Category Archives: View

View 734 Tuesday, July 24, 2012

They’re battling in Tajikistan. The government has killed dozens in the city of Khorog (pop 28,000 in 2000 according to Wikipedia). Khorog is on the border of Afghanistan, and was the scene of hard fighting in the Tajikistan civil war that supposedly ended in 1997. According to press reports the government, headed by a former Commissar when Tajikistan was part of the USSR, has been trying to consolidate its control of the country in the border areas against what the news media call “Islamist Rebels”. A quick look at the history of the region would indicate there are tribal factors dating back to the time of Alexander the Great, and that when the “Islamist Rebels” cross into Afghanistan many of them are then known as Taliban.

Reports of recent battles indicate that the Tajikistani government is using both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft in its bombardments in Khorog, but unlike Assad of Syria President Rakhmon has not been condemned by the world press and has not been told by President Obama that he has to go. Given US dependence on Tajikistan as a supply base when Pakistan begins to squeeze US logistics, it would probably not be a very good idea for the US to denounce the former Communist officials now in control of most of Tajikistan from the capital of Dushande. How much control the central government has of the eastern provinces of Tajikistan is not clear; and as noted there are tribal factors. If all this sounds just a bit like Syria, but on a smaller scale, you may not be mistaken. The difference is that so far the US press hasn’t trumpeted for US intervention. Tajikistan is part of what used to be known as Russian Turkestan, and is next to areas formerly known as Chinese Turkestan; China and Russia have disputed borders since the days when much of Russia was under the Tatar Khanate of the Golden Horde, and other Hordes closer to China disputed just who could tax what along the silk road. About the time of Columbus Babar the Tiger established an Empire that ran from Samarkand to Delhi. His remedy to rebellion was to create huge pyramids of the skulls of rebels, at least one such pillar in what is now called Tajikistan. MSNBC would probably not approve of such tactics.

Simon Bolivar died of a broken heart. “He who would establish democracy among my people plows the sea,” he said shortly before he died, and his last words are said to be “There have been three great fools in history, Jesus Christ, Don Quixote, and me.” One suspects that even Bolivar would have hesitated to send western soldiers into Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, etc. with the fixed intent of establishing liberal democracy. It is doubtful that he would have thought Syria a fit place for nation building.

Nation building takes a fixed intention. Babur founded an empire, and was buried in his favorite place, a garden in Kabul. He was able to enforce obedience among many tribes and peoples. He also was willing – eager – to build pyramids of skulls.

The western tradition is different. See Kipling’s poems for more. The Widow’s Party will do nicely. The White Man’s Burden is no longer accepted by modern intellectuals. The United States declined that honor for some time – we are the friends of liberty everywhere but the guardians only of our own – until we tried our experiments in the Philippines. We have much to be proud of from our Philippine experience, but perhaps not of everything.

In Iraq the President has issued a warrant for the arrest of the Vice President, who has taken refuge in the Kurdish province of Iraq where Bagdad’s writ does not run. They’re bombing in Bagdad, and there are bombs in Kabul. President Assad is attempting to regain control of Aleppo. President Rakhmon has regained control of Khorog. Britain has added 1200 troops to the London garrison to protect the opening of the Olympic Games which promote world peace.

And they’re rioting in Anaheim. The happiest place on Earth.

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View 734 Wednesday, July 25, 2012

I got bogged down in details and a sudden lack of energy. I’m getting back in gear again.

I was talking to a friend today who is a bit worried that her husband is showing some signs of what might be Parkinson’s, but the doctors aren’t sure. That got me to thinking. I have anecdotal evidence – anecdotal, nothing provable – from some physician friends that vitamin D deficiencies can bring on symptoms like Parkinson’s.

Of course you can overdose on D, but a vitamin D supplement costs not much, and indeed is generally packaged with calcium if you’re taking calcium supplements. A good multi-vitamin contains D, and everyone probably ought to have a daily multi-vitamin given the screwy eating habits that most Americans have.

That got me thinking about the huge pile of pills I take every day. I have a lot of them, and I seem to be able to keep going even though I’m getting damn near eighty – and I see a lot of people much younger than me who seem to act and feel older. Of course I am pretty sure that much of the stuff I take is probably making expensive urine – but something keeps me going, even after my 50,000 rad treatment.

