War On Terror

Who Is The Enemy?

Whenever there’s a war on, the vast complexities of the whole wide world become suddenly simple. There’s Our Side over here, and Their Side over there, and Their soldiers are trying to kill Our soldiers; and so, They are The Enemy. If Our soldiers didn’t fight back, they’d get killed, and worse they’d get other people killed; and so it would be cowardice, or even rank treachery. There’s a time for questions like Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong, and that time is not now, because right now there’s someone with a gun and he’s trying to shoot you, and the best you can do is react; thinking will distract you, and that sort of thing will get you killed.

So even posing the question, “Which side is the right side, really, when you come right down to it?” when you’re at war is a form of treason; it’s Letting Your Side Down.

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In RE Iran: “We Killed Yamamoto”

“Fellas, this guy is going to stand trial in a U.S. court, and if we have to stick heroin on his plane to get him there, that’s what we’re going to do.”
– President Jed Bartlet, The West Wing

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was Japan’s top naval commander-in-chief.  A brilliant strategist, a masterful tactician, and a genius at logistics, Yamamoto masterminded Pearl Harbor and had operated the Japanese attack fleet against the Allies in such a way that their materiel disadvantage was more than compensated for by his audacity.

In 1942, the American SIS broke the Japanese naval code (more…)

Buying Greenland

I keep having to say the same thing over and over:  That Donald Trump said something does not in and of itself constitute proof that what he said is wrong.  Today’s case in point is the proposed purchase of Greenland from Denmark.

There’s two reasons this isn’t insanity.  The first is that, on its face, the offer isn’t insane.

Half a dozen times in our history, the United States has purchased land from other countries.  All things being equal, it’s easier (and cheaper) than conquering it outright, so from an American viewpoint it makes good sense.  From a Danish perspective, it’s one of the last of their colonial possessions, so national pride would likely (more…)