I always tell you: Trust only me. My specialized knowledge can easily be yours. Weapons and tactics always tell the truth. Words, videos, photos, and captions can lie. Knowledge of maneuver The video below was allegedly put out by the Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki (Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement), a member of the Fatah Halab (Aleppo…
Castles in the air have become tangible citadels
May 11, 2023
I always loved the idiom “castles in the air.” It means “extravagant hopes and plans that will never be carried out.” Until the summer of 2015, I thought that all optimistic forecasts for the Middle East were castles in the air. Now, it’s clear that not only will there be peace, it’s going to happen…
Sparing lives is the smart way to win wars
May 10, 2023
Until tonight, I believed that winning wars requires killing. I’d tempered my viewpoint somewhat, based on what I’ve seen in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, but now I’m ready to say without any doubt that sparing lives—not taking them—is the only way to make war obsolete. I used to agree with the sentiment below. Yes, that’s…
Smokescreens allow very good things to happen
May 8, 2023
American Jew-haters always ask me, “What do we get for our support of Israel?” I used to give them examples of weapons, and they’d sneer and say, “We can build all of that ourselves.” Well, we were certainly unable to build what Israel has apparently given us. Multiple smokescreens were used to finance and distribute…
Muse: inspiration, creative influence, stimulus
May 6, 2024
A muse is what motivates you to create. In Greek mythology, the Muses were the goddesses of inspiration in literature, science, and the arts. They were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Hesiod wrote that there were nine Muses. Calliope - epic poetry, symbolized by a writing tablet Clio - history, symbolized by a scroll…