Swofford Unleashed

Believe it or not, I can be a bit shy tackling certain topics. It is just not worth it to step in it and scrape it off. But what the hell! Freedom of expression is a value to be embraced and rigorously exercised with responsibility and integrity. And when we engage the process properly societal health is the result.

To live in a world of ideas is to seek out vibrant thought which cascades and thunders as a waterfall. Opinion allows for validation or deconstruction. An opinion should be seen as an isolated thought, placed in neutral category and without inherent value until the reader or listener seeks out the truth of the matter. Freedom of expression is best served when both the writer and the reader understand that a sifting process is freely applied to what is offered up as "wheat" but may yet just be a bunch of hooey "chaff".

So let me be bold on Monday. Let me touch on a topic which may put me up to my neck in "the stuff". But it is time for Swofford Unleashed. And the title of the Monday blog:

Nancy Drew goes to Washington.

Smiling,

Tammy Swofford

Larry Whitten: What a Marine Understands

If you ask the wrong question you will always come up with the wrong answer. Here is the wrong question in the case of Larry Whitten and his disgruntled former employees:

*If an employer fires an employee for insubordination can it be reduced to an issue of race relations if the employee is a minority?

Here is the right question:

*Does an employer have the right to enforce a dress code, code of conduct, or possibly enact scripted responses in his place of business? My hospital requires all of the aforementioned. I conform to all policies.

Larry Whitten is a former Marine. There is no doubt in my mind he understands the proper use of authority. He is also a man who has a gift for taking declining hotel establishments and improving the bottom line. It is probable he understands the level of customer service required for a newly-acquired hotel to remain solvent in an economic environment in recession.

It seems the PC crime of Mr. Whitten was to require employees to speak English in his presence at his place of employment. Remember, we live in a nation with English as the declared national language. He also requested minor adjustments to names such as Marcos to "Mark" and "Marteen" to "Martin" as part of the public face of his service-based business. The request is not unreasonable.

Mr. Whitten is a Marine. He understands chain of command, positional authority and respect. He was given none. He fired employees who were insubordinate.

In a day where a sense of entitlement and bull-headed insubordination can pass for employee "rights" it is good to remember that certain "rights" defraud the employer of his own capability to manage his affairs and run his business in a manner befitting both his management style and corporate vision. Give honor where honor is due, respect where respect is due. If you cannot conform to the minimum requirements of the workplace, resign. If you do not respect your boss, do not undertake the task of making your boss successful, resign. But don't, just don't play the race card.

Article Link

Tammy Swofford

Afghanistan: Complexities Without Secured Solutions: Part III

What mental picture comes to mind with the word "Afghanistan"? The cartographer will see Afghanistan as a nation. But in actuality the physical space more closely resembles loosely bound confederacies in uneasy alliance. The tribal regions are distinct and retain a sense of a secure place in history. Bounded by oral traditions the power lies with the Shura Council and village elders. Literacy has little value but loyalties count for everything.

Iraq had Chalabi. Afghanistan is stuck with Karzai. It is time to be plain-spoken. I will never be sought out diplomatically because when the truth stinks, diplomats don't dispense Lysol, but perfume. I prefer disinfectant.

Muslim-majority nations seems to have two primary leadership grids: the totally corrupt and the partially corrupt. So whether parachuting Chalabi into Iraq after toppling Saddam Hussein (he was detested by most who had prior dealings with him) or courting Karzai to take the helm in Afghanistan, the usual mess ensues. The Western powers scuttle about seeking the lesser of two evils, and we still end up with self-serving leaders who love cronyism and personal enrichment more than they love their own people and land.

It is an illusion really. Purple fingers aside, democracy is not blooming in many nations where we claim it to be, and public elections alone should not allow for the West to trumpet the dawning of a new age. The only plant blooming in certain locations is the Venus Fly Trap. USAID by the kadzillions is shoveled into the national treasuries of nascent "democracies", nations with little better than benevolent dictators. This money then finds its way into personal bank accounts and the next year, the fly trap is back in business seeking the continued largesse of the West.

Democracy can only bloom within open societies where men and women are afforded free will to chart their own course. Democracy acknowledges that the Creator who breathed into man and made him a speaking spirit intended for this same man to walk in liberty. Afghanistan is certainly not on the road to democracy. Karzai is corrupt. The centralized government is restricted to the urban areas and threatened within the tribal regions. What a cluster.

Democracy is also incapable of coming of age within destabilized regions where the local population is under seige. Stability precedes democracy. May Afghanistan achieve stability first. But democracy is too precious a concept to be bantered about and bequeathed on regions which have yet to show themselves capable of ridding themselves of corruption and also governing their population with justice.



Tammy Swofford

Afghanistan: Complexities Without Secured Solutions: Part II

Expeditionary capabilities. Long before the USMC and Navy developed the concept of an expeditionary force with a disappearing footprint the tribal regions within Afghanistan were adeptly using this military strategy on smaller scale. Our analysts noted the disadvantage of the terrain in Afghanistan prior to entry. This is military doctrine 101. Iraq was a good place to roll out the tanks. Afghanistan is a better place to employ the pack mules. Think trails and hard humps for our troops. Altitude sickness and bitterly cold winter months are also additional difficulties encountered by our own best hunters and trackers.

