Target Centermass

Author: Gunner

  • Third Interview – Phil

    Phil of Shades of Gray (Umbrae Canarum) has asked to be my third interview subject. I’ve had a very difficult time coming up with questions for Phil but have enjoyed reading through his archives while pondering this interview. I find the difficulty surprising as I’ve been reading Shades of Gray for quite some time now. These may not be the greatest of questions but I do hope Phil finds some enjoyment in answering them.

    The rules are here. I’ll ask him six questions, even though he only has to answer five and can opt not to answer any one of them:

    1. You’re a grad student at my alma mater Texas A&M. What area are you studying and what degree level will do you hope to reach? Will you finish up your graduate work at A&M? What do you hope to do after school, teach or use your studies in another way?

    2. A&M has a reputation as one of the more conservative universities in the nation. As a conservative yourself, do you feel that this was part of the attraction for you? Do you feel the reputation is deserved, and have you found that there is any variance in the general political leanings of the undergraduate student body, your fellow grad students and the faculty?

    3. “Bleem” is a word you seem to enjoy using on Shades of Gray. Please explain the term, it’s origins and why it has stuck with you.

    4. How would you describe your current political beliefs? From your studies, name a political philosopher you feel is close to your beliefs and why? Has any other philosopher over the years caused you to alter your beliefs and, if so, who and how?

    5. Name a place any where in the world you haven’t been to that you would want to visit. What would your ideal trip there entail?

    6. (Blatantly lifting from my interview by TexasBestGrok) What got you into blogging? If you had to write a mission statement for your blog, what would it be? Do you have any conscious role models for or influences in your blogging?

    I will link link to the answers when posted.

  • Hammertime’s Answers are Up

    Hammertime has his answers up to my interview questions. I find it interesting that the question two, the one I thought a throw-away, was the one he seemed most enthused about answering.

    Still to come are questions for Phil. Two interview slots are still available for the meme. If interested, leave a comment here.

  • Crying Wolf in the Land of the Mapleleaf

    Damian Brooks at Babbling Brooks been pointing out the shriveling of the Canadian military for some time. Now, in one thorough post, he collects a lengthy listing of evidence that is, to say the least, very persuasive.

    You spot shadows in the woods and yell ‘wolf’. Everyone ignores you.

    Read it all. Our neighbors up north have certainly taken a leisurely walk down the path of international obsolescence, whistling merrily along the way. Had the country a fraction of the love and respect for their military and its past glory that it did for hockey, Damian’s efforts would not be needed.

    Also, read the comments for a good Tolkien analogy and this sad observation from Damian:

    Our military is collapsing, and Canadians don’t seem to care.

  • A Look at the Day’s Stories

    Army Funding Running Low, Rumsfeld Warns

    Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has sent letters to congressional leaders urging them to pass the final 2005 budget supplemental bill before the Army runs out of operating funds.

    The Army has slowed its spending, so it can continue operations in Afghanistan and Iraq through early May when the funds are due to run out, Rumsfeld said.

    He sent the letters Wednesday, along with handwritten notes that read, “Our folks out there need these funds.”

    Rummy goes on to denounce draft ideas and to discuss armored leggings being evaluated.


    British Suspect Convicted in Attempted Missile Sale in U.S.

    A British businessman has been convicted in the United States of trying to sell anti-aircraft missiles to terrorists.

    The verdict against Hemant Lakhani was announced Wednesday in a New Jersey federal court. Lakhani now faces up to 25 years in prison at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for August 8.

    Hard to believe the moronic clown defense didn’t work. Lock up, lose key.

    Analysis: Victory is up to Iraqis

    Is the United States winning in Iraq? Yes, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says.

    “I think we’re definitely winning. I think we’ve been winning for some time,” said Gen. Richard Myers.

    His civilian boss, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, took a more circumspect view of the situation. The outcome of the war is up to the Iraqis.

    “Winning or losing is not the issue for ‘we,’ in my view, in the traditional conventional context of using the word winning and losing and of war,” Rumsfeld said Tuesday at a news conference. “The people that are going to defeat that insurgency are going to be the Iraqis.”

    The story seems to give up hope of Iraq becoming the bright, shining city on the Arab hill that could serve to shake up the Arab world by offering an alternative to the environment that has allowed the radical Islamist view to fester. I still hold out that hope, as it is already starting to bear fruit in the region.

