More seriously, the Russian Federation Army today launched an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.
The Topol RS-12M ballistic missile, designed to defeat anti-ballistic missile systems, has hit a designated target at a testing range on the Kamchatka Peninsula, said Alexander Vovk, head of the Russian Strategic Missile Troops press service.
This is the really, really serious signal. The Russian Federation can go nuclear if needed. They do not threaten this because they feel strong. They do threaten this because they feel weak.
Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine. Read more
The very serious people of both parties seem to have decided that to make up for the Iraq fiasco, we will double down in Afghanistan so we can win the “good” war against al Qaeda. This is not a McCain v. Obama thing since both seem to think sending more troops to Afghanistan and threatening Pakistan is fantastic foreign policy. Read more
It is pretty clear that Russia and Georgia are at war (see excellent background article here). It is not like there were no warning signs that Russia did not enjoy having its power challenged, as happened with the independence of Kosovo where the UN ignored Russia’s opposition and went ahead with support for the new republic over its objections. Then, a few weeks ago, I posted on the fact that it seemed that Russia was engaging in a new Cold War in an attempt to reclaim some global military leadership. The invasion of parts of Georgia in support of independent movements in Southern Ossetia and Abkhazia should be read in that context.
As usual, I find Michael Mann’s conceptualization of different forms of power useful to understand what is going on here. As Jonathan Steele puts it in the Guardian, this is not just an economic war, a "pipeline war", but a war of political influence. Political power, more than economic, might be at work here: Read more
In light of the different posts on good and bad Democrats I thought I’d post on the principle of party invariance and why I think it should be considered for PB2.0. Read more
For the men killed July 13 at Wanat, Afghanistan.
Senator McCain, if we’re winning the war, where did the AFGHANI insurgents get enough RPGs to supply a two-hour-long firefight?
And why were US weapons malfunctioning from heat generated by their use, after 600 to 800 rounds of fire through MACHINE GUNS? Rate-of-fire wins battles. Gunbarrels melting shut get soldiers killed.
The first RPG and machine gun fire came at dawn, strategically striking the forward operating base’s mortar pit. The insurgents next sighted their RPGs on the tow truck inside the combat outpost, taking it out. That was around 4:30 a.m. Read more
I’m all for ambition and entrepreneurship. After all, they are supposedly what “Makes America Great”. But occasionally maybe we should step back for a reality check.
For example, do we really want our government buying ammunition from freshly-minted con artists?
“MIAMI - A Miami Beach man says he is not guilty of defrauding the Pentagon under a contract he had to supply ammunition to forces in Afghanistan.
Twenty-two-year-old Efraim Diveroli entered the plea Monday in Miami federal court. Diveroli remains free on bail.
Prosecutors say Diveroli’s company, AEY Inc., provided banned Chinese-made ammunition to forces in Afghanistan and claimed it came from Albania. Read more
Ladies and gentlemen and others, a moment of your time, please, in memory of one man who died at 22 — and whose story stands for unnumbered others.
His name was Merlin German. He enlisted in the United States Marines at the age of 17. Within a year he was in Iraq. He spent nearly three years setting an example of survival — one even his doctors had trouble believing; and then, one more surgery, one more graft, became one too many.
On Memorial Day, let him be remembered. Read more
The book and documentary are about the Abu Ghraib scandal, of course. We might think that we had read, seen and heard (see also the excellent HBO documentary Ghosts of Abu Ghraib) everything we could probably stomach about this sorry mess but we were wrong. Besides, as a country, we deserve to have this thing shoved in our face on a regular basis because, as the book states, this stain is our own.
And let’s remember that the story of Guantanamo Bay has not been told yet. Who knows what horrors will come out of there? (Although this post by DDay over at Digby’s place, relating how the US offered its Gitmo facilities to the Chinese for torturing purposes and the fact that we’re stuck there because we have a whole bunch of people we can neither trial - because they’ve been tortured - nor release, because, huh, who cares about their excuses anymore… seems to me there will be no end to the evils to be dug up there). And there’s more coming out every day lately: see McClatchy (one of the only decent remaining reporting outfits), the BBC, and Jeralyn at Talk Left. Read more
It appears there are a couple new and upgraded versions of WWTSBQ making the rounds these days.
The first, is the “I’m [or He] The Man” narrative typified by this:
Not long after the polls close in the May 20 Kentucky and Oregon primaries, Barack Obama plans to declare victory in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The advantages of this version over the previous version is that it ignores Hillary Clinton altogether. We should call this the TSBL (That Stupid Bitch Lost) narrative. Read more
We’re in the middle of a war. No, make that two wars. We have military personnel being sent back to Iraq and Afghanistan on multiple tours of duty with less than the recommended amount of rest. We have stop/loss. There is no end in sight.
