[Allan from Fallbrook]

pablo: That kitchen is a gem, too! Glad they cleaned up beforehand.

I noticed some of the comps were pushing $600/sf. Is it just me, or is that completely out of whack? I know the Bay Park area, and it isn’t that nice.

Of course, growing up in the SF/Bay Area, I am used to stupidly overpriced houses in not so great areas. Like East Palo Alto.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

pablo: That kitchen is a gem, too! Glad they cleaned up beforehand.

I noticed some of the comps were pushing $600/sf. Is it just me, or is that completely out of whack? I know the Bay Park area, and it isn’t that nice.

Of course, growing up in the SF/Bay Area, I am used to stupidly overpriced houses in not so great areas. Like East Palo Alto.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

pablo: That kitchen is a gem, too! Glad they cleaned up beforehand.

I noticed some of the comps were pushing $600/sf. Is it just me, or is that completely out of whack? I know the Bay Park area, and it isn’t that nice.

Of course, growing up in the SF/Bay Area, I am used to stupidly overpriced houses in not so great areas. Like East Palo Alto.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

pablo: That kitchen is a gem, too! Glad they cleaned up beforehand.

I noticed some of the comps were pushing $600/sf. Is it just me, or is that completely out of whack? I know the Bay Park area, and it isn’t that nice.

Of course, growing up in the SF/Bay Area, I am used to stupidly overpriced houses in not so great areas. Like East Palo Alto.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: Now that is a truly tough question. Honestly, I don’t that know that I have truly worked through those years. Not trying to be evasive, but I can see both sides of the issue, and there is not a clear cut black versus white take on things.

Let me give you an example. Danny Ortega and the Sandinistas deposed Tacho Somoza, resident dictator of Nicaragua, in 1979. Somoza was inarguably a bad guy. Ortega, however, comes to power and immediately reneges on his promise of free elections (which didn’t take place for 11 years). He militarizes Nicaragua to the point where they have a larger standing army than Mexico, a country six times larger. He brings in Soviet and Cuban military advisors and sets about “exporting” revolution to the rest of Central America. So while Somoza was bad, Ortega was worse and wound up being kicked out of office the first time he allowed free elections (in 1990).

The US has brought the necessary capital and technological capability to help these countries develop their resources, but we have done so at a great price to the people of those countries. We have supported some pretty unsavory individuals and governments, and have sacrificed a lot of our soul in the process. However, I do believe the other side is/was worse, and left with a choice between someone like Castro or someone like Batista, I would choose Batista.

I’m a capitalist, too, and I agree with Bismarck’s dictum, “Whoever wishes to retain their respect for either laws or sausages should refrain from watching either being made”. Paraphrasing that slightly I would opine that paying too much close attention to the maintenance of American power and hegemony (although I will stop short of the word “empire”) might make you a little queasy.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: Now that is a truly tough question. Honestly, I don’t that know that I have truly worked through those years. Not trying to be evasive, but I can see both sides of the issue, and there is not a clear cut black versus white take on things.

Let me give you an example. Danny Ortega and the Sandinistas deposed Tacho Somoza, resident dictator of Nicaragua, in 1979. Somoza was inarguably a bad guy. Ortega, however, comes to power and immediately reneges on his promise of free elections (which didn’t take place for 11 years). He militarizes Nicaragua to the point where they have a larger standing army than Mexico, a country six times larger. He brings in Soviet and Cuban military advisors and sets about “exporting” revolution to the rest of Central America. So while Somoza was bad, Ortega was worse and wound up being kicked out of office the first time he allowed free elections (in 1990).

The US has brought the necessary capital and technological capability to help these countries develop their resources, but we have done so at a great price to the people of those countries. We have supported some pretty unsavory individuals and governments, and have sacrificed a lot of our soul in the process. However, I do believe the other side is/was worse, and left with a choice between someone like Castro or someone like Batista, I would choose Batista.

I’m a capitalist, too, and I agree with Bismarck’s dictum, “Whoever wishes to retain their respect for either laws or sausages should refrain from watching either being made”. Paraphrasing that slightly I would opine that paying too much close attention to the maintenance of American power and hegemony (although I will stop short of the word “empire”) might make you a little queasy.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: Now that is a truly tough question. Honestly, I don’t that know that I have truly worked through those years. Not trying to be evasive, but I can see both sides of the issue, and there is not a clear cut black versus white take on things.

