Sic Semper Tyrannis

The Irrelevance of Hijab

A recent post by Col Lang on the wife of President Mursi led to a spirited discussion on the hijab. Many weighty comments were advanced on its pros and cons (cons mostly, as I recall), and its personal and sociological significance. A recent news item ─ though about a sad event ─ highlights how irrelevant the wearing of the hijab is to the kind of person one is, and what one can do in life.

Lieutenant Commander Wafa Dabbagh, a doctor in Canada’s military, died recently of cancer at the age of 50. A Palestinian, who was born in Egypt and grew up in Kuwait, she came to Canada in 1990, and in 1996 applied to join the Canadian military. Well qualified (she had two degrees), the only problem was that she wore the hijab, the first such woman to apply. Swallowing hard, the military took her on ─ and never looked back.

At her memorial service, which was attended by the Chief of Defence Staff and many other senior officers, people spoke about and remembered her many fine qualities and the impact she had on the people who came to know her. No one mentioned the hijab having anything to do with the kind of person she was or what she achieved.

Wafa was fortunate that she came to Canada, a country and society where, by and large, the way you look or what you wear does not determine your worth, nor limit what you can do. It does not matter much if you wear the hijab or (as famously stated by one of Toronto’s ‘finest’) “dress like a slut”.

Dare one say: perhaps Canada, too, was lucky to have Wafa Dabbagh, hijab and all!

--  FB Ali

Storm Outage

We had a bad, bad T-storm last night here in the DC area.  A million households are without power.  Since I am a compulsive about planning, we have a back-up genreator that runs on natural gas.  It is getting a work-out.  The local internet is out, but i finally remembered that i could connect using my laptop and my BB as a modem.  pl

Supreme Court Analysis

Over at Slate.com they have just concluded their annual "Breakfast Table" discussion on the 2011 Term of the Suprme Court of the United States (I know I could write SCOTUS, just as I can write POTUS, FLOTUS but choose not to as I find the abbreviations trivalize and cheapen those persons or institutions).  This years participants were Judge Richard A. Posner, Emily Bazelon, Walter Dellinger, and Dahlia Lithwick.  Posner is perhaps the smartest man on the Federal Bench, the leader of the law and economics school he is astute and most importantly writes his decisions in plain english; he is an iconoclast.  Walter Dellinger is a former Solicitor General in the Clinton Administration.  Ms. Bazelon and Ms. Lithwick are both regular legal commentators on Slate and other publications.

 

Download Breakfast Table Supreme Court 2011 Term

 

Of taxes and subsidies

As you know I am not a lawyer.  Nevertheless, certain aspects of the newly "blessed" health care law and the SCOTUS decision seem evident to me.

1- Roberts' decision strikes a serious blow against centralizing federal power in that he refused to let the law be judged constitutional  on the basis of the "commerce clause."  This clause has been incorrectly used (IMO) as a legel "gimmick" to justify federal government takeovers of functions of government and life not given it by the framers. 

2- The provision in the decision that forbids federal government coercion of the states through denial of Medicaid funding if they do not comply with expansion of Medicaid is another such brake on federal power.

3- This law will fund medical care for the poor, mostly people of color, by requiring them to have health insurance paid for on a means tested basis through federal subsidies.  Some of the money for the subidies for the recipients or their employers will come from fines (taxes) collected from those who do not voluntarily sign up for insurance.  These fines will be insufficient to pay for the subsidies.  Some of the money to pay for these will simply be "magic money" created by the federal government or borrowed abroad but a lot of it will come from the tax receipts of the federal government.  Other funds will be found through decelerating the growth of Medicare (the middle class health care program).  The probable recipients of the subsidies mostly do not presently pay any federal income tax.

4- The Middle Class not surprisingly sees this as a law that essentially transfers wealth from them to recipients of the coming subsidies to poor people for health car insurance.  Many of those who think their ox is being gored already think that the probable recipients are free loaders in today's society.  Their rage is unbounded.  Underlying this rage is a strong sense of dispossession in society as a whole.

5- Hospitals and insurance companies ought to benefit tremendously from this largesse.  Municipalities that maintain public hospitals will benefit financially.

What do I think of this"  I applaud the push back against federal power in the judgment.  I want to see health care for the poor even if they are not doing enough to get it for themselves.  Personally I would be willing to pay higher taxes to provide healther care for the poor.  BHO's minority supporters have complained bitterly that he has not done enough for them vis a vis the rest of us.  Perhaps now they will see that he has.  pl 

Commerce clause defeated - sort of.

"The Supreme Court upheld President Obama's health care law today in a
splintered, complex opinion that gives Obama a major election-year victory.

Basically. the justices said that the individual mandate -- the requirement
that most Americans buy health insurance or pay a fine -- is constitutional
as a tax.

Chief Justice John Roberts -- a conservative appointed by President George W.
Bush -- provided the key vote to preserve the landmark health care law, which
figures to be a major issue in Obama's re-election bid against Republican
opponent Mitt Romney."  USA Today

---------------------------------------------

Open for comment.  pl

 

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/06/Supreme-Court-rules-on-Obama-health-care-plan-718037/1

The new Egyptian first lady

Above -Mursi's Wife

And this is Husni Mubarak's wife.

----------------------------------------------

 "...to some in the westernized elite, she (naglaa) stands for a backwardness and provincialism that they fear from the Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood.       

“I can’t call her a first lady under any circumstances,” complained Ahmed Salah, 29, a banker having coffee with his friends on the Nile island of Zamalek. “She can’t be an image for the ‘ladies’ of Egypt.”       

Her image has become the subject of a rancorous debate on Web sites and in newspapers. A column in the newspaper El Fagr asked incredulously: How could she receive world leaders and still adhere to her traditional Islamic standards of modesty? “Don’t look at her. Don’t shake hands with her,” the paper suggested, calling it a “comic scenario.”  NY Times

-----------------------------------------

"Never judge a book by it cover."  "Still waters run deep."  "It's a lifestyle choice." 

Sure! Sure it is!  They left LA for a return to this lifestyle.  Well, maybe that is understandable.  pl 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/world/middleeast/naglaa-ali-mahmoud-an-egyptian-everywoman-in-the-presidential-palace.html?pagewanted=all  

 

DIA Counterintelligence video on Pollard

"Today the Center for Policy and Law Enforcement releases
a Defense Intelligence Agency video obtained under a multi-year Freedom of
Information Act process.   Jonathan
Pollard was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 after he was caught selling
large amounts of highly classified documents to Israel. The 14 minute video
"Jonathan Pollard: A Portrayal" produced by the Threat
Countermeasures Branch of the DIA emphasizes that "eighty percent" of
the documents obtained by Pollard were DIA files. The video encourages American
government employees to overcome inhibitions and proactively report suspicious
activities.  

Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f__MgT9FU-A 

Vimeo:  http://vimeo.com/44819439

 

*******Press release********

 

DIA's internal Jonathan Pollard briefing video can help
organizations detect Israeli espionage -- IRmep

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120627006573/en 

Washington -- The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has
just released an internal briefing video that is now available online on both
Vimeo and Youtube.  The IRmep Center for
Policy and Law Enforcement obtained release under the Freedom of Information
Act.

------------------------------------

As it happened, I was on the JCS damage assessment board convened after Pollard's arrest.  This guy had "flags" hung out all over him.  He should never have been hired or cleared for employment in naval intelligence.  He had a clear record of telling people things like "Israel is my real home."  The material he stole at the direction of the Israelis was mostly concerned with Soviet affairs.  The Israelis wanted it for barter with the Soviet government.  pl

 

Gasoline will go a lot lower.

"The price of gasoline has dropped to a five-month low, giving drivers some relief ahead of the July 4 holiday.

The national average fell to around $3.40 per gallon on Tuesday. South Carolina, at $2.987, has the distinction of being the first state with an average below $3 since February 2011. Even in states that impose high gas taxes, such as New York and California, pump prices are averaging less that $4.

Americans are now spending roughly $200 million per day less on gas than in early April, when gas peaked at $3.94 per gallon. And analysts are expecting further declines. One economist on Tuesday forecast the national average will soon fall to $3.10 per gallon."  Yahoo News

--------------------------------------------------

I think it will go lower.  Gasoline prices are not determined by world wide supply and demand.  There is no short term shortage of crude oil. Forces internal to the markets are largely responsible for price movements.  These forces are the result of attempts by traaders to outguess each other in forecasting price movements.

I may have mentioned that a couple of weeks ago gasoline bought from major oil companies in the Harrisonburg, Virginia area was selling for 70 cents per gallon cheaper than the same product in the Washington, DC area.  Why is that?.  Gasoline is not produced in the Shenandoah Valley.  It must be trandported there in tanker trucks.  This, obviously adds to the cost.  I conclude from this phenomenon that the oil companies are pricing products at what they think the ttraffic will bear.

Look for a big drop in prices before the November election.  That might do it for BHO.  pl

http://news.yahoo.com/us-gasoline-prices-cheapest-since-january-151415588--finance.html

 

National Journal Blog 26 June, 2012

Col. W. Patrick Lang Responds to How Should the U.S. Respond to Egypt Elections??.

 

pl

Rules on civility at SST

A reminder, personal attacks, insults and disrespect are not tolerated on SST or TA.  pl

"Iran and the Gulf Military Balance" CSIS

"In the wake of recent failed negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, it seems
increasingly unlikely that a political solution will be reached regarding
Tehran’s increasing uranium enrichment. As a result, some form of military clash
between the US and Iran, while by no means certain, is becoming increasingly
likely. Such a clash can take many different forms, and each presents different
levels of risk."  CSIS

------------------------------------------------

IMO the premise of this paper is wrong.  The essential competitiion in the Middle East is between Israel and Iran, not Iran and the US.  If there is such a rivalry, it is largely created by a willingness on the part of the US to assume Israel's strategic liabilities as its own. 

Iran contributes to that willingness by making threatening noises and playing stupid diplomatc games but it is hard to conceal the fact that absent an Iranian attack on US assets or people or a serious threat to the US homeland the issue of hegemony in the Middle East, is a regional issue. 

Unless the US is, in fact, the policeman of the world, why should we concern ourselves with Iranian "assymetric capabilities?"  pl

http://csis.org/publication/iran-and-gulf-military-balance-i-conventional-and-asymmetric-dimensions-0?utm_source=Iran+%26+the+Gulf+Military+Balance+I%3A+The+Conventional+and+Asymmetric+Dimensions&utm_campaign=Iran+and+the+Gulf+Military+Balance+-+I%3A+The+Conventional+and+Asymmetric+Dimensions&utm_medium=email

DHS will not respond to local police on immigration

"The move means that even if local police step up immigration checks, they'll
have to rely on federal officials to make the arrests.

And federal officials made clear that ICE would be selective in responding to
the expected rise in calls from Arizona and other police agencies about
immigration status. Officials said ICE will not respond to the scene unless the
person in question meets certain criteria -- such as being wanted for a
felony."  Foxnews

---------------------------------------

Well, well.  The president of the United States takes an  oath that he will ensure that the law is enforced and obeyed.  This action places barriers in the way of enforcing federal customs and immigration law.  Would this have anything to do with the coming November presidential election?  pl

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/25/feds-suspend-immigration-enforcement-program-after-arizona-court-ruling/#ixzz1yqNwQfqw

 

 

 

Waiting to Exhale (apologies, Terry McMillan)

I seem to remember an argument five years ago or so in which a voice that sounded very much like my own suggested that dealing with a member of the Muslim Brotherhood might not be so bad. At least they know the language of politics, they can "talk the talk," as the saying goes. Certainly Mohammed Mursi (yes, we are now going to have that Mursi/Morsi argument just as we had Usama/Osama) speaking to Christiane Amanpour in English yet, said all the right things. "Democracy is indivisible, whether you are man or woman, Muslim or Christian it's all the same."

Mursi is newly resigned from the Brotherhood and pledged to a unity government. He also occupies a radically downgraded presidency vis-a-vis the Suppreme Council of the Armed Froces. If one puts on the Pollyanna hat perhaps all is well in the world of Egypt, but yet....

Whether one belives that Islam is undemocratic or democracy is un-Islamic, a sporty course lies ahead for the concerns of the West.

Egypt currently is absolutely littered with those big. black bombs so beloved of cartoonists, and all the fuses are lit. There is the economy bomb, and the demographics, bomb, the bomb of the Muslim Brotherhood itself--yes, it is a historically moderate organization, but one needs not read much of Sayid Qutb to realize that there is a deep current of absolute horror at cultural norms that are completely accepted in the West. Those with personal experience in the religions of the West generally have little understanding of the depth of committment to the will of God that imbues the adherents of the Muslim Brotherhood.