If you were the United States Government, what would you do with a medic who was perfectly willing to go out on combat missions in Afghanistan and won a Silver Star for repeatedly risking life and limb to save comrades? If you said, remove her from duty because she lacks a penis, then you are ready to lead this great nation into battle, my friend. Read more
OK - I sent my Command an e-mail explaining what was happeing and what my next steps were.
I am waiting for my appointment with the neurologist. I am sure this is going to be a long, hard, slow battle. But, oh well, if it was easy everyone would do it.
I am going to try to figure out how to put word documents on here so each post is not so long.
I will post the letter (edited with no names) as soon as I figure out how to do that.
It will give you an example. BUT, do not think it is a great or perfect example. Heck, I may have pissed off the whole world with this letter. But, at least it will give you somewhere to start.
Thank you for the e-mails I have received. Very nice. But, you are welcome to post here. No one will know your name. Read more
Personality Disorder has been the scapegoat discharge for some time now. This discharge robs soldiers of benefits, help, and a future life in certain occupations. The military has turned their back on soldiers and just to save a few bucks, the military doctors are ruining the future for over 24,000 soldiers. And now they are trying to do the same thing to me. THIS must stop!
Samantha Power’s book, Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World, would have received much more, and well-deserved, publicity if she had not made a stupid comment to a journalist regarding Senator Hillary Clinton. As a result, she resigned from Barack Obama’s campaign and this has probably affected her promotion of the book. It is a shame because it is indeed a fascinating book regarding the complex and frustrating internal workings of the United Nations through the prism of another fascinating figure: Sergio Vieira de Mello. Read more
Like it or not, our next president will have to deal with conflicts all over the world. The nature of warfare has been changing (a lot of ink has been spent on this already) but obviously, this administration did not read the memo. Read more
Rick Noriega has suspended his campaign for the Senate seat currently held by John (Rubberstamp, R-Bush) Cornyn for 24 hours in memory of the 4,000 Americans killed in battle in Iraq. Of these, 395 (known today) are Texans.
Lynndie England, of Abu Ghraib fame, gives a lengthy interview in the German magazine Stern. England was sentenced to three years in prison for her part in the deeds there. She served 521 days and is now out on parole. How’s life for her?
“(She sighs) Oh, it’s just little things going wrong. I’m just trying to get by. Trying to find a job, trying to find a house. It’s been harder than I expected. I went to a couple of interviews, and I thought they went great. I wrote dozens of applications. Nothing came of it. I put in at Wal-Mart, at Staples. I’d do any job. But I never heard from them.” Read more
We have a lot of problems, and no shortage of criticism. What we don’t have and need more of are positive, affirmative plans for action, ways to reverse the damage done and start building a sustainable and equitable future.
The New York Times is reporting that Admiral William Fallon, the top commander in the Middle East, is retiring early.
As you probably already know Admiral Fallon has been at the center of recent controversy for opposing any war with Iran. So, naturally, having said something so sane and sensible, he must be driven out of his job.
Fascinating article by Thomas Barnett in the April Esquire on Admiral Fallon, who sits as apparently the only remaining obstacle between the Bush-Cheney criminal regime and war with Iran. Every time Bush rattles his saber, Fallon makes the regional diplomatic rounds to calm fears of an expanded, uncontrollable conflict and makes public announcements that he thinks going to war would be a mistake.
According to Barnett, Bush/Cheney are tired of Fallon’s unwillingness to get with the program and are planning to move him out of the way. Read more
Admitted, in my opinion, the Clintonista will most likely do a better job than the Oborg on progressive social issues.
The Oborg are heavily influenced by the TheoCons. Yes, they’re not the kind of cross-burning TheoCons that like Paul or Huckabee or Romney. But think more of the religious values of Clarence Thomas. Or Condaleeza Rice.
Black doesn’t mean progressive. Vastleft and Lambert and everyone else in the Clinton camp, you’re correct. On that point.
As an ex-Edwardsian I remain in a state of great higgledy-piggledy over having to abruptly change my mindset and pick between the two remaining candidates, neither of whom is perfect (well, hell, Edwards had a glitch or two if I am being honest here.)
Here’s the thing though: One of them though is going to be our nominee in the fall and I most abso-goddam-lutely want him or her to win in November.
Therefore I say, vote what’s most important to you. Vote hope. Vote experience. Vote guts, or glory, or grim determination. Vote genitalia, or skin, or heart. Or whatever other bodily part resonates most directly for you. Read more
Standard Operating Procedure is a book co-authored by 
Samantha Power’s book,