May 2009
49 posts
"The effect of paying people to support us when we... →
“A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors...”
– Thucydides [via Starbuck]
I hope I’m not block-quoting too much from Mr. Hodge of Danger Room (go click on some Wired ads or buy a subscription—good enough penance?):
Since 2001, the U.S. has provided approximately $32 billion in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan. That’s on top of the $25.3 billion donated by the international community. If the Iraq experience is any guide, that’s...
What I find to be a brilliant distillation of The... →
“Looks like everyone will be working from the same playbook in AZ now, so this...”
– Fastnav (http://checkswithchart.com/2009/05/11/shake-up/)
“This ‘permeation’ that you perceive is not at all complete (to the detriment of our mission in Astan) and shows that not everyone in the military has the ability to conceptualize these issues as well as you. They have to be told almost exactly what to do and really, this is how the Army has conditioned a lot of leaders to respond to new, vaguely-defined situations. So we need...
“I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from...”
– Franklin Delano Roosevelt
These guys invented the Potemkin Village. →
In one, above a huddle of GIs apparently at... →
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t...”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupery
One former government official and Kabul... →
“Best vehicle in Afghanistan? Two legs. And maybe a mule to pack the .50 caliber machine gun,” Arizona National Guardsman Anthony McGee said, only half-jokingly. “Breakdowns were an almost everyday occurrence.”
Ride along in one Ground Assault Convoy that leaves the one major asphalt road in Afghanistan, and you’ll know why MRAPs suck. My unit is probably averaging one...
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.”
– Mark Twain
I’m back from a two-week sojourn. This truly is a beautiful country (when it’s not spewing mortars and such at you). You’ll see, I’ll show you.
“Wars teach us not to love our enemies, but to hate our allies.”
– W. L. George
“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether...”
– Ghandi
It’s time for another long mission to the Afghan hinterlands. If I can figure out how to auto-publish, I’ll throw up some more pictures while I’m gone.
Gentile has written extensively about why the... →
[via SWJ]
“Long experience has taught me this about the status of mankind with regard to...”
– Galileo Galilei
There are many good things to be said about the... →
April 2009
49 posts
