From Fox News

     WASHINGTON â€”  U.S. military and diplomatic officials gave the Iraqi government a satisfactory rating on eight of 18 political and security benchmarks, a mixed rating on two and an unsatisfactory rating on eight benchmarks in a White House report prepared for Congress.

     The interim progress report out Thursday — a second one due in September — says progress in Iraq has been good on key security areas such as the deployment of Iraqi forces in Baghdad, the establishment of joint security stations in Baghdad and the increased capability and independence of Iraqi military units as well as a few economic and political matters.

     Unsatisfactory progress was cited in a number of political benchmarks, including the passage of a hydrocarbon law, a debaathification statute and electoral reforms. The report also points out challenges of disarming militias and ensuring full Iraqi government control of security operations in Baghdad neighborhoods.

Read the Full Story Here

Click here to read the report (html)

     Despite what is said elsewhere progress, real measurable progress is being made in Iraq.  The question now is how do we build upon this sucess?  I wish I had the answers, but I don't, that is why we have Generals and they have staffs, to allow them to take all of the available information and make informed judgements.  It must be nice to gain the title of Senator or Representative and suddenly be blessed with the full and complete knowledge of all things.  The biggest battle we face in this war is not on the field of battle but in halls of Congress, for there it seems that no victory, no achievement, no matter how great is enough to prove that we are winning.  The members of congress on both sides of the isle who are screaming for a 'change of strategy' would do well to actually listen and hear what the people on the ground are telling them rather than simply reciting the mantras drummed into their heads by aides and advisors.

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 02:43 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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     My 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator. Need I say more?  No I think not.

     The vital statistics

1. Engine: 351 Cleaveland Bored .020 over with Comp Cams Camshaft and timing set, MSD igniton, Edelbrock peroformer Carb and intake, Hooker headers
2. Transmission: C-6 with Shift Kit and Locar Kickdown
3. Rear End: 9 Inch Traction Lock with 3.73:1 gears.
4. Wheels: 14x7 Cragar SS with Knock offs wearing Firestone Firehawk Raised White Letters

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 02:16 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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    Seen above is the newest ship being built for the Japanese Navy I mean Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force.  Called simply 16DDH after the year in which she was ordered, the 16th year of the Heisei era, or 2004, she is due to be launched next month.  She is officialy classed as a Helicopter carrying destroyer, hence DDH, DD= Destroyer, H= Helicopter.  The four DDH's the Japanese have now are really just that, destroyers with extended landing areas and hangars for three helicopters.  This yet un-named ship is officaly stated as displacing 13,500 tons, where even large destroyers displace less than 6,000.  Instead of her predicessors three helos she can offically carry four.  Most reasonable estimates are that she will be capable of hosting a mixed helo/VSTOL airgroup of 22 to 28 aircraft.

     Now most of the time a nation bulding a warship is no big deal, except when you have officaly renounced war but are on average number six or seven in world wide defence spending.  The Japanese spend on average just 1% of their GDP on defence compared to the USA's 8 1/2%.  Some of Japan's neighbors have been getting worried that with a ship like this one, and her sister on order signals the rebirth of Japanese militarism.  Nothing could be farther from the truth, the Japanese have recognized that in this day and age they must contribute to the defence of the free world in a manner consumate with their economic and political clout.  To be able to do this you need to be able to project force outwards, and to do that if you are an island nation you need a strong navy with aircraft carriers, but since the Japanese position is that they may not posess offensive weapons you build an offensive platform with a defensive name.

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 12:23 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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     As I have said before I am a fan of Anime and Manga, but more than that I am an Otaku, and I am proud to be one.  While some people might associate the term with negative or derogatory meanings or connotative implications, not to me, it simply means that I am a fan, a fan who has seen the ups and downs and stuck with my passion.  I appreciate that bringing new fans to the table is important, and one of my hope for this humble blog is to be an ambassador to the world of the North American Otaku.

