Archive for iraq
News of the Week: You Call this a War?
Posted by: |Recapping the interesting and significant news of this past week.
Anthony Gregory asks, “You call this a war? I’ll show you a war.” He contends that we are prone to forget the atrocities of today’s wars because they are so distant to our daily lives. This is the most important link you can read from this weekly news post.
David Theroux, President of the Independent Institute, did an interview this week with To the Source about C.S. Lewis and the State.
One of my heroes, Stephan Kinsella, did an amazing interview with The Daily Bell this week on libertarianism and intellectual property. It is a superb read with a great many further links and resources for the interested reader.
In other IP news, Summit Entertainment is apparently claiming to own the date “November 20, 2009” and issued a DMCA takedown on art created on that day. No kidding.
Have you heard that Tide is now being used like money on the black market? Talk about money laundering…
I’m a science fiction fan, so here’s something for other SF lovers out there: Top 10 Best Retorts in Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Remember Kony 2012, or is that old news at this point? Here is another perspective on Kony and the White Savior Industrial Complex.
Are you involved in the Ron Paul 2012 presidential campaign in some way? Here is a new book you can download for free that might interest you.
There was a lot going on at home this week (in particular, my wife was in town!) so posting time was scarce. But if you didn’t visit LCC this week, here is what you missed:
Have some relevant news and links you want to share? Post in the comments below. I read every comment and respond to almost all of them. Let me know what you’re thinking!
Tags: Afghanistan, Africa, CS Lewis, economics, intellectual property, iran, iraq, Kony 2012, libertarianism, money, Ron Paul, science, war, war on terror
Some Caliphate
Posted by: |At its height under Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire (1299–1923) – the closest thing to a global, Islamic caliphate – controlled vast swaths of land in the Middle East, North Africa, western Asia, Europe, and the Balkans. It was one of the most powerful, most long-lived, most multiethnic, most multinational, and most multilingual empires in history. However, it failed miserably at imposing Sharia law and the Muslim faith on all its subjects, and, in fact, didn’t even make an attempt to do so.
As a Bible-believing Christian, I have major issues and insurmountable theological differences with the Islamic religion. However, this does not mean that I advocate launching preemptive strikes against Muslim countries in the name of national defense, interfering in Muslim countries, invading Muslim countries under false pretexts, or lying about Muslim countries – like certain Jews in the Israeli government and certain Christian ministries in the United States.
Tags: ethics, iran, iraq, middle east, politics, war, war on terror
How to Reduce Military Suicides
Posted by: |Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, I have been quite vocal in my opposition to most of what is done by the U.S. military in the name of defending our freedoms and other nonsense. Because of this I have been accused over the years of not appreciating and not supporting the troops (I plead guilty) and indifference to and wishing harm to the troops (I plead not guilty).
However, on this latter point it needs to be said that it is only natural to expect that foreigners on the receiving end of U.S. military invasions, occupations, bombings, and killings would retaliate against U.S. troops. Just think of what Americans would do if these things were done to them.
So, on the one hand, as Herbert Spencer wrote over a hundred years ago in his essay on patriotism: "When men hire themselves out to shoot other men to order, asking nothing about the justice of their cause, I don’t care if they are shot themselves." But on the other hand, as an American, I don’t want to see any American soldiers harmed, and especially those that were duped into fighting some unnecessary and senseless foreign war.
The solution to the dilemma is to not send American soldiers overseas to fight foreign wars, which are inherently unjust. This keeps foreigners from having to shoot invading American soldiers and American soldiers from having to shoot resisting foreigners.
Tags: Afghanistan, foreign policy, iraq, militarism, politics, war, war on terror
Why They Hate Us
Posted by: |"Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. . . . America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world." ~ George W. Bush, address to the nation, September 11, 2001
"They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other." ~ George W. Bush, address to Congress, September 20, 2001
Of all the lies of the Bush administration used to justify the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this one has proven to be the most enduring – and the most wrong.
Tags: Afghanistan, bush, government, iran, iraq, middle east, militarism, Obama, statism, war, war on terror
Cursed Be Unconditional Obedience
Posted by: |"Like all members of the military profession I never had an original thought until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service." ~ Major General Smedley Butler
"If soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army." ~ Frederick the Great
"I find in existence a . . . dangerous concept that the members of the armed forces owe their primary allegiance and loyalty to those who temporarily exercise the authority of the executive branch of the Government, rather than to the country and its Constitution they are sworn to defend. No proposition could be more dangerous." ~ General Douglas MacArthur
"There is one thing in the world more wicked than the desire to command, and that is the will to obey." ~ W. K. Clifford, mathematician and philosopher
After almost ten years of fighting in Afghanistan, the deadliest day for U.S. forces was just a few weeks ago on Saturday, August 6. On that day thirty U.S. military personnel were killed when their helicopter was shot down. The majority of those killed were said to be elite Navy Seals from the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden.
The question that was never asked about this event by any major news media outlet is a question that I (and a few others) have been asking since the war in Afghanistan began: What is the U.S. military doing in Afghanistan?
Tags: Afghanistan, bush, history, iraq, militarism, violence, war, war on terror
Norman Horn is the creator and primary writer for LCC. Learn a little bit about him in the 