It is true they are not the hardest of the hardcore Salafists, but they are not a bunch of Cleveland ward-heelers either, and some of the actions we could see in the near term may be shocking. Beyond those obvious bombs there are still more. What of the Coptic Christian population, what of the military? We now contribute the better part of a Billion dollars annualy, I think, mostly to buy Egyptian acquiesence to the goings on in the Gaza Strip. What if that money disappears—certainly there will be a great outcry to cut that funding. What will happen if that should take place?

I am reminded of that famous Chinese curse about "may you live in interesting times."

--Basilisk

 

Islam is now the answer in Egypt

"Mursi's win in Egypt's first-ever genuine multi-candidate presidential elections puts an end to a 60-year military monopoly of the position. His predecessors Mohamed Naguib, Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Anwar El-Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, who ruled tthe country since the 1952 Free Officers' Coup, all came from the army's ranks."  Ahram

------------------------

I post this now so that you can "ventilate."  I will give my opinion later.  pl

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/36/122/46027/Presidential-elections-/Presidential-elections-news/BREAKING-Brotherhoods-Mursi-beats-Mubaraks-last-pr.aspx

Avnery on the Brotherhood (FB Ali)

Uri Avnery, the former Irgun terrorist who is now Israel’s foremost ‘peacenik’ (founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement), has on his website today (23 June) an article on some basic realities underlying the situation in the region that is worth reading. Of special note are the views he expresses in the piece on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Below are some extracts on this subject:

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, is an old established party which has earned much respect with its steadfastness in the face of recurrent persecution, torture, mass arrests and occasional executions. Its leaders are untainted by the prevalent corruption, and admired for their commitment to social work.

The West is haunted by medieval ideas about the horrible Saracens. The Muslim Brotherhood inspires terror. It is conceived as a fearsome, murderous, secret sect, out to destroy Israel and the West. Of course, practically no one has taken the trouble to study the history of this movement in Egypt and elsewhere. Actually, it could not be further removed from this parody.

The Brotherhood has always been a moderate party, though they almost always had a more extreme wing........The Brotherhood is first and foremost an Arab and Egyptian party, deeply embedded in Egyptian history. Though they would probably deny it, I would say – judging from their history – that they are more Arab and more Egyptian than fundamentalist. They certainly have never been fanatical.

During their 84 years, they have seen many ups and downs. But mostly, their outstanding quality has been pragmatism, coupled with adherence to the principles of their religion. It is this pragmatism that also characterizes their behavior during the last year and a half, which – so its seems – caused quite a number of voters who are not particularly religious to prefer them to the secular candidate who is tainted by his connection with the corrupt and repressive former regime.

This also determines their attitude towards Israel. Palestine is constantly on their mind – but that is true of all Egyptians.........Throughout the heated election campaigns – four in a year – the Brotherhood has not demanded the abrogation of the peace agreement with Israel. Their attitude seems to be as pragmatic as ever.

Sale on Education

Pat Lang’s post on the U of VA sent genuine chills
through me. He put his point with some eloquence:

“What is happening at Charlottesville appears to be part
of a state wide effort to convert the state's many fine colleges and
universities into trade schools to support industry and the business community
generally. The process has had a certain elegant simplicity. Wealthy
business people give a lot of money.  They then are appointed to governing
boards.  After that they begin to agitate for "pragmatic"
reforms.  This generally means attacks on the Humanities.  These are
deemed to be "dreaming of the past"  rather than studies in which
critical, independent thinking is nurtured and fed on the experience of
mankind.”

Albert North Whitehead once said that civilization
is a precarious balance between “barbaric vagueness” and “trivial order.” The
current dispute in the University of Virginia clearly embodies this balance and
places in peril the whole idea of a cultured education.

A student speaks

Pat... thank you for writing. This one is close to me. - I'm a current UVa student and I've been following the events of the past week with some horror and amusement. The little coup appears to be fading, the wind is shifting and Rector Dragas emails are growing ever more desperate. I expect Sullivan will return next week and Dragas will retreat in obscurity building luxury homes back in Virginia Beach. I hope she stays there. Her ideas will linger though, that's the painful part. UVa takes great pride in the Commerce School, our undergraduate MBA. It's a two year program, two years of trade school for those souls willing to give up the latter half of their liberal arts education. Poor trade in my estimation, but then I'm one of those 'poor saps' who studies history and enjoys literature. I'm not one of those 'bold leaders' who'll bring 'strategic dynamism' to the world. I missed the chapter where Churchill took a few years off to get that Harvard MBA. Anyway... I've worked with people who've gone through the program. Many are smart, they could have taken other paths but they came to the conclusion that life is about money and they understood that Commerce was the quickest ticket to that first million. It probably is.  I think they're selling themselves short, but then we all make our own mistakes. You can't save people. God knows I'm a fool about something myself.  The other half, well. It just makes me sad. There are quite a few people here who aren't particularly gifted but they're stubborn and to their credit they work awfully hard. They slave themselves to the material and learn it to the exclusion of all else. The product is something awful, It just kills me in during a group project when someone gets up to talk and they just unload this useless gibberish. They utter phrases like 'creative destruction' as if it meant something real and drone on about leadership theory. They can't write, not in the way Mark Twain understood it. They also can't think, not the way generations of scholars understand the term. Instead they've learned the rubric for product optimization and how to price that 20oz soda just right. -I hope for our sakes that this isn't the future of education.  Eliot

------------------------------------

Thank you!  As has been suggested here, I am at least as concerned for my alma mater, VMI, as for the University.  From the Post today, I see that the governor, fulfilling the role for which we have governors in Virginia has moved to end this immediate mess by telling the visitors that if they don't "fix" it next week he will remove them all and appoint a new board.  Perhaps this time he can appoint a more varied group that includes a wide variety of people who could contribute to the ongoing story of U. Va.'s grand tradition.  pl

The Trade Schools of Virginia?

