Meet your savior, the Tax code!

Having been required to take Tax, reading 162 m first though was 'All those fraking bonuses are deductible?'

And the tax code may be our savior to really stick it to mostly government owned bail out toilet companies.

All we need is the IRS to start breaking out the whooping sticks and get to work.

UPDATE:
That's right, you mess with The Obama you get the IRS!

(That's supposed be based off of: You mess with the bull, and you get the horns.)

Reading Status Conference 1

I'm starting something new that I think will help me start blogging more regularly.

I read. A lot. Both books and reports and what not I pull from the Internet. So whenever I finish something I am going to write up a little something and post it. Most will probably be cross posted with my GoodReads profile too.

Interestingly... Linking to GoodReads reminds me of an article I read for work. It was published by Google and it was entitled 'Undermining Privacy with Social Networks'. I was hoping it would offer some insights into how to figure out more about people for my actual job. But it was more targeted towards how inadvertent slip ups can reveal more then you want to. One of the big things I saw, was this kind of cross-linking. My GoodReads has more personal info then my blog. (Which is largely irrelevant as no one reads it or comes from my facebook page!) But still, there's now more info out there for people to find about me and connect the dots. At least I dont have the problem of being a flower loving gun fanatic that didnt want my gun fanatic buddies to find out I liked flowers in the article.

Alright, enough of a detour. I finished 'The Nuclear Tipping Point: Why States Reconsider Their Nuclear Choices' a few weeks ago. I will say, upon getting this book I was VERY excited to read it. One of my thesis ideas for graduate school was going to be a multivariate analysis of what caused states to pursue nuclear power. One of the prime areas I was going to look at was security and presence of nuclear armed rivals. So this book dove-tailed nicely. However, I was largely disappointed. It is still a fascinating read, I felt the title was misleading it would be more appropriately titled 'The Nuclear Tipping Point: When would States Reconsider Their Nuclear Choices'. A subtle difference, but important. Really, the individual chapters were very informative, and I felt the analysis on the subject was spot on. The only real flaw I can find with the book is that the chapters were written in a vacuum. For instance, the South Korea chapter made some bold claims about if South Korea obtained nukes, that it would jeopardize their relationship with Japan. I find that to be a bold claim. Especially since most of the factors cited as for South Korea rethinking their nuclear choices were the same as Japan. So it's impossible to cite South Korea as getting nukes without at least thinking Japan would be in the same boat. It's like the authors of the chapter didnt talk to one another. Which is alright, I just assumed that if you're participating in a project with another expert, you should really take that extra step. Overall, an easy, informative read that I'm glad is on my bookshelf for citation purposes.
*One side note. I really didnt write a thing in the margin of this book! I barely highlighted anything too! Strange for me.

Now I'm moving on to: 'Social Theory of International Politics' by Alexander Wednt. I just finished the first chapter. HOLY COW. It's going to be awesome. Assuming I can find time to read it...

Sometime this week I'm going to finish 'Female Suicide Bombers: Dying for Equality?' I've been at it for MONTHS! Although, that one may be broken out into a separate post.

Destroying the Constitution

To me, this, says more about what Bush thought of the Constitution then any sort of warrantless wiretapping, holding US citizens in jail with no charges for years and the like.

Into the shredder!

Really? Bypassing a CONGRESSIONALLY PASSED LAW because some fucking moron said that they could in a signing statement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd like to see the Memo that said they could do that. I'd get a good laugh.

Where else?

Are you going to find two power stations that can generate a total of 2,800 megawatts of carbon free power?

Ummm.... No where?


Good thing we've got nukes.

Outsourcing Anti-trust to Europe?

Is the Supreme Court trying to outsource anti-trust suits to Europe?

I haven't read into this opinion, but it looks like it.

With Microsoft taking a beating across the pond, any company that wants to share markets (which really, they're going to have to or at least really really want to) is going to have to worry about the EU.

Do we really want to put our capitalist system in the hands on those socialistic Euro-trash-ites!?

Finally!

A good reason to take anti-depressants. (Well, if you're not depressed).

Anti-love potion!

With brain enhancement pills, and now anti-love pills, how long until we can take a suite of pills and become whoever we want to be?

Huzzah! Diplomacy works!

Iran finally has enough LEU to make a nuke!

North Korea still has their HEU plant! And is currently fueling up a Taepodong-2 missile that can supposedly reach Alaska!

