NYPD Can Take Down A Plane?

That's their claim from a 60 Minutes interview. Here at the NY Post (which always has some questionable pics on the sidebars), they claim the weapon they have is a Barret .50 caliber rifle that can be mounted to a helicopter.

So their going to take down fixed wing aircraft with a rifle on a helicopter? They've been trained for it. I'm skeptical.

It's kind of hard to hit a moving target from another moving target. Especially when the speeds vary. Fighter planes, when using guns, utilize automatic weapons that put hundreds of rounds in the air. They seem to be claiming that it's a single shot rifle. The likelihood of a miss seems high. The likelihood of collateral damage is also high.

Weapons analysts said one .50 caliber round fired into a car engine would stop the vehicle cold.

The bullets — variations of which have been used by the military since the 1920s — will penetrate most commercial brick walls and concrete cinder blocks.

But let's say, just for shits and grins, these yahoos get off a lucky shot and bring down a plane. Where exactly might it come down? Certainly not on a populated are, right?

Nah!

It Is Amazing We're Even Alive

I've started reading Ghost Wars by Steve Coll. I'll put up a longer review when I'm done. For now I'm just 100 pages into the book. I read the following passage on the El this morning.

(CIA Director William) Casey mumbled. In business his secretaries refused to take dictation because they couldn't understand what he was saying. He had taken a blow to the throat while boxing as a boy and he had a thick palate ... Even President Reagan couldn't understand him. During an early briefing Casey delivered to the national security cabinet, Reagan slipped Vice President Bush a note: "Did you understand a word he said?" Reagan later told William F. Buckley, "My problem with Bill was that I didn't understand him at meetings. Now, you can ask a person to repeat himself once. You can ask him twice. But you can't ask him a third time. You start to sound rude. So I'd just nod my head, but I didn't know what he was actually saying." Such was the dialogue for six years between the president and his intelligence chief in a nuclear-armed nation running secret wars on four continents.

(My emphasis)

Dear FSM it is amazing we ever lived to see 1988.

bin Laden

I'm trying to sort through my feelings about the assassination of Osama bin Laden.  To say the least they are complicated.  I couldn't even really organize them the way I wanted.  I tried to create a narrative but I ended up ennumerate them instead.

1.  I remember a conversation back in '02 or '03 with a friend of mine about the hunt for OBL.  I said there was no way he would be taken alive.  Even if he surrendered what 20-something soldier isn't going to put a bullet in this guy's head?  And apparently, that was never going to happen.  Giving what I know, if I had been the one sitting in the White House I would have given the same order. Note, as I'm typing this NPR reports that Obama issued a statement that bin Laden would have been taken alive if possible.  I'm taking a few grains of salt.

2.  Obama said in his speech last night that "justice has been done."  No, it wasn't.  I'm happy that bin Laden is no longer a threat to our nation. I'm happy that he no longer provides leadership - be it real or symbolic - to al Qaeda.  Justice, however, is meted out via an unbiased legal system.  Assassinating a man in his home is revenge.

3.  Bin Laden was staying in a million dollar compound built 5 to 6 years ago in a city near a Pakistani military base.  A city that is a favorite of retired military leaders.  It seems unreasonable to say Pakistan did not know he was there.  They seem to have looked the other way for years while he lived in their midst.  And they seem to have looked the other way as our helicopters flew within miles of their military base and took him out.  Again, on NPR as I'm typing, Pakistan is saying they believe OBL moved in only in the last week or two.  Time to take a few more grains of salt.

4.  While I'm happy bin Laden is gone, while I would have given the same order in Obama's place, I find the celebrations over the death of human being, no matter how vile and repugnant, somehow perverse, vile and repugnant itself.

5.  Bin Laden's body was reportedly burried at sea and predictably is being criticized by some imams.  Once killed this was a no win situation for the U.S. and I'd say they did the best thing.  They burried the body within 24 hours as Islamic tradition dictates and they did so in a way that made sure his grave could not become a rallying / pilgrimage location.

6.  Bin Laden's body was positively identified when DNA was matched against that of a deceased sister.  The deceased sister's died of brain cancer in the Boston and the U.S. government has possession of the brain.  As far as I know, DNA is DNA, so I have no idea why they kept her brain versus some other tissue sample.

