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Abu Muqawama's Security, Meanwhile, is 100% Artificial: "Sugar, Water, Purple"
June 19, 2009 | Posted by Abu Muqawama - 1:55pm | 22 Comments
Hey, kids, go visit our new Natural Security Blog, which is to Abu Muqawama what Grape Juice is to Grape Drink. Contributors to the blog include Christine, Sharon, and Seth Andre 3000.
Thats the smartest angle Ive
Thats the smartest angle Ive seen in oh such a long time. What you need now to fill out the final gap in the CNAS spectrum is a logistics blog.
Galarhan and others who
Galarhan and others who believe in the twitter revolution...we haff found a resource for you...
Don't despair
Artificial grape/purple is
Artificial grape/purple is the best flavor ever. Don't hate.
Also, just yesterday in
Also, just yesterday in Helmand I met some dude whose whole job is "greening" FOBs.
Nothing wrong with a little
Nothing wrong with a little purple drank. Sunny D was always overrated.
@Tintin, I'm glad we've got
@Tintin,
I'm glad we've got our priorities straight. At the next planning meeting someone remember to put sexually integrating the Afghan Army and getting a ANA drug abuse program up and running as action items. Don't forget the reflective safety belts.
NATO-ization of the military proceeds apace...
"Also, just yesterday in
"Also, just yesterday in Helmand I met some dude whose whole job is "greening" FOBs."
Greening as in eco-greening? Is this a joke?
So, our hospital cafeteria recently went 'green'. They announced this Most Important Fact on little folded bits of paper in the center of each table. I am not making this up. I couldn't if I tried.
(Oh, I also love my 'green' bag that is supposedly made of old Billboards. Seriously, old billboards. To be Green. It was flown in, okay shipped, from China).
Hey, wanna revisit that 'be careful, now, Twitter doesn't mean anything' post, re: Iran? Just to discuss?
@ Madhu: Yes, eco-greening.
@ Madhu: Yes, eco-greening. For real.
@Elf: The Afghan security forces seem like they're way ahead of NATO even on integrating gays....
Well, on the NIE, ecological
Well, on the NIE, ecological trouble was placed higher than terrorism (Think Himalaya melting and Ganghes drying up, think ME water-table situation.). Kind of makes sense to start thinking about greening the army. Hell, if they can have ten folks employed running plasma screens to the Fobbits, might as well have *one* guy trying to bring the consumer-profile down. What was his factual project, Tintin?)
But I forget, ecology is for metrosexual pussies who like french mustard, innit? You go cut those timbers, Korengal, and damn erosion. Apres moi, le deluge. Yeehaw! What General Motors needs is *bigger* SUVs, not these damn hybrid shitcans! Sometimes american sterotypes are so cute. Pass me the freedom fries...
July Harpers Magazine
July Harpers Magazine Index:
"Total number of minutes during President Obama’s first 100 days that network-TV news shows devoted to Afghanistan : 62"
merde alors. we win the
merde alors. we win the game, but they take the trophy. why is it that they only don't surrender against us?
for the record, this is the guy the cup is named after - http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/dave-gallaher
@Tintin, Excellent reply.
@Tintin,
Excellent reply. Please get back to me about the drug screening. LMAO.
Fnord, it's a question of priorities. I rather doubt the Ganges is going to melt or the Himalayas dry up because of anything we do, or that we could stop it. I don't really have a problem with green diversity - garbage generated electricity seems OK for Baghdad or elsewhere, etc. The point being - we are in a real fucking fight over there, win first then reform the world. A fight that with the potential for trouble in Pakistan - for everyone - needs to be won. If the real "Big Green" were running your factory, you would understand. In particular when no one was running or maintaining the assembly line (or whatever) because they were fragmented 20 different ways.