I'll let you decide on who Diplomacy worked for...

Imagine my surprise...

When I came across this in my news feed. "West Bank land siezed as Israel looks to build". I read that headline, and it's pathetic and stupid, and all I could do was shake my head. Real smart idiots. I was not going to post anything on it.

Then I came across this, "Israel: FM Give land for peace". I'd laugh if it was not so sad and pathetic. Generally, when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you should do is STOP DIGGING! Not lie about stopping digging while you shovel away...

So I had to post something on it.

I refer you you to Stephen Walk for a discussion of what would happen if the 'two state' solution were to fail.

There's really nothing else to say.

This is just shameful...

What kind of national government sells it's people down the river like this.

'Peace deal'? 'Cease fire'? What a load. The next suicide bomber the explode in Islamabad, or the next boat load of terrorists that offload in Mumbai or the next suicide bomber in Kabul will really prove it effective! Short sighted imbeciles.

And on top of that, this? The Taliban is actually going around and harassing families of expatriates? Ridiculous. Insanity.

Where's the larger coverage of this! Why don't we see more headlines 'Taliban take 97 year old father hostage' to go along with the infamous 'Gay rape horror' headline from a few weeks ago?

UPDATE:
Attackerman has better commentary then I do. Much better.

Okay, it's not Islamabad, but it is a terrorist attack.

We can rebuild him/her we have the technology

Well, we do now.

Professional Development: Power

I keep racking up these professional development moments! Sorry, another person detour.

Last week I was getting ready for Pre-Trials, reviewing specifically the cases that the ECU usually works. I'm more versed in them, and that's what I'm being sent down to take care of first before moving on the the more 'fun' cases.

So I was reviewing one of the cases, and looking at the criminal history. It was length, and it didn't look like the defendant had served anytime in jail yet. And I said to myself "I'm going to cap her jail time as part of the plea, an make her spend some time in jail." And I stopped. And I asked myself "what gives me the right to be trying to send this woman to jail?" Who was I to be doing this? Some doofus 2L with a giant beard and all of personal foibles I have is deciding to. Who was I to be weilding this kind of power? I didn't have an answer. The only thing I could reallt come up with was: trust, and the virture that I have put in 'two years' worth of law school.

Granted, as an intern I do not have the actual authority without someone signing off on it. And the judge has the final discretion anyway. But still, there's enough trust there that when I come in with a proposed plea, there's a presumption that it's valid. And of course the defendant can tell me to shove it, request an attorney and take it to trial.

Just that realization that I had authority and the power to make that decision was very strange. Power. I cannot let it go to my head, stay on the level and be neutral.

Which leads me to another point. Prejudice. One of the other cases I was working on, a moving violation. I was looking at the driving record. Once again it was long, but mostly speeding tickets and license suspensions for stupid things. Then I got to an OWI. And all sympathy I had for this defendant drained away. In the moment I did not see an issue with it. What a defendant has done in the past is relevant to a plea, but where's the line? Is it okay that an OWI drains away any chance of me giving the defendant a break?

Discretionary power. It's a scary thing to playing around with. Until you get used to it. Especially when the only guidance you initally have is internal. Well, not right now, I have the other prosecutors to bounce ideas off of and help me out. But still, that initial formulation is a bit odd.

Lastly, after I finished reviewing the "Who am I to be deciding this?" case, I moved on to another one. Which let me tell you, had one of the funniest police reports I have ever read. I had recovered my confidence a little, and ha come to the decision that I would be capping jail time again. And I think it was the nature of the police report, but as I was doing that I thought to myself "HAHA! I'm sending this defendant to jail!" It was another whoa moment.

Arrogance. I think in that moment I let me head get bigger then it should have gotten. I suppose I was a little more used to the power and authority I was attempting to exercise, and was aware of the scope of it.

I've seen the path that arrogance can take you in this line of work (look at me talking like I'm some 20 yr veteran). But seriously, I have seen it. Arrogance leads to belligerance, and that leads to not getting the result you want.

So far I have a very good track record of getting people to agree to the deals that I am offering. Granted, I haven't been in the position very often to try and force something extra uncomfortable on someone, but there have been a few situations where I've assumed that the person is not going to be happy, but they bite the bullet and take it. I've noticed it generally too, when not at court, dealing with participants in phone conversations. I rarely have to deal with irate people, even when I'm giving them pretty bad news. No one is overly difficult either.