7.  The same people that say slaying bin Laden is a great victory for the U.S., in the same breath, say that the U.S. is still in danger and must remain on constant vigilance against terrorist violence.  These two statements are at least partially contradictory.  If bin Laden was such a grave threat his killing should reduce the terrorist threat to our nation.  If it doesn't then his death isn't all that strategically important.  See #2, justice vs. revenge.

8.  Bin Laden's death will have only a minimal impact on the 2012 elections.  Gas prices and the economy will the be the ultimate arbitors deciding winners and losers.

9.  The stock market proves again that it is driven entirely on emotion,  mostly fear.  We kill a man who only released one amateur video tape a year threatening The West, but hasn't successfully followed through in 6 or 7 years, and has been hiding in a non-oil producing country for a decade, and oil prices plummet.  Nevermind that the a civil war continues in a country that actually produces a large amount of oil.

10.  I've heard claims that victims of U.S. torture gave up information that lead to finding bin Laden. I remain dubious of these unsourced claims.  My taste buds are being overpowered by salt.  Even if true it does not make torture right.  Even if you accept the 'imminent threat' excuse for torture - and I don't - bin Laden was not about to launch an attack.  We are better than what they are.  Or we should be.  And we should never, ever torture.

11.  Another quote from Obama's speech, “Today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of the American people.”  Talk about lowering expectation.  A team of some of the most highly trained warriors the world has ever known killing a 54 year old on dialysis makes a nation great?  Off the top of my head here are a some other ideas: the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights,  going to the moon, humanitarian relief after the Aceh earthquake and tsunami, rebuilding Eurpoe including Germany after WWII.

What's Got You So Scared?

Oh, that's not you?  Funny.  It seems like that's all of us.  All of us in the United States.  How else to explain our defense budget?

• The defense budget is almost 60% of discretionary spending.
• We spend more on defense than almost every other country in the world.  Combined!!
• By our own estimates the defense R&D budget (&80.4B) is more than any other country's defense budget
• US Special forces outnumber the total military of some 100 countries.

And we're not on track to reduce it any time soon. The budget submitted by the Most-Liberalest-President-Ever^TM looks to continue military expansion well into the future.

This guy's dead, though.

For that matter, so's this guy.

This guy?  Vanguished!

So who scares us so damn much that we have to outspend every other nation combined on defense?

People are continually saying they are upset about the federal deficit.  But they aren't at all interested in reducing defense spending, nearly a 1/4 of the budget.  Admittedly the budget can't be balanced on the back of Defense. Even if the U.S. were to magically stop all spending money on Defense the budget would not be in balance.  However, if we're really serious about tackling it - and I don't for a moment really believe that - then the sacred cow of Defense has to be put on the butchers block.

Sobering

Can we call it even now? Please? I need a drink!



(Graph from here. Via.)

Trash Can Fire Becomes Krakatoa

Out of the blue, a reverend from Florida has succeeded in finding his 15 minutes. He's accomplished this despite being a nobody. News reports say his church has a whopping 50 members. He pulled it off by planning a Bible Quran burning on the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks in NYC and D.C.

The man is an obvious bigot. His followers, presumably, are also bigots. They hate an entire group of people that share a slightly different version of their own superstitions.

But what is really going on here?

I'm confident he hasn't procured every last copy of the Bible Quran in existence. He won't be destroying every last vestige of the book in his town, let alone the world. If I burned every book on my book shelves I would not have removed that knowledge from the world. I'd just have wasted a bunch of my money. Just as this bigot is wasting his congregation's money.

I assume he hasn't laid his hands a book 100s of years old that is a historical relic. I'm guessing he put on a trench coat and dark glasses and picked up a couple of copies of the Bible Quran from the local book store.

Getting smoke and ash into his eyes and those of his lowly, hate-filled followers is only REAL damage his planned Bible Quran burning should be able to do.

The real problem here is that so many people around the world are so upset because a complete nobody is going to light some paper on fire. These are the same people that get there fee fees hurt because somebody drew a picture of a man and labeled it with the name Mohammad. It is superstition and it has no place in the modern world. I'm not even commenting on Islam in general here. I mean the small mindedness that leads these people to become so upset about a planned trashcan fire. The problem is compounded by a 24-hour news cycle that has decided this piss ant of a human being deserves continuous attention.

