Sex, Death and Flyfishing

Calm down, it's a book. Why am I writing about a book? Some of my friends and I are always e-mailing each other with recommendations on books that we have read or are reading. This is one of mine that I just recently finished. Who cares? Apparently one of my fans (cough). It/he/she wanted to know just what it was that I read. There were some mentions of Mien Kampf and others. As a matter of fact I have read that and somewhere I have a copy of Mao's "Little Red Book". Madeline Murray-O'Hair always had a bible too. One must know thine enemies as well or better than thy friends.

The book which started this post is excellent and since I am a flyfishing fanatic (you don't have to be good to be a fanatic do ya?) I thought that would be a good place to start about my reading habits. I might have what some would call an ecletic reading list and interests. Next on my "to-do" list is Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America . Just finished a Tom Clancy non-fiction with Gen. Carl Stiner about the growth and maturity of our Special Forces, Shadow Warriors.

I know that this is an admission that will have world changing ramifications but I also read newspapers and OMG blogs. OK, now that I have outed myself, I feel better.

O'Reilly...again

I saw a O' Factor last night and was not paying a lot of attention. (as usual) and caught what I thought was a suggestion that Clinton replace Annan as Sec.Gen. of the UN. I thought it was a joke and made in a sarcastic moment as bait for Mr. Holbrook, who was the guest. As I've stated here before, I run hot and cold on O'Reilly but come to find out he was serious. This AM I look for a story about it to see if what I heard was from too much beer or that is what he really said. Yep, that's what he said. Back in February of 2003 there were reports of a "major international move" to engineer Clinton into the post. In October, a United Press International report said Clinton "definitely wants to do it." According to the report, Clinton's candidacy would receive overwhelming support from U.N. member states, particularly in the Third World. O'Reilly, you never cease to amaze.

Potpourri...UN, Torture, Tsunami, Al Qaeda

For an insightful look at the UN's roll in the ongoing disaster relief effort in the far east, check out the fellas at the Diplomad. They have several posts on what the UN is doing and what the US, Australia, Japan and the "core group" are doing. Caution, blood pressure meds are recommended before reading. The humor is as good as the sarcasm.

The Belmont Club has a good post on "torture" and its role or lack of a role in todays world. My only problem with the piece is that they are discussing the type of traditional torture that we all used to associate with that term. The term torture as used by the MSM and the far left is now meant to include A.) Not enough nap time. B.) Not providing a Barcolounger to subjects during questioning. C.) Not providing the detainees with the O.J. Dream Team. D.) No cable or satellite feeds of Al Jazeera in cells.. but I digress . They make a good point about the effect on this controversy in regard to upcoming confirmation hearing for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Arthur Chrenkoff, as always, has an excellent post. This one is on the tsunami and the disaster relief efforts underway with many links worth following. Arthur, being an Aussie is close to the action and has proved time and again his talent of putting it all together.

Bill Roggio over at The Fourth Rail has a post on the security and possible vulnerability of our people envolved in the rescue efforts with the possible opportunity for Al Qaeda to strike us over there while we are involed with saving lives. Here is an exerpt from the article...

The size and scope of the crisis may necessitate the dispersal of the USS
Abraham Lincoln Strike Group and the 15th MEU, and may create an opportunity for
terrorists to strike at American forces while operating in a humanitarian
assistance posture. The South Asia Analysis Group
(SAAG) foresees such a possibility, particularly because U.S. forces will be
operating in nations where terrorist groups have a presence (hat tip to Rantburg).
13. The
large-scale deployment of highly visible US troops in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and
Thailand could make them attractive targets for Al Qaeda, the Jemmah Islamiyah
and other jihadi terrorist organisations and add to the internal security
problems of the affected countries. It would be wishful-thinking to believe that
because of the enormous tragedy, the jihadi terrorists will refrain from acts of
terrorism in the Tsunami-ravaged countries due to a fear that this could
antagonise the local population. They have never cared for public opinion and
fears of public revulsion have never been an inhibiting factor for them.
14.
The tragedy in Thailand has not prevented the jihadi terrorists from continuing
with their acts of terrorism in the Muslim majority provinces of southern
Thailand.

