The Athenaeum

Will we like the aliens when they come?

"... there’s now a perception that advertising our existence could be a mortal threat to the planet.

The reasoning is this: While no one has yet offered decisive proof for life beyond Earth, in the past two years astronomers have learned that tens of billions of habitable planets suffuse our galaxy. Consequently, to believe that only Earth has spawned intelligence is to insist that our world is the site of a miracle. That point of view rarely appeals to scientists.

The aliens could very well be out there. And that realization has spurred a call by some for broadcasts intended to elicit a communication from at least the nearest other star systems. But we know nothing of the aliens’ possible motives or behavior. Therefore, it’s conceivable that betraying our existence might prompt aggressive action from space.

Broadcasting is likened to “shouting in the jungle” — not a good idea when you don’t know what’s out there. The British physicist Stephen Hawking alluded to this danger by noting that on Earth, when less advanced societies drew the attention of those more advanced, the consequences for the former were seldom agreeable."  NY Times

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I love this.  It appeals to the naturally suspicious and cautious military mind.  It is also reminiscent of the first short story I wrote.  This was long ago and the theme was attractive.  I know I have posted it before, but, indulge me.  pl 

Download Carolina in the Mornin'dblspc

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/opinion/sunday/messaging-the-stars.html?ref=opinion

Podcast on the subject of "Strike The Tent" W. Patrick Lang

I was interviewed some time ago by the North Carolina Museum of History concerning the writing of my trilogy.

"The Confederate Secret Services, a conversation with W. Patrick Lang, novelist, retired U.S. Army colonel, and military intelligence consultant
Patrick Lang discusses his two novels, The Butcher’s Cleaver and Death Piled Hard, both of which focus on Claude Devereux, a Virginia banker who is recruited by the Confederate secret service and placed in the office of Union secretary of war Edwin Stanton. Approximate run time: 24 minutes. Podcast " 

This podcast is highly recommended  pl

"Dig"

I am generally a fan of Jason Isaacs.  His portrayal of a Scottish private detective in "Case Files" was an outstanding piece of work.  Ann Heche is another actor that I favor.  In her present heterosexual incarnation she is quite convincing and attractive but the TV series  "Dig"  is just awful and a reminder of the reasons why we watch so much European TV.  

The main faults lie in both casting and writing.  Contrary to American expectations, there are not a lot of people who are Israeli who were born and raised in the US.  Those that exist are generally not in the government.  They are often settlers in the West Bank who live apart from government except for doing their conscripted service.  They live in those red tile roofed villas in towns springing up as a matter of policy among the Arab towns.   In spite of these factoids the Israeli officials and townspeople in "Dig" speak perfect American accented English.  What?  They could not find actual Israelis with real modern Hebrew accents in English?  These accents are a reality of life in Israel.  Most Israelis learned English in school and are from Eastern European,  east African and Middle Eastern roots.  To cast this series with Americans as Israelis is to reinforce American illusions about the origins of the Israeli population.  

The scripts seem to have been written by people who know nothing about US Government, the functioning of a US Embassy or history:

- US Marine Corps security guards are just that.  They function INSIDE the embassy to guard the facility and most especially the communications center with its sensitive equipment.  The marines DO NOT stand around outside the embassy looking picturesque as "greeters."  USMC non-commissioned officers assigned to legation guard duty do not stand a post as a sentry unless not enough privates or lance Corporals (E-3) are present for duty.  The USMC is understandably sensitive about misuse of their people as blue uniformed servants for the civilian staff of the embassy including the ambassador.  The USMC security guard is under the operational control of a civilian Regional Security official in the embassy but they do not do anything but security.  I was twice the Defense Attache in US embassies and then head of all the attaches in the world.  So, i probably understand this.

- The US Ambassador in this production is apparently resident at the consulate general in Jerusalem.  She seems to be there all the time. In fact the US Ambassador is resident at the embassy in Tel Aviv and generally stays away from the consulate in Jerusalem because it is the policy of the US Government to insist that Jerusalem is not recognized by the US as the capital of Israel.

- Isaacs' character is an emotionally unstable FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem as a "legal attache" (euphemism).  While there he is happily sc----ng his FBI superior, Ann Heche.  Now, I would certainly not claim that such a thing is not possible but it seems less likely among the rather straight laced FBI people than among the State Department folk where I have seen it happen.  The "Legal Attache" section in an embassy is usually a rather small time affair devoted to the task of liaison with the local police on FBI business world wide. In this potboiler the FBI conducts investigations in the host country, routinely carries guns and more or less defies the local police.  This is laughable.  Anyone doing this would be ejected from the country by the hosts.  

- The US Ambassador is portrayed as being a conspirator in a cultist plot.  Imagination is a great thing in writing plots but this is so absurd  as to also be laughable.  Cults?  No.  Likudnik operative?  Maybe.

- Finally, the level of ignorance of history is impressive.  In the last viewed episode, the ambassador's co-conspirator cultist visits some place in the Aegean to steal or buy something wanted by the cult.  His host lives in an old structure where his collection is housed.  The host remarks that the building is an 11th century crusader castle.  Well, the army of the First Crusade captured the Holy Land in 1099 AD. There were no crusader castles in the 11th Century AD.  One would think that a glance at wikipedia would have cleared that up. 

All in all a shoddy piece of work.  pl  

http://www.usanetwork.com/dig

But, will Sean Connery still be sheriff?

