statsman

Here’s a question, and if it’s better suited for CR, I can take it there- Hamas’ military is funded by Iran. Shortly after 10-7, the WSJ reported that Iran helped plan 10-7. What was Iran’s plan? Was it tied into the other ME activities? Was it a favor to their Russian allies, to take attention and pressure from them? Also- was Hamas expecting Hezbollah to join in, from the north? I know Israel has been wary of Hezbollah this whole time, keeping forces in place near them. In conclusion, what exactly was the plan?

Naval drones are helping Ukrainian farmers overcome the Russian Navy https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraines-victories-over-russias-black-sea-fleet-reopen-vital-grain-corridor-dc8d5694?st=mru3rs8nz0m01qz&reflink=share_mobilewebshare

Maybe they can use that money to help spring Shakil Afridi

Directed energy

https://www.on3.com/ Craig James? They’re trying to get the gang back together at SMU. He’s reliving the “good” old days with rich old alums on a podcast (linked)

I listened to a WSJ podcast where their reporter in Israel said the Israelis were like “WTF” about US negotiations with Iran, where they are promised sanctions will be lifted if Iran stops sending missiles to Russia. Israelis say, “What do you think they’re going to do with that money?”

The IDF claims to have killed 12k Hamas militants, twice the Hamas count. I think militaries, even trying to be accurate, overcount their enemy casualties.

To dovetail,…Trooper Tahlor also spent time at Baylor…

On the WSJ podcast, the reporter from Israel said that their war could have ended a couple of months ago, if the U.S. could supply munitions as promised. This condition is made worse by Israel supplying Ukraine with artillery shells (to tie into this thread topic), leaving them with a short supply when they were attacked in the south (and also needing some held back should they be attacked from the north). The point is- the U.S. needs to be producing artillery shells on a wartime footing, and not just for Ukraine, and not preparing budgets with reductions in defense spending. Know what really costs money? Fighting a war. Better to be armed so well that nobody wants to give you a try.

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/europe-will-tap-frozen-russian-assets-for-ukraine-arms-germanys-scholz-says-659ed672?st=jn4q0pzg5xiee6t&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink https://www.wsj.com/world/g-7-threatens-new-sanctions-if-iran-provides-ballistic-missiles-to-russia-8b1a3242?st=mcvqi8lq5nc850s&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink

There is a concept called “complementary football”, where the offensive schemes and defensive schemes support each other, mesh together. For example, a hurry up offense doesn’t need to be paired with a shallow defensive roster, because a couple of three-and -outs on offense, and the defense is done for the game. That’s a simple example. Im sure there are more granular and detailed examples, and I imagine it takes a head coach really knowledgeable about both sides of the ball to really work them out. Since 1994, it has been Jerry Jones picking the offensive and defensive schemes, because he not only hires the head coach; he also hires the coordinators. Because he’s a “football man”. Were in good hands, Dallas fans. 😬

Please. Lance Rentzel. In the’60s, Rentzel exposed himself to a little girl in Minnesota. It was suppressed. They traded him to the Cowboys, where he became a star, enjoying the single coverage received on the other side from Bob Hayes. He then exposed himself to a little girl in north Dallas, whose father wouldn’t let the DA downplay it, forcing a trade to the Rams, where he entered sports media (it was a different era). At some point, the world figured out that this kind of behavior was more than a “nutty kink”, and Rentzel was relegated to ignominy. Still, the fact remains that the Cowboys had a monster on the roster for a few years. FIFY

I picked up a book, “The Pony Trap”, written ten years ago by an ex SMU football player. It’s basically an apologetic for the Pony Express days. It’s fascinating, the way SMU fans and old players will try to spin that they were victims, that they were doing nothing other programs were doing. Oh, the way they like to point at Texas (SMU PIs turned Texas in for: coaches letting injured players use their car to get to class - the players didn’t have cars, coaches giving players that flunked out bus fare home) as being on probation, too, but let off easier because the Horns were favored by the NCAA. I went to the ON3 site for SMU and saw much of the same. If I have to spell it out- SMU’s cheating was on a whole nuther level than everyone else’s. Their Regents chair knew and approved. Their AD knew and approved. They swore to the NcAA that they would stop, and still continued payments. SMU is unique- they have boosters, with money, that want SMU to be a top program. They just don’t have a lot of fans. They never have. They are incapable of organically growing into a top program, but they can lean into trying, again, to be “the best team money can buy”.