Read it all, it is worth your time, really.

The Junkyard Blog has more about the "Politics of Torture" and why it should or should not be a subject of the Senate confirmation hearings. Included are some of the thoughts of our favorite gay rights advocate Andrew Sullivan. I think the term "tied at the hip to the Dems" is a good description of Sullivans take on the hearings. heh.

Update on "When Devils Walk the Earth"

After posting the excert from a Ralph Peters book below, I was informed by Robert Hessen, a Senior research Fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford that the book was actually Peters 2002 "The Road to Terror" and was the title of the 2nd Chapter. With his permission I post his e-mail with thanks for setting the record straight and making an honest man outta me.

Dear Tom Heard:
You write: "This essay is extracted from Ralph Peters' new book, "When Devils
Walk the Earth."

Actually, this is NOT a new book, but rather a chapter (#2) of
his book, The Road to Terror (not to be confused with his
latest, The Road to Baghdad). Thanks for linking to it, since
I had never read the chapter before.

Robert Hessen
Senior Research Fellow
Hoover Institution
Stanford University
Stanford CA 94305

After doing a little more reasearch (you should have done it before now...ed ) I ran across this from the Air and Space Power Journal.:

Document created: 4 September 03
Air & Space Power Journal - Fall 2003

Beyond Terror: Strategy in a Changing World by Ralph Peters. Stackpole Books (http://www. stackpolebooks.com/cgi-bin/StackpoleBooks. storefront), 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055-6921, 2002, 368 pages, $22.95 (hardcover).

Ralph Peters had an interesting military career that included service in the Executive Office of the President. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in order to speak freely about what he considered problems in the US military and political policies. Although one can disagree with his points of view, they do force readers to think about the future of our armed forces. Beyond Terror includes 16 essays that Peters published in such journals as the US Naval Institute’s Proceedings and the Army War College’s Parameters, as well as a few chapters written specifically for it. The book deals with problems as varied as the root causes of intelligence failures, the need for linguists, and the problem of retired flag officers assuming positions in private defense-contracting firms.

Peters- who seems to embrace Samuel Huntington’s theory of the clash of civilizations, which many academics reject- begins by discussing America’s place in history, arguing that the United States should not be ashamed of its military and industrial might. He feels that we often support dictatorships and corrupt regimes in the name of political expediency when we should be throwing our instruments of national power behind people who want self-determination. About the world of Islam he writes, “[Muslims] must decide whether to wallow in a comforting that warms the heart with hatred of others” (p. 6), a statement that is too simplistic and minimizes efforts to really identify what is currently wrong with Islam. For example, one glaring problem is the inability of Sunni Islam to reinvent itself through an Islamic concept called Ijithaad (analytical reasoning), which senior religious officials foolishly banned in the ninth century.

“When Devils Walk the Earth,” the chapter on terrorism, offers an excellent analysis of two different types of terrorists: the practical and the apocalyptic. The former have a political agenda and want to ascend to power, so utterly destroying the infrastructure they intend to govern makes no sense. The latter are the more dangerous type because they believe they are the hand of God. Unlike practical terrorists, the apocalyptic terrorists do not listen to reason- after all, they have God on their side. Peters candidly states that the apocalyptic faction must simply be destroyed. Clearly, Beyond Terror is a controversial book but an important one for readers interested in forecasting strategy and policy.
Lt Comdr Youssef H. Aboul-Enein, USN
Washington, D.C.

After doing some more research on Dr. Peters, I added his works to my books-to-buy list. Thanks again to Robert Hessen and also to John Ray at Dissecting Leftism for the link to the previous post. Otherwise I would have remainded blissfully ignorant.

