War Commentary

TSA Follies

First, we have this story, of a Marine put on a TSA no-fly list because he was detected with gunpowder residue on his combat boots.

Then, KLo over at NRO asks:

Small thing, all things considered, but wouldn’t an expired I.D. be something to notice?

Not in a sane world. I’ve commented on this before. And I just noticed in the last comment on that post:

And as far as security being “bullshit”? How many planes have been hijacked since new security procedures have been put in place?

And how many would have been had they not?

This is the “tiger repellant” fallacy.

“Why do you keep jumping up and down on one foot?”

“To keep the tigers away.”

“Are you crazy? There’s not a tiger within thousands of miles of here, except in zoos.”

“See? It works!”

It’s not the airport security procedures that have prevented hijackings (though they may have cut down on attempts)–it’s the fact that the passengers are much more alert now, and will never again allow another plane to be hijacked. Every flight from now on, as long as we remember Flight 93, will be Flight 93.

Political Commentary

“Anger And Despair”

James Carroll has a nutty column today in which he agrees with the psychoanalytical diagnoses of Iranian mullahs:

An Iranian official dismissed the talk of imminent US military action as mere psychological warfare, but then he made a telling observation. Instead of attributing the escalations of threat to strategic impulses, the official labeled them a manifestation of ”Americans’ anger and despair.”

The phrase leapt out of the news report, demanding to be taken seriously.

And amazingly (at least to me), he does just that.

Political Commentary

“Anger And Despair”

James Carroll has a nutty column today in which he agrees with the psychoanalytical diagnoses of Iranian mullahs:

An Iranian official dismissed the talk of imminent US military action as mere psychological warfare, but then he made a telling observation. Instead of attributing the escalations of threat to strategic impulses, the official labeled them a manifestation of ”Americans’ anger and despair.”

The phrase leapt out of the news report, demanding to be taken seriously.

And amazingly (at least to me), he does just that.

Political Commentary

“Anger And Despair”

James Carroll has a nutty column today in which he agrees with the psychoanalytical diagnoses of Iranian mullahs:

An Iranian official dismissed the talk of imminent US military action as mere psychological warfare, but then he made a telling observation. Instead of attributing the escalations of threat to strategic impulses, the official labeled them a manifestation of ”Americans’ anger and despair.”

The phrase leapt out of the news report, demanding to be taken seriously.

And amazingly (at least to me), he does just that.

Political Commentary

What The World Needs Is A Good Right-Wing Teeshirt

Speaking of the Euston Manifesto, David Weigel has a libertarian take on it, that rapidly and humorously devolves in comments into a debate on tee-shirt icons:

You think Che makes an attractive T-shirt? He looks like something from Planet of the Apes…

…The problem with the right wing T-shirts is that the right is mainly about ideas, while the left is mainly about the ‘cult of personality’, the sound bite and the pretty face.

And one commenter reminds me that I hadn’t checked in on Communists for Kerry since he lost the election. It’s amusingly turned into a “museum of the failed revolution.”

War Commentary

Air Superiority

I knew that the Raptor was superior, but I hadn’t realized just how superior:

The aircraft is simply the most advanced ever built. There is nothing on earth to touch it. In simulated dogfights it has wiped the floor with the opposition.

In one such encounter, six F-15 Eagle air-superiority fighters

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!