The University of Michigan philosophy lecturer who is the Unabomber's pen pal

"David F. Skrbina, a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Michigan here, read the manifesto in The Washington Post on the day it was published, he saw value in the message. He was particularly impressed by its clarity of argument and its references to major scholars on the philosophy of technology. He saw a thinker who wrongly turned to violence but had an argument worthy of further consideration." [Chronicle of Higher Education] [Links added]

Skrbina is a dreamer who only wishes he could muster the cajones to act on his beliefs like his pen pal Kaczynski did. So he does what all the rest of the academic anarchists do; he writes books.

One side's "terror campaign" versus the other side's "targeted killings" by drone

It's just a matter of perspective. An indigenous, diffuse, low-tech band of resistance fighters versus a well organized, high-tech, global superpower are obviously not  an even match. Both have different abilities and strengths and weaknesses. So don't expect them to fight the same way. Mark Thompson at The Battleland blog at Time.com puts it like this:

"...[Killing] Taliban and other foes with unmanned drones has been labeled cowardly by those targeted. And what’s murder to one side can seem a justifiable combat action by the other. That’s what tends to happen when a superpower fights a primitive society."

Indeed it does.

Islamic terrorists growing a conscience?

The inestimable Bill Roggio from the Long War Journal is reporting on an announcement from the Caucasus Emirate* terror group's leader Doku Umarov that directs the CE's operatives and fighters to stop deliberately attacking Russian civilians. This is progress of a sort, assuming of course that the CE's leader's order was sincerely made and that he can and will enforce it.

"Doku Umarov, the leader of the al Qaeda-linked Caucasus Emirate," says Roggio, "has ordered an end to attacks that deliberately target Russian civilians. The move is a shift in strategy after his suicide bombers deliberately attacked civilians inside Russia over the past two years, including in the capital of Moscow."

The Russian state and its political leadership, bureaucracies, military, intelligence, and police are all still considered fair game for attacks though.

* The Caucasus Emirate (Imarat Kavkaz) website.

With "allies" like these

Time.com's Battleland blog which covers military affairs says that in the last two years at least 58 allied troops have been killed by their Afghan army and police allies. These killings were not so-called "friendly fire" mishaps either but deliberate killings. Sheesh. And don't get me started on America's lying, perfidious "allies" in the Pakistan military and intelligence agencies. America needs to get the hell out of that quagmire.

No kidding!

From Bill Roggio at the Threat Matrix blog:"How many times do 75 percent of al Qaeda's top leaders need to be killed before the terror group is dead?" You really can't win this game of whack-a-mole like this in my opinion.

Thousands of man portable anti-aircraft missiles missing from Libyan state arsenals.

One way or another we'll probably see those missiles again I fear. Hopefully not at an airport near us though. Yikes.
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NYPD has its own anti-aircraft defense capabilty says CBS's 60 Minutes

With the UN being located in Manhattan and hosting 137 blood thirsty tyrants world leaders and their entourages this week the NYPD is making sure it has the capability to defend against any and all possible terrorist incident scenarios. Along with the typical stuff like roof-top sniper teams, street closures and roving patrols of heavily armed (by police standards) LEOs doing street closures, roadblocks and pedestrian checkpoints NYPD Commissar Raymond J. Kelly hints at the NYPD having anti-aircraft capability too, if need be.

When asked by 60 Minutes' host Scott Pelley NYPD's Kelly let this cat out of the bag.

"Pelley: Do you mean to say that the NYPD has the means to take down an aircraft?

Kelly: Yes, I prefer not to get into the details but obviously this would be in a very extreme situation.

Pelley: You have the equipment and the training.

Kelly: Yes."

NYC is now a de facto state in both theory and practice if what Kelly said is in fact true and NYC is all but officially sovereign. Maybe NYC should ask for UN recognized statehood and a seat in the UN? Some say that Kelly is full of shit though.