Priceless..The UN Responds

JunkYardBlog has such a good response to the UN's continued melt down that I have nothing to add. This is a point by point response and it is priceless.

The other day, the UN called the US "stingy" for not immediately pledging
to spend ten times its annual GDP to help the tsunami victims. Now the US is
leading the relief effort so well that the UN sees it all as a threat--to the
UN.
You'd better sit down before you read this:

United States President George Bush was tonight accused of trying to
undermine the United Nations by setting up a rival coalition to coordinate
relief following the Asian tsunami disaster.
The president has announced
that the US, Japan, India and Australia would coordinate the world’s
response.
But former International Development Secretary Clare Short said
that role should be left to the UN.
“I think this initiative from America
to
set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another
attempt to
undermine the UN when it is the best system we have got and the
one that needs
building up,” she said.
“Only really the UN can do that
job,” she told BBC
Radio Four’s PM programme.
“It is the only body that
has the moral authority.
But it can only do it well if it is backed up by
the authority of the great
powers.”
She said the US was “very bad at
coordinating with anyone” and India
had its own problems to deal with.
“I
don’t know what that is about but it
sounds very much, I am afraid, like the
US trying to have a separate operation
and not work with the rest of the
world through the UN system,” she added.

Let's take this piecemeal, shall we.
1. "Rival coalition." Only
a self-absorbed UNuch could see a US-led effort to help millions of victims as a
"rival coalition." And since when does the UN see groups of sovereign nations as
"rivals," anyway. This UN bureaucrat seems to ....

Oh there is more and it says volumns and Preston says it well. It's a hoot as we rednecks say.

The fellas at Diplomad has more...heh!

From "When Devils Walk the Earth"

This essay is extracted from Ralph Peters' new book, "When Devils Walk the Earth." It is a must-read. The man is prescient. If you focus on nothing else, peruse the last point; Number 25. I added the "bold" and red color to points I thought ought to receive major emphasis.......Ed(Ed is Major General, USA, Ret, Ed Browne)
Chapter III. Fighting Terror: Do's and Don'ts for a Superpower:
1. Be feared!

2. Identify the type of terrorists you face, and know your enemy as well as you possibly can. Although tactics may be similar, strategies for dealing with practical vs. apocalyptic terrorists can differ widely. Practical terrorists may have legitimate grievances that deserve consideration, although their methods cannot be tolerated. Apocalyptic terrorists, no matter their rhetoric, seek your destruction and must be killed to the last man. The apt metaphor is cancer: you cannot hope for success if you only cut out part of the tumor. For the apocalyptic terrorist, evading your efforts can easily be turned into a public triumph. Our bloodiest successes will create far fewer terrorists and sympathizers than our failures.

3. Do not be afraid to be powerful. Cold War-era gambits of proportionate response and dialog may have some utility in dealing with practical terrorists, but they are counter-productive in dealing with apocalyptic terrorists. Our great strengths are wealth and raw power. When we fail to bring those strengths to bear, we contribute to our own defeat. For a superpower to think small, which has been our habit across the last decade, at least, is self-defeating folly. Our responses to terrorist acts should make the world gasp!

4. Speak bluntly. Euphemisms are interpreted as weakness by our enemies and mislead the American people. Speak of killing terrorists and destroying their organizations. Timid speech leads to timid actions. Explain when necessary, but do not apologize. Expressions of regret are never seen as a mark of decency by terrorists or their supporters, but only as a sign that our will is faltering. Blame the terrorists as the root cause whenever operations have unintended negative consequences. Never go on the rhetorical defensive.

5. Concentrate on winning the propaganda war where it is winnable. Focus on keeping or enhancing the support from allies and well-disposed clients, but do not waste an inordinate amount of effort trying to win unwinnable hearts and minds. Convince hostile populations through victory.

