…after over four decades, the Mississippi court system worked and delivered a verdict: conviction on three counts of manslaughter.

It took far, far too long.

The Mac died again.

This time, it IS the hard drive, because the “SMART” status came up with the “He’s dead, Jim” notice, along with helpful advice to back up my files immediately if the drive is still working “somewhat”.

It ain’t working at all.

I’m a wee bit frustrated over this.

…with a full understanding of the difference between historic and historical.

On this date in 1948, the Berlin Airlift began, arguably the first direct confrontation of the two postwar hegemonies established in the wake of World War II in Europe.

History is more complicated than the simple narratives we are taught in our elementary and high schools, more complicated than what little we learn while sitting bored in our college history courses.

Our lack of understanding of the fundamentals, the causes of events, the reasons for the outcomes of wars, the imbalances that cause empires to fail, and the origins of new conflicts, our callowness in decision making arises from the wellspring of our ignorance, all of this will cost us far more than we realize.

Simplistic assumptions and shallow analyses are no longer sufficient in a world that has long ceased to be bipolar.

In every unipolar case from human history, the origins of the decline of the dominant power were obvious, even at the time, to those who were willing to look outside their own point of view.

Can we overcome history?

My hope is we can.

My analysis, and my fear, is that we will repeat the history of decline of empire, in other words our decline, with surprising speed.

Do your own research.

Come to your own conclusions.

Then act upon them to stem the decline if you foresee what I do.

Technorati Tags: commentary

…with the sentiment expressed in this post by John Cole at Balloon Juice.

Enough time has passed since the start of this damned war in Iraq, regardless of what you think of the origins or reasons, that we should have fully equipped with body armor each and every person we have asked to risk their lives in Iraq for us.

Excuse my blunt language, but what the fuck is the procurement problem here?

This IS NOT a partisan issue.

We are paying a HELL of a lot of money in taxes to provide our military with what they need.

Why the FUCK do they NOT HAVE IT without having to spend their own money?

Someone, somewhere, NEEDS to be held accountable for this.

And, as is usual, NO ONE will be.

Technorati Tags: opinion

…I’ve joined the first. and likely only, weblog alliance I will ever be a part of, the Raging RINOs, the Republicans / Independents Not Overdosed (on the Party Kool Aid).

The bloody Ecosystem won’t recognize my latest posts and add them to the “recent posts” column on the RINO Alliance page.

Bloody freaking Hell.

Isn’t living in a place where there are a bunch of folks who don’t believe in deodorant or antiperspirant bad enough without having these time-zone issues with weblogs?

Argh!!!!!!!!!!

Technorati Tags: weblogs