There's this guy I know whose wife is threatening to leave him. The kids are rebellious and probably will go with her. The guy (I'll call him "Bob") isn't the best dad around, he beats them for no good reason, is drunk a lot and so on - but allowing the family to break up will be a lot worse. Broken homes lead to all sorts of trouble, from crime to dependency and so on - this will hurt everybody. We can't be isolationist about this, our security depends on other people's families staying together.
This man is facing an insurgency from his wife and kids, and if this insurgency succeeds, it will hurt all of us, even those of us who live on the other side of town. Plus we'll look like wimps because we couldn't/didn't have the guts to stop it.
Now, if there's one thing I know, it's C.O.I.N: Counter-insurgency. The Coalition Provisional Authority didn't put me in charge of socially engineering hundreds of thousands of Iraqis because of my education, (I still can't find Iraq on a map) or my linguistic skills (I can't even speak "black" let alone Iraqi or Arabic or whatever the haji speak). No, the Coalition Provisional Authority put me in charge of socially engineering hundreds of thousands of Iraqis because my experience as a think-tank intern gave me an intuitive grasp of counter-insurgency.
So, here's my plan for saving him (I'll call him "Bob") and therefore the neighborhood:
We'll get a SWAT team, part of the Church Security Detail, and whatever vigilantes we can hire, and having them take over Bob's house. We win the hearts and minds of Bob's wife and kids by doing the dishes, folding the laundry, sweeping the floor, and installing spice racks. (He says he already has a spice rack, and he doesn't like spice, but it's the thought that counts.) Also, we'll need a medic to put on bandages when Bob hits them.
In the fall we'll rake up their leaves and then we'll be home in time for Christmas.
This is counter-insurgency, not a riot, so we'll have to keep tazer use to a minimum. Only taze the kids if they're being obviously rebellious, for example refusing to answer your questions, or running away.
So, who wants to join my Crusade?
This man is facing an insurgency from his wife and kids, and if this insurgency succeeds, it will hurt all of us, even those of us who live on the other side of town. Plus we'll look like wimps because we couldn't/didn't have the guts to stop it.
Now, if there's one thing I know, it's C.O.I.N: Counter-insurgency. The Coalition Provisional Authority didn't put me in charge of socially engineering hundreds of thousands of Iraqis because of my education, (I still can't find Iraq on a map) or my linguistic skills (I can't even speak "black" let alone Iraqi or Arabic or whatever the haji speak). No, the Coalition Provisional Authority put me in charge of socially engineering hundreds of thousands of Iraqis because my experience as a think-tank intern gave me an intuitive grasp of counter-insurgency.
So, here's my plan for saving him (I'll call him "Bob") and therefore the neighborhood:
We'll get a SWAT team, part of the Church Security Detail, and whatever vigilantes we can hire, and having them take over Bob's house. We win the hearts and minds of Bob's wife and kids by doing the dishes, folding the laundry, sweeping the floor, and installing spice racks. (He says he already has a spice rack, and he doesn't like spice, but it's the thought that counts.) Also, we'll need a medic to put on bandages when Bob hits them.
In the fall we'll rake up their leaves and then we'll be home in time for Christmas.
This is counter-insurgency, not a riot, so we'll have to keep tazer use to a minimum. Only taze the kids if they're being obviously rebellious, for example refusing to answer your questions, or running away.
So, who wants to join my Crusade?
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