Out in Paper: Clinton Romesha, Red Platoon

Now available in paperback, at Amazon, Clinton Romesha, Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor.

Getting an Edge in the Long Afghan Struggle

From David Petraeus and Michael O'Hanlon, at WSJ, "Trump’s early approach holds promise if backed with a sustained, and sustainable, commitment":

Trump's strategy should seek long-term sustainability in Afghanistan, write David Patraeus & Michael O’Hanlon https://t.co/hWUJMhT9NA

— WSJ Editorial Page (@WSJopinion) June 23, 2017

Can the U.S. succeed in Afghanistan? Not without a sustained, and sustainable, commitment. President Trump’s decision to give Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the authority to add several thousand more U.S. troops to the 8,400 currently deployed is encouraging—but only if it is a first step in a comprehensive approach.

Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, should also receive greater leeway in the use of U.S. and NATO air power. And officials should remain open to the possibility of reconciliation with some insurgents, probably just those that break off from the central Taliban.

An intensified military effort could arrest the gradual loss of territory held by the government in recent years—now estimated by U.S. Central Command at only 60% of the country—and to regain battlefield momentum. Congress should enable all this by appropriating the $5 billion or so a year above current levels that such a strategy will require.

America’s leaders should not lose sight of why the U.S. went to, and has stayed in, Afghanistan: It is in our national interest to ensure that country is not once again a sanctuary for transnational extremists, as it was when the 9/11 attacks were planned there. We have been accomplishing that mission since the intervention began in October 2001. Although al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is diminished, it could rebound if given the opportunity. Islamic State could expand its newfound Afghan foothold as well.

The augmented troop levels Mr. Trump has authorized would be only 12% to 15% of the peak U.S. force levels, in 2010-11. The country can sustain that level of commitment. While all casualties are tragic, our losses in Afghanistan would likely remain far fewer than the losses from another major terrorist attack in the U.S.

Today the U.S. and its coalition partners lack the capacity to train and assist Afghan forces adequately in the field. As recently as 2015, the allied forces did not even have a full-time advisory presence for the main Afghan army corps in Helmand province. Largely as a result, the Taliban gained control of much of the province. Nor did the coalition have adequate advisers to help the smaller Afghan formations near Kunduz before that city fell to the Taliban in 2015. It was later liberated only at high cost, especially to Afghan forces and civilians. Restrictions on coalition air power reduced America’s ability to help Afghan partners.

Adding some 3,000 to 5,000 U.S. and allied troops could provide the capacity for several dozen deployable mentoring teams. That is far from enough to assist each Afghan brigade or battalion. But it could support the units that are engaged in the toughest fights and are most intensively involved in rebuilding their capabilities. Supporting those teams logistically and with air power, and providing quick-reaction forces in several parts of the country to help them if they get in trouble, would drive additional requirements for coalition troops into the low thousands.

On the civilian side, President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah need to continue their efforts against corruption, which have shown gradual, modest results to date. With U.S. help, they need to reform the electoral commissions that will oversee parliamentary and presidential elections over the next two years.

Then there is Pakistan, where the U.S. needs a tougher approach...

More.

PHOTO: Above, "Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in a helicopter over Kabul, April 24."

Caroline Wozniacki for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (VIDEO)

Well, she was defeated in the French Open quarterfinals, although it looks like she's not taking it too hard, lol.

People Are Dying of AIDS in Venezuela

As bad as it is, AIDS/HIV isn't generally fatal, given access to decent medical care and medications.

I guess just even decent care's no longer the case in Venezuela.

Will this make progressives rethink their utopian schemes? Undoubtedly no.

At Toronto's Globe and Mail, "In Venezuela, a once-leading AIDS program lies in ruins":

People are dying of #AIDS in #Venezuela today in a way and in numbers they die nowhere else in the world https://t.co/HEw10hE5W7

— Stephanie Nolen (@snolen) June 22, 2017

More than a decade ago, the country was lauded for its treatment program. Now, Venezuela is years into a political and economic crisis.

Juan Coronel was so thin that his kneecaps jutted out like tent poles in his sweatpants. He was 39 when I met him a few weeks ago, with reddish-brown hair that clung to his scalp like a baby’s and deep hollows below his cheekbones. His voice was soft and raspy, and he seemed dazed at his own fragility. “I need to go and look for medicine,” he said, “but I’m having trouble getting around.”

