Arthur Pendragon, Artie, or RT, the Once and Future King at 12 weeks
©2003 May not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author. This includes publishing at other websites.
CARJACKING FOILED
TeleAid Foils Carjacking, Saves Toddlers
Washington, DC.
Carl E. Jones, Jr. stole a car in Baltimore and fled south on Interstate 95 at high speed with a Police Helicopter overhead. When he ran out of gas he tried to flag down traffic. One car slowed and moved on. As the Baltimore police helicopter hovered overhead, Jones stood in the middle lane, waving his arms and blocking Maraia Plaia's 2002 ML. When she stopped he threw her out and drove away with her two children inside.
A passing motorist, Jim Beckett, stopped to help the woman and heard her tell the police she was driving a Mercedes SUV. He knew that, like his Mercedes, it had TeleAid. He told a police sergeant they could reach the system using his own car.
Using his TeleAid system police were able to talk to the TeleAid monitoring station. Company officials monitored the stolen vehicle and told police they could hear the driver talking to himself. Also they could hear the two children, a 3 year old and a 19 month old, and they could tell they were unharmed.
Following a pursuit including 4 police helicopters, including one that witnessed the carjacking, a road block and slowing traffic forced the driver to a stop, where he was taken into custody after a brief foot chase.
TeleAid is standard on all 2003 Mercedes-Benz except the C-Class, where it is $775. Monitoring, after the free first year, is $240. There are people who don't want it and who don't renew after the first year.
Ask Maraia Plaia how much it's worth.
(Story from Washington Post copyrighted article)
ML350 VS. RX330
2003 ML350 vs. 2004 Lexus RX330
(The 2004 ML350 is substantially the same as the 2003, so this would apply to the 2004, too).
The second-generation Lexus RX was introduced at Detroit's 2003 North American International Auto Show in January. The RX's engine size has been increased to 3.3 liters, resulting in the change to its model designation to "RX 330".
Highlights of the new RX:
· An electronic 5-speed automatic that replaces the RX300's 4-speed unit.
· An all-wheel drive model with traction and stability programs that function like those on the M-Class (finally VSC, Vehicle Skid Control actually controls skids! I'm presuming that the 2-wheel drive model, the one sold 90% of the time in Houston, does not have this.)
· Available air suspension, which includes an interactive transmission.
· The available Adaptive Front Lighting System, which aims the headlights into a turn for added illumination.
· An available rear backup camera that shows the area behind the vehicle on the navigation screen
· An available laser cruise control system
The RX series remains car-based, as was the original RX 300. The RX 330 is neither a SUV nor a station wagon, although it has some of the characteristics of each. Station-wagon attributes include its unit body and the design of its interior and exterior. SUV attributes include its (optional at extra cost) all-wheel-drive capabilities and height. Its drivetrain is based on a front-wheel-drive configuration, and Lexus offers a front-wheel version of the RX330.
In the final analysis, the RX 330 is essentially a front-drive vehicle with the rear wheel drive mechanicals added to make it more versatile. Press releases and information on the Lexus online site differ as to the exact componentry within the system. One source says that a viscous coupling connects the front and rear wheels and another source says that the use of the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) componentry eliminates the previously used viscous coupling.
ML350 Advantages
Purpose-Built SUV: The M-Class was designed from the ground up to be an SUV, not a vehicle with its foundation based on an automobile like the RX 330. As such, the M-Class design does not suffer from possible engineering compromises.
Touch Shift for the transmission: This driver-interactive feature is not standard on the RX 330. An interactive transmission is included with the air suspension option. The RX 330's standard shifter is a gated design reminiscent of older Mercedes-Benz transmissions.
Greater versatility from the power train: The M-Class has a 2-speed transfer case that allows the driver to select from a low range of gears. The RX 330's transfer case has only a single speed. This is one indication that the RX 330 is not built for more than medium-duty off-road travel. The RX 330 also lacks the towing capacity of the M-Class (3,500 lb. for the RX 330 vs. 5,000 lb. for the ML350). The M-Class has much greater capabilities and flexibility in its drivetrain.
Rugged body-on-frame construction: The M-Class has a separate body and frame, in the tradition of quality truck building. The RX 330 has a car-like unit body.
Longer wheelbase, contributing to ride comfort: The M-Class wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than the RX 330's, which adds to ride comfort.
Higher-performance wheels and tires: The ML350's standard tires are lower in aspect ratio than those mounted on the RX 330 (255/60R17 tires mounted on 8.0 x 17" wheels vs. 225/65R17 tires mounted on 6.5 x 17 wheels for the RX 330) contributing to improved handling control.
