COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Time to talk with Iran and Syria? Why now?


There is little support for a US attack on Iran. The United States has taken notice and agreed to do what it once insisted it would not and has agreed to talk directly to Iran about Iraq, without preconditions. That in itself will diminish remaining support for a US strike against Iran.

What happened?

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to sit down in April with the foreign ministers of 20 countries, including Iran and Syria.

In the words of The Christian Science Monitor the days of working from an "our-way-or-the-highway" stance is over.

Why after all the bombast and posturing has the Bush Administration decided to do what the critics have been demanding for many, many months, and will now open a dialog with Iran and Syria?

Could it be articles and opinion such as this scathing attack that appeared in The Telegraph this morning?


We must not let Bush wage war against Iran


By Boris Johnson
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 01/03/2007

No, no, let's be fair. Let's show the iron logic for which this column is famed. It is time to set on one side the catastrophic record of Bush, Cheney and the neocons, and look dispassionately at what they are now proposing. In considering the case for an attack on Iran, let us try to ignore the results of the demented adventure in Iraq.

It is not easy. The Iraq war has led to the deaths of more than 3,000 US service personnel, about 133 British troops, and anything between 50,000 and 655,000 Iraqis, most of them innocent civilians. There are about 100 Iraqis dying every day, or being hideously maimed, in the course of suicide-bomb attacks. It is undeniable - or at least it is undeniable by anyone except Tony Blair - that the war in Iraq has greatly increased the threat of terrorist attacks in this country and across the world.

But let us momentarily shut our eyes to those truths, and let us decide whether the warmongers are right this time...It is utter madness, and it must not be allowed to happen. As for a conventional attack, it would be much less likely to succeed, and its consequences for the region would be scarcely less baleful - above all in Iraq.

What is the real reason for American rage with Teheran, apart from the nuclear programme? It is the knowledge that the Iranians have made them look like complete idiots, like orang-utans playing chess against a grandmaster.

The Shia exiles such as Ahmed Chalabi were instrumental in bamboozling the Americans to go to war in Iraq. They conned the administration into removing Iran's most ferocious opponent in the region, and the net result of the whole exercise is that neither Saddam Hussein nor George Bush is the dominant power in Iraq. The dominant power in Iraq is Iran...

...Any attack on Iran, in other words, would be answered by yet more viciousness in Iraq, yet more slaughter. Isn't that obvious?

By all means let us tighten the noose on Ahmadinejad. He is a grotesquely incompetent and socialistic buffoon who is already in deep political trouble. Let us target measures against him and his regime. I don't even mind a spot of sabre-rattling, if that will really help deter them from their nuclear programme. But for heaven's sake don't let Dubya draw that sabre again.

I look at these people in Washington, and I ask myself whether I trust them to embark on such a lunatically risky venture, and in the words of Amy Winehouse I say no, no, no.

Join me now. Say no to Dubya and a war on Iran.

133 comments:

  1. Looks to me like Bush is following Baker and co's plan to a T.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Besides Webb's possible amendment, the Iraq war funding bill likely will be the target of other attempts to put conditions on the conflict, which Democrats want to bring to an end.

    But even before the war spending bill comes up, the Senate could stage a debate the week of March 12 on Iraq war policy, Reid said.

    He added he was inclined to let Republicans have a vote on a proposal they favored, which would bar any cutoff of funds for the war. Republican leaders have so far blocked consideration of Senate measures disapproving of Bush's Iraq policy until they can have a vote on the funding issue.


    Iraq War Funding

    ReplyDelete
  3. But let us momentarily shut our eyes to those truths...

    That really says it all. The proverbial ostrich with its neck in the sand.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Deuce,

    First line on the first paragraph.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yep, sam, Mr Baker hit the nail on the head.

    The "Realists" have arrived to save the day. The vets of Team 41 have come back to DC, we'll be following their Course, now.

    Mr Gates, Mr Baker, Mr Bandar, the gang's all there.

    Mentioned there would be such a shift, prior to the release of the ISG report. I recall the howls of indignation over the very idea of talking to the Iranians.

    Now it's on the schedule.

    All that's not on the public table is talk of the Golan, but remember, that was a key part of the Plan.
    A Saudi administered, demilitarized Golan with Pakistani peacekeepers, under UN approval.
    Take the wind right out of Doc Assad's sails.

    A Comprehensive Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Deuce,

    The problem isn't so much with Dubya. The problem lies in an East/West political paradigm. The solution is resolved North/South.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I didn't know he even had a ship. But if America prefers Saudia over Israel, then that would be a good way of telling this to Israelis.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, mat, according to some, in Israel, they already have

    Jewish World Review Dec. 5, 2006 /14 Kislev, 5766

    Olmert's motive for providing the Saudis with an unwarranted propaganda victory in the US and Israel is understandable

    By Caroline B. Glick


    Now Ms Glick seems quite opinionated, but has proven to be on target, in the past.

    "... So if there were a possibility that the Times report that "The Saudi Arabian government is emerging as a key player in talks to broker a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement," were true, it would be a true cause for a celebration in Israel.
    ...
    BUT OF course, like the view that the turmoil in Lebanon is an internal Lebanese affair; and the view that a US retreat from Iraq could be anything other than a strategic victory for the global jihad, the belief that the Saudis are interested in brokering peace with Israel is a complete fabrication. Indeed the "deal" that the Saudis are "brokering" is nothing less than a blueprint for Israel's destruction.
    ...
    IT MAKES some sense that the Bush administration would express such devotion to the Saudi plan. The most glaring Achilles heel of Bush's entire war against the global jihad has been his refusal to contend with Saudi Arabia's central role in fomenting the jihad.

    Bush's father's secretary of state James Baker III is the senior partner of Baker, Botts law firm which is representing Saudi Arabia in the lawsuit filed against the kingdom by the relatives of the victims of the September 11 attacks. As the co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, Baker is about to recommend that Bush pressure Israel to capitulate to Hamas and Syria in Judea and Samaria, Gaza and the Golan Heights order to facilitate the US's capitulation to Syria and Iran in Iraq. Prince Bandar, Olmert's reported interlocutor is a personal friend of Baker and the Bush family. After 15 Saudis and four Egyptians carried out the attacks on the US on Sept. 11, it was Bandar who persuaded Bush to become the first US president to ever make the establishment of a Palestinian state an official US policy goal.

    Olmert's motive for providing the Saudis with an unwarranted propaganda victory in the US and Israel is similarly understandable. ..."

