Peace and Goodwill, etc.

Abu Muqawama woke up early this morning, hit the gym with his cousin, drank a protein shake, and then packed all the guns into the back of the truck to hit the shooting range. "Nothing celebrates the birth of the Baby Jesus like firepower," Abu Muqawama's cousin remarked in between magazine changes. Indeed. And there's no better taste than a handful of beef jerky with the just faintest hint of gun oil. Yum.

It's just as well Abu Muqawama didn't stay at home and read the papers, because since he returned he's read nothing but bad news -- including that peach of a story Charlie linked to below this post.

First off, the PMC story gets worse and worse. (And those brave few souls who stick their necks out to defend PMCs -- you know who you are -- get quieter and quieter.) Check out this article from the Washington Post, which includes the counterinsurgency quote of the day, courtesy of T.X. Hammes:

I still think, from a pure counterinsurgency standpoint, armed contractors are an inherently bad idea, because you cannot control the quality, you cannot control the action on the ground, but you're held responsible for everything they do.

Amen.

And if that doesn't depress you enough for Christmas Eve, try this book review:

Upon hearing mention of people who have caused death and destruction in our world, such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, most decent people will react negatively. While Dr. Abdul Qadeer (A.Q.) Khan may not elicit the same reaction, it's high time to include him on that list...