David Bellavia has a great write-up of what it means to finally achieve victory.
and what the cost was.
and this great quote about those at home who thought it couldn’t be done, or worse, shouldn’t be done.
“I don’t begrudge these people. They simply will never get it. They are the type of people you need to protect in a society. They are innocent and naive.
It is the job of the warrior to hide them under the bed and tell them it will be okay, before we run off to combat the threat.”
I apologize for the extended break in postings.
It will probably continue for a few more days.
I’m re-evaluating what I want to do with this blog. Why you ask? Because I’ve been reading books lately. Books written by better writers than I, who have done better things than I. It’s causing me to re-think what I want to post about here.
Stand by…
I mean, I know we’re pretty powerful as far as nations go, but stopping the return of the savior of mankind?
Ahmadinejad reportedly claims he has documented evidence that the U.S. is blocking the return of Mahdi, the Imam believed by Muslims to be the savior.
“We have documented proof that they believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world,” Ahmadinejad said during a speech on Monday, according to Al Arabiya.
Maybe it’s all a case of mistaken identity.
After all, I thought the chosen one was already here?
(H/T The Cap’n)
Abu Muqawama, one of the first blogs I started reading, was always an interesting analysis of COIN efforts (for those of us Navy types who like to read about the Long War).
Sadly, Andrew is folding up shop …
Allow me to re-introduce myself: My name is Andrew Exum, and I have edited and authored the “Abu Muqawama” blog since February 2007. After much deliberation and consultation, I have decided to stop daily blogging. I owe it to the readership to explain both why and also how it will affect this site.
Not surprising, really. Blogging is a hard business to keep up if you want to maintain outside interests.
There’s a relative few who can do it successfully for any length of time. I don’t think I’m one of them, but thanks for those who keep the torch lit.
As for Andrew, Fair Winds and all that…
The trial of 9/11 masterminds on American soil is bad enough.
It sets the standard that terrorists have the normal rights of any American citizen.
It sets the standard that a war must be conducted under the rules of normal police work (wanna lay odds on those guys getting read their Miranda rights while being pulled out of whatever cave they were hiding in?. And even folks whose knowledge of the law ends at the last episode of CSI know that if you’re in a court, and didn’t get Mirandized, you walk).
but THIS is just assinine.
Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges.
The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.
Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.
I could understand if the crap had been beaten out of him (deserved or not), but a bloody lip?
That is just Al Qaeda doing what they do best. Understanding our rules and using them against us.
*** UPDATE ***
Outrage from the blogosphere…
Uncle Jimbo is not amused: “Unless this guy shows up with multiple compound fractures caused by the repeated use of a chunk of rebar long after he was in custody in the rear, I will go on record as saying I don’t give a f**k.”
awesome. love it.
Between the very name of “Information Dominance” and THIS little gem, I really think the folks over at N2/N6 need to rethink their marketing strategy…
The new Information Dominance (N2/N6) organization based in the Pentagon is supposed to “deliver deep multi-intelligence penetration”
So, the HARTFORD JAGMAN is out. In typical fashion, NavyTimes gets a little sensational with its cherry-picking of phrases. “The Navigator was listening to his iPod during a critical evolution.”
**GASP***
The fact that he wasn’t in control during the crossing notwithstanding, he was in the wardroom…so listening to his iPod isn’t that far out of the norm.
I’m not going to go into the report and pass any judgements on the reported actions of the ship. Are there things that could have been done differently? Should have been done differently? Probably. But these things don’t occur in a vacuum, although they are evaluated in one.
I take it as a reminder that submarining is a hard business. Hyper-vigilence is the order of the day and the second you relax is the second it bites you. But you also have to remember that hyper-vigilence is useless if it is not focused on the right things. Take the time to step back and think about the big flick.
All that said, there is this little tidbit in the article that I find very interesting… Continue reading
