I’m given to understand that Trump is going to send, not 800 as was initially floated, but a a full 5,000 Troops to the U.S./Mexican Border to defend us against the horde of MS-13 Gang Members and Islamic Terrorists coming from Honduras to murder us all in our sleep after they rape our wives and daughters in front of our eyes and make us buy Crystal Meth and Oxycontin, using Babies as Human Shields.

I feel stupider just typing that, but you know it’s the narrative.

You know what you should do Jon, go into the middle of the caravan, take your camera and search. No no, Jon take your camera, go into the middle, and search. You’re going to find MS-13, you’re going to find Middle Eastern, you’re going to find everything. And guess what, we’re not allowing them in our country.- October 22, 2018

There are at least 2 things wrong with this concept outside its fundamental irrationality and counter-factual basis (We have sent cameras to the middle of the Caravan Mr. Trump. There are no MS-13 Gang Members and no “Middle Eastern”).

First, the U.S. Military is barred from enforcing domestic policies inside the borders of the United States by the Posse Comitatus Act and to use them outside the border is an Act of War. Loopholes are why the units initially tasked with this duty were entirely National Guard (technically they’re State Militias under the direction of their Governors) and, because the Army hasn’t completely lost its marbles, focused on logistical and medical support for the Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (as I’ve pointed out before, the Agency of Redundant Redundancies).

But the second thing is that it’s not how you deploy Military Units.

A lot of people operate under the delusion that Soldiers stand in a line and the more you have the closer together they are and the thicker the line is. This is stupid. It allows the opposing force to easily establish local superiority at any point and create a breakthrough. You, meanwhile, can’t do the same because all your soldiers are stationed in places you’re not being attacked and they have nothing to shoot at.

Read Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence or his 1929 commentary for Encyclopedia Brittanica–

The actual Turkish flank ran from their front line to Medina, a distance of some 50 miles: but, if the Arab force moved towards the Hejaz railway behind Medina, it might stretch its threat (and, accordingly, the enemy’s flank) as far, potentially, as Damascus, 800 miles away to the north. Such a move would force the Turks to the defensive, and the Arab force might regain the initiative. Anyhow, it seemed the only chance, and so, in Jan. 1917, Feisal’s tribesmen turned their backs on Mecca, Rabegh and the Turks, and marched away north 200 miles to Wejh.

This eccentric movement acted like a charm. The Arabs did nothing concrete, but their march recalled the Turks (who were almost into Rabegh) all the way back to Medina. There, one half of the Turkish force took up the entrenched position about the city, which it held until after the Armistice. The other half was distributed along the railway to defend it against the Arab threat. For the rest of the war the Turks stood on the defensive and the Arab tribesmen won advantage over advantage till, when peace came, they had taken 35,000 prisoners, killed and wounded and worn out about as many, and occupied 100,000 square miles of the enemy’s territory, at little loss to themselves.
…
The text books gave the aim in war as “the destruction of the organized forces of the enemy” by “the one process battle.” Victory could only be purchased by blood. This was a hard saying, as the Arabs had no organized forces, and so a Turkish Foch would have no aim: and the Arabs would not endure casualties, so that an Arab Clausewitz could not buy his victory. These wise men must be talking metaphors, for the Arabs were indubitably winning their war…and further reflection pointed to the deduction that they had actually won it. They were in occupation of 99% of the Hejaz. The Turks were welcome to the other fraction till peace or doomsday showed them the futility of clinging to the window pane. This part of the war was over, so why bother about Medina? The Turks sat in it on the defensive, immobile, eating for food the transport animals which were to have moved them to Mecca, but for which there was no pasture in their now restricted lines. They were harmless sitting there; if taken prisoner, they would entail the cost of food and guards in Egypt: if driven out northward into Syria, they would join the main army blocking the British in Sinai. On all counts they were best where they were, and they valued Medina and wanted to keep it. Let them!
…
Now the Arab aim was unmistakably geographical, to occupy all Arabic-speaking lands in Asia. In the doing of it Turks might be killed, yet “killing Turks” would never be an excuse or aim. If they would go quietly, the war would end. If not, they must be driven out: but at the cheapest possible price, since the Arabs were fighting for freedom, a pleasure only to be tasted by a man alive. The next task was to analyse the process, both from the point of view of strategy, the aim in war, the synoptic regard which sees everything by the standard of the whole, and from the point of view called tactics, the means towards the strategic end, the steps of its staircase. In each were found the same elements, one algebraical, one biological, a third psychological. The first seemed a pure science, subject to the laws of mathematics, without humanity. It dealt with known invariables, fixed conditions, space and time, inorganic things like hills and climates and railways, with mankind in type-masses too great for individual variety, with all artificial aids, and the extensions given our faculties by mechanical invention. It was essentially formulable.