I think a lot of it has to do with tone. I always attempt to be understanding and nice, at first. And it pays off. Heck, but I can be mean too! I've had several people refuse to deal with me anymore because I'm mean! Woohoo! And I am getting better responses from the angry messages I leave on people's phones. But still, off the bat, there's no reason to be arrogant or mean just because you have that power.

I think this dovetails a lot with what I was talking about in my last Professional Development post too.

In the end, this is the kind of position that I want, and have wanted. One with power. And one with responsibility. I want to be out there, on the front lines, deeply involved in dispensing justice. I think I'm built for it. I just need to experience all the aspects of it first off. Like throwing someone in the water to start swimming. It's weird until you develop the muscle memory. As long as I keep learning, and internalizing the lessons that I'm being taught, I will be all right. As long as I keep finding ways to and setting goals to imporve myself, I will be all right.

Better me then some other 2L doofus right?

(These little updates will continue until I have no more! Or at least none that I want to talk about. I'm entering an interesting peroid in my life right now, the crucible where Professional Me is being created. I need to figure out a way to try and explain what I am experience to the masses. They're more for me than for you. Well, unless you're an employer, then these little anectodtes and self-reflection will come up once or twice. So if you don't like it, you can Bite My Shiny Metal Face.)

There goes the neighborhood

Is there anything a carbon nanotube can not do?

Now they can function as the platinum catalyst in hydrogen fuel cells?

AND last longer and work better? AND all they need is Nitrogen (that gas that makes up 80% of the atmosphere)?

Where's the funding for this in the stimulus bill? Or are the Democrats waiting for a 'Fuck Iran and Venezuela Bill'? (All the funding that carbon nanotube catalyst and lithium ion batteries could ask for?)

Still, assembling the nanotubes (I like typing and saying nanotube) is still an issue. But with recent advances in producing them on an industrial scale (or using DNA) can efficient industrial catalyst production be far behind?

UPDATE:
Wait, you mean nanotubes can even make lithium ion batters better?

Disaster? Is that worse than a catastrophe?

That may be where the confusion in this statement is.

Personally, I prefer to call it 'Economic Apocalypse'. That tends to clear things up. But that may just come from living in Michigan and seeing it up close and personal.

Also, that's part of the reason I'm very disappointed that aid to the States is being cut back. I can live with delaying education spending to a later bill. And even energy spending. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If Michigan's unemployment goes belly up... SO many people are going to be devastated. The lines are already up, and the process is already slow. Pumping more money into an already existing system to keep people on their feet until the real spending can come in and give them a job... What is wrong with that? I must not get it.

Also, has anyone told Senator Shelby that the Republican got ANNIHILATED in the election?

On a more humorous note, I agree with SNL Pelosi in this sketch.

The Republican have earned the right to vote NO on whatever they want. And nothing more.

China's economic and environmental recovery plan

70 GWe's worth of nuclear power.

That's roughly 70 new nuclear plants by 2020.

At the US rate of 500 jobs per 1GWe, that's roughly 35,000 jobs. And that's just directly created job by the power plants. Not to mention the construction jobs and the service jobs that spring up around nuclear plants.

The installed capacity, per Idaho Samizdat, is expected to make nuclear power 5% of China's expected power grid. Not a big enough jump to make a huge impact on the environment, but that's still 70 GWe of coal power that is not being installed.

Sure the numbers are a little shrimpy

Here's a thought experiment: say the US applies the economic stimulus package to nuclear power. China's spending 85 billion. So let's say the US stimulus comes in at 850 billion for ease of measure.
-700 Gwe added
-140 new plants
-350000 directly created jobs plant jobs (plus training center jobs)
-420000 construction jobs created until the plants are completed (3000 per plant for 4-8 years)
-525000 indirectly created jobs*
-Not to mention the creation of an expanded enrichment industry and I'd imagine the start up of a large fuel reprocessing industry

Obviously there are more effecive ways to create jobs, or paying people to dig holes and then paying them to fill them in. But, it's just something to think about.

*See this link for a much better discussion as well as the source for my base statistics

What's your angle?

I'm a little confused as to just what Russia has been getting at lately with Afghanisgtan.

First, we see the closing of the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan.

Second, the Taliban have been playing havoc on the supply lines, the Khyber pass, coming from Pakistan. Including blowing up a vital bridge, destroying hundreds of trucks and essentially reoccupying the area once Pakistan pull troops out of the region to prepare for a shooting war with India.