    Reagan Presidency Diaries to be Published

    “Each day during his eight years in the White House, Ronald Reagan recorded his innermost thoughts and observations in his personal diary,” adds Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. “Although they were not initially intended for publication, we feel that these volumes offer an unprecedented insight into the Reagan Presidency.”

    This will be a must-freakin’-own. And I mean hardback. ‘Tis a shame an copy autographed by the author is out of the question. The world would be a better place were that still possible.

    Moussaoui Seeks Muslim Land Grave

    Moussaoui said that he wanted assistance in ensuring his burial in a Muslim land, otherwise “I will be buried in Arkansas or they don’t give a damn where”.

    Arkansas sounds just fine, pig.

    New Lebanese Government Calls Elections from May 29

    Lebanon’s new government won a confidence vote in parliament Wednesday and immediately called elections, the first without a Syrian military presence for 33 years, to start on May 29.

    The announcement, a day after Syria pulled its last soldiers and spies out of Lebanon after 29 years, means parliamentary polls will be held on time as demanded by the international community and Lebanon’s anti-Syrian opposition.

    The new cabinet, led by wealthy businessman Najib Mikati, won a ringing 109-1 endorsement from MPs in the 128-member chamber, with three abstentions.

    Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa then signed a decree for elections to begin on May 29, officials said. Parliament also extended by three weeks its own term, which expires on May 31.

    Some sources said there would be three rounds of voting — on May 29, June 5 and June 12. Others said there would be a fourth on June 19. Lebanon usually holds parliamentary polls staggered over several weekends as regions vote in turn.

    The Cedar Revolution came to a head. Now it’s come to a vote. Also, feel free to check out the Lebanese Freedom Babes, courtesy of Publius Pundit.

    Jaafari Includes Shia, Sunni Arabs and Kurds on Iraqi Cabinet List

    After weeks of damaging delays and political wrangling, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraqi’s prime minister-designate, yesterday confirmed that he had completed his cabinet list, which includes Shia, Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians.

    He declined to give details about who would head the 32 ministries, other than to confirm that a Sunni Arab would get the key post of defence. He said delays were due to efforts to include all parties in the government.

    “This government could have been concluded within a week by the two major coalitions [Shia and Kurd] but it is our commitment and desire to see that we have a conclusive government that will reach out to the one main [Sunni Arab] community that was not fairly represented in the elections,” Mr Jaafari said.

    Better late than never, especially if there’s any payoff for reaching out to the Sunnis, but better never late. Not when lives may depend on it and delay feeds the hopes of the terrorists.

  • Eric’s Answers are Up

    Eric has his answers up to my interview questions. As expected, they make for an interesting read.

    Still to come are answers from Hammertime and questions for Phil. Two interview slots are still available for the meme. If interested, leave a comment here.

  • Second Interview – Hammertime

    Hammertime of Team Hammer’s Musings has stepped up to be my second interview subject. The rules are here. I’ll ask him six questions, even though he only has to answer five and can opt not to answer any one of them:

    1. You started your blog with the following:

    By my reckoning, the most important aspect of a succesful blog is not humor, character, comunication, logic, entertainment value, technical issues, or even decency. It is discipline – the discipline to regularly update the blog. We’ll see if we have it…

    Now, as time has passed, do you still feel that way? If not, what then is the most important aspect of a successful blog? For that matter, how would you define a “successful” blog?

    2. You went to USMA. I spent a week there for an academic (e.g. recruiting) workshop before my senior year of high school. One morning I saw a doe outside the dorm window, on a hillside not even thirty feet away. What is a moment from your time there that will always remind you of the natural beauty of the Hudson Highlands?

    3. You’re an athletic, sports-loving video-game nut. What are your favorite sports to play personally, to watch live, to watch on television and to play on a video game? If there are discrepancies between the four, explain briefly why?

    4. Army has a planned home-and-home football schedule with my alma mater Texas A&M in ’06 and ’08. During your time as an officer in the Army, you certainly had some degree of interaction with Aggies. What is your honest impression of them and do you have any interest in attending a game at A&M? If not, why not? If so, has any particular Aggie tradition caught your interest?

    5. Name the top three people that lived during your lifetime that you would consider heroic. What other person living today could make this list and what would that person have to do to bump one of the three?