But what is noted within Islamic literature gives a backdrop to understanding the Mujahideen, tribal customs and loyalties, the dynamics of the Taliban and their increasing gains across Afghanistan.

Ambush! Raiding parties! The carefully kept geneology of Prophet Muhammad traced back to Adam shows an ancestor whose name is translated as "Raider" or possibly "Marauder". 'Tis in the blood, as they say. And 'tis within the traditions. The tribal regions where Islam dominates remain the ethnographic receptacles of the strictest of Islamic traditions. The ambush and small scout/raiding parties are highly regarded warfare traditions. The Mujahideen are adept at these things because the skills have been honed through the generations.

Jihad videos also churn out the same thematic platform of ambush and raids. In the previous blog I wrote of the Mujahideen coming of age. They are now wedding track-and-trap skills with

enough technological expertise to remain on the political chessboard as a serious threat consideration. This can best be seen in two arenas: surveillance and adept use of IED's.

It is interesting to view a video which shows a fighter pointing with a stick to his crudely constructed depiction of a mountainous road, mapped out in the dirt, showing his fighters the plan of attack. But to then see him upgrade to a laptop to identify defense weaknesses from surveillance footage is quite another thing. As in all things of this nature the end of each video is a foregone conclusion. Trap set, team picked, operation set in motion. Boom! The end is always shown multiple times. I am not quite sure why it is necessary. But surveillance capabilities used against our troops are certainly within their arsenal of asymmetrical weaponry. They are out there and employing surveillance technology beyond the old-fashioned set of eyeballs.

IED's are another "favorite" of the Afghan Mujahideen. In a sense it is also the ultimate ambush. IED's are made, buried in the road, and then detonated. Interestingly it is rarely the first vehicle which takes a hit in the videos I have viewed. Just another psychological aspect of ambush, I guess. (Mental note: offer to be in the lead vehicle for the convoy) But the Mujahideen capability of refurbishing salvaged weapons is an acknowledged skill set. IED's are primitive devices but devastating when it comes to injury and fatality. These show-and-tell videos give me all the information I need to understand that this conflict will end in a stalemate, at best. There will be no defining battle because of the blurring of the combatant lines within an asymmetrical space. We will not see a force amassed against us. It will continue to be ambush and raid. That is my analysis. *I hope I am proven wrong.

This is the war where we have dealt with PTSD on grander scale than we care to admit. Beyond the adjustment to guerilla warfare tactics our men and women in uniform must now face the invisible opponent. It is a primitive weapon buried under a few inches of dirt. As a healthcare professional I have pondered whether a conflict which provides for ambush and death by blast have contributed to PTSD. Yes, multiple deployments are certainly a causative factor. But all the training in the world can prove little match for a cleverly concealed cylinder of explosives. I have a friend who lost her youngest son to such a device in Afghanistan several years ago. It seems blast injuries are on the rise in Afghanistan.

Within a terrain where the opponent is intimately oriented and adjusted to the eco-system, where ambush is the name of the game, this remains an operationally difficult mission. Our troops are in need of our prayers. The situation is complex and viable solutions are lacking. In the meantime, the Commander-in-Chief has only two options. Either pull our troops out or honor the request of the Command Staff on the ground for increased troop strength.

Tammy Swofford

Afghanistan: Complexities Without Secured Solutions: Part I

One of the sites of which I am an avid follower is chaired by a senior defense analyst who is a strong proponent of our troops leaving Afghanistan. His latest title, "Dick Cheney is a Dithering Ass" brought my usual sense of fondness for America's freedom of expression. While not wishing to publicly discuss my private thoughts regarding Iraq and Afghanistan it does seem good to take at least a couple of days and somewhat off-the-cuff discuss the complexities of Afghanistan. Stay or leave, Afghanistan will continue to haunt us within the foreign policy arena.

The Talib have been around for quite some time. But their ideological counterpart has been active within the Caucuses along the same timeline. Just a moment ago my research took me over to one of the lesser recognized Jihad sites coming out of the region. My reading took me to an article on combat readiness. It somewhat caught my gaze as it started out with a commonly quoted Hadith attributed to Abu Hurayrah, one of the widely quoted Sahabah (Companions of Prophet Muhammad). There is certainly not enough space within a blog to discuss the ramifications of the use of this particular matn (text) but let me run through a few of the thoughts brought out in the article by this particular writer.

He starts with this statement:

"Every Muslim must know how to handle a Kalashnikov."

*Quick rabbit trail:

Several years ago this site featured a picture of a Qur'an next to a Kalashnikov. This sister site is fairly well-trafficked and in my opinion has in recent years upgraded their look and appeal to the Muslim white collar professional in the West. Their writing is more polished, albeit propaganda is propaganda. But such is the nature of regions roiled with ethnic tensions and volatile emancipation movements on the ground. So with Qur'an and Kalashnikov in hand, the battle rages within the Caucuses.

*Back on topic:

The article on combat readiness was fairly interesting. It spoke of land navigation, seeking out topographical maps with good scale, albeit not mentioning the adjustment for true north. The author covered weather considerations, survival training, cognizance of use of robotics by the opponent, securing camouflage and all-weather clothing. Most importantly, the author noted the need for internet search engine research for the Mujahideen to perform at the top of their game.

Within the asymmetrical battlespace the Mujahideen are coming of age. They are using technology to upgrade their capabilities. I will discuss this a bit more in the next blog.