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Realist posse has arrived, the neo-con gang already ridden on out of town, without a confrontation, much like the Mahdi Army in Baghdad.

    Who's foolin' who?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Couple of Clips of Rudy

    1st one's kind of scary. Seems to come back in the 2nd 'though.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Who's foolin' who?

    Israelis wont be fooled by any Realist Posse and his Realist Plan to sign away Judea/Samaria or the Golan. The only reason the Jihadi enemy still alive is because of America.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's always all about US, that's a fact.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks, Bob. I know d'Rat likes to pull my strings on this, but that works both ways. ;)

    And I'm glad you guys enjoyed that video clip, posted on the other thread. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  14. d'Rat,

    People who think that way tend to fall pretty hard with their face on the hard earth.

    ReplyDelete
  15. No doubt about that, either.

    But it is obvious which way the wind is blowing in DC.

    I do not know enough about Israel to know what they'll end up doing, just what Team Bush will be pushing on them.

    Lots of substitutions and trades have been made on the part of Team Bush, as it enters the final quarter of it's Game, it's a whole new Team, kinda.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anyway,

    Tag team Israel/America/Russia/India should be able to handle anything the Chinese, Pakis, Saudis, and the Iranians come up with.

    ReplyDelete
  17. like i keep saying...

    the MORE talk, the closer to war we get...

    It's happening, read the arab press, they smell it too...

    something is about to pop....

    hezbollah & lebanon?

    hamas & gaza?

    syria & israel?

    usa & iran?

    dont know... but i do know something...

    arafatism/shitism/sunnism/arabvictimism/nationalism/fake people palestinianism is not willing to change..

    they LOVE being the victim of usa/zionist oppression...

    war is coming...

    good news? if the west WANTS too, we CAN put a can of whoopass anywhere we choose...

    the beef about troop level is NOT the issue...

    RULES OF ENGAGEMENT is the issue...

    ReplyDelete
  18. CPAC has been considered a key event for conservative candidates since the Reagan era.

    "Reagan attended every CPAC from the first one in 1974 -- when he gave his famous 'City Upon a Hill' speech -- until his last year in office in 1988," said Craig Shirley, a longtime Republican activist and Reagan historian. "The exceptions were 1976 and 1980, when he was campaigning in New Hampshire for the GOP nomination."

    Mr. Shirley recalled that at "the very first CPAC, Reagan brought as his guest a young, severely wounded Navy pilot who had been a POW in Hanoi: John McCain III."
    Organizers say they expect more than 5,000 people -- including busloads of college students from across the country -- at what is being billed as the largest CPAC ever.


    McCain Rejects CPAC Invite

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mat,

    Do an end around with your Israel/America tag team and you'll have the order right.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sam,

    We must remember the RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. Until there are none to remember.

    ReplyDelete
  21. mat,

    re: We must remember the RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. Until there are none to remember.

    Now, that is sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Allen,

    From Bialik:

    Revenge for the blood of a little child
    has yet been devised by Satan.

    ReplyDelete
  23. “So, take that, Bolton, you beeyatch!”
    ___Presidential barber, dog handler, and foreign policy adviser to the stars - Chad

    “Those criticisms were brushed aside by a spokesman for Bush's National Security Council. ‘He is a private citizen, welcome to his own views,’… ‘We're pursuing diplomacy.’''
    Bolton Says US Should Seek ‘Regime Change’ In Iran (Update 1)

    ***

    ReplyDelete
  24. If we accept for purposes of argument their claim that the only way the human race can survive is with clean energy that doesn't emit carbon dioxide, environmentalists waited until they had safely destroyed the nuclear power industry to tell us that. This proves they never intended for us to survive.

    "Global warming" is the liberal's stalking horse for their ultimate fantasy: The whole U.S. will look like Amagansett, with no one living in it except their even-tempered maids (for "diversity"), themselves and their coterie (all, presumably, living in solar-heated mansions, except the maids who will do without electricity altogether). The entire fuel-guzzling, tacky, beer-drinking, NASCAR-watching middle class with their over-large families will simply have to die.

    It seems not to have occurred to the jet set that when California is as poor as Mexico, they might have trouble finding a maid. Without trucking, packaging, manufacturing, shipping and refrigeration in their Bel-Air fantasy world, they'll be chasing the rear-end of an animal every time their stomachs growl and killing small animals for pelts to keep their genitals warm.


    Let Them Eat Tofu!

    ReplyDelete
  25. http://cnie.org/NLE/CRSreports
    /international/inter-26.cfm

    2) Detaching Central Asia and the Caucasus from Russian domination.
    2) Denies Iran oil and gas pipelines of the Caspian region in order to block the expansion of Iran's influence and any financial gains
    - Sun Feb 25, 08:57:00 PM EST


    US Missile Shield Would Include Caucasus-Based Radar
    Mar 01, 2007
    ...US plans to extend a missile defence system into Europe, which have been met with hostility by Russia, include a radar system based in the Caucasus, the head of the US missile agency said Thursday. The "forward deployable radar" would provide an "early acquisition track" on any hostile missile for a bigger radar system based in the Czech Republic, US Air Force Lieutenant General Henry Obering said.

    "It's a transportable radar, it's something that you can set up in a matter of days, very, very fast. We have time to work out where that location could be," he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

    When asked which country in the volatile Caucasus region might be willing to host the site, he said: "I am not at liberty to talk about that in any length ... suffice to say that we would like to place a radar in that region."

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sam,

    For a great take on this, check out Liberal Larry.

    ReplyDelete
  27. mat,

    re: revenge

    Then, we must lend a hand and give the Devil his due.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Satan is a partner of God. A partner of God, whose mission is to push human beings in order to reveal and expose the truth. Satan plays the role of a provocateur and prosecutor of justice.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Mətušélaḥ said...Satan is a partner of God. A partner of God, whose mission is to push human beings in order to reveal and expose the truth. Satan plays the role of a provocateur and prosecutor of justice.

    Satan is a contractor, like Halliburton. Remember that time Job's house fell down and killed all his kids to see if he would curse God? Satan got that no-bid contract. The bible says in one place that God tempted David to number Israel, and in another place that Satan did it. Well, God wrote the contract, so I guess he is ultimately responsible, but Satan carried out the contract.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Cynicism from the CATO Institute

    ... simply put, we're talking with Iran and Syria because Iraq is a failure and we looking for a way out!

    So much for fighting Islamic Extremism ...

    ReplyDelete
  31. I propose we nominate What is Occupation for the Belmont Club Master Plan True Believer Award.

