Category Archives: Military

Mental Trauma and a Different Kind of War

Posted on April 5, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

B. Christopher Frueh and Jeffrey Allen Smith ask this about mental trauma and the Civil War: One would assume that the physical price paid by the men who fought in the war would have a rough equivalent in the mental … Continue reading →

Posted in Military | 2 Comments

The Con Isn’t Confined to Religious Zealotry

Posted on March 2, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

In an interesting post about the F-35 strike fighter $500 billion to $1 trillion boondoggle (yes, those figures are not typos), Gary Becher notes that one of the staunchest defenders of this program, Republican Congressman Mike McCaul, is a real … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Conservatives, Military | Comments Off on The Con Isn’t Confined to Religious Zealotry

On Mali, Some Sanity From the Nominee for Defense Secretary

Posted on February 1, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

A while ago, I mentioned that regarding any possible intervention in Mali, no one is discussing the obvious historical parallels of following France into a country without clear objectives. It appears that Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel is thinking along … Continue reading →

Posted in Military | Comments Off on On Mali, Some Sanity From the Nominee for Defense Secretary

A Vietnam Myth

Posted on January 20, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

The supposed hatred by the Left of Vietnam veterans was one of the foundational critiques against the Left, and Charles Pierce calls bullshit on it (boldface mine): Back in 1982, when I was a baby alternative journo, I was in … Continue reading →

Posted in Military | 5 Comments

The Obvious Historical Comparison to Mali That Apparently Isn’t Obvious

Posted on January 17, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

You might have heard about the recent French intervention in the sub-Saharan country of Mali. In a nutshell, the French are assisting the Malian government against Tuareg rebels and Islamic militants who have essentially taken over the north of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Military | 3 Comments

Not Your Typically Veterans Day Parade

Posted on November 12, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

But they served too. Observed on Tremont St., Boston:

Posted in Military | 1 Comment

The Chris Hayes Hero Non-Troversy: A Case Study in the Rightwing Hissy Fit

Posted on May 31, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Last Sunday, on his TV show, Chris Hayes discussed whether we should be using the term hero so often, which led to much high dudgeon by conservatives, followed by the obligatory curling up in the fetal position by TV pseudo-liberals. … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Military | Comments Off on The Chris Hayes Hero Non-Troversy: A Case Study in the Rightwing Hissy Fit

In Memoriam

Posted on May 28, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Observed on the Boston Common–one flag for every Massachusetts serviceman who died under arms:

Posted in Boston, Military | Comments Off on In Memoriam

What We Can Learn From the Military K-12 Educational System

Posted on December 13, 2011 by mikethemadbiologist

Some readers might be surprised to learn that the U.S. military has its own educational K-12 system. So how does it perform? Better: …once again, schools on the nation’s military bases have outperformed public schools on both reading and math … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Military | 1 Comment

Now the Military Knows How Scientists Feel

Posted on November 23, 2011 by mikethemadbiologist

Apparently, the Pentagon isn’t happy with the spectre of arbitrary and mandatory cuts due to the ‘failure’ of the Poliburo Supercommittee (boldface mine): An 11 percent reduction is nonetheless a cut of $54 billion, which would have to be done … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Military | 5 Comments