Posted on 09/05/2004 7:05:43 PM PDT by MrChips
Did anyone else watch any part of the C-SPAN presentation (a replay, on late last night)by the guy from the National Defense University who was doing an incredibly sophisticated, large-screen, "powerpoint"-like presentation on the military in the 21st century? You military guys out there are probably used to such things. But it was all new to me. And very impressive. It was also a bit Orwellian, frightening, unsettling . . . like a scene straight out of a Tom Clancy novel. The guy focused on changes over time in out military structure, future needs and the like, using all kinds of cool graphics. And he did spend some time on the war on terrorism. It was all a bit much to take in . . . I'm just a Latin teacher . . . but he did make a couple of comments about which I have been reflecting all day long . . . .
He explained that the Muslim world, by and large, is "disconnected" from the rest of the world, clinging to a fundamentalist past, and oor worldwide effort needs to be the business of "connecting" it tot he rest of the civilized world. And he suggested that, contrary to frequent Democratic (and European) spin, "democracy" is NOT at all offensive or unacceptable to the Muslim mentalite'. Indeed, it fosters freedoms of movement and expression which help to connect it. Rather, what is offensive to the Muslim world is not our political system but simply, our relative decadence. Think of their attitude toward women. Think of the liberation of women in Afghanistan. Thus, it all boils down to sex. Now there's a theory! Any thoughts out there?
I watched it and I thought it was extremely interesting. Do you remember that guys name or his Web Site Address?
C_Span has on their schedule, his name is Thomas P.M. Barnett
No, sorry. I don't. Yes, interesting. But I could not follow it all. Too overwhelming. But, his "It's all about sex" thesis I found especially interesting. Sure does simplify things.
Yes, the control of women is the botom line.
That's what they are really fighting about.
I was working late, and I had it on. Very fascinating. I thought his slide show and noises were tedious, but the overall content was excellent.
His website is thomasbarnett.com or something close to that.
I caught the last 15 minutes. Found myself glued to the tv. I thought he made a lot of sense. I'm retired Navy. I like these guys who, apparently, are very smart and do their homework. Much better than all the "experts" we see daily on news shows.
Actually, I believe his interpretation was, that to enter the global market competitively, you had to free the women from bondage. This is rather anathema to the Islamists, but I say GOOD!!! And what is good for the women there, will be good for the rest of the world, as well.
I saw it too. Very interesting with respect to the sex aspect. We're going to have to drag them into the new millenium kicking and screaming about their rights to subjugate women.
He also mentioned this website.
National Intelligence Council
http://www.cia.gov/nic/NIC_home.html
One point he made, that you might have missed, was that once an officer reached what he called "flag" rank, that he should be no longer simply a part of his originating service, but become a multi-service expert.
Did you catch that? And do you have an opinion to share about it?
Well, yes, but the "It's all about sex" line was his, by which he meant not only the liberation of women, but the attendant loosening up of Muslim attitudes toward sex. In other words, they fear the removal of the burka or the veil is tantamount to the opening of Pandora's box or the eating of the apple by Eve. And that is a difficult problem for the West. Is it, indeed, the root cause of all the conflict now going on?
While the trust of the presentation was transformation of the military, in reponse to a question asked by a muslim, Mr Barnett stated that the "western decadence" is what really scares the Islamic world, not democracy. That seems to make one hell of a case against hollywood and their like, the aclu, liberals,etc. Bottom line; the current democratic party is not good for America.
I saw some of it. The comments about women in the workforce the freedom and power it gives them being what really upsets muslims, was quite interesting.
I caught his presentation while channel surfing last night.
His take on the WOT and the type of forces, role of allies was fascinating. I checked out his web site. He is leaning towards voting for Kerry ( Scoop Jackson Lib from RI?).
Here is a link to his web site, well worth a look:
http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/
Becoming a multi-service expert has been in the mill now for about two decades (one ticket needing punching is joint duty (tour of duty with another service)). I guess he wants it expanded a lot more. He also mentioned parts of the military acting more like the Coast Guard which has both military as well as policing duties. Now that's a hard nut (paradigm shift) to crack.
I caught it last night after tiring of hurricane coverage. Extremely interesting to watch.
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