The Other War

Our military in Iraq and Afghanistan aren't the only ones subjected to armed conflict.  Citizens on our border with Mexico are being subjected to combat conditions with no support from our government or law enforcement.  You don't hear of this in the media because it goes against the meme of 'the only people crossing the border are poor oppressed Latinos who need our superior liberal help so how dare you deny them access to American wealth to which they are entitled.'  You also don't read about it in police reports because the police are not reporting what is really going on.

An example: A friend of mine goes hunting in southern Texas on a large ranch.  The ranch manager tells him of finding an unfamiliar truck parked next to one of the ranch gates with men trying to open i.  When he challenges them, they open fire with automatic weapons.  He returns fire with a shotgun, and the men increase fire and try to flank him to kill him.  He manages to escape with his life.  The police report says that the only evidence found at the scene are shell casings from his shotgun and one .22 shell casing (most likely .223, but I guess that's close enough to .22).  What they failed to put in the report are photos of the side of his truck with lines of bullet holes down the side put there by automatic weapons fire.  Move along--nothing to see here.

Another example: A ranch hand is sitting in a bunk house on his own when the door is kicked in and two thugs demand the keys to his truck.  He pulls out a firearm and they flee.  The ranch hand says that this is common and no one goes unarmed where he is.  You don't dare kill one of these trespassers because they tend to run in gangs, and for every one or two that are out in the open, there are usually five or more in hiding waiting to see what you do.  So, rather than cleaning the gene pool out, you have to let them go because you don't know how many you're actually facing--which means they're free to go rob/murder the next rancher.

Anglo leftists use the charge of racism to halt any inquiries into this activity because they need the 'oppressed' to support their Leftist causes.  Latino leftists use the charge of racism to destroy our borders and expand Mexico because they want to push out Anglo culture and reclaim the land they lost long ago due to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.  The drug traffickers use both to clear the way for business.  We are left to pick up the pieces because multiculturalism and political correctness prevent us from acknowledging that war has been declared on us one ranch at a time.

Hope and Change - Secondary and Tertiary Effects

The growing fecklessness of the current Administration is having effects beyond the Middle East.  As detailed by George Friedman of STRATFOR reports, the European Union and NATO are losing their luster with former vassals of the Soviet Union (who know a thing or two about tyranny, socialism, and unaccountable bureaucrats).

Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have established the Visegrad Group.

The region is Europe — more precisely, the states that had been dominated by the Soviet Union. The Visegrad Group, or V4, consists of four countries — Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary — and is named after two 14th century meetings held in Visegrad Castle in present-day Hungary of leaders of the medieval kingdoms of Poland, Hungary and Bohemia. The group was reconstituted in 1991 in post-Cold War Europe as the Visegrad Three (at that time, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were one). The goal was to create a regional framework after the fall of Communism. This week the group took an interesting new turn.

On May 12, the Visegrad Group announced the formation of a “battle group” under the command of Poland. The battle group would be in place by 2016 as an independent force and would not be part of NATO command.    Yes, go back and read that again (in fact, go read the whole article).  Four European nations have decided that NATO (and, by extension, the United States) is no longer seen as a guarantor of freedom.  Of course, I'm sure that our treatment of Israel and response to Iran and the "Arab Spring" had nothing to do with this turn of events.  After all, the United States is no better ally and friend--just ask Hosni Mubarak.

Hope and change... still having magical effects around the world.

The Problem Is That He Does Get It

Ever since President Obama made his speech at the State Department this week declaring that Israel must return to her pre-1967 borders, commentators, pundits and delusional Democratic Jews have been continually making excuses for him, claiming that he doesn't understand Israel's security problem with doing that, that he doesn't 'get it.'

I don't think he misspoke at all.  Based on his past and his ideology, he understands perfectly what he was saying.  The clues are rather obvious...

Cuban Missile Crisis - Take 2

Germany's Die Welt has reported that Iran is planning to build a medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) base in Venezuela on the Paraguana Peninsula. Nice payoff for Hugo Chavez--he must provide exceptional fellatio as guys like Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Mahmoud Ahmadin-Nejad keep showing up.

Why should this be a concern for us?  After all, MRBMs are supposed to have a range of 3,500 kilometers (~ 2,200 miles).  Well, when you consider that it's only 1,367 miles between Caracas and Miami, it's gets to be a little more personal... and, given that the estimated maximum range for the Shahab-3 is 1,300 miles... you get the idea. (The Shahab-5, under development by Iran , is estimated to have a range of 4-5,000 kilometers or 2,500-3,100 miles).

