In 2013 neither of my parents would acknowledge the seriousness of their illnesses. For them the price of denial was their lives. Today the Iraqis are seeing what happens when you refuse to face reality and change your ways to accommodate unpleasant truths. Iraqi City of Mosul Falls to Jihadists. BAGHDAD — Islamic militants overran…
Frigging dumb limbo mumbo jumbo
June 9, 2014
One of my favorite films is Altered States, starring William Hurt and Blair Brown. It’s about a man who searches for meaning and feels entirely cut off from everybody. I love Charles Haid’s epic rant that ends with, “I’m not going to listen to any more of your cabalistic, quantum, frigging dumb, limbo mumbo jumbo!”…
Blowback
June 8, 2014
In the intelligence world, the term “blowback” has many meanings. For the purpose of this post, I’ll use the definition I learned when I was in high school: Training and equipping people who eventually turn on you. Today there was a hugely destructive attack on Karachi International Airport. Terrorists armed with automatic rifles, hand grenades,…
The D-Day movie to watch
June 6, 2014
Today is the seventieth anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe. If you’re in the mood, I’d like to recommend a D-Day movie. The reason it’s so great is that it’s a deeply serious, low-key look at the decision to launch an operation that would cost untold numbers of lives. In case you don’t know,…
On Losing Everything, Part One
June 3, 2014
Two days ago I wrote about Ryan Kelly Chamberlain, a man wanted by the FBI. I got the details of the story wrong. He didn’t have ricin, and his car wasn’t rigged with explosives. He was arrested in San Francisco yesterday after leaving a trail ten miles wide. For example, he used his ATM card…
On Losing Everything, Part Two
June 3, 2014
So, what are my thoughts on Ryan Kelly Chamberlain’s letter about losing everything? I think it’s a joke. He’s a joke. Don’t get me wrong: His depression is certainly real. But how he handled his problems is sickeningly self-indulgent. Today a fat, fabulously wealthy bastard told me I was too angry, and I need to…
Rich, trendy, vacuous, and ready to kill thousands.
June 1, 2014
Meet Ryan Chamberlain. He lives in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. Ryan is a self-described political junkie, wordie, techie, fithead, poker player, and sports fan. And he’s now wanted by the FBI because he was laying the groundwork for a mass-casualty terrorist attack. Why are so many truly fortunate people ready to kill…
Time for a post on government health care
May 29, 2014
One of the main news stories right now is about government health care. The hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs are a disaster. Not only that, the people in charge are engaged in a massive coverup. A watchdog’s report found systemic problems at Department of Veterans Affairs health-care facilities, including improper procedures for…