    I, on the other hand, declare this to be the most pathetic administration since Carter's.
    And declare W the Winner of the
    Texas Gelding of the New Millenium Award.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Trish said,
    It's not a war against Islam, allen.
    Thu Mar 01, 01:12:00 AM EST
    trish said...
    A lot of things it may be, but that it is not.
    ---
    How about:
    "A War to Act Out the Ever-Evolving Administration Reasons for War."
    ---
    (while pleasing Daddy and Mommy's good friends, the Sauds)

    ReplyDelete
  33. “Hearken O Israel:
    YHWH our God, YHWH (is) One!”
    Deuteronomy 6:4
    ____The Schocken Bible: Volume I
    The Five Books of Moses
    Everett Fox

    Fox’s commentary on Deuteronomy 6:4:
    “God has no partner or consort as in the mythology of neighboring cultures.”

    **********************

    “Hear, O Israel: HASHEM is our God,
    HASHEM is the One and Only.”
    Deuteronomy 6:4
    ___Tanach (Stone Edition)

    Commentary on Deuteronomy 6:4:
    “The first two verses of the Shema command Israel to acknowledge God’s Oneness and to love Him…”

    *******************


    “Hear, O Israel!
    The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.”
    Deuteronomy 6:4
    ___The Jewish Bible
    Tanakh
    The Jewish Publication Society

    Commentary on Deuteronomy 6:4
    “Cf. Rashbam and Ibn Ezra; see Zech. 14:9. Others ‘The LORD our God, the LORD is one.’”
    Zechariah 14:9: “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one LORD with one name.”

    *******************


    “Hear, O Israel: HASHEM is our God
    HASHEM is the One and Only.”
    Deuteronomy 6:4
    ___The Chumash (The Stone Edition)

    Commentary on Deuteronomy 6:4
    “We perceive God in many ways – He is kind, angry, merciful, wise, judgmental – and these apparently contradictory manifestations convinced some ancient and medieval philosophers that there must be many gods…there is an inner harmony for all that He does, though human intelligence cannot comprehend what it is…R’ Gedaliah Schorr likened this concept to a ray of light seen through a prism. Though the viewers see a myriad of different colors, it is a single ray of light. So, too, God’s many manifestations are truly one.”

    ReplyDelete
  34. allen

    please use the term "G-d"

    thanks

    shabbat shalom

    ReplyDelete
  35. Doug said...
    I propose we nominate What is Occupation for the Belmont Club Master Plan True Believer Award.

    I truly believe in the fact that evil smart rich people wish to murder me and mine...

    I take them at their words & actions...

    ReplyDelete
  36. Satan is a contractor, like Halliburton. Remember that time Job's house fell down and killed all his kids to see if he would curse God? Satan got that no-bid contract. The bible says in one place that God tempted David to number Israel, and in another place that Satan did it. Well, God wrote the contract, so I guess he is ultimately responsible, but Satan carried out the contract.

    there is no such thing as "satan" in the hebrew bible..

    it is HaSatan, the accuser...

    lets not confuse jewish POV with greek/gentile interp's of jewish pov...

    ReplyDelete
  37. An interesting piece by David Ignatius concerning Global Warming.

    While there is debate as to the cause, Earth cycles vs Man made, there seems agreement that the Earth is in the midst of a "change".

    Climate scientists are uncertain how fast the icecaps will melt and the seas will rise. But in Bangladesh, where millions of people already live at or near sea level, even a small rise could produce a catastrophe. If a monsoon strikes, 60 million to 100 million people could be forced to flee inundated areas, Schwartz warns, producing "the single greatest humanitarian crisis we have ever seen.''

    Lack of water may be as big a problem as flooding. Schwartz notes that more than 700 million people now live in arid or semi-arid areas. Climate change could tip this balance, too, producing severe water shortages and even "water wars.'' Tens of millions of people may become water migrants. The world's feeble political systems can't cope with existing migration patterns, let alone this human tide. ..."


    Mr Ignatius, looks to the outcomes of the change, not the cause.
    After reading it, no one would think that I am pessimistic about the future. No, these predictions are right up habu's alley:

    "... finally, there is the problem of maintaining social order in a stressed world. You don't have to go to Baghdad to see how quickly the social fabric can shred; just look at New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. The stresses come in part from rapid urbanization. Schwartz notes that in 1900, one in 20 people lived in cities; today it's about half, and the percentage is rising fast. Without strong and supple governments, this could become a world of vigilantes and militias, desperate to control scarce resources. "

    read the whole thing, if you want.

    21 Dec 2012, saw an interesting TV show about that date, and a foreseen magnetic polar shift.
    It's happened before ...
    Aaaauuuha...

    The Maya knew ...

    ReplyDelete
  38. Trish said,
    It's not a war against Islam, allen.
    Thu Mar 01, 01:12:00 AM EST
    trish said...
    A lot of things it may be, but that it is not.
    ---
    How about:
    "A War to Act Out the Ever-Evolving Administration Reasons for War."
    ---
    (while pleasing Daddy and Mommy's good friends, the Sauds)


    how about a HISTORY lesson folks...

    Islam has declared a war on the infidel, this started along time ago...

    pick your start date...

    however in RECENT times this war STARTED in the late 1780's...

    do a little reading of michael oren's new book...

    Michael B. Oren - "Power, Faith, and Fantasy"

    http://www.michaeloren.com/pff.htm

    wake up folks...

    we need to thank ISLAM and it's murderous ways for allowing AMERICA to become a nation to pull together to FIGHT it...

    ROP my beheaded ancestors' ass....

    ReplyDelete
  39. What is "Occupation" said...
    allen
    please use the term "G-d"
    thanks
    shabbat shalom


    Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh prefers to spell it Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh and he doesn't want people to practice idolatry with written text.

    ReplyDelete
  40. t:
    E---h-A--r-E---h prefers to spell it Y-d-H-h-V--H-h and he doesn't want people to practice idolatry with written text.

    Thanks for the insight, i dont remember seeing you at Sinai, I KNOW Allen, Sam and Myself were. However within the context of these discussions, my position stands.

    Using a dash on the simplistic, non-name of the infinite creator, allows the user to type a representative of a "name" WITHOUT writing it..

    thus not creating a permanent record of such...

    ReplyDelete
  41. First the spelling police question skull duggery, now the God squad wishes to censor our use or misuse of the language in our attempts to communicate.

    To each his own preculiarities, but don't expect others to share them.