Again, why should we be worried, because, after all, the Shahab is based on the North Korean Nodong missile--which is based on old Russian technology.  Be worried because Russia has been working with the Iranians since the 1990s.  Russian state agencies and private firms involved in Iran's missile program include the Russian Space Agency; the state-owned arms trading company Rosvooruzheniye; NPO Trud, a rocket engine manufacturer; Polyus, a laser manufacturer; the Bauman Institute; and the Russian Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI). These entities reportedly have sold Iran important components, such as the gyroscopes used in missile guidance systems, and have helped in the design of nose cones and missile guidance and propulsion systems.

Hence, my title of 'Cuban Missile Crisis - Take 2.'  Because the Russians are covertly putting in to place the kind of sword over our heads that they wanted in place back in 1962--a means of striking the United States.  With everyone concentrating on missiles coming from the Middle East and Russia, missile defenses are oriented towards the likely attack vectors.  This adds a new factor to the game.

Because this time the Russians won't have the problem of being tied directly to the missiles they way they were back in 1962.  No pissant dictator directly tied to their state honor and support.  No reason for the United States to strike them directly if anything ever flies from Hugo's back yard.  Using Iran as their front man to place the threat for them is the kind of deft chess move that befits their history.

Russia knows that Iran is the thorn in the side of the West--and they have no motivation to help remove it. Hence the lack of support in the U.N. for serious penalties for Iran's proliferation.  Why remove a major source of anxiety in the world which is keeping oil prices high and, coincidentally, of course, pouring billions in additional profit into Russian coffers. (You did know that Russia exports a crapload of oil, didn't you?)

Aren't you glad we have the most competent Administration evah in office now to handle this kind of danger?

Seeing The Egypt They Want To See

Andrew McCarthy has written yet another superb article on the Middle East.  In "An Ill Season," McCarthy writes:

Screaming “With our blood and soul, we will defend you, Islam,” jihadists stormed the Virgin Mary Church in northwest Cairo last weekend. They torched the Coptic Christian house of worship, burned the nearby homes of two Copt families to the ground, attacked a residential complex, killed a dozen people, and wounded more than 200: just another day in this spontaneous democratic uprising by Muslim hearts yearning for freedom.

In the delusional vocabulary of the “Arab Spring,” this particular episode is known as a sectarian “clash.” That was the Washington Post’s take. Its headline reads “12 dead in Egypt as Christians and Muslims clash” — in the same way, one supposes, that a mugger’s fist can be said to “clash” with his victim’s face. The story goes on, in nauseating “cycle of violence” style, to describe “clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians” that “left” 12 dead, dozens more wounded, “and a church charred” — as if it were not crystal clear who were the clashers and who were the clashees, as if the church were somehow combusted into a flaming heap without some readily identifiable actors having done the charring.

Well, what, you may ask, would cause such wailing and gnashing of teeth?

The provocation that stirred Muslims this time, as if there had to be one, involved a rumor that Copts are preventing a Christian woman from converting to Islam — and who wouldn’t grab the blowtorch over that? The rumor is probably not true, but what difference does that make? A Christian woman about whom a similar claim was made a couple of years ago ultimately denied that she had ever attempted to become a Muslim. That didn’t stop enraged Muslims — rage being the default condition — from killing 51 people in a similar arson attack on a Syriac Catholic church in post-Saddam, “Made in the U.S.A.” Baghdad.

Go read the whole article here.

A New Twist

The clash between Khameni and Achmadi-Nejad is growing, revolution simmers and now and then bursts into flame in Syria against Assad,civil war still goes on in Libya (even though the media has all but dropped it from coverage as the continued carnage does not reflect well on the Chosen One), Yemen continues to descend into chaos, and things are beginning to heat up in Bahrain again.

Of course, these secondary and tertiary effects of the 'Tunisian Virus'are not what is wanted by Iran or Egypt.  The Muslim Brotherhood wants to keep things quiet until it can take over peacefully through elections (and then go about establishing a fundamentalist Islamic state), and Iran prefers that any chaos be at its instigation and control.  Iran needs people to focus on anti-Semitism vice their internal conflicts. (Hence, the interesting development in which the Palestinian Authority entered into a peace agreement with Hamas.)

Sadly, one thing that Arabs can be counted upon to do is hate Jews.  They've spent the past 60+ years trying to destroy Israel and teaching their children and children's children to hate. Every May 15th Arabs celebrate the 'Naqba' (Catastrophe in Arabic--meaning the founding of Israel) by rioting and trying to kill Israelis.  Today's festivities, however, brought a first--thanks to the wonder of modern technology and social networking capabilities like Facebook, rioters descended upon Israel from all directions and all borders.  The incursion from Syria was a surprise to Israeli officials, but shouldn't have been.  Syria (and, by extension, Iran) are desperate to keep their populations focused on Jew Hatred vice the evils of their own regimes. 