Does anyone have any thoughts on the U. Va crisis?  I notice that every single member of the university's Board of Visitors is a business person.  This is true whether the member was appointed by Kaine or McDonnell.  What is happening at Chrlottesville appears to be part of a state wide effort to convert the state's many fine colleges and universities into trade schools to support industry and the business community generally.  The process has had a certain elegant simplicity Wealthy business people give a lot of money.  They then are appointed to governing boards.  Afer that they begin to agitate for "pragmatic" reforms.  This generally means attacks on the Humanities.  These are deemed to be "dreaming of the past"  rather than studies in which critical, independent thinking is nurtured and fed on the experence of mankind. .English departments are converted into institutions that de-emphasize literature and teach rhetoric (reading, writing and public speaking).  History and Philosophy are marginalized.  If such desiderata are fulfilled, then the money continues to flow in.  In short the business community and the moneyed class are buying the universities just as the same people are buying political power with the help of the Citizen's United SCOTUS decision.

This is part and parcel of the ongoing barbarizing of America.  Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects are the tocsins of this process plus anything taught in the Business Schools.

Well, the Nazis were good at STEM subjects.  So were the Soviets.  Are American universities destined to become enablers of wealthy barbarians?

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/whos-who-on-u-vas-governing-board/2012/06/19/gJQAu1E1oV_graphic.html

 pl

A new Basilisk Story on Athenaeum

http://turcopolier.typepad.com/the_athenaeum/2012/06/cowboys-side-by-basilisk.html

Be sure to read the first comment

 

--Basilsik

As We Wait the Supreme Courts Decision

I wrote this back in 2008, I never published it, but it was my analysis of why President Obama Health Care plan was not going to pass, boy did I get that wrong, and why there was so much opposition to it, that is what I do believe I got right.  So rather than changing what I wrote to fit today, instead I have highlighted in Red those parts where I clearly blew it; the rest I believe provides not only insight to the health care debate but the whole discussion between large and small government.

I have been thinking much recently about President Obama Healthcare plan and why it is going to fail.  Like Hillary Clinton attempt in the 1990s, Obama’s will never see the light of day.  Unlike Clinton’s plan, Obama’s was not killed by the Insurance Companies, the AMA, Big Pharmacy, but rather by the revolt of the people against the plan.  A revolt seized on by the Republican as a means of blunting the gains of the Democrats in the 2008 election.  The Republicans rediscovered their MoJo and learned that minority power comes from saying no.

Guest Post from oilprice.com: The Most Immediate Threats to Global Energy Security - Jellyfish Interview

Earlier today COL Lang, hopefully enjoying his summer vacation, emailed to ask if I'd make sure the following interview, which was conducted by oilprice.com's Jen Alic was reposted in full.  Oilprice's publisher, Mr. James Stafford, contacted COL Lang to offer him and the SST community a full reprint of this very interesting interview.  You all will find it reprinted in its entirety below:

The Most Immediate Threats to Global Energy Security - Jellyfish Interview

By Jen Alic | Tue, 19 June 2012 14:32

As global energy supplies come under increasing attack by non-state actors and private energy holdings become key targets of political maneuverings and criminal activities, Oilprice.com discusses the nature of the growing threat and how to reverse the risk with “smart power.” 

To help us look at these issues we got together with Corporate intelligence specialists Jellyfish Operations and security expert Jennifer Giroux.

Michael Bagley is the president of Jellyfish, a global boutique intelligence firm that combines on-the-ground intelligence collection and analytics with an unprecedented country-to-country economic diplomacy program that helps governments, corporations, institutions and private individuals forge secure partnerships, discover new opportunities and mitigate operational risks. 

Jennifer Giroux is a global security expert who specializes in emerging threats to energy infrastructure in conflict-affected regions.

In the Interview Michael & Jennifer talk about the following:

• Why the risk to global energy supplies is increasing
• Violent entrepreneurialism: Why piracy is on the rise
• The most immediate threats to global energy security
• Which countries are most likely to see attacks in the future
• Why Saudi Arabia could be the next country to have its energy infrastructure come under attack
• Why energy companies assets are becoming key targets.
• How energy companies can create opportunities in Conflict-Affected Regions
• Why companies need more than just intelligence to operate in hostile environments

Oilprice.com: Energy supplies have always been at risk, particularly due to geopolitical maneuverings, transit through countries in conflict and those suffering from ongoing political instability, as well as piracy on the high seas. You have both mentioned that the risk to global energy supplies is increasing. How do you support that claim?

Open Thread - 20 June

pl

"Afghanistan from 2012-2014: Is A Successful Transition Possible?" CSIS

"An examination of progress in each of these areas concludes that the Afghan government, the US and its allies, and aid donors have not made enough collective progress to ensure even a modest level of success in Transition by the end of 2014. If the Afghan government, the US and its allies, and aid donors are to succeed, major improvements must take place in the depth and quality of planning and analysis, as well as in the transparency, credibility, and integrity of reporting within the US government, allied governments, ISAF, and international institutions."  CSIS

----------------------------------

When are we going to wise up?  pl

 

http://csis.org/publication/afghanistan-2012-2014-successful-transition-possible

Zimmerman again

""As uncomfortable as it is, I want you wearing one," Zimmerman told his wife Shellie.

Zimmerman's urging came as he was receiving death threats and his Sanford, Fla., neighborhood as well as much of the country was outraged by the shooting of the unarmed Florida teenager.

The conversation was among a series of taped jailhouse phone calls between Zimmerman and his wife that were released today.

In the calls, which were used to revoke Zimmerman's bond while landing his wife briefly behind bars for perjury, the couple discusses transferring money between bank accounts, paying off bills, and George Zimmerman's concern for safety."  abcnews

-----------------------------------------

I have decided to troll for trolls.  Therefore we will discuss the Zimmerman casec once again.

IMO the judge should find George Zimmerman in contempt of court and guilty of perjury.  He should then fine him in the amount of the money he lied about, Then he should grant him bail on the same basis as previously.

Why?  Bail is not punitive .  Zimmerman is not a danger to the community and he clearly is not a flight risk.  pl

http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-urged-wife-buy-bulletproof-vest-jailhouse/story?id=16595550

"Egyptian ex-president Mubarak on life support" Reuters

"...three sources in the military and security services, which retain control
following the revolt, said Mubarak was being kept alive and said they would not
use the expression "clinically dead" to describe his condition.

General Said Abbas, a member of the ruling military council, told Reuters,
that Mubarak had suffered a stroke but added: "Any talk of him being clinically
dead is nonsense."

Another military source said: "He is completely unconscious. He is using
artificial respiration."

A security source also gave the same account and said: "It is still early to
say that he is clinically dead.""  Reuters

----------------------------------

IMO, he is dead.  His death will be announced as it is convenient.  Rejoice all you friends of freedom and progress!  (irony alert).