Tammy Swofford

ESPN's Steve Phillips: Family as Poker Chips

The story is nothing new. Extra-marital affairs exist within the branches of all family trees. My grandmother said that if you shake a family tree a murderer, adulterer, thief and liar will fall out of the branches. She was a wise woman. But the stakes are higher today when married partners embark on a path of extra-marital sex. Technology allow each of us to peek into the lives of others, cyber-stalk at will, save text messages, and last but not least, create false online identities. So while the latest headline is in the "nothing new under the sun" category the details present the frightening new possibilities.

Steve Phillips sexual partner, a 22 year old production assistant young enough to be his daughter developed a fatal attraction within a short amount of time. Even reading the affadavits I am seeing an image of a bunny boiling on the stove.

For his part, Phillips now claims the woman has become delusional. Young women with lack of discretionary income and status who are swept up into a world of sexual intrigue with powerful men might indeed become emotionally out of whack. But what sort of delusion was this man harboring to risk it all for a gratuitous sexual relationship? It seems doubtful there was an intellectual appeal. The aftermath shows a stalked family in crisis.

Mr. Phillips put five poker chips on the table: his wife and four sons. He gambled it all and this time around he lost. This is not the first time he has walked away from his family. Now they seem poised to walk away from him. It may be a necessary first step to ensure their physical safety.

What did Phillips get for this bargain offered up in the parking lot?

*Frightened and stalked wife

*Cyber-stalked and confused teenage son

*Destruction of marital integrity

*Relationship with family irrevocably altered

The minister of our church says that cheating is easy to do and hard to resist. Stolen waters are sweet. He tells us we are free moral agents. We get to choose. But what we don't get to choose are the consequences. Let that little thought sink in.

The consequences are severe for Mr. Phillips. May he seek out personal counseling. My sympathies to his wife and sons. It is a long road ahead for them too.

Consequences as shown in family affidavits.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Zzzz: Your Northwest Airline Pilot may be Asleep

The root cause analysis will be fairly simple yet the flying public may never know the truth. Two pilots for Northwest Airlines overshot their destination by approximately 150 miles before finally acknowledging a communication which was most likely frantic in nature.

This nurse is able to guess how the scenario played out without having been inside the cockpit. Forget the hooey about a heated dialogue on airline policy. These pilots probably suffer from a health hazard which can be a hidden assassin: Sleep Apnea.

Sleep studies at a certified sleep study center with medical oversight should be the primary destination for both of these pilots. Within my hospital environment we now screen all surgical clients for sleep apnea. Most folks who have it are in denial there is need for medical intervention. Sleep apnea is becoming an increasingly common sleep disorder due to obesity in America. But non-obese clients can also present with sleep apnea.

Do flight physicals include evaluation for sleep apnea? Like the morbid joke which unravels thus,

"Grandpa died peacefully in his sleep. It was only his passengers who were screaming in terror",

could it be possible that two safe pilots became hazardous at the controls of an aircraft due to a missed diagnosis by a medical professional responsible for their flight safety?

Please click on link.

Tammy Swofford

Book Review: Read my Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box

Madeleine's Albright's new autobiography, a whimsical look at her life, beckoned me with a call from the ancestral gene pool of women. The draw for the book is a peek into her jewelry box.

Now while the Biblical account of the creation of woman recounts a story of life springing from the rib of man there are possibly just a few succint details left out. Let me fill in the blanks.

Adam was just a slapped together creature made at the end of a long creationary process. His descendants still walk about in slapped together manner as noted by their propensity to burp loudly after meals and scratch themselves in public.

Women, on the other hand, were formed. We are not only more beautiful in frame then our counterpart but have higher emotional quotients as well. This allows for our survival against a physically stronger counterpart. The Creator also endowed us with the gift of fascination. It is easily demonstrated when a man is cordoned away from his football buddies and later observed holding a woman's purse at the mall as she tries on a pair of high heels. Touchdown! Another man crosses the finish line to marriage!

But God also put a bit of the black crow into the psyche of women. We like bright and shiny objects. Hence, the title "Read my Pins" is not the eye-catcher for Ms. Albright's book. It is "Stories from a Diplomats Jewel Box" which catches our gaze. Yes! Delving into the personal jewels belonging to another woman is an exciting endeavor. Women know that jewelry represent events. They denote the seasons in our lives. Even in this we are quite different than men. They think along timelines. Women mark time with the memories of their life-span. Ms. Albright understands this and uses the concept deftly in placing this selection on bookstores shelves.

The book is well-written and gives a glimpse of a woman who definitely has a humorous streak. It also gives me a sudden appreciation for a woman who was tasked with two very difficult diplomatic career opportunities, that of U.S. Secretary of State and also U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. With delightful literary expression and in combination with jewelry photographed in beautiful fashion this is definitely a book for women.

Ms. Albright mentions one of her favorite boutiques, Tiny Jewel Box, situated on Connecticut Avenue in Washington's commercial district. Alas, her book was my companion for the flight home from Bethesda this week. I intend to visit this giant jewelry box on my next trip to the D.C. area. It is incredibly close to where I stay.... as the crow flies, of course. smile

This book is highly recommended as a fine addition to the library of any woman with good taste and the common sense to know that when clothing comes out of the closet there is nothing better than the perfect accessory to complete the outfit.