    Seems some Asian newspaper in San Fransisco published an article by an Asian, entitled:
    "Why I hate Blacks"

    Interestingly he and the paper were assailed by the Press.
    A subject out of bounds.

    Much like Mohammed and the cartoons or even discussion of the Mohammedan movement in Western culture.

    Even the word Mohammedan is objectionable, to some. Not to be used by polite society. The Mohammedans find it offensive, you know.

    We cannot have that, no offense is to be allowed, in the New World. Order.

    ReplyDelete
  42. WiO wrote:

    Using a dash on the simplistic, non-name of the infinite creator, allows the user to type a representative of a "name" WITHOUT writing it..thus not creating a permanent record of such...

    ...thus deifying ASCII text. The teachings of the rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef say that the Creator is our heavenly Father and he likes terms of affection like Abba, which means Poppa.

    ReplyDelete
  43. On an even more humorous perspective there is this piece from Pakistan, via Bill Roggio.

    Seems that after Mr Cheney visited the General President, applying it is said, "pressure", this happens:

    "... Pakistani security forces have captured Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, according to two of the New York Times' sources in the Pakistani government. It should be noted this has not been confirmed by NATO forces in Afghanistan, however. Mullah Obaidullah was the Taliban Defense Minister under during the reign of the Taliban from 1996 until the United States toppled the government in the fall of 2001. He is the most senior Taliban figure captured to date, and “is considered by American intelligence officials to have been one of the Taliban leaders closest to Osama. bin Laden, ...”

    the General President is playing US for buffoons, or those Pakis ISI guys sure got "lucky", quick.

    ReplyDelete
  44. T...thus deifying ASCII text. The teachings of the rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef say that the Creator is our heavenly Father and he likes terms of affection like Abba, which means Poppa.

    sounds great if your a 4 year...

    maybe this is all my fault, why discuss issues like this with you? it's like peeing in the wind...

    t, have a nice day i shall not let the door knob hit myself on the ass on the way out...

    ReplyDelete
  45. Abba...
    ABBA lyrics - lyrics & songs
    141 songs online

    Listen
    Learn

    Look into his angeleyes
    One look and you're hypnotized
    He'll take your heart and you must pay the price
    Look into his angeleyes

    You'll think you're in paradise
    And one day you'll find out he wears a disguise
    Dont look too deep into those angeleyes
    Oh no no no no


    Did Mohammed have angeleyes...
    Whole new meanings are assertained from the words, with just a little extra enlightenment.

    ABBA, spreading the message

    Who'd have ever thought.

    ReplyDelete
  46. what is occupation,

    re: "G-d"

    While I appreciate your concern, I cannot quote verbatim from the numerous texts without quoting verbatim from the texts. Therefore, to avoid any accusation of dishonesty, I must be less dignified. One must hope for the indulgence of a merciful G-d.

    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  47. desert rat said...

    I aint the G-d Squad, Just a polite comment between allen and myself.

    My mistake was to actually ANSWER T on this issue...

    For that I am sorry...

    ReplyDelete
  48. allen said...
    While I appreciate your concern, I cannot quote verbatim from the numerous texts without quoting verbatim from the texts. Therefore, to avoid any accusation of dishonesty, I must be less dignified. One must hope for the indulgence of a merciful G-d.


    ALLEN YOU WILL BE DAMED TO ETERNAL HELL FIRE OF SATAN'S GRASP FOR SUCH INSOLENCE..





    Oh that's right we are Jews... we DONT HAVE satan or hell...

    he he he....

    ReplyDelete
  49. Then, "o", drive on.

    Just a little prickly, after the skull duggery incident.

    ReplyDelete
  50. "... - and while the administration is hopeful they will see continued improvement as implementation continues, time is the one thing the Bush administration does not have. The Guardian reported yesterday that an elite team of counter-insurgency experts in Iraq, dubbed the "Baghdad Brain-Trust," has advised Gen. Petraeus that the United States has six months, at most, to turn things around.

    And so we've come to the moment of truth in this war:
    secure Baghdad or bust.

    Tom Bevan is the co-founder and Executive Editor of RealClearPolitics.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Secure Baghdad or Bust!

    Funny, you'd think that'd have been the Goal, from the get go.
    To secure the Enemy's capital.

    Postmodern war, so it goes.

    ReplyDelete
  52. desert rat said...
    Then, "o", drive on.

    Just a little prickly, after the skull duggery incident.

    DR, I be driving, if you wish run a spell checker on my posts and you will find a gold mine of errors...

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  54. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  55. I care not of spelling, but of intent.

    Skull duggery = the behind the scenes actions of Skull & Boners, re: JFKerry & George W Bush amongst others, whose names are not so publicly known.

    Frat boy brothers, forever.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Oh that's right we are Jews... we DONT HAVE satan or hell...

    No, these are reserved for the here and now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  57. From one of the best:

    Who Is Satan?

    For the curious, check out his home page; but, beware, he is a persuasive Devil.

    ReplyDelete
  58. what is occupation,

    re: ALLEN YOU WILL BE DAMED TO ETERNAL HELL FIRE OF SATAN'S GRASP FOR SUCH INSOLENCE..

    And all I'll have is a shroud. Maybe I can get some of that nanotech going for me before departing.

    ReplyDelete
  59. I just hope the bus driver's name was not Mohammed

    ReplyDelete
  60. A trend of IEDless terror if it is?

    SUVs, Taxis, Buses.
    MVA, a new wave of terror,
    Mohammedan Vehicle Attacks

    ReplyDelete
  61. bobalharb,

    You aren't going to believe this; I know I wouldn't have, had I not seen it with my own eyes. Another Anna Nicole Smith paramour and potential sperm donor has just appeared on Fox. Since I caught only the tail-end (Hmmm?) the particulars escaped me. I can say his lawyer is sartorially challenged, proving that either he is unmarried or his significant other is blind.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Allen,

    Who is Satan: Satan is one of the many angels mentioned in the Bible. It is worth noting that the Hebrew word for angel is malach, meaning "messenger."


    Language is a beautiful thing:

    The root meaning of the Hebrew word 'malach', is 'to command'. This also corresponds with the sister word 'millah' (also in Aramaic), which means 'to command' or 'to fulfill'.

    ReplyDelete
  63. "Brit Millah' literaly translates as the covenant of the command.