For all the believers in the social evolution of mankind, this is a case of "prison influenza." This has been quite common on the Arab World.

BTW, I never liked him personally.   pl

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/19/us-egypt-mubarak-death-idUSBRE85I1ME20120619

"Meet Your Cousin" NY Times

 

"The white men and women buried here are the forebears
of Mrs. Tribble, a retired bookkeeper who delights in her two grandchildren and
her Sunday church mornings. They are also ancestors of Michelle
Obama, the first lady.

The discovery of this unexpected family tie between
the nation’s most prominent black woman and a white, silver-haired grandmother
from the Atlanta suburbs underscores the entangled histories and racial
intermingling that continue to bind countless American families more than 140
years after the Civil War."  NY Times

--------------------------------------------

The president is half White.  A great deal has been made of this little fact.  Now, it is clear that his wife has a lot of White blood as well.    I wonder what she thonks of that and whether she will comment on the fact in one of her many media apppearances.

This article comments on the issue of rape by White men as the source of the White blood in African -Americans.  I am sure there was such rape.  Power that complete is endlessly corrupting, but to think that physical compulsion was always present is silly.   Anyone who knows anything of human sexuality should know that power in the male is one of the strongest aphodisiacs for the female.  That is part of the inheritance we have from our evolutionary past.  As Plato said, "Only the strong deserve the fair."  Women feel that instinctively.  Not so ladies?

As I have written here before, Ancestry.com, and Professor Gates have TV genealogy shows that are doing a significant public service in making Americans confront their true origins on the basis of solid research and genetic typing rather than mythic legend and the desire for separation from other groups.

Perhaps the first Lady will confront her White ancestors and relatives.  She would do us all a service.  pl  

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/us/dna-gives-new-insights-into-michelle-obamas-roots.html?_r=1

National Security Experts - 18 June, 2012

What's Next for Syria? - National Security Experts.

pl

Did the Obama WH declassify "Olympic Games?"

"WALLACE: But I do want to ask you, because you didn't answer
my direction question. Did the president or any other top official declassify
any of the information that appeared in these articles?

PLOUFFE: No, the president and his national security team --
first of all, these are the folks who waged just a relentless and effective
effort against al Qaeda and its leadership. We decimated most of the top
leadership including bin Laden. This national security information is so
critical for the president and his administration to make the right decision.
Nobody takes it more seriously than the president of the United States.

WALLACE: Forgive me, sir. It's a yes or no. Did the
president declassify any of this information?

PLOUFFE: No, of course, he didn't. Of course, he didn't.

WALLACE: He did not?

PLOUFFE: No."   FNS Transcript

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday/2012/06/17/david-plouffe-sen-joe-lieberman-and-gen-michael-hayden-talk-national-security-leaks?page=1#ixzz1y4XaQSF4

The president and his designated henchmen have the legal authority to do this but did they do it?  pl

"Pressing Egypt on democratic change" Washpost

"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton touched on several of these points Thursday, saying that “there can be no going back on the democratic transition called for by the Egyptian people.” Unfortunately, the Obama administration undercut its credibility  with Egyptians and its leverage over the military in March when it decided to hand over $1.5 billion in military aid, waiving pro-democracy conditions that had been imposed by Congress.

The generals may have been encouraged to believe that the United States would accept further backward steps, such as the dissolution of the parliament. For that reason, the administration must now be clear in its public and private communications to Cairo: If the democratic process is not restored, U.S. relations with the Egyptian military will be ruptured"  Washpost

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I predict that if the US does what the Jacobin editorial page of the Post advises the Egyptian military will go elsewhere for "relations."  China, Russia, the Saudis for money, there are "possibilities.

The US continues to overestimate the extent of its own power and leverage.  People who are faced with a future in which they will live in what would essentially be a medieval society or as dhimmis will not be pushed to jump off the cliff.   The conflict between semi-modernity and Salafi Islamism and its MB variant is very clear to those who stand to lose all if the Islamists win.  They have the example of what has happened in countries where the modernists were foolish enough to listen to us.

Our obsession with this kind of historic meddling is leading us down some dark paths.  In Egypt we are pressing for the resumption of a democratic process that will create a government of our enemies.  In Syria we are aligning ourselves with a medieval plutocracy (Saudi Arabia) and our Al-Qa'ida enemies.

Women in Syria and in pre-2003 Iraq have or had a great deal of freedom within the context of their societies.  Now we are seeking to advance the interests of those who will put women back into the kennel of their kitchens and purdah.

The die has been cast.  The US Government is now firmly behind the propaganda drivel generated by the insignificant liberal minorities and the lying spokesmen of the Islamists.

We HAVE met the enemy, and it is us.  pl 

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Years ago I wrote a book proposal on the subject of American inability to deal with the world outside the context of our own delusions.  It was rejected.  Here it is for those who may be entertained.  "Are you entertained?"

Download Pogo-factor

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/getting-tough-with-egypt/2012/06/15/gJQAvm5rfV_story.html

Illegals in the US Military?

"... or who have served in the military."  CBS News

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Someone explain to me how an illegal alien can serve in the US Military.  The graphic for Hispanics includes US citizens and legal aliens.  pl

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_162-57454450/young-immigrants-hopeful-skeptical-of-obama-plan/

 

Capstone post on the Valley Campaign 0f 1862

If folks want it we can have a running discussion of the WBS/Civil War.

The picture above is of Jackson leading a meeting in prayer.  He was a "pious blue eyed killer" in Ken Burns phrase.  He would  have accepted that with humility as a rebuke to his lack of humanity in combat.  He always told his people that they should take care to shoot valorous Union Army leaders when they had the chance so that later the South could live in peace as "good neighbors" with the North.  BTW, he was careful to ensure that POWs were treated well.

I do not think you can understand historical ground combat without seeing the ground in the company of a guide who understands the sources and ground warfare.  Without those factors there are many things you will never know and sites you will never find.  Examples would be the location of the hill at the center of the 1st Battle of Winchester.  This is located behind and hidden behind Handley High School.  I know where it is because Jay Luvaas the Yankee historian who was my faculty advisor at the War College showed it to me..  Another would be the field of the 3rd Battle of Winchester.  This is now behind a strip mall just east of Winchester.  My great grand-pa fought there in the 5th Wisconsin.  He said that the Johnnies simply ignored most Union Army rifle fire because it was so poorly executed.  Not his regiment of course, he was talking about the city wimps from the northeast.