Now Russia offers this? Shipping 'non-lethal' aid Afghanistan? Thanks... Kind of like blowing a tire on the highway and some stranger pulls over to help and says: "Well, you can't have a tire or use my jack, but you can have these lug nuts." Yeah, sure, the offer of assistance is appreciated on some level... But limiting it to non-lethal?

I fail to see what benefit Russia will get by having a more unstable Afghanistan in the region. Especially now that the fates of Afghanistan and Pakistan seem to be linked together. (Well, were they really ever separate?)

I guess we'll just have to ship all of our lethal equipment through Uzbekistan. (Wow, I actually spelled that right! And was going to devote a sentence or two to the complexities of the spellings of the -Stans.) Hooray for realpolitik!

So what does Russia want?
-Revenge for the US's actions in 1979-1989? (Definitely strikes me as something that Putin would be up for.)
-To make the US look bad by forcing us back into bed with Uzbekistan? (Just when we've jettisoned our biggest source of luggage?)
- To put so much strain on NATO that it breaks up? (This actually strikes me as a plausible. One failed state, that has been failed for a LONG time, and whose only major terrorist export has been to the US, seems to be a small price to pay to dismantle NATO. Especially when Russia has 'zero tolerance for terrorists and hostages'. I post that link in jest, but I think it is somewhat of an accurate reflection of Russia's stance. 'We will kill anyone we have to to kill you if you mess with us.')

In somewhat better news: looks like our wino friends from Italy will be upping troop commitment.

And in more predictable news: the rest of Europe is... being Europe.

Iraq Provincial Elections

If you're interested, I turn you to better sources than I.

Marc Lynch.

Abu Muqawama.

I will suggest this. Did Iran know that they were going to take a walloping in Iraq? So they've had to take a more active approach to being belligerent to US interests (launching EMP weapon satellites, demanding apologies, demanding to be treated like a grown-up, getting ready to fire up the Bushehr reactor, and going on 20 minute tirades at supposedly constructive security conferences).

And I second the Aardvark's last update. Let's take it and RUN!

Real holographic simulated Evil Lincoln is BACK!!!

I guess we know who WONT be joining NATO now.

The Warsaw pact is back.

Iran is putting satellites into orbit. That may be an EMP weapon?

2009 is going to be AWESOME!

Conspiracy theory?

Does this have anything to do with this?

Massive Russian cyber-attack leads to crippling of the 'Internationals Sit, Anglos Fight' (as long as Anglos includes the Dutch) Afghan force?

But maybe it's been brewing for a while.

FINALLY! Someone is asking the tough questions.

Oh man, do I hope the answer is yes!

And I agree with this too.

I must be getting soft in my old age.

Professional Development: Two things I'll never forget

Already, I have had two profession defining experiences. (Sorry folks, this is going to be kind of a personal one. But in a professional context.)

The first relates to the responsibilities of being a lawyer.

I'll never forget the panic in her eyes as she came out of the courtroom saying: "I've got to pick my own jury this afternoon, the judge didn't give me a lawyer." Most of the time when I see or talk to people, it would probably rank as one of the most stressful or worst days of their life. I represent the big scary government calling them to task on breaking a law. The law is a scary thing. Most people do not understand it, they do not understand the procedures and how it operates. Obviously something has already happened to them, or they've done something. They've already been 'wounded' to a degree. And then I get to come along and start it all over again. I have to be gentle (would be the word I guess, maybe tactful?) in dealing with people. Just a measure of clear communication and being nice can make a HUGE difference. I have seen it the other way, and it does not benefit anyone. And in a situation where the person in unrepresented, I have an even greater responsibility. This is not something I have had to learn on the job, but it is the one moment where it has crystallized for me.

The second largely deals with how I act as an advocate.

I'm starting to realize that I have some authority, some leeway to steer people into the results that I want. And even more so, as a prosecutor I would have the actual power to do the same. I need to start being more proactive doing this. One of the pre-trials I ran, the individual came in, told me his story when I asked him. At the time, nothing really stuck me so I followed the general guidelines. Looking back, I should have taken a closer look at his situation and fought for him. Obviously he was guilty. But even at the time, I felt like there were mitigating circumstances. I only helped him as much as the general guidelines allowed. I didn't take my argument back to the other prosecutors and convince them too. All I need is a good reason.One of the Prosecutors that I work with is always telling this whenever she gets the chance. I need to do better. While I am the represntative of the County, I'm also a represntative for that ever amorphous term 'justice'. And sometimes justice is not served by rigid application of the guidelines. do not know why this has stuck in my head so much, but I think it always will.

