Hammer Mill Days

Well, I guess THAT didn't work. Spectacular failure, old man. What's next on the agenda? Setting toast on fire? Turning gold into lead? Some other feat of science? Oh, hello. If you detect some sarcasm in my voice, it's no accident. I'm merely ripping on Mitch Macaphee, our mad science advisor, whose latest experiment/get weird quick scheme was an abysmal failure. Sometimes I think old Mitch is losing his touch. Sometimes I think we of Big Green should be looking around for another mad science advisor. Not to replace Mitch, you understand, but rather to keep him company in his dotage. Maybe that would give him someone to talk to about how his time travel experiment was about as amazing as someone hiding in a closet for half an hour. No, Mitch - I'm not kidding... it was just that bad. I've seen grade school magic tricks that put that to shame, man. All right, maybe I'm being a bit too hard on the guy. Frankly, I'm a little miffed at him over anoth...

Anxious to report on an "end game" in Libya, the press have amped up coverage on that conflict, though not their capacity for clear-eyed criticism. I heard one story in a news report this week about a squalid refugee camp on Libya's border with Egypt for guest workers from other African countries, undefended by any kind of perimeter barrier, low on supplies, being neglected by the rebels who control that area. That was one item that indicated some kind of journalistic curiosity and a willingness to go beyond the press release (even if it is hard and messy). Now, President Obama has pointed to the Libyan intervention as an example of what the NATO alliance was capable of. I am inclined to agree - it took combined force from the world's most powerful militaries to drive Gaddafi from the seat of power... after 4 months of god knows what. I think the administration would be well-advised to avoid any bold statements of success based on this experience. This is Iraq war ...