In the Arab case the algebraic factor would take first account of the area to be conquered. A casual calculation indicated perhaps 140,000 square miles. How would the Turks defend all that—no doubt by a trench line across the bottom, if the Arabs were an army attacking with banners displayed…but suppose they were an influence, a thing invulnerable, intangible, without front or back, drifting about like a gas? Armies were like plants, immobile as a whole, firm-rooted, nourished through long stems to the head. The Arabs might be a vapour, blowing where they listed. It seemed that a regular soldier might be helpless without a target. He would own the ground he sat on, and what he could poke his rifle at. The next step was to estimate how many posts they would need to contain this attack in depth, sedition putting up her head in every unoccupied one of these 100,000 square miles. They would have need of a fortified post every four square miles, and a post could not be less than 20 men. The Turks would need 600,000 men to meet the combined ill wills of all the local Arab people. They had 100,000 men available. It seemed that the assets in this sphere were with the Arabs, and climate, railways, deserts, technical weapons could also be attached to their interests. The Turk was stupid and would believe that rebellion was absolute, like war, and deal with it on the analogy of absolute warfare.

Let’s do some math. The length of the U.S. border with Mexico is 1,954 miles. If the 5000 Troops were evenly deployed that would give you roughly 2.5 Soldiers per mile, already a bad idea because the effective range of standard issue M16 A Series Rifles is about 440 yards (to be fair numerous studies show that almost all combat takes place at less than half that distance) and the very best sniper rifles have a range of 1.5 miles (also, Teams of 2 so cut your force in half).

So it’s technically possible that you could put lethal force on every inch provided you had Soldiers who could stay awake 24/7 for months at a time. Not that they’d need to, most of them will never see a target. Those that do will see too many to shoot.

Those smooth lines you see on Battle Maps are illusions. A military unit exercises a “Zone of Control” that surrounds it but the spaces between are empty. In conventional, stand up Warfare you set a defensive line (doctrine says you must outnumber your opponent by at least 3 to 1 for your direct attack to succeed), and steal away everything you can spare for a breakthrough where you can achieve 3 to 1 superiority at least locally and for a time. Then you pour your reserves through the gap to strangle your target logistically. No beans, no bullets, no fight.

The Classic Counter Insurgency variation of this is establishing “Bases of Support” and sending out Patrols to bait your enemy into exposing themselves so you can crush them with your Bases’ Firepower. As a Grunt this is kind of dangerous, most contact comes when someone is dropped to the ground in an ambush.

A current wrinkle is to take small teams of highly trained “operatives” and hurl them like guided bombs or Kamikaze to destroy high value Command and Control or Logistical targets. So far it’s worked about as well as Classic Counter Insurgency but the Soldiers feel ‘special’ and ‘elite’, not mere cannon fodder so I suppose that’s something.

Me? I think sending Troops to the Border in whatever quantity is ineffective and feckless and also morally wrong. I’m Ben Franklin White and not threatened by the idea that everyone should enjoy the Rights and Privileges I do.

I find it strange and confusing that so many have the deplorable idea that their personal status is dependent on the suppression of others.

“Who can you trust most not to show you their penis in a professional setting? Is it the candidate who doesn’t have a penis?”

Featuring Elvis Impersonators, up and coming Country Music Star Angela Paxton, Bagpipes, Accordions, Theramin, and a chorus of children playing Recorders.

Oh and Reed Frogs and Frittatas (there aren’t really any Frittatas, everything else is true).

Halloween Time.

Jenny Nicholson

Just some Closer Looks.

There’s no such thing as good money or bad money. There’s just money.

Spanish Caravan

Being Nice

Ok. This is a Rant.

Sadly enough so far this year we’ve had slightly less than 1 Mass Shooting a day, every single day (Mass Shooting being defined as more than 4 casualties in one incident). Yesterday Robert Bowers walked into The Tree of Life Synagogue, shouted “All Jews must die”, and murdered at least 11 people.

I won’t weasel with words like “alleged” because they caught him with the literal smoking gun right in his hand.

Now I could talk about Gun Control but I’ll leave that for others. What I want to focus on is Anti-Semitism.

Donald Trump is an Anti-Semite.

Many members of Trump’s team are Anti-Semites.

Don’t Javanka me or Stephen Miller me, or talk about strong support for Aparthied Israel. Charlottesville 2017- Tiki Torches, “Jews Will Not Replace Us!” chants, Heather Heyer dead.

“Fine people on both sides. On both sides.”