Let me give you an example. Danny Ortega and the Sandinistas deposed Tacho Somoza, resident dictator of Nicaragua, in 1979. Somoza was inarguably a bad guy. Ortega, however, comes to power and immediately reneges on his promise of free elections (which didn’t take place for 11 years). He militarizes Nicaragua to the point where they have a larger standing army than Mexico, a country six times larger. He brings in Soviet and Cuban military advisors and sets about “exporting” revolution to the rest of Central America. So while Somoza was bad, Ortega was worse and wound up being kicked out of office the first time he allowed free elections (in 1990).

The US has brought the necessary capital and technological capability to help these countries develop their resources, but we have done so at a great price to the people of those countries. We have supported some pretty unsavory individuals and governments, and have sacrificed a lot of our soul in the process. However, I do believe the other side is/was worse, and left with a choice between someone like Castro or someone like Batista, I would choose Batista.

I’m a capitalist, too, and I agree with Bismarck’s dictum, “Whoever wishes to retain their respect for either laws or sausages should refrain from watching either being made”. Paraphrasing that slightly I would opine that paying too much close attention to the maintenance of American power and hegemony (although I will stop short of the word “empire”) might make you a little queasy.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: Now that is a truly tough question. Honestly, I don’t that know that I have truly worked through those years. Not trying to be evasive, but I can see both sides of the issue, and there is not a clear cut black versus white take on things.

Let me give you an example. Danny Ortega and the Sandinistas deposed Tacho Somoza, resident dictator of Nicaragua, in 1979. Somoza was inarguably a bad guy. Ortega, however, comes to power and immediately reneges on his promise of free elections (which didn’t take place for 11 years). He militarizes Nicaragua to the point where they have a larger standing army than Mexico, a country six times larger. He brings in Soviet and Cuban military advisors and sets about “exporting” revolution to the rest of Central America. So while Somoza was bad, Ortega was worse and wound up being kicked out of office the first time he allowed free elections (in 1990).

The US has brought the necessary capital and technological capability to help these countries develop their resources, but we have done so at a great price to the people of those countries. We have supported some pretty unsavory individuals and governments, and have sacrificed a lot of our soul in the process. However, I do believe the other side is/was worse, and left with a choice between someone like Castro or someone like Batista, I would choose Batista.

I’m a capitalist, too, and I agree with Bismarck’s dictum, “Whoever wishes to retain their respect for either laws or sausages should refrain from watching either being made”. Paraphrasing that slightly I would opine that paying too much close attention to the maintenance of American power and hegemony (although I will stop short of the word “empire”) might make you a little queasy.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: Now that is a truly tough question. Honestly, I don’t that know that I have truly worked through those years. Not trying to be evasive, but I can see both sides of the issue, and there is not a clear cut black versus white take on things.

Let me give you an example. Danny Ortega and the Sandinistas deposed Tacho Somoza, resident dictator of Nicaragua, in 1979. Somoza was inarguably a bad guy. Ortega, however, comes to power and immediately reneges on his promise of free elections (which didn’t take place for 11 years). He militarizes Nicaragua to the point where they have a larger standing army than Mexico, a country six times larger. He brings in Soviet and Cuban military advisors and sets about “exporting” revolution to the rest of Central America. So while Somoza was bad, Ortega was worse and wound up being kicked out of office the first time he allowed free elections (in 1990).

The US has brought the necessary capital and technological capability to help these countries develop their resources, but we have done so at a great price to the people of those countries. We have supported some pretty unsavory individuals and governments, and have sacrificed a lot of our soul in the process. However, I do believe the other side is/was worse, and left with a choice between someone like Castro or someone like Batista, I would choose Batista.

I’m a capitalist, too, and I agree with Bismarck’s dictum, “Whoever wishes to retain their respect for either laws or sausages should refrain from watching either being made”. Paraphrasing that slightly I would opine that paying too much close attention to the maintenance of American power and hegemony (although I will stop short of the word “empire”) might make you a little queasy.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: I only read the first one. I found it plausible, but I never dug any deeper than that.

I will say this: Where I was during the 1980s (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras), there was also a significant US business presence as well. We had several contingency plans in place in case of a 1979 Somoza/Nicaragua-type repeat in Salvador or Guatemala or Honduras, and these involved US forces extracting American workers and getting them to safety. United Fruit, American Mining Co. and Goodyear were all down there, as well as quite a few smaller operations.

The counterinsurgency “bible” we used was the USMC Small Wars Manual, written circa 1940. This is a fascinating book, and it is the product of the Marine Corps “Banana Wars” of the 1920s and 1930s. I would recommend reading up on these wars, as well as Smedley Butler, the Marines’ go to guy during this period.