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The deadly cat & mouse games between US forces and guerillas in Afghanistan

The Afghans want the US out and they demonstrate this opinion with armed violence and the US Army kills them for it. The Long War Journal presents an interesting story here about a typical US Army sniper team that spots and shoots guerrillas planting roadside bombs. This cat and mouse game costs America many casualties and billions of dollars not to mention it's pissing off the people who live there.  And this deadly little game has been going on for a decade now. And some say it'll go on forever. (Long War Journal, Washington Post)

Anti-nanotechnology terror threat emerges in Mexico

Copying the views and tactics of the Unabomber an anti-nanotechnology group (or so they/he/she/them/it claim) launches terror bombing campaign against university researchers in Mexico. Time will tell if this is a genuinely new eco-terror/Luddite individual or group,  some unbalanced nut-ball crazies, or a cats-paw false-flag operation who's true purpose is unknown.

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Oak Park women banned from having vegetable garden in front yard (Jon Oosting, MLive)
Sheesh. Look at the picture accompanying the article and you can see it's a nice little veggie garden. Who's fucking yard is it anyhow?

That was fast (Mark Thompson, Battleland blog)
Ex-Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been out of  the Pentagon less than a week and he's already cashing in with lucrative speaking engagements. Why a national grocery sellers association would pay him five figures to hear his views is kinda of mystery though. At least to me.

Terrorist talk of surgically-implanted body bombs is a good sign (Danger Room)
It means that current bomb detection technology is getting harder and harder to fool. It has an odor of desperation to it therefore.

"Regardless of technological capability, a bomber will avoid placing their device in their shoes, in their carry-on property, in the checked luggage, or on their body. What’s left? The only thing left to consider is to place the device internally."

Eureka, Warehouse 13 scriptwriters to ease up on soapy romance bullshit (Scott Thill, Underwire)
Good. And knock off the massive season long story arcs too while you're at it . One-offs are the best way to go IMO, although a few recurring characters are a nice touch.

Another one bites the dust

Dead AQ terrorist Fazul A. Mohammed

Al Shabaab leader Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is reported dead by Somali sources with a nice gruesome death pic to match. Mohammed was one of the most sought after terrorists in Africa. And now it appears he's dead. No drones or CIA funny business reported either for once. Somali tribal police shot him when tried to run a road checkpoint.

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The war on raw milk (Jerry Salyer, Front Porch Republic)
Interesting thoughts although I have my doubts about the safety of drinking raw milk myself.

FUD ensues whether or not AQ terror chief was actually killed last week after all (Bill Ardolino & Bill Roggio, Long War Journal)
Stories like this make me appreciate the pains that the Pentagon took in killing Osama bin-Laden last month. Instead of a drone or cruise missile attack a boots-on-the-ground attack by U.S. Navy SEALs was launched. The SEALS shot Osama in the head, took DNA, took finger prints, as well as taking Osama's body just to be sure. And recorded it all as well. But they couldn't do any of this with Kashmiri and so doubt ensues. It doesn't help that AQ was very quick to confirm Kashmiri's death. That was a fast concession on the part of AQ. Too fast, perhaps? Hence the doubt.

Some guy claims to have spotted an alien base on Mars (Annalee Newitz, io9)
Hmm. Somehow I doubt it.

10 Steps to Disaster-Proof Your Life (Code Name Insight blog)
A little paranoia is a good thing IMO.

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Ann Arbor school board considering ending bus service for high school students (Kevin Feldschur, annarbor.com)
Isn't that what they always do? Cut the stuff people depend on and let the real reforms and cuts slide? 2/3 highschoolers handle transportation themselves and blow off the bus, says the post, but for the ones who need it it's critical. I know it was for me back in the day.

Psy-Op terror strike directed against Michigan governor (Sara Scott, MLive/Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
Somebody mailed in an evelope of suspicious white powder that burned the hands of a mail room guy. Trying to spread terror. Whoever did this is looking at some time.

