coComments related to BrianH

True, but it seems that the ho

2009-01-28T07:20:00.396+01:00

True, but it seems that the hook that Obonobo is hanging his refusal to show his vault BC on, for example, is privacy. If that level of "privacy" is considered a "legitimate right", then very little is open to investigation.

The president has it exactly r

2008-08-11T17:17:11.735+02:00

The president has it exactly right. Franchie, you are a blathering embarrassment to France and the EU, not that either has any ability to feel shame left.

BC; Actually, GWB has been a s

2008-08-11T17:05:41.713+02:00

BC; Actually, GWB has been a superb president. The nation and the world are far better off for his decisions and committed efforts. Roll that in your cigar and smoke it.

"Mary Jackson: I personally t

2008-08-09T07:11:15.629+02:00

"Mary Jackson: I personally think you should send your troops home, you will need them shortly on your own streets-quite less than the 50 years some optimists predict. Couldn’t you at least try to disguise the gloating? When our troops are dying in your war? Aug 8, 2008 - 3:50 pm" ===== 'dying'? 'your war'? Oookkaayy. How many British soldiers have died in Iraq in the last 6 months? 1, isn't it? Sorry for your loss. And the idea was that it was the West's war against Islamofascist terror. Have you resigned from the West? Or just decided to kowtow to terror? Please elucidate.

whiskey; the pursuit of Alpha

2008-08-06T07:41:05.238+02:00

whiskey; the pursuit of Alpha males is genetically programmed, not socially. E.g.: All unaware, married women in public wear sexier clothes during their fertile days of the month. They're "trolling" for some quickie Alpha genes.

Joshua; What? Nuclear terrori

2008-08-06T07:36:58.226+02:00

Joshua; What? Nuclear terrorism? Get a grip. Drunk drivers are WAY more dangerous.

fred; Check out Totten's writi

2008-08-06T02:52:16.548+02:00

fred; Check out Totten's writings on Kosovo and Albania. Their attitude is that the Arabs are crazy, and want nothing to do with their Islam. But they are laid-back Muslims, which infuriates the fundamentalists, Islamists, and jihadists. Wahabbis are trying to turn them, but aren't getting much traction, despite all the money they can throw around.

Fred; Just to be clear, leave

2008-08-06T02:46:38.075+02:00

Fred; Just to be clear, leave the quotes and everything else as is. Just replace the words of the instructions.

Mike S; Agree. Once again I r

2008-08-06T02:32:27.594+02:00

Mike S; Agree. Once again I refer people to de Atkine's "Why Arab Armies Lose Wars". Fred; <a href="the url goes here">the title goes here</a> Copy the above and replace the "goes here" instructions as instructed. By the instructions. Between the quotes and so on. ;)

As far as civ casualties, you

2008-08-05T22:27:43.757+02:00

As far as civ casualties, you might like to google "perfidy" and "Geneva". If you dress like and operate among civilians, the onus for all civilian casualties incurred in attacking you falls squarely on you. Reasonable efforts to minimize civ deaths are required, but not to the point of holding off attacks.

It's notable that despite all

2008-07-30T08:38:00.694+02:00

It's notable that despite all the morphings of O's "positions" on Iraq, the constant conclusion and solution is unwavering: troops out in 16 months. Which to me says that all his effort and thought are going into crafting rationalizations for a fixed course, which is not up for consideration.

Hilarious: Walking Eagle. "At the conclusion of his speech, the Tribes presented the Senator with a plaque inscribed with his new Indian name - Walking Eagle. The proud Senator then departed in his motorcade, waving to the crowds. A news reporter later asked the group of chiefs of how they came to select the new name they had given to the Senator. They explained that Walking Eagle is the name given to a bird so full of shit it can no longer fly."

I have a suggestion about the

2008-07-25T03:26:28.010+02:00

I have a suggestion about the hole. Maybe the VW isn't just lit up by "shine", but by the aftereffects of a focused burst. If a jet was "fired" through it at one point, it would blast a hole and leave much residual energy, and subsequent undirected radiation from the quasar would keep it hot.

The number now is about 15 and

2008-07-23T22:47:46.899+02:00

The number now is about 15 and counting. Meanwhile, the donkeys haven't met any ... :oops: :razz: :roll: :lol:

Morton; fyi, the Fadhils are n

2008-07-21T22:51:55.132+02:00

Morton; fyi, the Fadhils are not Muslim. Nor are they recommending "doing more" for Muslims. They are working to get Iraq sane and stable, and recognize fully the cost of sectarian and religious conditioning.

kabud; important point. You c

2008-07-21T21:20:40.679+02:00

kabud; important point. You could carry all the new science and literature published in the ME each year in a medium suitcase. Much less than, say, Spain or Portugal, and INFINITELY less than Israel.

It strikes me that this is a s

2008-07-18T10:07:29.130+02:00

It strikes me that this is a sign of how happy the Iraqis are to have a reason to be inspired by themselves. It's been a while. atlarge; You are a prime example of what the Scots adage warns about, when it says, "Fools and bairns should not see unfinished work."

Yes, that's a fine documentary

2008-07-18T00:09:56.948+02:00

Yes, that's a fine documentary series you're producing here! Pustular is such a vicious version of p. that it's wonderful to see progress like this.

Erratum: "Even though once in

2008-07-16T00:29:33.261+02:00

Erratum: "Even though once in a while ..."

