Posse Incitatus

The Spartans go bowling - with bonus slams on Drew Sharp

I've been lax in my sports blogging of late, largely because I am woefully ignorant of basketball and football season is basically over.

Still, the holiday bowl-fest (as opposed to the Holiday Bowl) offers one last chance to root for my beloved Spartans, to heap praise on Javon Ringer, admiration on Mark Dantonio, admonishment on Brian Hoyer and scorn on Drew Sharp.

For those outside of Michigan, the Big Three aren't the only Detroit businesses on the brink of bankruptcy.  Despite a joint operating agreement, the News and the Freep are so short of cash that they are actually suspending daily home delivery.

Dantonio just got a nice pay raise and, in a show of epic-level class, won the right to set aside his own bonus money to pay his assistants a little extra each year.  Awesome.

All we need now is a convincing pounding of Georgia.  Go State!

Attack of the limp-wristed "realists"

I’ve mentioned this before, but situation in Gaza has brought the issue to the fore once more – modern international relations ‘realists’ are nothing but wimps.

Backstory: a couple of weeks ago the WSJ had an article about how Obama will be departing from George W. Bush’s Wilsonian foreign policy and returning to the time-honored school of realpolitik – taking the world as it is rather than as it should be.

The problem is that modern realists are actually nothing more than spaghetti-spined losers.

For the record, I’m a big fan of realpolitik and, in terms of foreign policy, I’ve always considered myself part of the realist school.

True realists believe that statecraft should be based on a clear-eyed appreciation of the facts rather than ideology or pipe dreams. A realist, for example, does not believe in the transcendent power of democracy but rather focuses on the classical measures of power – armaments, treasure and the will to employ both in the national interest.

Over the last few years, however, America’s realists have been castrated. James Baker III and Brent Scowcroft actually signed their names to a document calling for coordination with the inveterately hostile governments of Iran and Syria in an effort to stabilize Iraq.

Wimps.

True realists would take for granted that Iran and Syria are our enemies – and then work to undermine, marginalize and otherwise crush those regimes using all of America’s fearsome resources.

Probably the last Old School realist on the American scene is Henry Kissinger and he’s pretty much retired. Back in the day, though, he knew how to get things done: coups, arms shipments, CIA airlines and of course Christmas bombings.

Cardinal Richelieu was the original realist, and other disciples of his craft have included Prince Metternich and the illustrious Iron Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, who coined the term ‘realpolitik.’

Realists aren’t necessarily warmongers, they simply don’t flinch from using all means to accomplish their goals – securing our national interests.

Sometimes this requires a soft touch, and much can be gained from skillful diplomacy and an artful use of economic levers.

For example, a realist would urge immediate passage of the free trade agreement with Columbia and push similar compacts with other allied nations. This offers a powerful incentive for our friends to stay friendly and also offers adversaries an economic reason to be less adversarial.

Were Israel run by realists, it would solve the Gaza problem by simply annexing the territory and expelling the inhabitants.  Either that, or it could declare Gaza to be Egyptian territory, seal the border, and then demand Egypt account for any attacks.

But this current crop of realists has things exactly backwards. It’s like they skipped the seminar on Machiavelli or something. You do not gain much credit by picking on your allies while sucking up to your enemies, on the contrary you make yourself far less secure.

I would suggest a new term to describe these people to eliminate any possible confusion.

“Idiots” will do nicely.

Merry Christmas

It is the time of year when the Posse ignores politics, world events and focuses on life in the homestead.  The weather outside is frightful, but the roast was delightful.

We wish a Merry Christmas to all our readers and hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Wherein the Posse discusses the music of Britney Spears & etc.

We don’t do much music criticism on this blog, which is kind of strange since I’m very much into music. Admittedly, my tastes are somewhat more exacting than most (just as I’m a notoriously picky movie-watcher), but having high standards shouldn’t be a disqualifier.

I don’t drive much (what with living close to work) but when I do, the radio comes on and I hop from station to station looking for something decent. During this process I came to hear “Womanizer” by Britney Spears.

Let there be no mistake, I don’t think Spears will ever go down as a great musical talent. She is, as the phrase goes, a “pop tart,” but for all that, she’s a good one.

That is to say, her tunes tend to have excellent production values. I recall an earlier song by her – “Toxic,” I think, that basically used a string/guitar riff right out of a 60s James Bond score by John Barry. Her vocals were essentially irrelevant. Indeed, I have no idea if the woman can sing. But for overproduced pop, it’s pretty good. Better than the Kelly Clarkson shriekfests that seem overpopulate the airwaves. Clarkson is Celine Dion with the accent.

Speaking of female vocalists, I’ll put a plug in for Jo Stafford, who passed away this summer in her 90s. I’ve got her Christmas/Winter album and it is outstanding. My grandparents had “Ski Trails,” on vinyl, and we listened to it every year on Christmas Day – usually late in the day as the guests were leaving and things were winding down.

“Ski Trails” wasn’t strictly a Christmas album, but rather a bunch of winter songs – a genre that has pretty much disappeared these days. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” is still heard from time to time, but “Moonlight in Vermont” and “By the Fireside” are much neglected. Indeed, some aspiring diva should cover booth of these – Nora Jones would do a good job – and sell a few million copies. I will warn our readers that “By the Fireside” pretty much requires a low-burning blaze, an armchair – and, if possible - a partner.

Urban vs rural zombie warfare

Chatting with a friend of mine about the possibility of zombie outbreaks, it occurs to me that we haven’t addressed this vital topic on the Posse for some time.