Unfortunately, 15 rioters were killed--which suits Syria and Iran quite well.  Tomorrow will be the funerals, ripe with emotion that will be played upon by agitators.  Tomorrow will be another opportunity to remind Muslims that their first duty is to destroy Israel before they get around to destroying themselves.  How tragic that so many of them will be eager to do just that.

Management Science - Lesson #3

If you work for the government, you know this job very well.

Who Knew Saving The Environment Could Be So Practical

Hat Tip: Pearls Before Swine

Management Science - Lesson #2

Once Again, Europe Demonstrates Why It Is Doomed

Germany’s Chancellor Merkel has criminal complaint filed against her for bin Laden comments.

Incredible.  Obviously, some Europeans have forgotten what it's like to confront evil.  BY his reasoning, we should have just captured Adolph Hitler and put him on trial (if he hadn't saved us all the trouble by blowing his own brains out).

This is especially galling considering the city where the 9/11 attacks were planned was Hamburg, Germany (which is continuing it's reputation as a center for Islamic terrorism.)

Hat tip: Questions and Observations

Posting the Photographs/Video

I am of two minds as to posting the photos (and any video) of the late, unlamented Osama bin Laden (who is currently being subjected to the barbed phallus of Satan).

On the one hand, I think it is essential as a statement by the United States to all current and prospective terrorists that it doesn't matter how long it takes--if you do something bad to the US or its people, we WILL hunt your sorry ass down and we WILL kill you!  Some people have raised the point that publishing the photos would inflame/enrage the Muslim world.  Well, it doesn't take anything to inflame/enrage the Muslim world--they are quite capable of doing that all on their own.

It does not matter what we do or don't do.  They will take to the streets, riot, destroy, and kill at the slightest provocation (see France, the Middle East, Africa, Indonesia, etc.).  Somehow we excuse this barbaric behavior as appropriate because it must because of something we white, imperial colonials have done to deserve it.  If you did not know it, the most persecuted religion in the world today is Christianity.  Thousands of Christians are murdered and not a peep from the mainstream media.  Let one mouthy minister burn a Q'uran in Florida and it is like the Crusades all over again.

This excusal is a sign of racism and elitism.  Our self proclaimed cultural elite excuse barbaric behavior because the poor dears just can't help it--they're oppressed minorities who are merely reacting to past and current outrages perpetrated by the evil West.  No, what they are doing is exhibiting the signs of a culture arrested at adolescence, where the world revolves around them and their wants (like any 13 year old), and no one has administered the discipline to get them to grow up.  They rip the clitorises off of women's bodies to prevent them from feeling pleasure, stone them for adultery when they are raped, kill them for wanting to live their own lives and not following the childish whims of the males, force them to cover themselves outside the home, murder Christians and 'infidels' without remorse, demand that other cultures and societies bow to their sharia and demands, and our Western elite just tut tut and tell the rest of us to ignore it all because the perpetrators just don't know any better, and, besides, their culture is just as valid as ours. ("It's just their way--who are we to say anything against it?")  There should be a special place in Hell especially for feminists who say nothing about this abysmal treatment of women under Islam.  (It's amazing what the Left will tolerate when it doesn't support their meme.)

Publishing the photos and videos of a dead bin Laden would put a marker down that says 'No, you can't kill and maim us without consequence.'  Personally, I don't care what Islamic societies do in their own countries.  Their populaces have access to modern communcations and media, and thus know what Western societal values and beliefs are.  If they wan't to continue dwelling in the 11th century, so be it.  The have the right to continue oppressing their own people.  Just don't expect the rest of us to live there with them.

However, Lt Col Oliver North (USMC ret) raises a valid point:  If we publish the photos and videos, then it would expose our warriors to the international criminal court and leftist pussies like the Italian prosecutor and judges who tried and convicted our CIA agents in absentia for snatching terrorists off the street and interrogating them.  Some dhimmi anti-American lawyer would use the photos as evidence in criminal proceedings to try our specops warriors (and who knows how far up the chain they would attempt to go) for murder.  In essence, we would be handing the hammer to ungrateful swine who would use the passing from this earth of a mass murderer to push their anti-American agenda.  And you know they would...

Why Sometimes SiIence is Really Golden

President Obama made the announcement about our specops warriors killing Osama Bin Laden shortly after it took place.  Afterwards, it came to light that the operators on the ground sucked the compound dry of paper, electronics, and pocket litter.  If our intelligence community had been given time to go through the documents and hard drives, we could even now be wrapping up even more parts of Al Qaeda... but that takes silence and operations security to make it happen.