As far as fobbitry - uh, Fnord...have you glanced at my 06/07 Blog? Elf hates, Elf smash
Wait I got it - we take all the hash, and use if for biofuel. OK, I'm on board as PM.
sigh. its never fun reading
sigh. its never fun reading about WWI.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/new-zealanders-in-belgium/passchendaele
Elf: First off, agree with
Elf: First off, agree with you that the fight is the main focus. Im not sure this doesnt allow for smarter ways to fight. I would like to hear more of what Greening a FOB implies. Is it rational dumping of, say, spill oil? Recycling used parts, or finding ways to make the waste benefit the local populace? Rational energy use, and seeing how to plan a FOB based on that? (The plasmascreens again leap to mind)? There could be a whole lot of both cost-effective and eviroment effective ideas that a soldier with that perspective could bring to the fight, especially among PRTs.
One of the issues that make green policies so hard to defend sometimes, is that tey have very little direct causal effect. You cant point at any one singel action and say "This will stop the snow from melting". Butr if you are going to think 20 years long term strategy, then its a part of policy best not denied. All small acts contribute to slow, tectonic change. Casting a enviromental eye on the big green machine could both benefit the army and the countries it is stationed in.
@Fnord, Not against it, but
@Fnord,
Not against it, but establish security first. Now if they empty the "hedgehogs" - something I heard the sprawling FOB's in Astan called, establish security, then that local area can start to to some smart stuff.
Why the wait? because I know how the Federal Govt, and the Army work...this will be another distractor of busy, irritable combat leaders at best...or something really bad could happen because of the green nail not fitting into a carbon horses shoe at the wrong moment, etc.
In a stable environment - np. I thought one of the better ideas I've seen along the stablity and green themes lately is generating power from (post surge) Baghdad garbage. Lotsa garbage in Iraq.
Plasma screens ..fobbits...fobbits....no, no, the doctor said I musn't think of them, no, no the voices are back...baby steps, baby steps, breathe...
Dude, my feelings about the whole fiking fobbit deal, and it's perpetuators probably are about the same as yours for Neo Nazi's.
O/T - but my browsing of
O/T - but my browsing of WAPO and NYT editorials would seem to indicate some sympathy for the protestors....?
Maybe given today's events it's time to take a side? In any case, we should at least have a plan and the assets ready to exploit events. Bat Guano Crazy John McCain thinks so....
I kind of doubt China or Russia have as many Iranian immigrants, many who are citizens who are sympathetic to the Chinese or Russian style of doing things....but watch, we'll be caught flat footed again.
Yo Ray Kelley for DCI, or DNI, or something..ahm seriouz dogz.
Elf: Hire garbage-pickers, x
Elf: Hire garbage-pickers, x cash per bag. Sure a lot will cheat and start factories, excellent. Wheres Bill Gates when you need him? Bill CLinton is his (/&%¤# buddy, so hey? Microcredit distributed fairly.
Thats the way we got to be thinking, me seems.
Fnord, Yes. But later,
Fnord,
Yes. But later, unless it's a quality of life thing in COIN protected enclaves...in which case...OK.
I think you are missing my point about giving a huge overbearing bureacracy in a reverse pyramid organization like the US Army more than one mission. They'll peel off your people and task them in 500 different directions. That's why you need focus - everyone marches to same drum - COIN, COIN, COIN....
[wow - put that last on your resume if applying to CNAS, I'm tellin ya]
Meanwhile, is anyone blogging about Iran? BHO got off the fence - where he was right to stay until the time was right - and denounced the crackdown. Congrats that statement nailed it perfect pitch.
"I think you are missing my
"I think you are missing my point about giving a huge overbearing bureacracy in a reverse pyramid organization like the US Army more than one mission."
Sweet fck, youre the biggest collection of stateemployed engineers in the free world. You not capable of multi-tasking? I thought logistics was what defined the US military...
Elf, old fighting tune from
Elf, old fighting tune from Manchester: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uzpzvffyCE&feature=related
..again... Also Fnord, the
..again...
Also Fnord, the Pentagon is the worlds biggest office building..and hence the worlds biggest bureaucracy...
so sure we can multi-task. We can send multiple taskings downrange to the unit level, giving them more reports and paperwork to fill out...
Hence - "reverse pyramid"
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