tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.comments2023-10-31T05:07:19.353-04:00Delenda est CarthagoDr. Φhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comBlogger3478125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-34487132043341788712022-12-19T09:47:40.260-05:002022-12-19T09:47:40.260-05:00So the gold standard for libraries is now "le...So the gold standard for libraries is now "less gay".<br /><br />Still not happy.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-76712133755500104272021-09-04T13:39:42.957-04:002021-09-04T13:39:42.957-04:00Regarding the "conspiracy nut" charge, t...Regarding the "conspiracy nut" charge, the answer is that I don't honestly know whether admitting 125K of these people was the plan all along, or whether the Democrats just lucked into it. The adage to never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence might be applicable here.<br /><br />The few extant pictures (e.g. <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/08/20/undercount-famous-c-17-flight-filled-more-afghan-evacuees-first-thought-setting-record.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>) of the "evacuees" show what look like men who should have been fighting.Dr. Φhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-34087710428495505962021-09-02T08:51:32.647-04:002021-09-02T08:51:32.647-04:00What are you, some kind of racist, conspiracy nut?...What are you, some kind of racist, conspiracy nut? 😁<br /><br />Seems to me that the correct answer to "we have to get the people who helped us out and to America" could be "perhaps they should fight harder to keep their own country". Notice that the Polish and French governments in exile didn't move halfway across the world during WWII and didn't just flee and live the life of Reilly. They moved to a nearby free country and used their knowledge and contacts to organize the resistance.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-12575026194145188612021-08-22T20:46:34.680-04:002021-08-22T20:46:34.680-04:00. . . equipped "them" as in the ANA, not.... . . equipped "them" as in the ANA, not intentionally equipping the Taliban. I remember seeing the movie "War Dogs" that we bought the ANA a crap-load of 7.62x39.Dr. Φhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-21420040599500005602021-08-22T20:43:21.436-04:002021-08-22T20:43:21.436-04:00As Steve Sailer pointed out this weekend, the situ...As Steve Sailer pointed out this weekend, the situation in Afghanistan remains . . . fluid, as would be expected after the toppling of a government. So I have to preface my comments by saying they are based on the latest information I have seen.<br /><br />Re: Bagram. I read that too. It would have merit if our troops were withdrawing under fire. But so far, the Taliban have not engaged us.<br /><br />I've made the MRAP trip from Bagram to ISAF (one of the few AF pukes to have done so). It's an hour 40 of <i>hard</i> driving. We would have done no favors to all the Americans in Kabul to tell them that instead of driving to the city airport, they have to drive all the way to Bagram. (There's damned little in Bagram, by the way, other than the base; it's Nowheresville even by Afghan standards.) The slowdown in the "evacuation" this week isn't runway capacity, it's airlift (which I'm reading we have addressed with the civil air something something) and receiving nation capacity (which I'm reading we have also addressed by dropping tens of thousand of <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/ive-worked-refugees-decades-europes-afghan-crime-wave-mind-21506" rel="nofollow">the little shits</a> into America.<br /><br />The weapons were supposedly for the ANA/ANP, but this should also be the subject of the full accounting. I am surprised to see the pictures the Taliban sporting M-16s since I had thought we had equipped them with AK variants.<br /><br />I never said that we should have been "working with the Taliban". I only meant that a war with them was (or should have been) only incidental to getting at Al Qaeda. I agree with your assessment of the politics of ever normalizing relations with the Taliban, but I don't really care; if the Russians and Chinese have the run of the place, bully for them!Dr. Φhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-67710800176152852512021-08-22T20:09:19.843-04:002021-08-22T20:09:19.843-04:00Over the long term, yes, the military we see today...Over the long term, yes, the military we see today is the product of decades of perverse incentives. Changing the military means creating counter incentives, to which end I recommend cashiering most of the senior officers <i>en masse</i>. Doing <i>that</i> would seem to require that Red America disabuse itself of its love affair with the military as it exists today. The quotes above are a step in that direction.<br /><br />PDT is somewhat beyond the scope this post, but I want to point out the structural problem with populist outsiders: their hearts might be in the right place, but they face a very steep learning curve as to where the levers of power actually are. This was Trump's challenge, and it took him most of his term to accomplish anything. (Insiders know exactly where the levers are, which is how Biden managed to create an immigration crisis in his first month in office.) Dr. Φhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-68001888653449217482021-08-22T12:03:26.318-04:002021-08-22T12:03:26.318-04:00So long as the military is subject to civilian con...So long as the military is subject to civilian control (which I am in favor of for the record), the military will do what the civilians in charge want them to do, both in and out of combat operations. The only solution is for the American people to reject this woke nonsense and elect politicians who will direct the military on a long term corrective course. But as we see, without the full backing of the people, so little changes no matter who is in power. PDT was better than Biden but a disappointment overall because he refused to press