    6. (Blatantly lifting from my interview by TexasBestGrok) What got you into blogging? If you had to write a mission statement for your blog, what would it be? Do you have any conscious role models for or influences in your blogging?

    I will link link to the answers when posted.

  • First Interview – Eric

    Eric of Eric’s Grumbles Before the Grave has answered the call to be my first interview subject. The rules are here. I’ll ask Eric six questions, even though he only has to answer five so that he can opt not to answer one of them:

    1. You’re a fan of the works of Robert Heinlein and familiar with the concept of T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. Please explain what the concept means and how you feel it applies to your life.

    2. As a veteran of the active-duty Army, what was your view of the reserve components prior to the ’91 Gulf War? Did you have any interaction with reservists during the Gulf War and, if so, what effect did this have on your view? Has the performance of reservists during the current Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns changed that view any?

    3. Any character from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and the character Lazarus Long are excluded as possible answers from the following: please name a major Heinlein character that you associate with and why that is so.

    4. As a libertarian living in California, can you give me five adjectives to describe the current political climate of your state? Can you give me five different adjectives to decribe how you expect it to be in twenty years?

    5. You have to serve in an American conflict prior to the age of tanks. What conflict, branch and position would you choose and why?

    6. (Blatantly lifting from my interview by TexasBestGrok) What got you into blogging? If you had to write a mission statement for your blog, what would it be? Do you have any conscious role models for or influences in your blogging?

    Thank you in advance for your answers. I’ll provide a link to them when they’re posted.

  • NBA Calls Possible Halt to Target Centermass

    There may be no blogging tonight, as I have tickets to the Rockets-Mavs game two.

  • Syria Troops End 29 Years in Lebanon

    It wasn’t UN pressure. It was the demands of the Lebanese people that killed the beast of the lengthy Syrian occupation.

    Syrian troops burned documents and dismantled military posts before they finished their effective withdrawal from Lebanon on Sunday, ending 29 years of military presence in the country.

    A few score Syrian troops are to remain in Lebanon for a farewell ceremony that the Lebanese Army plans to hold Tuesday in Rayak, a few kilometers from the Syrian border.

    At Syria’s last major garrison in Lebanon, 15 tanks rolled on to flatbed trucks, ready for the drive home on Sunday. Soldiers burned papers, knocked down walls and loaded ammunition on to trucks at the base outside the town of Deir el-Ahmar in the Bekaa Valley.

    In Damascus, the Syrian capital, a government official said: “Within the next few hours, all the troops will be out of Lebanon.”

    “What will be left are those who will take part in the official farewell” on Tuesday, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

    Syria had vowed to pull out of Lebanon by April 30, in line with a United Nations Security Council resolution, but its forces will be out about four days early.

    The Syrians entered Lebanon in 1976, ostensibly as peacekeepers in the year-old civil war. After the war ended in 1990, 40,000 Syrian troops remained in Lebanon, giving Damascus the decisive say in Lebanese politics.

    Syria began withdrawing from Lebanon last month following international and Lebanese pressure in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Feb. 14.

    Make no mistake — Syrian intrusion in Lebanon is by no means over.

  • My Interview by TexasBestGrok

    It’s a meme. JohnL at TexasBestGrok subjected himself, and now it’s my turn.

    He asked the questions. I’ll give the answers. To perpetuate the meme, leave a comment saying you want to be interviewed. The first five doing so will be asked six questions, of which you can choose to answer five. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post. I’ll provide a link to your answers.

    Here are John’s questions and my responses:

    1. For anyone new to your blog, why did you choose the name Target Centermass?

    After I decided to start a blog, my first step was to come up with a name. I anticipated correctly that a great deal of my content would be related to military matters and I’d decided to blog anonymously (no longer the case) under the name Gunner, which I’d already been using for years on an Aggie discussion forum and which was my last position as a tanker.

    So I thought. And thought. I actually found my list of ideas:

    • Centermass — where Gunners are taught to aim
    • GunnerSabotTank — the fire command issued by the tank commander
    • Dinotanker — a tribute to my start on the old M60-A3 at a time when the active Army was already through with the old beasts
    • Jeditanker — as a nod to my M1 and M1-A1 time, dubbed so because of the tech jump from the M60
    • Blue Six Golf — the radio call sign for my last position, gunner on 3rd Platoon Leader’s vehicle

    Finally I chose Target Centermass, describing a perfectly placed hit on the target. Still, I liked Blue Six Golf, so my blog took the TCm name and started at bluesixgolf.blogspot.com.