It takes a lot of time to do the forensics on computers, sift through all the files, translating as you go, looking for the nuggets of data that will allow you to follow the organizational lines of communication and ball up those next in line.  We could have done tremendous damage to current, active Al Qaeda operatives given the time, but because it was announced so soon after the fact, everyone in Al Qaeda and other terrorist fecal matter know to scatter and change operating patterns, tactics, techniques, and procedures.  I'm sure our intelligence professionals will milk the data pulled in for all its worth, and we'll still do a lot of damage using the gifts Osama left for us--but it could have been worth so much more if only the President had waited to claim the credit for this great op.

Got Him!

Rot in Hell, you evil son of a bitch!

You can run, but eventually we will get you.

The Nature of Conflict and Today’s Civilizational War – Part 3

So how long have we as a species been practicing the art of war? Professors Richard Gabriel and Karen Metz lay out the background for us in their work, "A Short History of War."  Understanding how mankind developed this aspect of interaction is crucial to understanding how culture plays into conflict. Thus, reading their first chapter on the origins of war is essential:

The invention and spread of agriculture coupled with the domestication of animals in the fifth millennium B.C. are acknowledged as the developments that set the stage for the emergence of the first large-scale, complex urban societies. These societies, which appeared almost simultaneously around 4000 B.C. in both Egypt and Mesopotamia, used stone tools, but within 500 years stone tools and weapons gave way to bronze. With bronze manufacture came a revolution in warfare.

This period saw the development of many new weapons -- the penetrating axe, armor, helmet, composite bow, the wheel and chariot -- and gave birth to a number of tactical innovations -- phalanx formations, increased mobility, pursuit, emergent staffs and rank structures. It would be incorrect to conclude, however, that new weapons were responsible for the great increase in the scale of warfare that characterized this period of human history. Improved weaponry, by itself, would have produced only a limited increase in the scale of warfare unless accompanied by new types of social structures capable of sustaining large armies and providing them with the impetus and means to fight on a heretofore unknown scale. The military revolution of the Bronze Age was rooted more in the development of truly complex societies than in weapons and technology.

What made the birth of warfare possible was the emergence of societies with fully articulated social structures that provided stability and legitimacy to new social roles and behaviors. The scale of these fourth millennium urban societies was, in turn, a result of an efficient agricultural ability to produce adequate resources and large populations. It is no accident that the two earliest examples of these societies, Egypt and Sumer, were states where large-scale agricultural production was first achieved. The revolution in social structures that rested upon the new economic base was the most important factor responsible for the emergence of warfare.

The development of central state institutions and a supporting administrative apparatus inevitably gave form and stability to military structures. The result was the expansion and stabilization of the formerly loose and unstable warrior castes that first emerged in the tribal societies of the fifth millennium. By 2700 B.C. in Sumer there was a fully articulated military structure and standing army organized along modern lines. The standing army emerged as a permanent part of the social structure and was endowed with strong claims to social legitimacy. And it has been with us ever since.

2700 BCE is significant in that it is when the first historically recorded war took place.  It was between Sumer (in modern Iraq) and Elam (a region that is now part of Iran).  Fought in the area around Basra, the Iraqis and Persians have been at each others' throats for millenia.

 As important as these developments were, they could not have worked as they did without a profound change in the psychological basis of the people's social relationship with the larger community. The aggregation of large numbers of people into complex societies required that those living within them refocus their allegiances away from the extended family, clan, and tribe, and toward a larger social entity, the state. This psychological change was facilitated by the rise of religious castes that gave meaning to the individual's life beyond a parochial context. Organized belief systems were integrated into the social order and given institutional expression through public rituals that linked religious worship to political and military objectives that were national in scope and definition. Thus, the Egyptian pharaoh became divine, and military achievements of great leaders were perceived as divinely ordained or inspired. In this manner the terribly propulsive power of religion was placed at the service of the state and its armies.

It is important to remember that the period from 4000 to 2000 B.C. was a truly seminal period in the development of the institution and instrumentalities of war. When this period began, people had not yet invented cities or any of the other social structures required to support communal life on a large scale. Agriculture, which became the basis for the nation-state in the ancient period, was still in its infancy and could not yet provide a food supply adequate to sustain populations of even moderate size. Psychologically, people had not yet learned to attach meaning to any social group larger than the extended family, clan, or tribe. The important force of religion had not yet been given specific social focus to the point where it could become a powerful psychological engine to drive the spirit of conquest and empire. Even warfare itself had not in any meaningful sense been invented. There were only the embryonic beginnings of a warrior class still loosely embedded in a tribal social structure, a structure that lacked both the physical and psychological requirements to produce war on any scale. Military technology and organization were primitive, and the professionalization of armies and warfare had not yet begun. In any significant sense warfare had not yet been embedded in the social structure of man as a legitimate and permanent function of developed society.