I had not seen a person who looked like Mr. Coronel – a person dying of untreated AIDS – since I covered the pandemic in Africa at its height more than a decade ago. In fact, there is nowhere in the world today where people are dying of AIDS at the pace and in the sheer numbers that they are in Venezuela: Even the poorest African countries today have HIV treatment programs. They still don’t reach everyone, and people are still dying, or getting treatment only after they become very ill – they may come to look as Mr. Coronel did when I met him. But in other countries, they are the exception. Today, in Venezuela, his case is the rule...

Keep reading.

Left-Wing Politics Will Be the Demise of Democrats

This is good, from Shermichael Singleton, at the Hill:

You don’t have to be a seasoned political operative to question the logic behind Democrats investing so much money into a congressional district that has gone Republican for nearly 40 years, yet that is exactly what the Democratic Party did.

They believed they could switch moderate Republican voters to vote for a Democratic candidate and mobilize Independents by spouting a progressive message, which is philosophically antithetical to the values held by most voters — such as limited government due to a fear of government encroachment and excessive regulation — as well as utopian ideas about society, which many frankly believe are unrealistic.

Grand visions about the future are typically distrusted by most people regardless of their ideological leanings because people live in reality, and nothing in reality happens overnight. Most Americans want pragmatism that builds toward a better tomorrow, rather than grandiose promises built on unproven ideas.

Maybe the intent of progressive Democrats is good. Maybe it isn’t. However, what is most concerning about progressive ideology is that it maintains the belief that ultimate good comes from a centrally planned state or in essence the government. Similar to socialism, progressivism advocates for a government built on compulsory force.

The government cannot possibly know the needs of every single person today, so that the needs of the individual are met for tomorrow. Any more than a socialist system knows how much of a product to produce. The two are arguably one in the same.

One of the biggest problems with progressivism is that they advocate the importance of a centralized nurturing state with a moral goal, but that has never been the role of government. Government, as advocated by progressives, is impossible because it is impossible for a government to know exactly what each individual need or how much of it that they need.

Democrats foolishly believed that college-educated Republicans would vote for a progressive Democrat over a Republican because of their disdain for President Trump and his many mishaps. The unknown Jon Ossoff ran against the known Karen Handel, who once chaired Fulton County Board of Commissioners from 2003 to 2006. She was then elected and served as Georgia’s secretary of state from 2007 to 2010.

And she even threw her hat in the ring for the highly contested U.S. Senate race in 2014 to replace former Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.). In essence, she isn’t a political newcomer and the fact that Democrats actually believed they could flip a district that has gone Republican for nearly four decades purely because of Trump’s actions shows how out of touch their strategy is.

Handel made the election about issues, pointing out that a vote for Ossoff would be a vote for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is far more unpopular with Republican voters, including those with a disdain for Trump...

More.

Lily Collins, Phil Collins' Daughter, Opens Up About Eating Disorder

I didn't know she was Phil Collins' daughter.

I like Phil Collins. I saw him with Genesis, at the Long Beach Arena, back in the day.

At London's Daily Mail, "'My body's the shape it is because it holds my heart!' Lily Collins is candid about eating disorder battle as she reveals her fab form in swimsuit shoot."

And at Shape, "Lily Collins Shares How Suffering from an Eating Disorder Changed Her Definition of 'Healthy'."

Lily Collins Shares How Suffering from an Eating Disorder Changed Her Definition of 'Healthy' https://t.co/LpOp0k540e pic.twitter.com/PidOaQUjU8

— Shape Magazine (@Shape_Magazine) June 22, 2017

Out in Paper: Nicholas Stargardt, The German War

I zipped through this book when I read it last year.

Now available in paperback, at Amazon, Nicholas Stargardt, The German War: A Nation Under Arms, 1939–1945.

Today's Deals

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Gold Box Deals.

Also, Handcrafted Indian Wooden Barrel Money Bank for Kids - Brass Accents and Coin Slot - Measures 5.5 Inches.

And, Swiss+Tech ST35060 Polished SS 20-in-1 Bicycle Multitool Kit for Bike Repair, Sports, Camping, Outdoors.

Plus, Mountain House Just In Case...Classic Assortment Bucket.

Here, Cafe Britt Tarrazu Montecielo Ground Coffee, 12-Ounce Bags (Pack of 2).

Still more, Flatware Set - Sterling Quality - Royal Cutlery - Multipurpose Use for Home, Kitchen or Restaurant (20 Pc Flatware Set) - by Utopia Kitchen.

And, Camp Kitchen Utensil Organizer Travel Set - Portable 8 Piece BBQ Camping Cookware Utensils Travel Kit with Water Resistant Case, Cutting Board, Rice Paddle, Tongs, Scissors, Knife and Bottle Opener.

BONUS: Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.

