Funmurphys: the Blog

Internationalize This

Tom McGuire looks at the complaint that President Bush hasn't done enought to "internationalize" our intervention in Iraq and isn't impressed based on our experience in Afganistan.

Moral Depravity

I'm the number one hit for "moral smugness" on Google. I now turn to what I find to be moral depravity -an email sent to Archpundit from a white supremacist. I warn you, it is revolting, not for the obscene language, but for the sentiments expressed. While on a theoretical level I understand that people like Mr. Holt exist, it's a shock to read such brutal hatred, and another shock to find out this guy was recently on the School Board for St. Louis and currently has a radio show here in St. Louis.

There is some irony to the email - the torrent of abuse on "nigros" and "nigro lovers" was set loose by Archpundit calling Mr. Holt a white supremacist.

A Simple Life

Reality TV started with people trying to get rich - at least on Network TV. Now the trend is portraying rich people - as long as they're young and beautiful (and stupid). Hey, that standard isn't much different than the rest of TV. Paris Hilton (in video that can be shown on network TV) and Nicole Richie get to spend some time down on the farm in Arkansas while we get to yuk it up at their expense (and if we stay tuned to ogle, Fox won't mind a bit). MTV will showcase their poor little (yet somehow gorgeous) rich girls on the creatively titled "Rich Girls", while HBO will add boys to the mix in their "documentary", Born Rich. So if you're rich, beautiful, and stupid you can get your own TV show. If you're just stupid, you'll have to settle for a brief "Jaywalking" bit with Leno.

Unforgotten Tales

I wanted The Two Towers for my birthday, but the extended version wasn't out yet. So I agonized, and put it on my Christmas list. While that means I don't have to pay for it, it also means I have to wait for it. Until Christmas. I suppose that's just as well as the odds of me having three continguous, uninterupted hours to watch before then are pretty slim, but it does mean I have to scurry after the crumbs others leave behind. Thanks Dodd, may I have another?

Irish Proverb 16

There is no need like the lack of a friend.

Nevermore

I love a good quote. Usually they're short and pointed; The Sophorist has collected a trio of long yet pointed ones.

Distancing or Confirmation?

In responding to a post by Joshua Clayborne about the leaked DOD memo on Iraq al-Qaida ties, I wrote a lengthy reply. So I thought I'd polish it up for my own site.

The Weekly Standard broke the story under the title Case Closed. The DOD responded with a Press Relase that in my opinion confirms rather than denies while taking the form of a denial - kind of like a back-handed compliment.

From the Press Release:

"These reports dealt with the relationship between Iraq and al-Qaida.

The items listed in the classified annex were either raw reports or products of the CIA, the NSA, or, in one case, the DIA."

Here we have the DOD confirm that they did prepare a classified memo, that it contained a description of both raw intelligence data and various reports from various agencies, and the subject matter was the connection between Iraq and al-Qaida. Rather than distancing, the DOD said yeah, we put it together with the consent of the Intelligence Community.

As far as distancing from news reports claiming the DOD confirmed new information - well, I suppose it all depends on the meaning of distance, confirm and new. The News Release makes that the DOD had nothing to do with the reports and raw intel - all it did was supply a list to the Senate of non-DOD reports and raw intel. So I suppose you could say that the DOD distanced itself from what was contained in the reports ("hey, it ain't our work, its the Intellegence Community's work), and since this all happened back in July, why, nothing new here.

In fairness to Mr. Hayes, when he speaks of "new information", he's referring to intel gathered after the invasion of Iraq and new to those outside the intel community (he also points out that pleny of it is old intel - including from Clinton was President. I think most people would agree that that is a reasonable definition for a news report on this subject. And Mr. Hayes never claims that his conclusion that Iraq and al Qaida were cooperating is the official conclusion of any government agency or entity.

It's interesting to note that the DOD press release focuses on the annex to the letter Under Secretary Feith sent - while Mr. Hayes consistantly refers to "the memo". Does Mr. Hayes have the whole thing? Maybe there are conclusions in that part?