Many years ago I had a dentist friend in Glendale who told me about another dentist in Glendale who had the theory that his patients who took aspirin regularly had fewer strokes and heart attacks. That of course is anecdotal evidence par excellence, which is what I said when I wrote about it in the 1970’s. The medical profession did not take these Glendale dentists seriously, but eventually big Med did pay attention and did some real studies. Now we know more about aspirin and heart attacks and strokes. I suppose my experience in that has made me a little less convinced that the medical establishment knows quite as much as it is convinced it knows.

I also know that the FDA was overly cautious about the amount of folic acid – folate – that women ought to be taking before and just after conception, and what they recommended was just enough to prevent pernicious anemia. The result was at least one case of a damaged baby which may or may not be traceable to folate deficiency at time of impregnation. The stuff is cheap, and it’s hard to overdose on it, and my advice to any woman contemplating pregnancy is to make sure they get enough folic acid, and by enough I mean multiples of the recommended dosage. But that’s just my suggestion, and you do what you want to do.

I am often asked what I take, and I’ve always been a bit reluctant to write about it. I’m not in the business of giving that kind of advice, and I don’t claim any expertise, just a lot of collected anecdotes. I can say that I’d rather have expensive urine than some of the problems I have seen. I do recommend that you look into not just conventional vitamin supplements with anti-oxidants – my sometime Tomorrow Show companion Durk Pearson has written a lot about that , and the Life Extension Foundation has a big literature about their “Life Extension Formula” – and Jim Baen did enough research into the stuff called SAMe to convince me that I should pay for it even though it ain’t all that cheap. And CoQ10 is worth looking. Phosphydital Serine is another. Greg Benford has me on some stuff that is supposed to stimulate stem cell generation. And I could go one with more which would convince you that I’m probably out of my mind. But the whole mess doesn’t cost me that much each month, and I do think that some of what’s in the witches’ brew is helping.

And that’s probably enough rambling on that.

They’re rioting in Anaheim. In theory the riots are supposed to be protests about the Anaheim police, but most of the rioters don’t live in Anaheim, and the stores that get looted have nothing to do with the police. Somehow we can spend billions to rebuild Afghanistan – a task that Alexander the Great wouldn’t undertake even though he certainly did rebuild the Persian and Egyptian civilizations – but we cannot protect the freedom of a Starbucks franchise owner to have a store near Disneyland.

I do not believe any country on earth could invade the United States. No one can take a drink from the Mississippi without out let and leave. Yet the United States has millions of illegal aliens and we seem unable to do anything about that. Our army is busy ensuring that the Mayor of Kabul’s writ runs through Afghanistan. We aren’t very good at that, and many Afghani’s prefer the Taliban to Kabul. Pakistan has always been more afraid of India than of Afghanistan, and someone in the State Department must know this, but I am not sure that those who control our foreign policy know it. Bush sent the most incompetent proconsul Iraq had seen in two thousand years. We’re leaving that ‘nation’ in a state of chaos. When we went into Iraq I asked what we would do to build a ‘nation’ out of three provinces of the Turkish Empire. They were three provinces for a good reason. The monarchy imposed by the West on “Iraq” came from Mecca and were given Iraq and Jordan because the Hashemites – hereditary Protectors of Mecca – had received promises during World War One. Faisal was proclaimed King of Syria, but that didn’t work, so he became King of Iraq. That lasted until the Baathists overthrew him and after a bit of turmoil Saddam Hussein emerged. He held the three provinces together. Now the President of Iraq has put out a warrant to arrest the Vice President who has taken refuge in the Kurdish province where Bagdad’s writ doesn’t run.

No one can invade us, but I am subjected to ridiculous procedures in order to board an airplane. It’s a strange world.

View 734 Tuesday, July 24, 2012

I am a bit behind and just catching up. There are many things to write about, many of them topical news. I generally try to stay away from breaking news, but I think we know enough about one recent incident; I doubt any new relevant facts will emerge. I mentioned the Colorado murders yesterday http://www.jerrypournelle.com/jerrypournelle.c/chaosmanor/ and I agree with Hansen on the matter. And we certainly aren’t going to learn more of interest about the Fort Hood murders.

A reader asks why The Fort Hood murderer has not yet faced trial.