Sorry to get a little off track there, but I think very little has changed during the last 100 years or so when it comes to the US and the “American Lake” (the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico) and our continued exploitation of those resources.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: I only read the first one. I found it plausible, but I never dug any deeper than that.

I will say this: Where I was during the 1980s (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras), there was also a significant US business presence as well. We had several contingency plans in place in case of a 1979 Somoza/Nicaragua-type repeat in Salvador or Guatemala or Honduras, and these involved US forces extracting American workers and getting them to safety. United Fruit, American Mining Co. and Goodyear were all down there, as well as quite a few smaller operations.

The counterinsurgency “bible” we used was the USMC Small Wars Manual, written circa 1940. This is a fascinating book, and it is the product of the Marine Corps “Banana Wars” of the 1920s and 1930s. I would recommend reading up on these wars, as well as Smedley Butler, the Marines’ go to guy during this period.

Sorry to get a little off track there, but I think very little has changed during the last 100 years or so when it comes to the US and the “American Lake” (the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico) and our continued exploitation of those resources.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: I only read the first one. I found it plausible, but I never dug any deeper than that.

I will say this: Where I was during the 1980s (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras), there was also a significant US business presence as well. We had several contingency plans in place in case of a 1979 Somoza/Nicaragua-type repeat in Salvador or Guatemala or Honduras, and these involved US forces extracting American workers and getting them to safety. United Fruit, American Mining Co. and Goodyear were all down there, as well as quite a few smaller operations.

The counterinsurgency “bible” we used was the USMC Small Wars Manual, written circa 1940. This is a fascinating book, and it is the product of the Marine Corps “Banana Wars” of the 1920s and 1930s. I would recommend reading up on these wars, as well as Smedley Butler, the Marines’ go to guy during this period.

Sorry to get a little off track there, but I think very little has changed during the last 100 years or so when it comes to the US and the “American Lake” (the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico) and our continued exploitation of those resources.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: I only read the first one. I found it plausible, but I never dug any deeper than that.

I will say this: Where I was during the 1980s (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras), there was also a significant US business presence as well. We had several contingency plans in place in case of a 1979 Somoza/Nicaragua-type repeat in Salvador or Guatemala or Honduras, and these involved US forces extracting American workers and getting them to safety. United Fruit, American Mining Co. and Goodyear were all down there, as well as quite a few smaller operations.

The counterinsurgency “bible” we used was the USMC Small Wars Manual, written circa 1940. This is a fascinating book, and it is the product of the Marine Corps “Banana Wars” of the 1920s and 1930s. I would recommend reading up on these wars, as well as Smedley Butler, the Marines’ go to guy during this period.

Sorry to get a little off track there, but I think very little has changed during the last 100 years or so when it comes to the US and the “American Lake” (the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico) and our continued exploitation of those resources.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Jumby: I only read the first one. I found it plausible, but I never dug any deeper than that.

I will say this: Where I was during the 1980s (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras), there was also a significant US business presence as well. We had several contingency plans in place in case of a 1979 Somoza/Nicaragua-type repeat in Salvador or Guatemala or Honduras, and these involved US forces extracting American workers and getting them to safety. United Fruit, American Mining Co. and Goodyear were all down there, as well as quite a few smaller operations.

The counterinsurgency “bible” we used was the USMC Small Wars Manual, written circa 1940. This is a fascinating book, and it is the product of the Marine Corps “Banana Wars” of the 1920s and 1930s. I would recommend reading up on these wars, as well as Smedley Butler, the Marines’ go to guy during this period.

Sorry to get a little off track there, but I think very little has changed during the last 100 years or so when it comes to the US and the “American Lake” (the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico) and our continued exploitation of those resources.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Borat: A good friend of mine from school was Italian, and his grandfather was from Italy, and had grown up in Napoli during the 1930s and early 1940s. His recollections of Mussolini were fairly benign, and I think he sort of viewed him as somewhat comical. He mentioned the trains running on time as well.

I spent 3 years as a military advisor in Central America in the 1980s, and got to see some of those self-same f****d up Third World countries firsthand. I have opined more than once that as bad as Somoza was, Ortega and the Sandinistas were worse. Same with Batista and Castro. Of course, this doesn’t play well with the more liberally inclined among us, but it is a very different world down there.

Mission creep. Yeah, it is a bitch. Start out protecting Western Europe from the Soviets, and the next thing you know we are tending an empire! How’s that for mission creep?

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