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Gray Connolly

@GrayConnolly

17 Nov

As it is Montgomery's birthday in the UK and as we are all discussing the Afghan War, am reminded of Monty's dictum: "never reinforce failure". Also that Monty (wounded in WW1) would always visit his wounded in hospital after every battle & would then be inconsolable for days.

Both of Montgomery & MacArthur had superb WW1 records and both were the last Edwardians with a certain panache. Both stood out when visiting front lines so as to be seen, even at risk of sniping (almost killing Mac at times). Contrast with 2020's 'bureaucrats in uniform' is stark

https://twitter.com/GrayConnolly/status/1204656739167035392

I wrote this in 2017 on the Afghan War & really everything then as now is a symptom of a military culture that has degenerated since World War II (the last war we unambiguously won) and everything else since has been a non-Clausewitzian political exercise

https://twitter.com/GrayConnolly/status/1204656739167035392

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Gray Connolly

@GrayConnolly

16 Nov

I think everyone who watches The Crown is in my timeline. I have not watched it. Also the historical innacuracies, as with Downton Abbey, will only irritate. I fear The Crown will be what Brideshead Revisited is to an earlier generation, a source of bad retro-ism.

British productions market themselves like this for a reason cf Chariots of Fire, where Eric Liddell was this irritating scold (a Scottish trope of sorts, along with the drunk guy burning a football stadium down) whereas Harold Abrahams should have been the focus of the movie.

The two best recent British historical movies I have seen of recent - and which I commend to all of you in this November/month of the dead - are "Mary, Queen of Scots" & "Testament of Youth" re Vera Brittain. Historical accuracy very good & lead actresses are their character

Read 5 tweets

Gray Connolly

@GrayConnolly

16 Oct

There are two major Western schools or systems of law: there is the Civil Law system (also known as Roman Law) and the Common Law system (which is English law). What follows is an abbreviated & hopefully clear summary of Roman Law & its impact on the Common Law world. 🏛️⚖️👑⚜️🇻🇦

For ease of understanding, and as I am writing in English not Latin, I will describe law using Jus rather “Ius”. I do realise this will upset the purists. Also I am trying to make clear what is a large and complex jurisprudential history.

Put very simply, the Common Law system of law grew up with Britons, then Anglo-Saxons, then Norman, to become English law & this Common Law followed with the English language to the rest of the English speaking world and wherever became or was influenced by the British Empire.

Read 34 tweets

Gray Connolly

@GrayConnolly

15 Oct

As a forensic matter, emails are either hacked (the emails are real but were obtained unlawfully) or they are forged (the emails are fake and whoever produced them has engaged in deceit). Not sure which side Biden's counsel has taken.

The Wikileaks hacks were just that - Assange (aka the Russian GRU/SVR) targeted certain accounts and obtained their emails. The emails were real but obtained unlawfully. One can safely assume Russians, Chinese, Iranians etal hack often eg the PRC's US OPM hack a few years ago

There is a form of 'grey' propaganda where communications that are real are dumped with messages that are fake. The efficacy of this is limited over time as doubt on A leads to doubt on B & C, cf the long term damage in the UK done by the Zinioviev Letter

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Gray Connolly

@GrayConnolly

14 Oct

“Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together. It’s realty [sic] an honor and pleasure,” the email reads.

nypost.com/2020/10/14/ema…

"Ye, who had ties to the Chinese military and intelligence service, hasn’t been seen since being taken into custody by Chinese authorities in early 2018, and CEFC went bankrupt earlier this year, according to reports."

nypost.com/2020/10/15/ema…

"Still at the helm of the firm, Hunter flew aboard Air Force Two to China in December 2013, accompanying his then-veep father on an official visit where Joe Biden reportedly met with Hunter’s Chinese partners."

nypost.com/2020/10/14/ins…

Read 8 tweets

Gray Connolly

@GrayConnolly

19 Sep

May RBG RIP. Condolences to family. No court - even a final court - should have so much power. A healthy polity is one in which most people respect the work done by courts presided over by judges they cannot name because they are not in the news. Juristocracy is very unhealthy.

American liberalism sought to use courts to obtain victories - which tbf it has had - for results that it could never have achieved through elected legislatures. This may work until the “court as super legislature” also turns against you.

The elected Parliaments and legislatures are messy & full of disreputable hacks etc. But they are elected and they can also compromise. Courts esp constitutional courts are absolutist and final. While the latter is tempting, the former is a much healthier place to reform society.

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