Shocking news - America spies!

I have to say that I've been both baffled and amused by the "revelations" regarding NSA spying. What exactly did people think spy agencies did, anyway?

The latest "sandal" - the "revelation" that the U.S. spied on our "allies" is pretty precious. I'm sure the Germans, et al, are shocked, simply shocked, to find that out. though I can't imagine Merkel has much that's interesting to listen to.

Anyone reading the Deep Black series - which is a few years old now - would have been prepared. But it's all fiction, right?

But here's a question no one seems to be asked: given the NSA's obvious skill with computers, why weren't they tasked with designing the Obamacare website?

RIP, Lou Reed

American Sniper returns to NYT best-seller list

Thanks


One of the great things about working on the Memorial edition of American Sniper was getting to talk to a wide range of people who were friends of Chris. It was amazing to me how many people had so many good things to say about him. In fact, if I hadn't known him myself, I wouldn't have believed half. But I think if anything, he was probably twice as nice and twice as generous as people even remember.

It was an honor helping to get these memories into print. I, and I'm sure everyone involved, are grateful for the support readers have shown, not just to Chris and his memory, but to all veterans.

The Memorial edition of American Sniper appears at 17 on the NY Times best-seller list next week. Given that the book has now been out for nearly two years, it's an incredible achievement, due solely to Chris and his many, many supporters, readers and friends.

Moving up

Number 8 on the list . . .

. . . in D.C. at least.

Thank you.

One way to get Cubans . . .

Cigars from the birds



Now this is what I call art.

Now available

The Memorial edition of American Sniper, which includes memories of Chris from a wise array of friends, neighbors, and acquaintances.

For some more about it and links to purchase, check my website here or here.

A heartwarming story . . .

. . .  and a heartwarming book by a friend of mine - if you watch the video closely, you'll see he plays keyboards as well as types on them.

Larry Bond on Tom Clancy


From USNI News - this is Larry speaking:

The most correct thing you can say about the relationship between Hunt for Red October and “Harpoon” is that “Harpoon” was one of the many data sources that Clancy used when he was writing the book.

One way to tell “Harpoon” was one of [Clancy’s] sources is in the knife fight at the very end of the book where the Alfa-class is dogfighting with Red October. The Alfa fired a “Type-F” torpedo, which is what I called the Russian wire-guided torpedo in my [“Harpoon”] rules. When I wrote the first draft there was almost nothing in the unclassified realm regarding torpedo designations for the Russians. In fact I didn’t want to use the classified stuff—that was amazingly complicated.

I came up with Type A through Type F. When you see a bad guy fire a Type F torpedo [in the book]—that’s Tom using “Harpoon.”

Interview.

(USNI = U.S. Naval Institute)

Why I always go for the Big Mac . . .

Item:

For the research, nuggets were preserved, dissected and stained before they were examined under a microscope.
Nugget number one was about 50 percent muscle tissue such as from the breast or thigh, which is what most people think of when they think of chicken meat. The rest of it was made from fat, blood vessels and nerves, specifically the cells that line the skin and internal organs of the chicken.
Nugget number two was 40 percent muscle. The rest was fat, cartilage and bone.

Story.

"More than anything . . ."

". . . I'm a technology freak."

- Tom Clancy

Early interview in Publishers Weekly.

Clancy

Some good pieces on Clancy and his impact here:

NPR

And here:

NYT

I think some of the comments by readers and fans are especially touching.

Tom Clancy played an important role in my early career, both directly and indirectly. It’s pretty much an open secret that I worked on a few projects for him. More importantly for me personally, it was through this association that I ended up making a lot of good friends, some of whom I'm still close with today. My early association led directly to Dreamland and other series that followed.

I would add one thing to what’s been written: Clancy made reading and patriotism cool again. That’s something I don’t think you can underestimate.

Tom Clancy, 1947-2013

Tom Clancy, author of ‘Hunt for Red October’ and ‘Patriot Games,’ dead at 66 

Story.

A-10 cuts update

Frustrated that the Air Force hasn't explained why it wants to cut the A-10 from its fleet, one of New Hampshire's senators has placed a "hold" on the nomination of the Air Force's civilian head. In Senate decorum, this means that the nomination won't proceed (usually) until the Senator removes the hold.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., has placed a hold on the White House’s nominee for Air Force secretary, blocking the confirmation process of Deborah Lee James until questions are answered regarding potential cuts to the A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft, according to an Ayotte aide.

“Yes, she has placed a hold until she gets answers on the A-10 issue,” the aide told Defense News Wednesday evening. “She (as ranking member of the readiness subcommittee) views this as a readiness issue. Until we have a replacement for the A-10, why would the [Air Force] try to eliminate it? She isn’t necessarily saying we must retain the A-10, but wants to ensure there isn’t a capability gap that could result in lost American lives.”

Story.

My new assistant

She's not much on dictation, but no deer have come into the office while she's been on the job.

The Iranian killer in Syria

From the New Yorker:

[Qassem] Suleimani took command of the Quds Force fifteen years ago, and in that time he has sought to reshape the Middle East in Iran’s favor, working as a power broker and as a military force: assassinating rivals, arming allies, and, for most of a decade, directing a network of militant groups that killed hundreds of Americans in Iraq. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Suleimani for his role in supporting the Assad regime, and for abetting terrorism. And yet he has remained mostly invisible to the outside world, even as he runs agents and directs operations. “Suleimani is the single most powerful operative in the Middle East today,” John Maguire, a former C.I.A. officer in Iraq, told me, “and no one’s ever heard of him.”

Story.

Few Americans realize the extent to which Iran caused destruction, death and chaos in Iraq, nor its continued drive for influence in that country. Quds Force and Hezbollah (and their antecedents) have been critical instruments for some four decades, and have had far greater impact than nuclear weapons ever will.

Memorial edition

Coming in October

Thanks, everyone, for your help. Details forthcoming.