    ReplyDelete
  64. mat,

    re: Malachi

    (His) (A) (G-d's) messenger

    ReplyDelete
  65. Allen,

    malah - to have commanded, to have ruled
    moleh - to command, to rule
    meleh - king, ruler


    Calling angels (malahim) messengers of God is somewhat misleading. According to Hebrew scripture, angels are automaton beings whose whole purpose is that of carrying out God's commands.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Satan is special in that he is not an automaton. Unlike the other angels, Satan has free will, but this free will is subordinate to his role as a provocateur, and prosecutor for justice. :)

    ReplyDelete
  67. mat,

    re: “angels”

    I just report; you decide. My life is too consumed by worries about extraterrestrials to worry about angels!

    ;-)

    It looks like Rabbi Singer still has a program of on Israel National Radio. He might explain further his take, with a call.



    ***

    ReplyDelete
  68. The bloody link didn't take. I'm getting that interference from "them" again. If they bring out the Samael ray, I'm toast.

    Link (PLEASE!!!)


    ****

    ReplyDelete
  69. Allen,

    All you had to say was Arutz7. No link necessary. :)

    ReplyDelete
  70. re: It pays to advertise

    Hmm...Nature or Nurture?

    ReplyDelete
  71. This picture posted on a Web Site on Friday, March 2, 2007, claims to shows gunmen guarding blindfolded men, some wearing Iraqi military uniforms, at an undisclosed time and location in Iraq. An al-Qaida-linked Sunni group claimed Friday that it had kidnapped 18 government workers and soldiers in retaliation for the alleged rape of a Sunni woman by members of the Shiite-dominated police force. Hours later, the government said the bodies of 14 security officers had been found. The Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni group linked to al-Qaida, posted a statement on the Internet earlier Friday saying 18 men were kidnapped in retaliation for the alleged rape along with nine pictures showing up to 18 men. (AP Photo)

    ReplyDelete
  72. TOKYO (Associated Press) -- Anyone who doubts that the Japanese army forced Asian women into sexual slavery in World War II should "face the truth," South Korea's foreign minister said Friday as outrage grew over comments by Japan's prime minister that there was no evidence of the enslavement.

    Women's rights activists in the Philippines and a group of lawmakers in South Korea also denounced the remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday that there was no proof that so-called "comfort women" were forced into prostitution during the war.

    But one of the harshest comments came from 81-year-old Hilaria Bustamante of Manila, who said she was kept as a sex slave in a Japanese garrison for a year in 1942 as a 16-year-old.

    "What he (Abe) said has angered me," she said. "They think we are just like toilet paper that they can throw away after being used."


    More than Nanking was raped.

    ReplyDelete
  73. "Sec Def Gates when speaking of 4 concurrent wars in Iraq - One is Shi'a on Shi'a"

    - 2164th at 1/27/2007 02:37:00 AM
    Mahdi commanders boast that they could wipe out the other sect and gain total control over Baghdad if the US left. "We control most of Baghdad, our main enemy is the Americans," said Fadhel. Then he paused for a second and continued -

    ..."Also we can't trust the other Shia factions (to be exploited ?).

    - Sat Feb 03, 01:19:00 PM EST
    ...Will Sadr's militias be able to "lie low"

    - Sun Feb 25, 03:35:00 PM EST
    ...Mahdi Army - Come out, come out wherever you are?

    - Sun Feb 25, 04:22:00 PM EST
    ...the call should be for the US Army to stop the attacks on the Shia civilians, not for a hunt for Shia Militias

    - March 1, 2007 by Allahpundit

    ...Sheikh Raheem al-Darruji, the mayor of Sadr City, said the Sadrists were willing to give the plan a chance but said if attacks against the Shi’ite community continued “the people of Sadr City would defend again their neighborhoods”.

    Darruji met with military commanders last month to broker a truce between the residents and U.S. forces that would have avoided any major operations there. I guess it didn’t pan out. Bill Roggio says he knows why — it’s because we’ve decided to...
    divide and conquer (sound familiar) the Sadrists rather than make a deal with them.

    The obvious question now is whether Sadr’s going to stick to his passive resistance strategy or whether things are going to blow up (Come out, come out wherever you are?)

    By Bill Roggio on March 1, 2007 2:48 PM - Into Sadr City
    ...U.S. and Iraqi forces will enter Sadr City in the next few days, establish at least one Joint Security Station, and begin clearing the neighborhoods, Reuters reports.

    “We have conducted special operations in Sadr City for some months but this will be the first time we will launch full-scale operations there and the first time we will have a permanent presence there,” said Colonel Billy Don Farris, coalition forces commander for Sadr City and Adhamiya neighbourhoods.
    “There will be no sanctuaries in Iraq. We are going to go to every building and every house and incrementally clear the area. We will target any group that attacks Iraqi and US troops,” he told Reuters.

    Multinational Forces Iraq and the Iraqi government are working to... divide and conquer Sadr's Mahdi Army (is there a recurring theme here), and the upcoming push into Sadr City is but... the latest move in the operation, which has been ongoing since last summer.

    "The latest move in the operation"

    ...Tuesday, February 20, 2007
    BAGHDAD-Three Iraq Army brigades from the autonomous Kurdistan region in the North have been deployed to Baghdad as part of the counter-insurgency operation being conducted with the United States.

    "The U.S. military has sought a significant Kurdish military presence in Baghdad for the operation," an official said. "They are regarded as the most professional of Iraqi security forces."

    "Kurdish brigades are well-trained (and who trained them?) to fight inside cities and neighborhoods, and they will contribute vigorously in cleansing Baghdad's suburbs of armed men and outlaws," Kurdistan Defense Minister Jaafar Al Barazani said.

    Officials said the Kurdish brigades, with about 7,500 troops, are already in Baghdad, Middle East Newsline reported.

    - A question that emerges; who are the groups behind the killings/ bombings in both Shia and Sunni territories?

    From a Marxist website -
    ...the vast majority of atrocities attributed to “rogue” Shiite and Sunni militias were in fact the work of government-controlled commandos and “special forces,” trained by Americans, “advised” by Americans and run largely by former CIA agents.

    Interesting

    ReplyDelete
  74. DR,

    Taken with the wing nut character of Abe's denial of this specific Japanese war crime, I posted an article referencing it at the BC.

    To reiterate, what is striking about this episode is that this is the head of the government of Japan, not some wildly fanatical blogger.

    This is what the world has come to; and we wonder why things are going to Hell in a hand basket.

    Occasionally, history shows periods of international pandemic madness. I think the period of WWI was such a time. It looks as though we may be in the midst of another. Millions of dead usually offer a temporary poultice.

