Category Archives: War Commentary

Political Commentary, War Commentary

Blaming the Norks

31 Comments

Isn’t this, kind of, you know, an act of war?

The navy ship Cheonan sank on March 26 after an explosion on the vessel as it sailed in the Yellow Sea off South Korea’s west coast.

The Post said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because South Korea had not yet disclosed the results of the investigation, said analyses showed the torpedo was identical to a North Korean torpedo previously obtained by South Korea.

The formal accusation is expected to be announced on Thursday and South Korea will ask the U.N. Security Council to take up the matter, Post sources said.

Do they seriously expect the Security Council to do anything about it? Especially with this White House?

Political Commentary, War Commentary

The Absurdity

4 Comments

…of the foreign terrorist organization list:

…if you can follow this, we’re in a war on terror against terrorist organizations that are killing and plotting to kill Americans but that our government won’t officially call terrorist organizations.

The “Continuity Irish Republican Army” is on the terrorism list … but not the Taliban.

Note that this is bipartisan stupidity. The Bush administration could have done something about this years ago, and never did.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Satire, War Commentary

The MS In MSNBC

9 Comments

Lileks, on the moral superiority of our media and political “elites.” It’s really hard to use that word for them with a straight face.

Hope the attack was caused by one of the several dozen million militia members — also known as “Midwesterners.” After all, that’s the logical extension of being opposed to anything the government does while in control of the Democratic Party: blowing up that oasis of commerce and gaudy free enterprise, Times Square.

Fingers crossed: Oh, if only the attack was caused by someone protesting Arizona’s immigration policy. Such a thing would be misguided, but there’s a lot of anger out there about a law many say harkens back to Nazi Germany, where they rounded up Jews who had entered the Third Reich illegally, and made them return to Israel.

…CNN chatterboxes later ruminated that the fellow had a hard life in the U.S. — couldn’t get a good job, had his house foreclosed on. Granted. But this has happened to many during the Great Recession, and 99.99999% don’t sit down and conclude: “Well, it’s Pakistan for fertilizer bomb training, then.”

Do these people actually think about the stupid things they say?

I fully expect all those being foreclosed on to be put on a terrorist watch list. But we can’t discriminate against those Jihadis. That would be intolerant.

Political Commentary, War Commentary

Why Does The Administration

26 Comments

…insist on violating the Laws of War?

Before citing the 1949 Geneva POW Convention, critics should be aware what they actually say. Article 84 states: “A prisoner of war shall be tried only by a military court.” And Article 97 says: “Prisoners of war shall not in any case be transferred to penitentiary establishments (prisons, penitentiaries, convict prisons, etc.).” [Emphasis added in both cases.]

It is only because terrorists like Khalid Sheik Mohammed & Co. don’t qualify for full Geneva protection that we have the legal option of trying them in domestic courts.

I think that Eric Holder should be charged with war crimes.

[Update a while later]

Yes, I occasionally do troll my own site — one of the privileges of being the host. As you can see, it didn’t take long to reel the first one in.

Meanwhile, here is a useful discussion on the question concerning with whom we are at war, which could clarify who we do, and do not, Mirandize.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, War Commentary

Lutherans, No Doubt

11 Comments

Or maybe Episcopalians.

Eight have been arrested in Pakistan in connection with the Times Square bombing attempt.

They were probably upset about health care.

[Update a few minutes later]

More thoughts from Mark Steyn:

To the traditional who-ya-gonna-believe-me-or-your-lyin’-eyes cliches, Mayor Bloomberg has now added the inspired line that the amateurish loner with no connection to terrorism “didn’t like the health care bill”. I do hope they ask Faisal Shahzad his views on the individual mandate.

Any moment now, Janet Napolitano will announce that effective immediately it will be illegal to remove your sweat shirt in a public place.

By the way, there are so many of these isolated extremists and lone wolves, they surely belong to the United Amalgamated Union of Lone Wolves and Isolated Extremists. So their cadillac health care plan probably has an Obamacare opt-out anyway. Very odd.

Why do public officials so reflexively dissemble and misdirect every time? In the end, all they’re doing is undermining confidence in the integrity of their own institutions. That doesn’t seem a smart move.

It could be because they’re not very smart. Apparently that’s not a criterion for becoming the mayor of a major city, or a federal official.

[Update a couple minutes later]

The bomber had to have had help:

While officials called the bomb itself “crude” and “amateurish”, they now privately acknowledge that the preparation, advanced espionage and meticulous orchestration of events required to insert a Sport Utility Vehicle into a curbside parking space anywhere in New York City reflects a high-level of intellectual and technical sophistication.”

“You don’t just drive into New York and park your car,” the source said. “Without a real-time satellite video feed and agents on the ground in constant communication with the driver, that kind of operation can take hours on a good day. Even with all of those resources, the perps still had to count on a certain degree of luck.”

More evidence that it was sophisticated white guys. And they only have to be lucky once…

[Update a few minutes later]

It’s the Jihad, stupid.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, War Commentary

Willful Blindness

12 Comments

Is the Army ready for another Jihadi attack? I doubt it. When you consider how politically correct things were during the Bush administration, it must be much worse now, in an administration that doesn’t even want to name the enemy. With regard to Times Square, it seems we’ve reverted back to the war on “terror.” Except I don’t think that they believe we’re at war, even though the people who planted that bomb are trying to kill us.