I think that's an excellent piece. I've sent it to a number of Arabs who are trying to understand what US foreign policy is about. It certainly clarified things for them.
I read that back in 2001, off of Steven DenBeste's essential library. I've printed it and other works from that time, from Norvelle DeAtkine to Ralph Peters.
I also recommend reading Parameters as it is issued. I regret Proceedings has not been placed on the same free access as Parameters. Both publications are eye openers.
Yeah, the military does not think.
A tidbit: in the 1930's Chester Nimitz* was given an assignment with the brand-new NROTC at a university. Part of his job was convincing the professors that these navy officers teaching the courses were serious academics and not uniformed poseurs.
That adittude seems to be perpetual, and no matter how much it is disproved it needs to be done every generation.
I'm surprised to learn that Parameters is available online and for free. Most impressive.
And yes, it pretty much obliterates most of the stereotypes about the U.S. military and the thinking of its leadership.
There is a reason why militaries all over the world send officers here for training. And it's not because they're part of a global U.S. hegemony that teaches them torture and imperialism, either.
It seems like Mead has a useful way of thinking about the various factions in American politics. I found it very informative. I'm thinking I'm somewhere in the Jeffersonian or Jacksonian camps myself.
I've got deeply Jacksonian instincts (much to my shock, as I never really thought of myself that way and used to be a kinda new agey liberal guy) although my ideals are largely Wilsonian.
A great essay which clarifies the cultural underpinnings of red states.
One nit is that I don't follow the author's reasoning that African Americans adopting Jacksonian philosophy in large numbers. Blacks suffer from problems of children born out of wedlock, single parent homes, and too much reliance on the welfare state. Basically this is the battle Bill Cosby is fighting with much resistance. It's hard to see how any of these pathologies remotely relate to Jacksonian values.
What Dave said. The original Jacksonians were fundamentally of white trash stock, and it's an illusion to think they were ever all that sexually virtuous. Indeed, read the piece carefully--it suggests the opposite.
You also need to spend more time in the ghetto. The mentality is strikingly similar.
4.2.2007 6:32pm
Commenting on Dean's World is a privilege, not a right. Dean is your host, you are his guest, and you should behave in that fashion. Dean is not your babysitter, nor is he your punching bag. Please remember this. In general, you are free to disagree with anyone on any subject you wish, but abusive behavior will not be tolerated.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.
I also recommend reading Parameters as it is issued. I regret Proceedings has not been placed on the same free access as Parameters. Both publications are eye openers.
Yeah, the military does not think.
A tidbit: in the 1930's Chester Nimitz* was given an assignment with the brand-new NROTC at a university. Part of his job was convincing the professors that these navy officers teaching the courses were serious academics and not uniformed poseurs.
That adittude seems to be perpetual, and no matter how much it is disproved it needs to be done every generation.
*E.B. Potter, Nimitz, Naval Institute Press.
And yes, it pretty much obliterates most of the stereotypes about the U.S. military and the thinking of its leadership.
There is a reason why militaries all over the world send officers here for training. And it's not because they're part of a global U.S. hegemony that teaches them torture and imperialism, either.
America at its best is a combination of pugnacity and toughness, along with idealism and a hope of building a better world...
A great essay which clarifies the cultural underpinnings of red states.
One nit is that I don't follow the author's reasoning that African Americans adopting Jacksonian philosophy in large numbers. Blacks suffer from problems of children born out of wedlock, single parent homes, and too much reliance on the welfare state. Basically this is the battle Bill Cosby is fighting with much resistance. It's hard to see how any of these pathologies remotely relate to Jacksonian values.
You also need to spend more time in the ghetto. The mentality is strikingly similar.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.