We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.
Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]
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Navy SEALs The US Navy SEALs are a remarkable group of individuals, as events in the Middle East highlight. Here is a book about their training by an author I rate, Dick Couch.
In the end, given sufficient force and a pinch of luck, the US was able to get bin Laden. I think that is a very important message to get into the grey matter between the ears of jihadists.
I have been reading some comments over at Facebook and elsewhere about how vulgar and unseemly it is for people to celebrate the death of this man. Forgive me if I spare the tears. This won’t bring back all those people killed by his outfit, of course, but a sort of justice of sorts has been done.
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Is it just me, or does it sound like Barak Hussein Obama really wants to take credit for the skill and courage of the Navy SEALs, simply because it happened on his watch? As though saying, “go for it” makes him amazingly heroic. What a weenie.
Remember how high value targets create information cascades and quick follow-on raids in Iraq? They only report the raids where the cascades have all stopped. It might take weeks, even months for this cascade to stop.
Nah. Just ‘what a politician.’ Any of ’em would have done the same.
Sounds like the end of the beginning…now where did I hear that before?
If it’s OK for anti-Western, anti-liberal scumbags to dance about like gremlins, fire AK47s into the air, and incidentally burn the Stars and Stripes, then it’s OK for Americans to dance about a little. They don’t generally fly planes full of individuals into other people’s skyscrapers either.
Jonathon wrote,
From some reading for the seminar I will be leading today:
This passage would seem to suggest that doing justice against somebody for the perpetration of a heinous crime is quite clearly separable from taking joy in the death of another. I would suspect that a virtuous man would strive to do justice where justice needs to be done, and yet would also strive not to take pleasure in it.
Richard, not so fast with that seminar class. To take grim satisfaction from the death of this character is not to “celebrate”, quite the reverse.
And by the way, I’d urge anyone out there to be extra vigilant for the next few weeks.
(Anyway, I am in a sombre mood as the Canaries have got into the Premiership while we have had another shit season at Portman Road. East Anglian football fans will know what I mean).
I’m no fan of Obama but I don’t think he’s been anything other than how a commander in chief ought to be over this matter. All the press (apart from the Stockport Express – Lord love ’em – which leads on a local bee infestation) Carries the story that the great lion of jihad died cowering behind one of his wives. I don’t know if it is true or myth. I hope it is true.
As to exulting in his death? I almost blogged about it. It needs tidying up because yesterday was a bank holiday and sunny and when I herd the news – quite late in the day – slacking Nick! – I got slightly Brahms and Liszt. How can I put this. he fucking deserved it. So did the SEALS. That’s a hell of a thing to drop into the conversation at a promotion board! So yeah I raised a glass to the SEALS who took that utterlly repugnant fucker ought.
Because what he stood for (or cowered for) is almost exactly everything I stand against. I suspect, similarly my Gran had a sweet sherry when she heard Hitler had offed himself.
This is not about military objectives – let’s face it bin Laden was a bust flush living semi-retired courtesy of Pakistan. It is as Obama said about justice.
Little Bill: “I don’t deserve this… to die like this! I was building a house!”
Will Munny: “Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it.”
House, jihad, whatever? Deserve has nothing to do with justice.
I don’t believe any holy book is a better teacher of morality than the Holy Trinity of Eastwood – Josey Wales, Pale Rider and Unforgiven.
I’ve killed women and children. I’ve killed everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. And I’m here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you done to Ned.
I reckon the SEALS have the odd Eastwood DVD. I reckon so.
Why? What is virtuous about not taking pleasure in seeing justice done? If genuine justice is an objectively good thing, and I would say it is, should that not be something to celebrate? My inamorata and I toasted OBL’s death with haram champaign last night.
Well I certainly take grim pleasure in it. The world is a better place with every murderous ideologue who passes.
However I first heard of these little babies last year in William Gibson’s latest book (for non fans, he is credited with inventing the term “cyberspace” and for the comment that “the future is already here – it’s just that people haven’t noticed yet”).
The technology of these toys cum surveillance/ weapons platforms seems to be evolving rapidly in terms of payload, speed and flight time and they completely bypass most perimeter security. Think what a lone nutter – not just a suicide bomber – could do to something like last week’s wedding.
Hard to think of a defence. Jamming the remote control would presumably also jam most communication systems. Yes the world has become much more dangerous.
Actually this is a better link.
They should take great pleasure in a difficult job done well. I tip my hat to the SEALS, and all who supported them.
How are the SAS going to top this? It’s been a long time since the Iranian embassy siege.
I think the important lesson here is to not buy aircraft carriers but train more SAS/SEALs, and build better drones and reliable helicopters, that’s how you beat the modern enemy.
Credit to Obama, at least he’s taken the sensible approach, as well as pulling off major political coup to get troops out of a war zone and _increase_ the military activities !
Work smarter not harder.
[deleted… any time you mention Halliburton or Bush or Bernanke your post gets deleted, not cos we love Halliburton or Bush or Bernanke but because we are weary of your one track mind obsession, mate]
“Real warriors don’t take orders form politicians.”
Right, the last thing we would ever want is the military under the control of civilian authorities. Of course we want our “warriors” to start and manage their own wars. All at our expense, naturally.
Just another item on the list of really intelligent comments you’ve made here, Gary.
Laird-
How much support you’ll get for that around here is context-dependent.
Put it in terms of ‘letting police decide which laws are ‘real’ laws and which ones should be ignored’ (my exact words a year or so ago) and lots of people here will sing Gary’s tune. Including some of the sane and intelligent ones.
Well, that all rather depends, does it not? If the Muslim Brotherhood seize power in Egypt, and other countries fall sway to Islamists, swapping one bunch of thugs for another, I don’t think the “Arab spring” will be very fragrant.
Well, it is undoubtedly true that the US effort to try and disrupt terror bases has been effing expensive, in some ways far too expensive for anyone’s liking. However, unless you can suggest a more intelligent way forward, I’d suggest you do us all a favour, and leave commentary to rather more intelligent people, as Laird suggests. You’re just embarrassing yourself.
“How are the SAS going to top this?”
They’re planning an interceptive dance performance, music by Sir Elton John, choreography by La La Human Steps, and based on the events of the “Battle of Mirbat”. It will be called “Clogging to the Beat of Bullets”.
Cheers