 How did, I, a seemingly normal, rational person become an otaku you ask, easy by accident.  In junior high I happened to see a couple of anime videos that my older brother had rented, while he remains a casual fan I got hooked.  The first two anime that I remember seeing all the way through was a subbed VHS of Plastic Little : The Adventures of Captain Tita and a sub of Royal Space Force : Wings of the Honemiese.  While Plastic Little came as a shock to me for its massive fanservice (I had no idea such things could even be done in animation, I truly was an innocent) Royal Space Force was, and remains one of my favorites with its tremendous storytelling, plot and art, it showed that animation could be so much more than Disney-esque animation or thirty minute toy commercials.

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 06:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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    Manga, I have some, ok  a lot, but its not like I have problem.  I mean I don't keep a hyper detailed list of every volume of it that I own.  I have two such lists, one on my laptop and one on paper.  I know I don't have the most extensive collection in the world but it keeps getting bigger and bigger.  Here is a picture of my Manga bookcase,

and another angle for good measure,

At the moment I have 253 volumes of manga, not counting issues of anthologies like Shonen Jump and Comics AG, or the old pamphlet style manga.  Not seen in the photos above are a number of volumes that I have since purcahased and at least one new series I started buying. (Welcome to the N.H.K. which I highly reccomend)  It seems strange now but I can remember when all of my manga didn't even take up a single shelf on a smaller bookcase, now it has begun to migrate to the wall built in, and that is coming perilously close to being filled as well since in houses all of my anime DVDs.

More DVDs and Manga now fill the shelf where the Slave one toy used to be, having finally sold all of my old Star Wars collection recently. 

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 05:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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     The latest plan for a 'pullout' put forward by the Democrats is clear proof that they are well and truly disconnected from anything resembling reality.  Their plan is to give General Petraeus control over his own force levels. (which as Cinc Cent/ Comander US Third US Army)  he already has, subject, as always to the approval of the President.  Their other claim is that after May 1, 2008 US forces would be limited to Fighting Al Qaida, protecting Americans and Allies in country and training and Supporting the Iraqi Army and Security Forces.  What exactly do they think we have been doing for nearly three years now?

     Welcome to the party gentlemen, now why don't you contribute something useful, like say increased funding for Mine Resistant and Protected Vehicles (MRAP) , or money for needed recapitalization projects for the USAF, USN and USCG?  Dusty Reid and his cohorts are going to be in for some unpleasant news when the report on the troop surge comes in this fall.  I am left bewildered by the incompatence and inability of anyone on the other side of the isle aside from Joe Lieberman to grasp the importance and gravity of the war we ar in, and what the cost of defeat would be. 

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 04:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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     There are few things that I enjoy more than anime and manga, one of them just happens to be guns.  Yeah I loves me some firepower, and I own quite a bit too.  For now I will avoid the long drawn out political diatribes and just show some glorious American* engineering and know how.

     This particular specimen is an M-1 Garand, or more properly US Rifle, Caliber 30, M-1.  She was made in early 1955 at the Springfield armory in Springfield Mass. and came to me as a USGI service grade from the CMP.

      Follow the link above to learn how to purchase M-1 Garand's, M-1903 Springfields and M-1 Carbines from the CMP.

*And yes I know that John Garand was a canadian.

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 11:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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      Sometimes,(ie when the mood strikes me,) I will post reviews of anime, manga and other stuff on here.  The following criteria are how I try to judge anime, or any DVD for that matter in a fair and consistent manner.

     When writing a review one must offer both subjective and objective assements of whatever it is that you are reviewing.  So I have worked out for myself a system to do just that.  When posting a review I will follow a standard format that gives a grade for various elements of the work, and along with my opinions about the work to allow for both objective and subjective measures. 

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 10:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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     Hi, welcome to my first attempt at something resembling a blog.  I hope to use this space to pontificate about things I like, and things I don't.  Namely I want to share my love of anime, manga, fan fiction, classic cars, guns, right wing politics and whatever else should catch my eye.  As for the bit above, yes I am the Raging Tachikoma who publishes stories at FanFiction.net . Over the next couple of weeks I hope to add a fair bit of content here as time allows.  Until then welcome!

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 10:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Image Test

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 08:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Oooooh, it works, I think.  And for fun a Zimism "Worse or Better".

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 07:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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