Barbarossa Day!

"The entire World will hold it's breath!"

Unternehmen Barbarossa's 70th Anniversary.

Just after 0300 hours local time - a 3 mile wide strip of territory stretching the length of eastern Europe from Baltic Sea to the Carpathian Mountains erupted in a torrent of fire and flying steel as Luftwaffe aircraft, Werhmacht artillerie und panzers blasted across the Soviet frontier. In the violence of her initial collision, the immensity and feriocity of her subsequent development, and her prolifigacy of destruction of human life and resources - Operation Barbarossa - the Deutschland - Russian conflict - transcended anything ever before - or since - in the human experience.

Flush with fast, relatively easy victories over Western Europa - NSDAP time Deutschland flung three ginourmous Armee Gruppen at Russia in a crazy scheme to knock out the Collectivist armies forcing Mockba to accept an uneven uneasy piece and destroy bolshvikism forever.

The 1st 6 months saw amazing feats of Teutonic arms, vast panzer pincers, desperate pockets of Soviets fought to annihilation or capture (often the same thing) and by Pearl Harbor Day the naughty Wehrmacht was fighting in Moscow's suburbs.

The Moscow Battle - Operation Typhoon was the literally chilling climax of Barbarossa's blitzkrieg portion. Ferocious defense of the the capitol city by freshly released Siberian Reserves (Russia learned Nippon wouldn't be attacking their  far east anytime soon) ended any hap hap happy tho'ts of a 'lightning campaign' in Russia.

Operation Barbarossa ground on for three and a half years more the site of some of the largest battles, deadliest atrocities, highest casualties, and most horrific conditions for Soviets and Germans alike - massively complex military ops like Stalingrad, Zitadelle and Bagration - until 3rd Reich died in an orgy of blood and flame and shaped the modern world and lingers with us still: NATO, Russia's near paranoia with her Near Abroad and fear of an awakened, reunified, riled up Germany. 

Pic - "Verlonne Siege"

Bye Bye Bashar?

 Götterdämmerung!

Teutonic for Twilight of the Gods also meaning to be shot down in flames in an orgy of blood, torment, destruction - the concluding conclusion of the Epic Fail - "...a collapse of a society or regime marked by catastrophic violence and disorder..."

Fellow Daemoneoconic kindred spirit and Comunication Director at Great Britain's smoking hot Scoop Jackson Society  (he also gigs at Just Journalism and is kinda hot too) Michael Weiss shares sources that predict the illegit Allawicious Regime in Damascus led by the nearly 2 metre tall (wookie sized) Dr General President Bashar al Assad's expiration date has left the regime and regime haters with one option each:

“Kill or deport all those who had lost family members, had family members tortured or raped or jailed — i.e., suffered since the start of 2011. Or topple the regime. Half the protesters are demonstrating for personal reasons now. Assad’s stupidity has become our greatest virtue.”

Suriya al- Kubra! 

Is the end for Bashar Bay Bee's Regime at hand? Reeling from 20k refugees gatecrashing into Turkey, the Ottomans threatened to intervene militarily within a week if al Assad can't get his act together, stop killing ppl and keep the noise down. Syria's President for Life delivered a defiantly fiesty mean sounding tough speech  "...the beatings will continue until morale improves..."

“...No development without stability, no reform in the face of sabotage and chaos. Today we stand at a decisive moment in the history of our country, a moment that we want through our determination and our will to mark the turning point between a yesterday full of troubles and pain in which innocent blood was shed and a tomorrow full of hope...” 

Uh, sorry tuned out there for a sec.

Bashar used the word "freedom" once, "conspiracy" 8 times, and "vandals" -- the Official fave expression for rowdy assetted disloyal, unproductive servants of the Regime like 18 times. 

The real trick is that Bashar has handed the opposition the initiative:

"...Syria's economy has come under such incredible duress in recent weeks that financial analysts say the government could run out of money entirely. Syria is struggling due to a combination of international sanctions, drying-up foreign investment, a devastated tourism industry (hotels in Aleppo and Damascus are empty at a time of year when they're usually pumping much-needed money into the economy), and Assad's costly civil service pay raises made in a last ditch effort to assuage protesters. 

"...This sudden and severe economic downturn will bring real pain to the Syrian people, but it will exacerbate protests, and ultimately limit Assad's ability to pay military and security forces. 

