Endless War category archive
American Taliban: Jingo Unchained 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear thinks that the punditocracy is overlooking the central appeal of Donald Trump, even as they clutch their pearls and fall on their fainting couches, in the grip of the vapors at his ungentlemanly behavior.
Mr. Bear believes that uniting Trump’s appeals to bigotry, racism, and xenophobia is an overweening theme of aggressive nationalism*. I urge you to read his full piece; here’s a bit:
About the same time that Mr. Bear was forming his post, Giles Fraser of The Guardian offered his theory as to how Americans who loudly and vociferously proclaim their fealty to Jesus Christ can espouse policies that directly counter his words as reported in the four Gospels:
In short, he suggests that American fundamentalists evangelicals whatever they call themselves today you know who I mean have replaced the Prince of Peace with a God of War–that they have built their own Golden Christ, wrapped in an American flag, carrying an M16, and piloting a Predator drone.
Frankly, I think that both writers are onto something. In particular, it is much easier for persons to change their god than it is for them to change themselves. Christianists (or, as Michael in Norfolk calls them, “Christofascists”) have taken that step.
______________________
*Left implicit is the “white’ in nationalism.
Plus Ca Change 0
Shorter Dan Simpson: It’s deja vu all over again.
The Candidates Debate 0
Jim Wright is having trouble absorbing what he heard. A snippet:
Carpet bombing? Waterboarding? And the crowd cheered.
The crowd cheered.
What in the holy hell is it with these goddamned people?
When did the unabashed willingness to engage in the indiscriminate obliteration of entire populations, when did the enthusiastic willingness to torture our enemies, when did those things become traits anybody liberal or conservative would want in an American president?
Follow the link. Read the rest.
Bush’s War: Origins Issue 1
Der Spiegel interviews Michael Flynn, former chief of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, on the origins of ISIS. Whether or not you agree with all of Flynn’s conclusions, it’s worth a read. Here’s snippet (boldface in the original):
Flynn: … yes, absolutely …
SPIEGEL ONLINE: … the Iraq war?
Flynn: It was huge error. As brutal as Saddam Hussein was, it was a mistake to just eliminate him. The same is true for Moammar Gadhafi and for Libya, which is now a failed state. The historic lesson is that it was a strategic failure to go into Iraq. History will not be and should not be kind with that decision.
Misdirection Play 0
Trevor Timm tries to track all the misdirection plays since the attacks in Paris. Two nuggets:
(snip)
As dishonest as the “debate” over encryption has been, the dark descension of the Republican party into outright racism and cynically playing off the irrational fears of the public over the Syrian refugee crisis has been worse. We now know the attackers weren’t Syrian and weren’t even refugees. It was a cruel rumor or hoax that one was thought to have come through Europe with a Syrian passport system, but that was cleared up days ago. But in the world of Republican primaries, who cares about facts?
Follow the link for the misdirection play-by-play.
And the Beat Goes On 0
Dan Simpson points out that making war doesn’t make peace. A snippet:
(snip)
Our ability to even incrementally ease back from our global policy of confrontation that invites attack at home is probably nonexistent. There would instantly be squealing about “surrender.” Employing “wisdom” or even “careful, farsighted calculation” would not be welcome to America’s arms manufacturers and salespersons, certain deep-pocketed campaign contributors and loud-mouthed, small-brained, cupidinous politicians.
Do please read the rest.
Land of the Free, Home of the Ch**kenshit 0
Elsewhere, Werner Herzog’s Bear looks at America’s long history of chickenshit and Bad Tux marvels at the cowardice of right-wing banty roosters.
Video via Raw Story.
Legacy, Bushie Style 0
Actions have consequences. When that action is war, the consequence is seldom what the mongers of war predicted.
The Blowback Strategy 0
I won’t pretend to understand the logic, if there is any, behind the attacks at Paris, but I am taken aback by the number of persons who do pretend to do so. At Gin and Tacos, Ed takes a stab at it, and, sadly, his theory has a sort of logic to it. I don’t know whether he is correct, but I do think it’s worth a read.
A snippet:
How Stuff Works, “Words Mean What I Want Them To Mean” Dept. 0
Scott Beauchamp tries to make sense of Pentagon speak.
