[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: I spent three years in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras as a military advisor. We used to call Guatemala “the Land of Very Bad Things” because of the genocidal nature of the government.

You want to view a real tool, go Google General Rios Montt, who ran the show for a bit. Guy was a homicidal nutjob who believed God Himself appointed him to cleanse the country of communism. No lie.

Guatemala was overrun with former Mossad and IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) dudes as well. Definitely a no bueno situation.

Guatemala was another government that was overthrown with US (read CIA) help in 1954.

Someone on another thread submitted a comment from retired Marine Smedley Butler, who was the point man for the US in the Caribbean during the Banana Wars (1900 – 1940) when the US was either deposing unfriendly leaders and replacing them with pro-US leaders or was shoring up various oligarchies, families or businesses down there.

The manual that we used was the USMC Guide to Small Wars, circa 1940. Fascinating book, and still in use to this day. I have a buddy down in Bogota who is using it at present.

Again, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: I spent three years in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras as a military advisor. We used to call Guatemala “the Land of Very Bad Things” because of the genocidal nature of the government.

You want to view a real tool, go Google General Rios Montt, who ran the show for a bit. Guy was a homicidal nutjob who believed God Himself appointed him to cleanse the country of communism. No lie.

Guatemala was overrun with former Mossad and IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) dudes as well. Definitely a no bueno situation.

Guatemala was another government that was overthrown with US (read CIA) help in 1954.

Someone on another thread submitted a comment from retired Marine Smedley Butler, who was the point man for the US in the Caribbean during the Banana Wars (1900 – 1940) when the US was either deposing unfriendly leaders and replacing them with pro-US leaders or was shoring up various oligarchies, families or businesses down there.

The manual that we used was the USMC Guide to Small Wars, circa 1940. Fascinating book, and still in use to this day. I have a buddy down in Bogota who is using it at present.

Again, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: I spent three years in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras as a military advisor. We used to call Guatemala “the Land of Very Bad Things” because of the genocidal nature of the government.

You want to view a real tool, go Google General Rios Montt, who ran the show for a bit. Guy was a homicidal nutjob who believed God Himself appointed him to cleanse the country of communism. No lie.

Guatemala was overrun with former Mossad and IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) dudes as well. Definitely a no bueno situation.

Guatemala was another government that was overthrown with US (read CIA) help in 1954.

Someone on another thread submitted a comment from retired Marine Smedley Butler, who was the point man for the US in the Caribbean during the Banana Wars (1900 – 1940) when the US was either deposing unfriendly leaders and replacing them with pro-US leaders or was shoring up various oligarchies, families or businesses down there.

The manual that we used was the USMC Guide to Small Wars, circa 1940. Fascinating book, and still in use to this day. I have a buddy down in Bogota who is using it at present.

Again, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: I spent three years in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras as a military advisor. We used to call Guatemala “the Land of Very Bad Things” because of the genocidal nature of the government.

You want to view a real tool, go Google General Rios Montt, who ran the show for a bit. Guy was a homicidal nutjob who believed God Himself appointed him to cleanse the country of communism. No lie.

Guatemala was overrun with former Mossad and IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) dudes as well. Definitely a no bueno situation.

Guatemala was another government that was overthrown with US (read CIA) help in 1954.

Someone on another thread submitted a comment from retired Marine Smedley Butler, who was the point man for the US in the Caribbean during the Banana Wars (1900 – 1940) when the US was either deposing unfriendly leaders and replacing them with pro-US leaders or was shoring up various oligarchies, families or businesses down there.

The manual that we used was the USMC Guide to Small Wars, circa 1940. Fascinating book, and still in use to this day. I have a buddy down in Bogota who is using it at present.

Again, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: A Special Forces buddy of mine helped smuggle Stinger missiles to the Muj from Peshawar over the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War.

I have another friend (ex-SEAL) who speaks fluent Pashtun/Pashto and spent three years there with the Muj, teaching them hit-and-run tactics and ambush.

No one can claim clean skirts on this one. Not the French or Germans, nor the Russians nor the US. I don’t remember the author off the top of my head, but there is a great book called “The Great Game”, which recounts the French and British and Russians all attempting to gain and hold sway over Central Asia from the mid-19th century into the early 20th century.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

And those chickens can be really nasty bastards when they come back home to roost.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: A Special Forces buddy of mine helped smuggle Stinger missiles to the Muj from Peshawar over the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War.

I have another friend (ex-SEAL) who speaks fluent Pashtun/Pashto and spent three years there with the Muj, teaching them hit-and-run tactics and ambush.

No one can claim clean skirts on this one. Not the French or Germans, nor the Russians nor the US. I don’t remember the author off the top of my head, but there is a great book called “The Great Game”, which recounts the French and British and Russians all attempting to gain and hold sway over Central Asia from the mid-19th century into the early 20th century.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

And those chickens can be really nasty bastards when they come back home to roost.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: A Special Forces buddy of mine helped smuggle Stinger missiles to the Muj from Peshawar over the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War.

I have another friend (ex-SEAL) who speaks fluent Pashtun/Pashto and spent three years there with the Muj, teaching them hit-and-run tactics and ambush.

No one can claim clean skirts on this one. Not the French or Germans, nor the Russians nor the US. I don’t remember the author off the top of my head, but there is a great book called “The Great Game”, which recounts the French and British and Russians all attempting to gain and hold sway over Central Asia from the mid-19th century into the early 20th century.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

And those chickens can be really nasty bastards when they come back home to roost.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: A Special Forces buddy of mine helped smuggle Stinger missiles to the Muj from Peshawar over the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War.

