How to spend $40 billion; and, Don't fuck with the Bear

[unixronin]

Brought to my attention by fruitylips:  Warren Buffett is giving away his fortune.  (Well, 85% of his $44 billion, anyway.)  Most of the giveaway, some $31 billion at the current value of Berkshire stock, will go to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, doubling its net worth.  The remainder will apparently be divided between four other philanthropic foundations run by or in memory of Buffett family members.

If he's having any trouble getting rid of any of it, I could help him out with his pocket change.  Say, a few paltry tens of millions.  You know how that small change adds up.  Hell, a mere few hundred large would totally turn our lives around.

"Excuse me, Mr. Buffett?  Could I please have four hours' worth of the interest on your m00lah?  I promise I'll put it to good use."

In other news, it appears Al-Qaeda, or an Islamic jihadist group reportedly linked to them, may have made an error of judgement.  The group, which calls itself the Mujahedeen Shura Council, announced today that it had killed four kidnapped Russian diplomats, after Russia evidently failed to comply with a demand on Monday to withdraw its troops from Chechnya and release all Moslem prisoners within 48 hours.

I expect the Russian response to this to be swift, bloody, and effective.  The Russians have never been ones to let terrorists dictate terms to them.  We Westerners could definitely take some lessons from then in that regard.  If I had to list the world's three most competent organizations in this particular arena, I'd probably name the KGB, the SAS, and the Mossad, and I'm not really sure what order I'd rank them in.  I'd purely hate to ever have all three mad at me.

Comments

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

Well, the KGB is certainly effective at killing people.

-Ogre

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of the last time some ill-advised individuals in Beirut snatched a Russian diplomat and started offering ultimata for his safe release.

The KGB identified the culprits, snatched several of their family members, and started delivering minor body parts to the specified drop spot, along with a very simple message: "When we get our diplomat back, alive and unharmed, you get your family members back. Don't wait too long."

[blackcoat.livejournal.com]

Effective, yes. However, I don't think that I would want to be protected by people who would be willing to do this to gain my release. I am a member of the school of thinking that says "Be better then your opponents in everything that you do."

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

I think that is an example of being better than their opponents. The Russians showed that they were much better at terrorism and blackmail than their opponents.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I wasn't intending to debate the moral validity of the KGB's methods. I was just observing that the "Mujahedeen Shura Council" may have made a serious error of judgement. :)

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

As a postscript to that thought: I personally have a suspicion that the more clearly your opponents understand that you are prepared to use such methods, the less often you will actually have to do so. Part of the problem the West faces with regard to international terrorism is that we have demonstrated time and time again that compared to the jihadists, we are soft; we will not contemplate such actions, because public opinion will not let us. We may say "We will not negotiate with terrorists", and even mostly mean it, but we will not do unto them as they do unto us and make their adventures as costly for them as they intend them to be for us. We don't provide sufficient personal incentive for them not to target us for terrorism.

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

But torturing innocents to deter the guilty is unacceptable.

-Ogre

[blackcoat.livejournal.com]

I think that torturing the guilty to deter the guilty is unacceptable.

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

Hrmmmm. Most of the time I'll probably agree with you. Possibly even all of the time. But I don't wish to commit to that.

-Ogre

[blackcoat.livejournal.com]

I think that a number of things are unacceptable. However, I also recognize that, on rare occasions, unaccptable things need to be done in order for greater goods to be gained. In fact, I have (on a much smaller moral scale) done such things. However, you should always feel dirty and wrong afterwards. And thats one of the reasons that I don't think that our people should do things that like. A) I don't want them feeling that for me, any more then I really want them killing, dying, or getting hurt for me. And b) I think that everything that every soldier, sailor, marine and airmen does reflects on me. Because I asked him or her to go and do those things. And I want to be able to not shrink away when someone talks about the USMil.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I entirely see where you're coming from. That said, I think every society needs a few people -- for its own good -- who are ready and willing to think the unthinkable when the situation demands it.

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

Like The Agent in Serenity?

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Not too dissimilar, I suppose. Swordfish is another example: someone who can go and do things the government cannot or will not contemplate.

[blackcoat.livejournal.com]

And, I rather agree wtih that. I am a part of the public opinon that feels that we should not contemplate such actions. That we should not negotiate with them, and that we should find them, and bring them to justice, or baring that kill them. However, that said, I think that doing untio them as they would do to us is a stupid idea. I like having the ability to look my family in the eye after they come back from down range, and know that anything they did, they did it with at least a modicum of honor.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

Every country, except the US, does negotiate with terrorists. That is why the kidnappings persist, they are very profitable. They just kill the Americans, there is no money for them.

Not Getting Involved with Moral Ambiguities

[bbwoof.livejournal.com]

...I'd purely hate to ever have all three mad at me.

Not to worry; you wouldn't hate it very long...

Re: Not Getting Involved with Moral Ambiguities

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

That was sort of my thought too. ;)

[captoblivion.livejournal.com]

The Russians certainly do not tolerate the spectre of terrorism, but they are frequently entirely too indiscriminate in their retribution. Do not forget what happened when that band of Chechen rebels seized a school a year or two ago. They gassed everyone inside and opened fire like madmen, killing a large number of children through one means or another. Any reaction to these sorts of threats should be more deliberate and focused, lest they run the risk of cutting off their arm to cure the finger.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

My understanding of the reports at the time was that they deployed the gas and sent the Spetznaz in when the Chechens ran out of patience (or panicked) and started indiscriminately shooting hostages. We'll probably never know for sure which hostages were killed by Chechens and which by "friendly" fire. That was pretty much of an unwinnable scenario for anyone -- too many tangoes with too many hostages in too extensive a space to ever possibly clear it without losses. The theater incident wasn't pretty, either -- they lost, what, about 200 people? -- but again they had an all but impossible situation on their hands.

six of one, half a dozen of the other

[captoblivion.livejournal.com]

You're pretty much right. Both of the situations were nigh impossible to deal with in any civilized way (especially the theatre incident), and yes, the situation does need to be dealt with quickly and decisively in order to deter further similar situations. I would merely suggest to them a more precise, less indiscriminate approach to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties.

Re: six of one, half a dozen of the other

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Can't argue with that.

I tend to look as examples at the SAS retaking whichever embassy it was that was seized by Iranian radicals in London about the time of the hostage crisis (0 civilian casualties), and the Israeli raid on Entebbe (iirc, two civilian casualties, one of whom got shot because he had the poor judgement to stand up in the middle of a firefight).

Re: six of one, half a dozen of the other

[captoblivion.livejournal.com]

I am reminded of the situation in Lima several years ago when the Japanese delegation were taken hostage in their own embassy, and the Peruvian state police went in and whacked 'em all in short time, and with not so much as a mussed-up civilian hairdo.

Re: six of one, half a dozen of the other

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Whacked the Japanese deleg.... Oh, the tangoes. I was going to say, aren't they supposed to rescue the delegation? ;)

Re: six of one, half a dozen of the other

[captoblivion.livejournal.com]

Dammit, don't parse my semantics! You know I is bein' talkin in Eengleesh real good like y'all is!