Book Reviews

Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills is the story of Carlos Hathcock, a hick from Kentucky who, through his love of shooting and his dedication to the Marine Corps, became the Corps' number one sniper. A part of the founding of the Marine Corps' sniper team and training programs, he began to exemplify what a Marine sniper is meant to be.

His life itself is very interesting, his exploits in Vietnam were great, and his personal sacrifices and perserverance are breath taking.

His tragic life end and new beginning are definitely something for all of us to learn from. His stoic dedication to his love of craft are something we should all remember. Carlos Hatchcock was one of the greatest of Americans, starting from nothing and becoming a legend.

Bravo Two Zero is the true story of a British SAS squad sent behind the lines early in the first Iraqi war to destroy SCUD missile bases and launchers. From the get-go, this mission was compromised and turned into a harrowing flight for life for these men.

The escape and evasion turned into a fight against nature (exposure in winter desert), enemy patrols, and even civilian goat herders... The eventual capture of the book's author, Andy McNabb (squad leader) and others led to torture, deplorable conditions of capture, and eventual release to the Red Cross near the war's end.

This book is an awesome read for anyone who believes that we may see this same type of war happening here in America from which some of us may be required to perform the same type of escape from our own government...

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Cartoon

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Third-Party Candidates Ask for Recount in Ohio

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS

With support from John Kerry's campaign, two third-party candidates for president officially asked on Tuesday for a recount in Ohio, the state that put President Bush over the top in November.

The requests, mailed to all 88 counties, were expected to arrive by Wednesday.

Generally, county election boards must agree to a recount, as long as the parties bringing the challenge pay for it. And the Green and Libertarian parties collected enough donations to cover the required $113,600, or $10 per precinct.

David Cobb, Green Party presidential candidate, said the election was full of irregularities, including uncounted provisional ballots.

"There is a possibility that George W. Bush did not win Ohio. If that is the case, it would be a crime against democracy for George Bush to be sworn into office," he said.

Cobb got 186 votes in Ohio. Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik received 14,695, or 0.26 percent of the overall total.

The request came a day after Ohio officially certified Bush as the winner of this battleground state by 118,775 votes. The president's unofficial election-night margin of 136,000 votes shrank slightly after provisional and absentee ballots were counted and errors corrected.

Bush won the presidency by taking Ohio's 20 electoral votes, bringing his total to 286 over Kerry's 252. Kerry conceded the morning after the election when presented with the state's results.

The Kerry campaign has said it supports the recount - not because it believes the outcome will change, but because it wants to see a full and accurate accounting.

Recount advocates have cited numerous Election Day problems, from long lines, a shortage of voting machines in minority neighborhoods and suspicious vote totals for candidates in scattered precincts.

The Bush campaign has criticized the recount effort, saying it will not change anything. And some county officials have complained about the real cost, which Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell said is probably about $1.5 million.

The recount is "an exercise in futility and a ridiculous waste of county tax money," said Larry Long, executive director of the Ohio Association of County Commissioners. "Neither candidate has any chance of winning, so what's the point?"

The recount will probably not begin until next week because of a five-day waiting period to allow candidates time to arrange witnesses to the counting. Cobb, Badnarik and the Kerry camp gave permission for the recount to start before the five-day period. The Bush campaign did not waive the waiting period.

State law requires 3 percent of ballots to be counted by hand in each county, and then all ballots to be counted if the initial check turns up problems.

© 2004 The Associated Press

© Copyright 2004 by Capitol Hill Blue

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Winter Camping

A small group of us went camping this weekend. Yep, out in the cold winter for an overnighter. We hiked in, carrying all of our gear, camped, and came back the next day. It was bitter cold, but not too bad if you were prepared.

Camping in the wintertime reminds me of how harsh it must have been for those poor bastards who've served our country in various winter campaigns and died of exposure, lost digits/limbs to the cold, etc. Especially those patriots who served our nation in the Revolutionary War and went through the harsh conditions of Valley Forge.

Yes, I got a little sick this weekend. Yes, it was hard carrying my pack out thanks to sickness making it hard to breathe. Yes, I did not sleep as well as I would have in my bed at home. Yes, I felt the cold in my toes, fingers, and ears. But I suffered nothing compared to those who came before. I suffered for fun and exercise, they suffered for our country.

I'm nothing compared to them.

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