    ReplyDelete
  75. How many Iraqi policemen have the Shia kidnapped and killed, lately.

    None that I know of, while a Sunni faction just wiped out a platoon of cops.

    That's gross disrespect for the law and Federal order, seems to me, while the Shia militias stand down at home. As commanded.

    The US is going to expand operations into Sadr City now, with bravado.

    Interesting way to expend the assets.

    Iraq the Model tells us of being stopped multiple times, his vehicle searched thourghly.

    But still car bombs explode amongst the Shia populous, almost as if in concert with the Inspectors.
    Which the Marxists lay on US, while we speak of Iraqi tribalism, corruption, Iranians and aQ as the root of the evils.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Yusuf has spiritual comeback

    At ease: Yusuf Islam gave a tentative performance but joked with the Porchester Hall crowd

    As well as the 28 years since his last concert, fans who had won tickets for this intimate show also had to queue for an hour before finally being allowed inside last night.
    Then they discovered that alcohol was not permitted during the performance.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Say what you will about equality of the sexs and circumcision, but this girl has a long board

    While this one has no board, at all.

    ReplyDelete
  78. What is,
    I take them at their word also...
    But do any of our "Leaders?"

    ReplyDelete
  79. (What is occupation ...for our gentle readers)

    ReplyDelete
  80. WiO said, sounds great if your a 4 year...

    Luke 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Goodness me, I haven't seen anything like that since the livestock fair at Perry last summer.

    ReplyDelete
  82. bobalharb,

    I have been watching for the missing sperm donor too. At the end of the day, why worry; there are more than enough to go around.

    Sad to say, I missed the big blowout in the Bahamas. Fortunately, it was taped. If the DVDs go on sale for less than five bucks, I may get to catch up.

    Something tells me that the Anna Nicole Smith saga and the "Tragedy of Katrina" will be making headlines for the rest of my life. And probably for the same reason.

    ReplyDelete
  83. allen said, I can say his lawyer is sartorially challenged, proving that either he is unmarried or his significant other is blind.

    A good marriage would be between a blind wife and deaf husband. -- Michel de Montaigne

    ReplyDelete
  84. Allen said, Something tells me that the Anna Nicole Smith saga and the "Tragedy of Katrina" will be making headlines for the rest of my life. And probably for the same reason.

    Well, the moonbats said Bush blew up the levee in the Big Easy, so I imagine Bush also supervised the quickening of Ms Smith's egg and said, "Yer doin' a heck of a job, Brownie!"

    ReplyDelete
  85. - War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over

    Your points are well taken DR.

    I guess the basic question is whether or not shias that fall with al Sadr are enemies or citizens? If they share the Khomeini idealogy, do they also support the destruction of America? If Basra is an Iranian city as you propose, is it the land of war or the land of peace - for our forces?

    With regards to Sunni on Sunni violence, there was a recent attack on tribal elders attributed to AQ. This act has created division between the two factions.

    - As to your question, statement -

    "How many Iraqi policemen have the Shia kidnapped and killed, lately?"
    None that I know of, while a Sunni faction just wiped out a platoon of cops."

    Who exactly are the policemen you speak of?

    The answer to this question is the reason they are not a target of Shias (Mahdi army)and the reason they are a target of Sunnis. Also, the reason why Kurds are now in Baghdad with U.S. forces.

    Sat Jan 06, 04:47:00 PM EST
    ...Many members of the newly created police and Iraqi forces are controlled by Shi’ite officers who, in some form or another, previously belonged to SCIRI or other groups affiliated with Iran. Recent intelligence indicates that IRGC officers are currently operating in Iraq in certain Shi’ite militias and actual army and police units. The degree of penetration of these organizations is difficult to assess, and it is virtually impossible to distinguish between Iraqi Shi’ite militias and police units, both of which are profoundly influenced by Iran, and in some cases are under Iranian control. Iranian manipulation has filtered down to street level as well. Ordinary police and military officers now
    have a stronger allegiance to the Badr Organization or the Mahdi Army than to their own units. And of course, these organizations are deeply connected to Iran. According to the head of intelligence of an allied
    country that borders Iraq, “the Iranians have not just pulled off an infiltration, in certain regions in Baghdad and Basra, it’s been a complete takeover.”

    - How many Iraqi policemen need killing may be a more appropriate question?

    - Another question is whether the Badr Organization or the Mahdi Army (or either) will align with the U.S. with regards to the new oil laws

    ReplyDelete
  86. Doug said, Then they discovered that alcohol was not permitted during the performance.

    The trick with to tape a bottle of Southern Comfort to your leg and rolling your jeans over it, and if it slips down her pants leg and shatters on the sidewalk, you can save your own flask by feigning shock and shouting, "You tried to bring that in here?"

    ReplyDelete
  87. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  88. The SCIRI and the Mahdi are all Iranian assisted, to one degree or another.
    They also are the Iraqi Government.

    That is the crux of the long term problem.

    For the US to win the War in Iraq, by our own standard, the Iranians are empowered, vis a vie the old status que.
    A Win in the War in Iraq is a loss in the War with Iran.
    But there is no War with Iran.
    At least not a war the US will admit to.

    We'll see if stirring up a hornets nest within the majority of the Iraqi people is the best course forward. It placates the Sauds, but how does it advance stabilizing Baghdad?

    The Federal Iraqi Government is Shia dominated, it always will be, as long as it's democratic. The majority of the police will be Shia, especially if the Sunni boycott the jobs.

    We are trying to balance the tit for tat for both sides of the Federal crackdown, creating an equality of outcome based upon sectarian quotas.

    They'll find and fix those Shia militias, no matter what.

    ReplyDelete
  89. allen said, I just report; you decide. My life is too consumed by worries about extraterrestrials to worry about angels!

    I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise

    They climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies

    Singing come sail away, come sail away

    Come sail away with me

    Come sail away, come sail away

    Come sail away with me

    Styx

    ReplyDelete
  90. teresita,

    re: "Yer doin' a heck of a job, Brownie!"

    Now, you know that is just Wrong!
    ;-D

    ReplyDelete
  91. Music and Scotish Terror:
    With the consent of Bob Dylan, a Dunblane musician named Ted Christopher wrote a new verse for "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" in memory of the Dunblane school children and their teacher. The recording of the revised version of the song, which included brothers and sisters of the victims singing the chorus and Mark Knopfler on guitar, was released on December 9, 1996 in the UK, and reached number 1. The proceeds went to charities for children.