If you want to read a lot about Old Jack, the best things are:

- My article.

- "Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War,"  Colonel GFR Henderson, British Army.  This is the first serious book on the campaign.  19th Century.  My 1911 edition was rebound in Calcutta in calf.

- "Stonewall in the Valley," by Tanner.  This is the best campaign study.

- "Stonewall Jackson, etc." by James Robertson.  This the definitive biography.

----------------------------------

 Here we have Jackson at Chancellorsville in my novel, "The Butcher;s Cleaver."  This is the moment when he arrives on the scene to take charge in a deserate moment of troops not normally his own.

Download CH24R   pl

"Egypt military coup is 'very possible', says Mubarak's ex-spy chief"

In view of the recent "soft coup" in Egypt. I thought it worthwhile to re-publish this.  It was first posted on 23 May.  pl

****************************

"...the Brotherhood is forming paramilitary forces modelled on Iran's Revolutionary Guard to be ready in 2 to 3 years and which will fight to protect the Islamist group's political power.

Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh also came under fire from Suleiman, who claimed the Islamist presidential candidate was the founder of the Gamaa Islamiya (Islamic Group), an organisation behind a wave of brutal violence across Egypt in the early 1990s.

Suleiman also condemned the performance of Egypt's new Parliament, saying that MPs have focused on petty issues while ignoring the essential needs of citizens."  Al Ahram on line

--------------------------------------

As I have said before, Islamist parties have but two goals.  1- Attain power and create a Sharia law state, and 2 - Hold on to power at any cost or by any means.  The Islamist candidates now running for president disguise their true aims, but anyone who knows them knows that they are the enemies of modernity.

If the election for parliament creates a situation in which the elected president is forced to cooperate in writing a constitution that makes Islam "the answer," then a toady like Amre Moussa will go down that road with them, resisting as best he can in the traditional Ottoman/Egyptian bureaucratic style.

The generals will not wait indefinitely after they see that trend comfirmed by actions.  The election of an Islamist president will cause the crisis to be sooner rather than later.

The liberals?  Like the communists in Nasser's time there will be places for them; exile or prison.  pl

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/42277/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-military-coup-is-very-possible,-says-Mubarak.aspx

State of DeNile Part II: Why the Egyptian Supreme Court Ruled that the Egyptian Parliament is Unconstitutional

*

Adam L. Silverman, PhD**

Now that I've got a bit more time***, I wanted to follow up on the breaking news type post I did earlier about the Egyptian Supreme Court Ruling.  If you click through to the BBC article I linked to, you'll see towards the bottom that it provides the Egyptian Supreme Court's rationale for, essentially, invalidating the last Egyptian parliamentary election, which for all intents and purposes brings down the government and forces new elections.  The BBC reported that:  "The court had been considering the validity of last year's parliamentary election, because some of the seats were contested on a proportional list system, with others on the first-past-the-post system.  It decided that the election law had allowed parties to compete for the one third of seats reserved  for independent candidates."

State of DeNile: Egyption Supreme Court Strikes Down Egypt's Parliament

Adam L. Silverman, PhD*

Earlier today Egypt's Supreme Court struck down the Egyptian Parliament.  The ruling was that "last year's Parliamentary election was unconstitutional, deciding that one third of the seats (won) were "illegitimate""  Given that Egypt's presidential election run offs are coming up in a few days, this should further destabilize the situation in Egypt.

* Adam L. Silverman is the Culture and Foreign Language Advisor at the US Army War College (USAWC).  The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the USAWC and/or the US Army.

In the Valley with the connoisseur

In French a connoisseur is someone who knows something. When we adopt that term into English we imbue it with some more special qualities. For us a connoisseur is someone who possesses special knowledge and a taste for the subject.

PL is the second kind.

I have flown over this valley in many kinds of airplanes. When I just wanted to go bore holes in the sky the Shenandoah Valley was my destination.  I have read many books about the Valley campaigns and the events that took place back and forth across this ground in 1861-65. 

Until this trip I never really put it together. Riding as navigator to PL is like being hooked to a knowledge machine. Rude's hill that I always thought was a great unapprochable redoubt is just a swell on the Valley Pike. A good place for guns to command the river crossing below, but you could miss it at 55 miles an hour, and certainly from the air. 

I have read the stories of the McDowell, Virginia campaign, but until you have driven Route 240 out of Staunton to breast Shaw's Ridge at almost 3000' above the Valley floor, you just can't appreciate what Jackson's soldiers went through.

In short, it's too bad we can't bottle this stuff.

Basilisk

"Curiosity" will hit the spot. Splat?

The landing will place the Mars rover closer to its final destination for  science operations, but it will also place it precariously close to the foot of  a mountain slope, which raises the possibility of a mission failure. A  successful landing depends on a newly designed rocket-powered sky crane, which  is expected to gently lower the car-sized rover onto the surface of Mars.

“We’ve done everything we can to ensure the greatest probability of success,” NASA manager Dave Lavery told reporters during a conference call. “The  reality is, this is a very risky business. Historically, only about 40 percent  of the missions to Mars have been successful,” he said."  capitolcolumn

-----------------------------

Is this really a good idea?  Budgets for planetary exploration are severely constrained.  Why take additional risks on the landing in order to avoid driving longer to the objective?  pl

Read more: http://www.capitolcolumn.com/news/mars-rover-will-attempt-risky-landing-in-august/#ixzz1xcMxN8ya

We can't afford today's DoD

This Cordesman study demonstrates the non-viability of the way the US is now doing defense of the realm.  I remain convinced that a basic change in philosophy toward the rest of the world is the only solution.  We need to put the "defense" back in Defense.  pl

http://csis.org/files/publication/120612US_New_Strategy_FY13_Budget.pdf

Road Trip - 13 and 14 June

Basilisk and I are going out on the Valley Pike to look and remember in preparation for commencement of drafting for my next novel.  I will be back in Alexandria on Friday.  Guest authors feel free to post.  pl

"Spaceflight Signs Agreement with SpaceX"

"The first mission under this LSA will be a commercial Falcon 9 mission in early 2013.  For this mission Spaceflight will use its Spaceflight Secondary Payload System (SSPS) to support a multitude of small payloads including CubeSats, NanoSats and MicroSats.