So you have Under Secretary Feith testifying before Congress in July, and the Senate asks him for the reports to back up his testimony -- so he must have discussed ties between Iraq and al-Qaida. I think it's a reasonable inference to draw that he was claiming there were ties between the two (why else say "hey, back those claims up"). I don't know this, but I think that's the way the evidence available points.

So I think the DOD press release doesn't represent a distancing, but dare I say a confirmation of the news reports.

Amazing News

We can cure Juvenile Diabetes in mice using spleen cells. If this works in people, this is big news, as well as puzzling. Why cells from the spleen should regenerate the pancreas is a mystery.

More Soldiers?

Do we need more soldiers in Iraq, and do we need a larger military?

As for Iraq, I'd say the answer is generally no, but only because the number of Iraqi soldiers and police is steadily increasing. Ultimately, Iraqis will have to choose their future, and really all the US can do is to keep it from being stolen by armed force.

But I do think we need a larger military. Part of the problem is the political decision made post-Vietnam to structure the Armed Forces to require reserves to be called up to fight any significant foe. I think we're currently seeing the shortcoming of that restructuring. So I think we need to reverse that, and replicate a lot of the non-combat capability that is currently in the reserves in the standing army while keeping the reserves; a lot of the civil affairs, military police, and engineer type units. I think we have plenty of traditional combat power as is - in large measure because our advanced technology weapons provide a huge force multiplier in open combat. But that technology of destruction doesn't do us much good in the non-combat or low intensity combat areas.

In addition to the increase above, we need an additional army division that would be a brand spanking new type: the urban division, specifically trained and equipped for combat and peace keeping operations in cities. To do it right, we need to start small and try out different tactics and equipment that are better suited to urban combat before we create the whole division. I find it interesting that almost all the elite, or at least non-traditional military units are essentially light infantry: special forces, the 10th mountain division, the 82nd airborne division, and the 101st air assault division. The urban division would be mostly light infantry, although it would need tanks, IFVs and artillery.

Too Much Time On Somebody's Hands

At last! A rap music video I can love.

Warning: hilarity ensues when you click the link.

I Dodged A Bullet (Metaphorically)

I about had a heart attack this morning - the St. Louis Post Dispatch editorialized about the concealed carry law that "It would be wonderful if the law were unconstitutional, as Judge Steven R. Ohmer says it is. But it's hard to read the Missouri Constitution that way without a lot of wishful thinking." This is the same editorial board that supported common crook and high handed Speaker of the Missouri House Bob Griffin because he was a staunch supporter of abortion on demand. I have to say it's great that despite their repeating the claim that concealed carry "is the road to hell" and is "an abomination" (hey, aren't these the people who hate it when right wingers speak in that kind of language?) they have the intellectual honesty to admit that it isn't unconstitutional (if they would only do the same about Roe vs. Wade, I really would have a heart attack).

I don't care that much about concealed carry, but I went from an opponent to a supporter when I looked at the data. It doesn't lead to shootouts in the streets, people killed over nothing, and an increase in crimes of passion. I don't think it does much to lower the crime rate, either, though. But what it does do is allow the average citizen, and most importantly the single mom living in a lousy neighboorhood, the ability to choose a firearm as a method to protect herself. That's me, pro-choice when it really is a choice.

0th Generation Warfare

The insurgents (or whatever you want to call them) have clearly stepped up their attacks in Iraq. So the question becomes, why now. They are confronted with the choice of either attacking, or laying low. If they make attacks, they expose themselves to counter attack and exposure, while if they lay low, they can go unnoticed but they may lose recruits and their own fighters. Now such thoughts may not enter into their calculations, they may be attacking more simply because the have more men, more material, and more hope. Or it could be they have decided that it is better to attack now rather than later.

I know the tactics have been dubbed asymmetrical warfare or 4th generation warfare, but there is nothing new under the sun and I'd call it classic weak versus strong or 0th generation warfare. The goal is to harass the enemy, kill him when and where possible, and hope he goes away because it isn't worth his while anymore. Morale, or even better, the will to continue, is what is being fought over in this type of warfare. And in Iraq, we need to realize that it isn't just the morale or will of the US that matters.