He isn't doing anything illegal. He is expressing his small minded, hateful, and ignorant point of view. No one should care. This little man doesn't merit the attention he has been given by the media or the Islamic world. I would say the media should be ashamed of themselves but I long ago realized they have none.

And those in the Islamic world, how will this Bible Quran burning hurt you? Has the man taken food off your table? Has he injured your family? Has he taken your freedom from you? No, he'll have set fire to some paper and ink that could have just as likely been used to produce a Bible, a Torah, or the November issues of Playboy.

There is the bigger issue of Islamiphobia in the U.S. That should be addressed. Education and exposure are the best medicine. Condemn this reverend in Florida. I do. Then turn your back and ignore the maggot. He's not worth your effort.

Obama's Accomplishments

Erik Loomis at Alterdestiny links to a list of Obama's accomplishments in the first 10 months of his administration. It is an impressive list. I'm still gathering my thoughts about the Afghan plan. My gut, although it may be necessary I don't like it. But, even when one disagrees with specific policy decisions of any politician it is good to keep in mind the good they've done as well.

Best Blog Opening Line Nominee

At LGM: "John Yoo and his uncrushed testicles turned 42 years old today."

About Those Photos

Yesterday the Obama Administration announced that they are not going to release additional photos of prisoner abuse and torture. The ACLU, left leaning blogs, and other liberal groups blew a gasket.

"He was going back on his promise."

"He's just like Bush and Cheney."

And on the surface I didn't like the decision either. I figure these photos are going to get out one way or the other. As Scalzi said it's like removing a bandage. Better to do it now and take the up front pain.

He also brought up another point, Obama clearly knows information that we don't and that information may, MAY, justify not releasing the photos. There's another point to consider though. Obama is proving to be a master of letting his opponents hang themselves. He feeds a little rope and they tie the knot. Ethically, it would probably be better to release the information. However, politically he could be leaning on the ropes waiting for them to get too close and let down their guard.

Sully who was worked up about it yesterday is coming to think the same. He thinks those getting rope-a-doped though is the American public. That Obama is setting us up to realize just how widespread and awful the abuse really was.

UPDATE: I reread this and wanted to point out that, at this moment, I am disappointed and upset the photos are not being released. With what I know I full heartedly believe they should be made public. I think that holding them back is only temporary and they will come out anyway. Probably in a slow painful trickle as each small group of photos released makes a splash in them media and are posted on the web. Political considerations can, and often should, be trumped by what is ethically and legally correct. I'm just with holding final judgment at this point because I still believe that Obama is a smart and ethical president and I believe he is making his decision based on what is best for the country as a whole. I'm prepared to be wrong this time and will admit it when I think all the evidence is in.

Just Noting

There is more written on the tubes about Bush era war crimes, aka torture, than I could link to in a weekend full of blogging. Sullivan has been on top of it for years so if you wan to brush up on it follow the link over to the right. But any time anyone tries to argue that torture works I'll be asking, "Where is Osama Bin Laden?" We waterboarded Khalid Sheik Mohammed 183 times in a single month and nothing. That's the level of effectiveness they're arguing for.

Don't Enjoy it In Your Own Home

If the government does it for real that's OK. When someone fakes it and puts it on film and distributes it through AMC theaters that's OK. When someone fakes it and puts it on film for someone to stroke to that's a felony!

Obama On McCain and Shrub

Via Andrew via Ambinder.

He's conceding nothing to them including foreign policy. I really don't think the goppers have a clue what is about to hit them!

"Well I want to be perfectly clear with George Bush and John McCain – if they want a debate about protecting the United States of America, that’s a debate I’m ready to win, because George Bush and John McCain have a lot to answer for."
...
"...in the Bush-McCain worldview, everyone who disagrees with their failed Iran policy is an appeaser. And back during his “No Surrender” tour, John McCain said anyone who wants to end the war in Iraq responsibly wants to surrender; he even said later on that he would be ok keeping troops in Iraq for 100 years, but yesterday he said our troops could be home by 2013. He offered the promise that America will win a victory, with no understanding that Iraq is fighting a civil war. Just like George Bush, his plan isn’t about winning, it’s about staying, and that’s why there will be a clear choice in November: fighting a war without end, or ending this war. Because we don’t need John McCain’s prediction about when the war will end – we need a plan to end it."