It's a new day. I'm in my sev

2008-07-16T00:28:26.604+02:00

It's a new day. I'm in my seventh decade, and can remember no instance of a person, group, or country so eager to lose and surrender as the Democrats. I think I comprehend how they got to that place, but it's still an astonishing development. Even once in a while, one suddenly stops and says, "What was I THINKING?". But it's an open question whether many or enough will do so in time.

Reading all that it's kind of

2007-11-20T07:52:44.215+01:00

Reading all that it's kind of hard to imagine how Afghanistan can be regarded as a single country, or even a country at all. In any case, the fight in A'stan is likely to justify the rubric "Long War" in a way that Iraq now looks like it will not warrant.

Yeah, there's something about

2007-11-15T07:17:44.972+01:00

Yeah, there's something about that write-up that reminds me of a pretzel ...

A smashed vehicle and safe pas

2007-09-01T03:51:03.102+02:00

A smashed vehicle and safe passengers is the same principle as having crumple zones on cars; it's all about who or what absorbs the energy. Deflecting is good, but what gets through should be absorbed by metal. It just occurs to me that the same principle that is built into some road dividers could be used: water-filled compartments that pop a cork and blast a jet of water straight up on impact. Can absorb a huge amount of compression energy safely.

Edit note: "Thus, the magnitud

2007-08-31T06:11:50.262+02:00

Edit note: "Thus, the magnitude of the media’s failure to recognize the import of the rise of the Anbar Salvation Council — and its portrayal of Anbar province as lost — cannot be understated." That's reversed; it means that no matter how much you belittle it, it's even less than that. "Overstated" is what you want. It's interesting to realize that this war is perhaps bigger and more important than the Vietnam war, not to mention much more complex and "interactive" (by which I mean that we hear and see much more of the Iraqi players and VIPs and populace than was ever the case in Vietnam). The troop numbers and casualties are only a fraction of those in 'Nam, much of which has to do with the fact that there is no individual state fielding soldiers and providing arms to the insurgency the way NV was. "Bigger" is perhaps true in that more is at stake, but that's a judgment call. I'm wondering what the GWOT follow-on will be, though, if Petraeus and the IA are decisive victors in 2008, and then the US public elects a Democrat President because it's now "safe" to do so. Could get real nasty again.

If anyone's paying attention,

2007-06-21T09:55:23.167+02:00

If anyone's paying attention, "A Man Called Intrepid" is the autobio of William Stevenson, a Canadian emigre to Britain who set up and ran a very deep covert operations center against the Nazis and throughout N & S America, for Churchill, and worked to get the US into WWII. Possible inspiration for James Bond.

http://chickenmafia.com/pictur

2007-06-21T09:48:06.092+02:00

http://chickenmafia.com/pictures/muhammad.jpg

The word you're looking for is

2007-06-18T05:13:28.803+02:00

The word you're looking for is "shallow." Reid's thinking and positions are all shallow. Deep down, he's a very superficial guy. So your pointing to the deep issues and concerns will just get a blank, uncomprehending stare (or glance) from him and his ilk. Those issues just don't exist in their oil-film surface worlds.

Preferably his own. While he'

2007-06-18T05:06:04.202+02:00

Preferably his own. While he's still wearing it.

Zebari a suck-up? I think not

2007-06-18T04:56:56.528+02:00

Zebari a suck-up? I think not. Check out his speech to Annan blasting the UN's hypocritical febrility. Zebari is brilliant, almost more than a ramshackle gov't like Iraq's can use or appreciate. But it's damn lucky to have him.

When someone(s) tries to push

2007-06-18T04:47:25.979+02:00

When someone(s) tries to push a particular term or concept into a decision or analysis, rejecting all quibbles, one suspects (I suspect) ulterior motives -- specifically, stacking the deck by doing a "begging the question" trick. Which means presuming the conclusion in the phrasing of the question. The core of the "civil war" definition is that it is INTERNAL. It is a family affair within a country. And there are lots of reasons for isolationists and BDS sufferers and others to pretend the Iraqi conflict is "internal". But it is clearly not (just) internal. Lots of outside players have dogs in that fight, and are feeding and pushing them. Those players have plenty of motivation, not least of which is to avoid having their own little "internal" empires crack open, too. Bashir and the Mad Mullahs and the Saudi-Wahabbi chimera all fear spreading of Iraq's freedom experiment. Hell, even Kuwait is reeaalllyy nervous about it. So Iraq is a theater of war, with players and playwrights from a much wider neighbourhood deeply involved. IP, your local and personal concerns coincide with the long-term sanity and survival of the whole ME, so don't feel too isolated and abandoned and alone.You're playing in the big leagues, now.

travis; Step 1 - Return to Gra

2007-06-07T05:14:43.995+02:00

travis; Step 1 - Return to Grade 4. Step 2 - Learn to spell & punctuate. Step 3 - Repost and perhaps people will not look on you as a borderline illiterate.

The grid design was poached an

2007-05-27T22:59:20.876+02:00

The grid design was poached and adapted to the DS4G, a new version of the ion engine. Top exhaust speed so far about 200 km/s, little or no grid sputtering, etc. http://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/pro/pp/DS4G/ Pictures and tech details in the above.

The Sunni are far better off t

2007-05-11T08:20:38.250+02:00

The Sunni are far better off than they ever let the Shi'a be, and are in any case making their peace with the new order faster than you might think. And it now turns out that Sunni Anbar province, with 20% of the population or less, has almost as much oil as all the rest of Iraq put together: about 100 bbl (that's billions of barrels, to you.) So don't cry for them.

So? What happened with the ho

2007-05-11T06:54:36.899+02:00

So? What happened with the house and the woman? What did the sheik advise? Don't leave us hanging, man!