From the Unintended Consequences Desk:

Sadam Hussein would have kicked. ISIS'. Ass.*

On the other hand, without the Gulf War, there'd be no ISIS. That aside, America's evil, gutless, directionless military adventurism rolls on.

It was not even a year ago when we were bombarded with messaging that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a Supreme Evil and Grave Threat, and that military action against his regime was both a moral and strategic imperative. The standard cast of “liberal interventionists” – Tony Blair, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Nicholas Kristof and Samantha Power – issued stirring sermons on the duties of war against Assad. Secretary of State John Kerry actually compared Assad to (guess who?) Hitler, instructing the nation that “this is our Munich moment.” Striking Assad, he argued, “is a matter of national security. It’s a matter of the credibility of the United States of America. It’s a matter of upholding the interests of our allies and friends in the region.”

U.S. military action against the Assad regime was thwarted only by overwhelming American public opinion which opposed it and by a resounding rejection by the UK Parliament of Prime Minister David Cameron’s desire to assume the usual subservient British role in support of American wars.

Now the Obama administration and American political class is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the failed “Bomb Assad!” campaign by starting a new campaign to bomb those fighting against Assad – the very same side the U.S. has been arming over the last two years.

It’s as though the U.S. knew for certain all along that it wanted to fight in the war in Syria, and just needed a little time to figure out on which side it would fight.

The rest of the story:
The Fun of Empire: Fighting on All Sides of a War in Syria by Glenn Greenwald (The Intercept).

*Just sayin'.

Oh, say...

Because of the upcoming anniversary of its creation, we will have to endure endless twaddle for the next year or so about "The Star Spangled Banner." It will be useful to recall that the only reason this difficult to sing and ideologically compromised ditty was belatedly adopted as the national theme song was that news reached the capital in 1931 that pinkos on the Erie, PA city council were opening meetings with rousing renditions of “The Internationale."

'This is the Story of Power in this Country'

"The quiet militarization of police departments began in 1990, when Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act, a provision of which — known as the 1033 program — allowed the Secretary of Defense to 'transfer to Federal and State agencies personal property of the Department of Defense, including small arms and ammunition.'

"In 1996, during the peak of the War on Drugs, Congress expanded the program and incentivized active use of the equipment, making it free for recipient agencies and simultaneously requiring them to use it within a year. The expansion of the 1033 program also required agencies to give preference to transferring equipment for 'counterdrug and counterterrorism activities.' And it hasn’t stopped there.

The rest of the story:
Ferguson, Institutionalized Racism and the Militarization of Police: 'They're willing to sacrifice the lives of the community members based on the actions of a few' by Nadia Prupis (Common Dreams)

Just spent

...an awesome couple of hours immersed in Charles Bradley (thank you, Amazon Prime) after watching the live-stream Roseanne Cash-Buddy Miller-Jim Lauderdale concert in NYC (thank you, Lincoln Center). But felt terrible for the local band that stole the Lincoln Center show. I realize that we ran out of band names around the time of Vanilla Fudge. But, The Lone Bellow? Really? Would you walk across the street to see an outfit called The Lone Bellow? You know you wouldn't, unless you thought you were going to see a Shel Silverstein cover band or a reading of Humboldt's Gift. Maybe, before they release their new album, they could sponsor a naming contest. The Zach Williams Band would work (he's the band's leader). "The Zach Williams Band stole the show at Lincoln Center last night." See? Or, if there's never been a band named Brooklyn, like Boston or Kansas, that'd work: "Brooklyn stole the show at Lincoln Center last night." The Lone Bellow? Not so much. In any case, if you're a Prime member, add Charles Bradley to your Amazon Music playlist now, and get the several Anthony Hamilton albums while you're at it. And, at least for now, it's still possible to watch Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Roseanne Cash and, yes, The Lone Bellow at Lincoln Center.org.

The Lone Bellow, Mill City Nights 10/29/13 (full concert):


Turns out, there has never been, apparently, a band named Brooklyn. There was, however, Brooklyn Bridge.

From the Nanny State desk:

An elderly scofflaw just moved a table and a chair from shadows of the cold coastal fog on Main Street to the bright warm sun around the corner on Hill, despite the Santa Monica Fun Police's strictures against such an action. The old reprobate is no doubt unaware that his transgression may cause the store owner to suffer a $1000 fine for public amenity abuse.

Who are the animals?

The cynical campaign to turn the "actor and model" Jiff into a media star came to Main Street this week with a visit to one of the local coffee shops for a photo shoot with the mini-dog for which it appeared that the little critter's entourage of six to eight photographers, videographers and hangers-on had no permits. With typical self-absorbed Hollywood arrogance, his handlers had him prancing around on tables and slopping up whip cream-topped drinks in blatant disregard for common sense, public sanitation, and health and public safety regs. Are there no "jackie cooper laws" to prevent the exploitation of defenseless pets? Does PETA think dancing monkeys are "adorable"?

Factoid

21% Of Americans Spend More On Their Cell Phones Than On Groceries.

Don't know what it means, but it's not good.