liveonearth: (Default)
 
 
 
Ever since Tuberville made himself a household name by blocking Senate confirmation of military leaders, I've been wondering.  Is the military "woke"?  It seems unlikely. Does the military have some problems that need addressing? Of course.  Every department needs to keep improving.  Failing to change is failing.

The ideologies on both sides oversimplify the issue.  The left says that because the women are getting raped, it's the military's job to help them end those unwanted pregnancies.  The right says it doesn't matter how the sperm got in there, those sperm and egg combos are of utmost value.  Both sides irritate me.

The military started facilitating abortions for its female members because raping them and making them have babies didn't seem like a good idea.  The military said it was doing it to maintain military "readiness".  Raping them is still a good idea--there seem to be no repercussions for the sperm donors. A friend of mine suggests that men should lose a testicle each time they rape a woman.  While this may sound barbaric, so does shutting up women about their abuse by providing them with abortions.

We want strong, high-testosterone men in the military.  Burly beasts of men who are able to do what needs to be done are extremely valuable in this setting.  Unfortunately, hormone-laden brutes are prone to taking what they want.  Making them take trainings about consent will not fix the problem.  It raises the question of whether we should be putting women in the same units with men.  Perhaps our military would be better served by having units led by women and comprised entirely of women.  Then we would see what women can do.

There is no doubt that Tuberville's blockage is negatively impacting readiness.  The commanders of each branch have an important role, which is to see and understand the big picture, and to plan, prepare, and act accordingly.  Without commanders, our military coasts along without updating position or strategy.  Over time our vulnerability and weakness increase.  The protection of fertilized eggs is not, in my view, more important than having a functional defense, or being able to move aggressively when needed.
liveonearth: (Donkey)
Arabian peninsula = Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Leb¬anon, Oman, Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

MERS is the viral infection that's causing severe respiratory disease in lots of folks over there. There have been just a few cases in the US, starting in May. I'm wondering if military personel are coming back sick? Apparently pretty much all of the camels on the Arabian peninsula have this virus. We don't know if it causes chronic infections, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did, considering what we are learning about viral DNA mingled with our own.
liveonearth: (moon)
Today on MoveOn they're soliciting for signatures on a petition to make Walmart pay its workers better. Moveon says it's an outrage that Wallyworld employees have to use public services for healthcare because can't afford better. What isn't mentioned is that they spent what they had on vehicles and fuel, guns, alcohol and cigarettes, mobile phones and flatscreens. And a roof over their head.

Minimum wage is law. No company can hire you over the table for anything less. Walmart can pay minimum wage and if people apply for and accept that job, they have made a deal with that company. If they don't like it, they can quit, get another job. If there isn't another job, they can start their own business, or be useful to a family business or take care of an aging elder. They can run for office, start a protest, try and change the minimum wage. There is no shame in doing these things. The shame is in doing nothing. I just don't know how far from nothing this petition is. Having a grievance is not the same as having a solution.

When the economy contracts, families get closer. The resources that we do have get shared with those we care about. The death rate went down in the Great Depression, perhaps for this reason.

I can't get on board with political efforts to increase "jobs" because what "jobs" means is working for large corporations which will strike the best deal they can get for everything including manpower. It's the game, and winning for the 1% means never having to worry about a job. The worker never wins. The worker is a cog in a machine that cares nothing about him and will replace him the moment he begins to crack. The safety net may ease his passage a bit, but it is easy to get caught in.

To be trapped in the safety net is to lose your self respect, to become depressed, to want to die. This may be why so many white American men commit suicide. Middle-aged white guys commit suicide more than anybody else. Perhaps the veterans are driving that statistic.
liveonearth: (stone arch doorway)
The Pentagon began tracking active duty military suicides in 2001. They begin rising in 2006, soared in 2009 then leveled. Military suicides hit a record high in 2012. Exceeded combat deaths in Afghanistan in 2012. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta calls it an epidemic. All branches are suffering.
liveonearth: (Luke Skywalker et al c light sabers)
The use of combat drones overseas divides Congress, but not in the usual partisan way.

Supporters of the “war on terror” in both parties tend to support the use of unmanned aircraft that often try to assassinate terrorism suspects. But libertarian Republicans have teamed up with civil liberties-backing Democrats to oppose the drones.

Now, the partisan trenches have been crossed by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D – Ohio, and Rep. Ron Paul, R – Texas, in order to force the administration to release its legal justification.

