Paratroopers could fly 200km with new wings system

A new military parachute system which fits wings on soldiers could enable them to travel to 200 kilometres (124 miles) after jumping, Jane’s Defence Weekly defence magazine said Friday.

The system, which involves the development of new modular carbon-fibre wings, will mean that aircraft can drop parachutists from 30,000 feet (9,150 metres) into an area of operations without flying into a danger zone.

How cool is that?

Which came first?

The egg.

Saturday I took a look at Not Larry Sabato’s criticism of a Harris Miller quote from the Miller/Webb debate.

Then Kenney the Elder chimed in and took Ben Tribbett to task:

We’ll start with this instance from NLS:

There might be nothing more uncomfortable than a candidate whose analogies don’t come from personal experience. Harris Miller is Jewish and doesn’t go to church!

Now this comment, and comments like these have been circling ever since the “anti-Christ of outsourcing” slander was uttered by former Reagan Secretary James Webb.

Virginia Virtucon picked up on it, as did J’s Notes and Two Conservatives, coming to the same conclusion most of us are coming to: James Webb’s supporters are making a caclulated effort to “jewbait” Harris Miller.

This has gotten Ben quite upset, especially considering that he is Jewish himself.

But who’s over-reacting here?

While Ben may not have been purposefully “jewbaiting” Harris Miller, what exactly is the purpose of pointing out Miller’s faith?

The problem with Ben’s post is that it is no argument. It is simply a statement used in an attempt to counter a quote from Miller, a statement that does nothing to actually discuss the issue behind Miller’s quote. So what is someone supposed to take from that? That Miller can not use the words “church” or “choir” in an analogy because as a Jewish man he has no clue what he’s talking about? What is being targeted here? If you are not actually debating the issue behind the quote, you are debating whether or not the man is fit to use certain words merely because of his faith.

What people will take away from Ben’s post is not that Miller’s quote has no grounds but that Miller is Jewish. And what does that have to do with anything? That Ben is also Jewish is besides the point, especially given that 99.9% of his readership up to this point had no idea of his faith. All people see is a man who is a Webb supporter highlighting Miller’s faith in an attempt to discredit his words.

Contrast this with what Shaun has posted. Ben feels his faith has been criticized when that is not the case. Shaun is focusing on Ben’s words and backs up his criticism with a reasoned response. The issue is not Ben’s Jewish faith, just as the issue should not be Miller’s Jewish faith. Where Ben failed to justify his criticism with anything but Miller’s faith, Shaun validates his own with everything BUT Ben’s faith.

The reaction to this comes from the nature of the beast that is blogging. You are known only by what you share in your words. And your words will be taken in whatever context you have established over time. If your context is one of splash and trash tabloid you have to expect consequences for what you say. If your context is one of reason and thought then one should be able to expect the same in kind.

Yesterday I commented on the Miller/Webb debate and in particular on what I thought was a case of someone reading a bit too much into Webb’s use of the term “anti-Christ” to refer to Miller. The original post calling Webb “anti-Semetic” has been pulled (otherwise I’d link to it directly).

But perhaps I was a bit quick to dismiss the thought:

His use of a hot-button New Testament term on Miller, who is Jewish, may haunt Webb, said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

“It means he’s getting a lesson in what you can and can’t say,” Sabato said.

Not that I bow at the altar of Larry Sabato but toss it side by side with today’s post by Not Larry Sabato:

“Asked later whether he thought Webb is a legitimate Democrat, Miller said that “when you welcome someone to the church, you don’t necessarily invite them to be the choir director the next day.”

There might be nothing more uncomfortable than a candidate whose analogies don’t come from personal experience. Harris Miller is Jewish and doesn’t go to church! Of all the analogies he could choose- why this one which he obviously has no idea about?

…and you really have to wonder if Miller’s being Jewish is going to be an issue in this race. If this keeps up I can guarantee that this won’t work in Webb’s favor.

Like I said with the use of the term “anti-Christ”, Miller’s refering to “church” and “choir” doesn’t have to come from his own personal experience. We’re talking about language and whether or not he personally goes to a church with a choir every Sunday (or Saturday or whenever) doesn’t mean he has no right to use the terms. Nor does it take away from the validity of his comment.

His analogy hit a little too close to home, I think, and instead of trying to counter him with a valid argument you’re going to call him a Jew? Tut tut.

