Scarlet Will

Stroock's Books doesn't mean to alarm Ukraine sympathizers among the readership, but the Ruskis have taken Avdivka (we don't vouch for that spelling) and are pinching off that salient Uke armed forces created last year during the 'counteroffensive'. Uke fetishists will think we're happy. Nope. The whole damn thing is sad. It's gonna get sadder when Putin gets the Donbas and the land link to Crimea. 

This morning we got in a pointless twitter slap fight with a Belgian who hates Israel. We pointed out that the Belgi comes from the fakest of fake countries. The Belgi said, 'That's rich coming from Israel.' We reminded said Belgi that Israel traces its heritage to the bible, and Belgium traces its heritage to some Europeans drawing a line on a map in 1832. We asked, 'Do you speak Belgian?'. Belgium: not a real country. Yes, we're an anti-Belgianite. 

Presidential Greatness Rumination Week: You know, we came of age in the post-Reagan GOP and grew up a Neocon. Reminder, in the 90's neoconservatism was about policy ideas not forever wars. We were a Weekly Standard/Newt Gingrich guy, also a Clinton hater. We admit we stopped hating Bill a long time ago. We also learned that a leader's ticks and traits that can drive one bonkers will fade over time and all one is left with is the man's record. Bill's got two really bad things on his resume. He let Bin Laden get away and he lay the groundwork for the subprime mortgage crisis. But the 90's were pretty good. There it is. Who among us would not rather have Bill in the White House than Joe? But don't get us started about his shrew wife. 

Hey, we once hated George Herbert Walker Bush too which is why we voted for Bill in 1992. Again, the ticks and traits faded. We've forgotten Bush's lispy voice, his scold attitude, his seeming patrician indifference to everyday Americans. George's record is pretty decent. The Gulf War, handling the savings and loan crisis. The navy named an aircraft carrier after Bush. Jimmy Carter can't say that. But there is a Seawolf class sub named after the man, and rightfully so. 

Those soldiers on the cover of World War 1990: The Final Storm, they should be Ruskis. Why didn't we think of that before? Mother!@#$@!. We hate it when that happens.  Which is one of the reasons why we've delayed sending Norway to editing. The Hauk attack boat scenes are coming along just fine, by the way. Anywho, TFS has 129 ratings for a 4.4 average, so we must have done something right. Don't make us say it. [You know you want to-Ed] We are among the best there is at what we do. Bam! [If you were a sitcom star that would be your catchphrase-Ed]. Aye caramba, you're goddamn right it would. 

We've been thinking about a chronic engine problem the Hauk could have. Fortunately we have a Kentucky cousin who's a diesel mechanic and he's been working on the problem.  

Scarlet Knights. We took Oldest Daughter on a tour of Big Ten power house Rutgers. Behold:

Everyone came away happy from the school visit. One of the perky coed tour guides had a very Jewish name, something like Eva Blumberg. We asked 'Eva Blumberg' if there'd been any trouble on campus since the Gaza War began. She replied that there had been some problems with the SJP at Rutgers, but the admin had acted swiftly to curtail the Juden hass and there is a strong Jewish community on campus.