Huh?

No matter what your opinion is, I think you'd be hard pressed to argue with me when I say this guy should refine his message.

Someone get that baby a smaller gun!

Major Andrew Olmsted

I do ask (not that I'm in a position to enforce this) that no one try to use my death to further their political purposes. I went to Iraq and did what I did for my reasons, not yours. My life isn't a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side. If you think the U.S. should stay in Iraq, don't drag me into it by claiming that somehow my death demands us staying in Iraq. If you think the U.S. ought to get out tomorrow, don't cite my name as an example of someone's life who was wasted by our mission in Iraq. I have my own opinions about what we should do about Iraq, but since I'm not around to expound on them I'd prefer others not try and use me as some kind of moral capital to support a position I probably didn't support. Further, this is tough enough on my family without their having to see my picture being used in some rally or my name being cited for some political purpose. You can fight political battles without hurting my family, and I'd prefer that you did so.

On a similar note, while you're free to think whatever you like about my life and death, if you think I wasted my life, I'll tell you you're wrong. We're all going to die of something. I died doing a job I loved. When your time comes, I hope you are as fortunate as I was.

He continues:

I write this in part, admittedly, because I would like to think that there's at least a little something out there to remember me by. Granted, this site will eventually vanish, being ephemeral in a very real sense of the word, but at least for a time it can serve as a tiny record of my contributions to the world. But on a larger scale, for those who knew me well enough to be saddened by my death, especially for those who haven't known anyone else lost to this war, perhaps my death can serve as a small reminder of the costs of war. Regardless of the merits of this war, or of any war, I think that many of us in America have forgotten that war means death and suffering in wholesale lots. A decision that for most of us in America was academic, whether or not to go to war in Iraq, had very real consequences for hundreds of thousands of people. Yet I was as guilty as anyone of minimizing those very real consequences in lieu of a cold discussion of theoretical merits of war and peace. Now I'm facing some very real consequences of that decision; who says life doesn't have a sense of humor?

But for those who knew me and feel this pain, I think it's a good thing to realize that this pain has been felt by thousands and thousands (probably millions, actually) of other people all over the world. That is part of the cost of war, any war, no matter how justified. If everyone who feels this pain keeps that in mind the next time we have to decide whether or not war is a good idea, perhaps it will help us to make a more informed decision. Because it is pretty clear that the average American would not have supported the Iraq War had they known the costs going in. I am far too cynical to believe that any future debate over war will be any less vitriolic or emotional, but perhaps a few more people will realize just what those costs can be the next time.

This may be a contradiction of my above call to keep politics out of my death, but I hope not. Sometimes going to war is the right idea. I think we've drawn that line too far in the direction of war rather than peace, but I'm a soldier and I know that sometimes you have to fight if you're to hold onto what you hold dear. But in making that decision, I believe we understate the costs of war; when we make the decision to fight, we make the decision to kill, and that means lives and families destroyed. Mine now falls into that category; the next time the question of war or peace comes up, if you knew me at least you can understand a bit more just what it is you're deciding to do, and whether or not those costs are worth it.

Major Andrew Olmsted died in Iraq January 3, 2008. A sniper killed Olmsted as he was trying to talk three suspected insurgents into surrendering. His final blog post was published after his death, instructions for it's publication left with a friend. You can read it here:

www.andrewolmsted.com

Childhood in Iraq

A four year old Iraq child cries as older boys stage a mock execution in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, July 2, 2007. Children's games are under a heavy influence of ongoing violence in the country, one of the more popular ones being a clash between militias and police.
(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

I dare you to find a more disturbing picture than this.

The truly sad part is that one could easily use this photo as evidence to support or oppose the war in Iraq.

And so, suffering continues for politics.

What bad luck.

Ahh, the photomosaic. Until now, the one I was most familiar with was the sweet Darth Vader one my brother has hanging on his wall. I found this one today.

The creator was clearly trying to make a statement about bearing responsibility in Iraq, creating an image of George W. Bush with images of deceased servicemen. I'll spare you the 4.5 meg original in favor of this one. I'll admit, the first thought I had was, well, they must use the dark guys for his mouth and eyes. A closer look revealed that this poor bastard died twice.

I LOVE CRAIGSLIST

Thanks for being straight with me, fellas.

Where, exactly, would you plot Oprah?

Think about this.

"Where did all my buttons go?"

I've pondered what it is about Kim Kardashian that makes her noteworthy enough to be a celebrity, but as long she's getting her picture published online, in outfits like this, photographed at what looks like a McDonald's world premiere, I'll assume that no one else cares enough for me to try and figure it out.

By the way, the sign in the background says "two all beef patties".

That's funny.

Micheal Phelps, Olympic Gold Medalist, 70's porn star

I thought these guys shaved all their body hair to go faster in the water.

I guess what they say is true.

Pimpin' is in fact - not easy.

Quick delivery for immediate pleasure

MSN.com has has a crap-load of stories lately that basically all say the same thing:

Starbucks is screwed.

Mortgage crisis, rising food costs, competition, solar flares, blah, blah all spell disaster at $4 bucks a cup, apparently.

Anyway, they tell the story of a woman seduced by the dark, frothy, alternative of Nespresso.

Hmmm. If you're thinking Nespresso sounds like Nestle, you're right. All I can associate with Nestle is horrible instant coffee consumed at EVERY breakfast with cold lunch meat and white dinner rolls; such was my introduction to Nestle in 2001, on a missions trip to Peru. They drink that stuff like water down there; they love it, maybe because they don't know any better.

While devotees of the Nespresso eschew Starbucks in favor of their counter-top version, all the other similarities remain:

"Nespresso is "an experience" rather than coffee, Nestlé told analysts last year and, boy, is it all-enveloping."

Sounds like another Seattle-based coffee experience that I know, originally marketed as a premium, luxury experience, unlike, say a $1 cup of joe at Dunkin Donuts.

But I digress.

So this lady goes on to talk about the specific things she loves about her new machine:

"One is the dozen shiny-colored "grand cru" pods the machine takes. When I buy them online (as one of 3.1 million members of the Nespresso club) they will be delivered to our home by a UPS man in a uniform of a similar brown to the "Livanto" pod, which holds a 'uniquely rounded and well-balanced espresso characterized by delicate woody and cereal notes.' "

She says it best herself:

"There is an obvious similarity between this and Apple's iPod/iTunes combination, which comprises a physical device and an online service to fill it up. But Nestlé does not even have to share its revenues with others in the way that Apple does with music companies, apart from paying coffee growers for beans and film stars for endorsements."

Sounds pretty smart to me.

"There must be lessons here. One is that there is surprisingly strong demand for goods and services that are a step below luxury but a cut above the ordinary -- call them premium, luxe or "affordable luxury." It did not occur to me before the Nespresso came along that I ever needed such a thing. Now that I have it, however, I am attached to it."

Sounds like Starbucks. And the iPod.

Why?

Why on earth have a blog? Inherent in even picking a snappy title is the belief that one somehow has something so compelling to say that people will point and click to seek it out. I don't even check my facebook account any more, and it's only three weeks old. This thing will probably start gathering dust soon, but until then, maybe I can keep it clean and fresh - dust free, fanned by the flames of my rage.

That sounds stupid.

We all want to believe we're more fiery than we are. Maybe that's why people have blogs.