And  al Assad's diplopolitiary magic is failing too-

"...Assad's military is stretched increasingly thing, with troops recently deploying to a fourth border, in the east near Iraq. Syria is not an especially large country, but it is heavily urban. Its 22 million residents -- about four times as many as in Libya -- are packed twice as densely as Yemen's 23 million. As the military attempts to lay siege to one town after another, it must send less and less forces to each new urban uprising, and will thus be less able to respond. 

"...When Syrian refugees recently fled by the thousands from the town of Jisr al-Shoughour into Turkey, many carried reports that protesters had burned out security buildings in a fight to hold their city. Eventually, there may be a town in revolt that Assad simply lacks the forces to put down, and that would be the beginning of the end of his grip on the country.

"...Syria's foreign policy, a tool Assad has long used to stay in power, may also be faltering. The country's relationship with northern neighbor and crucial ally Turkey is at near-total collapse, depriving Syria of its richest and most important ally. The response from Iran -- Syria's second-most important ally -- is still uncertain. Protesters have begun burning Iranian flags, understanding how important the eastern neighbor is in bolstering Assad's rule (impossible-to-verify reports suggest Iranian security forces are assisting in the crackdown; whether or not they're true, they are believed within Syria).

"...Iran now faces a dilemma between offering even greater aid to Assad in a big to keep him in power, or scaling down their involvement so as not to risk a popular backlash, as they did in Iraq once it appeared major Shia militias might turn against them.

"...Cracks are beginning to show in Assad's regime, perhaps the most significant indication that it is under incredible new pressure. Rami Makhlouf, Assad's cousin and an oligarch whose tight control over much of the national economy has made him one of the country's most hated figures, has announced he will leave his government roles. The leader's wife, Asma al-Assad, is rumored to have fled to London. Whether or not she is still in Syria, the glamor-prone first lady is well known for her expensive shopping jaunts across Europe. 

"...If Great Satan or another Western country ends up pursuing war crime charges, as they've suggested they might, an indictment by the International Criminal Court or other body would forever bar the Assad family from traveling to Europe. That might not sound like much of incentive for him to step down, but Assad is only human. The ability for his wife, with whom he is reportedly close, to lead her beloved lifestyle could help guide him away from the strategy of violence he is currently pursuing.

"...It's possible that none of these factors, either alone or together, will be enough to lead Assad out of office. But the pressures on his rule are growing both in number and in severity. That Assad felt compelled to make this morning's address -- something his fellow Arab leaders have done only at their lowest points in the battles against popular protests -- should be a sign that the situation in Syria, though still bleak, could be rapidly turning.

Pic -"A third possible outcome is a revived Ottoman Empire."

The Coming War With Persia

Oh, you know it is so!

Two certain certainties RE: the ascension of a new clear Preacher Command have always been it's totally "unacceptable" and magical jawflapping is the preferred methodology for ensuring Ayatollahs do not become atomic Ayatollahs.

If Stuxnettin' and sanctionin' fail to do the deal - and force is indeed on the table to be wielded like Army Ranger tomahawks then ain't no telling what all could happen captain! 

So, what would a Great Satan - Persia war look like?

"...At least three concepts are key to any coherent discussion of a U.S.-Iranian military engagement: complexity, uncertainty and war itself. By complexity we mean the number of moving parts in a given situation: actors, processes and the connections among them. By uncertainty we mean structural uncertainty—that is, not just ignorance of the magnitudes of agreed casual factors, but the ignorance of the causal factors themselves, and their mutual relations. 

What purpose war?

"...A war could aim to simply delay the Iranian nuclear weapons program through the physical destruction of key facilities and human assets: a Peenemünde option . Second, war could aim to effectively end the Iranian nuclear program by inflicting broad damage on its components and other key regime assets, military, infrastructure and leadership, combined with the threat to re-strike as necessary: a submission option. Third, war could aim to topple the regime through a concerted campaign against its assets and supporting mechanisms, coupled with support to its presumably less WMD-desirous opponents: a regime change option.

"...A regime-change option would require a broad military offensive that could include nuclear facilities, air defenses, Iran’s retaliatory capabilities, leadership targets, regime supporters, and national infrastructure and economic targets. This could include putting some forces on the ground to collect intelligence and neutralize specific targets that are difficult to strike effectively with air power. No large-scale ground operations are likely, but they cannot be ruled out at some levels of conflict and in some scenarios, such as those that posit a need to open and secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf.  

