Open Thread - 30 March, 2013

pl

Comments

[William R. Cumming]

We have completed the first month of the sequester and wondering if any significant impacts as predicted in the runup?

[Norbert M. Salamon]

If it interests anyone:
Thomas Fingar has his Sam Adams Awards address on youtube - discusses the Iran and Iraq judgements of the intelligence community and also describes the way operation was changed after the politization of the Iraq nuclear effort

[Anonymous]

This is the background music composed by Patrick Doyle for Kenneth Branagh's Henry V Agincourt speech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doCf0WYEKho

[Tyler]

I'm eating a 40% pay cut in spite of Congress passing a CR to make sure we keep our pay at the same because higher management has other priorities for that money.

[Fred]

I'm reading James Robertson's biography of Stonewall Jackson and while not yet finished I am already struck by a couple of facets of character. One is the development of his faith, which included early on included multiple audiences with the Archbishop of Mexico while serving in the army during the occupation of Mexico City and later the support and direct teaching of Sunday school to blacks, including slaves, in Lexington, Virginia for a number of years before the civil war. The second is that he advocated a campaign against the North after 1st Manassas that was prescient of Sherman's march to the sea in 1964. Truly a remarkable man.

[YT]

From the American Conservative...

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/why-its-in-the-american-interest-to-understand-other-nations-views/

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/dont-break-the-china/

Startin' to love this magazine, even though I'm an Outsider.

[Imagine]

Col. Lang,

Could you kindly read Pat Buchanan's recent article "Goading Gullible America Into War", and then proposed Senate Resolution 65, and then please comment on the results? SR-65 apparently cedes to Israel the right to determine when America will go to war against Iran. 76 Senators sponsored the resolution; it has not been voted on yet, and seems to be flying under most radars. It also lists "nuclear capability" as a cause of war against Iran, something it already has. As such, it has been called the "Back Door To War" proposal. It is eerily reminiscent of actions leading up to the Iraq war.

At the same time, in the last paragraph, it says that even though it calls for war, it in no way is an authorization for force or a declaration of war.

I do not know whether to be profoundly concerned or not. Is the last a cynical fig leaf for the sheep, or is Congress merely blowing off steam/expressing an opinion, this is the way it normally talks/operates, and this is no cause for panic?

A friend points out the President is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces, and even if Congress orders a war, it is really up to him whether he sends the troops or not. Currently we see the President dragging his feet in a Japanese "ox-walk" to war, a subtle filibuster buying time, while Congress attempts to cut off other directions and corral him into war as the only viable action. This arm-wrestling has been going on for years now, but is becoming less and less subtle. The President was for peace and reduced spending before he was elected; it is hard to imagine him allowing another multi-trillion-dollar war to be started--he's got to be smarter than that.

Speaking of which, 76% of the Senate and 96% of the House voting for blank-check resolutions is a statistical impossibility that simply doesn't add up. These people are supposed to be highly intelligent patriots--do they know something that we don't know? Are we paying protection money, due to explicit or implicit, um, circumstances?

Thank you for your informed opinion on these matters.

[Alba Etie]

And in a related story - if I remember correctly the first name the neocon 'clean break ' brain trust came up for regarding the illegal occupation of Irak was:
O peration
I raqi
L iberation .
The Intel Science award for high schoolers went to one Sara Volz a 17 year old teenager that is growing blue algae under her bed apparently with enough oil content to make a bio fuels commercially viable . She goes to MIT next year .
Wonder if we could find fifty or so of Sara's peer group ( I really want to believe they are out there ) and fund them with just one week's budget of the misbegotten Mesopaetamia mess - called Operation Iraqi Liberation - what other innovations we might come up with - so as to make the Libyan & other oil fields less attractive to our interventions .
Perhaps we could prevail upon former Vice President Gore to donate some of his largesse from selling Current TV to al Jezerra English - to further fund the Sara Volz of these United States . It could be like a new fangled Bells Lab for high schoolers - all connected to each other by the 'internet tubes " . Wouldn't this be a lot easier then trying to steal the Levant Natural Gas Fields ? That right there -- stealing resources from overseas as a foreign policy really is an "Inconvinent Truth "