Congress to implement his agenda (assuming he really knew what his agenda was); he refused to fire people in the Executive and Military who were in the way or obstructive (to be fair he did seem to hire some good people who promptly imploded); and he refused to tone down his "mean tweets" when it became clear that they weren't productive. We could have had so much more with eight years of a leader with his attitude towards the status quo and the establishment who was disciplined enough to have made actual changes. <br /><br />Afghanistan, of course, it but one example. He had four years to sit down with the parties in the country and figure out a way to negotiate at least something that would have allowed us to significantly scale back combat operations with the goal of leaving, even to the point of saying "we don't really want to be here, you don't want us here, give us a plan that allows us to leave that doesn't involve you immediately having a civil war". Instead he waited until the last minute and then, as you pointed out, set a timeline for after his term (again to be fair he may have thought he would still be President).heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-87408173160829122342021-08-22T11:53:20.869-04:002021-08-22T11:53:20.869-04:00I never did. I had thought that maybe the nuclear...I never did. I had thought that maybe the nuclear power industry (my Navy background) but went in other directions. I also had no actual knowledge of whether my military evaluations would be accessible or relevant, it was just what I was told (nascent-internet days).<br /><br />I suspect the reason they made a big deal was because I called out their leadership directly. With examples.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-46164343653547392072021-08-22T11:49:09.344-04:002021-08-22T11:49:09.344-04:00Mission viability aside. Necessity of presence as...Mission viability aside. Necessity of presence aside. Setting aside everything but "we need to leave", and agreeing with all of your assessment, it was still a hash created by corrupt politicians and inept military leaders. <br /><br />Close Bagram first? Why on earth wouldn't we just tell Americans to come to Bagram, where they would be evacuated in an orderly manner, after which the last troops could get on planes and fly home.<br /><br />I am hearing from some, who may or may not know any more than I do, that the weapons left behind were for the Afghani army, not just abandoned. I don't know this for sure but when I hear about embassy staff frantically burning documents at the last minute I am skeptical that the military actually left equipment based on some well crafted plan.<br /><br />On your comment that we could have been working with the Taliban, perhaps a future President could reach out to them and establish relations based on some sort of developmental support in exchange for efforts to moderate their domestic policies (and help ensure that they are not a base for terrorism), but that would immediately be seized upon politically (can you see the Taliban Ron cartoons with President Desantis wearing a turban and holding an AQ flag?). Whether such engagement even works in the long run is suspect (China anyone?) but there does seem to be at least some level of support for more Western mores. Just not enough to fight for them apparently.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-37452090217098941712021-08-21T11:02:40.794-04:002021-08-21T11:02:40.794-04:00Wow. Generally, commanders and supervisors avoid ...Wow. Generally, commanders and supervisors avoid the extra review process associated with negative evaluations when it's so much easier to damn you with faint praise.<br /><br />I guess I had forgotten that you had been in the service. Did you ever work for the federal government? I don't recall that my actual evaluations were ever a factor in my own hiring.Dr. Φhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-36556811667313152002021-08-20T11:55:55.226-04:002021-08-20T11:55:55.226-04:00I wrote a scathing separation letter in resigning ...I wrote a scathing separation letter in resigning my commission in 1993. I was told that if I submitted the letter as written I would receive a very negative separation evaluation. Since I had thought that I might want to work in the federal government or related industry I withdrew my letter. I received a very negative separation evaluation. In hindsight I should have then sent my original letter to my Congressman with an explanation but it didn't occur to me at that point. Trust a commanding officer? Nope.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-65779407769585757572021-08-18T16:22:32.769-04:002021-08-18T16:22:32.769-04:00I pay more attention to where the Window closes, i...I pay more attention to where the Window closes, i.e. the subjects/ideas formerly known and discussed but no longer.Dr. Φhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-60535665012355794782021-08-18T14:18:42.265-04:002021-08-18T14:18:42.265-04:00@heresolong: It was the Golden Age of Blogging. ...@heresolong: It was the Golden Age of Blogging. Most of the links on the blogroll are now dead, I'm lucky to have a score of readers, and I'm pretty sure you're my only commenter.<br /><br />I think the turning point came with the closure/desuetude of HitCoffee. Will Truman writes for the "The League of Ordinary Gentlemen" doing his Daniel Patrick Moynihan impression, but hasn't been by in a long time.Dr. Φhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-51082832405588272662021-08-17T22:06:42.253-04:002021-08-17T22:06:42.253-04:00I have heard criticism of the Overton Window as &q...I have heard criticism of the Overton Window as "just another way to say slippery slope". I tend to think that OW is a better explanation for a similar process but am not 100% sure that I am seeing all the ramifications. <br /> Have you given this any thought and if it interested you, would you write a post?heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-17722869922731366852021-08-17T22:04:49.444-04:002021-08-17T22:04:49.444-04:00So the correct answer to the question "how wo...So the correct answer to the question "how would I tell if someone was a Canadian" is:<br /><br />They would have a Canadian flag prominently displayed to ensure that they weren't mistaken for an American.