[City Journal] Twenty-seven years ago, Ken Burns mesmerized American audiences with The Civil War, an 11-hour documentary that took five years to produce. Forty million Americans watched the initial airing, and many more watched reruns or read the companion book. The series rekindled popular interest in the Civil War, stimulating a flood of books and battle reenactments that continues to this day.
Burns and co-director Lynn Novick spent ten years and $30 million producing The Vietnam War, an 18-hour, ten-episode production. Anyone tuning in to media coverage or attending one of the public panels featuring Burns and Novick is likely to conclude that the new documentary has equaled The Civil War in historical and artistic virtuosity. But if one listens to American or South Vietnamese veterans of the conflict‐more easily heard today, thanks to the Internet‐the verdicts are less complimentary.
During the months-long publicity blitz preceding the documentary’s release, Burns and Novick vowed that The Vietnam War would not malign American veterans of Vietnam or blame them for the war, as had happened so often in the past. Instead, the film would portray veterans as patriotic Americans who answered their nation’s call to duty. The documentary would support the troops, without necessarily supporting the war. As for the war itself, the production would not promote a particular viewpoint. "We don’t have an agenda," Burns told the media. "We’re just umpires calling balls and strikes." So why aren’t veterans as enthused about The Vietnam War as they should be?
The foremost reason is that Burns and Novick are not actually impartial referees, but instead use the documentary to promote an agenda, in ways glaringly obvious to veterans though not readily apparent to those too young to have lived through the war. Burns and Novick wish to show that America fought a war that was unnecessary and unwinnable, and that it did so out of national hubris.
#1
I dislike seeing the term "unwinnable" and "unnecessary."
WW2 was unnecessary to us here, what the hell would we care in the US what happens to Britian, or Russia, or France? We got the Atlantic to protect us. And it was only "winnable" because we gave Stalin a fifty year window to remake large chunks of Eurasia in his image. Which may kill us yet.
#2
I watched an episode and a half before the projectile vomiting became uncontrollable. It turns out that kindly Uncle Ho was just like the Founding Fathers, except much nicer. Really more like Mother Theresa, if truth be told.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/21/2017 10:59 Comments ||
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#3
During the months-long publicity blitz preceding the documentary’s release, Burns and Novick vowed that The Vietnam War would not malign American veterans of Vietnam or blame them for the war,
What a crock of shit - Ken Burns is as reliably leftist as they come. I refuse to watch anything this jackoff puts on film.
While I wasn't there, I was here and paying attention from the early '60s on. It was very informative to see WWII in shows like Victory at Sea and the nightly news on VN. The commie loving media was fairly easy to identify even then.
#9
"The Unknown War" Wasn't that the series about what the Russians call "The Great Patriotic War"? Let's face it. The USSR carried the ball to a large amount in Europe as far as WWII goes. The great tragedy of the 20thcentury is the Russian people along with the Poles, Ukrainians, Balts, etc got suffer not only at the hands of Hitler and his vision but Stalin's too.The majority of German losses in terms of men and material happened in der Ost. But one also needs to remember that Burt had a soft spot for some rather unsavory individuals . The Birdman was certainly no saint. But then he did get to roll around in the surf with Deborah Kerr. Nice beach.
Selected excerpt:
[Unz Review] Brennan appears to be the central figure in this political fiasco, the source from which many of the spurious accusations originated. It was Brennan who first intimated that members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russian agents prior to the 2016 elections. Yes, and who is it we've not heard much from lately ?
"I was aware of intelligence and information about contacts between Russian officials and U.S. persons that raised concerns in my mind about whether or not those individuals were cooperating with the Russians, either in a witting or unwitting fashion, and it served as the basis for the FBI investigation to determine whether such collusion [or] cooperation occurred," Brennan stated in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in May.
This is a deliberate mischaracterization of what Brennan was actually doing. He was spying on the members of the rival party to gain a political advantage. This is how police state operates. How is it that no one in the media or on Capitol Hill has condemned this egregious attack on the democratic process? FISA warrants and 'unmasking' based on a 'think tank' concoction with a mysterious MI6 connection. How convenient.