Ilyas Kashmiri an AQ big-shot has been confirmed as killed by a drone strike  (Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal)
I wonder how long it'll be before the local PDs replace their SWAT teams with armed drones? Too bad about the collateral damage and such, but a big improvement for officer safety, no?

Affordable single-person rocket launched (Chris Matyszczyk, Cnet)
Around $70k. Hmm..that ain't cheap but it ain't that bad either. 

Where Are Libya's Anti-Aircraft Missiles? (Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics)
As the Libyan army's weapons stores were liberated by the rebels back in January and February their stash of man-portable anti-aircraft missiles were taken along with all the other stuff. Where will those missiles end up? Hmm...that could be a problem.

Pranksters Post Giant Windows Logo On Hamburg Apple Store (Todd Bishop, GeekWire)
Heh.

Antimatter Atoms Trapped for More Than 15 Minutes (John Matson, Scientific American)
Cool.

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Everyone owning their own home is an idea who's time is past (W.R. Mead, The American Interest)
As one American dream dies another emerges. Happened before and it'll happen again.

Low wages, low growth, low employment: Brace for the age of contraction. (Ron Smith, Baltimore Sun)
Tell me some good news.

Amazing story from WW2 of a fighter plane being downed by fire from a Model 1911 .45 caliber U.S. service pistol!
(Phil Bourjaily, The Gun Nut blog)

So-called "dazzle" camouflage fools the eye better than the blend-in kind (Esther Inglis-Arkell, io9)
Doesn't fool radar, sonar, infrared or most other forms of detection though. Sounds like it was written by a English or Art  History major with no understanding of modern war technology.

 Shabaab claims American carried out suicide attack (Bill Roggio, Long War Journal)
"If Abdullahi Ahmed was indeed an American and did carry out the attack, he would be the eighth American citizen to have executed a suicide bombing in Somalia"

Keeping your communications secret is still possible (J.W. Rawles, Survival Blog)
But it's a lot of work. Seems more like something from a spy novel but all the techniques listed should hold up pretty well, provided you're not detected and/or captured that is. Interesting read.

Encrypted website lets you buy any drug you want to (Adrian Chen, Wired)
"Silk Road, a digital black market that sits just below most internet users’ purview, does resemble something from a cyberpunk novel. Through a combination of anonymity technology and a sophisticated user-feedback system, Silk Road makes buying and selling illegal drugs as easy as buying used electronics — and seemingly as safe. It’s Amazon — if Amazon sold mind-altering chemicals."

Wisconsin lefties to set up a tent city named "Walkerville" to create a semi-permanent encampment at the state capitol (Ann Althouse, Ann Althouse)
Madison reminds me of Ann Arbor in the way it often operates like a state within a state. And with it's large demographic of kooks, flakes, leftists, crazies, unionists, professional agitators and such like. Ought to be interesting. Either the public will get tired of this and vote the Reps out or that they'll get angry and vote more in.

German police training vultures to find bodies (BBC)
Makes sense.

Ten Great Things About Old Men (Gavin McInnes, Taki Mag)
"#10. THEY’RE THE REAL DEAL
While couch potatriots and armchair activists sit indoors screaming through their keyboards, old dudes are walking softly outside with a big stick. They’re not particularly fond of fags, but if the government decided all homosexuals must be killed immediately, the ragtag rebellion’s frontlines would be filled with old dudes. Platitudes such as, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” aren’t platitudes to old guys. They really will grab a gun and fight for you. They already did."

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Michigan school superintendent asks governor to make his school district a prison (Nathan Boortz, Gratiot County Herald)
See, Michigan prisons aren't getting as big of a budget cut as the schools are.

Surprise! “Free Trade Agreements” do in fact damage the American economy (A.M. Spence, Council on Foreign Relations)

AQ Operatives arrested in Kentucky (Wes Bruer, Long War Journal)
They are both caught on tape bragging about fighting against U.S. forces in Iraq.  Both immigrated to the US in 2009.