Rep. Kathleen Rice Calls for Leadership Change in the Democratic Party (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Time for Nancy Pelosi to Step Down?"

Pelosi's going to hang to power as if she were Joseph Stalin.

At Morning Joe, this morning:

Britain Sends Man to Prison for Posting His Thoughts About Muslims to Facebook

At the Daily Wire, via Memeorandum, "British Police Just Imprisoned a Man for Posting Mean Things About Muslims on Facebook."

This what leftists want here. Coming to America? #Islam #Jihad #RadicalLeft #ClimateOfHate #Facebook https://t.co/dikJsikdKQ

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 22, 2017

This man used Facebook to express his hatred for muslims & has gone to prison #WeStandTogether against hate crimes https://t.co/Bo7OCDADKu

— Sussex Police (@sussex_police) June 20, 2017

"Hate crimes" are thought crimes. Leftists can't stand independent thought.

Sara Jean Underwood Rule 5

At Taxi Driver, "Sara Jean Underwood Snaps See-Through Selfies."

And she posts straight to Twitter:

Go fetch! pic.twitter.com/M8l8uv2uSr

— Sara Jean Underwood (@SaraUnderwood) June 22, 2017

Instagram: saraunderwood
Snapchat: SjUnderwood
Facebook: SaraJeanUnderwood pic.twitter.com/ljkEUNig4R

— Sara Jean Underwood (@SaraUnderwood) June 18, 2017

Catch me if you can... pic.twitter.com/cl5Al6AaNB

— Sara Jean Underwood (@SaraUnderwood) June 17, 2017

What do you have to say for yourself? pic.twitter.com/K1THI6Maiz

— Sara Jean Underwood (@SaraUnderwood) June 16, 2017

Do you like the glasses?👓 pic.twitter.com/TdTMcj2ayx

— Sara Jean Underwood (@SaraUnderwood) June 14, 2017

👀 pic.twitter.com/Wayr1kAA18

— Sara Jean Underwood (@SaraUnderwood) June 13, 2017

Ocotillo Wells, in San Diego County, Sets New Record-High: 124 Degrees (VIDEO)

It's been totally mild in Irvine, so I guess we're lucky, lol.

At ABC News 10 San Diego:

Bryan Burrough, Days of Rage

At Amazon, Bryan Burrough, Days of Rage: America's Radical Underground, the FBI, and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence.

Antifa Movement and the Roots of Left-Wing Violence

Here's a nice piece that was published at National Review a few weeks ago. It was gated at the time, so I didn't post it. It's available now though.

Certainly timely, if not a bit prophetic, considering.

From Ian Tuttle, "The Roots of Left-Wing Violence":

The Roots of Left-Wing Violence https://t.co/3a6s7h6xr7 via @iptuttle pic.twitter.com/ERulWxAj6Q

— National Review (@NRO) June 5, 2017

Time for Nancy Pelosi to Step Down?

She's defiant.

At Politico:

“I am a master legislator”: A defiant @NancyPelosi says she has no plans to step down from leadership https://t.co/ok0czN4Ogo pic.twitter.com/F8L17DBx6b

— POLITICO (@politico) June 22, 2017

.@NancyPelosi faces growing doubts among Democrats after the loss in the Georgia special election https://t.co/7bBT5smw60 pic.twitter.com/oe56CS4do0

— POLITICO (@politico) June 22, 2017

Lisa Boothe: The Left's Climate of Hate Reaches All-Time High (VIDEO)

From Sunday's Fox News Sunday Panel:

John Pfaff, Locked In

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, John Pfaff, Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration—and How to Achieve Real Reform.

Julian Assange's Nihilism (VIDEO)

From Sue Halpern, at the New York Review, "The Nihilism of Julian Assange":

Sue Halpern reviews ‘Risk,’ Laura Poitras’s documentary portrait of Julian Assange https://t.co/tgEwRkGF1q

— NY Review of Books (@nybooks) June 20, 2017

About forty minutes into Risk, Laura Poitras’s messy documentary portrait of Julian Assange, the filmmaker addresses the viewer from off-camera. “This is not the film I thought I was making,” she says. “I thought I could ignore the contradictions. I thought they were not part of the story. I was so wrong. They are becoming the story.”

By the time she makes this confession, Poitras has been filming Assange, on and off, for six years. He has gone from a bit player on the international stage to one of its dramatic leads. His gleeful interference in the 2016 American presidential election—first with the release of e-mails poached from the Democratic National Committee, timed to coincide with, undermine, and possibly derail Hillary Clinton’s nomination at the Democratic Convention, and then with the publication of the private e-mail correspondence of Clinton’s adviser John Podesta, which was leaked, drip by drip, in the days leading up to the election to maximize the damage it might inflict on Clinton—elevated Assange’s profile and his influence.

