tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post3000314808391994487..comments2024-03-19T02:31:02.140-07:00Comments on Steve Sailer: iSteve: "All must have prizes"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-46963505420882277422012-10-03T06:06:07.788-07:002012-10-03T06:06:07.788-07:00"People who aren't complete hacks or mind..."People who aren't complete hacks or mindless partisans are capable of recognizing admirable qualities in people they politically disagree with."<br /><br />Well said Sir. Thank you. Your entire post was excellent. <br /><br />Also you could add that it was very easy for Ivy league types to avoid serving (very few served in Vietnam according to one study I read ... Oliver Stone is another famous exception to this general rule).<br /><br />In retrospect, I wish I voted for Kerry (despite my disagreements with Dems and Libs in general).<br /><br />I don't think we would wasted trillions in dollars and lives in Iraq if he had won.<br /><br />Hard for me to see how he could have been worse than Dubya.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-54833374115195980432012-10-02T19:39:39.623-07:002012-10-02T19:39:39.623-07:00"Besides the three Purple Hearts he was award..."Besides the three Purple Hearts he was awarded, John Kerry earned the Bronze Star and Silver Star in Vietnam. I wouldn't call him a genuine bad-ass (Teddy Roosevelt he is not) but he seemed like a fine officer. Its what he did with his life after the Navy which is so irritating."<br /><br />I don't blame people for being pissed at the guy's opportunism post-Vietnam service. But reading the actual writeups and eyewitness accounts of his Silver Star and Bronze Star actions is pretty impressive. Beaching his boat to chase down a VC rocket launcherman on foot and shoot him. Braving enemy fire in the open to pull a Green Beret out of the water. Both of those those take a lot of physical bravery and coolness under fire. I respect that, just like I respect "Duke" Cunningham's stellar record as a fighter pilot, even if he was a corrupt, greedy pervert as a politician afterward. People who aren't complete hacks or mindless partisans are capable of recognizing admirable qualities in people they politically disagree with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-54280476768250394742012-10-02T19:37:20.712-07:002012-10-02T19:37:20.712-07:00That sure is a lotta fruit salad.That sure is a lotta fruit salad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-57478653744508627412012-10-02T19:34:57.652-07:002012-10-02T19:34:57.652-07:00That sure is a lotta fruit salad.That sure is a lotta fruit salad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-90627285485894458962012-10-02T14:38:31.594-07:002012-10-02T14:38:31.594-07:00"This site is overrun with lefty trolls. Kerr..."This site is overrun with lefty trolls. Kerry was as far from a "genuine bad-ass" as it s possible to get. He sought - and got - three Purple Hearts for what were quite literally scratches, after which he was transferred out of Vietnam per normal practice."<br /><br />"The valor awards are for actually doing something brave under fire, staring with the Bronze Star (with V), Silver Star, Navy Cross/DSC/Air Force Cross and the MoH."<br /><br />Besides the three Purple Hearts he was awarded, John Kerry earned the Bronze Star and Silver Star in Vietnam. I wouldn't call him a genuine bad-ass (Teddy Roosevelt he is not) but he seemed like a fine officer. Its what he did with his life after the Navy which is so irritating.beowulfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14987548132065830204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-7674252369766446402012-10-02T14:04:57.535-07:002012-10-02T14:04:57.535-07:00Then there is the Japanese army which gave out no ...Then there is the Japanese army which gave out no medals at all. It being taken as a given that its troops would fight to the death and not surrender. What was seen as 'heroism' in other armies, was just par for the course for them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-78195890601677817552012-10-02T13:47:29.756-07:002012-10-02T13:47:29.756-07:00"but as a swift boat commander Kerry appears ..."but as a swift boat commander Kerry appears to have been a genuine badass."<br /><br />I find that hard to believe.<br /><br />.<br />"Kerry was not hated by the men on his boat, which by Vietnam standards was really good."<br /><br />Were the swiftboats integrated? I've been told that was a significant factor.<br /><br />.<br />"but the one thing that struck me when reading Gibbons was the dispute relatively early in the Roman empire's history between the small farmers and the large landowners."<br /><br />Yes, almost a blueprint for what's happened in the US except slower.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-26288707848111033772012-10-02T12:44:44.557-07:002012-10-02T12:44:44.557-07:00http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1235123/Bo...http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1235123/Bogus-SAS-veteran-arrested-caught-parading-impossible-medal-haul.html<br /><br />Indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-4354056408805484502012-10-02T11:10:16.087-07:002012-10-02T11:10:16.087-07:00how many ribbons, not in his hair, has willie kris...how many ribbons, not in his hair, has willie kristol or perle, or wolfiwitzi?ja1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-70403203796871193942012-10-02T07:23:32.531-07:002012-10-02T07:23:32.531-07:00I've read Unfit for Command. It's garbage,...<i>I've read Unfit for Command. It's garbage, and the sources are nearly all cranky lost cause "waah, the politicians didn't let us win!" vets who are still pissed at Kerry for publicly turning against the Vietnam War. The guys who actually served in Kerry's boat seemed to really like and admire him. As a politician he's a pompous, awkward blowhard, but as a swift boat commander Kerry appears to have been a genuine badass.