So far, none of the four investigations on Capitol Hill has produced even a shred of evidence supporting Brennan’s claims. Just last week, during a press conference with the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Richard Burr bluntly stated,
"The committee continues to look into all evidence to see if there was any hint of collusion. Now, I’m not going to even discuss any initial findings because we haven’t any."
There’s no proof of collusion at all. So what’s Brennan’s real motive here? What’s driving this silly propaganda campaign that has failed to produce any verifiable evidence after a massive 10-month, no-holds-barred investigation involving both Houses of Congress, the establishment media, four intelligence agencies and an Independent Counsel?
Three weeks after the Las Vegas massacre, I can safely say that whatever else is happening, neither ammunition nor rifle panic buying is taking place. Used rifle prices as a collective whole, however, and in regions other than the east coast appear to be wafting upward slowly. In Arizona and Texas I found only about three rifles total which were sub $500, and those were obviously gun dealers trying to sell their wares as private individuals.
In Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida I found several rifles for private sale in the sub $500 range. I suspect that in those three states prices will slowly follow the trends set in Texas and Arizona. In other words, if the current trend holds out, rifle prices will recover in the short term to above $500 and may not return to pre August, 2017 levels in what's left of my lifetime.
More importantly and at least as pertinent, ammunition prices for the 5.56mm have returned to pre-July levels of $0.21 per round. A small caveat is that I track cheap ammo, where the Russians are beating everyone. Domestic ammunition may be another story, but as I have learned, even Russia tracks prices in America and adjust their prices accordingly. So, if more expensive domestic ammunition is decreasing, so will the Russian ammunition.
You will notice that under the heading of .223 55 grain ammunition, prices spiked upwards $0.02 per round two weeks ago, ten percent as I pointed out at the time. But what I didn't point out, and subsequently found out, is that the 5.56mm ammo dropped $0.02 the week before the massacre. The price spike in either case may not have anything at all to do with the shooting in Las Vegas.
Also, since the massacre, we have been seeing calls for tighter gun laws, which you would think would affect prices. That is because, as was pointed out by the NRA guy who managed to extract another $50 from me, two thirds of the US Senate were behind a Congressional Ban on slide/bump fire stocks, and in favor of tightening the federal gun laws even more.
If you visit Rantburg very often, you know I have been fisking new calls for more gun laws. Not just here, I have been arguing with Mobys on local Facebook pages claiming to be Life NRA members, that (quoting) "I am a Life Member and even I support more gun control laws."
To one individual, I suggested if he was a Life Member of NRA, he should resign his membership. I told him earlier that he was, in my estimation, a Fake NRA member. He didn't respond, except to tell to to go back to my mother's basement. You have to know me pretty well to understand how funny that was to me.
But that is what you have to do, if you love Liberty. Otherwise the f*ckers who want to transfer even more power to the government will have won.
You know. The Zhukovian Doctrine of Ceaseless Counterattacks.
Pistol ammunition prices were mixed. Rifle ammunition prices were mostly steady.
Prices for used pistols were mixed. Prices for used rifles were mixed.
New Lows:
None
Pistol Ammunition
.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Buds Gun Shop, Silver Bear, FMJ, Steel Casing, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: East Carolina Trading, Own Brand, CRN, Brass Casing, Reloads, .21 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: +.03 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo Men, Mag Tech, FMJ, Brass Casing, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammo Valley, Own Brand, RNFP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .18 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (5 Weeks))
9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Extreme Reloading, Own Brand, RN, Brass Casing, Reloads, .14 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Fedarm, Own brand, RN, Brass Casing, Reloads .13 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))
.38 Special, 158 Grain, From Last Week: -.02 Each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Ten Ring, FMJ, Brass Casing .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 500 rounds: Ammo Valley, Own brand, TMJ, Aluminum Casing, Reloads, .23 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (9 Weeks))
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammo Men, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .20 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .32 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .32 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))
7.62x39mm AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: -.02 Each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .19 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: True Caliber, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .19 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))
.30-06 Springfield 145 Grain. From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Target Sports USA, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .60 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: United Nations Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .53 per round (From Last week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (1Q, 2017))
.300 Winchester Magnum 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammo Liquidator, Winchester, Brass Casing, SP, .84 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Ammo Liquidator, Winchester, Brass Casing, SP, .82 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks))
.338 Lapua Magnum 250 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Red River Reloading, Federal Eagle, Brass Casing, JSP, 2.41 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 200 rounds (2 cases Max): Wholesale Hunter, Federal, Brass Casing, JSP, 2.51 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo King, Aguila, RNL, .04 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammo King, Aguila, RNL, .04 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2017))
#6
Just spent 10 days on Oahu. One thing that surprised me at first was the hawkers drumming up business for at least several private indoor ranges. But then I realized they are probably trolling for customers from Japan, Oz etc.