Rear side-impact air bags: This safety feature is not available on the RX 330.
Ground Clearance:
MB 8.7", Lexus 7.5 (Coil), 7.1 (air)
Additionally the ML will ford 20" of water.
ML350 VS. X5 3.0i
2003 Mercedes-Benz ML350 vs. 2003 BMW X5 3.0i
BMW refers to its X5 lineup as Sports Activity Vehicles, which includes the 3.0i, 4.4i, and 4.6is. The X5 is built in the United States - in Spartanburg, South Carolina. As you might expect, BMW aims the X5 at the performance-oriented customer rather than the one looking for utility in a luxury vehicle. Having a standard manual transmission is but one of the indicators of the BMW philosophy applied to light-duty trucks.
In general, power and performance of the X5s are on par with the M-Class models, with similar engine power and four-wheel drive. But some of the four-wheel-drive technology and rugged off-road capabilities found on the M-Class are missing from the X5 3.0i. Perhaps this was BMW's intent, reflected in the trademarked description of the X5 as a Sports Activity Vehicle.
ML350 Advantages:
A standard driver-adaptive electronic 5-speed transmission: The X5 3.0i's optional automatic transmission adds $1,275 to the sticker price. It has features similar to the Mercedes-Benz automatic, which is standard, but does not have SOG (Shift Optimized Gear function).
Greater versatility from the power train: The M-Class has a 2-speed transfer case that allows the driver to select from a low range of gears. Although the X5 3.0i has four-wheel drive, it has only a single-speed transfer case. This indicates that the BMW is not intended for rigorous off-road travel. The M-Class has greater capabilities and flexibility in its drivetrain.
Greater versatility from exterior dimensions: Although the X5 3.0i has ground clearance that is greater than most automobiles, it is a full 1.6 inches lower than the ML350. In situations where greater clearance is required, the X5 3.0i will fare only a little better than a car. In its dimensions, the M-Class is better prepared for rough pavement or off-road travel.
Rugged body-on-frame construction: The M-Class has a separate body and frame, in the tradition of quality truck-building. The X5 3.0i has a unit body, in keeping with BMW's automaking experience.
Greater cargo capacity: The M-Class has far greater cargo-carrying capabilities than the X5. With the second-row seats upright, the M-Class has more than twice as much cargo capacity (34.7 cu. ft. vs. 16.1 cu. ft). With the second-row seats folded down, the M-Class has about 50 percent more capacity (81.2 cu. ft. vs. 54.4 cu. ft).
Although features are fairly consistent between the ML350 and the X5 3.0i, there are some differences:
· Base MSRP and comparative total equipped prices are both lower for the ML350 than the X5 3.0i.
· Second row seat side-impact air bags are standard in the M-Class, but optional in the X5 3.0i.
· Wood trim and TeleAid Telematics are standard for the M-Class, but optional for the X5 3.0i.
ML500 vs. BMW X5 4.4i
Most of the above applies, of course. The ML500 has a base price $4,575 lower than the BMW X5 4.4i.
Features that are standard on the ML500 and optional on the X5 4.4i include those mentioned above plus a navigation system and heated front seats.
ML350 VS. XC90 AWD T6
2003 Mercedes-Benz ML350 vs. 2003 Volvo XC90 AWD T6
Although all-new in appearance and built as a crossover SUV, the Volvo XC90's platform carries the S80 and S60 sedans as well as the V70 and XC70 Station Wagons. With its low production, Volvo cannot afford to build too many unique platforms. The XC90 was intended to capture the allure of today's SUVs and provide utilitarian value. In the US, the XC90 is available with either a turbocharged inline 5-cylinder or turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine. Both are mounted transversely under the hood. In terms of performance, the 6-cylinder version (T6) fits between the ML350's V-6 and the ML500's V-8.
The XC90 was first available in the US as a front-wheel-drive vehicle. Its all-wheel-drive system functions with the front wheels doing most of the work under normal conditions. Highlights of the XC90 that you're likely to hear about include:
· Roll Stability Control (RSC)
· Inflatable side curtain air bag for all 3 rows of seats.
· An integrated sliding center booster seat for children
· Pretensioners for all seating positions
· Available Dolby 5.1 Pro Logic II surround sound stereo system
· Awards for the 2003 North American Truck of the Year and 2003 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the year
· Simple fold-flat third-row seat
ML350 Advantages:
A 5-Speed Transmission: The XC90's "Geartronic" transmission has only four forward gears with the 6-cylinder engine. (A 5-speed transmission is standard with the 5-cylinder XC90). A 5-speed allows smoother shifts and more appropriate gearing for a variety of driving situations.
