The Post-Partisan Emporium

 Thanks to Saint Jimmy (Russian American) for recommending this article... That's All Folks! (Redux) CJ HOPKINS Well, what do you know, it looks like we’ve got another “CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY” on our hands. Yes, that’s right, folks, THE VERY FABRIC OF DEMOCRACY IS AT STAKE … again! Which means (surprise!) that it’s probably time to declare another STATE OF EMERGENCY and take some sort of EMERGENCY MEASURES to protect humanity from LITERAL FASCISM, or RUSSIA, or CHEAP FAKES, or a VIRUS … or whatever. I didn’t watch the presidential debate — it took place at 2AM here in Germany — but I watched as much as I could stand the following morning, and I read a few headlines in the corporate press, and … well,  it appears that’s it for Biden . Normally, at this point, I would pen a column full of colorful adjectives and gratuitous adverbials skewering the entire spectacle, but (a) lots of others are doing that — albeit sans the gratuitous adverbials — and (b)  I’m still on medical leave , and u

  Imperial Anthropology? America in Afghanistan Counter-insurgency, scholar-soldiers and the failure of the Human Terrain System (2005-2014) STONE AGE HERBALIST The kinetic phase of the war ended. Soldiers and Marines found themselves immersed in an alien culture unable to differentiate friend from foe. Today, the enemy's motives often remain a mystery, and the constant casualties due to the inability to understand the enemy and to predict his actions have been tragically too great… In the late 19th century, the British army developed a habit of sending bright young officers to different regions of the world to study the cultures and live with the local leaders and learn their habits. Names like China Gordon, T.E. Lawrence, I think all testified to the wisdom of that custom, a custom that the British Army continues today. Think about a culture-centric approach to future warfare that creates a cadre of what commonly now has been called global scouts, officers and non-commissioned of

  The Bud Light Military Don't fall for it: they still hate you. JOHN CARTER Charles-Antoine Coypel, “Fury of Achilles” (1737) Sing, o muse, of the wrath of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans  ... Thus opens the foundational epic of European civilization. Achilles is angry because his woman, Briseis, has been appropriated by Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks. He expresses this discontent by going on strike. While the rest of the Greek army fights and dies outside the walls of Troy, Achilles lounges in his tent, content to sit out the combat until Agamemnon comes to his senses and returns his war bride. If Achilles were simply any other warm body with a spear, this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but he is Achilles – the greatest warrior of the Heroic Age. Without him, the Greeks are at a severe disadvantage. Achilles’ petulance is therefore a problem for Agamemnon. The lesson is hardly a subtle one. Kings and generals need to keep their soldiers h