for dry season 2008 have come and gone. Jen's folks were here for 10 days. I was in CA on business for the first 2 days, then we went to Arenal Volcano for 3 days and then out to the beach for 4 days. This time we did not get to see the Volcano the entire time we were there but we did do some ziplining with Russ which was a lot of fun. He got "monkey poop" on him which really turned out to be some shmeg from the leather handbrake he was using to slow down. He was scared for a minute! We also walked the hanging bridges which is a 2 mile hike in the deep jungle. It was really neat even though we did not see too much wildlife. The bridges really moved a lot which surprised me. Kade was not a huge fan of the really high ones...although he loved the smaller ones.

Then we headed out to Playa Conchal which is a beach made up of "zillions of small seashells". It is a pretty exclusive area since the entire area is privately owned by the resort...making it a little difficult for locals to get in and out. It was a really nice beach and we basically spent all our days either at the beach or at the beach club pools. Everyone had a great time except for the fact we all got some version of sunburned the first day there...oops.

The last day of their visit was Payton's Dodo birthday party as you have probably already figured out. All in all a great end to the dry season.