I actually saw one where some Hamas –supporting girl threatened certain city council members with death and was then bawling her eyes out after she was arrested and arraigned.
"Who knew that artillery are “large guns,” or that unlike the cannon employed the USS Constitution and other sailing ships in the War of 1812, that they fire “explosive shells”? Wow!" I laughed out loud. Salute!
I made the front page of The NYT once. The article was so far from what I'd discussed with the reporter, a Pulitzer winner, that I wouldn't have known what it was about if my name wasn't in it. I wondered, for a bit, how many Martin Hackworths there could be.
The condition of this country reminds of a great book, To Lose A Battle, by Alstair Horne. To wit, France was lead by cowards and incompetents at every level who exaggerated pretend threats, fought each other more than the Nazi enemy, completely underestimated the enemy and ignored or ridiculed evidence that didn't fit preconceived narratives. Sound familiar?
No matter how brave France's individual soldiers fought (and there were many), nothing overcome the fact that retreats were called instead of counterattacks, opportunities squandered because of fear and cowardice. There's this great scene where Churchhill meets Daladier (I think, I'm going from pure memory) and he points out that the enemy simply cannot be in strength everywhere, pointing at the narrow tank spearhead cutting French forces in two - it actually would have been a juicy target to an entrepreneurial enemy. But the leadership was anything but that.
Point being, pound for pound the Germans should have LOST in May 1940. The allied forces had more manpower, more tanks, better and more equipment. None of this mattered. The Frence were completely demoralized. More and more this looks looks like us, fleeing from primitive 8th century Islamists in Afghanistan.
This is just what struck me from the photo comparisons. When this is the moral degeneracy of our elite institutions, nothing is possible except total collapse. If this doesn't change, and fast, historians a few generations down the road will be discussing how the US just fell apart in the face of defending its freedoms, in exactly the same way the French could no longer muster the courage of the Marne or Verdun.
Andy, this is a very interesting comparison and good analysis. By the same token, today most people are vastly underestimating the extreme dangers posed, not just to Israel or other countries, but to us here right in the U.S., by both China and the Mideast Actors and their allies here. People tend to think that it cannot happen here because it is so far outside of their experience. But, as I have sometimes pointed out, we are not immune from the forces of human nature or the lessons of history.
Thank-you for posting both articles. The first, I found very interesting and disturbing. The second, explaining what artillery is, well, I am still laughing. Just the impressions of an old hermit.
The NY Times has to work at it to make sure that hey are dumbing down their readership. They have no idea that they, too, are just the dangling light that the angler fish uses to distract its prey from the real danger. We all must look at that, complain about that, hate that - and not consider who and where the actual killer might be. Fascinating watching this spectacle play itself out.
John, I truly value your perspective, and I believe that you know much more about many many things than I do. My only concern is that as a society we seem obsessed with cutting each other down rather than considering one another’s arguments, clarifying one another thinking, and providing reputation when necessary. Of course spending time elaborately refuting one another’s arguments can become so academic that it fails to move the needle. no one knows better than you that nothing but action will suffice when the chips are finally down. But from most of us out there I think we need to learn to listen to one another a lot more. Civil discourse needs to be a lot more civil. otherwise things can get so frenzy that we can only see the obvious when the dust finally settles.
Breck, the reason it is titled "Bits and Pieces" is that the short clips in it are intended to be exactly that -- short -- not longer analyses. Oftentimes I will get a not or comment to the effect that I left out such-and-such. My response is that I cannot address everything in one article of this type, even my longer articles of 2000 +- words. I expect to have a longer one coming about the whole Ukraine mess, but the limited purpose of this short piece (second part) was to show that the NYT is a shallow source. Between that and its biases, critiquing them (which I sometimes do) could be a full-time job. But, at the risk of just sounding negarive, because of the influence they have, I think it is useful to point out their shortcomings.
If you are referring to the substance of his article, that is a broader topic. I intend to prepare an article on the whole Ukraine mess. There is no silver bullet, and I have no magical suggestion for success. But, like “two weeks to flatten the curve“ the American people are being seriously misled. More on that later.
The real historical nazis at least look clean & squared away. Today's nazis look weak.
Wimpy nazis, a couple of IDF chicks & they'd either run away or fall down crying.
I actually saw one where some Hamas –supporting girl threatened certain city council members with death and was then bawling her eyes out after she was arrested and arraigned.
"Who knew that artillery are “large guns,” or that unlike the cannon employed the USS Constitution and other sailing ships in the War of 1812, that they fire “explosive shells”? Wow!" I laughed out loud. Salute!
It does take an ignoramus to write that in 2024, doesn’t it?
I made the front page of The NYT once. The article was so far from what I'd discussed with the reporter, a Pulitzer winner, that I wouldn't have known what it was about if my name wasn't in it. I wondered, for a bit, how many Martin Hackworths there could be.