6. Do not be drawn into a public dialog with terrorists, especially not with apocalyptic terrorists. You cannot win. You legitimize the terrorists by addressing them even through a third medium, and their extravagant claims will resound more successfully on their own home ground than anything you can say. Ignore absurd accusations, and never let the enemy's claims slow or sidetrack you. The terrorist wants you to react, and your best means of unbalancing him and his plan is to ignore his accusations.

7. Avoid planning creep. Within our vast bureaucratic system, too many voices compete for attention and innumerable agendas, often selfish and personal - intrude on any attempt to act decisively. Focus on the basic mission: the destruction of the terrorists with all the moral, intellectual and practical rigor you can bring to bear. All other issues, from future nation building, to alliance consensus, to humanitarian concerns are secondary.

8. Maintain resolve. Especially in the Middle East and Central Asia, experts and diplomats will always present you with a multitude of good reasons for doing nothing, or for doing too little (or for doing exactly the wrong thing). Fight as hard as you can within the system to prevent diplomats from gaining influence over the strategic campaign. Although their intentions are often good, our diplomats and their obsolete strategic views are the terrorist's unwitting allies and diplomats are extremely jealous of military success and military authority in their region (where their expertise is never as deep or subtle as they believe it to be). Beyond the problem with our diplomats, the broader forces of bureaucratic entropy are an internal threat. The counter-terrorist campaign must be not only resolute, but constantly self-rejuvenating in ideas, techniques, military and inter-agency combinations, and sheer energy. Old hands must be stimulated constantly by new ideas.

9. When in doubt, hit harder than you think necessary. Success will be forgiven. Even the best-intentioned failure will not. When military force is used against terrorist networks, it should be used with such power that it stuns even our allies. We must get over our cowardice in means. While small-scale raids and other knifepoint operations are useful against individual targets, broader operations should be overwhelming. Of course, targeting limitations may inhibit some efforts but whenever possible, maximum force should be used in simultaneous operations at the very beginning of a campaign. Do not hesitate to supplement initial target lists with extensive bombing attacks on nothing if they can increase the initial psychological impact. Demonstrate power whenever you can. Show; don't tell!

10. Whenever legal conditions permit, kill terrorists on the spot (do not give them a chance to surrender, if you can help it). Contrary to academic wisdom, the surest way to make a martyr of a terrorist is to capture, convict and imprison him, leading to endless efforts by sympathizers to stage kidnappings, hijacking and other events intended to liberate the imprisoned terrorist(s). This is war, not law enforcement.
11. Never listen to those who warn that ferocity on our part reduces us to the level of the terrorists. That is the argument of the campus, not of the battlefield, and it insults America's service members and the American people. Historically, we have proven, time after time, that we can do a tough, dirty job for our country without any damage to our nation's moral fabric (Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not interfere with American democracy, values or behavior).

12. Spare and protect innocent civilians whenever possible, but: do not let the prospect of civilian casualties interfere with ultimate mission accomplishment. This is a fight to protect the American people, and we must do so whatever the cost, or the price in American lives may be devastating. In a choice between them, and us the choice is always us.
13. Do not allow the terrorists to hide behind religion. Apocalyptic terrorists cite religion as a justification for attacking us; in turn, we cannot let them hide behind religious holidays, taboos, strictures or even sacred terrain. We must establish a consistent reputation for relentless pursuit and destruction of those who kill our citizens. Until we do this, our hesitation will continue to strengthen our enemy's ranks and his resolve.

14. Do not allow third parties to broker a peace, a truce, or any pause in operations. One of the most difficult challenges in fighting terrorism on a global scale is the drag produced by nervous allies. We must be single-minded. The best thing we can do for our allies in the long-term is to be so resolute and so strong that they value their alliance with us all the more. We must recognize the innate strength of our position and stop allowing regional leaders with counterproductive local agendas to subdue or dilute our efforts.