As noted above, religion has been a driver in conflict for over four thousand years.  It was in the period 4,000-2,000 BCE that mankind learned to harness its lust and ego to the gods.

The two thousand years following the dawn of the fourth millennium changed all this. As a mechanism of cultural development, the conduct of war became a legitimate social function supported by an extensive institutional infrastructure, and it became an indispensable characteristic of the social order if people were to survive the predatory behavior of others. This period saw the emergence of the whole range of social, political, economic, psychological, and military technologies that made the conduct of war a relatively normal part of social existence. In less than two thousand years, man went from a condition in which warfare was relatively rare and mostly ritualistic in which combat death and destruction were suffered at low rates to one in which death and destruction were attained on a modern scale. In this period, warfare assumed modern proportions in terms of size of the armies involved, the administrative mechanisms needed to sustain them, the development of weapons, the frequency of occurrence, and the scope of destruction achievable by military force. And it was in Sumer and Egypt that the world witnessed the emergence of the world's first armies.

Understanding our past is key to understanding our future.  Go read the rest of Professors Gabriel and Metz's work.  You have much learning to do.

The Nature of Conflict and Today’s Civilizational War – Part 2

In addition to the cultural war between the West and extremist Islam, there is also a war churning within the Middle East between Arab and Persian cultures under the cover of protests against ‘oppressive governments.’  For 2,500 years, Persia/Iran has been attempting to bring the Middle East (and the rest of the world) under its control.  Just two days ago, an Iranian diplomat was ordered to leave Bahrain for engaging in espionage.

While ostensibly protests around the Middle East have been pro-democracy focused, the common thread throughout these is the behind-the-scenes actions of Islamic extremists riding (and in some cases guiding) the wave of populist revolt against leaders who were intent on preventing its spread. Since mid-January we have seen the ousting of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (14 January), Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (11 February), and the soon to be ousting Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.  Libyan leader Muamar Gaddafhi is in the midst of a civil war aimed at his departure extremism. 

In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, long suppressed by Mubarak, is now out in the open and starting a political party to take part in the next elections.  Over 100,000 protested in Yemen’s capital Sana’a, a country fighting one of the most active Al Qaeda offshoots in the world, a secessionist uprising in the south, and a Shi’ite rebellion in the north.  In Libya, Al Qaeda operatives are among the ‘rebel’ fighters attempting to remove Gaddafhi who has spent decades stamping out extremists.  In moves certain to concern Israel, 70 Islamist hardliners were arrested in Jordan after wounding 83 police in attacks.

This rapid spread of protests has been termed the “Tunisian Virus.”  The number and rapidity of such protests is somewhat surprising, and one is tempted to ask, “Qui bono?”  From my perspective, the country which benefits most is Iran.

The spreading populist revolution, however, is a double edged sword.  Iran looks to Syria to be its proxy in the Middle East and the hammer against Israel.  In Syria, a country in which Hafez al-Assad had no qualms about killing thousands of Muslim Brotherhood followers, protests against his son’s government began on 26 January.  Today at least 23 protesters were killed after Friday prayers.  Of significance, a statue of Hafez al-Assad was torn down in a move similar to Iraqis tearing down the statues of Saddam.  Assad the younger has had to use military forces to put down current protests, further inflaming the populace.  If Syria goes down, then Iran loses a significant ally and base to support Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as a blow to its ability to influence events.  The rising protests within Iran itself against Ahmedinejad’s regime (hundreds of thousands protesting in the streets) add even more pressure to act quickly to achieve success.

A potential sign of this pressure’s effect is Hamas and Fatah, after four years of internecine conflict, have made up and are forming a caretaker government until elections can be held.  This turn of events places a dagger at the throat of Israel.  If Egypt follows through with threats by various Presidential candidates to end the peace, then expect Israel to react rapidly and vigorously.

The question is whether or not Mahmoud Ahmedinejad will win the race against his own internal opposition before the extremist beast unleashed in the rest of the Middle East consumes the rest of the governments opposed to him.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

What does it say about a leader who issues official proclamations for every significant Muslim holiday (e.g., Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, Eid-ul-Adha) and yet says nothing about Easter?  I could not care less what the President's religion is.  What I do care about is the pattern of behavior expressed towards the American people and the nation.  More and more, it seems that no one really knows what he believes--other than practicing political taqiyya when it comes to his speeches.  He speaks of the importance of energy independence, and yet his minions in the EPA deny Shell Oil off shore drilling permits in Alaskan waters.

