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IDF, Twitter, and the Myth of Declarations of War
There is some hubbub over the tweet by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) yesterday, announcing attacks against targets in Gaza. Some folks dubbed it the “First Twitter war declaration.” The IDF has begun a widespread campaign on terror sites & operatives in the #Gaza Strip, chief among them #Hamas & Islamic Jihad targets. — Israel…
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A $0.22 Book, a Private Letter, and Vietnam
I love buying old books about war. While they may be dated, I enjoy seeing how conceptions and mindsets differed over the years. One of my more recent purchases, War: A Historical, Political and Social Study (1978), is a collection of essays, offering a post-Vietnam perspective from a variety of academic fields. While my copy…
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4 Reasons Why Secession Talk is Nonsense
My Facebook feed and Inbox have become inundated with the news that there are online petitions for at least 30 states to secede from the Union. Here is why the entire hubbub is nonsense. First, most of these petitioners do not appreciate what it would mean to secede. Several of the petitions state they want…
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Book Review: Turning Pro
Author Steven Pressfield published a short, powerful book earlier this year, Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work. The blurb caught my attention, as he sought to explain how he moved from being an amateur to being a professional. Addressing anyone with artistic aspirations, Pressfield emphasizes there is a stark difference…
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Clausewitz and Bobby Fischer? Just give me Clausewitz!
In War: A Historical, Political and Social Study (1978), Jon M. Bridgman attempts to define war. After discussing how some wars are won through battle, he moves onto to victory through the “personalities of the commanders,” which he believes was a view espoused by everyone’s favorite dead, Prussian theorist Carl von Clausewitz (d. 1831). The…
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Keegan on British and Southern Memory of War
The other day, I watched a talk by the late John Keegan on World War I, given at the Cambridge Public Library in 1999. He spent a good deal of time trying to answer why the war was still important to the British, covering the overwhelming number monuments and the yearly commemorations. Among several anecdotes,…
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The Importance of American Sea Power
I hesitate to write this, as it may seem I am endorsing a candidate. I am not. I think both President Obama and Governor Romney are correct on the issue of America’s navy, but in different ways. I will explain further below, but first we need to be on the same page concerning sea power.…
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Napoleon Killed Loads of Innocent People and this Surprises Some
The French are shocked, SHOCKED, that Napoleon could be responsible for killing so many innocent people in such a Hitler-esque fashion. French historian Claude Ribbe believes Napoleon was racist, instituted slavery, and was the first man in history that “asked himself rationally the question how to eliminate, in as short a time as possible, and…
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My Favorite Newsweek Cover
With the demise of the print version of Newsweek, it is worth discussing my favorite cover. Anyone looking through old news magazines before and during World War II can look no further than Newsweek for dramatic, relevant covers and reporting on the war. Browsing the covers of Time or Life will give the impression there…
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“More and more research into less and less”
Whenever I come across a book where a seasoned historian talks about the historical profession, I snatch it up. This past weekend, I came across Page Smith’s The Historian and History (1964). Smith is no longer with us and this writing speaks to us from the post-World War II era before the Vietnam War soured American’s…
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All Day Hike at Antietam for the 150th
After the “Sunrise in Cornfield” program, Derek and I headed over to the Battleview Market for omelets and French toast. I was tempted to order the Burnside, but it was too early in the morning. After the heavy attendance of the morning program, we expected the All Day Hike to be packed. We met behind…
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Sunrise in the Cornfield on the 150th of Antietam
My friend Derek and I arrived at Antietam on the afternoon of September 16. We had already missed many of the festivities, but we were determined to spend the next day on the battlefield, exploring and remembering what happened that day, 150 years ago. I tracked down a few park rangers and questioned them on…