</i> <br /><br /><br />This site is overrun with lefty trolls. Kerry was as far from a "genuine bad-ass" as it s possible to get. He sought - and got - three Purple Hearts for what were quite literally scratches, after which he was transferred out of Vietnam per normal practice.<br /><br />He did a lot more than "denounce the war" - he denounced the American soldiers fighting it as savages and barbarians and mass murderers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-6771461987010175362012-10-02T02:55:59.626-07:002012-10-02T02:55:59.626-07:00"In general, the Vietnam war did not generate..."In general, the Vietnam war did not generate warm feelings among the American participants about each other. Kerry was not hated by the men on his boat, which by Vietnam standards was really good."<br /><br />What do you mean with that Steve?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-44578513461886350332012-10-02T00:11:24.737-07:002012-10-02T00:11:24.737-07:00"I think the Russians could have beaten the A..."I think the Russians could have beaten the Axis singlehandedly, although it would have taken longer. They faced 75-80 percent of German land strength and by 1943 were significantly outproducing the Germans in materiel. By 1944 the war was a rout. Remember that they had moved a lot of their factories out to the Urals so the fall of Moscow would not have been the end of the war." - The loss of Moscow would mean that most of their rail networks would be cut off, and without lend lease their tanks would not have things like radios or infantry/supplies that can keep up with them.<br /><br />The real question is one of will rather than mathematical certainty though, had the soviets not stopped the germans at stalingrad, might the allies simply despaired of ever beating the axis?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-8191561948162810352012-10-01T20:07:41.837-07:002012-10-01T20:07:41.837-07:00"Why so? Kerry may be a pompous, preening, ar..."Why so? Kerry may be a pompous, preening, arrogant prick (like most pols, just not as good at hiding it), but there was nothing odd about opposing a war while serving more-or-less honorably in it."<br /><br />Don't be a dumbass. You know what I mean. Kerry's main association with Vietnam War was to denounce it as an evil war. So, it's rather funny that he would make a big deal of his role in an evil war. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-70135085875000695842012-10-01T20:06:50.239-07:002012-10-01T20:06:50.239-07:00Spruance was not a Fleet Admiral. He retired as a...Spruance was not a Fleet Admiral. He retired as a full Admiral (O 10, four stars or one big stripe and three medium stripes). In the Navy, only King, Leahy, Nimitz and Halsey got five stars. There was a minor push to give Spruance the fifth but since he was so invisible publicity-wise, nobody really cared and it went nowhere. Whereas Leahy (FDR's Chief of Staff), King (CNO) and Nimitz (Cdr of the Pacific Fleet) all had to get to the fifth star once Congress authorized it, Halsey did not. He got it because the media promoted his "larger than life" personality rather relentlessly and he had a big public following that expected it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-4710720028829835832012-10-01T20:06:06.175-07:002012-10-01T20:06:06.175-07:00Generally there are awards for
* Service
* Conduc...Generally there are awards for<br /><br />* Service<br />* Conduct that is meritorious <br />* Achievement <br />* Valor<br /><br />The service awards are the "I was alive in '45" type awards, were it's acknowledged that you were, for example in the armed forces during a shooting war. I suppose you could include the combat infantry badge in this category--you were an infantry guy in a unit participating in combat. So some service awards are more impressive than others.<br /><br />The conduct awards are for doing a somewhat better than average job. Maybe you figure out a way to get supplies to the troops faster and better while sitting in your office at the Pentagon. Attaboy, here's a ribbon. There are some awards of this nature that are more or less given out automatically to high ranking officers for not screwing up too badly during time in command, like the Legion of Merit.<br /><br />The Achievement awards are for doing something like becoming a submariner, passing airborne or air assault school, being a good shot, and so on.<br /><br />The valor awards are for actually doing something brave under fire, staring with the Bronze Star (with V), Silver Star, Navy Cross/DSC/Air Force Cross and the MoH.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-90094655771528209562012-10-01T20:01:17.624-07:002012-10-01T20:01:17.624-07:00We had better hope the Sukhomlinov Effect isn'...We had better hope the <a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/sukhomlinov-effect.htm" rel="nofollow">Sukhomlinov Effect</a> isn't real.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10330712047609650184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-89175533223304628202012-10-01T19:55:51.552-07:002012-10-01T19:55:51.552-07:00"How sophisticated of you to use this Petraus..."How sophisticated of you to use this Petraus weenie as a pretext to belittle the WWII US military.<br />That's the attitude of a cultural Democrat...."<br /><br />Ah ha! Steve Sailer, deep cover Kossack troll.<br />On the other hand, I seem to recall hearing-- though it might have been MSNBC disinformation-- that the Commander in Chief of the WWII US military was a cultural Democrat (actually, two cultural Democrats).beowulfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14987548132065830204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-24615895883974084782012-10-01T19:45:42.626-07:002012-10-01T19:45:42.626-07:00"...it was funny that Kerry who opposed the V...