Friday morning links

RE: Dangerous Bargain: It's good to see some US media are catching on to what a terrible deal the Obama Admin made with Turkey. Turkey has been bombing PKK/YPG Kurds heavily in Iraq and Syria since the day of the agreement. Turkey has had problems with this faction for years, but the YPG also happens to be by far the most effective force fighting against ISIS.

In exchange for the green light to bomb Kurds, the US was allowed to station 6 F-16s at Incirlik Airbase. Just not a good deal.

The really messed up thing is that now NATO allies Turkey and the US are bombing opposite sides of the YPG/ISIS war. YPG is presently moving in on the town of al Hawl. US is bombing ISIS in town while Turkey is bombing the Kurd rear areas and supply lines (most likely from the same airbase as the US strikes). It's beyond what Orwell imagined for the absurdities of future war.

Thanks Obama!

#1 forest on 2015-08-28 07:32 (Reply)

Well, if you wipe out both sides in a fight, that ends that fight, right? Not sure what this would do to the broader strategic effort, if there were one.

#1.1 BillH on 2015-08-28 10:14 (Reply)

Yeah, I'm really not sure that there is strategic thinking at all. Maybe Obama likes the idea of having planes nearby to quickly respond to any emergencies that could embarrass him politically.

But re-igniting the fighting between Trukey and the Kurds with that deal is going to harm everyone involved - except ISIS.

#1.1.1 forest on 2015-08-28 14:30 (Reply)

Why hasn't the Gang of Z logged on to tell us how great it is and how nuts we are?

#1.2 Sam L. on 2015-08-28 16:22 (Reply)

I agree that hurting the Kurds is bad idea. It is best I think to give them independence. That is what I suggest is take all the Kurd areas and make it one Kurdish nation.

#2 avraham on 2015-08-28 08:11 (Reply)

"I agree that hurting the Kurds is bad idea. It is best I think to give them independence. That is what I suggest is take all the Kurd areas and make it one Kurdish nation."

The problem is that such a cherished notion collides with reality. It implies Turkey giving up land too. How easy and flippant we can be when we are talking about other people's lands and concerns!

The PKK separatists represent a direct threat to Turkish national interests. Those national interests - in this case the integrity and security of their own country - are just as important to the Turks as US national interests are to Americans.

The US can walk away from the whole mess if it chooses too. Turkey can't. And for the Turks, their nation's security and territorial integrity trump the aspirations of the PKK.

#2.1 JJM on 2015-08-28 09:54 (Reply)

Creating a Kurdistan now is virtually impossible. In Paris in 1919 it could have happened.

It would violate the prime tenet of nations; never give up territory for practical or logical reasons, cede only when compelled. Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran aren't.

The exception that comes to mind is Sweden spinning off Norway.

Like many others the Kurds seem to never fail to miss an opportunity. They would do better for now by not further riling Turkey and concentrating first on beating ISIS. It is only ISIS that may destroy them.

#2.2 KTWO on 2015-08-28 16:10 (Reply)

Saladin was a Kurd, to refresh your memory that's the General/Leader that stopped the strongest Christian attempt to regain the Holy Land.

Short term view, Kurds are better than the Persians or Arabs.
Long term view, Kurds are more effective than the other Muslims.

Maybe we don't want to help put the most efficient, courageous and competent Muslims in the drivers seat.

Nuke them from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

#2.2.1 John the River (Link) on 2015-08-29 00:22 (Reply)

Re: The Alfred E. Neumann "What, Me Worry?" School of Nuclear Deterrence

that's a horrendous childish analysis of how deterrence works.

what kept nuclear armed adversaries at peace (cold war, india v. pakistan) is that neither side could achieve a counterforce first strike (against nuke delivery systems) that would prevent countervalue retaliation (against cities).

that china could lob an atomic bomb at the west coast or hawaii or any nation under a bilateral defense treaty with the US (philippines, taiwan, south korea, japan) is not, in reality, a threat, because chinese missiles could not prevent retaliation from US subs, bombers or ICBMS that at any level, up to and including billions dead and hundreds of cities destroyed.

this is why pakistan has never nuked mumbai (12 million plus), because karachi (10 million) would follow.

