Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Suggested Readings for Sept. 22, 2015

Note: Each block of text actually is a link to a story or a web page that I am commenting on. Click on that text and it will take you to the page being referred to.

Lots of news today … I hope I can get to it all … so be indulgent (you know like the indulgencies the Church used to sell – if you don’t get the reference … look up Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation – it was a major issue back then) with me. As usual, I invite your commentary if you agree or disagree with me on any of this, either here or on my Facebook Page. I always am looking for feedback – it is an ego thingy.

Of course, there will be consequences ... every time a politician opens his or her mouth, there are consequences ... but the White House is wrong on two counts here: A. If we are to condemn and ban all offensive speech, then there will be no speech. B) as usual, with the left/progressives in this country, they just refuse to acknowledge that Islam is more than just a simple way to worship or honor the Creator that stands behind the universe, Planet Earth and this human lifeform that can rationalize and think in the abstract ... and change to fit moral values. No, Islam and its Sharia Law is a theological, political, social ideology that happens to be inconsistent with the US Constitution, US laws and its English Common Law system.

Interesting commentary on the pontiff's visit to the US and his views on a variety of issues ... and how those will and will not be reported ... unfortunately, it seems that this is probably an accurate representation of what will happen.

Interesting heads up for cases to watch when the Supremes return to action on the First Tuesday in October.

Interesting - albeit a bit long - article on Al Qaeda in Syria ... and how it has evolved. It illustrates to me, how muddled things are in Southwest Asia/Middle East and how mini-alliances of convenience are made and broken every day.

Apologies are good ... but bad staff work is endemic it seems in this White House.

McConnell has a point and a plan ... only problem with it is whether the Democrats will cooperate ... not if they can see a way to blame the Republicans for any shutdown, which will be dutifully reported as such by news organization such as the WaPo and the NYTimes and ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, Newsweek, Time and other outlets. It is interesting it is all over $500 million funding for a non-essential non-profit organization.

Let's see ... how can we find a way to tear down the image of one of the GOP presidential hopefuls. Sign. I hate to tell the WaPo, but the state-side of the National Guard has been "political" for decades.

And this visit, potentially more important than the Pope's (and how many divisions does he command - Joseph Stalin) but will be overshadowed by it.

This new plan for fighting ISIS in Syria has all the potential to turn into a real disastrous furball ... just saying.

Hillary is being a Clinton here ... pandering to an audience ... in this case the progressives who think that any climate change has to be caused by us evil humans ... particularly those of the species who live in North America.

A good explanation why people should eschew the current coverage of the political campaigns ... because the rules may be changing ... and the old order doesn't necessarily provide the right template to analyze the state of the presidential primary races.

Mr. Rachel always provides an interesting view on things. And, whether you agree with him or not, his point here is very valid.

Interesting article out of Harvard that debunks any allegories aligning JFK's foreign policies and Barack Obama's

This White House response to reports that American service members in Afghanistan are just to stand and let happen when they see Afghan authorities sexually abusing boys ... raises the question: And just where does the buck stop in the Obama White House. Obviously not in the Oval Office at the President's desk.

It will be interesting to see how defense cutbacks in the Chinese army play out over the coming years.

IT is all in the mind and the mindset ... and like Orwell's 1984, people believe what they are told ... and what is being said in Russia these days is extremely worrisome ... and I, for one, really see no way to counter it. Unfortunately, this train of events will be ignored by the progressives and the left in the US and the West because they really think that everyone is as rational as they are. ... until the train wreck arrives at their station.

Quality does not replace the need for quantity ... unfortunately, the leadership of the US has succumbed to the siren song that it does.

This part of a continuing series by Mr. Praeger offers an interesting view ... and I see validity on both sides ... unfortunately, the world is not like a giant United States once was ... and multiculturalism tends to fragment upon its own disparate views of what is right and what is wrong.

A very excellent summation of the costs of implementing progressive polices advocated by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ... but then the government does have the power of the printing press.

Too little, too late and probably will wind up in the hands of the enemy ... what else can you expect with President Obama and his liberal advisors running the show.

Hosting Pope Francis does not come on the cheap ... but what the heck, it is only money

Interesting treatise on how planning is strategic ... I learned that military lesson long ago ... down at the platoon level ... but still, models and plans only will take you so far ... and when hit reality they rarely are the solution.

This illustrates why President Obama is a lousy leader and a lousy president. It is your fault. All the rest are reasons, but still you are responsible and you have to own up to it.

The Corps is going to lose this battle ... the fix is in. I only hope that when it comes down to actual combat that it doesn't result in more blood being shed than was necessary ... but knowing US military history, I also know how foolish that hope is.

From an Arab point of view on how President Obama's fecklessness and ineptitude basically has screwed everything up.

This article makes a valid point ... unfortunately, I don't think the powers that be in Washington are listening. Nothing is static, everything changes ... that is the way of the world ... it is how you manage your expectations and how  you prepare for the vicissitudes of life on this planet that determine whether you bleed or not.

Excellent article on the utility of models ... this in a military-strategic context, but the point that all models are wrong sometimes get left behind in today's debates ... Models can be helpful, not in accurate planning but in possibly mitigating to some extent potential problems that may be encountered along the way.

Interesting and somewhat optimistic view of Russia's Middle East gambits

The Pope will criticize the US ... because it really doesn't cost him anything to do so. That is the reality ... that is the truth. He is less sanguine about criticizing other regimes because either a) he sympathizes with their political philosophy of tyranny, or b) their tyranny would flash back on his flock of faithful ... and that he doesn't want.

This really illustrates the problems with this administration ... and soldiers who do face charges and disciplinary action. I think some thing stinks to high heaven here.

Mount Vernon - a real tribute to The United States. Interesting, where I lived in South Carolina is near where Ann Cunningham lived and we would do a story every so often on her old family homestead

While I hope that Mr. Bergen is correct, I do find his dismissal of the ideology that is Islam and Sharia Law rather naive. Also, remembering that I only know what I read in the news, but there are jurisdictions around the US where local communities have be asked to permit Sharia courts in lieu of government courts.

The Reality here is that it really is about government money subsidizing an ostensibly American corporation, but which in reality has morphed into a supra-national corporation that has no allegiance to any flag.

Interesting take on the Muslim kid in Texas and his clock

and the market roller coaster resumes its gyrations ... this ride ain't over yet folks

I sometimes feel, when reading stories like this, that I have been transported back in time ... only now it is the Chinese playing dangerous games instead of the Soviets.

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