Greater versatility from the power train: The M-Class has a 2-speed transfer case that allows the driver to select from a low range of gears. Although XC90 AWD T6 has an all-wheel drive system that functions all the time, it has only a single-speed transfer case. This is only one of the indications that the XC90 is not intended for rigorous offroad travel. The M-Class has greater capabilities and flexibility in its drivetrain.
Rugged body-on-frame construction: The M-Class body and frame are separate, in the tradition of quality truck-building. The XC90 has a more car-like unit body, in keeping with Volvo's automaking experience.
Side-impact air bags for the second row: Volvo does not offer them in the XC90.
Lower pricing: Base MSRP is lower for the ML350 than for the XC90 AWD T6 - $3,580 lower. Of course, the XC90 AWD 2.5 T has a lower sticker price, but it doesn't perform as well as the ML350.
TeleAid: Volvo does not offer a Telematics system like
the ML350's TeleAid, which provides the current location of the vehicle
plus links it to 24-hour contact with Mercedes-Benz for emergency aid, information,
or Roadside Assistance.
ML500 VS ESCALADE
2003 Mercedes-Benz ML500 vs. 2003 Cadillac Escalade
Cadillac joined with Escalade for the 1998/99 model year. An example of American badge engineering, the Escalade shares features and systems with other GM trucks like Tahoe, Yukon, and Denali. Cadillac adds some features for customers expecting more luxury.
Although not the trucks of old with rubber floor coverings, vinyl seats, a dearth of trim and few creature comforts, the Escalade is still based on GM's full-sized pickup design, with a power train that depends on cubic inches. Escalade also weighs a lot closer to 3 tons than 2 (5,641 pounds).
The Escalade (like its American rival Lincoln Navigator) is huge. Customers who want size will be attracted to the vehicle It is long (116.0-inch wheelbase, 198.9-inch overall length). It is tall (74.2 inches). It stands high above the ground (10.7 inch ground clearance). It has a cavernous interior (108.2 cu. ft. maximum cargo volume). Even the engine is huge at 6.0 liters. Customers of average size are going to feel engulfed by this vehicle, and just getting into it can be a problem for some.
While the ML500 cannot compete with this vehicle based on size, the ML500 shows its advantages in terms of technological sophistication and engineering leadership.
ML500 Advantages:
Smaller size: Unless you REALLY need a lot of space for hauling yourself and seven very large companions and their cargo, in which case you won't be looking at an M-Class anyway), the Escalade's prodigious size is a detriment rather than a benefit. Although the turning circle is close to the ML500's, the Escalade is 16.4 inches longer (overall length). With 767 more pounds to move besides, handling an Escalade can become a chore. The ML500 is more car-like in length making it easier to judge spacing on the highway, off-road, and when parking.
A 5-speed transmission: The Escalade has a 4-speed automatic transmission. A 5-speed allows smoother shifts and more appropriate gearing for a variety of driving situations.
Touch Shift: This driver-interactive feature is not available in the Escalade.
Higher-performance wheels and tires: The ML500's standard tires are lower in aspect ratio than those mounted on the Escalade (275/55R17 tires on 8.5 x 17 wheels vs 265/70 R17 tires on 7.5 x 17 wheels on the Escalade), contributing to improved handling control. The 70-series ties improve the Escalade's ride, but the trade-off is that handling is not as precise as it might be with tires having lower aspect ratio.
Rack-and-pinion steering: The Escalade is equipped with recirculating-ball steering. Rack-and-pinion steering contributes to precise control and an improved feel of the road.
Far lighter weight: The Escalade outweighs the ML500 by 767 pounds. That much extra weight can reduce fuel economy, and its mass can affect handling.
Passive-safety provisions: The M-Class has a number of provisions for passive safety not available in the Escalade. These include:
· Second-row side-impact air bags
· Head Protection Curtains
· Emergency Tensioning Devices with belt force limiters
Lower Pricing: Base MSRP is $8,075 lower for the ML500 than the Escalade.
SAVED BY DRIVE TO SURVIVE
I just figured out that you wrote the driving book that sits in my living room bookshelf. You should know that your book probably saved my life a couple of years ago. (Drive to Survive, Classic Motorbooks, CRR)
As soon as the book arrived in the mail, I read it cover to cover, and immediately implemented two suggestions as soon as I read them. I adjusted my mirrors to cover the blind spots around the car, and started leaving a car length of space between my front end and the car ahead whenever I stopped the vehicle. I didn't think that such activities would ever bear fruit, but I thought that the concepts made sense.