    The Living End have a song on their self-titled album about the Dunblane massacre. It is called "Monday". The band's Chris Cheney said, "It was such a senseless act. I just felt compelled to write a song about it." Also, the UK band History of Guns got their name from one of their earliest songs, inspired by the Dunblane shootings.

    On their 1997 album Quintessentials, English punk band UK Subs feature a song simply titled "Dunblane". Lead singer Charlie Harper laments in the chorus: "After Dunblane, how can you hold a gun and say you're innocent?"

    Pipe Major Robert Mathieson of Shotts and Dykehead also composed a slow air for the Highland Bagpipes in memoriam of the event, entitled "The Bells of Dunblane".

    James MacMillan wrote a tribute piece, "A Child's Prayer", using the words "remembered by the composer from childhood". It was first performed in Westminster Abbey in July 1996 and recorded on the album 'ikon' by The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers, in 2005.

    Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) sang "The Little Ones" at the Voices for Darfur gala performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in December 2004, a song which he said he wrote for the children of Dunblane and Bosnia.

    Eric Bogle, a Scotsman who has lived for many years in Australia, wrote and recorded "One Small Star" as an attempt to bring a small measure of comfort to those left struggling to cope with the grief of losing their sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, grandchildren, friends, in such a horrific manner

    ReplyDelete
  92. Desert Rat said, We'll see if stirring up a hornets nest within the majority of the Iraqi people is the best course forward. It placates the Sauds, but how does it advance stabilizing Baghdad?

    There's a parallel problem when scientists try to observe very small objects. Photons with wavelengths short enough to reveal detail in the object are also so energetic they knock the object around. The very presence of Americans forces, obstensibly to impose stability, is the stimulus of instability. I recommend a strategic redeployment to the periphery of the city, where the number of routes which must be patrolled diminish to a manageable few. Search all vehicles for bombs or bomb supplies, but otherwise let the Sunnis and Shi'ites duke it out.

    ReplyDelete
  93. bobalharb said, You'd think after all the husbands she has had, she might give a country fellow a chance, or two or three of us.

    You Hooterville folks shouldn't get greedy, you had Eva Gabor.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Obsession is an ugly and dangerous thing, Bobal:
    Soon we'll be reading of a town in Idaho being mown down by a Giant Deere.
    The Zsa Zsa Massacre.

    ReplyDelete
  95. Sacre Bleu!

    U.P.S. Walks Away From A380 Order

    PARIS, March 2 — United Parcel Service, the last remaining customer for the cargo version of the Airbus A380 superjumbo jet, said Friday that it was walking away from its order for 10 of the planes, citing concerns that Airbus would not be able to meet a revised delivery schedule.

    The cancellation by U.P.S., four months after its rival FedEx also abandoned an order for 10 planes, leaves Airbus without a customer for the A380 freighter. It is a fresh blow to the company, which announced this week details of a restructuring plan that is expected to result in the loss of 10,000 jobs across Europe over the next four years.

    “This is another slap in the face for Airbus,” said Doug McVitie, a consultant at Arran Aerospace in Dinan, France. “U.P.S. will probably turn to Boeing now for good.”

    The move follows a confirmation by Airbus late Monday that it had halted work on the A380 freighter to divert engineering resources to the passenger version of the plane, now two years behind schedule.

    ReplyDelete
  96. The Army Secretary was canned at the end of the business day.

    The DoD should not ignore senior NCOs.

    Lt. General Riley is still running freely with a giant target painted on his rear-end. Take the shot Mr. Gates.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Doug said, The move follows a confirmation by Airbus late Monday that it had halted work on the A380 freighter to divert engineering resources to the passenger version of the plane, now two years behind schedule.

    I think Putin has some rubles to throw down the Airbus toilet. Nice psych-out, Dubya, putting those radars in Poland.

    In Heaven: the chefs are French,
    the beer is English,
    the lovers are Italian
    the bankers are Swiss.
    and the airplanes are American.

    In Hell: the chefs are English,
    the beer is American,
    the lovers are Swiss,
    the bankers are Italian,
    and the airplanes are French.

    ReplyDelete
  98. doug,

    re: sacre bleu

    Like, I heard that it’s really cool with French bread. And I heard from some dude on the cooking channel that it doesn't stink or cause cooties. Like, I was blowing at the time, so that last may not be entirely righteous, you know? But, man, I'm always, like, up for new stuff. Unlike poor Anna Nicole who is, you know, doing the ultimate body wrap. Cool, uh?

    Like, where is Rufus, when you need the trend line on burial plots on the beach?

    ReplyDelete
  99. " Take the shot Mr. Gates. "
    ---
    If we had had Gates as POTUS instead of W,
    (stands for Wussie)
    The Govt wouldn't still be riddled with Clintonista Traitors and Traitorettes.
    ...and MSM reporters would have had to write about something other than the latest catastrophic leak for the last 6 years.

    High on the list of W's unforgivable FU's, imo, was the "New Tone,"
    With the result being, in reality that the healthy purging that is supposed to occur with the installation of a new admin never occurred.
    And here we are.

    ReplyDelete
  100. How many days has the Rufuswatch not seen hide nor hare?
    You guys are probably too much of a downer for the Ethanol Powered Optimist.

    ReplyDelete
  101. News at last from the Victory Caucus (where “they Really, Really, Really, REALLY care!”) an acknowledgement of that little FUBAR at Walter Reed:



    Link

    ReplyDelete
  102. Describing the Success in Basra as piss poor performance got to him.

    Hard to refute that it was touted as a success by both Mr Bush & Mr Cheney or that the outcome that has been reported, from Basra, is piss poor from a US perspective, vis a vie Iran.

    Depends upon which War we are discussing.
    Basra is a success as far as turning authority in Iraq over to the people of Iraq.
    It is a setback in the War on Terror, as it applies to Iran. The Iranian influence in both Iraq and Saudi Arabia has expanded due to US intervention in Iraq.

    ReplyDelete
  103. We're gonna try the New Tone on what was once refered to as the
    "Axis of Evil"

    New Tone Lingo goes:
    "Since We're Neighbors, Let's be Friends."

    ReplyDelete
  104. Everybody thot Rove was calling the shots:
    Turns out W was deciding policy based on whatever the speechwriters came up with.
    When Frum and the JewHawks left, our policy changed accordingly.
    Snow would Know.