Look, Nazis are not “fine people”. They are the definition of evil and should righteously be harassed and shunned out of existence. And punished to the fullest extent of the Law should they break it, spitting on the sidewalk will do.

I’ll stop talking about race when people stop being racist.- Larry Wilmore

You want me to stop calling Republicans evil? Stop supporting Nazis.

Note- that condition is necessary but not sufficient.

Still I called Donald J. Trump personally an Anti-Semite. It’s true enough that his primary concern is his own fame and fortune and a little loot will cause him to momentarily forget his prejudices. Kushner is indeed Jewish (Orthodox at that) and he let Ivanka, the daughter he’d like to have sex with himself, marry him and convert. But she’s not really Jewish and the Grandkids are pure Trump.

Nah, Trump’s a Country Club Anti-Semite. “Well, every slur you’ve ever heard about them is grounded in fact, even that Blood Libel thing. They’re incredibly cunning, especially with money, but they’re not loyal. Have you noticed how the quality of the Club has declined since we started letting ‘those people’ in?”

They say Himmler was so revolted by witnessing the Bullet Genocide that he switched to Gas. Oh, and he loved dogs and kids too. Actually it was a matter of efficiency in cost and time. History sucks.

digby reminds us of a piece posted by Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo. Neither he nor she embed all the videos but I will because I know my readership won’t click on them if they are offended by the prospect of viewing and I don’t care about how much it screws up my YouTube Recommended List (I clicked on ‘World of Warships’ once, 5 years ago. It still keeps coming up.).

First the Racist Anti-Black Ads-

Jesse Helms: White Hands

Herbert Walker: Willie Horton

Now, the Anti-Semitic Trump Ad (included by digby). Written and directed by Steve Bannon sure, but Trump signed off on it and probably sees nothing wrong to this very day.

Argument for America

Josh Marshall-

From a technical and thematic perspective it’s a well made ad. It’s also packed with anti-Semitic dog whistles, anti-Semitic tropes and anti-Semitic vocabulary. I’m not even sure whether it makes sense to call them dog whistles. The four readily identifiable American bad guys in the ad are Hillary Clinton, George Soros (Jewish financier), Janet Yellen (Jewish Fed Chair) and Lloyd Blankfein (Jewish Goldman Sachs CEO).
…
These are standard anti-Semitic themes and storylines, using established anti-Semitic vocabulary lined up with high profile Jews as the only Americans other than Clinton who are apparently relevant to the story. As you can see by my transcription, the Jews come up to punctuate specific key phrases. Soros: “those who control the levers of power in Washington”; Yellen “global special interests”; Blankfein “put money into the pockets of handful of large corporations.”

This is an anti-Semitic ad every bit as much as the infamous Jesse Helms ‘white hands’ ad or the Willie Horton ad were anti-African-American racist ads. Which is to say, really anti-Semitic. You could even argue that it’s more so, given certain linguistic similarities with anti-Semitic propaganda from the 1930s. But it’s not a contest. This is an ad intended to appeal to anti-Semites and spread anti-Semitic ideas. That’s the only standard that really matters.

This is intentional and by design. It is no accident.

Trump has electrified anti-Semites and racist groups across the country. His own campaign has repeatedly found itself speaking to anti-Semites, tweeting their anti-Semitic memes, retweeting anti-Semites. His campaign manager, Steven Bannon, is an anti-Semite. The Breitbart News site he ran and will continue running after the campaign has become increasingly open in the last year with anti-Semitic attacks and politics.
…
It’s true there is son-in-law Jared Kushner, a Jew and Ivanka, who converted to Judaism. But this isn’t terribly surprising. Kushner appears to be conscienceless. And as I noted here, there is a storied history of anti-Semites being happy to distinguish between good Jews and bad Jews.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:7. Yes I am an atheist. That does not mean I’m uneducated or unethical.

Absolutely. Sending Hundreds of Gun-Totin’ Racists and Bigots to the border to drink beer and clean (and test fire, can’t tell it’s clean without a test fire) their weapons is a wizard idea.

What could possibly go wrong?

Militia groups plan to head to the US-Mexico border to stop the migrant caravan
by Luke Barnes, Think Progress
Oct 27, 2018

Militia groups and far-right activists are gearing up to head to the Mexican border to try to stop a migrant caravan from entering the United States, as conservatives and the far-right escalate their warnings about the supposed dangers it poses.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Border Patrol warned landowners in Texas that they could expect “possible armed civilians” on their property because of the news about the caravan. The exact details of when and where the militia would deploy are unclear, but one militia leader told the Associated Press that they would have upwards of 100 members guarding the Mexico-Texas border.