 
"While executives at Planetary Resources are no doubt interested in avoiding being wiped out by incoming cosmic boulders, they are in the game for others reasons. The firm is on the lookout for asteroids that it can land on and harvest all of valuable minerals many contain using robot miners and automated smelting facilities.

The firm is backed by Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, Charles Simonyi, and James Cameron, and was launched in 2012 with lofty claims of mining its first space rock by 2022. So far that plan has slipped a bit already.

Initially the company had planned to get its first asteroid spotting orbital telescope into orbit by 2014, and held a successful $1.5m crowdfunding campaign. But its first test platform was distributed over a wide area of Eastern Virginia when the Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket carrying it detonated over NASA's Wallops Flight Facility last October.

Planetary Resources will be taking another shot at getting a telescope into space next month, but there's still a long way to go before it can send out the planned automating mining and processing bots to likely targets. Then there's the piffling problem of getting the minerals back to Earth, or at least orbit, safely and economically."  The Register

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I have seen this movie and I liked it.  It would seem that the moon would be an even more promising source of rare earths, helium and other materials hard to come by on earth.

I would expect to see the prompt emergence of a "ban the strip mining" movement here on earth.  As I recall, a "Red Mars," political faction quickly appeared in the famous Mars trilogy.  pl 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/03/16/nasa_wants_you_to_help_space_mining_corp_strip_mine_the_solar_system/

Jeff White on Syria and IS - WINEP

"The regime approach to ISIS is part of its long-war strategy for the conflict, which now prioritizes targeting both Islamist and non-Islamist armed groups in important areas of western Syria, especially urban areas and the highways connecting them. It fights ISIS where and when important regime interests are at stake. When such interests are not at stake, the regime is content for ISIS to fight the rebels without interference and even to tacitly assist the group.

Fighting between regime and ISIS forces is nontrivial, with each side probably suffering thousands of casualties -- with hundreds killed -- in sometimes vicious combat. Both sides have committed atrocities against the other, including executing and beheading prisoners.

In the Syrian war, the regime is completely pragmatic regarding whom to fight with or against, as well as where and when to fight. This suggests that any U.S./coalition notion of the regime as an ally in the war against ISIS needs to be approached carefully. At best, the regime would be an unreliable ally, putting only limited effort into the fight while putting its own interests first, including cooperating with ISIS when deemed expedient. At worst, it would exploit any perceived or real cooperation with U.S. or coalition forces to further its political aims and reinforce its own military operations against the Syrian opposition."  Jeffrey White

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Come now, Jeff, what government does not place its own interests first among its priorities?  That is true in any alliance. No alliance is ever successfully absolute in its demands for selfless sacrifice on the part of the members.

As an example the ANZACs and South Africans withdrew their troops from the European theater once the Second World War had moved far enough away from their homelands.  Finland withdrew from its alliance with Germany once the Red Army had pushed the Germans back to the west.

The US has done nothing in the last 20 years to encourage a cooperative arrangement with the Syrian government.

How can we possibly know to what degree the SAG would be  a useful ally when we have not tried to make them one since the First Gulf War?

Other than that, this is a very good article.  I suppose your employment demands some expressed reverence for the views of WINEP.  pl 

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/syrian-regime-military-operations-against-isis

Some people may be predisposed for PTSD

Researchers have identified genetic markers associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that are linked with regulating the immune system, Medical News Today reported. This finding may lead to the ability to identify individuals at risk of PTSD.

In a study of  188 U.S. Marines, researchers took blood samples before and after individuals were deployed to conflict zones. They identified groups of genes that regulate the innate immune system— the body’s first line of defense against pathogens— and interferon signaling— the release of signaling proteins in response to pathogens— were linked to PTSD.

PTSD, a mental health condition that can occur after experiencing a traumatic event such as military combat, may cause recurring, distressing memories, sleep problems, severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts."  Foxnews

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First of all, the grunt from the 4th ID who is in the picture is weeping.  So what?  I have wept a lot in combat or in the aftermath and I do not have bad dreams about war, memories I cannot deal with, sleep problems, severe anxiety or suicidal thoughts.  Am I an inherently alert and suspicious person?  Yes, but I always was.

Somebody should have kicked the photographer's ass for intruding on this man's moment.

Old soldiers who have spent a lot of time under fire know that some people are much, MUCH less vulnerable to PTSD than others.  In the "mommy loves you" world of the 21st Century this will be an unpopular thought.  After all, are we not all wounded children?   I have had women psychiatrists insist that I MUST have PTSD.  I told one who said this that all I really needed was the affection of a good woman. She walked away.  Thank God!  Several shrinks have looked at me for this and decided that I am an inducer of PTSD and not a victim.

In my experience it was very easy to tell the difference between those petrified by acute anxiety in combat and those not.  Those not are the ones who function well in the moment and who drag others out of their holes to do their duty and who make jokes while doing it.

It used to be thought that schizophrenia was something Freudian that psychoanalysis could resolve.  We now know that this is a physical disease of the nervous system and brain.  IMO something similar will emerge concerning PTSD.

My solution?  Don't put people with this predisposition in; the infantry, armor, aviation or SF. 

Perhaps in some future day a combat veteran will not have to listen to a young woman ask if he was one of "the crazy brave or the phony tough." 

I asked if she had more choices.  pl  

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/03/11/genetic-markers-for-ptsd-linked-to-immune-system-response-study-says/