Memories of the 28th Century

Maybe I’m becoming more cynical in my middle age, but it seems like government exists exclusively to fill the pockets of the insiders and their friends. That seems pretty obvious in the case of Trump and his pals, but it is also true on the state and locals levels.

On the federal level the use of government to enrich people has been going on for a long time, and it has been publicized for decades. Eisenhower warned us about the “military-industrial complex”, and he was in a position ...

A few days ago I remembered how mercenaries had been quite significant in African wars a few decades ago, and the wars weren’t as messy as what is going on in Nigeria with Boko Haram and in and around Uganda with the Lord's Resistance Army. There were several rebellions in the Congo that used mercenaries extensively. Groups assembled by Bob Denard, Jean Schramme, and Mad Mike Hoare cleaned up many rebellions that would have grown into messes as bad as Boko Haram, if they hadn’t been put down. The ...