Nuts And Bolts

1. A Brilliant Comment.

When Mike Hendrix and Maetenloch at Ace of Spades cite the same blog comment for two distinct reasons, it's bound to be a doozy:

Our problem isn't that we haven't picked our battles skillfully. Al Qaeda attacked us with mass casualties and the Taliban gave them refuge. Iraq was an attempt to send a message to the rogue nations and the enabling nations that the former status quo was no longer acceptable. "Rogue states never turn out to be quite the pariahs they are deemed. They are only able to cause, or at least threaten to cause, mayhem because they enjoy the covert support – usually by means of technology transfers – of one or more major powers within the charmed circle of global ‘good guys'." Margaret Thatcher

Russia is and has been all along, directly facilitating and enabling Iran's pursuit of nukes.

Iraq failed because of the Western Left's treachery.

Our problem is our country's current failure to conduct wars with utter ruthlessness, to understand that mercy is extended after total victory. We have A difficult lesson to learn.

As for blood and treasure expended, both Afghanistan and Iraq have been among the least costly of wars in blood expended and as for the fiscal cost, our perspective is skewed; "Since the beginning of the War on Poverty, government has spent $19.8 trillion (in inflation-adjusted 2011 dollars) on means-tested welfare. In comparison, the cost of all military wars in U.S. history from the Revolutionary War through the current war in Afghanistan has been $6.98 trillion (in inflation-adjusted 2011 dollars).* The War on Poverty has cost three times as much as all other wars combined." Stephen Daggett, "Costs of Major U.S. Wars," Congressional Research Service, June 29, 2010

Applause to Geoffrey Britain. Also, please read the article his comment links. It's incredibly illustrative and educational.

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2. The Plight Of The Yazidi.

The Obama notion of "saving" the desperate souls trapped on that Iraqi mountainside appears to be to frighten ISIS away from them long enough for them to escape. He did mutter something about an "airlift," but anyone who's spent any time on a significant slope will immediately discern that this is mere blather.

ISIS is determined to exterminate every other religion in its path; that's the one and only point of its campaign. Their imagined caliphate is one in which Islam is the only religion, shari'a the only law, and Church and State ride in the same chariot forever. That outcome requires the conversion or extermination of every non-Muslim it encounters. Even the supposed third alternative of "dhimmitude" is merely a device for coercing the "infidel" into accepting Islam, as the history of Islamic conquests makes quite plain. Therefore, there can be no "saving" of anyone in ISIS's path, Yazidi, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, or otherwise, except by destroying ISIS root and branch, down to the last man.

Whatever Obama's predilections -- and I admit it; I'm one of those who believes that he favors Islamic jihad carnage and wants to see it continue and intensify -- it appears that no one in his administration is willing to admit that ISIS is engaged in a religiously-motivated war of conquest and extermination. It's been obvious to anyone who's ever bothered to familiarize himself with its texts that Islam commands exactly that of its allegiants. However, in a departure from my usual practice at such junctures, I shan't harp on my mantra that "obvious means overlooked," because it doesn't apply to the Obamunist regime. No one has overlooked anything here; Obama's underlings fully grasp his vindictiveness and would never dare to hint at an explanation for ISIS's campaign that deviates from his promulgations.

Religious warriors never admit nor accept defeat. They win, or they die. Therefore, there is only one way to put an end to their slaughters: the way that Geoffrey Britain hints at in the segment above. If you dislike what that implies about the proper attitude toward world Islam, well, you can't say I've made any secret of it these past thirteen years.

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3. Book Notes.

I've recently decided to try Amazon's "KDP Select" program for my eight novels, which required that I delist them from all other sales outlets for the duration. Until further notice, if you're interested in one or more of those books, please go to Amazon for them. The image-links on the right sidebar have been modified accordingly.

Also, from September 9 through September 15, the ebook editions of Chosen One, Which Art In Hope,, and Priestesses will be available for a mere $0.99 each. The prices will revert to their usual retail levels on September 16.

I'm still at work on Polymath, the kinda-sorta continuation of the "Realm of Essences" series, and -- God willin' an' the creek don't rise -- should have it ready for publication around the end of this year. For those hoping for a novel based on "The Warm Lands," never fear: that, too, is on my workbench. Finally, a few test readers asked recently about Powers Of The Air, which I began some time ago but has languished in desuetude since then. I promise you that I haven't abandoned it; I've merely been rethinking it. It will be completed, just not quite as soon as I originally intended, nor in the fashion I once envisioned.

Enjoy your Humpday.