“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
― Isaac Asimov
@AimenDean Well I suppose Hamas will have to continue to fight and hide behind until the last Gazan child for their parents, clans and family members to rise up. Sure.
@EnzoNoBenzos @Rondo2@AimenDean Germans and Europeans in during WW 2 braved Nazi control, the SS, and Gestapo to smuggle Jews to safety for no monetary gain. Humanity is a choice.
Ukraine is the first country to stop 400+ Shahed drones per night using interceptor drones, the Telegraph.
The old model — shoot down $20k drones with $1M missiles — no longer works.
NATO is studying Ukraine’s model, but has no working equivalent yet. 1/
🇺🇸🇺🇦 Yesterday, POLITICO broke that the Pentagon paused some shipments of ammo to Ukraine. The decision, driven by the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, is claimed by DoD to be in response to concerns about their own stockpiles.
Is that true?
No. It is not.
🧵 ⬇️ 1/19
@afalkhatib@AP So hundreds of people hurt/ killed. Any pictures or video of the incidents? No one has a phone video for you to link into the story or verify the contractor statements? Seems…odd.
@elonmusk When voters actually understand real spending cuts have to occur. When voters, stop voting against their (and their grandchildren’s) interests and when Americans realize we in this together.
@TheMaineWonk Sure, it was complex. But acknowledging that we were flying unopposed in the sky and with minimal threat from air defense because another nation destroyed it all before we launched the bombing raid would also be accurate context. Less compelling i suppose.
@StevenBeynon@DefenseBaron Worse. Hitting targets with bombs is good TACTICAL success. We pay billions of $ for capable pilots/ equipment to hit targets. Strategic success (why we do the missions) requires knowing if the enriched uranium was actually there and if there are additional centrifuges at large
There is no question that Iran’s nuclear program sustained enormous damage as a result of this 12 day war.
It’s very likely been set back by at least a year, likely more.
But how quickly Iran can race to a (deliverable) bomb depends on one key question 🧵
@kaitlancollins Just wondering - wouldn’t the “eyes on the ground who gave the initial reports that the target was destroyed” - also be classified? IF there was such a on ground report why is he talking about it?
Talking about socialism is a luxury paid for by the successes of capitalism. As I wrote in 2016:
"A popular rebuttal is to invoke the socialist leanings of several European countries with high living standards, especially in Scandinavia. Why can’t America be more like happy Denmark, with its high taxes and giant public sector, or at least more like France? Even the more pro-free-market United Kingdom has national health care, after all. First off, comparing relatively small, homogeneous populations to the churning, ocean-spanning American giant is rarely useful. And even the most socialist of the European countries only became wealthy enough to embrace redistribution after free-market success made them rich. Still, why cannot America follow this path if that is what the people want? What is the problem if American voters are willing to accept higher taxes in exchange for greater security in the embrace of the government?
The answer takes us back to all those inventions America has produced decade after decade. As long as Europe had America taking risks, investing ambitiously, attracting the world’s dreamers and entrepreneurs, and yes, being unequal, it could benefit from the results without making the same sacrifices. Add to that the incalculable windfall of not having to spend on national defense thanks to America’s massive investment in a global security umbrella. America doesn’t have the same luxury of coasting on the ambition and sacrifice of another country."
An experienced Russian sniper explains the dramatic changes for snipers brought about by drones.
“Complete destruction of ‘invisibility.’
Previously, a sniper could lie under camouflage for hours, blending into the terrain and being virtually invisible to ground infantry
1/