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Sep. 10th, 2007
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Sep. 10th, 2007 01:36 pmI was flipping channels (which I rarely do) and ran into a show on The Military Channel called Alpha Company: Iraq War Diary which I found rather well done. It was a documentary without a particular axe to grind and showed a group of Marines who reminded me a lot of the guys I knew when I worked with the Army. I don't know, but I suspect it shows a pretty good picture of what life is like for actively patrolling US military units: danger, boredom, frustration, and very ambivalent relations with the local population. ( Read more... )
now this didn't surprise me at all
Sep. 10th, 2007 03:01 pmPakistan deports ex-PM on return
Heard this on the news this morning and chuckled to myself. Yes, Mr Sharif, you can legally return. But no one said you could *stay*.
Honestly, this man is about as committed to democracy as a pig is committed to dieting. Being prime minister meant for him the ability to line his pockets, find jobs for his family and political cronies, and dream up ways to employ the forms of government to illegally suppress dissent and protect his corrupt governance.
I'm not sure what to wish for Pakistan. I think General Musharraf is undoubtedly the best man to preserve the nation's stability and security at this point. I don't believe that there are any civilian political leaders who can be trusted with government. But I do believe that somehow states need to evolve towards democracy, or they will forever be dictatorships where ruling power is handed (or seized) from one hand to another. I just don't quite know how one gets to a stable democracy from the position that many developing nations find themselves in today.
But I do know that it seems very unlikely to me that an invading foreign army is the way to move forward...
Heard this on the news this morning and chuckled to myself. Yes, Mr Sharif, you can legally return. But no one said you could *stay*.
Honestly, this man is about as committed to democracy as a pig is committed to dieting. Being prime minister meant for him the ability to line his pockets, find jobs for his family and political cronies, and dream up ways to employ the forms of government to illegally suppress dissent and protect his corrupt governance.
I'm not sure what to wish for Pakistan. I think General Musharraf is undoubtedly the best man to preserve the nation's stability and security at this point. I don't believe that there are any civilian political leaders who can be trusted with government. But I do believe that somehow states need to evolve towards democracy, or they will forever be dictatorships where ruling power is handed (or seized) from one hand to another. I just don't quite know how one gets to a stable democracy from the position that many developing nations find themselves in today.
But I do know that it seems very unlikely to me that an invading foreign army is the way to move forward...
no surprises
Sep. 10th, 2007 03:14 pmAbout 70% of Iraqis believe security has deteriorated in the area covered by the US military "surge" of the past six months, an opinion poll suggests.</>
The military objectives of the US troop surge in Iraq "are largely being met", the top US military commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, has said.
The military objectives of the US troop surge in Iraq "are largely being met", the top US military commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, has said.
OK, finally I understand
Sep. 10th, 2007 11:18 pmI've seen this flag/badge on cars an AWFUL lot over the years and never known what it was. I saw a magnetic ribbon of the same colours on a car the other day, so I finally got a bit more traction--it's some sort of solidarity thing.
Turns out it's for police officers. According to this site, it is a sign to mark a police officer's car, or the car of a family member, especially someone who is mourning a fallen police officer, and is now being used by people just to show support for law enforcement officers.
Turns out it's for police officers. According to this site, it is a sign to mark a police officer's car, or the car of a family member, especially someone who is mourning a fallen police officer, and is now being used by people just to show support for law enforcement officers.