In general, I'm starting to get more self-confidence. I know what I'm talking about, my ideas are good, my arguments and reasoning are sound, my analysis is spot on and my conslusions are acurate. I need to get better at asserting myself in these cases. This has repurcussions everywhere too. Not only for dealing with 'my team', but dealing with defense attornies and judges too. I have to convince the judge. And I have to dare the defense attorney to break my argument. Being timid will not do. I do not think I've ever been accussed of being timid. But I'm just now starting to put the pieces together into some kind of functioning whole. Mock Trial and Moot Court were both excellent experiences in this regard.

And really, I am glad that I am coming to these realizations now. I can build on them. I can establish for myself, the kind of attorney I am going to be now. And apply that paradigm to everything else I do from here on out.

What's it that they say about hand baskets?

Looks like preparing for a shooting war with India really served the Pakistani state well!

Going back in is going to be much much much more difficult. Any contacts with the military are probably beheaded in mass graves somewhere or sitting at home with acid burned faces...

Nuclear waste?

What nuclear waste? Oh, you mean the material that we can shove in a new reactor type, completely destroying while generating energy? That stuff? The stuff that can come from a fast breeder reactor that literally makes energy while creating even more fuel for other reactors, the waste of which can be placed in the new reactor type and destroyed while making more energy? That is not affected by the strength of the wind, clouds, night fall and can provide oodles of high intensity base load energy?

Nuclear is the future, anyone who says any different is full of it.

Better discussion over at Next Big Future.

Hooray! Energy policy shift!

I may not agree with everything. But it's so NICE to have some movement on the energy policy front. And we're going to see how incompetent the previous administration was.

Why wouldn't the Executive branch let the states set their own emission standards? The only issue I see is a Commerce clause issue (as well as preemption with the EPA and various other federal regulations), but as long as the states do not carve out an exception for in in-state car maker they should pass muster.

FINALLY! Forcing a 35 mpg base rate. That's right OPEC. Bite my shiny black president!

And another FINALLY! Coal plants are needed, for a time, but they could be managed so much better and effectively.

The previous administration thinks they did not hesitate to 'make the tough decisions'. I do not see how they can make that argument with a straight face.

Iraqi tribes dominating the upcoming election?

Duh.

Absent any kind of trust and with low levels of security, it's rather obvious that the family and tribe will substitute for secular and, I'd say, religious type parties. While religious parties would have more appeal than secular parties at this point.

Especially taking into consideration that Iraqi (and largely Arab) society is tribe based.

Where else would the political power lie? Political development, well develops! Societies do not just hop out of the box ready to rumble.

Another detour

This time into Penny Arcade territory.

This. This. This. This.

Hilarious.

An excellent point in the News section of part 4. When you really really try to make it cheesy and terrible. It becomes something special. While not quite 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' (I do not think that was intended). But the result may be similar.

Random Thought

Is Battlestar Galactica one giant COIN lesson?

Obama Admin I

Hopefully he does more of this. And much much less of this.

The GOP has shown that, at the very minimum, it has no idea what the best interests of the United States are. And definitely over the last eight years it has shown it has no idea how to accomplish anything that it thinks is in the best interest of the US.

"What did the five fingers say to the face?"

Brief diversion

College sports. Lots of money. Lots of attention. Lots of wasted productivity.

I still do not understand how College Football can see the absolute FRENZY that the ENTIRE country is whipped into by the College Mens Basketball tourney causes and not want to get in on the action.

The tourney literally dominates the country for several weeks. Everyone is REQUIRED to have an opinion. Even if it's just "I hate Duke because they're Duke".

How can College Football see that and not say, "maybe there's more money in some kind of playoff format then in what we do now". I mean, did anyone watch Hawaii and Notre Dame in whatever sell out bowl they played in? Wouldn't two other schlub teams get nearly the same viewership and ticket sales? I think so.

So here's what I say. Three week, 6-8 team play off (depending on if you want a bye-week). Starting first Saturday of the new year, going to completion. Keep all the other bowls intact. They can still invite whatever doofus teams they want, if they're not in the top 6-8. Run the other bowls anytime except Saturday night, when the play offs are on.