The United States will leave Iraq one day; the only question isn't so much when but under what conditions. Our desire is to leave behind a functioning government complete with armed forces that will be able to defeat the insurgents. It would be nice if the insurgents were wiped out before we left, but not necessary. In that sense, US troops are fighting a holding action. The insurgents would like us to leave before that goal is achieved, and then to defeat the government we leave behind. So the insurgents have to do two things to win - demoralize the US, and demoralize a majority of the Iraqi's themselves. Thus they are attacking not just US soldiers, but foreign groups (such as the UN and NGOs) that will help the fledgling Iraqi government, and the Iraqi forces (mostly police) we are constituting for the Iraqi government.

At this point, there are now more Iraqi's under arms fighting with us than there are American troops in Iraq, and the number of Iraqi's under arms grows daily. Soon there will be more Iraqi's under arms for the government than there ever were US soldiers in Iraq. So the attacks against Iraqi police are important to the insurgents to keep that day from coming - not from killing that many police, but from killing enough that too few ordinary Iraqi's become police, or soldiers, or guards. So the insurgents have to attack now before the Iraqi police and military overwhelm them.

I Don't Even Know How To Spell Moron

Orrin Judd points out a funny article about how celebrities think Americans are a bunch of dummies, or worse. To be fair, it's only some celebrities - and usually a compassionate, leftist one. Still, it's a funny collection, and I think it says far more about the particular celebrities who make the remark than about Americans.

Irish Proverb 15

The man with the boots does not mind where he places his foot.

Veterans Day

My father was a submariner during WWII. Two cousins were in Vietnam; one didn't return, the other returned minus most of his hearing. An uncle was a doctor in a MASH unit in Korea (he hated the TV show M*A*S*H). A great uncle was in WWI. I want to take this chance to thank them, and all the other Americans who have fought for our country so that (among many other things) I can sit here and write my inane scribblings secure in the knowledge that I won't prosecuted or persecuted for their content, even with I discuss religion and politics.

Not Slow, Not Fast, but Half Fast

What is the American organization that has performed the least well in Iraq? Overall, the UN has to win hands down for its unwavering opposition to any safety measures; the CPA (Coalition provisional Authority) has to be the least effective on the US side. The military seems to be doing the best job all around, not just security but interacting with the Iraqis and in rebuilding efforts. I suppose it should be remembered that the post World War II occupations of Japan and Germany were both military with generals in charge, but that isn't the case in Iraq.

I think a lot of the criticism of the Pentagon's handling has been reflexive rather than insightful. Yes, I understand there are areas in Iraq where unrest continues, and the Baathist remnants and possibly Al Queda terrorists are able to kill American soldiers. But it isn't militarily significant. Could the military do a better job - sure, you can always do a better job, but I think they are doing a good job, certainly more than adequate enough to fulfill their responsibilities. And I think if the civilian side of the occupation was doing its job, the military side would be much easier.

When we turn to the CPA, we discover a systematic failure in their responsibilities -- most notably in getting a constitution written and in getting the coalition side of the story out to the Iraqi people. Part of the problem may be that they are making do with a revolving door of short term civilian workers; part may be that it is the effort that the State Department is most heavily involved in; and part purely organizational: it was formed just this year, the people don't know each other, and it has no tradition, training, or experience in getting the job done in the face of adversity. Its head, Paul Bremer, has just returned to the US for discussions at the White House; I assume he's going to be motivated to get the job done. Whether or not he and the organization or up for it is another matter. It seems to be the one most caught up with bureaucracy, poor contracting, excessive reliance on American and non-Iraqi contractors, and a seeming lack of urgency in carrying out its responsibilities.