The SSPS uses a custom ring, manufactured by Moog CSA Engineering, and a series of shelves and adapters to accommodate secondary payloads on their ride to space.  The ring is similar to the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring. The SSPS also features a standalone avionics and power system dedicated to monitoring the secondary payloads, initiating their deployment and relaying video and telemetry of their separation to a ground station."  Spaceref.com

-----------------------------------

This a fascinating new development in the process of developing the infrastructure needed for a permanent place in space for mankind.  pl

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=37388

 

 

Perspective on the Threat of Terrorism by Dr. Christopher Bolan

Micah Zenko at the Council on Foreign Relations observes that based on the most recent USG official statistics on global terrorism for 2011, "the number of U.S. citizens who died in terrorist attacks [is comparable to those] crushed to death by their televisions or furniture each year."  So the inert television and chairs sitting around your house are every bit as threatening to your physical safety as the sum total of all terrorist organizations actively operating world-wide.

In confronting this objectively miniscule but emotionally-compelling threat, the USG has undertaken the most extensive reorganization and expansion of its national security apparatus since WWII; conducted massive military interventions and enormous nation-building efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq at tremendous costs in American blood and treasure; and authorized ever-more intensive assassination campaigns in Pakistan and Yemen that include American citizens as 'legitimate' targets.

The 'global war on terrorism' was a flawed strategic framework from its inception appealing primarily to the appreciable fear of the American public in the wake of the horrific attacks of 9-11 and eschewing an objective assessment of the scale and nature of the threat.  Terrorism as a tactic of the weak will always be with us.  It will never be eliminated.  This report demonstrates that this threat has clearly been reduced to a manageable level.  The Al-Qa'ida organization that attacked us on 9-11 is a shadow of what it was.  Targeted attacks on its leadership and support networks wherever they operate can most effectively and efficiently be facilitated by close cooperation with local law enforcement, intelligence, and as needed, special operations forces.

In these times of fiscal constraints and 'tough choices', U.S. citizens and taxpayers should demand a reality-based discussion of the military, security, and intelligence forces needed to defend critical American national interests here and abroad.  Our political and military leaders should lead this rational debate.  Nevertheless, many politicians, defense lobbyists, and those working in the national security and foreign policymaking apparatus (both government and civilian) will be tempted to employ hyperbolic exaggeration of the threats confronting us as a justification for continued U.S. interventions across the globe.  The rise of China as a conventional military and economic competitor and the potential for Iran to develop nuclear weapons are prime candidates to replace terrorism as the next great  security 'threat' demanding exorbitant expenditures of America's treasure and resources.  Let's at least insist on a rational and fact-based debate over these issues.

The author is a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Army War College.  The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Army.

Local politics in the shadow of the capitol.

These links provide insight into a number of local political developments in the Washington Metro area on both sides of the Potomac.

Alexandria, Virginia, a city of 120,000, founded in 1745 as a commercial entrepot, is a place quite distinct in culture and law from Washington, DC, ten miles away.  I live in Alexandria.  It is a splendid place to live and my wife is a community leader here.

Alexandria is presently ruled by a left leaning political coalition of Northern immigrants, minorities of various kinds (Alexandria =21% Black), and yellow dog Democrats.  The mayor is Black.  The city manager is Black and the city attorney is Black.  The Democratic coalition seems to have about 65% of the vote.  Underlying this political activity is a fact little noted by many.  The stratum of people descended from those who founded the city still exercises a powerful influence.

More on "Morning Joe."

I know.  I know.  I shouldn't watch c--p like this program, but, it is so egregious and self absorbed that I cannot resist.  This show has developed into an inside joke produced by rich Manahattanites for rich Manhattanites.  It thinks that it has relevance for the rest of the country but it does not.  iI is an extended coffee table chat among a boringly homogeneous group of New Yorkers who actiually think they live in the navel of the world.  They spend their mornings kissing up to each other and promoting books that everyone else on television promotes.  Mika is a ridiculous scold.  Joe is a political has been whose attempts at integration in the New York City scene make him look foolish, but the show appeals to the New Yorkers who decide the fate of programming and so it will "live" on.  pl

More news from the "New Egypt."

"Hundreds of men assaulted women holding a march demanding an end to sexual harassment, with the attackers overwhelming the male guardians and groping and molesting several of the female marchers in Cairo's Tahrir Square"  Ahram

"O ye wives of the Prophet! Whosoever of you committeth manifest lewdness, the
punishment for her will be doubled, and that is easy for Allah. And whosoever of
you is submissive unto Allah and His messenger and doeth right, We shall give
her her reward twice over, and We have prepared for her a rich provision. O ye
wives of the Prophet! Ye are not like any other women. If ye keep your duty (to
Allah), then be not soft of speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease aspire
(to you), but utter customary speech. And stay in your houses. Bedizen not
yourselves with the bedizenment of the Time of Ignorance. Be regular in prayer,
and pay the poor-due, and obey Allah and His messenger. Allah’s wish is but to
remove uncleanness far from you, O Folk of the Household, and cleanse you with a
thorough cleansing."   (Quran, 33:30-33)

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The revolution is rolling along in Egypt.  (irony alert)

-  Mubarak's case of "prison influenza" is developing nicely.

- The search for his stolen billions has moved on the island of Cyprus.

- As shown in this story Egyptian men are demonstrating their gratitude to the ladies who were among the main supporters of the "revolution."  This is an early insight into the depth of the gratitude that will be shown in the "New Egypt." pl

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/44294/Egypt/Politics-/Mob-attacks-women-at-Egypt-antisexual-harassment-r.aspx

Will Obama pardon the traitor Pollard?

"The linkage to Obama’s reelection bid is obvious. Israel’s Chief Rabbi Yonah
Metzger brashly stated that releasing Pollard would
be good for Obama’s reelection campaign. But what makes Pollard worth
expending such formidable lobbying and political capital?  Why have Israel and
its Western lobbying organizations made Pollard a key issue, almost on the same
footing as massive US taxpayer-funded aid packages and confronting Iran?  The
Israel lobby effort is trying to achieve much more than simply putting Congress
and a sitting president through their paces.

Pollard’s ongoing imprisonment has uniquely and singularly defied Israel’s
doctrine of accountability.  Israel’s history is replete with demands that it should never
be held accountable for any act committed anywhere — including in the US — that
is perpetrated in the name of Israel’s national security.  "  Antiwar

-------------------------------

I was on the damage assesment board that looked at what Pollard had done for Israel and to the US.