Do this. And it would become as huge a frenzy as the tourney, or bigger. Since you know, we Americans like football a lot. I mean, we do right?

Alternately. Keep the system the same. But nationally televise the College Women's Beach Volleyball tournement.

Now this is corporate responsibility.

I wonder how China would handle a theoretical Enron scandal.

Hang 'em high!

The greatest thing to ever happen?

Stephen Walt having his own blog.

I think so.

Isnt it funny...

How the Constitution has become suddenly "not horseshoes — close doesn’t count" for a lot of the same people who were willing to over look much more serious trangressions by the previous administration.

Maybe hand-grenades they are okay with.

Source.

UPDATE:
I suppose it really is a bipartisan issue though.

Russia is figuring it out

Looks like Russia is figuring out a warfare 'gray area'.

Actual invasion of Georgia did not amount to much for Russia in terms of it getting what it wanted. Georgia is now more closely aligned with NATO and the US. (Funny, there were about a dozen terms that ran through my head there.)

Cyber attacks on less developed countries in the near-abroad that can have a devastating (shutting down half of the ISP's in a country would be crippling.) And have an affect similar to an actual invasion, but with much less cost and no international outrage or pressure to stop.

Hmmm.

Social networking and police work

I do not know why news stories like this still intrigue me. Big deal, a law enforcement agency is using all of the tools at it's disposal to try and solve a crime. It makes perfect sense, 'The Man' is smarter then anyone gives him credit for.

In my job, which is also law enforcement related, our office uses Myspace and Facebook on a daily basis. It's amazing how people can fall so far off the conventional map, and yet be sitting there plain as day on social networking sites.

Although, it's much harder to get people to respond in the way you want them to. I guess receiving a message from a government agency can be a little off putting. I've found that it's important to put a more 'human' face on your interactions. For the longest time, both of the profiles the office uses were simply bare. A name, no pictures and just the bare bones of information. After going through and putting more personality into the profile, a picture (the state capitol), favorite music (The Clash), favorite quote (I fought the law, and the law won) and the like. Say what you want, but our online persona has one heck of a personality. Overall I have noticed more responses. Not the kind I am looking for, but still, more responses. And, some of them are HILARIOUS.

One of the most interesting things I've been able to do is picture comparison. For some of the cases the office works, we get photo copies of picture IDs. And if you've got a profile picture, or have an open profile with pictures it's very easy to do a 'eyeball' comparison and figure out if it's the person you're looking for.

Heck, I've even been able to delve into someone's larger social business network to try and find them.

I will say that Myspace is a much better source for information then Facebook. Facebook flat out stinks. It's much more tedious to search through any hits you get, and it's much easier to limit your exposure on Facebook. However, while Myspace is easier to find people on, but it's so much harder to not appear to be a Spambot.

Makes you a little afraid of Mr. Zuckerberg's 'Law of Information Sharing'.

It'll make it easier for 'The Man' to find you. And find you he will. And if you give him trouble, he'll find you mom and have her talk to you. Okay, maybe 'The Man' would not. But I would.

Hostage negotiation

Has there been a country that has been subject to more 'multilateral negotiations' then North Korea?

I do not know of any.

And look at the results.

I do not have anything against multilateralism, it can be effective. Just not on crazed dictators that have literally nothing to lose. Oh, and has a hostage that just happens to be one of the 15th largest economies in the world. And who might be Immortal.

Seriously, if South Korea wasn't in the picture North Korea would be ripe for 'regime change'. And I dont think the world would bat an eye.

North Korea is basically Zimbabwe with nukes. And there's murmors of 'humanitarian intervention' in Zimbabwe.

I guess it gets less scary if you imagine Kim Jong Il running around his 'palace' or whatever it is that he lives in (castle? underground lair? evil wizard's cursed tower? mad scientist's lab?) yelling "There can be only None!" Like Captain Murphy.

America's Folly

WE ABSTAINED FROM THE UN SERCURITY COUNCIL RESOLTUION CALLING FOR A CEASE FIRE IN GAZA!!!!!!

This is just as embarrassing as the vote against decriminalizing homosexuality.

Sinper riles and flying drones

I was thinking about this in the pool tonight.

We have C-130 'Spooky' cargo planes converted into a flying artillery piece that is apparently spot on accurate and a great COIN / Special Forces tool.