I’m a Republican. Shocker there. And ultimately I have no say in the outcome of the Democratic Primary beyond what I say here and in comments and if that influences anyone’s decision.

Just the same, I’m quite disturbed by more and more people saying they’ll vote for Webb not because of the issues but because of sheer electability.

For example:

The Man on the Flaming Pie

I’ve been researching for the upcoming primary and have decided that I’ll be supporting Jim Webb for senate. I really don’t like him. I’m not too fond of Harris Miller, either, but I tend to agree with him more than I do Webb. But, I don’t think Miller would stand a chance against George Allen in November.

Half Changed World:

I think he’s got a better chance of beating George Allen than Harris Miller does. Miller’s policy stances are fine, but as far as I can tell he’s got the charisma of a dishrag.

As an ousider looking in I firmly believe that Harris Miller has a better chance against Allen. While that chance might not be an actual win, his connections and tenure within the Democratic party give him the money and support necessary to make a good run at it. The realistic goal for the Dems this November shouldn’t be to win (because, honestly, you can’t) but to make it close enough to derail Allen’s presidential ambitions.

Are either of the candidates perfect? No. But one has a history with the party and the other, quite frankly, looks like an opportunist.

So I ask the Democrats, what happened to standing up for principles? What happened for standing up for the issues at your core and near and dear to you? Or is your belief on what might win more important at this point?

Democratic primary candidates Harris Miller and James Webb faced off last night in what was a very heated debate:

Former lobbyist Harris Miller and former Navy Secretary James Webb clashed during the taping of what was billed as a casual conversation for “On the Record,” a Norfolk television show that will air Sunday morning. The exchange started calmly, with both men taking pot-shots at the man they each want to beat, Republican Sen. George Allen.

But the conversation quickly turned nasty, with Miller questioning Webb’s partisan “values” and Webb calling Miller “the anti-Christ of outsourcing.” It ended at an impromptu press conference after the taping with a visibly frustrated Webb telling Miller to “shut your mouth.”

You can even watch the debate for yourself here.

Miller hammered Webb on what you’re probably going to hear more and more out of his campaign over the next few weeks: Who is the real Democrat?

Many of the Webbster bloggers are focusing on what they term as an “admission” of illegal donations by Miller:

Miller said that advocacy was done on behalf of his former employer, the Information Technology Association of America, a trade group. He also said it was the board of directors of that organization that strongly urged him to contribute personally to some Republican candidates in recent years.

Whether Miller broke the law for making the donations or his employers broke the law for the pressure I guess is up for debate. If you even want to run with this.

But they’re ignoring the guts of this debate which is how each candidate stands up to pressure when their backs are to the wall.

Webb lashed out at Miller when Miller came at him with questions about his Democratic credentials. If he can’t handle basic softballs like that, how’s he going to take Allen coming at him over Tailhook and women in the Naval Academy?

Should make the lead up to the primary that much more interesting.

(Note to self: ENOUGH WITH THE “VERSUS” ALREADY!)

345 UPDATE: Okay, so Webbsters aren’t the only people reading a bit too much into the report and taking a quote completely out of context:

But the conversation quickly turned nasty, with Miller questioning Webb’s partisan “values” and Webb calling Miller “the anti-Christ of outsourcing.” It ended at an impromptu press conference after the taping with a visibly frustrated Webb telling Miller to “shut your mouth.”

Miller is Jewish, as Webb well knows. Do we really want this guy as our nominee? How long before he commits a Trent Lott style blunder?

Is calling a Jewish man the “anti-Christ” of something anti-Semetic? Or has the term “anti-Christ” become so ingrained in the vernacular of some people that it has about as much meaning as calling someone a “Comment Nazi”?

I think a bigger problem with the quote is it doesn’t make sense. Isn’t the “anti-Christ” supposed to be a bad thing for whatever it is “anti”? So he’s the really bad guy to outsourcing?

Crazy.

450 UPDATE: The “anti-Semetic” post has been pulled. Hmmm…

Pick up a copy of this week’s Style for their annual music issue. You can find those buggers just about anywhere in town.

I had been planning on making an appearance at the Richmond Blogger Meetup this Saturday but plans have changed and the afternoon will now be spent with the rest of the Kenney Clan at the 22nd Annual Lebanese Food Festival. That’s good eatin’!

What’s with my slew of “x versus y” posts as of late? Ah well.

