Is it possible all the hot air about climate change is responsible for the climate change which is what radicals want you to believe is taking place but is not there? (See 1 below.)
In the sweep of history, it is probably good that radicalism is given a chance to expose itself. After a while it tends to wear thin and most see through the falsity of the many messages.
Socialism and fascism are really evil and have failed wherever embraced but it only becomes evident to those who have experienced them so there are times when we must suffer uneducated fools who are catching up in the learning process. We are living through such a period right now.
The rage of today's radicals will burn itself out after much destruction, much intolerance as they protest intolerance, much employment of identity politics and all the harm they do in dividing our nation.
If you are disturbed by all this insanity parading as self-righteousness read Ecclesiastes.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mattis explains. (See 2 below.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++
This was sent to me by a former Landings resident, a friend , a former tennis buddy and still a memo reader with this commentary.
"The Author Matt Brady is a friend of my son. They met at the Landings when they were both in College. Matt is the Son of deceased Landings resident Al Brady and the step son of current resident Marilyn Brady.
J--" (See 3 below.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dick
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1)New study from British scientists: OK, maybe climate change isn't that dire a threat after all
Published by: Dan Calabrese
Shouldn't Al be happy?
You are required to believe this. It's science. Science! That is incontrovertible. You can fully expect the entire American left to immediately disavow their previous predictions of worldwide calamity, because science now says otherwise.
OK, they're not going to do that. But you can probably relax:
Climate change poses less of an immediate threat to the planet than previously thought because scientists got their modelling wrong, a new study has found. New research by British scientists reveals the world is being polluted and warming up less quickly than 10-year-old forecasts predicted, giving countries more time to get a grip on their carbon output.
An unexpected “revolution” in affordable renewable energy has also contributed to the more positive outlook.
Experts now say there is a two-in-three chance of keeping global temperatures within 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the ultimate goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
They also condemned the “overreaction” to the US’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, announced by Donald Trump in June, saying it is unlikely to make a significant difference.
According to the models used to draw up the agreement, the world ought now to be 1.3 degrees above the mid-19th-Century average, whereas the most recent observations suggest it is actually between 0.9 to 1 degree above.
The discrepancy means nations could continue emitting carbon dioxide at the current rate for another 20 years before the target was breached, instead of the three to five predicted by the previous model.
“When you are talking about a budget of 1.5 degrees, then a 0.3 degree difference is a big deal”, said Professor Myles Allen, of Oxford University and one of the authors of the new study.
Published in the journal Nature Geoscience, it suggests that if polluting peaks and then declines to below current levels before 2030 and then continue to drop more sharply, there is a 66 per cent chance of global average temperatures staying below 1.5 degrees.
Now you'd think the left would greet this as wonderful news. They're the ones who've been running around saying we're all doomed because of global warming, so new information to suggest we are not should come as huge relief and cause for celebration.
That is not what's going to happen. This is the worst-case scenario for the left. Here's why:
What this study means is that any risk from global warming is already being mitigated by things happening naturally without any intervention from government. This is one of the points I've been making for years. I am not a climate scientist, so I don't claim to say authoritatively what's going to happen in the future. But what I do believe strongly is that the left's proposed "solutions" to the problem are unacceptable. What are these solutions? Higher taxes and stiffer regulation of industry, of course. In other words, all the things they want anyway.
That's all global warming has ever been for the left - an excuse to insist that we must have the policies they left already wants or we're going to die. My position on global warming has always been that, whether it's real or not, any action to address it would have to come from innovations of the private sector - better technology, better ways to generate energy, but not bigger government.
This study indicates that's exactly what's already happening, and as a result the models have to be adjusted to reflect that the risk is not what was previously though. So we're not doomed, and the reason is things that are happening on their own without government forcing it, or raising taxes, or controlling industry.
To the left, this means their excuse to do all these things is gone. Now, of course, they will find a new excuse for why we must do all this or die. They always do. But the horse they've been riding for 25 years is now crashing and burning, and when people realize that it's going to be a lot harder for them to sell the same old nonsense to the general public - no matter how hard the media tries to a) bury this study; and b) help them with their next gambit.
You can only shove so much B.S. in people's faces before they start to recognize what it smells like.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2) Mattis Explains Why U.S. Hasn't Shot Down Any North Korean Missiles
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Defense Secretary James Mattis said Monday that the U.S. has not moved to shoot down any of North Korea's test missiles because "those missiles are not directly threatening any of us."
