Posted By Pat Dollard.
10:52 A.M.
The Perfect Christmas
Due to a complicated set of circumstances, I will not be able to see, or even speak to, my daughter this Christmas.
I had no plans, other than to work on editing the documentary.
A couple of days ago, I received an email from the widow of a Marine I was with in Iraq, one of whose children had never seen his father. Neither this woman, Julie Shumney, or any of her children, had seen any video footage of their father, and his incredibly brave, dangerous, and patriotic work in Fallujah, back during the bad old days of the battle through it. I had given her an access code to download some of the footage but it wasn’t working. Plus it was not much of the footage of her husband. Circumstances had prevented me from getting it all to her and his family earlier.
Upon receipt of her email, I realized I could spend the necessary time this weekend culling together all the tapes of her husband, Lt. Dustin Shumney, and then fly to Texas on Christmas Day, and deliver it to Julie.
Between the airline flight attendants, the desk clerks at Avis, and the Shumneys, I will spend this Christmas entirely with strangers, but since I will be able to see my daughter another time, this will be the perfect Christmas.
4:56 P.M.
Because my laptop shit the bed, and I’m traveling, I’ve been updating the site today from a variety of different Apple Stores. I’m at my 3rd different location. Thanks, Apple.
10:33 P.M.
It is becoming clear that the remnants of Al Qaeda in Diyala are starting a massive offensive against the smaller, outlying ( read: weak and relatively undefended ) villages in Diyala Province (the mixed-religious province they were left with as their only viable “home” in Iraq after they lost Al Anbar). This is a potentially troubling development, and must be tracked to determine if the appropriate response is forthcoming on the part of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and U.S. military.
11:03 P.M.
Because of the YA edit schedule this week, I missed all of that New Orleans shit. I hope Bashman posted about it. If he didn’t, somebody bitch at him for me.
Sunday December 23,
9:12 A.M.
I just woke up. Writing anything further requires thought.
9:13 A.M.
Just heard that fat guy with a beard who sells everything screaming about a light switch we should all buy. It somehow segued into a shot of Obama saying “Everybody requires room at the inn”.
9:15 A.M.
How hot is Reena Ninan? If you’re gonna get your war, you really should get it through her.
10:20 A.M.
It gets cold in winter. Smokers know.
10:23 A.M.
Yesterday, the NY Times, the LA Times, the Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and the AP – yes, ALL of them – ran stories that our new Sunni allies’ militias, QUITE POSSIBLY, would start running out of control and reignite war and mayhem in Iraq, ANY DAY NOW.
12:35 P.M.
I know I still owe everyone the whole crazy lowdown on our L.A./Adam Sandler X-Mas Party adventure, but in the meantime, here is a picture of RightHandGirl and me at the end of the weekend.
Read & See more of Pat Dollard reports.
Tagged: Adam Sandler, Christmas, Diyala Province, Fallujah, Heroes, Lt. Dustin Shumney, Reena Ninan, RightHandGirl, Sunni, Texas.
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Posted on Mon 12/24/2007 by papundits
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