One day in New Hampshire, I was out for a ride with my best friend, and we came to a red light. As per the usual custom, I left a car length in front, and waited for the light to change. There were three cars in front of me, a guard rail on the left, and a huge line of traffic in the lane to my right. Glancing around my car, I noticed that a car was rapidly approaching from behind, and didn't appear to be slowing down. Suddenly, he locked up the brakes. It became readily apparent that he had lost control of his car. Conversations with the PO after the accident brought forth the fact that he had been arguing with his girlfriend, and wasn't paying attention to traffic. He was probably travelling around 55 when he applied the brakes.
As soon as I heard the squeal, I closed the distance between my car and the one in front, and quickly snugged up the seatbelt. There wasn't any space to move anywhere else. As expected, he impacted the rear of my car.
As it was, he did $2100 worth of damage to my Grand Marquis, which had to be towed from the scene. The PO stated that had I not left space in front of my car, and had the presence of mind to close the distance prior to impact, I would probably have been seriously injured, and would have seen my car totaled.
I never did the physics to see if the PO was correct in his analysis. Nonetheless, I'm sure that leaving the space saved me a considerable amount of money that would have been spent covering the cost of a new car.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge in the form of a book.
Chris Shustak
You're welcome. Thanks for the letter. Glad to hear
I could do some good. I've lost count of the number of "saves"
from the book. Mas Ayoob and Jeff Cooper are both friends of mine. Mas sells
the book. Jeff recommended it to the "family" after proofreading
it. It's amazing that it's the little things that are the "life changing
decisions." It's not "Where do I go to college," but "I'd
better check the rear view mirror" that becomes the life changing decision.
DRIVER DISTRACTIONS
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and Virginia Commonwealth University did a study of the top causes of driver distractions that cause inattentive driving:
1. Rubbernecking: 16 percent
2. Driver fatigue: 12 percent
3. Looking at scenery or landmarks: 10 percent
4. Passenger or child distraction: 9 percent
5. Adjusting radio or changing CD or tape: 7 percent
6. Cell phone: 5 percent
7. Eyes not on the road: 4.5 percent
8. Not paying attention, daydreaming: 4 percent
9. Eating or drinking: 4 percent
10. Adjusting vehicle controls: 4 percent
11. Weather conditions: 2 percent
12. Unknown: 2 percent
13. Insect, animal, or object entering or striking vehicle: 2 percent
14. Document, book, map, directions, or newspaper: 2 percent
15. Medical or emotional impairment: 2 percent
So, are they going to ban rubbernecking or driving while tired or changing CDs at 75 mph? No. They're going after item #6.
Figures.
MISC. RAVINGS
How Mercedes Corrects a Mistake
When the E-Class came out last year the new DVD based navigation system wasn't yet available. So we were told to sell the navi at a $500 discount and promise it for retrofitting this spring.
Then we were told that retrofitting it wasn't possible, but Mercedes would take care of those who had paid for it. New cars with navi systems would be built, and they would be given even trades! Those cars have started coming in. The first of those went to a customer who had put 10,000 miles on his E500. He drove home in a new one just like it but with navi, and no money changed hands. Those who didn't buy the system but expressed interest got $3250 certificates for a future MB purchase. I bet they wish they had bought it now.
I'm told there are over 2,000 such cars in the system. I don't know if any other manufacturer has been faced with such a situation, but I do know Mercedes has set the standard on how to handle it.
Voice Control Kit Now Available
If you bought a 2003 E-Class car and got the phone, you should know that now the Voice Control Accessory Kit is now available. I would expect it to be in the $600 range installed. If you need a phone in the car, you need the voice control feature.
Quote 1
"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of readiness to die."
G.K. Chesterson
Quote 2
"Wow, what a day, Jessica Lynch comes home, we nail [Saddam Hussein's] two sadistic mutts, and the Eiffel Tower catches fire. I've been walking around with the silliest grin on my face all day long."
Tammy Bruce in The Washington Times
ZO6
We took in trade a Z06 Corvette, the object of every American boy's dreams not involving Playboy models. Neat car. Lots of power. I thought the tight, racing shifter was the best I'd ever driven on a street car with incredibly short, precise throws. Then I drove it after it had sat in the sun. I needed my Nomex racing gloves. It was like shifting a cigarette lighter from the flame. Didn't anyone ever drive the car in the sun?
This illustrates a point. It's the details. The devil IS in the details.
London=Mugging
London is up to 164 muggings a day according to The Evening
Standard. The chance of the mugger being charged is less than 10%. Let's
see. They banned firearms. They banned self-defense. Now London makes 1880
Dodge City look like heaven. Do you think there's a connection?