I have another friend (ex-SEAL) who speaks fluent Pashtun/Pashto and spent three years there with the Muj, teaching them hit-and-run tactics and ambush.

No one can claim clean skirts on this one. Not the French or Germans, nor the Russians nor the US. I don’t remember the author off the top of my head, but there is a great book called “The Great Game”, which recounts the French and British and Russians all attempting to gain and hold sway over Central Asia from the mid-19th century into the early 20th century.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

And those chickens can be really nasty bastards when they come back home to roost.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Nost: A Special Forces buddy of mine helped smuggle Stinger missiles to the Muj from Peshawar over the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War.

I have another friend (ex-SEAL) who speaks fluent Pashtun/Pashto and spent three years there with the Muj, teaching them hit-and-run tactics and ambush.

No one can claim clean skirts on this one. Not the French or Germans, nor the Russians nor the US. I don’t remember the author off the top of my head, but there is a great book called “The Great Game”, which recounts the French and British and Russians all attempting to gain and hold sway over Central Asia from the mid-19th century into the early 20th century.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

And those chickens can be really nasty bastards when they come back home to roost.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Shadowfax: I think you bring up an excellent point. Much of what is being bandied about by both the Dems and Repubs in terms of “rescue” is either useless (it doesn’t really help anyone) or burdensome legislation.

We have two opposing camps in terms of philosophy as well: The Dems with legislation and regulation (which is cumbersome, costly and ineffective) or the Repubs with the “Market will fix all problems” mentality (which is nonsensical in light of the S&L Crisis, the entire decade of the 1980s, the Dot.bomb and now this).

I think Obama’s relative lack of experience as a legislator is coming to the fore and the clunky nature of the proposal illustrates that. (DISCLAIMER: I don’t feel his relative lack of experience as a legislator has anything to do with his ethnicity, character, or his membership as a secret Muslim agitator bent on taking over America for his al-Qaeda masters).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Shadowfax: I think you bring up an excellent point. Much of what is being bandied about by both the Dems and Repubs in terms of “rescue” is either useless (it doesn’t really help anyone) or burdensome legislation.

We have two opposing camps in terms of philosophy as well: The Dems with legislation and regulation (which is cumbersome, costly and ineffective) or the Repubs with the “Market will fix all problems” mentality (which is nonsensical in light of the S&L Crisis, the entire decade of the 1980s, the Dot.bomb and now this).

I think Obama’s relative lack of experience as a legislator is coming to the fore and the clunky nature of the proposal illustrates that. (DISCLAIMER: I don’t feel his relative lack of experience as a legislator has anything to do with his ethnicity, character, or his membership as a secret Muslim agitator bent on taking over America for his al-Qaeda masters).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Shadowfax: I think you bring up an excellent point. Much of what is being bandied about by both the Dems and Repubs in terms of “rescue” is either useless (it doesn’t really help anyone) or burdensome legislation.

We have two opposing camps in terms of philosophy as well: The Dems with legislation and regulation (which is cumbersome, costly and ineffective) or the Repubs with the “Market will fix all problems” mentality (which is nonsensical in light of the S&L Crisis, the entire decade of the 1980s, the Dot.bomb and now this).

I think Obama’s relative lack of experience as a legislator is coming to the fore and the clunky nature of the proposal illustrates that. (DISCLAIMER: I don’t feel his relative lack of experience as a legislator has anything to do with his ethnicity, character, or his membership as a secret Muslim agitator bent on taking over America for his al-Qaeda masters).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Shadowfax: I think you bring up an excellent point. Much of what is being bandied about by both the Dems and Repubs in terms of “rescue” is either useless (it doesn’t really help anyone) or burdensome legislation.

We have two opposing camps in terms of philosophy as well: The Dems with legislation and regulation (which is cumbersome, costly and ineffective) or the Repubs with the “Market will fix all problems” mentality (which is nonsensical in light of the S&L Crisis, the entire decade of the 1980s, the Dot.bomb and now this).

I think Obama’s relative lack of experience as a legislator is coming to the fore and the clunky nature of the proposal illustrates that. (DISCLAIMER: I don’t feel his relative lack of experience as a legislator has anything to do with his ethnicity, character, or his membership as a secret Muslim agitator bent on taking over America for his al-Qaeda masters).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Shadowfax: I think you bring up an excellent point. Much of what is being bandied about by both the Dems and Repubs in terms of “rescue” is either useless (it doesn’t really help anyone) or burdensome legislation.

We have two opposing camps in terms of philosophy as well: The Dems with legislation and regulation (which is cumbersome, costly and ineffective) or the Repubs with the “Market will fix all problems” mentality (which is nonsensical in light of the S&L Crisis, the entire decade of the 1980s, the Dot.bomb and now this).

I think Obama’s relative lack of experience as a legislator is coming to the fore and the clunky nature of the proposal illustrates that. (DISCLAIMER: I don’t feel his relative lack of experience as a legislator has anything to do with his ethnicity, character, or his membership as a secret Muslim agitator bent on taking over America for his al-Qaeda masters).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

JordanT: The Economist wrote an excellent article on Iran and the widespread disenchantment of the populace. They also pointed out that the hardliner government utilizes everything from voter intimidation to censorship (of opposition papers, media and other organs) to outright threats to keep the populace in line.

Iran is made up of well educated, literate and largely pro-American people. Iran is governed by militantly Islamic hardliners, who are fanatically opposed to the West, Israel and America. I would like to discount the utterances of President I-Am-A-Dinnerjacket, but history has shown the folly of ignoring those people that are either in a position to carry out their threats, or rapidly moving towards it.

[Author]

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