Interview question (kudos to MP&TLOB): ”How much do you hate the Longhorns!” ”A lot!” ”For this job, you’ve got to really, really hate the Longhorns” ”Oh, I do! I really, really hate the Longhorns!” ”You’re hired!”

Given that Hamas can’t account for 130 hostages, I don’t get why anyone wants to put much faith in any of their other accounting.

There is a science to noting bogus numbers. Generally, it comes down to numerical facets (last digit) or the number itself not being normally distributed. The author, Abraham Wyner, explains that. He also points out that: Hamas is reporting 30k dead, militants and civilians. Hamas reports 70% of the dead as women and children. Hamas reports 20% dead as militants. Does that make any sense? That IDF are more likely to kill women and children than men? That almost all of the men are Hamas militants?

Is my memory right, in that Alberts dislikes UT? If so, he is in line with the last NU AD to take the Ag job- Bill Byrne.

I’ve had a couple of Audis. They were fantastic cars until they hit 100k miles, at which point the necessary maintenance and required repairs got really expensive. Then we got an X5. At 100k miles, it needed a couple of repairs (can’t remember what) that would run $7k, and we traded it in on a RX350. Lexus (Toyota) builds a good car, but they’re not perfect. There is a small leak from the timing belt cover. There is a silicon seal bead that gaps. The repair requires the engine to be pulled, at a cost of $5,700. I googled, and this is really common. I asked the Lexus service person, “So, I get that you have to pull the engine. After that, what does the repair involve?” (I was hoping to hear that there was a redesigned part that would hold the seal). “We reapply the silicon seal and put it back together”. “Really? What keeps it from breaking again?” ”The repair is warrantied for 12 months”. So, I passed. I’m taking the car to an independent Toyota repair shop and see if they’ll just apply a bunch of sealant in accessible area without pulling the engine).

I really want to disagree with you here, to say that eradicating Hamas will allow things to get better for both. I’m an optimist. Problem is-we never talk about who bankrolls Hamas, especially in their militant operations. Iran. Eradicate Hamas (they deserve it) and Iran will bankroll the next group of extremists. They’re better at it than the Soviets ever were. I believe in liberal democracy as the best form of government. Israel is populated by liberals, but a Jewish state is an illiberal idea. They have room to go. Still, they’re closer than Gaza. I believe Gazans can form and function a liberal democracy, but they have to be given space from the militant authoritarians, and I don’t see how that happens. Especially with Iran ready to move right back in.

No, I’m not.

And how far does that idea go? Thats my point. Is it not mind boggling that October 7 happened (is still happening for hundreds of Israelis)? The Hamas militants that went in there knowing they would be raping and mutating- do they not have wives, sisters, mothers, daughters? How does that even get planned, let alone acted out on a large scale? They must really, really hate the Jews.

Sure. But let’s not pretend there is any kind of moral equivalency, just because it may make you feel better about political allies. Let’s try a counterfactual thought experiment. Suppose a high ranking IDF general were to propose, “We’ll get several thousand IDF troops together, and we will storm into Gaza. We will rampage through neighborhoods, killing as many Gazans as we can, man woman and child. With our hands and knives, where possible. Oh! And there will be a lot of raping and sexual mutilation. Babies will be burned and then we’ll grab a couple hundred living hostages and drag them back”. Do you think such an idea, in Israel, would be met with anything other than a suggestion to seek mental health care? In Hamas, it was actuated.

There is an old trope- “He killed his parents and then asked the court for leniency, because he is an orphan”. That’s what Hamas is doing, pleeding for intervention against Israel due to the humanitarian disaster that they created and continue to support.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/house-democrats-try-to-bypass-speaker-johnson-to-force-vote-on-ukraine-aid-5e33753f?st=qgn10i8q7pk19oc&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink The discharge petition requires a couple dozen GOP signees, due to the number of Dem Reps unwilling to sign, because of its support for Israel.