"...A U.S.-Iranian war would probably not be fought by the United States and Iran alone. Each would have partners or allies, both willing and not-so-willing. Pre-conflict commitments, longstanding relationships, the course of operations and other factors would place the United States and Iran at the center of more or less structured coalitions of the marginally willing.

"...A Western coalition could consist of the United States and most of its traditional allies (but very likely not Turkey, based on the evolution of Turkish politics) in addition to some Persian Gulf states, Jordan and perhaps Egypt, depending on where its revolution takes it. Much would depend on whether U.S. leaders could persuade others to go along, which would mean convincing them that U.S. forces could shield them from Iranian and Iranian-proxy retaliation, or at least substantially weaken its effects.

"...Coalition warfare would present a number of challenges to the U.S. government. Overall, it would lend legitimacy to the action, but it would also constrict U.S. freedom of action, perhaps by limiting the scope and intensity of military operations. There would thus be tension between the desire for a small coalition of the capable for operational and security purposes and a broader coalition that would include marginally useful allies to maximize legitimacy.

"...The U.S. administration would probably not welcome Israeli participation. But if Israel were directly attacked by Iran or its allies, Washington would find it difficult to keep Israel out—as it did during the 1991 Gulf War. That would complicate the U.S. ability to manage its coalition, although it would not necessarily break it apart. Iranian diplomacy and information operations would seek to exploit Israeli participation to the fullest.

"...Iran would have its own coalition. Hizballah in particular could act at Iran’s behest both by attacking Israel directly and by using its asymmetric and irregular warfare capabilities to expand the conflict and complicate the maintenance of the U.S. coalition. The escalation of the Hizballah-Israel conflict could draw in Syria and Hamas; Hamas in particular could feel compelled to respond to an Iranian request for assistance. 

"...Some or all of these satellite actors might choose to leave Iran to its fate, especially if initial U.S. strikes seemed devastating to the point of decisive. But their involvement would spread the conflict to the entire eastern Mediterranean and perhaps beyond, complicating both U.S. military operations and coalition diplomacy.

Pic - "Within 5 days, Iran is reduced to a state of near paralysis, unable in any sense to retaliate militarily, its entire economic infrastructure in shambles."

Poppa Of Us All

WWAGD?

What would the Ancient Greeks do?

As the skit scriber Sophocles sagely saged - tragedy is the eternal, constant - always on 10 struggle against and with stuff that's deeply inherent, permed penchant'd - and unpleasantly uncool - within ourselves.

And one thing that has remained more constant than not in the human condition is organized conflict - war.

"War is the father of all - the king of all"

War is an entirely human endeavor - the technologies may change, new ideas develop, hot! tactical and strategic delights are constantly just ahead yet the nature of manchild is unchanging.

Military History is nigh essential in the new millennium - in the decade after 911 - many cats (and their resume' would argue differently) seemed strangely out of touch, off base and well, boring. Arguments for doing nothing as op4'd to making tough choices and decisions bewtixt bad and really bad belies sinful misunderstanding and misappreciation for Military History.

"Our own past experience with war also reminds us that through prepardness, deterrence, and tough diplomacy, those who seek to profit bt aggression can be restrained, but only while they are relatively unsure of their power - before they gain greater strength, and thus prove both uninhibited and far more costly to subdue.."

Pic "War: The Father of Us All"

X Ray WoW!

The Council has spoken, the votes have been cast, and the results are in for this week, carved eternally in the records of cyberspace.

Congrats to GsGf's  Board of Directors Member Carl Prine's Line of Departure for scoring third in the Non Council Sweepstakes (Carl - your prize is enroute (:

Council Winners

• *First place with 4 1/3 votes! The Noisy Room–-An American descent Into Hell
• Second place with 2 votes – The Colossus of Rhodey-“X-Men: First Class,” Israel, and the line between good and evil
• Third place with 1 2/3 votes – New Zeal-Why Panetta? Is Slashing Defense the Real End Game Here?
• Fourth place *t* with 1 vote – Simply Jews-Matthew Hess: rabid, but how rabid he is indeed?
• Fourth place *t* with 1 vote – VA Right!-Obama Visits NC Plant That Used $39 Million Stimulus to Make $127 Light Bulbs and Pays CEO $4.2 Million
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Blunt Reality
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Glittering Eye – Whistle A Happy Tune
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – Rhymes With Right – Say What?
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – Snapped Shot – Sense of Humor
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Political Commentator – Is it an “Arab spring” or a winter of discontent?
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Bookworm Room – It’s not what you believe; it’s what you do with those beliefs that counts
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Joshuapundit – The Weiner Affair And The Disintegration Of Our Politics