Tammy Swofford

Monday with Oppenheim

If friendships count for treasure....

Monday was spent with James Oppenheim touring Antietam. The day was lovely and we spent a bit more than three hours trekking through the site. Beyond his analytical capabilities Mr. Oppenheim is an excellent photographer.

You may click on the link below to enjoy a few photographs taken on Monday. Do also consider becoming a regular reader of Oppenheim Arts and Letters. He will expand your own intellectual horizons with his thoughts.

Photographs of Antietam.

Tammy Swofford

Islam4UK

This came into my email while on vacation.

Muslims for Shari'ah

This is my last morning in Bethesda, but let me take a moment and engage you with a few thoughts on the responsibility of the immigrant. My thoughts have already been shared on both sides of the Atlantic within the Muslim community.

The physical space of the world is becoming smaller and more diverse. Transportation and communication technology are both the gifts of the gods and the curse of humanity. It depends on the flip of the coin.

In the case of Islam4UK, there is a sister organization and web site up and running in the U.S. Hence, the curse.

The purpose of governance is to allow for stability. I don't care if you hail from a planet on the outer limits of the galaxy which has a superior form of governance which far surpasses that of any other form cooked up by man. If you are an immigrant you are committing an act of sedition against the state if you rally forces and publicly announce you seek the toppling of a stable form of government.

Read my lips. It is about public order. (hisbah) Chaos theory does not work as a change agent and the results are best seen in Somalia today, where it is estimated that a mere few thousand armed men have created a national humanitarian disaster.

I support new, updated immigration law which allows for a rapid deportation process to be judicially exerted against immigrants who actively seek the destabilization of the host nation. There will be no jury by trial with crying children running a sideshow. An immigration judge will merely sign off on the sedition case.

The immigrant has two fundamental choices:

*Live among the host population, seek to better your lot in life.
*Be ungrateful or seditious, a judicial door will open for your flight home.

Of greater concern is the damage done by such small and radical groups as they photoshop symbols of historic value which are near to the heart of the English, apply for permits to raise their fists. My question into the Muslim community was this: Why was there not containment as opposed to damage control? These mambas need to be marginalized and then their organizations deconstructed. And within the crowd of a possible 5,000 man march, with fists clenched, does there exist the small percent who will then take their zeal to tactical levels against the state? May they find their names on a government watch list.

Deportation for acts of sedition against the state. Britain needs to take a hard look.

Tammy Swofford

Blogs and the Repackaging Deals

What do you call two analysts visiting Civil War battlefields? Heck, I don't know. But it sounds like the lead into a good joke. I will be spending the day with a researcher-in-arms visiting Antietam, taking a walk down Bloody Lane, etc. Weather is cold and the rain has been spittin' since I arrived. So it will make for a cold day of touring.

But time for a look into the office space.

It was bound to happen. Two photographs of Sarah Palin taken by -Blackfoot have made their way to a high-traffic repackaging site. Artistic credit is not given for the work. The Combat Fishing Tour video shot by -Blackfoot is showing on YouTube without proper credit. Such are the woes of the blogland. In a world where each considers themselves an editor or an artist the clawing to the top of the heap is a necessary component for some folks.

The blog world is high-tech cattle rustling. Idea theft is rampant and it can be quite easy to identify for people adept at ferreting out snippets of news. Deciding how to deal with such things can be tough. When I began blogging my desire to move in clean journalistic manner caused me to seek out the advice of an editor in the Dallas media market. Over lunch he gave some basic guidelines:

*Most blogs are journals or personal diaries. No one reads them. Don't be too chatty regarding the personal sphere.

*If quoting a person in entirety, credit the author. Copyright rules should be observed. Paraphrased sentences or thoughts do not require acknowledgement.

*Acknowledge your sources. Do not use a cloak of anonymity.

Blog profiles on this site have been stuck at 15,000 for approximately two years now. It is not a reflection of the traffic to the site. It doesn't matter to this blogger, as the site is merely a secondary means of expressive function outside of research and writing in another arena. But it does matter to me if a member on the masthead writes me with a concern.

So for the sake of -Blackfoot this post is put up to acknowledge that a bit of artistic rustling is going on. If imitation is the best form of flattery..... smile.



Tammy Swofford

The Richard Heene Family: Children of a Lesser God

The focusing lens of a yawner of a reality show exploring a platonic "Wife Swap" was not enough for Richard Heene. A weak and undifferentiated male ego wanted more. So the clod of dirt orchestrated his own marketing scheme. Pick the child with the name of a bird. Report him as being aloft and carried along in a helium balloon that looked like a partially sauteed mushroom. Lights, camera, action! Oh, it feels great to be in the spotlight again!

Human behavior is quirky. Billions of us roam the planet accomplishing what we do best: a slow fade to mediocrity on the daily march of global anonymity. But in a day of reality television a few rather normal individuals become children of a lesser god.

Attaining demi-god status for singing, dancing or making general fools of themselves these simple folks find it hard to return home to what is a normal and healthy lifestyle after the last snip of a director's cut. What? Nobody is watching me brush my teeth anymore? My guess is more than a few of these stars return home to face a season of mild depression. They are no longer lauded and feted. They must look in the mirror and assess the hollow frame of man.

