The United States was once known for extraordinary competence. Consider the D-Day invasion, the Manhattan Project, the Berlin Airlift, the moon landing: In example after example, the United States government—not the private sector, note—mobilized vast talent to overcome historically unprecedented military, economic, technological, and governance challenges. So widely-known was our government for competence that to this day, we’re the object of conspiracy theories worldwide. Whatever we do, however dumb and cack-handed, is presumed to be deliberate, because so mighty a superpower as the United States could not possibly be capable of screwing up in such stupid ways. Just yesterday I was assured that the CIA had unleashed the Wuhan coronavirus—cui bono, after all? How could I be so naive as to think it a mere coincidence that the virus just spontaneously emerged near a virus research facility?It's a long read so start with a fresh cup of coffee and maybe a nice large slice of crumb cake.
Saturday, February 15, 2020
SUNDAY READING
You could do worse than read this article about science and doomsday. The author describes a period of recent past history that we once held within our grasp and let slip away because the ones who knew it failed to pass it on via the schools and education establishment. I don't blame the practitioners so much as I blame the educrats who destroyed American education following World War II.
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3 comments:
A somewhat depressing read. It seems that we've lost a good amount of common sense in the past 25 years or so. Wishful thinking and good intentions don't overcome human nature. Universal Basic Income - what could possibly go wrong? Tax the hell out of productive businesses, etc., etc. When things fail to workout - you double down on the stupid. Communism is great - it just wasn't implemented properly! Feel the Bern...Yikes!
the one thing the US Gov used to do often and really well was misinformation and obfuscation as far as our international political and military opponents. seriously good at it.
example the B-70 bomber and the Russian air defense system. in the 1950s/60s the government wanted a high speed high altitude bomber to replace the B52-where have you heard this before- and contracted with North American Rockwell for same. the cost for two prototypes was nominal, a few hundred million total. they would be effective.
the russians looked as this turn of events, looked at what they had to counter it, and they about shit themselves over the realization that what they had wouldn't work against the B-70 system of attack. they instituted a expensive program of research and build out of a radar network, AA missiles, the Mig-25 system, and a complete rethinking of the system of airdefense for their country. they spent billions and billions of dollars over the years. and you know what? after all that money spent by the russians to counter the high speed high altitude bomber threat? we did not build them.
Sometimes it is only necessary the other guy believes your competent.
I love those stories.I think another thing we did was let Walker and his friends burn Task Group Orestes. All of our top secrets were broadcast over TGO and KW7s. Reagan let them read our secrets. They could not duplicate them and it must have been utterly demoralizing to the Russians to know just how far ahead the Fortress of Demcracy was. If you can find it, The MoonGoddess and the Son is a very good read. Not for little girls. Boy did the x throw a fit when I sent it to my daughter. It's very Wouk and has a story within the story.
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