https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1136648987807813633.html
Things we should be familiar with: Kamdesh and Wanat. Among other things, I’m sure.
Thread by @CombatCavScout: “It was tragic. It was unnecessary. But it was definitely not the largest loss of American life in combat since “Bt seems like a nitpick, I guess, but it’s not. Not to me on a personal level, obviously. But also, it’s impor […]”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/world/africa/niger-ambush-pentagon-review.html
«the 11-member team, working far from base and lacking air support, was ambushed by more than 100 militants aligned with the Islamic State after superior officers twice changed its mission to one that carried far greater risks.
….
Instead, Lt. Col. David Painter, a battalion commander based in Chad, ordered Captain Perozeni’s team to continue. Investigators later concluded that Colonel Painter and other senior officers failed to assess the risk of sending the ill-prepared team on such a hazardous mission, according to the redacted report that identified Colonel Painter by his title, but not by name.
Colonel Painter’s order failed to take into account that Captain Perozeni’s team had gone “nearly 24 hours with little rest,” had no reinforcements standing by if danger struck and had no plan to evacuate wounded troops under fire, according to the redacted report.
Colonel Painter was ultimately punished for improperly overseeing predeployment training. But two military officials on Wednesday said he is expected to be promoted to the rank of full colonel in the coming months.»
https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1136248061452308480?s=17
Things only look like they change. We’re still fighting ancient evil. (I really hate that language, because it makes me sound like I’m talking about possession and scary movies. Maybe I should say “old problems”, but, seriously, it’s evil, and we’re called to resist it.)
Thread Reader App (@threadreaderapp) Tweeted:
@JohnL4 Hi there is your unroll: Thread by @texasinafrica: “When I teach about phrenology in the context of racist Victorian justifications for colonization, students often stare a […]” https://t.co/4k5AWgDvQh
Share this if you think it’s interesting. 🤖
https://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/03/30/to-the-people-ive-lost-over-this-election/
From 2017 and still relevant.
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https://warontherocks.com/2019/06/have-strategists-drunk-the-ai-race-kool-aid/
Interesting article. The language is a little weird and I’m not always sure what he means, but it’s still interesting.
«When technological change is driven more by hubris and ideology than by scientific understanding, the institutions that traditionally moderate these forces, such as democratic oversight and the rule of law, can be eroded in pursuit of the next false dawn. We’ve seen this before. An AI race, specifically, could undermine the social fabric of the countries engaging in it, which makes it a problem of the state.»
https://twitter.com/thebrownhijabi/status/1135247582781935616?s=20
Via @iyad_elbaghdadi. I think the thing that’s most awesome about this is the fact that some Muslims at a particular mosque are having trouble with their Trustee Committees, too. 😀
(For those not aware, which is all y’all: the Trustee Committee at my local church made some decisions that caused a ton of… angst? I don’t have a word to describe how angry it made some of us.)
«Why We so Rarely Look Back on the Great Leap Forward
What accounts for this neglect? One possible answer is that most of the victims were Chinese peasants – people who are culturally and socially distant from the Western intellectuals and media figures who have the greatest influence over our historical consciousness and popular culture. As a general rule, it is easier to empathize with victims who seem similar to ourselves.»
https://indyweek.com/supporttheindy/keep-it-smart-keep-it-indy-zack-medford-indy-press-club/
Local journalism, baby. I am now a proud member. Local peeps: I recommend this. Non-local peeps: I recommend you find something like in your area and chip in (The Independent Weekly really is high-quality local journalism, but it can’t be the only one).
So, not only is demographics NOT destiny, by the time you get the kids to vote, you’ll find they’re voting to protect their “way of life”.
«Democrats hoping for younger voters to reduce the country’s political and racial divide could be disappointed.»
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/01/business/boeing-737-max-crash.html
Systemic failure. Who’s responsible for how the system gets set up? (Rhetorical question; I think I already know the answer.)
«As Boeing rushed to get the plane done, many of the employees say, they didn’t recognize the importance of the decision. They described a compartmentalized approach, each of them focusing on a small part of the plane. The process left them without a complete view of a critical and ultimately dangerous system.»
Here, Read This 