From now until 2012, pay no attention to the words--watch the actions.  You won't like what you see.

Soak the Rich!!!

Graphic from rushlimbaugh.com via Hot Air Pundit

Oh wait... we already are.

So how's that class warfare working out for you?

Hat tip: The Other McCain

Phrase of the Day/Week/Month/Whenever

"Deja Moo" -- The feeling that you've heard this bullshit before

Other forms of this phrase are:

"Deja Poo" -- The feeling that this bird has shit on you before
"Deja Fu" -- The feeling that this ninja has beaten the shit out of you before
"Deja Screw" -- The feeling that you've heard this performance appraisal before
"Deja Zoo" -- The feeling that you've worked at this crazy place before
"Deja Blues" -- The feeling that you grew up in New Orleans playing a guitar and harmonica
"Deja Who" -- The feeling that you've heard this rock band before

How The Media Sets the Narrative

Ace is on fire today describing how the media uses the storyline to set a narrative which furthers their agenda.  He uses Fred Thompson's description of how the media falsely set the 'narrative' of his Presidential campaign in 2008 (the "Dark Horse" effect).   From Fred's tale, Ace came to what was for him a significant insight:

But the point is that these Narratives are begun, and started, to disguise laziness, incompetence, and ignorance. If we don't know the reason, and if we are too lazy or not skilled enough to find a good answer, we are prey to simplistic little fakey make-'em-ups. Not because they're compelling, and not because they're true -- the media knows half of the shit they say isn't true, like forever claiming Scooter Libby "leaked" the identity of Valerie Plame without noting it was liberal-leaning-RINO in good standing Richard Armitage who actually leaked it first-- but because it's easy and simple.

Easy and simple. Scooter Libby leaked that name; Fred Thompson doesn't have fire in his belly.

So this is my insight. I did warn you it was sort of obvious, didn't I? Yes, it's obvious, but for me, my own personal glomming on to an easy, simple narrative to explain that which is difficult to explain really brought this home: We all -- but especially the media -- make up The Narrative to paper over our insufficient knowledge.

Go read Ace's post for an excellent point regarding how the facts aren't necessary to influence people.

Happy Earth Day!

Yes, a gracious Earth Day to you all, dear comrades!  As I type this under the bleak light of a killer CFL lightbulb, trying not to breath in the carcinogenic fumes being released by the heat and hoping that it doesn't catch fire in socket, it is only fitting that we pause to give thanks to the inspirations for this day:

Ira Einhorn (AKA the Unicorn Killer)

Antiwar activist Ira claimed to be the one who started Earth Day (actually created by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson).  He celebrated years later by killing his girlfriend Holly Maddux and composting her body in his closet.  Being the standup guy that he is, he fled the country and was on the lam for over 20 years.

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (AKA Lenin)

What a coincidence that Earth Day is celebrated on Lenin's birthday.  Vlad did his best to take care of the Earth by fertilizing it with the bodies of millions of Russians who ran afoul of the dictatorship of the proletariat.  That Earth Day was set to coincide with his birthday is deliciously ironic considering how wretchedly polluted Russia is today.

What It's Like Working For The Government

Turn Your Cell Phone Off When You Drive In Michigan

An interesting article in Popular Mechanics notes that Michigan State Police are using digital forensics to search your cell phone when they stop you for a routine traffic violation.  Do you have a Fourth Amendment right against illegal search and seizure when they do this?  It depends--read the article to find out.

And so it goes  Eventually the only safe place to keep data secure will be within your mind.  The best piece of advice would be to stay the hell out of Michigan... and given how badly the state is being managed by the Democratic Party, it won't be long before there's nobody left for them to stop and search.

The Nature of Conflict and Today’s Civilizational War – Part 1

Humanity has engaged in and suffered the consequences of warfare since the beginning of recorded history (and before).  Conflict usually arises from one of the following motivations:

• Honor – You insulted my family/village/clan/people and thus must pay, or you have attacked an ally and I am bound to come to his defense
• Resources – You have land/resources I want
• Power – You are not subject to my rule—but you will be
• Religion – My god tells me that you must follow him and I am his instrument
• Culture – My civilization is the ultimate form of government and life and you deserve to live as part of it (or under it if need be)

As the end result of conflicts usually entailed the death of everyone from combatants to non-combatants and much destruction of property, laws of armed conflict evolved over time to limit the damage.  Our current law of armed conflict (LOAC) is derived from two main sources: Customary international law arising out of the conduct of nations during hostilities and binding upon all nations, and treaty law (also called conventional law) arising from international treaties and only binds those nations that have ratified a particular treaty. 