I have never watched a "reality" television show beyond a few minutes of time. Honestly. Who gives a flip about fantasy when real life is so much more interesting? These manufactured events open a door into the psyche of the participants which might be more than they are capable of controlling. I am convinced that "fame" is the God of Destruction. In the end, these children of a lesser god come to realize that they look like this sad scenario to their neighbors.

Tammy Swofford

Travels with Tammy

John Steinbeck wrote "Travels with Charley: In Search of America". He chronicles a road trip taken with his poodle. Paul Theroux penned "The Old Patagonian Express: By Train through the Americas", a travelogue of a long journey taken by rail. Steinbeck's style is folksy compared to that of Theroux but both of these professional/personal travel diaries serve the same purpose. The authors wished to share their observations regarding their fellow man. Steinbeck's focus is on the American citizen and Theroux examines the man of the Americas.

After riding the Metro from Reagan National to the stop nearest my hotel a flash of illumination came to me. Silly John! Silly Paul! These men could have saved themselves a lot of time and expense. Riding the yellow and red lines from D.C. to Bethesda allow the full display of humanity in every conceivable form and fashion. While not laying claim to any particular journalistic skill in conveying my own thoughts it is a fact the observation skills of a nurse are highly calibrated. The Metro is a great place to put observation to work on grand scale.

From our various flights dozens of us made our way to the metro platform adjacent to the airport. Mannerisms, colloqialisms and style of dress let me know a wide cross-section of Americans were congregated together in the search for cheap rapid transit. As for myself, underclad for the weather, assumptions were made regarding my attire. Coming from Texas where it is infernally hot and jettisoning into another climate is always a jolt. But I enjoy the change so much that the biting wind and drizzly rain did not bother me.

Cramming into the subway compartment during lunch rush is quite an experience. I found a ceiling rod in the cabin to steady myself and secured my luggage with the other hand. The League of Nations was riding the rail and everyone was extremely polite. Men in expensive business suits with newspapers sat alongside men with what I term a "career-killer" look: middle management shoes! Blue collar workers, college students and the elderly were all co-mingled within the confines of this small space. America! All her hopes and dreams and struggles are represented within the small space of a subway car.

I love Bethesda and and the Woodmont Triangle area. It is my favorite haunt. The vibrancy, flow of humanity and life outside my door remind me of America and her people. Over the weekend Woodmont Avenue will be blocked off for an arts festival. I intend to join the pedestrian throng and make a few purchases.

We are a great nation made up of really wonderful folks. As I rode the Metro today and scanned the faces in the crowd I was reminded once again to pray for our nation. May Divine Providence and Guidance continue to overshadow us all. God Bless the U.S.A.

Proud to be an American!

Tammy Swofford

Book Review: Methodology of Islamic Research

Yet again, another selection joins the top shelf of the Swofford research library. Welcome aboard, Dr. Yusuf Kavakci, Ph.D

"Methodology of Islamic Research", by Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci, Ph.D is a necessary library addition for any serious student of the Islamic Sciences. It is a graduate school level text in the English language. But please! Just call me "Anencephalic Swofford" after tackling this selection. My eyes blurred within three pages. My brain is a vault but my own research methodology a sieve....this book will slay the novice but invigorate the research-driven soul. (I remain unrepentant!)

In the world of the Dewey Decimal System, the Islamic Sciences are afforded the number 297. But my guess is this book selection has not yet made its way to many library shelves. It is too scholary for most individuals. And if you have scarcely made it past the large print/small word favorite, "Islam for Dummies" this is not the book for you. But it is a valuable literary resource birthed by the hand of a most unusual man.

In the world of political tensions we find the Geert Wilders crowd. My thoughts tend to be more in line with those of Alberto Manguel as expressed in "The Library at Night". He opposes censorship. I follow his line of thinking. To destroy ancient manuscripts and texts is to destroy the history of civilizations gone by. The book by Dr. Kavakci provides a glimpse of the literary trail of manuscripts from the Orient which reside as the bones of old men within the great libraries of the world. His hands handled some of these texts during the earlier years of his life. And his knowlege of ancient texts and sources is put on display within the pages of this compressed yet highly intellectual book.

In a digital age it is easy to forget the importance of preserving the written thoughts expressed in earlier centuries. They present a compendium of the history of mankind. Whether examining a codex unicus or merely a frayed copy of a mostly forgotten piece of poetry it is the scholarly ranks who work to preserve these things. They peer within the pages of historical works with a sense of wonderment and delight. The rest of us, well.... we are bogged down with what I will be reading on my flight to the east coast tomorrow: the cheap little paperback which will be tossed as soon as the flight touches down at Reagan National. smile

The book "Methodology of Islamic Research" will be lined up with other of my top pick books on which I rely for continued use in studying the issues which confront us today. Did I mention that my copy is signed by the author? smile

Tammy Swofford

Hollywood: The Android Stage

Does it bother anyone but me? I am reaching less than ever for the remote access for the plasma screen. On the weekly nighttime line-up of popular interest an android universe beckons us. Whether it is CSI Miama, NCIS, Criminal Minds or Numbers (just for starters), the actors increasingly look like beautiful yet essentially undifferentiated pieces of plastic. It is not just the women. The men now also sport the Michael Jackson nose. And they all look so.....androgenous. With men prettier than the average woman on the street I have a wild impulse to check them for testes. So many of these actors look like they just spent the morning at a Day Spa with an afternoon of shopping on Rodeo Drive. You can't convince me they were up for 18 hours tracking a psychotic murderer.