Most of the purloined material had nothing to do with the ME and everything to do with the Warsaw Pact.  The Israelis wanted the material for "trade goods."

Pollard was 150% Israel's guy then and now.  The Israelis once again betrayed our trust.  Any "American" who wants Pollard pardoned should emigrate to Israel with him if he is released.  pl

http://original.antiwar.com/smith-grant/2012/06/08/why-obama-will-free-jonathan-pollard/

New TA Post - Horst Faas pictures.

http://turcopolier.typepad.com/the_athenaeum/2012/06/horst-faas-vn-pictures.html

pl

"‘No Progress’ in Iran Nuclear Talks, U.N. Inspectors Report" NY Times

"The warning came from President Ahmadinejad and the
office of Saeed Jalili, Iran’s chief negotiator in the talks, even as Mr.
Soltanieh, Iran’s ambassador to the I.A.E.A., cast further doubt over Tehran’s
intentions by accusing United Nations weapons inspectors of espionage."  NY Times

----------------------------------------

This sounds like the kind of overweening BS and false pride that lead to war.  "Inspectors." are supposed to inspect.  That means they gather data.  If Iran will not participate seriously in negotiations to come to an agreement over their enrichment program, then they should start nationwide civil defense and bomb shelter construction programs while rthere is still time.  pl

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/09/world/middleeast/nuclear-agency-resumes-talks-with-iran-on-site-access.html?ref=todayspaper

"Military suicides..." by Robert Burns

"Suicides are surging among America's troops, averaging nearly one a day this
year - the fastest pace in the nation's decade of war.

The 154 suicides for active-duty troops in the first 155 days of the year far
outdistance the 88 U.S. forces killed in action in Afghanistan, according to
Pentagon statistics obtained by The Associated Press.

The numbers reflect a military burdened with wartime demands from Iraq and
Afghanistan that have taken a greater toll than foreseen a decade ago. The
military also is struggling with increased sexual assaults, alcohol abuse,
domestic violence and other misbehavior."  Burns/AP

---------------------------

I speak not of the marines.  Of them I know little.

The Army, the American people's Army, decided a generation ago to become an army of married. bourgeois, middle class people who would conform to the mores of Middle America, something rather like Tolkien's "Shire."  No more would enlisted men be the "scum of the earth, enlisted for drink" of popular imagination.  Officers would be sought from the same population as enlisted people.  Internal disciplinary and selection processes have pushed the force steadily in the direction of fulfillment of that goal.  The soldiers of my youth who were not interested in Middle Class life have been steadily squeezed out.

Snce 2001 the Army has fought in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were at first beyond the ken of the narrowly defined and recruited Army of the turn of this century.  Flaming insurgency was defined and described institutionally for a couple of years as "combat in cities."  Why?  It was because the civilian population as a major factor was incomprehensible for an Army that had expected to fight in the woods or desert where there would not be significant civilian presence.  Flexibility has been bred out of the system.  Creative thinking is now a task to be undertaken by corporate contracters.

Today's Army has now largely transformed itself into a global gendarmerie bent on applying the COIN philosophy of pacification as an evolution of warfare to a new and higher state.  Absurd.

Nevertheless, the soldiers who have been called upon to execute the thankless task of inflicting societal transformation on unwilling societies are showing the strain.  They are family men with wives, children and responsibilities in the homeland, our homeland.  They are in easy communication with their families, families who are always in their minds.  Is it surprising that many are choosing what the CG of the 1st Armored Divsion sees as  the easy way out? 

This a serious matter.  The numbers are abnormally high in a professional force.  In the aftermath of these wars, the Army needs to re-think its self image and the kind of people that they insist on having in the ranks.  pl

http://hamptonroads.com/2012/06/military-suicides-average-nearly-one-day-year

Post on Stonewall Jackson on TA

http://turcopolier.typepad.com/the_athenaeum/2012/06/jacksons-valley-campaign-and-the-operational-level-of-war-lang-et-al.html

pl

Classified? What's That?

David Sanger of the NY Times appeared on the Newshour this evening to explain his actions in exposing many details of "Operation Olympic Games," the US/Israeli cyberattack on the Iranian enrichment plant at Natanz in Iran.

His defense of  his actions in this matter consisted of two things:

- No real damage was done to US security interests because the Iranians and all the world deduced the existence of this cyberattack from the fact of the "escape" of the code into the internet.  Therefore, he was merely provifding a public service by making an explanation of the project public so that it could be "debated" as policy.

- Implicit in this defense is the concept that mere classification of documents or information by the government is not, in itself, a bar to such revelation of government secrets.  In his view, the public right to know comes first.

Under the "Sanger Doctrine" there should be many fewer prosecutions for unauthorised disclosure.  pl

Romney the Draft Dodger

"Though an early supporter of the Vietnam War, Romney avoided military service
at the height of the fighting after high school by seeking and receiving four
draft deferments, according to Selective Service records. They included college
deferments and a 31-month stretch as a “minister of religion” in France, a
classification for Mormon missionaries that the church at the time feared was
being overused. The country was cutting troop levels by the time he became
eligible for the draft, and his lottery number was not called.

President Barack Obama, Romney’s opponent in this year’s campaign, did not
serve in the military either. The Democrat, 50, was a child during the Vietnam
conflict and did not enlist when he was older."  Washpost

--------------------------------------

So many draft dodgers and so little interest about them in the public.  It is true that BHO did not serve, but then, some other soul was not forced to serve in his stead.  He merely lacked the taste for soldiering that some of us have.

Cheney, Clinton et al, including so many chickenhawk neocons, all had "better things to do."  After all, were they not superior beings whose life contributions were bound to be more valuable than the "dregs" who died locked in combat with men who died devoted to their nationalist and communist causes?  No, the evaders were not better than the fallen, all 58,000 plus of them.

Romney had four student deferments and he chose to hear God(s)' call for missionary service in France where he suffered the slings and arrows of Gallic indifference.

If the Democrats don't latch onto this as a theme, they deserve to lose the election.

Sadly, many veterans prefer this guy.  Why?  Misplaced warlike spirits?  Racism?  A desire to see more war  in support of neocon dreams?  You tell me.  pl

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/though-romney-calls-for-aggressive-military-policy-he-avoided-the-draft-during-vietnam-war/2012/06/05/gJQAqfT3FV_story.html