It's On!

Civilian Command

American generals in Afghanistan want to widen the combat theater into Pakistan. Bush and Co. are telling them no. Fine, I don't know the merits of bombing v. not bombing. But it s fine contrast to the rhetoric from Bush and Co. and Johnny McStraightTalk that we have to listen to our generals on the ground (in Iraq) at all costs. It's just convenient that the general on the ground was chosen because of his adherence to the Prez's favored strategy of kicking the can down the road.

War Criminals

More evidence that the most senior of Bushies approved torture.

Highly placed sources said a handful of top advisers signed off on how the CIA would interrogate top al Qaeda suspects -- whether they would be slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or subjected to simulated drowning, called waterboarding.

The high-level discussions about these "enhanced interrogation techniques" were so detailed, these sources said, some of the interrogation sessions were almost choreographed -- down to the number of times CIA agents could use a specific tactic.

The advisers were members of the National Security Council's Principals Committee, a select group of senior officials who met frequently to advise President Bush on issues of national security policy.

At the time, the Principals Committee included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
...
According to a former CIA official involved in the process, CIA headquarters would receive cables from operatives in the field asking for authorization for specific techniques. Agents, worried about overstepping their boundaries, would await guidance in particularly complicated cases dealing with high-value detainees, two CIA sources said.

Highly placed sources said CIA directors Tenet and later Porter Goss along with agency lawyers briefed senior advisers, including Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and Powell, about detainees in CIA custody overseas.

"It kept coming up. CIA wanted us to sign off on each one every time," said one high-ranking official who asked not to be identified. "They'd say, 'We've got so and so. This is the plan.'"

Sources said that at each discussion, all the Principals present approved.

Colin Powell, who I've tried to maintain a modicum of respect for, is especially disturbing. I understand the "loyal soldier" explanation. I appreciate the idea of trying to fix a problem from the inside. Especially when those on the outside are so ineffectual. But there has to be a point where one publicly walks away from this situation and announces publicly why.

If what the article says is accurate then obviously the CIA operatives involved knew what they were doing was wrong. Why else go back for approval each and every time. It was classic CYA. Kick the responsibility up the ladder for every incident. When you get called to the mat for it you can at least use the "following orders" defense. You can ask for immunity and bring down the bigger fish.

Rumsfeld seemed to know what was going on:

Then-Attorney General Ashcroft was troubled by the discussions. He agreed with the general policy decision to allow aggressive tactics and had repeatedly advised that they were legal. But he argued that senior White House advisers should not be involved in the grim details of interrogations, sources said.

According to a top official, Ashcroft asked aloud after one meeting: "Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly."

Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, et al., would be well advised to never leave the U.S. again. It is shameful that they will never face justice for what they have done in the United States.

Our country's black eye is deep, purple and will take a long time to heal. I can't express how depressed this makes me feel. My government has tortured and killed people.

McCain = Shrub

The ever verbose Glenzilla:

Just as was true for Bush in 2000, McCain is running at a time when the Republican brand is sullied (in 2000 because of the ugly Gingrich/impeachment crusades and in 2008 because of the destructive Bush years). Thus, McCain is being politically marketed in exactly the same way that Bush the presidential candidate was (he's a uniter not divider; a new kind of Republican; you always know where he stands; he's a conservative who deviates from dogma and appeals to Democrats; he transcends partisanship; we're going to be a more humble nation, etc. etc.). It's exactly the same wrapping. And the media believed all of that about Bush and they now believe it all about McCain.
...
But on the foreign policy issues that are most consequential, McCain is George Bush. They pay lip service to the same pretty concepts of internationalism and democracy in order to justify endless militarism, occupation and war. They believe the "transcendent" obligation of America is to use its military force and other resources to re-make the world in our image. The Middle East is our personal playground and controlling it will consume most of our attention and energy. We should work cooperatively with other countries whenever they are willing to support our foreign adventures.

