ONE OF THE COOLEST GRAPHICS I'VE seen on the web recently was just after the Chinese shot down their own satellite. By launching the animation, one could learn how military scientists could disable satellites from the ground or space. I kept playing the dumb thing over and over again. I showed it to my family who of course were not as impressed or enthralled.

And as the course of the week's events played out; the beginnings of 'Surge the Course' the revolt of the Republican Senators, the unabashed sabre rattling of the bunkered -delusional administration, the anti-war protest on the Mall, that animation kept haunting me. And there were lots of presidential comparisons Bush to Johnson, Bush to Nixon which after quick analysis were listless. Johnson had his great Social programs, Nixon his diplomatic achievements, like the recognition of the People's Republic of China. Bush only has the Iraq war and Katrina.

It strikes my memory that the Chinese have a legacy of not-so-subtle hints in the past. By all accounts, it was a "we knew that they knew that we knew" scenario which appeared to stump the military pundits on just why China had destroyed the satellite. Until early one morning I caught a netcast with a former intelligence worker (I think his surname was Clarke) whose thesis was thus: China destroyed the satellite to prove that it had the capabilities, therefore underscoring the statement that if China was to go to war with the U.S., then they would at first knock out our cyberspace, effectively blinding us. With the military stretched past its limit, a U.N. Chinese Peacekeeping Force could theoretically have great success if they invaded the
U.S. Which is maybe not so far-fetched as it would seem. China has the world's largest standing Army. Although not as sophisticated in its weaponry, the Chinese soldier is highly motivated with most troops doing 20 year hitches. (China IS solidly in the Kalashnikov camp of small arms; a definite plus as both Vietnam and Iraq have brutally taught us.)

An military strike against Iran could very well enable the world opinion of the U.S. as a out-of-control aggressor that should be stopped. (By the way, do we have an ambassador to the U.N. yet?) And the quickest, safest method would be to shut down the cyberspace communications. Here's the kicker....according to the above mentioned pundit the war in Iraq has diverted almost all of the military's resources so that we are ineffectually sitting ducks in space.

Damn. There goes the YouTube.

YES AND SOMETIMES THE HOWLS TURN INTO A PRIMAL SCREAM, lost into the Banshee wail of the blizzard. Much like my blog concerning the hanging of Saddam Hussein. I'd stayed up late into the morning with the absolute faith that YouTube would show the despot's demise. I remember well that morning as my fingers stumbled about the keyboard, the blog flowing smoothly into the machine as the anti-Holiday music blared from the speakers and then...it was gone. The blog, the tunes, the Internet connection.

Thus began my latest adventure into the realm of cybereese-computer configurations. I am on a first name basis with most of the support personnel of my provider and computer manufacturer. Therefore this is my heartfelt apology for my sloth at this endeavor. But between the drivers, downloads, scans and installs I did manage to remember the points of the blogs I wanted to write during my war with the over sized word-processor.

Saddam Hussein Hangs- As seen on YouTube- the U.S. could in no way, shape, or form leave that presence sucking air in Iraq as a rallying point for the civil war's flame. The taunting of his guards and executioners brought forth the realization that yes, the militias are deep within the government.

The First 100 Hours of Congress- A pleasant surprise that they actually got more done in this ballyhooed time than the former infamous 100 Day Congress.

21,540 Troops to Iraq- ( Or Stay the Course Duex) Down originally almost 18,00 troops as first proposed, the logic is grimly flawed. And some Senators were rightly concerned that some of these troops are being pulled from Afghanistan. Remember Afghanistan? Home of AL-Qaeda? By the way, WHERE IS USAMA BIN LADEN?

The Grey Suits to the White House- President Bush explains Stay the Course Duex to his core Republicans. " There were few smiles at that meeting" is one quote I remember. But to me, the abstention of the delegation from even commenting told the tale. Obviously the e-mail, snail mail and phone lines have been busy. Not to mention the rest of the Net.

Obama, Clinton announce their candidacy on the Web- Brownback from Heritage Hall in Topeka Kansas. This should clearly demonstrate just who is on the cutting edge of politics and who is living in the good- 'ole -boy -world of the past century. Again I am amazed at the potential political force the Internet has become in just a short time.

AND JUST HOW did I finally 'fix' the computer? Simple. I downloaded the season 3, episode 19 of Married with Children into the machine. Then I hooked-up one of those cheap computer cameras to it so it could watch me as I got the 20 pound sledge out of the shop and placed it next to my chair........