"Obviously, Japan's missile defenses are up, and their radars are operating. Ours are. And they are intentionally doing provocations that seem to press against the envelope for just how far can they push without going over some kind of a line in their minds that would make them vulnerable," Mattis told reporters. "So they aim for the middle of the Pacific Ocean, as you know, where at least we hope no ships are around, right?"
"And the bottom line is that, when the missiles -- were they to be a threat, whether it be to U.S. territory, Guam, obviously Japan's territory -- that would elicit a different response from us."
Last week, Pyongyang fired an intermediate-range missile over Hokkaido, Japan, reaching its greatest test distance of 2,300 miles before splashing down.
"There are many military options, in concert with our allies that we will take to defend our allies and our own interests" should it come to that, Mattis vowed. "What we've done with the sanctions is we are putting the leader in North Korea in a position to be aware that the international community, voting unanimously twice now in the United Nations Security Council, seeing the increasing diplomatic isolation that comes with it, comes with the economic sanction that there's a penalty to be paid for ignoring international concerns and norms."
The Defense secretary acknowledged that there is a military option on the table against North Korea, but he would not go into details.
The Pentagon said Mattis spoke Thursday evening with Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera after the latest ICBM launch.
"The secretary reassured his Japanese counterpart of America's unwavering commitment to the defense of Japan and the broader security of the region," Director of Defense Press Operations Col. Rob Manning said. "Secretary Mattis and Minister Onodera agreed that the North Korean provocation called for a strong demonstration of a unified front between the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, and agreed on the importance of robust trilateral defense cooperation between the three nations."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
3) Why My Commanding Officer Kicked Me Off The Helicopter to Rescue the ‘Lone Survivor:' A Lesson in Living Core Values and Sacrificial Leadership
A few years ago, I was a pilot and Platoon Leader in a Nightstalker helicopter unit in Bagram, Afghanistan, meaning I was legally and morally responsible for the safeguarding and employment of 4 aircraft and about 30 specially trained soldiers. We normally fly exclusively at night using Night Vision Goggles to maintain the element of surprise, and on this particular night, we’d been asked to insert a group of four US Navy SEALS deep into enemy held territory to collect valuable intelligence on a powerful militia leader in the Korengal Valley.
My immediate supervisor, the commanding officer of our helicopter task force, was Major Stephen Reich, a West Point baseball standout and experienced Nightstalker. He’d been drafted to play for the Baltimore Orioles organization but instead elected to serve his country while his peers went on to more lucrative careers in baseball and the sports entertainment industry. Major Reich was a driven leader and pilot, just like when he played ball. He expected those around him to run fast, take chances, and always look for an edge against the competition. He’d once looked at our standard Army issued helicopter checklist, for example, and read the line:
“when in doubt, take the most conservative route or action.”
“Cross that line out, Brady,” he would tell me.
Heresy in the world of military aviation, but in his mind, we were hired to serve in America’s premier helicopter force because of our professional judgment, not our ability to read a checklist.
On this night, Codenamed Operation Redwings, we looked for every edge we could find. From landing zone selection to reconnaissance and firepower requests, we wanted to give Michael Murphy, Marcus Luttrell, Danny Dietz, and Matt Axelson every advantage possible. We waited for the sun to set, and under the cover of a moonless night, my crew and I flew the four SEALs deep into the Hindu Kush mountains. After “roping” them into their insertion point, we flew to Jalalabad where I coordinated with SEAL commander Erik Kristensen on tomorrow’s mission objectives as we both listened to “Murph” whisper his team’s progress over the radio.
Once Murph and the team found a place to hide, we “buttoned up” the helicopters and tried to get some rest in preparation for the next night's missions. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. Until...
“Sir…sir, wake up. Murph and the team were compromised, they need immediate support”
I was prodded awake by my maintenance officer and the look on his face told me more than his words. This was bad. The team had been discovered by some goat herders who in turn revealed their position to the reconnaissance target individual and his militia. They were in a major ambush and were fighting for their lives. I ran over to my Platoon Sergeant, Sergeant First Class Michael Russell, who was also asleep, and asked him to prep the aircraft while I found our flight lead pilot, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Corey Goodnature, to start initial planning. I was the designated QRF, or “Quick Reaction Force” Platoon Leader for this mission, so it made sense that I would lead the flight. Also, one of our core promises to our “customers” is “if we put you in, we’ll take you out.” It seemed like only a couple of hours since I’d put them in, but by God, I was going to get them out. I felt it was my duty.
