An unbelievable video from Afghanistan.  A US soldier draws fire away from his pinned down company, and in the process takes four rounds, but his body armor prevents serious injury.

No rounds penetrated his body armor, and he made it home with no permanent injuries. This happened in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
From the cameraman:

” I got a hit a total of 4 times. My helmet cam died and i made it down the mountain on my own. I was also hit in the side of my helmet and my eye pro was shot off of my face. We were doing overwatch on the village to recon and gather intel. I was point heading down the face of the hill with the LT. when we got hit. the rest of the squad was pinned down by machine gun fire. I didn’t start the video until a few mins into the firefight for obvious reasons. I came out into the open to draw fire so my squad could get to safety.”
“A round struck the tube by my hand of the 203 grenade launcher which knocked it out of my hands. When I picked the rifle back up it was still functional but the grenade launcher tube had a nice sized 7.62 cal bullet hole in it and was rendered useless. 

Heh

Ex-pat Iranians run into Ahmadinejad's spokesman in New York City, and give him the greeting he richly deserves.

Good work Iranian Americans!

Some food for thought, courtesy of George Washington.  When he says "faction," he means political party.

"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty." -- Avalon Project - Washington's Farewell Address 1796

Climber chicks are cool.

This is cheap but funny.  But not in Norway.

Hillary Clinton makes me love her more than I already do!!

At the Clinton Global Initiative 2012, she said:

"One of the issues that I have been preaching about around the world is collecting taxes in an equitable manner — especially from the elites in every country," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in her speech at the Clinton Global Initiative Monday.

Sigh. 

An agglomeration of random images that nevertheless set a tone, as it were.

Lust

 

 

Fern Canyon, far northern California

 

The wife and I have trod this gully, but not the kids.  I realize we need to take them.

 

 

 

Blue and cool, Glacier Bay, Alaska

 

Sheep switchback, Blatten, Switzerland

 

The main stream media report an Obama sighting.

 

 

A summary of Obama's 60 Minutes interview disaster.

The debates should be fun given how out of control this guy is without a teleprompter and without a way for the press to defend him, or edit away his gaffes.

Mondays, they're like that.