“They’re just laughing in our face,” Shannon McGauley, president of the Texas Minutemen, said. “It’s a free-for-all in America.” Another militia supporter, Monica Marin, from Oregon, said that she raised around $4,000 online to help militias with supplies and equipment.

“I see young, fighting-age men who do not look like they’re starving. They look like they’re ready to fight,” Marin told the AP. “We’re trained. [But] we’re not hotheads. We’re not out there to shoot people.”

Militia members, as well as other far-right activists and “patriot” groups, have pounced on the Trump administration’s rhetoric about the caravan, including that it might be funded by George Soros and include ISIS terrorists. Naturally there is no actual evidence to back this up, and misinformation about the caravan is rife online.

According to one senior administration official who spoke to the Daily Beast however, the Trump administration is aware of its own mistruths, but it doesn’t matter as long as it drums up Republican support in time for the midterms.
…
The misinformation floating around about the scope of the migrant caravan has also led to additional false reports about those setting out to “secure the border.”

For example, the pro-Trump sections of Facebook are awash with fake news about how — in addition to the militias — bikers are also heading to Texas to help secure the border, a fake story parts of the pro-Trump internet have repeatedly fallen for.
…
However, not everyone on the border is thrilled by the prospect of militias heading through their towns. As Arizona Family reports, the town of Arivaca has put up signs saying that militias are not welcome their because, in the words of one resident “they’re posting all kinds of falsehood.”

According to the AP more than 1,700 members of the caravan had already applied for refugee status in Mexico, but thousands more remain determined to head to the U.S. border. Whether they arrive or not is another issue — of the 4,000 migrants who headed to the Tijuana/San Diego crossing earlier this year, only 200 reached the U.S. border.

It’s only a matter of time (if this ever actually happens at all) before they start shooting at some poor guy who wandered off in the desert to take a leak. Happens hundreds of times every Hunting Season and those are genuine accidents (well, sometimes).

At the end of the 13th Century the Ottoman Empire was formed. At its peak in 1683 (not so long ago) it encompassed the Mediterranean coast from Algeria to the Adriatic, including all of Hungary, Central Europe, Greece, Ukraine up to the Gates of Kiev, the Black Sea (all of it), the Middle East from Iraq to Egypt, all of Lower Egypt (the North part but lower on the Nile because it runs backwards), and the Holy (at least to Muslims) Jewels of Mecca and Medina. They claimed the Caliphate (Military/Political/Religious leader of all Muslims, like the Pope but bigger and with better Armies) as early as Murad I (1362 to 1389) but it was solidified in 1517 when they captured the competing Caliph, Al-Mutawakkil III, in Cairo during their conquest of Egypt. Surrender of Mecca and Medina soon followed.

Interesting Historical trivia- until May 29, 1453 the Roman Empire (at least the Eastern part) still existed. Then Sultan Mehmed captured Constantinople which was considered impregnable. In 39 years Cristobal Colon would “discover” America (an appropriate designation in this context). As I say, not so long ago.

After The Great War (1914 – 18) the victors chopped it up and the Empire lost all the Levant and its control of Mecca and Medina. The Sultans were deposed and replaced by a secular Constitutional government led by war hero Kemal Ataturk.

On the other side of the Tigris and Euphrates River Valley was another, older, Empire- the Persians. You remember them- Xerxes, Thermopylae, Darius. That all happened starting about 499 Before the Common Era (the larger the date the more back it goes) so they’d been around more than a Thousand Years before the Ottomans were a twinkle in their Daddy’s eye. During the Great Muslim Civil War that happened after the death of Muhammed the Prophet (632 CE) they backed the actual descendents of Muhammed (Shia) rather than Abu Bakr (Sunni).

There is no God but God and Muhammed is his Prophet.

So that’s been going on for about 1400 years, in recent times the House of Saud, granted control of the Holy Jewels of Mecca and Medina for co-operating with the British and T.E. Lawrence in The Great War, and a whole lot of desert that just happened to be sitting on a huge pool of Oil, has decided to create their own Empire by exporting Fundamentalist Wahhabism (more Sunni than Sunni) and the aforementioned Oil, and importing good old U.S. Dollars and Weapons which they park in the desert in vast numbers because they can’t find enough Saudis to crew them.

Besides, Terrorism is so much cheaper.

The Meta Game that you’re watching in the Khashoggi murder is Turkey getting back in the mix. Erdoğan imagines himself a modern Suleiman the Magnificent and he’s as Muslim as Abu Bakr so- why not? The Iranians are grateful for the help, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The House of Saud has no friends, only people who want Oil.

Hope this helps you understand the situation.