The lunch break at the Cumbres-Toltec Scenic Railroad
VACATION MUSINGS
The car biz is a bitch on vacations. Take time off, and you make no money and lose momentum. At some stores in town if you don't sell X cars every month, you're history, so you don't take long vacations. So the traditional American 2 week vacation seldom happens. The Redhead, after 20+ years at her place of employment gets something like 56 weeks a year of vacation, personal time, and sick leave. I think she could use vacation time and leave now and be covered to retirement. I took a week last year and a bunch of long weekends. This year all the stars were right, due to July 4th being on a Saturday, and we got an actual 10 days in a row, the longest vacation since 1984. I chose July 4th week because I could do that and only miss 6 days business-at a time America was on vacation, so business, while I was gone, was slow.
We drove this vacation 2700 miles to Durango and Silverton, Colorado by way of San Antonio, Texas, Carlsbad, Santa Fe, Taos, and Chama, New Mexico. We went in the marvelous ML55 AMG. They don't make these puppies any more. Those of you who have them know what a wonder they are. I never opened the hood or put a tire pressure gauge to a tire. Maintenance consisted of visual inspections, using up a good supply of Griot's Garage Window Cleaner and their lint-free wipes, and supplying the best fuel available when appropriate. The Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires already have more mileage than the original equipment Dunlop 9000s, and they have plenty of tread left. They also handle, ride, and brake quite well. I'm amazed. Tires for a 5,000 lb, 155 mph vehicle that seem to do everything well? How?
Braking, is, in fact, phenomenal. The Brake Assist combined with really advanced high-pulse rate ABS will result in quite short real world stopping distances. Watching the mirror during emergency stops is mandatory in traffic. In non-traffic situations, such as microwave attack by uniformed revenue collectors, the vehicle is down below the legal limit almost before I realize I've hit the brakes.
It was a gentle trip. The Flexible Service System monitor only charged 1900 miles for the 2700 mile trip. We kept the speed down, usually within 25 mph of the speed limit in Texas (within Defensive Driving range) and closer out of Texas. New Mexico has set their speed limits to maximize revenue collection. Roads that would be 70 or 75 in west Texas were 55 or 60 in New Mexico.
The only high pucker factor portion of the trip occurred when we left Roswell, New Mexico heading north with 109 miles on the "range" indicator only to discover that aliens had abducted all of the gas stations north of Roswell. I went into the navigation system and asked the swami where the nearest station was only to be told, "There aren't any."
35 miles after the yellow light went on and the range indicator went from numbers to flashing angrily "FUEL FUEL FUEL," we coasted into Vaughn, New Mexico for fuel. The conservative fuel gauge and computer had upped the pucker factor. We had over 3 gallons of fuel theoretically (as I've never run the tank empty to see if it really holds 25 gallons as claimed and don't intend to.) One of the things I would change on the ML would be a trip computer that would count down to zero miles range. The cars have it. The MLs flashes "FUEL FUEL FUEL" at a certain fuel level, making it really hairy in situations like the above.
We took 3 train rides, the Santa Fe Southern in Santa Fe (not worth talking about), the Cumbres-Toltec Scenic Railroad from Chama, New Mexico to Antonitos, Colorado, and the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
The Cumbres-Toltec Scenic Railroad, view from the parlour car.
The little-known Cumbres-Toltec is the best steam train in the United States. It is considered the second best antique steam train in the world. It goes to 10022 feet, following the ridge line of mountains, giving spectacular views. We took the parlor car, where soft drinks were included. The parlor car on the Durango-Silverton had some wine and beer included and a bar, but Cumbres-Toltec didn't. The 10022 feet might have made that interesting. It's a one day trip, with return to the starting point by bus part of the ticket. Chama looks a lot more interesting place to start/finish than Antonitos. Chama is in the forest. Antonitos is in the desert.
The Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
We stayed in some expensive hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, but the best rooms, I thought, were two targets-of-opportunity late evening room acquisitions into generic chains for about $60./night including a mediocre breakfast. I didn't mind paying for the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, where we had to stop to renew our Texas citizenship. It's across the street from the Alamo and haunted by Captain King, the founder of the King Ranch, who died there. Additionally Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders in the English Mahogany Bar of the Menger. You have to pay your dues when appropriate. Appropriate toasts were given.
The slightly newer Strater Hotel in downtown Durango was old enough to be haunted, too, but the plumbing, elevator, and TV worked. I felt we should have been in Victorian clothing all of the time, though.
Closer to home we discovered the Fort Worth Stockyards, an uniquely Texas tourist trap. We'll go back there soon.
