skydyvr 0
QuoteSoldiers who lack self control are unlikely to be out there winning hearts and minds.
Blanket statement that means nothing.
An overwhelming majority of people can make a mistake, yet come back and do their jobs quite well, soldiers included.
You have no idea what the poster's "temper tantrum" was about, yet feel confident in making arm-chair meaningless blanket judgements anyway.
The attached pic sums up THAT mentality nicely.
. . =(_8^(1)
QuoteQuoteSoldiers who lack self control are unlikely to be out there winning hearts and minds.
Blanket statement that means nothing.
An overwhelming majority of people can make a mistake, yet come back and do their jobs quite well, soldiers included.
You have no idea what the poster's "temper tantrum" was about, yet feel confident in making arm-chair meaningless blanket judgements anyway.
The attached pic sums up THAT mentality nicely.
"Blanket statement that means nothing." Er, yeah. Whatever.
Coreece: "You sound like some skinheads I know, but your prejudice is with Christians, not niggers..."
kallend 2,150
QuoteQuoteSoldiers who lack self control are unlikely to be out there winning hearts and minds.
Blanket statement that means nothing.
An overwhelming majority of people can make a mistake, yet come back and do their jobs quite well, soldiers included.
You have no idea what the poster's "temper tantrum" was about, yet feel confident in making arm-chair meaningless blanket judgements anyway.
The attached pic sums up THAT mentality nicely.
Sorry, but that is simply rubbish.
Once we gave up on the original rationalization for invading a sovereign country (they were a threat, they had WMDs, they helped AQ...) and changed over to ridding the country of a tyrant and liberating its downtrodden people, it became OUR obligation not to replace one tyrrany with another. Every US soldier who acts improperly makes a lie of that rationalization.
The people of Iraq did not ask us to save them. They did not ask us to come there. They did not ask us to stay there. We are unwelcome and unwanted intruders in their land.
...
The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.
The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.
skydyvr 0
QuoteThe people of Iraq did not ask us to save them. They did not ask us to come there. They did not ask us to stay there. We are unwelcome and unwanted intruders in their land.
Grand and noble speech, but has absolutely nothing to do with point I made (and therefore doesn't show that it's "rubbish").
Is kidwicked your tweener aged neice or something?
. . =(_8^(1)
kallend 2,150
QuoteQuoteThe people of Iraq did not ask us to save them. They did not ask us to come there. They did not ask us to stay there. We are unwelcome and unwanted intruders in their land.
Grand and noble speech, but has absolutely nothing to do with point I made (and therefore doesn't show that it's "rubbish").
You are entitled to your incorrect opinion. You had to snip one of my paragraphs in order to make it appear even remotely correct.
...
The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.
The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.
skydyvr 0
QuoteEvery US soldier who acts improperly makes a lie of that rationalization
I suppose you're referring to that? I guess you assume the poster's "temper tantrum" somehow involved relations with Iraqis? How do you know this? Did GQ fill you in privately? If not, then you're making a tall assumption that his "temper tantrum" affected our relationship with Iraq or Iraqis somehow.
My point was that anyone can fuck up and then self correct. We've all done so but, as was said, it seems you and your young protege are making a lot of snap judgements from the safety and security of your comfy computer stations without knowing too many facts.
. . =(_8^(1)
QuoteI'd say i've seen more infantry completely screw up a sensitive situation than have handled it well. Every mistake an 11B makes, every 'wrong' door kicked in and every family disrupted creates enemies that we dont want and didnt need to have. Infantry take objectives.
Kickin in the wrong door has nothing to do with being infantry, any MOS can be sent to the wrong objective.
QuoteProperly Trained Police forces wouldnt have to use the means Infantry does to do the same job, as they assess the situation faster are part of the culture (and so dont make the basic daily mistakes an Infantry man does and will by perceiving everyone as a possible threat to his life), can identify and focus on the real threats immediately.