LOAC limits the effects of the conflict (reduce damages and casualties), protects combatants and noncombatants from unnecessary suffering, safeguards fundamental rights of combatants and noncombatants, prevents the conflict from becoming worse, and makes it easier to restore peace when the conflict is over.  It does this through the following legal principles:

Military necessity – The application of only that degree of regulated force, not otherwise prohibited by the laws of war, required for the partial or complete submission of the enemy with the least expenditure of life, time and physical resources.  Thus, attacks must be limited to military objectives (i.e., any objects which by their nature, location, purpose, or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture, or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage).

Distinction – The requirement to distinguish/discriminate between military objectives and civilian objects (civilian objects are such objects as places of worship, schools, hospitals, and dwellings, but they can lose their protected status if they are used to make an effective contribution to military action).  An attacker must not intentionally attack civilians or employ methods or means (weapons or tactics) that would cause excessive collateral civilian casualties; however, a defender has an obligation to separate civilians and civilian objects (either in the defender’s country or in an occupied area) from military targets. 

Proportionality – You must take into consideration the extent of civilian destruction and probable casualties that will result and, to the extent consistent with the necessities of the military situation, seek to avoid or minimize such casualties and destruction. Civilian losses must be proportionate to the military advantages sought; however, the attacker need not expose its forces to extraordinary risks simply in order to avoid or minimize civilian losses).

Humanity (also referred to as the principle of unnecessary suffering) – It prohibits the employment of any kind or degree of force that is not necessary for the purposes of war (in other words, achieving the partial or complete submission of the enemy with the least possible expenditure of life, time and physical resources).

An aside:  The concept of “Chivalry” addresses the waging of war in accord with well-recognized formalities and courtesies.  For example, it permits lawful ruses, such as camouflage, false radio signals, and mock troop movements, but it forbids treacherous acts (known legally as “perfidy”). These acts involve the misuse of internationally recognized symbols or status to take unfair advantage of the enemy, such as false surrenders, placing anti-aircraft artillery in hospitals or religious sites, and the misuse of the Red Cross or the Red Crescent (e.g., using ambulances for military purposes to move combatants and arms on a battlefield).

As a combat targeteer, I had to follow these principles very closely.  This is the way of conflict in the West.  We know from hard experience that it is not the way of conflict for radical Islam.

Out of Pocket

My apologies for not posting lately--I've been running an international conference this week.  It ends tomorrow, but have foreign visitors staying over for work on Friday.  I will be so glad when this week is done and I can get some sleep.

The Next 24-48 Hours Will Be Interesting

Qadaffi Duck is being offered a peace settlement which will leave him in place.  Of course, that will satisfy our State Department--at least the half that wants him to stay in power, as compared to the half that wants him to go.  Hamas, after rocketing Israel, is asking Israel to stop the escalating violence.  Maybe if they hadn't started launching rockets in the first place they wouldn't be getting their asses handed to them (again). But both Hamas and Hezbollah have to provide a distraction so that Assad and Iran can try to keep the lid on.  Syria is boiling over (Assad has been killing people left and right--more in the last 24 hours than in the past 2 weeks),and Iran's leader Ack!-My-Dick-Is-Gone must be getting concerned that his forward base is in danger of coming apart.  As Colonel Dan says, watch what happens to oil prices in the next 24-48 hours, as oil traders are paying attention even if our elite leadership isn't.  And isn't it amazing how all the world's problems seem to have disappeared from the media with all the excitement over our political overlords cutting an amazing sub $40 Billion of growth out of our $1.6 Trillion deficit?

Less Than A Week?

Word on the street is that there may be an agreement in Congress to keep the government from shutting down.  As a Department of Defense employee, I must confess to having a direct interest in this battle.  I am a little more than an hour away from being laid off ("furloughed" in government speak).  I spent all today getting my subordinates ready for being furloughed, for, you see, very few of us are considered "essential" to government service despite what the media says about people in the military being exempt.

Well, yes, the active duty military are exempt in the sense that they are required to remain on duty without pay.  I get the 'privilege' of being temporarily fired without pay--which means that I can't even volunteer my time back to the military to continue taking care of my brothers and sisters in arms.

So if we have to go through all of this ass pain, is it too much to ask that it be worth something?  The rumor is that the Republicans have agreed to a cut of $38 Billion or so.  Consider that our government is accruing deficits of $50 Billion a week (hat tip: Ace of Spades), $38 Billion is less than a week's worth of deficit spending and mere pissing in the wind.  This year's non-budget budget of $3.6 Trillion dollars is about $1.6 Trillion worth of deficit spending that we have to borrow to spend.