Non-Council Winners

• First place with 3 1/3 votes! – Sultan Knish- Redistributing Freedom To Tyranny submitted byNew Zeal
• Second place with 2 2/3 votes – Zombie – How A teacher’s Rally Made me Anti-Education submitted by Joshuapundit
• Third place with 2 1/3 votes -Line Of Departure – Our Once And Future Kings submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
• Third place with 1 2/3 vote - American Digest – Overseen In The Library submitted by The Glittering Eye
• Fourth place with 1 vote -Civil Candor – Will Obama Punish Alabama for Fair New Immigration Law? submitted by The Razor
• Fifth place with 2/3 vote -Harry’s Place – Hamas Funder IHH on Tolerance: No Way! submitted by Simply Jews
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -Yourish – Obama ramps up the pressure on Israel submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -American Thinker/James Lewis – Barracuda Snakecharmer Sarah and the Mob submitted by The Noisy Room
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -El Pais – A Valley For All Of The Fallen? submitted by Right Truth
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -Dirty Spending Secrets – Dirty Spending Secrets submitted by Bookworm Room
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -Doug Ross – Narcissistic rage, envy and revenge at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue submitted by VA Right!
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -Tablet – Spring Break submitted by The Watcher
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -The Optimistic Conservative – Erdogan: Ottoman echoes growing louder submitted by The Watcher

See you next week..and Happy Father’s Day!

Army Day!

"This We'll Defend!"

Happy happy BDay (#236 in fact!) to Great Satan's all weather original voltiguerres - the Army!

"...Two hundred and thirty-six years ago, the United States Army was established to defend our Nation. From the Revolutionary War to the current operations taking place around the world, our Soldiers remain Army Strong with a deep commitment to our core values and beliefs.

"...This 236th birthday commemorates America’s Army – who are achieving a level of excellence that is truly Army Strong. Being Army Strong goes beyond physical endurance and mental preparedness. It encompasses an indomitable spirit, and high ethical and moral values. These are not only desirable traits in a person, but in a Nation that wishes to live up to the ideals and vision of its founders.

"...We are “America’s Army: The Strength of the Nation."


Pic "The American Army - Killing Our Enemies On Xmas Day Since 1776"

GOPeabody

"O Tay Mr Peabody! Set the dial on the Way Back Machine to 1911!"

Prob the best descrip of the recent GOP Debatery that CNN Chief Grunting Guy kept grunting through (yeah - it was kinda gross)

"...Mitt Romney sounded not so terribly different from Obama on Afghanistan, with the crucial difference that he wants out faster. Michele Bachmann and virtually all of them thundered that we had no need to be involved in Libya, least of all by playing second fiddle to France (a few things don't change). Ron Paul peddled his predictable isolationist wares, and he did so to a rather robust round of applause.

"...Their message with respect to America and the world (except from Rick Santorum, who mounted a lonely defense of our worldwide military presence) was that we should just stay home and forget about it. 

Well, see - thing is - as the world's only hyperpuissant - uniquely powerful - the only one of her kind - ever - Great Satan is the indispensable nation. She alone strikes out on a globestomping scale to correct uncool behavior, rescue the perishing and care for the dying.

Regardless of the tempting temptationing sirens song of isolationism (often risibly camouflaged as something something "Off Shore Balancing") - Great Satan essentially cannot abandon the world she herself hath wrought - no matter how refreshing a vacation holiday sounds.


Just like Spider - Man, with all this great power came great responsibilities. It's a fact Jack - whether sought after, wanted, welcomed or not.

A lot like the armies of attention attracting sporty shorties at the mall that demand, deflect and encouragingly discourage players.

And, just like those delightfully assetted little hottie drama magnets, Great Satan will find opportunities to use it - or the world will discover opportunities for Great Satan to use it.

Pic - "Isolationist Myth"