I am a former enlisted U.S. Army soldier. Between May of 2012 and May of 2013 I was deployed to Kandahar province.
Imagine my surprise when browsing Foreign Policy I stumbled upon this brief piece about how troop rotation is a poor strategic decision. The strain of constant rotation was something I experienced on my own deployment. Somewhat uniquely I was not part of a BCT, but instead deployed as part of a 20-soldier team to fill gaps in intelligence capabilities. I did not do then-standard nine-month deployment, but instead did an off-cycle 12-month deployment.
As a result, I did not see just a single handover, but three different ones. I watched them from the intel perspective. And I saw for myself that constantly cycling soldiers cannot build effectiveness.
My team discussed this, as we saw that at three months in country, the entire mission changed as a new BCT rolled through. Then it changed again six months later as the next handover began. In the last third of my deployment I ended up giving briefings about why the "new" plan hadn’t worked six months prior, the last time it had been tried.
As someone used to filling gaps, I was often sent to work with new platoons and new companies for each mission. Each time I had to prove that I was capable and trustworthy because that is how human relationships work. Each time I wasted precious mission time and goodwill building up a relationship to become effective only to be moved out at the conclusion of a mission ‐ that is, right when my new unit had really begun to trust me. I came away thinking that my individual experience was a microcosm of the entire war in Afghanistan.
This way of operating took a toll on everyone involved, but I think most of all on our Afghan interpreters. These men would spend a year or more integrating themselves into a team, building that essential trust, only to have their friends torn away from them, leaving behind only letters of recommendation or vague promises of future support for a citizenship application. I can’t even imagine the impact on local Afghans, told they can trust the faceless Americans, working hard to build trust and rapport, only to have the soldier mutate into a new, unrecognizable face all over again every six months.
#2
Ignored, of course, is how the rotation strategy of Obama's reign kept the incountry intelligence staff to a minimum maturity and the headcount low.
China's problem right now is to go from the guerrilla army it always has been to a conventional military force. They have to develop combat and logistics doctrine to reflect this.
In my mind at some point they will want to test all these new toys against someone. In 2025? The Norks if they survive Trump? Vietnam? India? Anyone?
[DefenceBlog] Xi Jinping said Wednesday the Communist Party of China (CPC) will strive to fully transform the people’s armed forces into world-class military by the mid-21st century.
By the year 2020, mechanization will be basically achieved, with IT application coming a long way and strategic capabilities seeing a big improvement. The modernization of the national defense and armed forces should be basically completed by 2035, Xi said at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress.
The CPC will build a powerful and modernized army, navy, air force, rocket force, and strategic support force, develop strong and efficient joint operations commanding institutions for theater commands, and create a modern combat system with distinctive Chinese characteristics, he said.
“A military is built to fight,” he said, stressing combat capability as the criterion to meet.
Technology is the core combat capability, he said, adding the people’s military will be made more innovative.
The CPC will speed up development of intelligent military, and improve combat capabilities for joint operations based on network information system and the ability to fight under multi-dimensional conditions.
Founded in 1927, the People’s Liberation Army now commands about two million service personnel. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC has put forward the goal of building a strong military that follows the Party, fights to win and forges exemplary conduct.
A new military structure has been established with the Central Military Commission exercising overall leadership, the theater commands responsible for military operations, and the services focusing on developing capabilities.
The military has carried out major missions related to the protection of maritime rights, countering terrorism, maintaining stability, disaster rescue and relief, international peacekeeping, escort services in the Gulf of Aden, and humanitarian assistance.
SOURCE: Ministry of National Defense People’s Republic of China
#1
Didn't anybody foresee this when we started exporting jobs to them and importing all their plastic crap?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/21/2017 11:07 Comments ||
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#2
Because they didn;t care for a bunch of 'nobodies' with no money. They catered to the big corporations and the money they donated. They forgot where the money came from in the first place.