    2. While a student at Texas A&M, did you get to help build any of the bonfires? Any memorable anecdotes? (For the benefit of any non-Aggie/non-Longhorn/non-Texan readers you might want to give a short explanation about the Aggie bonfire tradition).

    Alas! No, and it’s one of my greatest regrets. I’ve seen several burn, but I never could be bothered to chip in on the labor. It was only later that I realized the camaraderie that I missed.

    As to those unfamiliar with the tradition that dates to 1909, the Bonfire symbolizes the burning desire in Texas Aggies to beat the hell out of the University of Texas, or t.u. in Aggie jargon. As the world’s biggest bonfire, it once reached a height of 110 feet in the ’70s before being constrained to a more modest 55 feet. The Bonfire has not burned since the tragic collapse in 1999 that cost the lives of twelve Aggies.

    3. What do you think about the current long term force “transformation” policy of the DoD, i.e., the “modular” Army based on swappable brigades like the new Stryker brigades? (On that note, what do you think about the Stryker vehicle? Competitor or complement to heavy armor?)

    I like the transformation, to a degree. Rummy drove for it before the current state of events made it seem obvious; it was well past time we branched from Cold War doctrine. I’ve blogged before about the traps of always preparing for the previous fight. My concern is that it may go too far, sapping us in potential conflicts with China or North Korea.

    As to the Stryker, I have no experience with the vehicle but I know the troopers serving on it sure like them. They certainly have a value in urban warfare, something never really expected of heavy armor. I view it more as a complement to the main battle tank and a competitor to the Bradley. Certainly not a competitor to the M1 in mass armor engagement.

    4. What’s your favorite Tex-Mex place in the Dallas area? Do you normally order the same thing, or something different each time? Favorite dish/drink?

    I’ve always felt the best Tex-Mex could never be found in a chain place — not that I won’t eat at those, just the better food seems to be at the small hole-in-the-wall type places. In the Dallas area, I’d say I’d pick El Paso Cafe on Central in Plano. Fast, cheap and delicious (and close to work). I’d say about 80 percent of the time I’ll order the tacos al carbon or the carne asada.

    Now, the best Tex-Mex place I’ve ever frequented would be Las Nortenos in old downtown Bryan, Texas. However, I’m always open to trying new places. Any suggestions? Also, here’s a tip: there is no good Tex-Mex in Washington, D.C.

    5. While you were in the Army, what was the most exotic posting you had? Any fun stories related to that specific location?

    I don’t know. Do you consider Ft. Knox, Ky., or Killeen, Texas, to be exotic? Yeah, me neither.

    6. What got you into blogging? If you had to write a mission statement for your blog, whoat would it be? Do you have any conscious role models for or influences in your blogging?

    My love of journalism and my disgust at how it is currently practiced.

    As long as I can remember, I have been a newspaper junkie. I took the first jounalism course I was able, joining my high school newspaper staff my freshman year. I went on to be editor of that paper, at the time one of the most respected and awarded high school rags in the state of Texas.

    My journalistic strength was always in straight newswriting, something that seems to be lacking in today’s media stalwarts. At some point in time, I stumbled across Eject! Eject! Eject! and admired the amazing content. After that, I found similar enjoyment at USS Clueless. Those were my introduction to blogs. I’d been posting for years on an internet forum, putting forth my views and spouting occasional drunken rants. An occasional poster there also happened to be a blogger, elgato at the Swanky Conservative. I figured, hey, two plus two equals five, given large values of two. Maybe, just maybe, I could do this blogging thing.

    A mission statement? I’ll go bland:

    Postings, meandering thoughts and rants from a former-Libertarian-again-Republican, hawkish Texan. Whatever I want, whenever I want.

    Role models or influences? A little more than the brevity of your typical Instapundit post. A touch of the Fat Guy when he’s angry. Heck, I’m still trying to find my sea legs. I don’t think I’ve yet settled into my final blogging style. In the real world, I’ve a far more sarcastic and dry wit than I typically use on Target Centermass. I mean far, far more. Oh yeah, my sense of humor on matters of a sexual nature suspended maturing at about the age of fifteen. Sooner or later, this will come out on the blog. I’ll keep plugging and see how things develop; I’m no essayist, but the site could probably use an occasional drunken rant. We’ll see.