Major Stephen Reich, however, felt otherwise. As the rotors were turning and I was completing last minute coordination with SEAL Commander Kristensen onboard the helicopter, Stephen stepped on the aircraft and walked over to me like a Major League coach walking to the pitcher’s mound.
“What’s your plan, Brady?” he inquired. I briefed him on my plan and Kristensen nodded in approval.
“I like it,” he quipped, “everything except the parts that involve you. Now get off.”
I was stunned. To put what just happened in perspective, that’s a bit like New England Patriots’ QB Tom Brady under center on a crucial 4th down during the Super Bowl, reading the defense, and right before snapping the ball, Coach Bill Belichick calling time-out, running onto the field and saying, “hey Brady…tell you what, how about you let me take this one. Run on over to the sideline and take a knee.”
Furiously, and fruitlessly I might add, I pleaded my case to Reich. This was my mission, I reasoned. He’d trained me for this. But his mind was made up and he had his reasons. I patted Goodnature on the shoulder, jabbed Russell in the ribs, and wished them all luck. Stepping off the back of the aircraft, I felt a tremendous guilt as I watched them taxi for takeoff. I locked eyes with Russell, positioned at the back of the ramp, and we shared a look as they rolled away. And then they were gone.
If you’ve read the book or seen the movie “Lone Survivor,” you know what happened next. Reich, along with Corey Goodnature, Michael Russell, Shamus Goare, Kip Jacoby, Marcus Muralles, Tre Ponder, and Chris Scherkenbach along with Navy SEALs Erik Kristensen, Jacques Fontan, Dan Healy, Jeff Lucas, Michael McGreevy, Shane Patton, James Suh, and Jeff Taylor were shot down while attempting an insertion near Marcus Luttrell and Killed In Action. Along with Matt Axelson, Danny Dietz, and Michael Murphy, we lost 19 Americans that morning and, at that point, the most special operations Soldiers and Sailors in a single mission since World War II. Only Marcus Luttrell survived.
Lessons on Leadership and Duty
Through his selfless actions, Stephen Reich taught me many things that day. He taught me the most important place for a leader is at the decisive point of the battle. The decisive point is that point in time and/or space where the stakes for your team are highest and where advantage could swing wildly between friend and foe. It’s the point where the morale of your team could turn on a dime and where all of the uncertain variables of your situation congregate to foil even the best laid plans. The decisive point requires the presence of the leader because he can see and hear with his own eyes and ears and can make appropriate decisions in real time. If a leader is to have any influence at all, it is here.
He also taught me that real leaders never ask their teams to do things they wouldn’t be willing to do themselves. This is true in business, but even more so in war. Leaders eat last, meaning, if your going to run out of food and some of your troops will go hungry, you should be among the hungry. The millions of ghosts of World War I remind us in unison of the cowardly actions of officers who sent men into battle miles away from their own relative comfort and safety, only to send wave after wave to their deaths, completely unfazed by the danger. Stephen Reich knew in his heart this would be one of the riskiest, most dangerous missions we’d flown in a long time. If he was going to ask his men to fly into the teeth of the enemy, he would be right there alongside them. He believed with every fiber of his being that he owed that much to Luttrell, Murphy, Dietz, and Axelson, and those he would ask to risk everything to save them. It was the most valiant act of sacrificial leadership I have ever witnessed.
One Final Lesson
But most importantly, he taught me that these beliefs were so deeply held, that he lived by them and was willing to die for them. So, his final lesson was not to waste your time living your life by principles and values you don’t really believe in. Reich's final lesson urged us all to find those beliefs that drive you; that wake you up in the middle of the night crying; that you’d be willing to go to the ends of the earth for. Find those things you believe in so strongly you’d give up absolutely everything to see them through.
Finally, Stephen deeply believed in the Nightstalker Creed and our motto, “…I serve with the memory and pride of those who have gone before me for they loved to fight, fought to win and would rather die than quit. Night Stalkers Don't Quit.”
NSDQ
Matt Brady is a retired Army Special Operations Aviation officer with over 18 years of operational, strategic, and organizational leadership experience. He's a West Point graduate, holds a Masters of Philosophy Degree in Military Strategy, and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He's also an Executive Consultant at Afterburner, inc., a veteran owned and operated small business dedicated to helping good companies become great by leveraging the tools and techniques of Flawless Execution. https://www.afterburner.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment