Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Suggested Readings from Sept. 29, 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.

Most of the action today seems to be in the form of after-action reviews of stuff that has happened over the last few days. Still, it provides interesting reading … and things I would encourage you to consider.

A commentary from a sitting Republican Congressman who thinks there is time to vet and consider a new Speaker of the House.

Summary of this commentary is: The world is going to Hades in a handbasket and President Obama calls a meeting. I think that is the progressives solution to everything: Let's talk about it. Well, while others are acting, the US is getting more and more egg on its face. But we have made this choice ... now we have to live with these consequences.

No. 1 threat to the battlefield today is cyber attacks. I saw this coming 25 years ago as the military began to depend more and more on networked computers for command and control and communications ... what happens when the network goes down? How are you going to fight then? Computer networks are wonderful force-multipliers ... as long as they have power and uninterrupted bandwidth. Lose that and you are back at square one. Never, ever, troopers should you forget the basic warrior skills no matter whether you are an infantry grunt, a cannon-cocker or a tanker ... or a truck driver or a mechanic or a stevedore ...

This commentary points out yet another fault of the Obama Administration's approach to policies that have a potential military component. The President may boast he commands the world's most powerful military (although political gridlock in Washington is rapidly calling that into question), but if it doesn't show the flag in disputed zones ... then no one will take it seriously.

Another commentary pointing out the absolutely clueless nature of President Obama's foreign policy team. Ignore someone, apparently, because it would be inconvenient and offend someone who is not going to agree with you ... and probably show his derriere in the process ... which is exactly what happened.

An argument worth listening too ... and yes, there are many, many, many faults in the Defense Department's procurement system. But I do think that the author does not pay enough justice to the parity model ... which in other words is that other nations get a lot bigger bang for their buck that the US does.

And this article provides a cogent counterpoint to the previous article on defense spending.

And it appears the Obama Administration has rolled over for the Chinese on the issue of cyber attacks to commercial and economic targets.

Interesting point of view from an Air Force officer on the best uses of air power. It serves to remind us that air power (or sea power, or land power) is not enough alone to with the battle, much less the war ... but the trick is to figure out how to apply adequate levels of all three in order to achieve your political goals.

While achieving what probably is a progressive's dream, it makes you wonder where the Obama Administration's head is at.

You sometimes wonder where the top leadership in the military hangs their hats ... because it seems apparent they don't have much brains.

The officials at Wesleyan University almost make  you think there might be hope yet for the system of higher education in the US.

Dr. Sowell points out that providing affordable housing is relatively simple: Allow the construction of enough housing units to meet or exceed the demand ... and prices will come down to affordable levels.

Interesting collection of rules of thumb for American politics.

Mr. Greenberg makes a good point, as usual, on resisting the impulse to centralize all power ... or in other words, looking to the federal government to fund another program to address some victimhood

Another lesson in Liberal/progressive hypocrisy

I am sure this will not be accepted ... but it appears that the claims the Planned Parenthood videos were carefully and skillfully edited are bogus ...

Well, this definitely is not a politically correct video ... but it makes the point between Islam, the religion, and Islamism, the ideology

Hillary wins the battle for endorsements from colleagues with Bernie ... I haven't a clue why ...

And if the US doesn't, Raoul? Ah heck, Barack will just do it by executive action.

A rather scalding view of Obama passing the baton to Putin.

Interesting perspective on the debate over whether Carly Fiorina lied over what one of the anti-Planned Parenthood videos shows.

I read this article and I was put in mind of a quote from Abe Lincoln: A house divided cannot stand. I wonder how much of that is true now.

Yet another reason to question whether Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders really is what the country needs.

This is absurd ... but it is indicative to the take no prisoners of the LGBT alliance and its efforts to impose its beliefs on people who disagree.

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