PATRIOT (cue the shreaking)

Juan Non-Volokh points out that John Edwards was inaccurate in his criticism of the PATRIOT act, and then expands his point in response to reader criticism. I think a couple of things are going on here. One is that the argument over PATRIOT is in part over what has been done versus what could be done. The second is that there are certain hot button issues (e.g. abortion) where thinking and listening go out the window for many people, and PATRIOT (along with John Ashcroft) has reached, somehow, that status (mainly for its opponents though). The idea that the police can subpeona my library records in the course of an investigation simply doesn't fill me with dread, yet that is metioned over and over by opponents as the most sinister aspect of the law. And if Ashcroft is for it, well, need we say more? Yes, you do. And just because it's named PATRIOT, and we're in a war, doesn't mean that any criticism of it is treasonous. There are few if any laws that can't be improved upon (sometimes by their outright repeal) and honest, thoughtful criticism is the only way to improve them.

A Day You Won't Soon Forget

I've thought one of the problems with public schools is that the legal relationship between the student and teacher is the same one as between the citizen and the police, and that discipline suffers accordingly. Well. I still think that's true, but it seems that a principal in Charleston went off the deep end with a misguided drug search, and the police went right along with him with a mishandled drug search. Here the problem is that the police violated the rights of citizens; not the teachers violating the rights of students. And it will be completely counterproductive for future anti-drug efforts since they'll be discredited by this bone-headed raid. You have to hope that, to quote Zell Miller out of context, "heads will roll!"

Gimme That Old Style Religion

I know President Bush is a big fan of the Bible, as I am, and he quotes from the book of Isaiah quite frequently. So I'd like to say to him, and the nation of as a whole, that we shouldn't commit the sin of Onan (Genesis 38) and pull out too soon, before the job is done. We have a responsibility to Iraq and to ourselves.

I'm Walking on Sunshine

Some days are better than others. Yesterday, I read a post by Geitner Simmons (Cosmic injustice: we in St. Louis have Christine Bertelson, and Omaha has Geitner Simmons) about CBS pulling the hatchet from the back of a still alive yet not with us Ronald Reagan that linked to an Alan Henderson post on the same subject that linked to an article by Steven Cox about moral choice and risk assessment. The article is great, and you should go read it.

Alan Henderson linked to it because it points out how some myths from the sinking of the Titanic are included in every movie ever made about it. I think it does an even better job about talking about moral choice and risk assessment. I think we need to celebrate people who do the right thing more than we do because its hard to do. All too often, we like to talk about how good we would have been -- a cheap and easy pasttime -- rather than do anything about what confronts us in the here and now. I'd like to think I'd always do the right thing in a difficult circumstance, but I'm fully aware I can't know for sure until I'm confronted with the choice.

The reason for my title is that Gietner updated the post to include my comment about reading the Cox article, and then I noticed he blogrolled me. Wow! OK, I'm sandwiched by Max Sawicky and Leonard Pitts, but still that's an ego boost.

He's Not Just A Pretty Face

Polipundit points out that Tom Delay has gone into comedy:

"I think the leading economic indicator is the Democrats have stopped talking about the economy."

An Important Note

I"ve mentioned in the past that there are other Kevin Murphys with blogs. Well, not only do we have blogs, but we comment. It was a shock the first time I saw a comment signed "Kevin Murphy" and I didn't write it, and the shock hasn't worn off. I realize that there a bunch of much more famous Kevin Murphys: the author, the economist, the other economist, the doctor, the actor/humorist, the politician, the journalist, etc. After first rejecting the idea that all of us Kevin Murphys get together and take over a small country like Luxemberg or Andorra -- peacefully, like the Libertarians want to do with New Hampshire, I've decided instead just to sign all my comment entries Kevin "fun" Murphy, since it fits in with the name of the site, and can be typed faster than Kevin "death from above" Murphy.

It's Baaaaack!

With apologies to Thomas Hood:

No sun,

No warmth,

No cheer.

No flowers,

No leaves,

No buzzing bees.

No Wonder,

November.