The Menger Hotel bar won the Best Margarita contest. I voted the 3H Ranch Restaurant in the Stockyards second. The Redhead voted for the bar at the hotel in White's City outside Carlsbad Caverns. The Durango to Silverton Parlor Car won best Bloody Mary. "The Office," one of the bars at the Strater won best after dinner drinks. I think I'm beginning to see a trend here.
We used the navigation system extensively. The Redhead didn't know where we were going until she figured it out each day. I put in the destination, and when she was driving, she just followed instructions. One night we used it to find one of the targets-of-opportunity motels. It found the bed and breakfast in Santa Fe, and it found the Daisy Hill Kitty Farm. We'll be getting navigation on future cars. It's too neat to go back to maps. If one has to use a map, sooner or later the man will be driving, and the woman will be navigating. Since women do not possess the map gland, this creates marital stress, especially when the man sees "Welcome to Idaho," and realizes they'll be late to Disney World this year.
All in all the ML55 was a really neat vacation vehicle. We'll have to use it again.
The photo that convinced us to adopt RT, at 6 weeks
RT at 14 weeks
THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING
In Roanoke, Texas, we visited the Shaded Silver Persian cat guru at the Daisy Hill Kitty Farm (really Kittikamir Cattery) and adopted a 12 week old male Shaded Silver Persian kitten. Shaded Silvers have white hair tipped in black, giving them a silver sheen. Their eyes are green. Their noses are pink with black rims. This one was available as a pet because his nose was too long to win best in show. Show quality Persians need "peke-faces" to win. Look at a photo of Bear, our late Blue Persian. He was a perfect show quality Persian.
Bear had it all
But we don't show cats. We didn't want the problems associated with such noses, constant tearing, respiratory problems. I consider that breeding trend to be insane. I will accept that if everything is right, like it was with Bear, there were no problems. But Merlin had all of them.
Merlin in his last photo session, sitting on the instructions for the new Nikon D100.
Shaded Silvers, in order to get the colors, are very hard to get the Peke-face nose. Cats with them are rare and generally win the shows. Shadeds have few genetic problems and make good pets. Their long, cottony fur isn't prone to matting (but it can happen. They do need to be brushed, and getting them accustomed to a daily brushing while they're kittens is a good idea). Their personalities are good. Both males and females tend to be gregarious. When I came home from Vietnam I was presented with a pair of shaded silver Persians who were with us for many years. The male, Ishmael, was magnificent, big, strong, and stocky. He was demanding of attention and purred loudly and often. The females are less gregarious and, like Garbo, want to be alone a lot. Our current female, Emerald, has come out after the loss of the males who dominated her. She wants a lot of attention, but her purr is inaudible, and when she has had enough Pounce cat treats, she goes to her spot.
We were told that this kitten wanted a lot of attention. As he gets used to his new surroundings (and the dog!), this is becoming evident. He's still a little fearful of me much of the time. But that's getting better. So far he hasn't licked my nose like Bear nor purred as loudly as Merlin. But he's young.
He has seven league boots to fill, so I'm trying not to expect much out of him.
We named him Arthur Pendragon. We call him Artie or RT for short. Cats should have names ending with EE sound. They respond best to that sound. So far he only responds well to the sound of his supper dish being shaken.
Someday he will be a big, stocky, self-assured tom cat with big green eyes and long silver hair, the once and future king, and master of all he surveys.
Emerald, our 8 year old female Shaded Silver, expresses her joy at another kitten coming into the house.
Curt Rich August 2003
THINGS THAT DIDN'T FIT IN THE SNAIL MAIL VERSION
Goliad "Massacre" to be renamed "Goliad Execution" (and on another note, the Holocaust will be renamed European Population Adjustment)
MESSAGE FROM IRAQ:
Language Warning: The following is uncensored and does not meet the usual "Curt's Newsletter" guidelines for clean language. You've been warned. I received this letter from multiple sources and had it verified by 2 reliable sources, so I don't believe this is an urban fantasy. It also has words and opinions that are bound to offend someone. Get over it or don't read it.
Original message, which came from e-mail thread out of SOCOM (spec. ops command) in Tampa, it is from Army spec. ops
Subject: Message From Iraq
It Ain't Necessarily So.
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2003, 11:09:09 GMT
Hey Guys, sorry it's been so long since I've sent anything but a quick note to you individually. However things have been pretty hectic since the end of hostilities and the start of the real war. Despite what the assholes in the press like to say over and over:
1) We did expect some armed resistance from the Ba'ath Party and Feydaheen;
2) It isn't any worse than expected;
3) Things are getting better each day, and
4) The morale of the troops is A-1, except for the normal bitching and griping.
