Nobody will ever be able to write the history of the Syrian civil war. Too much of it is performance art that’s necessary to avoid the mistakes of every single western power that has fought in the Middle East. The performers putting on the show can’t take a bow, which is a shame. They’re absolutely…
Trigger words: “brave, skilled, selfless, humane”
April 17, 2016
Today I learned that terms such as “brave,” “skilled,” “selfless,” and “humane” are trigger words for those who lack such attributes. We’re not supposed to praise others, because that will make the non-praiseworthy feel bad about themselves. Not my problem. This post is dedicated to Andrew Gabriel Rose—poet, author, and painter. Trigger an emission Andrew…
Fatuous self-genocide in slow motion
April 15, 2016
One of my favorite words is “fatuous.” It means “inanely foolish.” Think of it as deeply silly stupidity. Only intelligent people are capable of being fatuous. What’s a good example of fatuity? Well, this, of course. Bradley Manning is not a woman. He was not discharged from the US Army even though at the time,…
Undisclosed versus covert versus clandestine
April 14, 2016
Military operations are classified as open, clandestine, covert, and undisclosed. Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom were open operations. A clandestine operation was Neptune Spear, the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Navy SEALs of DEVGRU. Though secret at the time, we admitted to it when it was over. Covert operations are actions that everyone…
Clown Apocalypse, otherwise known as western culture
April 13, 2016
During World War I, German flamethrower pioneer Georg Lembke served on the Italian Front. He called it the Clown Apocalypse, due to the suicidal incompetence of the Austro-Hungarians and the Italians. Through sheer coincidence, I bought a photo of Georg, taken on December 28, 1916; the image shows his platoon about to assault the Dead…
Reading tea leaves in the Middle East
April 11, 2016
For me, reading the tea leaves in the Middle East is exciting. All I see is good news. Keep in mind, though, the caliber of the people who are reshaping the region. The leaders and the men carrying out combat missions are a new breed. It’ll take decades for the rest of us to catch…