    ReplyDelete
  105. It's a world of laughter
    A world of tears
    It's a world of hopes
    And a world of fears
    There's so much that we share
    That it's time we're aware
    It's a small world after all

    There is just one moon
    And one golden sun
    And a smile means
    Friendship to ev'ryone
    Though the mountains divide
    And the oceans are wide
    It's a small world after all

    It's a small world after all
    It's a small world after all
    It's a small world after all
    It's a small, small world

    ReplyDelete
  106. re: And a smile means
    Friendship to ev'ryone

    Unless you are a serial killer or a tenured, psychotic professor at Kent State, it goes without saying, which I did, didn't I?

    ReplyDelete
  107. Deuce,

    See what you think of this. H/T LGF

    Keith Jarrett Trio

    Link

    ReplyDelete
  108. bobalharb,

    re: beauty

    Once, when I was a younger man (note: not a young man), walking to the door at Walgreen’s, I was met by a young woman leaving. She was the most beautiful human being I’ve ever seen. Yes, you could launch a thousand ships, thought I.

    Outside of erotica, the beauty of the David, elicits an overpowering sense of awe. For a thousand years Western man had endured the stifling, dark, cruel religious art of the churches. Then, out of the marble stepped Michelangelo’s stellar, iridescent paeon to humanism and the chains of servitude to superstition were forever broken. Ecce Homo! As G-d had intended, there stood a sentient soul, unselfconsciously nude, created in he image of G-d, as in the Garden.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Outside of erotica, the beauty of the David, elicits an overpowering sense of awe. For a thousand years Western man had endured the stifling, dark, cruel religious art of the churches. Then, out of the marble stepped Michelangelo’s stellar, iridescent paeon to humanism and the chains of servitude to superstition were forever broken. Ecce Homo! As G-d had intended, there stood a sentient soul, unselfconsciously nude, created in he image of G-d, as in the Garden.


    sidenote,

    the david is carved WITH A FORESKIN

    ReplyDelete
  110. what is occupation,

    re: foreskin

    We musn't sacrifice the good on the alter of the perfect.
    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  111. Well Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit says the Walter Reed scandal "sucks"; but it has been well covered, according to the Doctor. Since Reynolds doesn't take comments, I can't say, "Hey, Dude, when did YOU cover it?"

    Reynolds is being disingenuous and also hypocritical, in my opinion. I would say he is full of crap, but he is a gentleman, you know?

    ReplyDelete
  112. bobalharb,

    I know what you mean, but words fail. You just had to be there. But my experience did make me think later of the magnetism of Helen of Troy.

    As you say, there is some element of erotica, but it is really secondary (if that) to the experience.

    Oh, my wife was accompanying me at the time, so, we have NOT discussed the matter, as you will appreciate. One's spouse might get a burr under the blanket, if you know what I mean? We did talk about the impact of the David, without incident. The foreskin matter did come up…Well, I think I’ll just stop right there.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Yourish has joined the chorus of those predicting another Arab-Israeli war this spring/summer. When war comes (as it certainly will), it will be much worse than needs be. We have the Olmert government, the UN, and the State Department to thank for that. Why do I have the foreboding associated with the Yom Kippur War?

    Egypt turns a blind eye to terrorism

    This time, Israel must never relinquish control of the Sinai.

    ReplyDelete
  114. If true, this is going to require getting our collective heads and hands wrapped around this potential for proliferation.

    ___Punch Line:

    "Moreover, the authors state, the Pentagon and the defense industry are no longer 'at the leading edge of most of the militarily relevant technologies, having been displaced by international commercial industries and markets.'"

    "The Defense Department should -- and could -- cut in half the time it takes to field major systems

    Link

    ReplyDelete
  115. The boys at Cal Tech, (Cal Institute of Technology) predictiably scientific in their approach to all things, developed the
    "MiliHelen"
    as a unit of measure of pulchritude when observing
    the fairer sex.
    FWIW

    ReplyDelete
  116. DR,

    DavidIgnatius=ChickenLittle

    Ignatius builds his piece, much of which looks plagiarized, because I've see that whole first paragraph some where else, around Peter Schwartz. Schwartz is an accomplished fellow, famous along with Stewart Brand for creating the "scenario planning" technique for assessing uncertain outcomes about the future. In fact, I hired their firm to work with me on a project to determine the demand levels for internet services in Latin American during the late 1990's. But you should know that Schwartz lives in Berkeley, consults in Hollywood, runs with the Geffen/Spielberg crowd, attends Davos and is more than likely a player int the California Democratic party.

    Why do you give Ignatius any credibility on this subject anyway?

    ReplyDelete
  117. Stewart Brand:
    Nice article in NYTimes with lots of links on pg 2
    Brand Bio

    NYTimes Pg2 w/links
    Photo w/author Ken Kesey, fellow Merry Prankster/LSD explorer San Francisco in October 1966

    Home since 1982!

    ReplyDelete
  118. I will probably be voted off the island at Blackfive for having taken the high priestess to task. Oh, I also published the facts of record on Ed Morrissey, Hugh Hewitt, Dean Barnett, and Mary Katherine Ham. These people are as hypocritical, if not more so with there pseudo-Christian mores, as any Democrat you are ever likely to meet.

    Accountability

    Link

    ReplyDelete
  119. Republican you are ever likely to meet.

    ReplyDelete
  120. J Willie,
    re the Global Warming Disaster via Ignatius:

    Not pointed out is the equal or greater number of environmental IMPROVEMENTS (Growing seasons, precipitation, expanded areas of cultivation, etc) that will accompany the next warm cycle that God visits on planet earth.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Allen,
    Never fear:
    Hewitt informs us that his pal Mary Catherine attended law school w/Osama Hussein Obama, and assures us he is a "very patriotic American."
    Good to know.
    ---
    Wretchard once did a piece about not being unduly pessimistic, nor optimistic, both contributing to a lack of confidence in the reporter.

    Over the next two years he steadfastly tried to put a positive spin or at least a defense of, every lunkheaded decision or lack of action by our "leaders" in Iraq.
    IMO, at least.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Course New Tone GWB assures us that everyone from Ted Kennedy to John Kerry are good patriotic Americans.

    Defense for folks like Libby, near lifelong aide to Cheney, Zilch.
    ...as Sandy Bergler runs free.
    What an Ass.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Howard Dean Demands GOP Candidates Denounce Ann Coulter for Referring to John Edwards as a 'Faggot'...

    Dean issued a press release expressing his outrage. Dean called Coulter’s remarks ‘hate-filled and bigoted.’
    ---
    OK, he's a phoney girlie man fake defender of the poor pathological con artist that makes most fags look like masculine hunks.

    ReplyDelete