Mac William Bishop

Mac William Bishop

@macwbishop.bsky.social

Just a poor wayfaring stranger, traveling through this world of woe. https://www.macwilliambishop.com/

1.9K followers256 following447 posts

Pinned

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

There’s a story which may well be apocryphal: at an art exhibition in the 1880s the Russian painter Vasily Vereshchagin took General Helmuth von Moltke (the elder) on a tour of the gallery. There he led the general in front of his painting, “The Apotheosis of War,” (1871).

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

"We have entered the Great Interregnum... the liminal space between the American Century and whatever comes next. We cannot say with certainty what guiding power or idea will order the world over the next century. But we can be certain that chaos will precede it."

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

"Iran’s doctrine is now shifting from primarily defensive deterrence toward a more offensive form of coercion. The thinking is that simply responding when the United States escalates is not enough." From my latest for @rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

rollingstone.comNo One Knows How to End the War with IranBoth Washington and Tehran want to inflict enough pain that the other side buckles. But neither side seems to be living in reality
Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

“The Trump admin might say, ‘Well, it’s not a large-scale invasion and occupation of a member state. Europe — take care of it yourself. Why don’t you help yourself, the way you helped us in the war against Iran?’” My latest for @rollingstone.com. @michaelkofman.bsky.social @hoanssolo.bsky.social

rollingstone.comTrump Has Opened the Door for Putin to Make a Move on NATOVladimir Putin has long wanted to break NATO, and Donald Trump has cleared the way for him to make an incursion into a member nation.

Mac William Bishop reposted

andy jabbour
@andyjabbour.bsky.social

'Every week...' As Iran lists new demands, ending our 'skirmish' looks unlikely, @macwbishop.bsky.social, @rollingstone.com gives some good takes on the absurdity of this unnecessarily started new endless war. But, sure Pete, 'Iran doesn’t “control” anything.' 😑 www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

rollingstone.comBeware the Bros of WarDonald Trump and Pete Hegseth could stand to learn a thing or two about sea power as the Iran war drags on. They're too concerned with testosterone.
Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

Tehran pushed hard to negotiate directly with Vance, who reportedly opposed the war in the first place, because they believe he'll behave more reasonably than many of his counterparts — most notably Witkoff and Kushner. My latest for @RollingStone on Iran: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

rollingstone.comIran Thinks It's Winning the War -- as Trump Looks for a Way OutDespite the chest-thumping declarations of victory from Trump and Iran, there are only losers in this war — which may be far from over.

Mac William Bishop reposted

Wesley Morgan
@wesleymorgan.bsky.social

Notable about the Isfahan rescue mission: the reason all these JSOC forces were in place in the region—from both Delta and SEAL Team 6 as well as the Rangers—is because of a big JSOC surge a couple of weeks ago in preparation for the highly enriched uranium raid, if ordered. Normally JSOC keeps…

Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social

With the desert air strip used in the rescue being this close to Isfahan, seems likely JSOC repurposed the one they’d been planning on using for the highly enriched uranium raid if ordered. Safe to say these events drastically decrease the odds of the JSOC HEU mission taking place.

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

"It is the same origin point — the same research, technology, and investment — that leads us to the moon or to dead schoolchildren, slain at our hands. The final decision about war or peace may be made by our leaders, but ultimately it is our responsibility..." My latest for @rollingstone.com

Mac William Bishop reposted

Jack Murphy
@jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social

Wheels up all friendlies out. C130 got a wheel stuck in the sand at the FARP and a Delta element had to come in and blow it in place. Whole op sounds dicey as hell but they pulled it off.

Jack Murphy@jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social

F-15 WSO recovered alive. Was escaping and evading. Massive fire fight on tgt. Iranians were actively looking for him in the area.

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

“Look, I’m not gonna stand here entertaining these gotcha questions like ‘Why are we doing this,’ or ‘What is our goal,’ or ‘Is there any plan.’ You’ll have all the answers you need when and if we figure any of that out.”

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

"This administration, which promised common sense and America First, vowed not to embark on namby-pamby woke crusades or get caught up in forever wars and nation-building. Instead, it is proving itself to have the most revisionist foreign policy in American history."

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

“However one feels about the neo-liberal world order America has dominated for decades, you needn’t look too deeply into the historical record to understand that when established orders collapse, it means more war, greater economic hardship, and less freedom." www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

rollingstone.comTrump's 'Irreversible' American Carnage in GreenlandDonald Trump's madcap quest to take over Greenland is yet another blow to the post-World War II global order that brought America prosperity.
Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

I love the people who get on social media and respond to a post with “You shouldn’t have said ABC, instead you should have said XYZ.” Like, no my dude. My account is where I write what I want to write, your account is where you write what you want to write.

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

One of the things that really strikes home when you have a viral post on multiple social media platforms catering to different audiences is the sheer number of people on all sides of the political divide who share one thing in common: They are absolute, unequivocal morons.

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

During the Spanish-American War of 1898, Mark Twain was incensed that a war for “liberation” quickly became a naked quest for territorial expansion. “And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.” 1/7

View full thread
Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

The Anti-Imperialists believed a just republic derives its legitimacy from consent of the governed, an ideal incompatible with the forcible acquisition of foreign lands. They cited the non-interventionism of George Washington’s Farewell Address as a key principle of the US. 6/7

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

Twain ends the essay writing, “And as for a flag for the Philippine Province, it is easily managed. We can have a special one — our States do it: we can have just our usual flag, with the white stripes painted black and the stars replaced by the skull and cross-bones.” 7/7

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

During the Spanish-American War of 1898, Mark Twain was incensed that a war for “liberation” quickly became a naked quest for territorial expansion. “And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.” 1/7

View full thread
Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

“We have gone there to conquer, not to redeem. . . It should, it seems to me, be our pleasure and duty to make those people free, and let them deal with their own domestic questions in their own way.” 4/7

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

In 1901, Twain wrote “To the Person Sitting in Darkness,” a satirical riposte to Kipling’s “Burden.” “There must be two Americas: one that sets the captive free, and one that takes a once-captive’s new freedom away from him... then kills him to get his land.” 5/7

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

During the Spanish-American War of 1898, Mark Twain was incensed that a war for “liberation” quickly became a naked quest for territorial expansion. “And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.” 1/7

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

Many intellectuals in Europe regarded America’s foray into imperialism as a natural — even welcome — evolution. Rudyard Kipling famously penned the poem “White Man’s Burden” in 1899, celebrating that the US was taking up the “civilizing mission” alongside Old World empires. 2/7

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

Twain, however, was incensed by Spain's cession of the Philippines to the US for $20 million. He saw the war and subsequent occupation for what it was: a brutal effort to conquer an alien nation and create an American Empire. He joined the American Anti-Imperialist League. 3/7

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

People are missing the bigger picture with regard to 60 Minutes, Bari Weiss & the CECOT story. Experienced TV news insiders know it’s not about including a statement from the admin, it’s about getting the timing right if you expect to win a FIFA News & Documentary Award statuette

Mac William Bishop
@macwbishop.bsky.social

That is extremely unfortunate. The original MBSM was for soldiers who stayed behind on guard duty while Pershing led a punitive expedition into Mexico against Pancho Villa in 1916-17, which failed to achieve its objective (capturing Villa), and ended in an ignominious withdrawal.