2014 archive
Wars and Mongers of War 0
Bloomberg’s Pankaj Mishra, published in the Japan Times, questions the relevance of Cold War thinking–and Cold War thinkers–now that the Cold War has been over for almost a generation. He suggests that recent domestic drumbeating about Crimea is, at least in part, an attempt by Cold Warriors to regain their think-tank mojo (and their think-tank gigs).
Forced into premature retirement by the unexpected collapse of communism in 1989, this thinker re-emerged after Sept. 11, 2001, convinced there was another worthy enemy in the crosshairs: Islamic totalitarianism.
Unchastened by a decade of expensive, counterproductive and widely despised wars, these laptop generals have been trying to reboot their dated software yet again as Russian President Vladimir Putin formalizes his annexation of Crimea.
He goes on to suggest that confrontational Cold War thinking led to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, as the USSR reacted to its perceptions of American intentions. (We experience the long-term effects of that whenever we stand in a security line at an airport, for that nurtured the Taliban and other forms of Islamic political radicalism, including Al Qaeda).
Follow the link to his article for his arguments. Follow the second link to learn more about the common origins of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Droning On 0
It’s the wave of the future, folks.
The injuries are minor. The drone’s operator, a photography company, is insinuating that the drone was hacked. I suspect it’s just as likely that the operators were hacks.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Toddling into politeless.
Police say an 11-year-old girl was shot and killed in West Philadelphia Saturday morning.
Action News has learned that the bullet was apparently fired by a 2-year-old boy playing with a gun.
Large amounts of corporate money are devoted to make packing heat seem normal so as to sell more guns. Make no mistake–the NRA is all about sales; the freedom stuff is nothing more than marketing–marketing calculated to appeal in large part to paranoid nutcases.
As one result, persons pack heat; when persons pack heat, innocents get hurt.
Twits on Twitter 0
How much more evidence do we need to realize that Twitter is a waste of electrons?
Facebook Frolics 0
Facebook may be central to your world, but not to everyone else’s.
Carlot’s Web 0
This is just strange.
Mazda told U.S. regulators that it is recalling 42,000 sedans with 2.5-liter engines from model years 2010 to 2012 in the United States. Mazda officials were not immediately available to report recalls outside of the United States.
(snip)
In 2011, Reuters reported that the Yellow Sac spider was the culprit in that year’s recall. It just likes the smell of gasoline, an auto analyst told Reuters at the time.
Wedgie Politics 0
(Open tag fixed.)
The Galt and the Lamers 0
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
In the midst of a piece primarily about demographic patterns, Clarence Page looks below the surface of the Republican gut-out-the-vote movement.
“Significantly more minority youths age 18-29 were asked to show identification than white youths: 72.9 percent of black youths were asked for ID, compared with 60.8 percent of Latino youths and 50.8 percent of white youths. Even in states where there are no voter ID laws on the books, 65.5 percent of black youths were asked to show ID at the polls, compared with 55.3 percent of Latino youths and 42.8 percent of white youths.”
Racial bias — sometimes subtle, always sinister — is alive and well.
Double-Crosses 0
Frederick Fuller is fed up with Hobby Lobby and its dupes and fellow travelers (emphasis added):
The bottom line is that religion has no place in issues of this sort. Religion is, as it has been for time immemorial, an excuse to break the law, kill people, conquer people and land, and refuse to help people in need. For all its fundamental Christian ideals, Hobby Lobby and the others involved conveniently play the religion card but forget that their Messiah turned no one away for any reason. They’re not Christ-like; they are capitalist opportunists hiding behind religion for their own gain.
Religion of any flavor is menacing when used by people to harm others or to shield themselves from public censure.
Good-Bye Globalism 2
Writing at the Inky, James Howard Kunstler suggests that “globalism” is dead. I’ve not figured out my opinion on his thesis, but I think it’s worth a read. Here’s a snippet:
Your String Is Being Pulled 0
Warning: Language.
