Monday, November 22, 2004

So much for.... So much for states-rights and federalism. From the Post: "Also included in [i.e., slipped in furtively into] the final [omnibus spending] bill was a major provision barring states from enforcing laws that require health care providers, hospitals, HMOs or insurers... [Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall] I'm appalled (although not at all surprised) that a liberal is unhappy at the idea of the Feds passing a law which enforces the Thirteenth Amendment. I am a bit surprised that it was passed at all. The Federal government is, as a whole, quite happy with involuntary servitude. 9:48:23 PM    comment () Forgotten Facts of American Labor History. The oft-heard tale about the sad plight of labor as versus capital is almost entirely false, writes Thomas Woods, author of a new book on American history. Those parts of conventional labor history that are true are true for reasons other than those alleged by pro-union historians, who see in them only confirmation of their prejudices against the market economy. By Thomas Woods. [Ludwig von Mises Institute Articles] 9:39:30 PM    comment () Tactics of the Crescent Moon. U.S. forces have taken Falluja. Were we fighting a war in the Spanish Netherlands in the 17th century, and were Falluja the fortress city of Breda, the victory might mean something. Caught up as we actually are in a Fourth Generation war in Iraq, the event is almost meaningless. Most of the guerillas fled before we attacked, as guerillas are supposed to do ("When the enemy attacks, we retreat.") U.S. forces are finding few dead resistance fighters; the 1,200 to 1,600 "body count" the American command is claiming will prove as phony as those in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the resistance is hitting us elsewhere. When U.S. forces leave Falluja, they will return there too. And the U.S. military has again destroyed the village in order to save it, giving its enemies a victory at the moral level. Will we ever learn? If we do ever learn, a good bit of the credit should go to one of the most innovative and practical modern writers on military tactics, retired Marine John Poole. His first book, The Last Hundred Yards, was the best small unit tactics manual published in many years. Now, just in time for Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever else the neo-cons want to send American soldiers to die, he is offering his take on how Islamic non-state forces fight. Tactics of the Crescent Moon: Militant Muslim Combat Methods should be in the backpack of every American soldier and Marine. [LewRockwell.com] 10:03:01 AM    comment ()

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