In the years since my initial post, I’ve given more thought to anti-zombie weapons and, while I’m on the subject, I think my Ruger 10-22 would probably be the best thing to use. It is light, accurate, handy to use and with a suitable barricade, you can do head shots all day long without hurting your ears or your shoulder. Even better, you can carry thousands of rounds without much weight.

But I digress.

The question came up: which is a better place to be during a zombie outbreak, the city or the country?

Most people will immediately answer “country,” and there are good and obvious reasons for this. Isolation makes it harder for large groups of zombies to get to you and of course if society breaks down, the ability to grow one’s own food is not to be underrated. Also, rural residents are less likely to run into prying government officials who insist on leaving them disarmed and helpless.

These are all good reasons, but I believe that there is one key area where city living comes out ahead and that is: cooperation.

Humans are social animals. We simply need others to survive. If civilization is assaulted by a zombie apocalypse, the overriding imperative is not only to survive, but to rebuild that civilization as soon as possible. You aren’t going to achieve that on your compound out in the sticks.

I know, many of my readers will point out that later, when things are safe, the cities can be repopulated, but how will this seriously happen?

Zombies don’t sleep, and isolated households are their natural prey. Only by watching in shifts, by using systematic patrols can humanity survive. People living out in the country are essentially waiting for the cities to sort things out for them.

I would argue that towns and cities will survive because they must. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of urban areas that will turn into nothing more than zombie supermarkets. As we saw with Hurricane Katrina, some people will be overwhelmed without the government to hold their hands. But others will band together and become stronger than they would otherwise have been alone.

Organization is what has allowed humanity to get where we are today. Whether dealing with a power outage, a violent storm, terrorist attack or zombie plague, we can only survive if we can organize.

Famine is mostly a local phenomenon. So long as farmers can plant, people will help them bring their crops in. A small stockpile of preserved food is a great idea, but the notion that you are going to live on MREs for the rest of your natural life is absurd. The goal should be to quickly restore transit routes and get markets reestablished.

Obviously, residents in Manhattan are going to have a tougher time than those in Bloomington or Kalamazoo. Small and mid-sized towns are closer to the farms and require less food (by definition) so they are better off.

Let them sink

The Posse is probably one of the few voices in Michigan that thinks the bailout of the Big Three is a stupid idea.

For eight years, this state has sat spinning its wheels, hoping that somehow the clock would turn back.  It won't.

Michigan was once an industrial powerhouse, a state that dominated world production of iron ore, copper and automobiles.  We did that based on the inherent advantages of our state: natural resources, water and rail communications, and of course the organizing genius of our industrial leaders.

We've been coasting on Henry Ford's handy work for 40 years.  Enough already.

What is needed is some creative destruction, a reinvention of the industries we have and an embrace of new ones.

Yet Michigan's leadership has basically decided to emulate Herbert Hoover: erect trade barriers, raise taxes and hope for better days.

This bailout is just more of the same - a desperate effort to preserve an unsustainable status quo.  It won't work.

The Big Three are in fact too big to fail - they have too much value to be dismantled and destroyed.  What they need is a wide-ranging reorganization, something that can only happen if they go bankrupt.

Let them go.

Deterrence

The Posse was too busy enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday and doing our Advent housecleaning to pay much attention to world events.

When I finally got a chance to catch up, we had company, so I haven't had a chance to post about the Mumbai terror assault until today.

What do I take away from it? That armed citizens are essential to fighting terror.

We are seeing a return to the normal state of man. For the last 50 years, our unprecedented prosperity has allowed two generations to assume that this is the way things are supposed to be. Not only have our citizens become docile and obedient, even our criminal class understands there are certain rules which must be followed.

Now all of that is changing.

Militant Islam is shredding these assumptions. They tie us up in our own legal codes (“lawfare”) and use our scruples against us.

At the same time, our weakened society craves a return to the days without fear, so we vote to give what we thought was an all-powerful government even more authority.

Consider what we now expect government to do.

It can rebuild the economy through limitless bailouts. It can solve energy problems by investing in “green technology.” It can alter the very climate of the earth through various carbon schemes.

Yet these same omnipotent bureaucracies are unable to stop a relative handful of bandits from crippling global trade through piracy and terrorism.

Thulsa Doom had it right: What is steel compared to the hand that wields it? Our blades are sharp indeed, but we no longer have the strength to swing them.

Of course, all is not lost. The military caste of the West remains strong and confident. I say “caste” because this group includes not just currently serving soldiers, but veterans, their friends and family. Basically, anyone with the will to use violence to defend themselves or others.

This is the military “tribe.” They are the antidote to terrorism.

Which target is easier and therefore more inviting for a would-be terrorist:

1. A gathering of suit-wearing eunuchs used to doing what they are told and relying on people in uniforms to protect them, or

2. A group of self-reliant individuals who are prepared to act decisively when danger threatens?

To ask the question is to answer it.

I think one of the reasons the US has been spared terrorist attacks since 9/11 is that we have been hardening ourselves on an individual level. People are learning to shoot, keeping spare food and supplies handy and – most importantly – thinking about what to do in an emergency. The government cannot save us. We know that now. Multiple hijackers have found out that Americans are willing to bum-rush them rather than go down without a fight.

Adding to this is America’s much-publicized (and condemned) private ownership of guns. While it may embarrass effeminate elites that a major party candidate for vice-president actually owns and uses firearms, it is actually a good thing. I can live with European disapproval if it also means that Islamofascist terrorists think twice about attacking us.

You see, being known as a nation of gun nuts has its benefits. It may be fashionable to sneer at gun-owning middle America in the salons of Paris and Georgetown, but they are a powerful deterrent to radicals across the globe. Americans are gun-crazy, and if you try to take hostages, some irate Texan is likely to blow your brains out.

If it makes our enemies think twice about attacking us, I’ll take it.