A properly trained police force? what constitutes that? I know you have a military background and have been around long enough to know better than that. Regardless of how lightly we want to tread when conducting operations the fact still remains that we are in combat and when you're moving into a village that's known for being an AQ stronghold even if you are just going to try to apprehend one person you still send a unit with enough ass to handle anything that can pop up.
What leads you to believe that a "properly trained police force" makes better assessments also? that's starting to sound like the kind of statements often made by the armchair QB's that have never seen combat but insist they know exactly how every situation should have been handled, I know you have more experience than that.
History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
mnealtx 0
QuoteQuoteQuoteSoldiers who lack self control are unlikely to be out there winning hearts and minds.
Blanket statement that means nothing.
An overwhelming majority of people can make a mistake, yet come back and do their jobs quite well, soldiers included.
You have no idea what the poster's "temper tantrum" was about, yet feel confident in making arm-chair meaningless blanket judgements anyway.
The attached pic sums up THAT mentality nicely.
Sorry, but that is simply rubbish.
Once we gave up on the original rationalization for invading a sovereign country (they were a threat, they had WMDs, they helped AQ...) and changed over to ridding the country of a tyrant and liberating its downtrodden people, it became OUR obligation not to replace one tyrrany with another. Every US soldier who acts improperly makes a lie of that rationalization.
The people of Iraq did not ask us to save them. They did not ask us to come there. They did not ask us to stay there. We are unwelcome and unwanted intruders in their land.
Better re-check that polling data, Professor - I recall mention of a recent poll that shows they *DO* want us there.
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706
DZJ 0
I recall another (March 2008) poll that listed US forces as the single factor most to blame for worsening security, 79% of respondents having little or no confidence in US occupation forces, 70% saying the coalition had done a 'bad' or 'very bad' job in Iraq, 71% opposed the presence of the coalition in Iraq, 53% thought the surge had worsened the situation in areas where the additional troops had been sent, and 61% said the presence of US forces was making things worse.
Tricky things, polls.
Data from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/14_03_08iraqpollmarch2008.pdf
Tricky things, polls.
Data from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/14_03_08iraqpollmarch2008.pdf
kallend 2,150
QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteSoldiers who lack self control are unlikely to be out there winning hearts and minds.
Blanket statement that means nothing.
An overwhelming majority of people can make a mistake, yet come back and do their jobs quite well, soldiers included.
You have no idea what the poster's "temper tantrum" was about, yet feel confident in making arm-chair meaningless blanket judgements anyway.
The attached pic sums up THAT mentality nicely.
Sorry, but that is simply rubbish.
Once we gave up on the original rationalization for invading a sovereign country (they were a threat, they had WMDs, they helped AQ...) and changed over to ridding the country of a tyrant and liberating its downtrodden people, it became OUR obligation not to replace one tyrrany with another. Every US soldier who acts improperly makes a lie of that rationalization.
The people of Iraq did not ask us to save them. They did not ask us to come there. They did not ask us to stay there. We are unwelcome and unwanted intruders in their land.
Better re-check that polling data, Professor - I recall mention of a recent poll that shows they *DO* want us there.
Right, and the Vichy French wanted the Nazis there, and the Poles, Czechs, Hungarians... all wanted the Russians there.
...
The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.
The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.
QuoteQuoteEvery US soldier who acts improperly makes a lie of that rationalization
I suppose you're referring to that? I guess you assume the poster's "temper tantrum" somehow involved relations with Iraqis? How do you know this? Did GQ fill you in privately? If not, then you're making a tall assumption that his "temper tantrum" affected our relationship with Iraq or Iraqis somehow.
My point was that anyone can fuck up and then self correct. We've all done so but, as was said, it seems you and your young protege are making a lot of snap judgements from the safety and security of your comfy computer stations without knowing too many facts.
I appreciate the effort but don't go out of your way to defend me, some people don't have the ability to comprehend how being deployed could possibly get under someones skin every once in a while. Remember, the stress of a classroom resembles combat better than any other job out there, including actually being in combat
History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
Pretty easy to QB from that comfy, no-stress armchair, isn't it?
Yup, so what? Soldiers who lack self control are unlikely to be out there winning hearts and minds.