They took the short view, and never looked at the long view.
#3
They took the short view, and never looked at the long view.
I keep seeing this said over and over and I'm not sure that is really all that wise.
Yes in some cases where short is today and long is next year, fine. But the problem is that it is based on hubris that you can know what the long view is.
If you only see the forest you wind up eating a lot of bark as you bounce from tree to tree.
#5
In my mind at some point they will want to test all these new toys against someone. In 2025? The Norks if they survive Trump? Vietnam? India? Anyone?
I remember Rich Lowry two years ago on the Megyn Kelly show saying, “Last debate, let's be honest, Carly cut his balls off with the precision of a surgeon and he knows it.”
Where is Carly Fiorina today? Where is Donald Trump? Where is Megyn Kelly?
We know where Rich Lowry is. Still on TV. Still editing National Review. Still writing freelance pieces. Still getting President Trump wrong.
No class of losers is paid better and has more job security than these experts on nothing.
Lowry's latest piece is "The Cognitive Dissonance Presidency."
He continues his assumption that President Trump has no training or experience as a chief executive -- despite Trump's degree from the Wharton School of Business and 45 years as a CEO, amassing a multi-billion-dollar fortune.
However, Lowry believes Obama was eminently qualified after Harvard Law, a decade as a back-bencher in the Illinois legislature and part of a term in the Senate.
From Lowry's subheadline:
The Trump administration has formidable obstacles, but none looms quite as large as the fact that Trump himself has no idea how he wants to govern.
The befuddlement is on Lowry's part. Trump is leading. He is winning. He is doing all those things Lowry has claimed to want: conservative judges appointed, regulations stripped, and America as the leader of the free world again.
Trump’s approach keeps everyone guessing and keeps him from getting pinned down, but it is no way to lead a party. This is why Trump’s strong suit is things he can do on his own, namely culture-war battles, fights with the news media and other critics, and executive actions. These don’t involve many moving parts and don’t require much constancy; in fact, Trump’s tendency to fix a target for attack and then move on when he’s bored or it no longer serves his purposes, often works in his favor in his feuds.
For Trump, very little is ever truly ruled out or ruled in, and before long, a bipartisan health care deal will surely again strike his fancy.
In short, President Trump is doing the things a president can do with his limited power.
How do I put this politely?
Oh to hell with comity: Lowry either does not understand the Constitution, or he is dishonest. I suggest the former, although both are possible.
I get Lowry's frustration with the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. But that is the fault of congressional Republicans, who led President Trump and the voters astray by pretending to have a plan in place before the election.
Lowry is superficial when it comes to Trump. Lowry is more concerned with style than substance. That tells me more about Lowry's conservatism than it does about Trump.
There was this nonsense from Lowry.
Trump’s decision to end Obamacare’s cost-sharing reduction payments last week made sense as a political strategy only if he wanted to pressure congressional Republicans into a bipartisan deal. The termination of the payments wasn’t going to discomfit the Democrats, who could scream “sabotage” and blame Trump and Republicans for every failing of Obamacare going forward. It was nervous Republicans who were going to feel compelled to remove the political heat by propping up Obamacare.
This was not Trump's decision. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer ordered it so.
Trump decided not to appeal her decision.
Lowry seems unaware of his own failed leadership at his magazine. He went with Against Trump, as he tried to purge conservatism of its plurality leader, who is now its true leader.
Likely, Lowry saw this as his Buckley Moment, in which the legendary conservative ex-communicated Ayn Rand and the John Birch Society.
Turns out, this time Lowry is Ayn Rand and his cohorts are the John Birch Society.
A wise man would have learned from his error (and rudeness) two years ago when he truly said Fiorina had ended Trump's candidacy.
#1
years ago, I used to subscribe ($) to NRO. Now, I don't even visit online
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/21/2017 8:54 Comments ||
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#2
However, Lowry believes Obama was eminently qualified after Harvard Law, a decade as a back-bencher in the Illinois legislature and part of a term in the Senate.
Lowry is in the Chris Matthews camp of getting that Obama induced warm tingling feeling up his leg. God spare us from these looney word merchants.