[jonst]

It seems to me that things are really heating up out West re the killing of govt officials. And now a family member. Cartel? Brotherhood? Whomever...seems like someone has declared war. Sorta.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/us/second-prosecutor-shot-to-death-in-texas-county.html?hp

[turcopolier]

imagine

thanks for the compliment but I am sorry to tell you that I do not have the time. i would welcome someone else's comment on this. pl

[Tyler]

Have you checked out Taki's Mag yet?

[Charles I]

She is doing science under her bed, not witchcraft. Anyway, the witches want what they want no matter what the algae do.

[Charles I]

Not in the stock market - yet!

[YT]

Ah, Patrick Buchanan...

Thanks, Tyler.

Happy Easter Sunday to you & your SWMBO.

[steve g]

Tyler:

Read Taki everyday. Monday
with Jim Goad is always a
hoot. Part sarcasm and part
reality observation. Daniel
Larison at American Conservative
a voice of reason.

[optimax]

The article on microagression is interesting. The victimization crowd is down to seed and stems again.

[Alba Etie]

Aryan Brotherhood ?

[Alba Etie]

Wonder if the Koch Brothers are also funding the witches through their 501(c) 3 ?

[Tyler]

I linked to Taki's a few times here, I'm glad its found a more receptive audience. The first time was after the Trayvon Martin affair kicked off, and John Derbyshire posted a very 'hate facts' related story that got him booted from that neocon organ, NRO. The second time the article got ignored and instead whoever I was arguing against dismissed anything Taki was part of because of a cocaine court case. I rather enjoy the old rogue's observations, myself.

YT: She's well, and thank you for your well wishes. I'm a fan of old Mr. Buchanan myself - I wish we had listened to him earlier instead of deciding to stare the gorgon in the face, just cause.

Steve G: Me as well. Always something to read. I like Kathy Shaidle myself, even if she does come off a little too rah rah Israel from time to time.

Optimax: Yes. Of course, this is what they REALLY BELIEVE and what their world revolves around. Read some of the pieces on 'white privilege' and you start to see why I get as mad as I do, which I believe you've commented on in the past.

Steve Sailer is another good blogger to read, and most of his observations, especially about race and immigration are spot on. Unfortunately since he's on the wrong side of the 'Who? Whom?' equation he gets routinely ignored by the ivory tower crowd.

[optimax]

Tyler
I've been reading Taki for w while. Also like Lew Rockwell.

[Imagine]

Sorry, should have made this more transparent.

SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
...(3) deplores and condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the reprehensible statements and policies of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran threatening the security and existence of Israel;
(4) recognizes the tremendous threat posed to the United States, the West, and Israel by the Government of Iran's continuing pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability;
***(5) reiterates that the policy of the United States is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon capability [sic] and to take such action as may be necessary to implement this policy;
...(7) declares that the United States has a vital national interest in, and unbreakable commitment to, ensuring the existence, survival, and security of the State of Israel, and reaffirms United States support for Israel's right to self-defense; and
*** (8) urges that, if the Government of Israel is compelled to take military action in self-defense, the United States Government should stand with Israel and provide diplomatic, military, and economic support to the Government of Israel in its defense of its territory, people, and existence.

SEC. 2. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.

Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an authorization for the use of force or a declaration of war.

...thanks for what's possible.

[jonst]

Yes. Or an splinter group from them.

[turcopolier]

imagine

I don't see what you are asking me to comment on. the Congress of the US is completely in thrall to Israel. what else can you say? pl

[Tyler]

Today's Jim Goad was pretty good.

[Jose]

Off-topic and late, but several months ago I posted about Australia and China's mutual needs and interest only to be attacked by several other posters.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-03-31/thanks-world-reserve-currency-no-thanks-australia-and-china-enable-direct-currency-c