Introduction to the HogLog

 That Famous "Voltaire" Quote...

..ain't. 

You know the one, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," right?

As it happens, it's not a Voltaire quote -- at least, no one has been able to run it down in the 18th Century French intellectual's works. But it's attributed to him with grim regularity. 

So who was it? And why did it get linked to Voltaire? Answer overleaf.

 Long time, no blog...

 ...well, things have been busy. And the iBlog software is absolutely horrible (and still, essentially, unsupported and unmaintained). So it's been in the "too much hassle" pile to move the whole thing over to some more reliable system, ideally one that's entirely web-based. Problem is, of course, they all have their own deficiencies. 

There have been a number of events worth blogging about, not to mention going on six months' arrears of Today in SF History. 

A real Johnson

It's a small world. My brother and I were discussing a recent incident in which Associated Press reporter Glen Johnson let his personal politics drive him into a frenzy -- politics, and antipathy to Mormons in general, and Mitt Romney in particular. Rather typical for today's reporter, Johnson has gone beyond wearing these attitudes on his sleeve and more or less flies them as standards with a complete color guard and drum and bugle corps. 

Bro is a strong Romney supporter. I'm undecided but like Mitt well enough. He was a decent governor for my hard-to-govern state, a good businessman, and is a genuinely nice guy; I think without naming names we could do worse for president (and the cynic in me says we probably will). Now, Bro and I also understand that being a reporter means you still have personal beliefs and attitudes and they do make it into your writing (which you admit if you're honest). We've both been pro journalists ourselves, writing daily news and features, so we know how it is. 

Which brings us back to Glen Johnson. "I worked with him... at the Lowell Sun!" Bro remembers. "He was a complete jerk even then!" 

Vets' Charity a Scam... says... Charity Head

The latest in an ugly series of "charities" that's been exposed as a scam run to benefit its insiders at the expense of the people it's supposedly helping is... the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation. And it's been exposed by none other than the national head of the Order, retired SF officer Henry Cook. With key assists from his deputy Joe Palagyi and ABC's Brian Ross.

Cook found, once elected to the Order's board, he had no ability to control the separate Foundation, which parasites on the good name of the Order in order to provide cash and perks for insiders. He not only couldn't stop it, he couldn't even watch it happening -- Richard H. Esau Jr., the head of the MOPH Service Foundation, a separate corporation from the MOPH itself, banished Cook from its financial meetings.

The MOPH Foundation routinely gets F marks from watchdogs like the American Institute of Philanthropy (see also the .pdf statement to Congress here) and isn't rated by Charity Navigator which doesn't even consider it a charity. Why? Because of the tens of millions raised by the Foundation, most of it sticks to Esau's, his cronies', and his fundraisers' fingers and hardly anything gets spent on wounded vets. 

Not all veterans' charities are a rip-off. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation for instance, is... well, read the link to see how a good charity's numbers should look. The SOWF also does something many vets' charities don't, it also provides educational benefits for the children of SOF warriors who die in training accidents like this one. Accidental death is always waiting in the wings when you're an operator... the slightest error by anyone and your ticket gets punched, and most charities neglect these victims in favor of the higher-profile war KIAs. But when Carlo Meth's kid is old enough, the SOWF will be able to help with college if needed. Unfortunately, for every SOWF there's a couple of MOPH Foundations, so I return you to the jeremiad in progress. 

Today in SF History: January 17

Today in Special Forces History:

1944: OSS Operational Groups personnel moved to permanent HQ, Stromclarig in Scotland. 

Today in SF History: January 16

Today in Special Forces History:

1969: SSG Drew Dix awarded the Medal of Honor for action 31 Jan 68 (during the Tet Offensive). 

1964: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) formed. 

Today in SF History: January 15

Today in Special Forces History:

1951: Guerilla Section, 8th Army G3 Miscellaneous, established. Korea.

100-100: A look back at 2007, and forward at 2008

There's no way to splenda-coat this: 2007 was a bust on the weight loss front. I began at around 220 lb and ended at around 210. 

In the first weeks I took off pound after pound, but then... my discipline flagged. It's a PITA to keep writing down every damn calorie you eat in a spreadsheet, and it's difficult to figure calorie counts out on the road. But those are just excuses. I ate more, and my weight stabilized, even though my exercising went way up.

My goal for 2008 is to finish my weight loss -- ideally, by the original 100-100 deadline -- which means I must redouble efforts. Both to diet and to exercise. 

Today in SF History: January 14

Today in Special Forces History:

1970: Battle of Camp Ba Xoai, Republic of Vietnam.

1943: Alaska Scouts set up OP at Kiska Island.

Today in SF History: January 12

Today in Special Forces History:

1944: Alaska Scouts land on Amchitka Island. 

Back from Hiatus!

HogLog hasn't been dead (or even pining for the fjords!) but it may have looked that way. I was away for some three weeks and unable to make any updates since Wright Brothers Day (12/17). Consider it my own personal Writer's Strike!

I missed some really worthwhile blogging subjects, but also was prevented from pontificating on some bleh ones. So for you, Dear Reader, it's probably a wash. 

At this writing, I have updated Today in SF History (the site's most popular feature, except for the long-moribund Plane Porn) through December, 2007. When I get back to the blog I'll bring SF History current.

There's nothing in the extended entry, so don't "read more."

Today in SF History: January 10

Today in Special Forces History:

1969: US Army Special Warfare Center is renamed US Army Institute for Military Assistance. 

Today in SF History: January 6

Today in Special Forces History:

1991: TF PROVEN FORCE activates in Turkey. This force was based around elements of the Eurocentric 10th Special Forces Group and Special Operations Command Europe. 

1961: 24th Special Forces Group (USAR) organizes. This is one of many short-lived SF Groups in the reserve components. In the end, only the 11th and 12th would remain in the USAR and the 19th and 20th in the National Guard. The 11th and 12th were disbanded in 1994 as part of Clinton Administration defense cuts. 

1945: 1st Canadian-American Special Service Force disbands. 

Today in SF History: January 3

Today in Special Forces History:

1944: Training of Jedburgh personnel begins, UK.