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 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! July 7, 2005 LondonBy GreyhawkThe ghost of Winston Churchill might be glimpsed in London Town this week. Leaders of the world's major industrialized nations, meeting in Scotland at the G8 Summit today, said they would consider al-Qaeda's latest proposal to "end modern civilization and return to the glorious days of feudalism."An attack on a nation hosting the leaders of the civilized world certainly sends a message, after all. A carefully considered reply delivered soon would be appropriate. There's an undeniable conclusion that can be drawn from today's attacks: the modern world has its vulnerabilities - its obvious weaknesses. That's news to no one. That enemies of civilization would strike at those weaknesses should come as no surprise either. That they would symbolically aim that attack at civilization in its entirety might, however, shock a few slumbering souls into a slightly more wide awake attitude. That the G8 had gathered to discuss reduction of third-world poverty, war, and greenhouse gasses was certainly no concern to those who spent the day drenching buses and trains with the blood of ordinary working people. Ironic that Kyoto was on the agenda for the G8. Advanced and economically affluent nations can certainly do things to reduce global warming, after all. Among other steps, they can improve and expand mass transit systems, and encourage their use among their populations. Certainly there was bound to be some table talk on exactly that topic in Scotland this week. Now, however, there may be some careful re-writes on talking points underway. Western Europe and Japan, by virtue of post-WWII rebuilding efforts, enjoy the finest, most advanced mass transit systems on the planet. Their vulnerability to terrorist attack has now been demonstrated repeatedly. From gas attacks in Japan to bombs in Spain and London, civilization's greatest enemies strike at symbols of it's strength that are demonstrably also it's weakness. But that physical, tangible, and tactical weakness is not their true target. The weak point they aim for in such assaults is the perceived weakness in resolve of the people of the civilized world. In Spain the tactic appeared to get results; a government fell. Whether today's events would have occurred without that spectacular success from last year is a question for academics to debate. And perhaps while they're at it they can tackle these topics too: Is it time for London to fill it's cavernous subway tunnels with cement to ensure they are never attacked again? Is it time for the world to abandon mass transit as an unacceptably risky business altogether? And what else should we surrender or abandon, to ensure we'll always be safe? My answers are brief. "No" and "Nothing". The rest of the world will respond too, I'm sure. But here's a final question for you to consider, depending on your answer to the previous two: Who's next? The ghost of Churchill might be glimpsed among those mourning and recovering in London Town this week. Certainly we'll see if his spirit lives on. Posted by Greyhawk / July 7, 2005 5:21 PM | Permalink 12 TrackBacks
Instapundit has a nice collection of links; see also, the Command Post and Tim Worstall. Some speculation on the G-8 connection here; and, for a different take, here. Me? I smell Al Qaeda sympathizers. And I suspect that once British authorities... Read MoreWe started to title this post “Terror in London” but that sounded too much like the aim of the attack - to terrorize the people of London - had worked. But we expect the people who withstood the Blitz will stand strong in the face of this... Read More I woke up thinking that it was the elev Read More We are all Britons now is a fine sentiment and thanks to Shape of Days Read More The president, attending the G8 summit in Scotland, says he's been in touch with Homeland Security o Read More Today will be remembered not for the bombs and not for the terrorist who carried out this barbaric act out. It will be remembered though for the great people of London who through this have shown their mettle like they Read More Well, Britain. And Britain is a very different place than Spain. As Al Qaeda is about to find out. Goldstein has the roundup of roundups, so he's an excellent place to start. My mother-in-law lived through the bombing of London... Read More The good people of England suffered a horrific attack on the mass transit system in their largest metropolis this morning during the height of rush hour. Just who is responsible is not yet known for certain, but the attacks have the foul stench of al-Q... Read More Let us be clear: This is not about al Qaeda. This is about an ideology. To some extent, al Qaeda surely was involved in London's transit bombings. It will likely surface that this attack was not carried out by an... Read More Right Side Redux has a poetry podcast reflecting on England's wounds; includes Kenneth Branagh's rendition of the St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V. Greyhawk invokes Churchill (Winston, not Ward). Cmdr. Salamander has visions of the ghost of Edward... Read More Really bad news. This Iranian commentator on Middle Eastern affairs, Amir Taheri, says that the Islamofascists must convert the world to Islam or die. They cannot be reasoned with, they feel no pity, they absolutely will not stop. Read More Wars should be fought with the utmost ferocity, to the complete destruction and humiliation of the enemy, and without any regard to casualties among noncombatants in his territories. To fight a war in any other kind of way is to sow dragon's teeth...... Read More 22 Comments |
November 26, 2010America@war [Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit. That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary. From their about page:
"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation: The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism. Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented. I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are. "Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result. Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web... And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed. The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down. But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:
Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down. If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real. And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale. We've already made history, it's time to save it. (More to follow...) Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink |
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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
 
 
 Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house. I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email. Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed. Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com  Tending Distant Far from hearth and home, watching What tales we'll tell When things grim Some distant sunset, vision fading Saluting fallen friends whose names - Greyhawk, Baghdad, December 2004 |
How about abandoning appeasement? That'll make us safer.
Our leaders were discussing how many boatloads of money to give to Africa, and how to stop global warming, while terorrists were strapping on bombs and carefully placing explosives.
Once again, they play hardball, we play badminton.