See, I told you it won't be all condo, all the time.

Waterboarding

It is torture. Period! Take it from a man who trains our special forces to survive the evil practice. As I said last week and yeterday, it makes me sad and depressed beyond words..

Rummy On The Run

Uncofirmed reports are that former Sec. of Def. Donald Rumsfeld has been spirited out of France. Fears were that French authorities would arrest Rummy on war crime charges in connection with the torture of military detainees in Iraq and Cuba.

My initial reaction was, "Good! Get the S.O.B.!"

Then I just became sad. Like many (most?) Americans I am very proud of the good ole U. S. of A. I do think, even if just by sure dumb luck, that we have been a leading force for the betterment of a lot of people around the world. Dating back to George Washington's orders to treat British POWs humanely we have strived to be a moral leader. Yes, I know there are many instances where we didn't live up to our promise. Some of my own ancestors, the Cherokees, would be some of the first to point this out. But to paraphrase the Black Knight, "We got better." And in the late 1980's that bastion of GOP conservatism, The Gipper, praised the Geneva Conventions against torture.

To know that our elected government has condoned and intentionally used torture can only be described as shameful. Reprehensible. Appalling. What word is strong enough? Although I don't think it will ever happen, the war criminals in this administration should be brought to justice. But the whole country will wear the black eye they gave us for a long, long time to come.

Today's Stat

400,000+
Muslims call the Chicago area home. - according to NPR this morning.

Here's a review of Muslims seeking asylum in the United States. Definitely some propaganda written into the review but I think it has a good point. People want to come to the U.S. for many reasons, including escaping the sometimes barbaric and repressive conditions of their countries of origin.

What Should the Strategy Be?

Drew Westen, professor of psychology and psychiatry and Emory University, tells the Democratic Congress to grow a spine in his TNR article. I don't know if it could have been phrased much better.

You want to know what it means to support our troops? Don't send them to die in someone else's civil war. You want to know what it means to support our troops? Don't make their families take up a collection for their body armor. You want to know what it means to support our troops? Armor their vehicles, so that they don't come back without their lives or limbs. You want to know what it means to support our troops? Honor their service when they come home injured, and don't warehouse them with cockroaches in Walter Reed Hospital. You want to know what it means to support our troops? When they give up their lives for their country, don't whisk them in the middle of the night onto the shores they will never again see, hiding their bodies as if you're ashamed of their service, because it's bad for "public relations" for people to see the costs of war. Proudly display our heroes when they return to our soil like every American administration has done for over 200 years. You want to know what it means to support our troops? Attend their funerals, and put your arms around their grieving parents, spouses, and children, and shed a tear with them. And you really want to know what it means to support our troops? Bring them home.

Getting Padilla-ed

A friend's coworker got stopped by the TSA after returning form over seas. This is the email I got.

One of the MDs that has an office two down from mine just returned from a trip to Italy Egypt, and apparently Turkey. If memory serves, he was taking his mom and sister there for two weeks.

Any ways, he came back through Washington Dulles. Landed there 3pm Friday. Had connecting flight to Chicago after that. Coming through customs he was grabbed by the TSA / Homeland Security. His name came up on a watch list and that they were interested as to why he spent time in Egypt and Turkey. Long story short, until I get a chance to ask him more, but he was held for 26 hours. Ton of questioning on all his travels (Which are many) and then checking facts, and then doing the whole thing over again.... and again..... and again. Outside of being stuck in Gitmo (and I am sure other places), how long can Homeland hold you for questioning? When they finally let him go with an apology, the flights were booked and he had to get a hotel. Point is, Homeland detained him for 36 hours, missed his flight, and had to get a hotel room. Seems odd....

Ron the MD seems to me to be a candidate for least likely to be a terrorist. I am guessing that Homeland and TSA are on extra high alert with 9/11 anniversary coming up.

This is exactly what Shrub and his cronies have been arguing for. The total dismantling of legal protections. As Sully has been pointing out for a couple years, Shrub has pushed for the ability to declare anyone, including U.S. citizens, enemy combatants and strip them of all legal protections granted by our Constitution and U.S. laws (The Geneva Conventions).