Maybe it is because I grew up with a steady diet of monthly photographs from the magazine "National Geographic", but what defines beauty for me goes much deeper than flawless complexion, botox lips and $$$ anti-aging products. Beauty looks like an African woman with crooked teeth and a baby slung across her back. It looks like a goat-herder in Nepal with rags wrapped around his hands as he chases his herd across the mountain crags. Beauty is best observed in natural form.

A mother breastfeeding a neonate shows a natural beauty. The curve of the maternal breast supporting a small little creature with a head full of hair and tiny fingernails holding onto the source of life is a thing of beauty. One more set of made-for-t.v. boobs spilling out of a three-sizes-too-small blouse just doesn't account for much. *My husband probably feels differently.... But you know where I am going with this line of thought. Hollywood beauty is a highly manufactured and tightly controlled industry now. You can never be pretty enough, young enough, virile enough to make the cut without surgical and anti-aging interventionalists.

In the last month I have received three different "People of Wal-Mart" photo montages. They are god-awful! I have laughed myself silly with some of the images. I am now afraid to shop at Wal-Mart unless dressed for church or an evening out. I am skittish my image will peer out at me from the next photo assemblage. Yeah! There is Swofford! She is wearing a T-shirt and shorts and flip-flops. No make-up. Hair up in a clip.

But then I stop and think of the alternative. I could end up looking like "them". Am I beautiful? You betcha! In that natural-appearing "National Geographic" kind of way, of course! And you are beautiful too! smile

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Anwaar Hussain: Strategic Military Thinker

Anwaar Hussain is a (retired) Pakistan Air Force wing commander. He also writes for the PakTribune.

Link to commentary on the current situation in Pakistan.


Tammy Swofford

Attack on Pakistan Military Headquarters: A Crisis of Confidence

Read my lips. You don't make a deal with the Devil. You don't blink as you load the weapon and drive him off your property with extreme violence. Government exists to safeguard community against threat so the eco-space can function properly. President George W. understood the role of government. As Commander-in-Chief he promised the hunt. 9/11 was not the time to send out a Hallmark greeting card. It was a time to mourn, gird our national loins, and tighten up the bow of defense for our nation. Those bound by an oath became the blood of the pact. Our economy is the treasure invested in our defense. Blood and treasure: It is what binds a nation.

Three attacks in one week: An attack on humanitarian relief, one on citizens within the commercial sector and a tightly-configured and well-executed attack on the nerve center of the Pakistan military. A Brigadier General is laid to rest. Small children are wrapped in little shrouds. Tears. Tears are being shed in Pakistan this week. Seditious and terroristic shadows are being cast across the landscape.

Again and again I read the same words, ".... most powerful institution of Pakistan attacked". On a certain level there is a recognition that the Pakistan military represents a powerful class within their society. But truly the most powerful institution of any nation is the will of the people.

The will of the people, with clear voice and unmistakable declarative intent, dictates the role of government. This unified voice is still lacking in Pakistan's community at large. Government is meant to function as a semi-permeable membrane which surrounds the body of the community. We all "know" it is there as we go about our daily lives but our interface with its public face is infrequent. But when a nation is threatened not only do we encounter more of a public face but threat of an iron fist. Like it or not, this is the dynamic which plays out when children lie bloodied and dead in the streets. The will of the people is needed in Pakistan. The military will play their role. May they make fast work of many a Shaheed wannabe while still lying in his bed. If his wife and child are beside him, so be it. He chose his course: his choosing becomes the choice for his family. But each local community must also rise up and declare , "Enough!" Sedition must be driven with force from their public squares.

The public face of Pakistan's government is about to change. Just as when individual cells within the body become cancerous endangering the greater frame, the frame of government in Pakistan is being wasted. President Zardari must respond. May he do so with wisdom.

May the powerful military institution be successful in their hunt. But it will be the most powerful institution of all, the will of the people, which is most needful in this crisis. May the national backbone be firmly snapped into place as Pakistan seeks her own survival.

Link to article


Tammy Swofford

President Barack Obama Awarded a bit of Fairy Dust

"Stunning pick". These are the descriptive words of journalism following the announcement that President Barack Obama is the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. "Plastic trophy" is the word which comes to my own mind.

In a world where internationalists rule the choice of Barack Obama showcases the best of political agendas. Barack Obama, a man lauded for his "initiatives" as opposed to measurable or quantifiable results toward "peace", is the most malleable piece of American real estate to hold the Office of the Presidency in the history of our nation.

Increasingly, the world of "awards" has become a bizarre scene where spheres of influence coalesce to produce"the right message" within the public corridor as opposed to remaining true to the spirit of giving awards: honoring the recipient. Awards are no longer about the individual. Awards are used to traffic agenda. The new AlGore-ithm for the Nobel Peace Prize is now firmly established with the "stunning pick" of President Barack Obama. Should we even care who wins the award next year? Process has been corrupted and politically prostituted.

My own life has never offered up the glass slipper, rather the plastic spoon of life. I don't believe in pumpkins converted to carriages anymore than holding to a belief that mice become horsemen or crisis comes at the strike of a clock at midnight. But now I find myself completely believing the fairy tale of a man who is called Barack Obama. By what other manner could a man of such mediocre vision and talent attain to such recognition? I believe in fairy dust. Really, I do.