<br /><br />Fascinating reading from 2011 including comments from people who I remember reading back then but who have disappeared, and from other who changed their names but I still follow them and interact on occasion. Odd how this "community" sprang up so many years ago out of literally nothing including actual in-person meetings.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-52246498666544134802021-08-17T21:54:11.091-04:002021-08-17T21:54:11.091-04:00Justin? Care to comment? 😁Justin? Care to comment? 😁heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-81445383918893742322021-07-27T18:41:00.358-04:002021-07-27T18:41:00.358-04:00Given that:
a) many if not most of the "riot...Given that:<br /><br />a) many if not most of the "rioters" walked around within the velvet ropes taking selfies and reminding each other not to damage anything and that<br /><br />b) many of the Capitol Police officers held the doors open and for all intents and purposes communicated "if you'll walk this way next we'll visit the House of Representatives chamber where they conduct their business"<br /><br />I think that most of this is overblown partisan hype. I have no idea what is happening in the picture so can't help you there but JHCOAPS. These people will stoop to any level to smear their opponents. Don't know if you've heard but the Democratic Secretary of State in Florida (who is running for governor) has started revoking the Concealed Pistol Permits of anyone who has been charged with anything concerning January 6th, even though the law of Florida requires that a person be convicted of a felony before revocation.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-8148593916314830942021-07-22T13:30:31.379-04:002021-07-22T13:30:31.379-04:00Goldberg who? I wonder how many big-city dailies ...Goldberg who? I wonder how many big-city dailies are still owned by actual residents.Dr. Φhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086783503820477029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-38814487975647561952021-07-02T19:44:38.040-04:002021-07-02T19:44:38.040-04:00Followup: If she writes for The Dispatch then she ...Followup: If she writes for The Dispatch then she is pretty darn ideological. That is one of Goldberg's Never Trump outfits. So not a local paper.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-24158091338878588302021-07-02T19:42:26.820-04:002021-07-02T19:42:26.820-04:00Weren't admitted back to Nepal? Because the N...Weren't admitted back to Nepal? Because the Nepalese government knew some sap Western country would take them in as "refugees"? Two birds, one stone.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-3004949284098749752021-06-28T09:51:55.576-04:002021-06-28T09:51:55.576-04:00This is how conservatives lose. We pass a big ref...This is how conservatives lose. We pass a big reform bill that "solves" the problem, and then we go back to our lives. The progressive left claims that our big reform is racist, sexist, etc and will lead to the destruction of whoever, and then they go back to making little tiny carveouts until we are back where we started, with the only difference being that we now have the collective memory of already having "won" that battle. Then they keep going. They don't care if it takes them ten, twenty, fifty years to win because the goal is to win. It is only when they try to do things "bigly" that there ends up being pushback (evidence: the overreach by the current crop of Progs who think they have won to the point where they can do anything and do it now). <br /><br />The problem, of course, is that the pushback will happen, we will think we won (I use "we" to mean the generally conservative side), and we will go back to our lives. This is why I am generally pessimistic about the long term.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-77515071557537067712021-04-27T16:14:10.470-04:002021-04-27T16:14:10.470-04:00Maybe it was his interpretation of the verse?? Idk...Maybe it was his interpretation of the verse?? Idk but I love it. Makes sense to me!LauraThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02495861027236252093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-57384614448341516522021-04-18T21:50:34.668-04:002021-04-18T21:50:34.668-04:00Thanks! I still get ODB, but I haven't opened...Thanks! I still get ODB, but I haven't opened an email from them in months.<br />-John WilderJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02317597809710979689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-11158483241195772272021-04-11T11:21:47.922-04:002021-04-11T11:21:47.922-04:00I remember ODB from when I was a kid, although the...I remember ODB from when I was a kid, although there was no website nor email reminders then. 😁<br /><br />Interesting chapter. Great that something good can come out of even the most pandering of programs. I, too, get sick of the blackety-black-black to which we are constantly subjected. I wish more modern blacks would take her lessons to heart and start emphasizing education, hard work, and good behavior. Instead we are told that hard work is a "white supremacist" concept, along with things like being on time, math, science, etc.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29763791.post-53126806248712570012021-03-04T09:27:23.186-05:002021-03-04T09:27:23.186-05:00Three guesses as to whether reporting someone for ...Three guesses as to whether reporting someone for sitting alone and reading "How to be an Anti-Racist" or "Das Kapital" will be grounds for investigation. If your third guess was that reporting such behavior will be grounds for investigating you, have another cookie.heresolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00461382067580153600noreply@blogger.com