A Comparative Trial

Last year a friend of mine upgraded from GirlFriend 6.0 to Wife 1.0 and found that it’s a memory hog leaving very little system resources available for other applications. He is now noticing that Wife 1.0 is also spawning Child Processes which are further consuming valuable resources. No mention of this particular phenomena was included in the product brochure or the documentation, though other users have informed him that this is to be expected due to the nature of the application.

Google Notebook looks like an interesting tool. Haven’t played with it yet, but these guys have a good intro to the service.

Nick Saban’s taking a chance with the younger Vick as a free agent:

The Miami Dolphins saw enough potential in Marcus Vick — both on and off the field — to believe he deserves a chance as a free agent.

Vick, the brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick , signed with the Dolphins yesterday, agreeing to a free agent deal after his many problems at Virginia Tech cost him in last month’s NFL draft.

“As an organization, we did an enormous amount of research, including consulting with professionals in detailed, in-depth analysis to feel comfortable that giving Marcus an opportunity as a free agent is a risk worth taking,” Dolphins Coach Nick Saban said in a statement released by the team.

The Dolphins are listing Vick as a “wide receiver-quarterback-specialist,” clearly indicating that he could be tried in a number of roles.

Considering he’s the third possible quarter back behind Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington, I think Vick might seen more playing time as a receiver than a QB. But who knows.

The government is supposedly tracking journalists’ phone calls to find their confidential sources:

ABC News does not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls.

Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation.

One former official was asked to sign a document stating he was not a confidential source for New York Times reporter James Risen.

A cab driver:

With the seconds ticking away on a studio discussion relating to a court case involving Apple Computer and The Beatles’ record label, a floor manager had run to reception to get a man named Guy Kewney, editor of a publication - but who he grabbed by mistake was a cab driver who was waiting to drive the man home.

The driver was immediately fitted with a microphone and taken to the studio. Within seconds he was shocked to find himself being interviewed and quizzed live on air.

You can see the video here. The guy does his best to bluff his way through. I think the best part is the look on his face in the beginning.

Missed this a month back:

The total cost of education for undergraduate in-state students at Virginia Commonwealth University – including tuition, fees, student housing and dining plans – will increase 5.3 percent for the 2006-2007 academic year.

The VCU Board of Visitors today approved total charges of $13,082 for the upcoming academic year, an increase of $655 over the previous year. Out-of-state students will pay $24,879, a 1.6 percent increase.

Will I see a 5.3% increase in the quality of my education? Will the libarary actually start to get some more MUCH needed space? Or will all of this be dumped into more flat screen televisions for the cafeteria and plans for the beautification of the new Business School on the other side of Belvedere?

Yesterday the Washington Post commented on the Democratic Primary and how both sides are parading out their endoresements in the hopes of pulling enough votes::

Both sides are depending heavily on endorsements to define their still unfamiliar candidacies: Webb convincing the national Democratic leadership that he offers the best chance to defeat Republican Sen. George Allen, and Miller calling in chits among party activists with whom he has served for decades to show he represents the constituencies necessary for Democrats to win in the fall.

Margaret Edds with the Virginia Pilot gave her take on the situation as well:

Wednesday’s announcement that Webb “received support” from seven current and former senators, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Senate Democratic whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, bolstered the sense of a national coalescing around Webb. (Reid, who gave Webb $5,000, declined to use the word “endorse” because of his Senate post, but his personal backing is clear.)

…

Inconveniently for those salivating at the prospect of a 2nd District Democratic ticket featuring Webb and Phil Kellam, who will oppose GOP Rep. Thelma Drake, Miller shows no sign of bowing to the national wisdom. To the contrary, the former chairman of the Fairfax Democrats touts his endorsements from Virginia officeholders as proof that he knows more about state voters than Webb. Seventeen legislators, many from Northern Virginia, have endorsed his candidacy.

…

In a low-turnout primary, which most are, Miller enjoys one other advantage. As noted by Wise County Circuit Court Clerk Jack Kennedy, a stalwart of Democratic politics in the southwest: “Most of the people who’ve endorsed him can vote in that primary.”

Too true.

Take a look at the list of endoresements for both sides. Webb’s pulling Senators and Generals, great for money. But Miller’s endorsed by Delegates and State Senators, people who not only can help with some money (certainly not on the same level as national names) but also can rally support among voters locally. And with a Primary, that’s what matters: local, grassroots support among the people who will actually determine this election.