15. Don't flinch. If an operation goes awry and friendly casualties are unexpectedly high, immediately bolster morale and the military's image by striking back swiftly in a manner that inflicts the maximum possible number of casualties on the enemy and his supporters. Hit back as graphically as possible, to impress upon the local and regional players that you weren't badly hurt or deterred in the least.

16. Do not worry about alienating already-hostile populations. --(ED ADDED, "OR ANTI-WAR SENATORS ASPIRING TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF OUR GREAT NATION.")

17. Whenever possible, humiliate your enemy in the eyes of his own people. Do not try to use reasonable arguments against him. Shame him publicly, in any way you can. Create doubt where you cannot excite support. Most apocalyptic terrorists, especially, come from cultures of male vanity. Disgrace them at every opportunity. Done successfully, this both degrades them in the eyes of their followers and supporters, and provokes the terrorist to respond, increasing his vulnerability.

18. If the terrorists hide, strike what they hold dear, using clandestine means and, whenever possible, foreign agents to provoke them to break cover and react. Do not be squeamish. Your enemy is not. Subtlety is not superpower strength but the raw power to do that, which is necessary, is our great advantage. We forget that, while the world may happily chide or accuse us-or complain of our inhumanity-no one can stop us if we maintain our strength of will. Much of the world will complain no matter what we do. Hatred of America is the default position of failed individuals and failing states around the world, in every civilization, and there is nothing we can do to change their minds. We refuse to understand how much of humanity will find excuses for evil, so long as the evil strikes those who are more successful than the apologists themselves. This is as true of American academics, whose eagerness to declare our military efforts a failure is unflagging, or European clerics, who still cannot forgive America's magnanimity at the end of World War II, as it is of unemployed Egyptians or Pakistanis. The psychologically marginalized are at least as dangerous as the physically deprived.

19. Do not allow the terrorists sanctuary in any country, at any time, under any circumstances. Counter-terrorist operations must, above all, be relentless. This does not necessarily mean that military operations will be constantly underway sometimes it will be surveillance efforts, or deception plans, or operations by other agencies. But the overall effort must never pause for breath. We must be faster, more resolute, more resourceful and, ultimately, even more uncompromising than our enemies.

20. Never declare victory. Announce successes and milestones. But never give the terrorists a chance to embarrass you after a public pronouncement that the war is over.

21. Impress upon the minds of terrorists and potential terrorists everywhere, and upon the populations and governments inclined to support them, that American retaliation will be powerful and uncompromising. You will never deter fanatics, but you can frighten those who might support, harbor or attempt to use terrorists for their own ends. Our basic task in the world today is to restore a sense of American power, capabilities and resolve. We must be hard, or we will be struck wherever we are soft. It is folly for charity to precede victory. First win, then unclench your fist.

22. Do everything possible to make terrorists and their active supporters live in terror themselves. Turn the tide psychologically and practically. While this will not deter hard-core apocalyptic terrorists, it will dissipate their energies as they try to defend themselves and fear will deter many less-committed supporters of terror. Do not be distracted by the baggage of the term assassination. This is a war. The enemy, whether a hijacker or a financier, violates the laws of war by his refusal to wear a uniform and by purposely targeting civilians. He is by definition a war criminal. On our soil, he is either a spy or a saboteur, and not entitled to the protections of the U.S. Constitution. Those who abet terrorists must grow afraid to turn out the lights to go to sleep.

23. Never accept the consensus of the Washington intelligentsia, which looks backward to past failures, not forward to future successes.

24. In dealing with Islamic apocalyptic terrorists, remember that their most cherished symbols are fewer and far more vulnerable than are the West's. Ultimately, no potential target can be regarded as off-limits when the United States is threatened with mass casualties. Worry less about offending foreign sensibilities and more about protecting Americans.

