Three long-shot ways of solving it. One of them is space.
Category Archives: History
Unconditional Surrender
A history of our fecklessness since the end of WW II.
The problem with Trump is that, despite his talk about “getting tired of winning,” he, like the pseudo-pacifist Democrats (I say “pseudo,” because they aren’t really anti-war–they’re just on the other side) doesn’t want to win wars, but to “end” them. I get that he doesn’t like wars, but sometimes they are necessary, and the only way, ultimately, to end them is to win decisively, in a way that the combatants either no longer exist, or are no longer willing to continue to combat. It remains to be seen whether that’s the case in Iran, but I fear that they are just biding their time.
We Knew It
…and now they’re proving it.
A righteous rant from Jeffrey Carter on the lies and preening condescension of the “elite.”
Still On The Road
ISDC is over, and I’m flying to DC in the morning. Driving down to Norfolk from there on Thursday to do a presentation on equatorial LEO at CRASTE. But I’ll have more time to check in this week once I’m ensconced there. I heard something about a bomber raid in Iran.
[Monday-afternoon update]
What next with Iran? Ten questions from VDH.
El Segundo
Ignoring the dumb headline, Joel Kotkin has an interesting story on the new tech hub in the South Bay. I helped set up some of the plant visits for it.
The Real War Has Finally Begun
A good analysis of what’s been happening over the past day in Iran.
1. The Israel-Iran war: The first day.
— נדב איל Nadav Eyal (@Nadav_Eyal) June 13, 2025
We are now about 15 hours after Israel launched what it labels a *preventive strike* against the Islamic Republic of Iran – targeting its nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites.
Here’s a short recap of what’s happened – and what…
It seemed pretty clear that something was going to happen when we evacuated embassies in the region.
[Update early afternoon]
Iran has been waging war on us for over 45 years, while we've been pretending they weren't so we didn't have to do anything about it. We got away with it because they hadn't yet developed the capability to hurt us other than killing our soldiers in the region (it certainly wasn't…
— Not-So-OK Boomer (@Rand_Simberg) June 13, 2025
Iran has been launching retaliatory missile strikes against Tel Aviv, with most of them intercepted. I don’t think I’d want to be on Kharg Island on any day, but definitely not today.
Of Monasteries And Universities
A long but useful essay on the coming obsolescence of the current system of higher education.
Los Angeles
I generally avoid the city. The South Bay, with the resurgence of the space industry and many start ups, remains in better shape.
[Update late morning]
LA 2025: Welcome to America’s future.
I hope not.
Brian Wilson
RIP. From his home-town newspaper.
Eighty-One Years
The thanks we owe to the men who stormed the Normandy beaches and the leaders who made the extraordinarily difficult decision to send them is to ensure the civilization they saved remains the beacon of light and truth and is not worn away by neglect and contempt.
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 6, 2025
I remember when I was nineteen my (veteran) mother saying, “I can’t believe it’s been thirty years.”
[Update a few minutes later]
The great crusade and the men who made it work.