Thursday, March 28, 2013

Sabbatical

Off to the races boys and girls . . . taking sabbatical. Not like I would have simply disappeared without having said anything . . . The times demand focus. Haven't been much in the mood/mode to post, and things have kinda turned nasty . . . on various fronts . . . which is too bad. So I'll be commenting on other blogs & forums, but neither posting nor commenting on this one. Although I will return and post. At some point in time, but it is difficult to say when. I'm sure that all my past posts and comments will stay up and be accessible. Private email is cool . . . Email me at seydlitz89@gmail.com if you wish to communicate. MilPub has been good to me, and I wish to be good to MilPub as well. But not right now. So to my fellow barkeeps, regulars, guests, friends and those who follow, Aufwiedersehen
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19 comments:

  1. AndyMarch 28, 2013 at 5:38 PM

    Fair winds Seydlitz. Enjoy the sabbatical!

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  2. FDChiefMarch 28, 2013 at 9:33 PM

    Damn; sorry to hear that you're taking fire. Keep your ass down and break squelch every so often to let us know you're still hanging in there.

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  3. bgMarch 29, 2013 at 6:25 PM

    Stay safe, we'll still be here doing something when you get back. Probably still having the same arguments.

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  4. mikeMarch 30, 2013 at 1:19 PM

    Take care Seydlitz. Don't stay away for too long.

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  5. Retired PatriotApril 1, 2013 at 6:40 AM

    Looking forward to your eventual return Seydlitz.
    RP

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  6. Podunk PaulApril 3, 2013 at 3:26 AM

    Seydlitz,

    You'll be missed, Seydlitz. Sometimes I thought you were the only really human voice amid the tribalism that so characterizes this and other military blogs. Your comments seemed at times to be reports from a traveler who had experienced a world beyond the imagination of those of us who stayed home amid familiar surroundings.

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  7. FDChiefApril 3, 2013 at 2:37 PM

    WTF?

    Seriously?

    I'll admit that there's more than a couple of ex-service types around this joint, but "military blog"? "Tribalism"?

    Did we suddenly become Blackfive while I wasn't looking?

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    1. Podunk PaulApril 4, 2013 at 7:05 AM

      Hold on, Sarge. If this blog is not military, why call it Milpub? As for tribalism, we are social beings who allocate ourselves into tribal groups, which are distinguished by a peculiar vocabulary and, more importantly, by the way we go about solving problems. NCOs have a certain style, design engineers another. And we’re proud to be tribal members, especially if the terms of service were severe. I remember how pleased I was when an old seaman asked me what ship I was on, a decade after I had stopped sailing. He recognized the tribal marks.

      Seylitz, at times, seemed to speak from a more cosmopolitan tradition, the tradition of the European Enlightenment, which sought to replace tribal affinities with a notion of universal mankind. That’s why I called his comments “really human.”

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    2. FDChiefApril 7, 2013 at 10:50 AM

      Mmmmokay.

      The blog name came from the fact that the focus of the blog was originally intended to be on geopolitics and military affairs; it was a conscious intent to imitate Phil Carter's Intel Dump site that he abandoned in 2008 when he went over to USDoS, and to reflect our focus on geopolitics and military affairs.

      I enjoy the hell out of seydlitz's work - he does tend to produce the occasional piece where he vaults up into the intellectual aether far above the discussion of geopolitical practicalities that appeal to me - and I'll miss his contributions here sorely.


      But look at who else we've got writing here; Al (Aviator47) who used to hobnob with guys like Donn Starry, an officer and a gentleman who also has a "European" perspective from his residence in Greece...jim, the Floridian SF guy who is our resident curmudgeon (sorry, jim, but you ARE, man...) basil and sheerah, who come at our typical subjects from a broad perspective of eclectic humanism. Mike, for former Navy guy who's forgotten more about world history that I have ever learned...

      Publius, whose work I am not fit to edit, has a broad range of both experience and wisdom - and I wish you felt motivated to post more, Publius!

      And we have Sven chiming in in the comments, and zenpundit from his site, both observers with a wider focus on the "human" side of politics and military affairs. Andy is a great commentor as well, and his insights have more than once given me grist for thought.

      So the only real "gruntish" military types here are me, and PFKhans, and jim, and while we tend to post some of the more "in your face" stuff I don't think that we dominate the site or set the tone - that's why I bridled at the comparison to what we do to the sort of tactical onanism that you find at Blackfive...