My brief love affair with the press, especially the guys who had the cajones to be embedded with the troops during the fighting, is probably over, especially since we are back being criticized by them same Roland Headly types that used to hang around the Palestine Hotel drinking Baghdad Bob's whiskey and parroting his ridiculous B.S.
I'm in Baghdad now, since SpOpComm 5 relocated here from Qatar. It looks, sounds and smells about the same but at least you can get Maker's Mark at the local OC. We came up in mid-June to help set up operation Scorpion and Sidewinder. It represents a major (and long overdue) shift in tactics. Instead of being sitting ducks for the ragheads we now are going after the worthless pieces of fecal matter.
I'm no longer baby-sitting the pukes from CNN and the canned hams from the networks, but have a combat mission coordinating a bunch of A teams, seeking, finding and rooting out the mostly non-Iraqis that are well-armed, well-paid (in U.S. dollars) and always waiting to wail for the press and then shoot some GI in the back in the midst of a crowd.
The only reason the GIs are pissed (not demoralized) is that they cannot touch, must less waste, those taunting bags of gas that scream in their faces and riot on cue when they spot a camera man from ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN or NBC. If they did, then they know the next nightly news will be about how chaotic things are and how much the Iraqi people hate us.
Some do. But the vast majority don't and more and more see that the GIs don't start anything, are by-and-large friendly, and very compassionate, especially to kids and old people. I saw a bunch of 19 year-olds from the 82nd Airborne not return fire coming from a mosque until they got a group of elderly civilians out of harm's way. So did the Iraqis.
A bunch of bad guys used a group of women and children as human shields. The GIs surrounded them and negotiated their surrender fifteen hours later and when they discovered a three year-old girl had been injured by the big tough guys throwing her down a flight of stairs, the GIs called in a MedVac helicopter to take her and her mother to the nearest field hospital. The Iraqis watched it all, and there hasn't been a problem in that neighborhood since. How many such stories, and there are hundreds of them, never get reported in the fair and balanced press? You know, nada.
The civilians who have figured it out faster than anyone are the local teenagers.
They watch the GIs and try to talk to them and ask questions about America and Now wear wrap-around sunglasses, GAP T- shirts, Dockers (or even better Levis with the red tags) and Nikes (or Egyptian knock-offs, but with the "swoosh") and love to listen to AFN when the GIs play it on their radios.
They participate less and less in the demonstrations and help keep us informed when a wannabe bad-ass shows up in the neighborhood.
The younger kids are going back to school again, don't have to listen to some mullah rant about the Koran ten hours a day, and they get a hot meal.
They see the same GIs who man the corner checkpoint, helping clear the playground, install new swing sets and create soccer fields. I watched a bunch of kids playing baseball in one playground, under the supervision of a couple of GIs from Oklahoma. They weren't very good but were having fun, probably more than most Little Leaguers
The place is still a mess but most of it has been for years. But the Hospitals are open and are in the process of being brought into the 21st Century. The MOs and visiting surgeons from home are teaching their docs new techniques and One American pharmaceutical company (you know, the kind that all the hippies like to scream about as greedy) donated enough medicine to stock 45 hospital pharmacies for a year.
Safe water is more available.
Electricity has been restored to pre-war levels but saboteurs keep cutting the lines. And The old Ba'ath big shots are upset because they can't get fuel for their private generators. One actually complained to General McKeirnan, who told him it was a rough world.
The MPs are screening the 80,000 Iraqi police force and rehabbing the ones that weren't goons, shake-down artists or torturers like they did in East Berlin, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
There are dual patrols of Iraqi cops and U.S./U.K./Polish MPs now in most of the larger cities.
Basra has 3.5 million inhabitants.
Mosul is a city of 2 million.
Kirkuk has 1 million.
How many and hundreds of other small towns have not had riots or shootings? The vast majority.
The six U.K. cops were killed in a small Shiite town by the ex-cops they were re-habbing.
According to a Royal Marine colonel I talked to, the town now has about twenty permanent vacancies in its police force.
Mick, he's a big potato eater from Belfast named Huggins and knows how to handle terrorists after twenty years fighting with the IRA. He sends his regards and says he'd love to have you here. Thinks you'd make a great police chief, even though the cops would be more frightened of you than the local hoods (then he laughed)
I heard one doofus on MSNBC the other night talk about how "nearly 60" GIs have been killed since 01 May. The truth is that 21 GIs have been killed in combat, mostly from ambush, from 01 May through 30 June, Another 29 have been killed by accidents or other causes (two drowned while swimming in the Tigris).
