Monday, November 12, 2007

Why Are We Over There?

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
- John F. Kennedy

Any other questions?

I’m still a liberal. My (former) party these days? Not so much.

Prompted by a commenter at Breitbart - Hollywood is casualty of war. Hollywood is a strange battlefield. It is where losses are taken from no INCOMING. From what I can ascertain, losses in that division may actually improve combat efficiency. In fact it seems that a lot of other divisions whose strength reduction would improve our combat capabilities are in fact losing strength.

What happens in such cases is that small losses do not impair combat capability much. However, if the losses continue eventually the division is no longer self sustaining and it breaks. The thing is you can tell that a break is coming but exactly when is hard to predict. A lot depends on morale. If that is high the losses must be severe. If it is low insignificant losses can trigger collapse.

The recent turn around in the fortunes of war will only add to the strain. Will it be a breaking strain? Too early to tell.

2 comments:

linearthinker said...

Perilously close to conflating the hollywood fifth column tribe with allied force structure imo. Otherwise agreed.

Anonymous said...

It seems to me after extensive review of the history of the Democratic party, that JFK was an oddity. The exception to the rule.

I don't have any argument with your characterization of liberalism. Our whole country with it's emphasis on personal liberty, and government by popular consent is the historic oddity, and therefore a break from the conservative European system of hereditory leadership by kings.

Personal liberty is the great American innovation. Simon, I recall a few posts made by your son last spring which attributed this innovation to our native population. Sometimes you see the truth that was previously unspoken and you think "well that's just obvious." Those posts attributing the basis and heart of Republican values to Native American cultural exchange with Euro colonials was one of those times for me.
With Thanksgiving coming up, how about a reprise of that topic from your son?