Opinel carbon steel folding knife 
Less than $50 shipped. 

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Massachusetts job fair cancelled because of lack of jobs
Things are bad out there.
Solving the 2001 anthrax attacks: Did the feds get the wrong guy? Again?
Maybe says wired.com's Noah Shachtman. I think this story will be the Jack the Ripper story of the early 21st century complete with governmental incompetence, red herrings, false leads, witch-hunts, and mysterious clues that go nowhere or were never followed up. Not to mention the FUD amongst the public and a trail of dead bodies. To date no one has ever been indicted or arrested for these murders.
15,000 year old prehistoric tool-kit found
"The artifacts ... were mostly made from white chert, a popular stone for tools because like onyx it can be flaked into very sharp knife-edges."

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Take this you heathens!

Bomb plot foiled in Dearborn: Funny how all these mentally ill types of violent inclination come out of the woodwork when the feds need to get the public all scared in order to push through their unpopular agenda. I'm not given to conspiracy theories myself but this phenomenon sure is convenient for those in power right now ain't it? Just sayin'...

Some head-case Viet Nam vet from California just "decides" to load up his van with fireworks and drive to Dearborn, Michigan's biggest mosque with it all. And then stops at a bar to brag, boast and strut about what he's about to do? Seriously? This kinda shit is straight out of X-files or Info Wars. Just lots of mentally disturbed sleepers out there that their shadowy masters can activate with a phone call or email. Cui bono?

Sign of the times...cont'd.

"Excuse me, I have take this call.."

Oh the irony: Suicide bomber blown up by incoming spam text message.
"Security sources believe a message from her mobile phone operator wishing her a happy new year received just hours before the planned attack triggered her suicide belt, killing her at a safe house."

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Ann Arbor's own terrorist connection (besides Bill Ayers that is)
The FBI is investigating an Iranian immigrant and ex-Ann Arborite for trying to put together a murder-for-hire plot on behalf of the Iranian intelligence service reports Ann Arbor.com. I think that America needs to end immigration and reduce visa grants to or from the Islamic nations of the world for a few decades so we can assimilate and "Americanize" those already here.

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Willy Nelson will likely go to jail for latest marijuana arrest says Fox News legal expert. 
 
Ten questions science must answer - From the UK Guardian via boing boing.

The gift of satisfying work
"We have all known moments where work well done produces such a clear sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that to call this a necessary evil is to deny the goodness that we so obviously know and feel."

The search for "whitopia"
Which is to say places in America where whites are increasing as a percentage of the population. According to the research of this blogger #1 is none other than Washington, D.C. which was a surprise at least for me. #2 Idaho not so much.

Fooling facial recognition technology is harder than it seems.

Islamists know a western civilization secret: ‘Progress’ makes religion decline
"Western political, cultural, and intellectual elites today are, whatever patina of hypocrisy remains, overwhelmingly atheist. I’m not saying this is a good or bad thing. It’s simply my observation and analysis."

Russia proposes $2bn effort to reduce the amount of orbiting space junk 

Six foot seven 275 pound inmate over-powers five foot nine 140 pound female deputy sheriff in SF Bay area
Then he tasers her with  her own device and flees with her .40 caliber sidearm. Political correctness run amok or lack of personnel? Who can say?  And this sort of stuff has happened before with even worse results. Luckily he was soon recaptured.

Apple forces removal of Steve Jobs action figure - Too bad. I'd buy one.

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American is "not prepared for Mumbai-like terror attacks" says this terrorism expert. "No shit" says this blogger.

"So in all likelihood, the terrorists will continue preparing to mount small-scale swarming assaults along the lines of the Mumbai model. We can't count on detecting or pre-empting all of them. In the wake of such an event, it should be expected that networks of armed Americans would spring up on their own to deter or counter terrorist swarms. Indeed, many in the Tea Party are already calling for the passage of enabling "firearms freedom" acts."

Defending ourselves? What a concept.