<b>"...it was funny that Kerry who opposed the Vietnam War would run on his war record."</b><br /><br />Why so?<br /><br />Kerry may be a pompous, preening, arrogant prick (like most pols, just not as good at hiding it), but there was nothing odd about opposing a war while serving more-or-less honorably in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-71212969912507370462012-10-01T18:27:40.490-07:002012-10-01T18:27:40.490-07:00Yet only ten Medals of Honor have been awarded for...Yet only ten Medals of Honor have been awarded for the actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, just three of them to men who survived. No living serviceman was awarded the Medal of Honor by George W. Bush. <br /><br />There is some speculation that politics is involved: keeping the Medal from recipients who might use their standing as a threat to the political powers, Democrat or Republican.<br /><br />Military medals have taken the same path as our currency: heavy inflation devaluing the lower denominations, while the really large denominations are all but removed from circulation.Matthewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-42161559306316216872012-10-01T18:19:55.311-07:002012-10-01T18:19:55.311-07:00"I've read Unfit for Command. It's ga..."I've read Unfit for Command. It's garbage, and the sources are nearly all cranky lost cause "waah, the politicians didn't let us win!" vets who are still pissed at Kerry for publicly turning against the Vietnam War."<br /><br />That may be, but it was funny that Kerry who opposed the Vietnam War would run on his war record. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-58738993466851988372012-10-01T16:30:04.126-07:002012-10-01T16:30:04.126-07:00"It's the Taliban who've got the guts..."It's the Taliban who've got the guts, facing drones, jets, helicopters, and the like."<br /><br />They also beat up and kill women and gays...and non Sunni Muslims. <br /><br />That takes guts, doesn't it?<br /><br />Sorry, I'm just not going to sing encomiums to the courage of the Taliban. Courage is a virtue, but it's degraded when in the service of terrible evil. Athelstanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07346012062816580296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-75224060141928418052012-10-01T15:53:57.474-07:002012-10-01T15:53:57.474-07:00""..and physically, large tracts of land...""..and physically, large tracts of land within the empire were occupied by alien peoples. This showed up a hundred years later as social and cultural disintegration."<br /><br />We're pretty much living through an exact re-run of the collapse of the Roman empire imo.<br />"<br /><br />Good point, but the one thing that struck me when reading Gibbons was the dispute relatively early in the Roman empire's history between the small farmers and the large landowners.<br /><br />The large land owners wanted to import large numbers of slaves to work their land which the small farmers were against because it would undercut the value of their own labor and change the culture.<br /><br />The small farmers comprised the bulk of the early Roman armies.<br /><br />This dispute was an early example of elites versus middle class and insourcing and "the fruit is rotting in the fields" argument.<br /><br />The small Roman farmers lost the political battle with the large land owners.<br /><br />We all know how that turned out... Rome was eventually over run by barbarians though it took a while for the collapse to occur.<br /><br />The more things change the more they stay the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-14726697934793634612012-10-01T15:37:13.101-07:002012-10-01T15:37:13.101-07:00In general, the Vietnam war did not generate warm ...In general, the Vietnam war did not generate warm feelings among the American participants about each other. Kerry was not hated by the men on his boat, which by Vietnam standards was really good.Steve Sailerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920109042402850214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-17782427546683846322012-10-01T15:31:35.382-07:002012-10-01T15:31:35.382-07:00"I'm a little surprised that no one menti..."I'm a little surprised that no one mentioned John Kerry. If Unfit for Command is to be believed Kerry had a personal campaign to acquire as many medals as possible so as to bolster his political aspirations."<br /><br />I've read Unfit for Command. It's garbage, and the sources are nearly all cranky lost cause "waah, the politicians didn't let us win!" vets who are still pissed at Kerry for publicly turning against the Vietnam War. The guys who actually served in Kerry's boat seemed to really like and admire him. As a politician he's a pompous, awkward blowhard, but as a swift boat commander Kerry appears to have been a genuine badass. Hating his politics is a shabby reason to piss on a man who showed a lot more physical courage than anyone on this blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-60791920788418253622012-10-01T15:10:51.892-07:002012-10-01T15:10:51.892-07:00Given the inordinate number of police actions, pea...<i>Given the inordinate number of police actions, peace-keeping missions, the GWOT and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan within the last twenty years, the modern serviceman does indeed warrant a rather large number of decorations.</i> <br /><br /><br />There's a lot of redundancy even allowing for that. I see that General Petraeus has a "Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal" and a "Global War on Terrorism Service Medal".<br /><br />He only has two area-specific decorations - the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal - so those are not what's inflating his ribbon count.<br /><br />There are decorations more or less specifically created to be given to high-ranking officers, like the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com