      Now I will admit that we ARE less academic in our view here than Sven's Defence and Freedom site, or zenpundit's place. And I agree that seydlitz's work, like artillery, tended to lend to to what otherwise would be a vulgar brawl. But I think that we have a number of writers here that have a similar breadth and depth, and I hope that in seydlitz's absence they will step forward and bring their own unique perspectives to the fore...

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    3. Podunk PaulApril 9, 2013 at 5:30 AM

      Thank you, Chief, for the thoughtful reply. It had seemed to me that you and, to a lesser extent, PFKhans and Ranger were doing to Milpub what Shakespeare did the 19th century theater – that is, narrowing the range of expression by the sheer power of your example.

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  8. seydlitz89April 3, 2013 at 4:06 PM

    Thanks gentlemen for the kind words. It's just that I don't seem to have anything new to contribute. I could recycle posts from two, three, even four years ago and they would be still current, relevant, unanswered . . . unanswerable? I think all of us could.

    The reason for not commenting is that if I comment I feel obligated to post as well, to take some of the burden off the other barkeeps, but then what to post? I come back to the same problem. Soooo . . . take a break and maybe some event will warrant my comment or beg for my particular perspective, or rather I will feel that it does . . .

    At the moment I should be working on a long-term project, a strategic theory application to an ELT (English Language Teaching) methodology which I and a colleague have been working on for some time. I'm hoping the sabbatical will be a spur to get something going in that regard . . . which if it actually came together might be something worthwhile . . . one can always hope.

    Thanks again for the positive feedback. It's nice to know that what I've done here is appreciated . . .

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    1. FDChiefApril 7, 2013 at 10:55 AM

      Very much so. I think that a lot of us are suffering from the same issues; not so much that we have "nothing to contribute" - because, as you point out, a LOT of what you've said here is still current (a lot of the same people whose antics you skewered are still there and still doing the same wretched business at the same old stands...) and still problems. It just seems to drive home how powerless we are to change the "Washington Rules" no matter how often you pointed out that the emperors are butt-nekkid...

      Hopefully your language project will take off from here. Don't be a stranger; with any decent luck we can at least hope that someone somewhere will take notice of the suggestions we're advancing here (as well as the other good writers doing the same elsewhere...)

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  9. jim at rangerApril 6, 2013 at 8:07 AM

    Seydlitz,
    My writing at milpub is not a burden,but rather how i lessen my burden.
    jim

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    1. seydlitz89April 6, 2013 at 5:04 PM

      jim-

      "Scams" . . . 23 September 2012 . . . not really anything beyond that . . .

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  10. mikeApril 7, 2013 at 7:21 PM

    Chief -

    Navy guy??? I am honored. Well I did spend several cruises on float in Navy ships, mostly amphibs. And SecNav was in my chain of command. But that is former Naval Service and not former Navy guy, I was one of their poor relations.

    As for world history, you should not take a backseat to anyone. In my old age I am only an avid reader of history. So I imagine myself to have almost enough of the background to critique. In actuality I am an inveterate kibitzer - doesn't matter if it is history or pinochle.

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  11. AnonymousApril 8, 2013 at 10:20 AM

    Seydlitz,

    I am still waiting for your second post on soft power strategic theory. I know it got a rough reception but what more can you want? You can post it in an echo chamber or where it will be critiqued. If it can stand up to the fire power of FDC, Aviator and Jim it will probably be solid. I want to hear the continuation of this line of thought as I am an English teaching ex-pat myself.

    Same for Khans. We need alternate theories to keep this site vibrant.

    Sincerely, James

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  12. AnonymousApril 8, 2013 at 12:37 PM

    seydlitz, suffice it to say you're a guy I'd love to sit down with and play Jutland.

    bb

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  13. Aviator47April 12, 2013 at 11:32 PM

    seydlitz-

    Enjoy the sabbatical and get what few cobwebs you might have cleared away. You will be missed, but at least we know how to reach you.

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  14. Aviator47April 12, 2013 at 11:36 PM

    mike

    Was wondering how you'd respond to "Navy Guy". There is a huge difference between being the Navy's Adult Leadership and being in the Navy. Of course, on our watch, when the nation went to war, the USGC took over the role of providing adult supervision for the Navy, freeing the Corps to just fight and win.

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