I'd say Mr. Churhhill has already been represented in this comment I found in the Thursday Open Post on Little Green Footballs:
Comment by a British reader (Comment #61):
Churchill is surely watching and it is my hope and belief that the British will live up to his expectations.
Oh, and the Spanish owe the Brits an apology. Had they not bowed to these murdering cowards when they were attacked, I have no doubt that the British would not be suffering this attack today.
Jordan,
Before the swarm of angry comments arrives from Malaysia, let me inform you that badminton is indeed devilishly hard.
What's a suitable French sport?
Might I humbly suggest to the ghost of Churchill that while in London he perhaps helps George Galloway to choke to death on his breakfast in the morning. Provided, of course, that the ghost of Chamberlain isn't there to administer the Heimlich.
>What's a suitable French sport?
Croquet, obviously.
Somewhere in the Borough of Brooklyn, New York, I hear there's a successor artwork to Serrano's choice of a clinical sample to encompass Jesus the Christ.
This latest artifact (so I am told) is an equal-opportunity interpretation of a certain Dark Age prophet, patron of camel-drivers and rug-merchants, whose heirs infest various poli-spheres even today. It consists of this man's graven image surmounting Mecca and Medina, smeared with what looks like recent swine excretions, the whole entitled "PS: Muhammed".
Dear me! If Serrano's brethren are "reaching out" to Islam in terms of blasphemy and sacrilege, can Castro or Kim Jong-il be far behind? We await bumper stickers proclaiming, "Kerry for Commissar" or perhaps "MzBill for Gauleiter" because, PS: Armbands fit the sleeve.
>What's a suitable French sport?
May I suggest surrendering? The French made it into a sport, atleast in the 20th century.
"What's a suitable French sport?"
This is a family blog.
In defense of Chamberlain. Once he realized his error, he changed his ways and fully supported war against Germany.
Im an old lady. When I was young and wars were going on I knew that in years to come, 50 or 60yrs, the world would be civilized and humans would be intelligent enough to settle disputes without killing people. No more wars! What are these people trying to prove? They can't kill us all. Welcome back Mr. Churchill, and bring your friends.
One of the many 800# gorillas in this story is Spain.
They owe the British an apology for their dhimmitude in their response to the Madrid attacks and showing the Jihadi a new template to attack the West.
Shame.
By God I've had enough. I've stood by GWB and his war and now I'm going to ENLIST.
The country needs us like never before. I call on all of you to pledge on this blog that you too will enlist.
America needs more than our words. It's time for us to stand behind what we believe and serve in the armed forces.
Yes, commenter Ted is right. Let's lighten up on Neville C. After he realized that his prewar diplomatic program led to little more than disastrous failure (in August 1939 - better late than never), he reversed direction and served wartime Britain loyally until his death in late 1940.
The modern poster boy for British appeasment, surrender and despair is obviously George Galloway.
The G8 agenda was supposed to be trivia like Kyoto and Africa. That agenda is now out the window.
Now the G8 agenda has suddenly and forcibly been changed to important stuff like WW4.
God, AQ are stupid. Really, what worse time to attack than when the leaders of the civilized world (uh, plus Russia) are all meeting right there, feeling the impact and pledging their solidarity.
...Which would of course make our Loser Of The Day Bob Geldof.
No, no. Even croquet requires that you have a set of balls.
Lamont
That was a low blow, Lamont. Speakng of low blows, is there any truth to the rumor that Chirac's mother was midget?
The French sport which comes to mind is Boule.
(Croquet without the mallet of course)
Sorry, didn't mean to badmouth badminton.
They blow up innocents, we wear gloves to handle the Koran. They attack civilians and children, we give our police sensitivity training.
This is going to be a long, long war.
Curt,
But the British did surrender to the IRA. All of their murderers are now back on the streets. Gerry Adams and his fellow terrorists are distinguished public citizens now. They did it quietly and step by step, but in the face of a long series of terrorist attacks, the Brits folded up like a lawn chair.
Im a Brit and the British response are along the lines of "its not that bad" or "it could have been worse" mixed with quiet anger. This has not effected our resolve and certainly wont effect British policy on terror.
Africa is NOT "trivia", Africans go threw ordeals in what passes for piece time on that dysfunctional continent that makes death by terror attack look positively cushy, and more Africans die every day from preventable problems than the total death toll the west has suffered fighting the war on terror. To call fixing Africa's many problems "trivial" compared to the war on terror is basically valuing the lives of a few white westerners above the droves of black Africans who die every day and is sickening in my view. I’m angry about the London attacks, but the death of 60 people and the shutting down of parts of London’s transport system for a day doesn’t warrant more attention than an entire continent that, to be perfectly frank, has problems that make the war on terror look like a mild annoyance in terms of both death toll and as a possible cause of future global instability.
As for climate change, well America’s attitude to it baffles me. You took a huge leap of faith with the invasion of Iraq, an invasion that has also damaged your economy, and all over a single country, yet when it comes to an issue that could change the entire world for the worst if not acted upon, you are not prepared to make a leap of faith, or risk your economy:
Situation 1: pretty shaky possibility of Iraq WMD and Links to terror – Firm action, the sacrifice of US lives and money.
Situation 2: very possible destruction of world as we know it? – America, apparently, is prepared to risk it
You sense of priorities seem dangerously unbalanced.