I am very disappointed that the Republicans didn't start at $360 Billion as a starting point.  Ten percent of the deficit is a small starting point, but would have made a statement.  And it would have made the hours and hours of time we wasted getting ready for this feel like it was worth it.  Instead, our elected representatives are at loggerheads over a mere $21 Billion worth of spending.  At least the lizards are talking about cutting spending now, and are just haggling over the amount (just like the whores some of them are).  And it's not like the Democrats were in charge last year when it was time to pass a budget for this fiscal year... oh wait, they were.  They give assclowns a bad name.

Phrase of the Day/Week/Month/Whenever

I'd sooner lick the dew off of a two week old road kill. - The phrase which quickly leaps to mind when someone higher up in your food chain decides that you are the lucky recipient of a very odorous task.  Can also be used on blind dates when the request for physical activity is more than what you were prepared to entertain.

Reliving The Past

It appears that the elite in this country are partying like it's 1933.  Barack Obama is the incarnation of FDR, and like FDR he is trying to remake the country in his image.  Like the 1930s, the country is in economic meltdown, with signs of a sluggish recovery that will be strangled in its bed if the Democrats' spending isn't reversed.  We are facing turmoil in foreign lands, with mad dictators telling us what they're going to do to us--and again the world turns away hoping that it will all go away if they only just understand the grievances and give the man what he wants.  Russia aids and abets the turmoil while looking to carve a piece of the action for itself, but will find itself in the fire along with the rest.

The difference is that now we face a cultural religious war vice an ideological war (although some can argue that Japanese budo was a religious worship of the emperor, and the Nazi elite followed a corrupt form of occultism and paganism, convinced that God was on their side).  The culture we face now has been in conflict with the west for 2,500 years.  As noted by Jim Lacey in National Review Online and in his book The First Clash, Persia has been attacking Western civilizations long before Islam arrived in the world.  Where Islam made a difference was in fixating an entire culture at the 10-year-old level of emotional maturity.  Every adult "no" from the West (stop stoning women to death, stop mutilating their genitalia, stop subjugating other religions, etc.) is met with a juvenile tantrum, destruction, and killing.  Murdering Christians, Hindus, Ba'hais and destroying their churches and religiously significant artifacts is met with silence, while one idiot burning a Q'uran is met with over 300 murders and beheadings.

We face a culture determined to rule us, afraid to face us in an exchange of ideas, and willing to kill us for over 2,500 years.  Unfortunately, 20% to 40% of our population is more interested in blaming their own culture to avoid the reality facing them--as long as they can keep voting in the gravy train no matter the cost to others.

Winston Churchill faced the same dilemma we face now.  I suspect he wept as much then, too.

"Modern" Classical Music Isn't Classic

Saturday night brought yet another brilliant performance by the San Antonio symphony orchestra.  The program ranged from Glass (Concerto No.2 for Violin and Orchestra) to Handel (Royal Fireworks Music), with Gabriell (Canzon in Echo, Duodecimi Toni, a 10), Rameau (Suite from Nais) and Stravinsky (Concerto in E-flat, "Dumbarton Oaks") for good measure.

It is the Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra ("American Four Seasons") that is the basis for this screed.  The composer Philip Glass is a member of the 'Minimalist' set, which includes composers such as LaMonte Young, Terry Riley, and Steve Reich.  These musicians appear to believe that atonal dissonance (which they believe is based on Zen Buddhism meditative music--but to my ears is far from it) will stand the test of time.  Sadly, there were portions of his piece which did manage to grip the listener, but then it would descend back into repetitive boredom which I'm sure the composer feels is close to the meditative mantras used to achieve mushin.  A composition that takes me back and forth between "hmmm, that was interesting if strange" and "dear god I wish this was over--my ears are bleeding!" isn't going to have the staying power of 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik."

No, what strikes me about modern music is that the composers think that melody and rhythm are crutches which must be denied in order to be avant garde.  I spent some time this evening thinking back over the modern compositions I've heard over the decades, and cannot bring one to mind that has the appeal or staying power of compositions by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Handel, Copeland, Bernstein, etc.  In my mind, the real composers whose music will stand the test of time and be played and enjoyed by audiences decades or centuries from now are those whose work is used in cinema.

As noted earlier, I can't recall a single modern piece that I would want to listen to again, but I can recall almost instantly the compositions of John Williams, Elmer Bernstein, Quincy Jones, Lalo Schiffrin, Ralph Vaughan-Williams, and Jerry Goldsmith to name just a few.  Long after Philip Glass's compositions are played before live audiences, people will still remember the haunting music of 'Titanic' or the Harry Potter films. 

And if that makes me a provincial buffoon, then so be it.  I know what I like, and it isn't what is jammed into my ears as 'Modern' music.