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| Blogs > Skier0752 > Staring at my navel |
More junk on Iraq
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More junk on Iraq I haven’t posted for a while….I’ve just really not had a whole lot to say so I decided to keep my mouth shut for a change…… Over the last couple of weeks I’ve gotten some amazing emails from my about what his experience over there has been like…..In his last email he was talking about getting into a groove and those who stay in the groove seem to make it through just find and those who don’t….well, those are the ones who tend to end up with ptsd episodes….. His biggest frustration is that he’s not allowed to go after the bad guys…..you know the ones who like to blow up innocents using IAD’s…..It seems the military has rules that they aren’t allowed to engage unless they actually see who is shooting at them….. This means if they are shot at they aren’t allowed to return fire unless they actually see who is shooting at them…..From his perspective this is very frustrating…. He also has been writing a bit about excellence and what it means in the Army….well, he actually hasn’t been writing about excellence per say, but he has been writing about it from the viewpoint of what doing a correct job versus one that is half way done…… He also was writing about being blunt and is transparency tends to get him trouble from time to time…..I can certainly identify with that….it’s one of the things I have a problem with from time to time…..I tend to be pretty blunt and just let people know what I think….. Now, the President last night announced that there are rule changes for engagement being made….I wonder if this is going to allow the Army to go after the bad guys in a more proactive manner….. It’s not that the Army becomes sitting ducks, it’s that they aren’t allowed to respond and wipe out the insurgents…. A friend of mine commented recently that if our Army was allowed to be aggressive after curfew with people who were doing bad things, the message would get out quickly…..I think that this is true….. On the other hand one might think about Abu Graay (sp) and wonder where the orders for that debacle came from…..My guess is the orders came from on high and there lies the mixed message that our troops get…..On one hand, let’s do things that are out of control, but on the other hand, let’s try to make the locals like us….. In my opinion the sad fact is the locals aren’t going to like us and at the same time we want to handle combatants in a manner that makes at least a little sense…..I’m sure the insurgents over there see themselves as freedom fighters and see us as occupiers which is what we are….. The problem that my and I both have is when insurgents go after innocent people just to make a point…..I’m not sure what the point is, but there seems to be two types of insurgents….one that fights the civil war and one who blows up marketplaces for terror….. I also found it interesting that our President wants to use the Iraqi security forces for peace…..For the most part, my understanding is they are little better than Husseins death squads….They are corrupt and are not about having a country that protects….so, maybe the best thing is for us to just leave and let them as Tom Friedman says pay retail for their violence….. Thanks. Skier |
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May all involved and those that are innocent..remain protected and safe...*hugs*...May those that can make the outcome better for all find a way of implementing it soon.
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welcome back friend - smiles your son has every right to be frustrated - you don't put someone in harm's way and they tie their hands so they can't protect themselves. you know how i feel so i won't pontificate but i don't see that more troops will make a difference unless the way in which they are used and the information they receive is adequate to deal with what has become a vicious street war. your son sounds like a good man with some clarity - i wonder what "the plan" woudl be if the generals and our president listened to those who are actually having to live (and die) in this war. You cannot conceive the many without the one.
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1/13/2007 12:42 pm |
Some more thoughts on the issue at hand..... If our President wanted to make a real statement the other night, he would have announced that we were going to re-institute the draft and move our troop strength to 500,000 in the Middle East.....Now, we all know that this wouldn't fly in Congress, but it would have started an interesting conversation...... The other countries in the Middle East would have shit a brick and my guess is you would have seen them flying in to solve this problem to all of our satisfaction.....The last thing the thugs in the Middle East wants is an American War machine with enough people to drive them all crazy....Right now we don't have enough people and that's just the way it is....So, we continue going forward but not very quickly.... I'm thinking that our President is a chicken....or a bully....you know the ones who like to start things but aren't tough enough to do the right thing and see the whole thing through to the end..... So, these are just a few extra thoughts that I've had on this issue....What are your extra thoughts after speech?
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I think of you and your son often, even though I haven't been online here in a long time. Today, the 19th is my birthday. So, as my present to me, I wanted to come back and visit all of the blogs on my old watched list and just wish you well. And tell you that I really miss you all! 143 
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1/19/2007 7:11 am |
I find it sort of interesting that we think we are fighting a war against the bad guys.....In many respects they are the bad guys....but, I'm assuming that not all of them are..... I like to ask people I see what their personal response would be if the Iraqi's came to the US, overthrew our government and placed what appeared to be a a puppet government in place.....I would be that many of us would join an "insurgency" to fight the invaders..... And, that is how I think much of the world in the Middle East see us.... Now, on the other hand, there is the fact that there are true terrorists who would use the Middle Eastern assets to bring the end of all religions except the Muslim religion....They believe all non-believers should die...In fact, I just saw a story on one who lives in Britain who thinks all non-believers there should be killed.... I'm torn between going after the radicals and understanding that we are an occupying army....Occupying Armies need exit strategies....It would be nice to see both sides of the aisle now admit that we are an occupying Army and make plans to not become one.... Thanks to all who have sent kind words my way about my Son....It looks like he's being extended for at least another four months....but, he's fine with it and seems to be doing well with the news....We at home are even doing OK with the news....we've found some new ways to communicate with him, so we're able to monitor what's going on with him a little easier....
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This is the first post of yours that I've read and really, really appreciate the looking objectively at all angles aspect of it. Although comparing it to Vietnam has become greatly overdone, I can't escape the similiarity of being stuck somewhere that was not in our best interest to be in the first place. The difference (to me) is that our occupation of Indochina/Nam sort of 'evolved' whereas a clear cut decision was made this time around. Nevertheless we are once again between that terrible international rock and a hard place. Again, what I'm saying isn't exactly a newsflash but the greatest minds on the planet are puzzling over the 'what do we do now' question. So that's where I am stuck, too. Godspeed to your son, btw. Yeah, I'm still [blog 1hotwahine]
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