Could we put a pair of .50 cal sniper rifles on, say, a modified Reaper.

One pilot to fly it, and two shooters to target and take people out?

Maybe not even .50 cals. I've seen FutureWeapons, there are sniper rifles that can shoot A LONG LONG way.

I suppose I was thinking of a way to easily take out rocket / RPG / Mortar teams in a war zone. Keep a Reaper on on station, scanning around and popping people. A sniper rifle round would leave a much smaller footprint then explosives and much less collateral damage.

I can see the idea failing for a lot of the same reasons that conventional bombardment would fail too, along with potentially being ineffective.

Israel's Folly.

Two things have become clear to me over the last week.

1. Israel has absolutely no concern for it's long term survival.

2. Hamas is still a 'state-less' entity.

Number one: Israel still fails to realize that their fight with the Palestinians is not about rockets, or guns, or infrastructure, or the Hamas leadership. Their real fight is with showing the Palestinians there is a better way.

The blockade of Gaza was supposed to be a time when Israel was to loosen restraints on the West Bank and show the Palestinians that there was a peaceful, prosperous way to advance their agenda. That has not happen.

Are the check points gone? Are sections of the border fence being rerouted so farmers can get to the olive trees? More importantly, has the settlement activity been stopped, and forcibly scaled back?

Granted, I do not have any sources in the Israeli government. But the news sources I follow would surely point out if one of the above were to happen in any degree, and it has not. The only thing that is being slowly curbed is settlement activity. But not to the degree that needs to happen.

Right now the Palestinians are faced with ignoble existence and noble resistance. While 100% of the population will never be for either side, blockades and assaults will tip the balance to noble resistance.

While I'm dead sure The Angry Arab is cherry picking the heck out of pictures, I still have never seen so many pictures of dead and injured children. And what does Israel expect? That Gazans are going to rationally think "Well, it is Hamas's fault". No, they will not. The anger will come at the party that dropped the bomb.

Killing 500+ people in a week is a great way to make friends.

Depressing the economic situation so much that it takes a pittance for Hamas to recruit an insurgent is a great idea.

Giving those same people one hell of an epic grievance is a great idea.

Israel has no concern with it's long term survival.

Number Two: Hamas may wield political power, but they are still a govenrment without a people.

It's obvious that Hamas revels in the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Why wouldn't they? It makes them stronger. Hamas constantly slaps a 'Kick Me' sign on the backs of Gazans, giggles, and runs behing a corner and waits for Israel to kick them.

No legitmate government is going to bring the kind of whirlwind that Hamas did.

Quite frankly, Hamas as a 'governing entity' makes almost all of Gaza's infrasctucture a target. When the government of one nation launches several hundred rockets/missiles at another, that's usually an act of war. The only exception I can think of may involve Mongolia, China and fireworks.

Look at the reaction of Hezbollah. Abu Muqawama gives an few possible answers. I think it mainly has to do with Hezbollah not having any goals to accomplish, and having to sell any moves to an eletorate. They came out of the 2006 war sitting pretty. And it was much easier to sell as an Israeli over-reaction/aggression.

Another god example actually comes out of the 2006 war. Hezbollah was attacked, and Hamas 'opened' another front by attacking Israel.

I think mostly, this points to Hamas not being a rational state actor. They're still nothing more than an insurgent/terrorsit force that has some how coopted the machinery of an electorate.

This may have some COIN ramifications for Israel. I will mull this over.

And man, I hope I'm not just repeating what Stephen Walt has said in the past.

UPDATE:
It's not just the Angry Arab.

Also from Angry Arab: comparative causalities.

The great clusterf#$% of early 2009

Good luck Obama! I do not know if Hope is going to bring the Israelis and Gazan Palestinians back to their senses.

While I do not have much specific commentary yet (I am mulling over some commentary on the sheer buffonery of both sides) I do have this to say.

Maybe these strikes have less to do with missile fire then with:

Hamas snipers with night vision scopes/goggles.

Hamas having stocks of longer range, more powerful and more sophisticated Chinese missiles.

The Chinese missiles scare me more. Shows resources, means and a way to get it into Gaza. A sign of their potential capacity.

And we're back!

Well, maybe.

Due to finals, work, the holidays as well as some 'personal issues' I have been on hiatus for a while. That may or may not change. As this blog as remained completely non-personal, so shall it remain.