Love Is the Plan, The Plan Is Death

"Failure to plan is planning to fail" goes the aphorism, and I'm hearing a lot that the Bush administration doesn't have a plan for Iraq. Well. I can remember sitting in on a review for a proposal where the manager told us, "we had a plan for [another program - name excised to protect the guilty], we executed the plan, the plan was [a four letter word for excrement - name excised to protect my sensibilities]. This time, we want to make sure we have a good plan, and that's why we want you guys to review it for us."

The administration had a plan, and still has a plan. The basic structure is so obvious that it apparently hides in plain sight for some people. The plan is to build a new Iraq - a new government, new police, and new armed forces. Because once we have those, we can pull out, although I think we should keep a major base so that we can continue to exert influence in the region. Realistically, the government only has to be reasonably representative, the police reasonably non-repressive, and the armed forces reasonably effective. Everything else is how to get there. All the physical rebuilding is just the means to the end of the political rebuilding.

There was a lot of contingency planning for various disasters -- oil fields set on fire, mass migrations, mass starvation and the like -- that didn't occur. Whether mass looting was planned on, I don't know. It could be that it wasn't; it could be that it was hard to shift from war fighting to order keeping and the looting occured before the switch was complete; it could be that the plan for the looting was to simply let it happen. There is nothing that says the plan has to be the right one in hindsight to be a plan. There are reports that a lot of military supply dumps full of weapons have been left unguarded, and if true, that seems to be a huge failure and somehow you think it should have been and should be now in "the plan". There were earlier reports that the nuclear site at Tuwaitha was left unguarded when in fact wasn't. What I know of the military tells me that if anything, we had plans for everything. They might not have been any good, but we had them.

I think we can have a good discussion as to whether our efforts in Iraq are adequate, what can we be doing better, how has planning changed with time as the facts on the ground have modified it, has the State Department / Department of Defense rivalry been harmful or helpful, were the assumptions of the planning too optimistic, and whether the big plan is the right one or not, etc.; but the position that somehow the Bush administration didn't have any plans at all for post-war Iraq is simply wrong, and in the words of Donald Rumsfeld, unhelpful.

And Another One Bites The Dust

What's going on? I hit Charles Austin's blog, and he's gone on hiatus for the rest of the month. Then I hit Tanya's Blog, and she's calling it quits. Archpundit went on a brief hiatus, and has now extended it. I know, I just don't show up for weeks without explanation, which shows the difference between these quality bloggers and yours truly. Unlike John Waite, I can admit that I'm missing you guys.

Its My Gene's Fault

Science Blog reports on the discovery of an appetite stimulating gene called GAD2. One form of the gene stimulates the appetite much more than the other, an in what should be a surprise to no one, the people with the non-stimulating form were more likely to have normal weights. I have a good idea which form my wife (who can go from starving to full in three bites) has, and which form I (who never feels full as much as painfully stuffed) have.

Two Good Posts

No, not me, but Jon at Q and O.

First he points out that the National Taxpayers Union has crunched the numbers and found that the average Democratic Congressperson has called for far more new government spending than their Republican counterparts.

Then he points to a Washington Post article about Saddam, the war, and WMD that relies heavily on results of interrogation of Tariq Azziz. Lots of good stuff in the article and in Jon's analysis.

Intestinal Bacteria Byproducts

Here's a fun article about flatulence. It reports some of the findings of fart doctor extraordinaire Michael Levitt.

Women and men break wind just as often - although the volume may be lower with each puff.

Loudness and odor are uncorrelated - silent isn't necessarily deadly (but it sure can be!).

Hydrogen Sulfide not only gives flatus (the technical name for fart) its pungent aroma, but is as deadly as cynanide in the blood stream - no wonder is smells so bad.

This article has not only the the facts about flatulence but also the wonderful phrase "high drama flatulence".

One of the other benefits to the early stages of the Atkins diet - less flatulence because of the reduction in carbohydrates that fuel the bacteria that make it.

One last thought to leave you with on this subject: you have roughly 10 times more bacteria living in your gut than you have cells in your body, and getting rid of them isn't an option.

Woven Web #2

Heather at Angelweave has been all over the web finding great links for your viewing pleasure.