Tammy Swofford
tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Teaching our Children to say "No!"

Big Sis-Lil' Sis. It has a nice ring to it. A Dallas area high school supports a "tradition" of older high school girls providing a day of "mentoring" for incoming freshman girls. What parent wouldn't be thrilled? Women seek out special bonding experiences and the memories that make up an old-fashioned scrapbook in our minds. Our DNA strand is just a bit different than that of our counterpart in manner in which we synthesize human experience.

Unfortunately, parents of the freshman girls at this Dallas-area high school were unaware that a few of their daughters would be lap-dancing for boys, simulating oral sex and engaging in other peer pressure events coached by the Big Sis' from the local campus. Personally, if I were a parent of one of the freshman girls involved, there would be a "Big Sis" heading to juvenile detention. Blindfolding my child, would be a good place to start in seeking that charges be pressed against the offenders. While the news article titled the acts as hazing, what transpired seems more like initiation into a gang.

Child-rearing is not for the faint of heart. My parents managed to raise six little hooligans. My own childhood family structure was rather traditional in that it supported an authoritarian father and a more nurturing mother. Sure, Dad loved me. He still does! But to use the word "no" in his presence, to engage a bit of renegade disobedience brought a firm hand of discipline to bear. I am not ungrateful for the care and oversight. But in retrospect, I wish my upbringing had also brought lessons as to the value of the word "No!" when used by a child in warranted circumstances. I only developed the confidence to use the word in my early adulthood and there are still times where I must remind myself that it is not necessarily impolite to use the word.

If you have not had a discussion with your children as to the appropriate time to say "no" please do so today. It should be age appropriate. Toddlers should be taught that the response is always "no" if any adult seeks to touch them in an inappropriate manner. School children should be taught to say no to the classroom bully. Impressionable adolescent males need to know it is o.k. to say the word no when any action or behavior seems to involve reckless endangerment. And young teenage girls certainly need to know how to scream the word "No!" when asked to simulate sexual acts and behave in unladylike fashion. Remind your children that God gave them vocal cords for a reason. They may face a day where their vocal cords make a strong movement to shout out the word "NO!!" and you need to affirm to them that you will be right behind them, when they make the right choice.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33187997/ns/local_news-dallasfort_worth_tx/



Tammy Swofford

Hakimullah Mehsud

Yeah. He is still alive. These photos are just three of approximately a dozen posted on a Jihad site.

Link to traditional press release here.

Tammy Swofford

Ringmaster Obama: The Bastardization of the Republic

The Obama-friendly media is laughable at best. Proclaiming gleefully that President Obama "filled the Rose Garden" with physicians supportive of his costly healthcare "reform plan" it appears journalists believe the majority of us have fallen down the rabbit's hole. It is no wonder respect for print journalism is incredibly low. Convoluted factoids are the best these cretins can spit out.

One hundred and fifty physicians showing up for a photo opportunity with the President is not exactly a quorum. Two-thirds of U.S. physicians oppose the current plan and 45 percent are bold enough to state that this despicable state of affairs is enough to make them consider walking away from the profession.

Socialized medicine will merely provide just one more means of breaking the back and the political power of the working middle-class. Given enough time we will begin to look like many of our neighbors to the south. These governments support a powerful upper class, a struggling middle class, and a huge citizen base of working-class poor. President Obama supports such model. The power is not in the hands of the people rather in the hands of the few. Taking away our economic liberty, our right to choose private healthcare options is just the newest liberal attempt at the bastardization of our Republic. Our Constitutionally protected rights are being slowly erased by socialists with liberal policies and agendas.

Have you had enough? The polls can't open soon enough. Take your eyes off the Ringmaster. Check out what is going on in the shadows.

Ringmaster Job Description

2/3 of physicians oppose the plan

Iran: Nothing to Lose

The news cannot be much worse. A nuclear Iran is on the horizon. Sanctions, schmanctions. The Iranian regime could care less. The domino effect of any significant action against Iran has potential to open the gates of Dante's Inferno in glorious display: Abandon all hope.

Consider Iraq: with a 2/3 Shi'a demographic within a nation still seeking 21st century identity, any action against Tehran will course straight through the political umbilical cord shared with the Shi'a in Iraq. It is a crap shoot to determine how the Ayatollah community will react.

Lebanon will respond with ocelot-like leap under command of HizbAllah leader Nasrallah. It is difficult to know for sure how this detached Iranian Brigade will respond.

Syria will certainly be poised to do what they do best: bridging activities for black market arms and assets. The nation also plays host to Hamas leader-in-exile Khalid Meshaal. Although Hamas is a Sunni-based organization, the Shi'a and Sunni form an odd couple in times of political duress. Fights dating back to Abu Bakr and Ali are momentarily set aside.

American military forces are in transition. We are leaving Iraq yet will possibly see greater troop strength and reconfiguration within Afghanistan in the future. It is not going well in Afghanistan. It will not go well in Afghanistan for more reasons than I care to note.

The E.U. will shimmy and shake and the caponic U.N. will also produce a flurry of resolutions against Iran.

That leaves Israel. My gut tells me what Israel will do. It will be a hell of a ride.