The MSNBC turd is the same jerk who reported on the air that "dozens of GIs" were badly burned when two RPGs hit a truck belonging to an Engineer Battalion that was parked by a construction site. The truck was hit and burned, three GIs received minor injuries (including the driver who burnt his hand) and three warriors of Allah were promptly sent to enjoy their 72 slave girls in Paradise. Hell of a way to get laid.
A mosque in that shithole Fallujah blew up this morning while the local imam, a creep named Fahlil (who was one of the biggest local loudmouths that frequently appeared on CNN) was helping a Syrian Hamas member teach eight teenagers how to make belt bombs. Right away the local Feyhadeen propaganda group started wailing that the Americans hit it with a TOW missile (If they had there wouldn't have been any mosque left!) and the usual suspects took to the streets for CNN and BBC. One fool was dragging around a piece of tin with blood on it, claiming it was part of the missile.
The cameras rolled and the idiot started repeating his story, then one of my guys asked him in Arabic where he had left the rag he usually wore around his face that made him look like a girl. He was a local leader of the Feyhadeen. We took the clown in custody and were asked rather indignantly by the twit from BBC if we were trying to shut up "the poor man who had seen his mosque and friends blown up." I told the airy-fairy who the raghead was and if he knew Arabic (which he obviously didn't) he'd know he was a Palestinian. I suggested we take him down to the local jail and we'd lock him and his cameraman in a cell with the "poor man" and they could interview him until we took him to headquarters. They declined the invitation.
Guess what played on the Bullshit Broadcasting System that evening? Did the Americans blow up a mosque? See the poor man who is still in a state of shock over losing his mosque and relatives? Yep. Our friend the Palestinian.
Our search and destroy missions are largely at night, free of reporters and generally terrifying to those brave warriors of Allah. The only thing that frightens them more is hearing the word "Gitmo". The word is out that a trip to Guantanimo Bay is not a Caribbean vacation and they usually start squealing like the little mice they are, when an interrogator mentions "Gitmo". No wonder the International Red Cross, the National Council of Churches and the French keep protesting about the place. They know it has proven to be very effective in keeping several hundred real fanatical psychopaths in check and very frankly would rather see them cut loose to go kill some more GIs or innocent Americans, just to make W. look bad.
We have about 200 really bad guys in custody now and probably will park them in the desert behind a triple roll of razor wire, backed up by a couple of Bradleys pointed their way, if they decide to riot. Maybe a few will get to Gitmo but most are human garbage that wouldn't take on your five-year old grandson face-to-face. The more we go after them and not vice-versa I think we will see the sniper attacks go down. Yeah, they'll get lucky now and then, but it's showtime, fellows.
Our first objective is to get the die-hards off the street (or make them too scared to come out in them) and destroy their caches of weapons (we have collected more than 227,000 AK-47s and that is only the tip of the iceberg;
Curly bought nearly a million of them from our pal Vladimir, then cut off their money supply, mostly from Syria and Lebanon. We must continue to get public services up and running, so the local families can get water, sewage and garbage service; electricity, public transportation; oil fields and refineries working and a dinar that won't halve in value every month.
It's going to be a long haul (remember it took 10-15 years in Japan and West Germany) but if we don't stick with it, nobody else will, and we'll have some other looney running the place again.
This place has greater potential than Saudi Arabia (bunch of goat-herders who struck black gold) or Iran (weird dudes who can't run a rug bazaar much less a major country).
Armageddon, here we come. Remember, it's located on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Enough of that cheery speculation.
The good news is that General Schoonmaker is going to appointed ChiefArmy and the old man is coming to Tampa to run the SpOps desk at CentComm. He's tops and will be getting his second star. To me it means that SpOps will be more predominant in future operations and after 18 years as a GB maybe I'll have a shot at a bird-level combat command. The old man asked me to come to MacDill and be his ACS but I told him after I spent four months changing the diapers of the media types, I wanted to go back to action. Hence, my current gig. As the movie quoted old General Patton, "God help me, I love it." I do. Nothing more satisfying than working with the BEST damn soldiers in the world, flushing real human poop down the drain and giving some folks a chance at trying freedom for a change. They may learn to like it and then my great-great-grandson won't have to worry about some maniac trying to destroy the planet.
My tour is over at the end of August, and I plan to return to Tampa, brief the old man, then head to San Rafael and see my two sweethearts. I'd like to visit my parents in Toronto and my brother in London, before taking on a trip across the country. Just like any other family. It will charge my batteries before I end up back in some other shit ... er, interesting and challenging location. I hope to see most of you and ask for some advice, not support. I know I've had that all along. Thanks.
Now about that Maker's Mark.
God Bless America
Mark.
"War doesn't determine who wins, war determines who is left"
De Oppresso Liber - RLTW!
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