[THESTAR.MY] The death of the Malaysian terrorist has been confirmed, but earlier reports that he could be the next Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... leader in South-East Asia were likely exaggerated.
"DR Mahmud (pic) dead just now. Don’t ask for details," an intel source told my colleague Muguntan Vanar at 11am on Thursday.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
10/21/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11126 views]
Top|| File under: Abu Sayyaf (ISIS)
#1
Seems kind of a mute moot point. He's dead, Jim
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/21/2017 8:29 Comments ||
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Selected Excerpt:
[Unz Review] The lewder, more pornographic, and less talented at their craft popular icons become‐the louder the Left lauds their artistically dodgy output. (The "Right" just keeps moving Left.) "Singer" Miley Cyrus was mocked before she began twerking tush, thrusting pelvis and twirling tongue. Only then had she arrived as an artist, in the eyes of "critics" on the Left. The power of the average pop artist and her products, Miley’s included, lies in the pornography that is her "art," in her hackneyed political posturing, and in the fantastic technology that is Auto-Tune (without which all the sound you’d hear these "singers" emit would be a bedroom whisper).
Liberal women, the majority, go about seriously and studiously cultivating their degeneracy. If "Raising Skirts to Celebrate the Diversity of Vaginas" sounds foul, wait for the accompanying images. These show feral creatures (women, presumably), skirts hoisted, gobs agape, some squatting like farmhands in an outhouse, all yelling about their orifices.
Do you know of a comparable man’s movement? If anything, men are punished when they react normally to women behaving badly.
[Townhall] Diversity is a strength" is one of those Orwellian maxims that’s just generally accepted as truth by most Americans despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Granted, if you’re talking about a DIVERSITY OF IDEAS, you can certainly come up with some situations where it’s a strength. For example, in the movie World War Z, Israel is saved (at least temporarily) by having a "tenth man" whose job is to forcefully argue for the alternative viewpoint to a situation where everyone agrees. So instead of laughing off the idea that Israel might face a zombie invasion, Israelis realized there was merit to it and was prepared in time to protect the country.
Back in the real world, the NFL certainly could have used someone pointing out the potential long-term downsides of allowing players disrespect the flag when just Colin Kaepernick was doing it. Donald Trump might benefit from a diversity of opinions when he’s about to tweet about Rosie O’Donnell or Mark Cuban at 4 AM. The Democrat Party could certainly use the input of a few random white factory workers from flyover country about the latest rhetoric and proposals they’re about to pitch.
On the other hand, even when diversity of thought is useful, it’s only in limited doses. The New York Yankees don’t want players who think the Boston Red Sox should win the pennant. A Republican President doesn’t want a Democrat in his Cabinet who will undermine him at every opportunity. Our military doesn’t want soldiers hoping the other side will defeat us in a war.
All that being said, when most people talk about "diversity," they don’t mean a diversity of ideas. They believe a Hispanic guy, a black guy, a transsexual and a woman bring something to the table just by virtue of their race or gender. This is seldom true.
#3
Diversity is being employed as the antithesis to democracy, employed in extracting submission of the majority in the destruction of their basic civil rights.
#4
Diversity is being employed as the antithesis to democracy, employed in extracting submission of the majority in the destruction of their basic civil rights.
But the 'privileged' should have no 'rights.'
The antithesis trundles on with a full head of steam.
#5
People who don't understand diversity have been laboring under the illusion that words retain their literal meaning. That hasn't been true stateside for many decades. Things become much clearer when they substitute for "diversity" what the word means today, which is "blackness". Thus, a workforce that is 100% black is also 100% diverse. When someone says a workforce isn't diverse enough, he means it's not black enough. Now that Hispanics have horned into the race quota racket with an ever-growing ethnic quota tied to their increased representation in the census, not diverse can also mean not Hispanic enough. So in future, just translate diverse to mean "black and/or Hispanic", and much that was obscure should become crystal.
#8
In terms of diversity of ideas I think it well worthwhile for a conservative or liberal government to have a few outsiders or opposition members around. Even Einstein wasn't always the smartest guy in the room. But the idea that we must have x% of this group, y% of that group etc to truely reflect society is ludicrous. EspeciaLly when it is applied to hiring when you want the best you can get.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