Tammy Swofford

Gay Activism: Tanking the Homecoming Court Tradition

*Mother's Day

*Thanksgiving

*Christmas

*Easter

Would you support a dismantling change to the basic aspects of celebrated American traditions? How would you feel if "Uncle Sammy" insisted you send him a card on Mother's Day? It would be a slam dunk "No!" on that one.

Would you feel slighted arriving at a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner to gather around a meatloaf and tater tots? What about Christmas cheer? Can you imagine walking into a home and visualizing the living area a complete blank: no tree, nary a stocking, no twinkling lights, scented candles, egg nog or pumpkin pies? You will find all that and more at a Swofford Christmas remembrance.

What if an individual demands the new Easter symbol for children be an "Easter Moose" instead of that cute little bunny and colored eggs? And what if an individual rants against the Christian cross set out at your place of business to commemorate the death, burial and resurrection of Emmanuel? A local business sets out a lovely Cross display on their counter during the Lent season. I appreciate the remembrance. I am a Christian.

American traditions bring cohesion to our society. Our foundational traditions also serve to remind us that we are a nation which from the beginning sought a few basic celebrations based on the only foundation which many of us believe will be the "last man standing": Jesus Christ.

So kudos to the student senatorial body at UNT for their decision to stand against a proposed change in campus by-laws which would allow same-sex couples to compete for the title of Homecoming King and Queen. Fear of economic boycott from their donor pool certainly plays a part in the decision. But most likely there are also a few "traditionalists" serving within the Senate governing body. The Homecoming Court election process is a tradition which honors the complementary role of men and women in society. It should not be reduced to just one more grandstanding event for the homosexual community to strut their stuff. Didn't we have enough of that bull during the last Academy Awards ceremony?

Dallas Morning News Link



Tammy Swofford

President Zardari: The Need to Throw the Whip

"The Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, conceded to as-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwan a grant-right whose extent was to be determined by the gallop of his horse in the dead-lands of an-Naqi': after doing this, he threw his whip ahead, hoping to extend it further and the Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Give it to him, right up to where his whip reached."

Abu'l-Hasan al-Mawardi, "Al-Ahkam As-Sultaniyyah: The Laws of Islamic Governance"

Does he have it in him? Does President Zardari have it in him to throw the whip? Is the passion sufficient to revive the land of Pakistan? He is the thread upon which the beads of governance reside. It is up to him.

Are his eyes dry? It takes a dry-eyed man to deal with the internal rot and corruption of a system of governance in need of revival. Pakistan was birthed on the backs of poor Muslims heeding the call of the Muslim League and embracing the vision of men such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It has been sixty-two years since the tumultous birth of a nation. Pakistan is in tumult again. But this time it is not the fight for birth but one for continued national breath.

History rarely pays tribute to the meek or gentle soul with the tranquil gaze. But true leadership and passion spill out in historical text to remind us of the men who threw the whip.

Passionate leadership is also accompanied by steady hands. These are the hands which bring men to account for actions which have harmed the organization or chain of command in which they reside.

May President Zardari remain clear-eyed and steady-handed to release the flick of the whip to the furthest corners of institutionalized corruption. The dead lands lie even beyond the gallop of the horse.

Tammy Swofford

Pakistan: The Story of the Barking Dog

Kulayb ibn Wa'il was a powerful man. History recounts that he brought a dog to a high point in a certain area and made him bark. Declaring that he had created a land reserve for himself to the distance in which the barking dog could be heard, ibn Wa'il forbid this share of the land to the surrounding people. He was later killed for his act and al-'Abbas ibn al-Mardas recited the following:

"It is thus that Kulayb seized - unjustly and by his position of power until he fell and was killed by it - the land of the Wa'il, when he had the dog bark and prevented his brothers from living there."

Islam has many oral traditions which solidify their strong ties to the land. Oral tradition points to three things believed held in common by Muslims: water, fire and pasture. But it is within the realm of land allocation and usage that oral tradition and jurisprudential precedence are most clearly noted within the literature.

Land can be classified in major categories such as:

Waqf : property which is seen as in perpetual ownership by the Muslim community.

Hima : Land reserves used for pasture and open to all who have need of them. This would be like communal grasslands.

Arfaq: Land which is given as common land for areas surrounding markets and streets. It includes the roads and spaces adjacent to private residences, any area which is widely traveled where there may be the need for a rest area.

Mawat: Land which is considered dead and in need of revival for cultivation of crops.

Pakistan has been dealing with the barking dog for several years now. The land and the population has suffered an ideological assault which has escalated to armed assault and violence against its citizens. Ard al-mawat: earth of death.

There is need for the lands belonging to Pakistan to revert to proper ownership whether ownership of the state or of the individual citizen. Pakistan is cleaning up the Swat Valley. It is a good start. But for the nation to survive and flourish there remains the task of reclaiming and revitalizing the "dead lands". Corruption and prior lack of a concerted effort to reform policies and agencies such as the ISI have produced Ard al-mawat within the governing bodies of Pakistan. But it is also the echo of the barking dog which must be silenced. The political landscape must return to a resting state so that the physical land can be revitalized.

Tomorrow the analogy will move to the gallop of the horse and the toss of the whip to examine the manner in which the administration of President Zardari must continue to move forward to benefit the people of Pakistan.

Tammy Swofford