#3 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-08-28 09:33 (Reply)

I will point out that in 1971, when the Air Force started putting Minuteman III into silos (now 450 of them), there were 1054 missile silos, 1000 Minuteman II and 54 Titan II.

#3.1 Sam L. on 2015-08-28 16:31 (Reply)

the US uses a blend of counterforce and countervalue targeting. it turns out the most cost effective rain of death and destruction can be achieved by putting a certain amount of bombs/missiles on target, and that more destruction isn't worth the incremental cost. the Minuteman III is a MIRV and more accurate than its predecessors, that's why the numbers are decreasing.

#3.1.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-08-28 18:15 (Reply)

Not the only reason. There were cost savings, getting rid of the 200 Sylvania-built MMII silos and launch control centers, incompatible with the Boeing-built silos and LCCs, and from '86-2005 50 silos had Peacekeeper missiles. Two wings of Boeing-built MMII missiles with older operating systems were closed, rather than being upgraded to MMIIIs. The Titan IIs were liquid-fueled and had passed their expected service life twice-over by the time they were fully shut down. The MMIIIs started coming in in '71.

#3.1.1.1 Sam L. on 2015-08-28 21:20 (Reply)

MMIIIs also make more bitchin' explosions. trvth.

#3.1.1.1.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-08-28 21:51 (Reply)

QUOTE:

President Obama Is Rebuked By a Better Man... The conventional wisdom is that Barack Obama is a nice guy but an incompetent president.

It's always good to start an essay with a joke.

#4 Zachriel on 2015-08-28 10:08 (Reply)

It really would have been a joke if the headline could have read, "President Obama Is Trumped By a Better Man." But of course it was a Koch in this case.

#4.1 BillH on 2015-08-28 10:24 (Reply)

So which part is the joke? That he's a nice guy or that he's incompetent?

#4.2 mudbug on 2015-08-28 10:27 (Reply)

That it's "conventional knowledge". Not a very good joke, though, if it has to be explained.

#4.2.1 Zachriel on 2015-08-28 10:45 (Reply)

Ok. I agree. The conventional wisdom that he is a nice guy is a joke. There's nothing to suggest that he's competent at anything other than getting elected.

#4.2.1.1 mudbug on 2015-08-28 10:58 (Reply)

Some news articles just feel made up and that Ashley Madison article is one of them. I wouldn't be surprised if it was fed to the Post by AM's PR company in a desperate effort to suggest that women actually used the site.

Data analysis has indicated that the discrepancy between males and females on AM is far, far worse than the initial numbers let on. Gizmodo analyzed the user data based on how many people had ever checked their inbox (the data provides a "last accessed inbox" date). This is a smart metric because even though AM is creating thousands of fake female profiles, nobody would waste their time having having those fake women check their inboxes.

The result:

Male: 20,269,675
Female: 1,492

I guess even the prostitutes didn't really find it worth while. Highly recommended reading:

http://gizmodo.com/almost-none-of-the-women-in-the-ashley-madison-database-1725558944

#5 stinkfoot on 2015-08-28 10:16 (Reply)

"The havoc that Trump wreaks — on his own party"

The same could be said of Jeb Bush or John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, John McCain and others. I do understand their problem with Trump. They want to get elected/reelected. They do not want to fix problems and support the costitution they simply want to remain in power to continue doing what politicians do. Trump could screw that up. I do understand how that scares them. What they don't understand is how the establishment elite Republicans scare their base.

I have oe question for Jeb: If Trump is the Republican candidate for president will you support him?

#6 GoneWithTheWind on 2015-08-28 10:16 (Reply)

http://donsurber.blogspot.com/2015/08/tweet-of-day_27.html

#6.1 Sam L. on 2015-08-28 16:35 (Reply)

RE: My wife was addicted to Ashley Madison

now that I’m separated and in a new relationship ... Now I understand what love is. It’s when someone appreciates you for who you actually are

says the loser whose future ex-wife will also be addicted to AM

#7 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-08-28 10:58 (Reply)

Re: the bankrupt medallion owners. Any business model that relies on people paying for the privilege to work should be per se illegal.

#8 another guy named Dan on 2015-08-28 13:44 (Reply)

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Friday, August 28. 2015

Friday morning links