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MichaeltheGreat
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Apolyton Grand Executioner
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mooning the house that Ruth built.
Oct 1999
time: 21:29
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I issue mixed signals. 
I was against the war on the basis of timing, lack of adequate international manipulation to get everyone to be our *****es, lack of adequate force in place, and lack of preparation for occupation, rebuilding, and interim administration. I wasn't against removing Hussein, or murdering *******s in general, but I didn't buy into the whole imminent threat nonsense - these were and are third-world goat republic (can't even grow bananas) forces.
Given that we're already there, and it's a FUBAR, being against going in is kind of academic - it's about like regretting applying for airborne school halfway through your first combat jump in the dark.
So now, since we're stuck with running the ****ing shithole and getting some useful result out of it before we get out, I'm in favor of pouring in whatever resources it takes to get that result, so we can really say "we won, here you go, slam, bam, thank you BMO, we'll send you a postcard."
If we have to kill people, we kill people; if we have to spend tons of money, create a welfare state until an actual economy gets running, then we can all chip in and adopt an Arab, for all I care - if it's a hundred billion or more bill, we're decisively engaged, and the whole Islamic world is looking for a sign of weakness, so we have no choice but to pay the price, and come out with the best possible result.
Unfortunately, aside from hollow speechmaking, I don't see any sign that the chickenchoking REMFs in DC have figured out we've got a real mess on our hands.
Will they ever beat us? Hell no. Can they make the cost and irritation factor high enough, and create enough enmity that we end up with a crap result? Hell yes.
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mindseye
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A Yankee living in Shanghai
Apr 1999
time: 13:29
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I don't know, but I can't help but think the men and women over there watching their buddies getting picked off one by one much appreciate Bush's message. Maybe soldiers on patrol in Humvees don't really want more RPGs "brought on". 
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Also, since when is flight school "cushy", especially on a Century Series interceptor? |
It's cushy if you don't actually do much flying, and basically show up whenever you want. It's cushy if you used political influence to get signed up ahead of 100,000 others to avoid going overseas with the rest of the troops to fight "terrorists". With a track record like that, the recent chest thumping sounds a little hollow.
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He took down a 35 year dictator in 30 days |
Not to detract from the troops who put their lives on the line, but ... it didn't look like it was too terribly tough a fight.
Now is the hard part, the "nation building". This is where we see what our nation's resolve is really made of. Hopefully we'll do better than we've been doing in Afghanistan, but I'm not seeing the resources in place to do it with. But hey, at least Bechtel and Haliburton got their contracts assigned with lightning speed!
Too bad Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Rove, et al didn't really care to think too much about the "nation building" part before sending in the tanks. Now it's too late, we're mired in exactly the thing Bush said he would not drag us into. 
Last edited by mindseye on 03-07-2003 at 12:05
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Sava
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GO GO GO!
Mar 2001
time: 23:29
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quote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/04/national/04FAMI.html
Anger Rises for Families of Troops in Iraq
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
snip
Military families, so often the ones to put a cheery face on war, are growing vocal. Since major combat for the 150,000 troops in Iraq was declared over on May 1, more than 60 Americans, including 25 killed in hostile encounters, have died in Iraq, about half the number of deaths in the two months of the initial campaign.
Frustrations became so bad recently at Fort Stewart, Ga., that a colonel, meeting with 800 seething spouses, most of them wives, had to be escorted from the session.
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interesting...
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Sava, since he said he wanted to be on the offensive, not the defensive. |
oh please... 
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MichaeltheGreat
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Apolyton Grand Executioner
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mooning the house that Ruth built.
Oct 1999
time: 21:29
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quote:
Originally posted by DanS
Yes, but it's not like we can't change our tactics to deal with our vulnerabilities. There are some pains in the ass that are more acceptable than others.
Maybe we need more Strykers. 
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Strykers are an RPG-man's wet dream.
Seriously, though, we can change tactics all we want, but as long as the *******s have an ability to constrain our rebuilding operations and the manner in which we deal with unknown Iraqis, it has a big effect on our mission disproportionate to the number of casualties.
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Are there any humvees or 5-tons that are more resistant to RPG attack than others?
The snipers seem like a more intractable problem... |
5-tons are just targets. Recon humvees have more kevlar and stuff in them, but in Somalia, an RPG went clear through the door and laterally into a Ranger's body all the way through. Those ****ers are nasty weapons against infantry and soft targets - the only thing is they take a couple of seconds to fire.
Snipers really become intractible if they're skilled. Luckily, we ain't dealing with **** there, but if they simply trained people en masse in sniper skills and urban fieldcraft, we'd be in a world of hurt.
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The Templar
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People's Republic of the East Village
Oct 2001
time: 00:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Kramerman
tho they dont get much cash, they do get a lot in benefits, as far as free medical, dental, housing (or housing allowance), food (or food allowance), and tax free food and goods.
they still should get more money, as should teachers |
And cops, firemen, secret agents, social workers, sanitation workers, etc. You know, the people who do the work.
I hope next election day everone remembers that the Republicans cut veterans benefits. Vote Democrat - that's real support for the troops. 
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03-07-2003 11:02
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