Dafydd at Big Lizards argues that the President’s warnings have proved correct: (link below)

Israeli Warship Hit By Chinese/Iranian Cruise Missile

This is exactly the danger the United States has been warning about ever since 9/11: that rogue states like Iran may begin transferring modern military weaponry to terrorist groups.
———
http://biglizards.net/blog/archives/2006/07/israeli_warship.html#trackbacks

Bookworm’s a lawyer, there is no way she can be monomaniacal in agreeing with someone like me

I can understand the Left’s ignorance and stupdity. I don’t approve or justify it however, which I guess is the difference. I was never stupid, ignorant definitely, but stupid no. Now back in the day, I kept having my hopes raised that the “newest latest” version of Arab-Israeli negotiations would produce real peace. I was fatigued with the back and forth cycle of violence, and I had just started watching the news. I don’t even want to know how people who’ve seen the Arab Israelis fight for 30 years, feel about the futility of things.

So, whenever Arafat and etc would attack, breaking the “cease fire”, I woudl get my hopes dashed. Until next time when Bush talks about the “road map”, and I get optimistic again. Most people ignorant of politics and war probably live in this psychological environment of ups and downs. It is natural, although not that healthy.

After a couple of years of re-educating myself in what’s what, I started understanding that this cycle of violence can be broken by superior firepower, the use of it not just the having of it. This comprehension came partially because I learned about previous wars, and partially because I’ve read military science fiction novels that depicted how future wars can be fought. See, if everything I learned came from history, then none of it would apply to today’s world. A part of me would still believe that this was the “past” and this is the “present”. This prejudicial limitation would prevent me from drawing the full culmination of lessons learned from historical examples. However, because I did read science fiction and military science fiction, I was forced to think in terms of the now and the future. Usually most of the time when you learn history, you already know like for example the end results. You are not trying to “figure out” what people back then shoudl have done, you are not engaging that portion of your brain that concerns itself with judgement.

In reading novels, you are engaging your judgement algorithmns. You judge which characters are good, which characters are evil, and whether what they are doing is wise or not depending upon what you believe is going to happen in the future of the book’s plot. You may or may not be right, but you will in fact see how things conclude. You are held in suspense, and therefore more of your brain is engaged because of the mystery. Not all books apply. They have to have some “semplace” to reality after all. It has to be a novel that views human nature correctly, and predicts their actions correctly on not just a person level, but also a societal and civilizationl level. This is true of David Weber.

This level of reading history and good projection analysis, combined with writing, allowed me to engage most of the critical portions of my brain that were necessary in forming good judgements. Writing alone is not enough, reading and absorbing information is not enough, reflecting and thinking on past/present/future events is all not enough.

All 3 combined together however, allows a sort of transcendental thought process that cannot be equaled by any university courses. It is the combination and teamwork of the triluminary facets of intelligence. Natural born intelligence, the ability to solve problems. Combined with lessons learned in life, by personal experience, which is thus wisdom. The final ingredient being information, skills, things you have learned in a controlled environment, taught by others. An engineer or technician takes his natural born ability to solve problems, combines it with what he has learned in a classroom, then uses it in his life to acquire life experience in his job.

The doing is not enough, someone can “do” engineering all the time, but he won’t be able to accomplish anything if he is dumb as rocks or if he couldn’t pass High School.

Hey Book, people have been expecting more from the leaders and those with power since humanity first discovered fire. Plenty of disappointments to go around, you know.