Warblogging

The internet right now is filled with confused bits of news about the terrorist attacks in Paris. I don't really have anything to say about the attacks themselves beyond the futile observation that killing innocent people is evil. But we've seen these kinds of events before, and there are a few things I like to keep in mind:Many of the early reports are going to turn out … [Read more...] about A Few Brief Meta-Observations About the Paris Attacks

Could someone explain to me why people think it was against the law for President Obama to trade five prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held by Taliban forces for years? I understand that Congress has passed a law that requires him to notify them before releasing a Guantanamo inmate, but I don't see where … [Read more...] about What’s Illegal About the Bowe Bergdahl Trade?

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the Unreal Liberal Argument for Conscription, which is basically that the U.S. would be less likely to engage in military adventurism if more people had skin in the game because their children could be drafted. My response was essentially that without the ability to force young men to be soldiers, the government would have to be far more … [Read more...] about More on the Liberal Argument for Conscription

When first I read the news that Muslim fundamentalists in Egypt were attacking the U.S. embassy in protest to a movie about Mohammad, my immediate reaction was that they were idiots. Someone, somewhere in the United States made a movie insulting their religion and they're getting violently pissed off at the embassy? What a bunch of morons. Then yesterday I read that similar … [Read more...] about Stupid Muslim Fundamentalists?

Over at Nobody's Business, I finally get around to responding to Thomas Ricks' idiotic New York Times op-ed: Proposed for your consideration: We should be allowed to hunt Thomas Ricks for sport. I'm sure it would be great fun for us, and I think that if skinned and properly tanned, his silver-haired visage would look great on my living room wall. Find out why, read the … [Read more...] about Enslaving Our Kids