And then this spring, it emerged that Nigel Farage, the Trump adviser and former head of the nationalist and anti-immigrant UK Independence Party (UKIP) who is now a person of interest in the FBI investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, was meeting with Assange. To those who once saw him as a crusader for truth and accountability, Assange suddenly looked more like a Svengali and a willing tool of Vladimir Putin, and certainly a man with no particular affection for liberal democracy. Yet those tendencies were present all along.

n 2010, when Poitras began work on her film, Assange’s four-year-old website, WikiLeaks, had just become the conduit for hundreds of thousands of classified American documents revealing how we prosecuted the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including a graphic video of American soldiers in an Apache helicopter mowing down a group of unarmed Iraqis, as well as for some 250,000 State Department diplomatic cables. All had been uploaded to the WikiLeaks site by an army private named Bradley—now Chelsea—Manning.

The genius of the WikiLeaks platform was that documents could be leaked anonymously, with all identifiers removed; WikiLeaks itself didn’t know who its sources were unless leakers chose to reveal themselves. This would prevent anyone at WikiLeaks from inadvertently, or under pressure, disclosing a source’s identity. Assange’s goal was to hold power—state power, corporate power, and powerful individuals—accountable by offering a secure and easy way to expose their secrets. He called this “radical transparency.” Manning’s bad luck was to tell a friend about the hack, and the friend then went to the FBI. For a long time, though, Assange pretended not to know who provided the documents, even when there was evidence that he and Manning had been e-mailing before the leaks.

Though the contradictions were not immediately obvious to Poitras as she trained her lens on Assange, they were becoming so to others in his orbit. WikiLeaks’s young spokesperson in those early days, James Ball, has recounted how Assange tried to force him to sign a nondisclosure statement that would result in a £12 million penalty if it were breached. “[I was] woken very early by Assange, sitting on my bed, prodding me in the face with a stuffed giraffe, immediately once again pressuring me to sign,” Ball wrote. Assange continued to pester him like this for two hours. Assange’s “impulse towards free speech,” according to Andrew O’Hagan, the erstwhile ghostwriter of Assange’s failed autobiography, “is only permissible if it adheres to his message. His pursuit of governments and corporations was a ghostly reverse of his own fears for himself. That was the big secret with him: he wanted to cover up everything about himself except his fame.”

Meanwhile, some of the company he was keeping while Poitras was filming also might have given her pause. His association with Farage had already begun in 2011 when Farage was head of UKIP. Assange’s own WikiLeaks Party of Australia was aligned with the white nationalist Australia First Party, itself headed by an avowed neo-Nazi, until political pressure forced it to claim that association to be an “administrative error.”

Most egregious, perhaps, was Assange’s collaboration with Israel Shamir, an unapologetic anti-Semite and Putin ally to whom Assange handed over all State Department diplomatic cables from the Manning leak relating to Belarus (as well as to Russia, Eastern Europe, and Israel). Shamir then shared these documents with members of the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who appeared to use them to imprison and torture members of the opposition. This prompted the human rights group Index on Censorship to ask WikiLeaks to explain its relationship to Shamir, and to look into reports that Shamir’s “access to the WikiLeaks’ US diplomatic cables [aided in] the prosecution of civil society activists within Belarus.” WikiLeaks called these claims rumors and responded that it would not be investigating them. “Most people with principled stances don’t survive for long,” Assange tells Poitras at the beginning of the film. It’s not clear if he’s talking about himself or others...

I've never liked nor respected Assange, who I consider an enemy.

But note how Halpern gets the basic background wrong: That "graphic video of American soldiers in an Apache helicopter mowing down a group of unarmed Iraqis" was actually a video of anti-American journalists embedded with Iraqi insurgents armed with RPGs. The Apache took them out in self-defense, following strict rules of engagement. That story's been totally debunked. But as with most other things in the news, the initial lie becomes the official truth for the radical left. That's why you can never let your guard down.

Keep reading, FWIW.

University of Oregon Professor C.J. Pascoe: 'Trumpism' Is About 'Discourses of Masculinized Dominance'

At the Other McCain, "Feminist Professor: ‘Trumpism’ Is About ‘Discourses of Masculinized Dominance’."

These people are psycho.

Masha Gessen, The Future Is History

*BUMPED.*

Out October 3rd, at Amazon, Masha Gessen, The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia.

Also, The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin.