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Earlier I mentioned that John Thune sent a report to BRAC chairman Anthony Principi that stated the savings to come from closing Ellsworth were over estimated. Today, the Chaiman of BRAC agreed:Advocates for Ellsworth Air Force Base may have a...

Instead of going with the obvious solution and moving along with the ANWR deal, Tim Johnson is suggesting a congressional hearing to understand why prices are rising at the pumps. The U.S. Senate Energy Committee will hold a hearing in...

Seth at CCK excoriated conservatives for defending Dobson's comments, so its nice that he has now torn into Pat Robertson and Paul Harvey. It gives me a chance to join my colleague, Professor Schaff, in not defending Robertson or what...

I meant to second Prof. Blanchard's argument for hate crimes legislation. A friend and I penned a chapter on hate crimes for this fine volume on moral policy. While researching and writing this book chapter I found my opinion change....

I agree with the sentiments expressed by the delegation that this was a team victory, not a partisan or personal one. I would disassociate myself from any attempt to score short-term political points off of this. That said, we at...

This blog by Michael Yon has received much attention in the last couple days, including stories from the Star Tribune and Powerline. If you want real Ernie Pyle type war reporting, Yon seems to be the only game in town....

Firstly, it should be noted that the Chief is a aficianado of science fiction - particularyly "hard" science fiction, as well as military science fiction. (No warlocks, dwarves or dragons PLEASE! Tolkien is good, but forget the rest.)

I just completed reading THE WATCH ON THE RHINE by John Ringo & Tom Kratman, with the setting of a sort of mass - horde invasion of the planet by some hungry and rapacious aliens who have us on the main menu. There are several books out there in this universe, of which this is the latest.

Without going into all the gory details (and are there EVER gory details that could be gone into) this latest effort is placed in Germany, and the surviving Waffen-SS, after galactic technological rejuvenation are brought back to join the fight. There are lots of interesting developments in this - for example a "Judas Maccabeus" Jewish SS Brigade (phew!) - but this is all just background for the purposes of this post.

The following part of an "Afterword" is the real substance I wanted to pass on (emphasis added):

Right now, Western Civilization, however much many of its members may refuse to admit it, is involved in a world war. No, it has seen no entire cities destroyed; no trenches have drawn their scars across entire continents. It is a world war all the same. Moreover, it is a world war that is putting to the test every notion of individual liberty, freedom of conscience, and rule of law that the West prizes. And should we lose we will see, or our grandchildren will, the erasure of all that is good in Western Civilization.

We cannot afford to lose. Yet winning will have its price, too. Just as the invasion John described is ordained to change humanity into something that one of Hitler's Waffen SS would recognize and call home, so too will this war change us. Because side by side with the virtues of Western Civilization are paired vices that may destroy us: a narrow legalistic mindset, an emphasis on form over substance, and an unwillingness to do the ruthless and violent things we must if we are to survive. This list is not exhaustive. Perhaps worse than these things, however, the West has nurtured at its own breast a set of execrable, vile, treacherous and treasonous villains that seem to seek at every opportunity to do all they can to ensure its destruction.

Yet there is hope. "Survival cancels out programming."

Indeed!

Why does China need that navy?

The new commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Gary Roughhead, an interested onlooker of the joint Chinese-Russian military maneuvers during the past eight days, has posed a critical question about the rapidly modernizing Chinese navy: "What do [the Chinese] see as the intended use of that navy?

If that navy "is to ensure the free flow of commerce, that would not be surprising," he said, nodding toward the sea lanes in the South China and East China seas through which pass the oil and raw materials that feed China's expanding economy, not to mention its soaring exports. The admiral added, however: "What if the intent is not purely to defend the sea lanes?" He left the question open.

Indeed. That IS the question.

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