25. Do not look for answers in recent history, which is still unclear and subject to personal emotion. Begin with the study of the classical world, specifically Rome, which is the nearest model to the present-day United States. Mild with subject peoples, to whom they brought the rule of ethical law, the Romans in their rise and at their apogee were implacable with their enemies. The utter destruction of Carthage brought centuries of local peace, while the later empire's attempts to appease barbarians consistently failed!

What Makes a Terrorist

James Q. Wilson writes in the City Journal about what terrorists are made of and what can be done to combat them. In an eye-opening essay he gives a look at the history of terrorism and its modern manifestations.

Until the nineteenth century, religion was usually the only acceptable
justification of terror. It is not hard to understand why: religion gives its
true believers an account of the good life and a way of recognizing evil; if you
believe that evil in the form of wrong beliefs and mistaken customs weakens or
corrupts a life ordained by God, you are under a profound obligation to combat
that evil. If you enjoy the companionship of like-minded believers, combating
that evil can require that you commit violent, even suicidal, acts.

The Thuggees of India during their several centuries of existence may
have killed by slow strangulation 1 million people as sacrifices to the Hindu
goddess Kali. The Thugs had no political objective and, when caught, looked
forward to their execution as a quick route to paradise.
In the Muslim world,
one kind of terrorism, assassination, has existed since shortly after the death
of the prophet Muhammad. Of his early successors, three were....

It is well researched and thought out and definately worth reading it all.
(Thanks to Ed L. for the lead.)

Body blow to Iraq Elections...Give me a Hanky

Listening to the news I heard a talking head stating that the recent decision of the major Sunni political party has decided to not participate in the upcoming elections, citing "security concerns". This was called a "body blow to the election process". Give me a friggin' break. It's the Sunni and Ba'athist factions that are causing the "security concerns". If they want better security, turn on the terrorists and root them out instead of giving active support to the bastards, or even tacit support. If they don't want to participate in the elections, fine. Leave them out there to twist in the wind and let the Iraqi people who want a free, democratic country vote for it.

The body blow comment was so laughable I thought that if the Green party in the States decided to "not participate" in an election, what a devestating blow that would be to our election process. What if the KKK decided to not participate? Horror of horrors. You get my point. Have a happy New Year and let's hope the new year in Iraq starts on January 30, 2005 as scheduled.

Developing nations will have to fight for Internet rights: study

I thought this was worth a post of its own.



Developing nations will have to fight for Internet rights: study

By Khalid HasanWASHINGTON: The phenomenal rise of the Internet has pitched
developing countries against Western states, led by the United States, because
while the former want the new medium to be internationally controlled, the
latter want it in private hands...

The writer points out that many developing countries want governments to
play a larger role in what appears on the Internet through the International
Telecommunications Union, a UN agency. The world’s richer nations want to
preserve the status quo. Some in the private sector fear increased government
involvement could slow innovation and lead to more red tape. The US opposes new,
international controls for the Internet. Washington and other developed
countries feel it is imperative that web governance remains under the ambit of
the private sector and is not transferred to the United Nations as proposed by
countries such as China and Brazil. Calls for “international rules” overseen by
the UN to govern the web must cover technical questions, such as the attribution
of web addresses and management of domain names, as well as the protection of
intellectual property...

There is more and worth reading on what is at stake for the developing countries rights and future of the blogosphere. Even the future of present and emerging democracies is being challenged. I doubt that the MSM will come out with the First Amendment as the blogs have turned out to be a thorn in their side.

Light Blogging but...

Check out the fellas at Diplomad on their nominations for allies. For an extention of the Cowardice post check out LGF link to Dhimmitude.org and the problems facing Europe...a must read, that's an order. David Warren, my fav Canuck has his latest that I recommend (I recommend all of his stuff) about the Catholic Church and the UN. Just who the hell does the Belmont Club think they are by bringing up a possible collusion of the AP and terrorists? I grow weary and now will retire to my troglodyte haven and regenerate. Merry Christmas and will see you tommorrow (maybe).