Content by crosspatch
Posted at 2:07am on Jul. 28, 2006 Unconventional War: Asymmetry Vs. Absolutes
By crosspatch
I was watching a news report this evening about an Israeli bombing raid in Lebanon. The target of the raid had been a truck depot and Israel said they were targeting trucks that could be used to transport missiles. The TV reporter noted that the locals were complaining that the trucks had only been used for civilian purposes. It is my opinion that the reporter missed an excellent chance to inform the public on why this depot was bombed and to explain other such attacks.
Hezbollah is not a national army. While they do certainly have some dedicated logistics resources, in times like we find ourselves in now, they are also capable of pressing unconventional resources into service. While these trucks had not been used to transport missiles in the past, they certainly could, as Israel noted, be used for that purpose in the future and Israel is not in a position to wait until after they have been used for that purpose to take them out of the picture.
This brings up an important strategy in how to defeat or at least constrain an enemy using unconventional/asymmetrical techniques.
(more)
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Posted at 4:42pm on Jul. 10, 2006 Japan: UN Irrelevant
By crosspatch
I noted with keen interest today's news of Japan floating the notion of investigating the constitutionality of preemptively striking North Korea. Not because of what was said, but because of what wasn't said.
Japan has now become another country besides us to come to the conclusion that the UN is irrelevant in its primary reason for existance ... the security of its members and the prevention of multi-national conflict.
Japan has apparently come to realize that should push come to shove, they can not rely on the UN for anything more than tokens when faced with the very real threat of nuclear ballistic missiles from only a few hundred miles away.
What has happened today, quietly and almost without mention, is that another country learns that unilateralism, while not the ideal course, is often the only course left when a joint path is blocked by a United Nations that is incapable of action.
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Posted at 4:26pm on Jul. 5, 2006 Example of media distortion
By crosspatch
Reuters published an article today that presented what I believe is the perfect example of the ongoing psyops and propaganda campaign being waged on Western civilization by the major media outlets. Here is the lede:
Jul 5, 2006 -- BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Baghdad's central morgue received 1,595 bodies last month -- the highest number since the February bombing of a Shiite shrine sparked a wave of sectarian killings, a morgue official said on Wednesday.The figures show the level of violence in Iraq has increased even after the killing on June 7 of al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a U.S. air strike.
Now lets have a look at this, shall we? (more ...)
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Posted at 2:23am on Jun. 26, 2006 After Iraq
By crosspatch
Maybe it's the chess player in me but lately I have been pondering what things will be like once troop drawdowns are well underway in Iraq and that country's government begins to address other issues beyond the immediate security issue.
First there will be the obvious political fallout. The Democrats will attempt a barrage of "yeah, but" responses as it becomes clear that things are winding down. Their allies in the press have already begun to lay the groundwork for this. The Sunday New York Times in an article describing General Casey's plan for troop reductions attempted to apply a spin that the administration was ignoring Congressional Democrats and going foward with its "own private plan". I found this feeble attempt somewhat amusing since it is the responsibility of any administration to act as Commander-in-Chief of the military and the Department of Defense comes under the authority of the administration. So any plan would be an administration's own. The amount of privacy it has would be the topic for a different day.
Another issue that I believe is much larger and was actually the motivating factor in my tapping out this diary entry is what I think will be the cultural fallout. Success in Iraq is going to once and for all exorcise the evil spirit of Vietnam from the American soul.
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Posted at 9:32pm on Jun. 22, 2006 Democrats on Iraq: Overtaken by Events
By crosspatch
I was listening today to Hugh Hewitt today during my afternoon commute home when I heard him play several clips from Democrats made during Senate debate on the latest iteration of the "Cut and Run Act of 2006". I couldn't help but start laughing when I heard Hillary's comments. My reason for laughing was that I suddenly realized just how silly the demands were. Allow me to set the scene, and then I will hit you with the punchline.
More ...
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Posted at 12:01am on Jun. 19, 2006 Time to pull out of Thailand
By crosspatch
After 72 bombings in Southern Thailand over the last 48 hours, one can only come to the conclusion that our Thailand policy has been an utter failure. Our only hope, according to Congressional Democrats, is to send troops to the region in order to withdaw them as quickly as possible. "I was against going to Thailand before I was for it", said Senator John Kerry. "But we cannot stage an immediate withdrawal from a place where we have no troops", he added. In light of this, Democratic Party leaders will be voting on a resolution next week to send troops to Thailand so they may be immediately withdrawn as part of their Run From Terror strategy of the 21st Century.
more ....
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Posted at 1:51am on Jun. 14, 2006 Baghdad Security Watch
By crosspatch
Since this seems like it is going to be a core issue over the next several days, I will be updating this entry with news from time to time. As I write this, it is 9:54 AM in Baghdad and in a quick check of news, it appears that all is quiet. Some are reporting little obvious changes in the new security plan. Some additional checkpoints but little else noticed. This might be due to the journalists already being in a pretty secure section of town and not venturing out of it.
We will see how things go.
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Posted at 2:43pm on Jun. 13, 2006 David Warren Gets It
By crosspatch
David Warren writing in the Ottawa Citizen understands what our media would hide. In his article appearing at Real Clear Politics, he writes:
Like Osama bin Laden, and other Islamist leaders, Zarqawi cultivated the mystique of a djinn, with superhuman abilities to avoid capture. As Osama, his secret was to take many precautions and few risks. Others were sent to die, while Zarqawi hid out. That was his limitation as a military leader: he was seldom in a position to communicate prompt orders. But it was his strength as a propaganda leader, commanding forces dependent on momentum and morale.
Read more ...
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Posted at 5:28pm on Jun. 10, 2006 Devotion
By crosspatch
There has been much published over the past several days concerning irregularities in some of the information from Haditha that propmted an investigation of actions of US troops there.
I have seen bloggers spending hours of their own time digging, fact checking, comparing, and publishing their findings for peer review and discussion. These are people that have jobs and other things in their lives that place demands on their time and energy but have answered what is apparently to them the call of an important mission, a call of duty.
More ...
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Posted at 2:05pm on Jun. 9, 2006 Our Terrorist Media
By crosspatch
Much has been written concerning the apparent alliance between our media and various islamist terrorist organizations. Outlets such as NewsBusters run evidence of this daily. It has gone beyond anti-administration domestic political agitation to active assistance of terrorist organiztions. They provide direct psychological support to the terrorists while working to erode our will to fight them.
Zarqawi is portrayed as a "victim" of an American airstrike. Ellen Knickmeyer of the Washington Post would convince us that killing Zarqawi was a boost for al Qaeda in Iraq. A senior editor at CNN thinks Zarqawi's death will be of little consequence. more ....