The two mavericks who are leaving Congress at year’s end have introduced a resolution of inquiry — legislation that is used to compel specific documents from the administration, and must be considered by the committee of jurisdiction, or on the House floor, within 14 legislative days.

Since the legislation was introduced on November 28, it could come before the House this year, which means that the administration will be forced to turn over the legal justification it uses for the strikes, including any memos from the Office of Legal Counsel.


SOURCE
http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=159916
liveonearth: (dancer romani)
According to the Oregonian yesterday, there are 15 million illegal Mexicans in the US today. The announcement today is that Obama will issue work permits to some 800,000 young illegals instead of deporting them. The older folks are still getting deported, but the young will be... assimilated? Perhaps. Once they have a work permit, and they can be in this country under the light of day, they may decide they want to stay and seek citizenship.

ruminations )
liveonearth: (Default)
Here's the actual text of the EO. It looks kind of totalitarian on its surface, and the conservative blogosphere is screaming stuff like Obama seizes control over all food, farms, livestock, farm equipment, fertilizer and food production across America!!! But the Hot Air blog breaks it down relative to the old law, and it appears that the changes are really quite minimal. In the name of National Defense Resources Preparedness an assortment of agencies are authorized to do whatever they need to take over the means of production and supply the military. Which they already were.
liveonearth: (Default)
People will believe it if told enough times that black is white. Unfortunately. It appears that the majority of Americans have painfully weak powers of observation and critical reasoning. Such is the embarassment of our land. The Canadians absolutely adore Obama, so I hear, and they can't understand why "we" despise him. I guess those of us who find him to be masterful really need to make more noise. Obama rocks. And this from a person who did not vote for him.
notes )
liveonearth: (Default)
This is a new finding. The earlier in life that the traumatic insult occurs, the greater the effect. The brain develops differently as a result, and there is a great chance of comorbidities. SOURCE: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749564?src=mpnews&spon=12

Also interesting, the mortality gap between normal people and those with mental illness is getting larger. All current mental health efforts are not yet improving the odds of survival for those with bipolar and shizophrenia. SOURCE: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749687?src=mpnews&spon=12

On managing aggressive schizophrenics: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749195?src=mp&spon=12
liveonearth: (kiss kiss bang bang)
The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.
--G. K. Chesterton

Nothing in life is quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.
--Winston Churchill
liveonearth: (Default)
The nearness of authority is especially relevant to the real-life obedience requirements of combat and war. As it turns out, individual conscience draws a surprisingly firm line at killing--surprising for those who think of human beings as natural war makers. This aspect of conscience is so resilient in normal people that military psychologists have needed to devise ways around it. For example, military experts now know that to make men kill with any kind of reliability, commands must be given by authorities who are present with the troops. Otherwise, the men in the field will tend to "cheat" on their orders to kill, will intentionally misaim or simply fail to fire, to keep from violating this mightiest proscription of conscience.
--Martha Stout, The Sociopath Next Door, p65
liveonearth: (Default)
The all-volunteer military has enabled America to fight two wars while many of its citizens do not know of a single fatality or even of anyone who has fought overseas. Had there been a draft, the war in Iraq might never have been fought. George W. Bush didn't need your body or, in the short run, your money. Southerners would fight, and foreigners would buy the bonds. The U.S. has become like Rome or the British Empire, able to fight nonessential wars with a professional military. Ultimately, this will drain us financially, and spiritually as well.
--Richard Cohen, in the Washington Post

QotD: Ideas

Jan. 6th, 2011 09:55 pm
liveonearth: (blue skinned alien)
One can resist the invasion of an army but one cannot resist the invasion of ideas.
--Victor Hugo
liveonearth: (Default)
While a resident at Walter Reed Medical Center, Hasan, a Muslim born in the United States to Palestinian parents, reportedly told colleagues he believed the United States was waging war on Muslims. He said Muslim soldiers shouldn't be asked to kill fellow Muslims.

In case you missed it, Hasan is the psychiatrist who shot 43 people at a military medical center. According to several docs on Medscape, he's not looking all that crazy in court, but rather highly effective as a terrorist. Plenty of evidence of careful premeditation has been presented. Like this:

The entire sale was odd, the gun salesman recalled, because Hasan took out his cell phone and videotaped the manager's demonstration of how to load the new pistol, remove its magazine and break down the weapon. Brannon told the court he'd never seen anyone make such a videotape. Hasan said that "he wanted to review it later."

Medscape is free but you have to create a sign-in to access the articles.
liveonearth: (Default)

The farther the lips are rolled in, the more intense the emotion. General McChrystal is deeply ashamed in this photo.

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