Berlin Wall Fall: 20 Years Later
Twenty years ago today, I was leading a rocket artillery platoon in live fire exercises at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Eastern Bavaria. Some 400 kilometers to the north, the Berlin Wall was coming down. Back in my teaching days, I jokingly used this coincidence to illustrate the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. I don't have much in the way ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 9, 2009 12:44
Oklahoma High Schoolers Are Very Familiar With George Washington, Thanks
You may recall that a couple of months ago, there was a "shocking survey" circulating around which showed that only 23% of Oklahoma students knew that George Washington was the first President of the United States. At the time, my colleague James expressed his extreme skepticism of this result, a skepticism shared by most of the commenters. Well, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 9, 2009 11:25
Was Fort Hood Massacre ‘Terrorism’?
Nidal Malik Hasan is a Muslim who killed 14 people. Does that make him a terrorist? Some think so. Sen. Joe Lieberman called the Fort Hood massacre an act of "Islamist extremism" - even as top Army brass warned Sunday against guessing at a motive, fearing backlash against Muslim soldiers. "There are very, very strong warning signs here that ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 9, 2009 09:29
Making Jobs More Expensive
The recently passed health care “reform” noted by James below is going to have another impact some have noted, but many have not given much thought too. It will, in effect, make labor more expensive. When something becomes more expensive for firms then tend to use less of it. They will substitute away from it if possible, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 9, 2009 00:24
House Trades Freedom for Health Coverage, Senate’s Move
The House passed a trillion dollar bill that will force Americans to buy health insurance, force even small businesses to provide health coverage, and require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions. (The last, as I have previously argued, makes it something other than "insurance.") Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray for WaPo: Hours after President Obama exhorted Democratic lawmakers to "answer the call ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 8, 2009 09:38
Hasan a Muslim First, American Second?
In hindsight, it appears that Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the mass murderer who killed 14 (one of the soldiers killed, Francheska Velez, was six weeks pregnant) and wounded another 30 at Fort Hood, had long made it known that he sympathized with the enemy. Bloomberg's Justin Blum: Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of a shooting spree that killed ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 7, 2009 12:57
OTB Caption JamTM
Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney has all that jazz. Wizbang really knows how to clear a room. Wyatt Earp feels a disturbance in the force. Cowboy Blob is goin' to the dogs. RT's Ponderings is just bidin' time Blonde Sagacity doesn't think Bill is a little prick. Military ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 7, 2009 11:13
Taking “No” As Iran’s Answer
The editors of the Washington Post articulate a position similar to the one that I took yesterday: The Obama administration and European governments have set the end of the year as a deadline for the transfer of the uranium out of Iran and for progress in the overall negotiations. But the administration must consider whether it makes sense to grant the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 6, 2009 13:27
Update on the Fort Hood Massacre
The picture that is emerging of Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, the American-born Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded dozens of others at Fort Hood yesterday is of a deeply troubled and conflicted individual: As authorities scrambled to figure out what happened at Fort Hood, a hazy and contradictory picture emerged of this son of Palestinian immigrants, a man who ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 6, 2009 13:19
OTB Latenight – Soft Cell
Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 5, 2009 23:44
Caption Contest Winners
The ♬ Louie Louie ♬ Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over. (AFP/File/Pius Utomi Ekpei) ✰ THE WINNERS ✰ First: Maggie Mama - Although he's still dithering about Afghanistan, President Obama decided that a replacement for the USS Sequoia is essential? Second: yetanotherjohn - The justice department found no reason to suspect any voter intimidation based on the photos. Third: charles austin ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 5, 2009 20:30
Breaking: Shootings at Fort Hood (Updated)
Seven people are reported to have been killed and twenty injured in a shooting at Fort Hood in Texas: At least seven people are dead and 20 wounded in a mass shooting Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas, and at least one suspect is believed to be holed up in a building and shooting at SWAT team members, NBC News and affiliate ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 5, 2009 17:19
Pentagon Expected To Ask For Supplementary War Funding. As Usual.
Remember a couple of weeks ago, when Congress passed a $680 billion appropriation? Well, don't worry--the military will be getting still more money:The nation’s top military officer said Wednesday that he expected the Pentagon to ask Congress in the next few months for emergency financing to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though President Obama has pledged ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 5, 2009 11:07
Marking the Anniversary of the Embassy Seizure
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the seizing of the U. S. embassy in Tehran by factions of the revolution that overthrew the shah. President Obama has issued a statement on the occasion which I will reproduce in full here: Thirty years ago today, the American Embassy in Tehran was seized. The 444 days that began on November 4, 1979 ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 5, 2009 10:58
Caption Contest
Time for the Thursday OTB Caption ContestTM (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Winners will be announced Monday PMPosted in Outside The Beltway on November 5, 2009 07:10