I refuse to believe that there is another Martin Hackworth. 😄
You’ve been warned by none other than Hillary herself: "... that’s what Trump really wants."
It's called transference. Progressivism is a psychosis.
Or, “ Projection.“ We see it frequently, don’t we?
Precisely. I mis-wrote...
But both apply!
The irony is the people who most remind us of Nazis are the Hamas and their supporters, all of whom in the USA are Democrats.
Indeed. But the irony is due to their total lack of self – awareness.
"Whatever you do, don’t vote for Trump because we will then have Nazis in the streets."
If we re-elect Trump (again, and the fraud doesn't overturn it again), we will indeed have Nazis in the street.
That will be an improvement over the current situation, where the Nazis are IN POWER.
The condition of this country reminds of a great book, To Lose A Battle, by Alstair Horne. To wit, France was lead by cowards and incompetents at every level who exaggerated pretend threats, fought each other more than the Nazi enemy, completely underestimated the enemy and ignored or ridiculed evidence that didn't fit preconceived narratives. Sound familiar?
No matter how brave France's individual soldiers fought (and there were many), nothing overcome the fact that retreats were called instead of counterattacks, opportunities squandered because of fear and cowardice. There's this great scene where Churchhill meets Daladier (I think, I'm going from pure memory) and he points out that the enemy simply cannot be in strength everywhere, pointing at the narrow tank spearhead cutting French forces in two - it actually would have been a juicy target to an entrepreneurial enemy. But the leadership was anything but that.
Point being, pound for pound the Germans should have LOST in May 1940. The allied forces had more manpower, more tanks, better and more equipment. None of this mattered. The Frence were completely demoralized. More and more this looks looks like us, fleeing from primitive 8th century Islamists in Afghanistan.
This is just what struck me from the photo comparisons. When this is the moral degeneracy of our elite institutions, nothing is possible except total collapse. If this doesn't change, and fast, historians a few generations down the road will be discussing how the US just fell apart in the face of defending its freedoms, in exactly the same way the French could no longer muster the courage of the Marne or Verdun.
Andy, this is a very interesting comparison and good analysis. By the same token, today most people are vastly underestimating the extreme dangers posed, not just to Israel or other countries, but to us here right in the U.S., by both China and the Mideast Actors and their allies here. People tend to think that it cannot happen here because it is so far outside of their experience. But, as I have sometimes pointed out, we are not immune from the forces of human nature or the lessons of history.
Thank-you for posting both articles. The first, I found very interesting and disturbing. The second, explaining what artillery is, well, I am still laughing. Just the impressions of an old hermit.
Thanks, Michael. Glad you liked it. The Times did not intend it to be a humorous piece, but they succeeded despite themselves.
It's Biden who is trying to jail his opponents. I hate the lying left!
The NY Times has to work at it to make sure that hey are dumbing down their readership. They have no idea that they, too, are just the dangling light that the angler fish uses to distract its prey from the real danger. We all must look at that, complain about that, hate that - and not consider who and where the actual killer might be. Fascinating watching this spectacle play itself out.
Large guns? Big biceps, NYT?
Ha! That may require an explanation for the readers also!
John, I understand. I wrote too long a comment to your comment above and so I am sending it to you as a text message. Breck
John, I truly value your perspective, and I believe that you know much more about many many things than I do. My only concern is that as a society we seem obsessed with cutting each other down rather than considering one another’s arguments, clarifying one another thinking, and providing reputation when necessary. Of course spending time elaborately refuting one another’s arguments can become so academic that it fails to move the needle. no one knows better than you that nothing but action will suffice when the chips are finally down. But from most of us out there I think we need to learn to listen to one another a lot more. Civil discourse needs to be a lot more civil. otherwise things can get so frenzy that we can only see the obvious when the dust finally settles.
Breck, the reason it is titled "Bits and Pieces" is that the short clips in it are intended to be exactly that -- short -- not longer analyses. Oftentimes I will get a not or comment to the effect that I left out such-and-such. My response is that I cannot address everything in one article of this type, even my longer articles of 2000 +- words. I expect to have a longer one coming about the whole Ukraine mess, but the limited purpose of this short piece (second part) was to show that the NYT is a shallow source. Between that and its biases, critiquing them (which I sometimes do) could be a full-time job. But, at the risk of just sounding negarive, because of the influence they have, I think it is useful to point out their shortcomings.
OK, you have cut Lopez down to size, what does that mean he is wrong?
If you are referring to the substance of his article, that is a broader topic. I intend to prepare an article on the whole Ukraine mess. There is no silver bullet, and I have no magical suggestion for success. But, like “two weeks to flatten the curve“ the American people are being seriously misled. More on that later.
And, I should add, thanks for your input, my friend.