Article 118 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice says:

“Any person subject to this chapter who, without justification or excuse, unlawfully kills a human being, when he—”

(1) has a premeditated design to kill;

(2) intends to kill or inflict great bodily harm;

(3) is engaged in an act that is inherently dangerous to another and evinces a wanton disregard of human life; or

(4) is engaged in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of burglary, sodomy, rape, robbery, or aggravated arson; is guilty of murder, and shall suffer such punishment as a court-martial may direct, except that if found guilty under clause (1) or (4), he shall suffer death or imprisonment for life as a court-martial may direct.

= = =

According to all the sources I pay attention to, there were plenty of witnesses to the murders, 13 people were killed, and Major Nidal Malik Hasan was apprehended in the act. This took place on a US military institution so the question of jurisdiction does not apply. Murder has been covered by military justice codes for most of the life of the republic; I am from the days when the Articles of War were read to the troops on Sunday mornings, and murder was certainly in the Articles, and as many of the Articles ended, “shall suffer death or such other penalty as a Court Martial shall decide.” (I probably ought to omit the quotes since this is from memory but it’s close enough.)

The Army has the full authority to end this matter. It took place on November 5, 2009, and it only takes an order from the Commander in Chief to end the matter. Apparently President Obama has not so directed the Commandant of Fort Hood to end the matter. I do not think I have ever heard the President’s explanation.

I am told that he promises swift justice for the Colorado Movie House murderer although in fact he has no jurisdiction in that matter, it not having happened on a military post. But perhaps that was not taught at Harvard? We have no way of knowing. But every time Mr. Obama discusses the Colorado murders it might be well to ask him why he doesn’t let the Army deal with Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

My guess is that if the current federal government gets involved in the Colorado massacre we will not see justice for a long, long time. And Major Nadal Malik Hasan will outlive me.

More after lunch

View 734 Monday, July 23, 2012

1430 EDT Atlanta Airport Delta Crown Room

We’re here and comfortable. This is a public wireless network access. I think I have a way to get a more secure access, but since I don’t intend to do much here I’ll chance using this one for now.

All’s well, we have a long way to go but we’re in competent hands.

The TSA people in Chattanooga are the best I have ever experienced. Nothing is going to make that a pleasant experience, but at least these people are helpful.

Cicero was put on the proscription list to be killed on sight by Marc Antony over the objections of Octavius Caesar and Lepidus. Antony insisted and although Octavius had inherited the Army, Antony commanded it, and Lepidus paid for much of it. Antony insisted, Lepidus supported him, and Octavious acceded. Cicero was tracked down by a squad of soldiers while in transit. Before he got out of his carriage, Cicero, once savior of Rome from the Cataline rebellion, Consul who held the power of the Ultimate Decree and who returned that power to the Senate and People when the crisis was over, told the soldier who would be his executioner: “Young man there is nothing proper about what you are about to do, but I do hope you will do a proper job of it.”

I can say that the Chattanooga TSA did a proper job of what they did, and I did not tell them that story.

Uncle Timmy drove us to the airport and shepherded us through. LibertyCon takes great care of teir guests, and there is everything proper about what they do. I’ll get home fairly late tonight.

I can’t write an essay on the Colorado Killer working on this laptop in the Crown Room.  I refer you to Hansen http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/the-demons-of-the-modern-rampage-killer/?singlepage=true which is quite good, and his conclusion proper. The chap in Colorado deserves a fair trial and then hanging. I can’t think the trial needs to be more than an hour long, although I am convinced that he will long outlive me and for that matter most of those he wounded. He will get better medical care than just about any of my readers and most of those I know including me.

Niven comments that he could be taken to a proper operating facility and shot in the head in a way that does not damage the spine, then taken apart for his parts. My comment was that if sold on eBay that would make a fortune. His liver might bring a lot all by itself. Niven nodded sadly. “That is the problem.” But of course competition from China may bring down the prices that can be obtained for freshly killed criminal parts, and of course they don’t have to worry about the costs the trials.

Of course thinking like this – it used to be called Prudence – is long out of fashion. Now virtue begins and ends with intentions, and not understanding consequences is no vice, merely unfortunate. I didn’t realise that not teaching children to sound out words would leave many of them illiterate! I meant for them to read better! iT’S NOT MY FAULT!!

But now I am rambling. I’ll see if I can get back to an Internet connection.

2430 Tuesday AM  I am home without incident, and about to go to bed. All the files have been transferred, my computer systems are working properly, and I learned some Road Warrior lessons. I’ll make a quick pass through the mail, but mostly I am off to sleep.