[.cnI redruM]

More expertise on firearms from Michael Bellesiles.

[Semper Paratus]

Smith returned to England, proclaiming his mission accomplished, but the Virginia Indian wars lasted for decades.

If it wasn't for the tech advantage every single settlement would have been wiped out by the first winter.

[keithtoo]

Well, well, well, we here from Michael again. I think history will prove that Mr. Belleislles is making this stuff up.

[elbucko]

I am certainly no fan of Bellesiles, but he does make a universal and salient point about the military and technology. That being the tendency to overestimate the effectiveness of your own weapons and to underestimate the resistance of ones enemy. It's as old as human conflict, and as basic as; "My daddy can beat-up your daddy".

In this context, however, Bellesiles is offering this bromide as an indictment against Bush's invasion of Iraq. In this case, I think Bush is using one of the oldest and most effective tactics of warfare; occupy the high ground. And right now, Iraq is the highest ground in the Middle East.

[elbucko]

American air power did enormous damage to the Iraqi military, destroyed numerous key government structures and killed uncounted numbers of civilians. In the process, the United States alienated millions of people around the world, including, it seems, a great many Iraqis.

The whole point and reason for Bellesiles article. An opinion piece disguised as informative commentary. I'll bet this is in the NYT and LAT before the weekend.

[spodefly]

BELLESILES is a lying, traitorous hack. His (Marxist) attempt at rewriting American history has shown him to be the goon that he is. Anything he says is an attempt to manipulate through lies and distortions. Anyone that publishes his crap is complicit in propagating lies and distortions.

[rmlew]

The lying idiot strikes again!
In the American Revolution, Britain's Capt. Patrick Ferguson believed his ingenious breech-loading rifle would guarantee victory. His confidence cost him his life in the South Carolina forests at King's Mountain, where American peasants carrying old-fashioned weapons wiped out his forces.
Idiot. Ferguson's companies had already been stripped of the Ferguson Rifle by that point. Because of logistics, they were re-issued Brown Betsies.

[upcountryhorseman]

This guy's previous rant was proven to be factually
incorrect and full of phony research.

[TC Rider]

Shouldn't the STL paper post a disclaimer?

Warning: Author of this commentary is a known liar and a discredited scholar!