Sick Wacko in the Whitehouse
The evening news says Dubbya is asking Congress for 20 billion for his little war, and it sounds like the moron is actually going to try to invade Afganistan. I hope, in one respect, they actually do it. It will be amusing to watch the body bags coming home as the Afgans kick Yankee butt just like they did Ivan's. How did you people ever allow this delusional sub-normal wacko to become your leader? For those of us old enough to remember, he sounds more and more like Adolf Hitler. God help us all.
The evening news says Dubbya is asking Congress for 20 billion for his little war, and it sounds like the moron is actually going to try to invade Afganistan. I hope, in one respect, they actually do it. It will be amusing to watch the body bags coming home as the Afgans kick Yankee butt just like they did Ivan's. How did you people ever allow this delusional sub-normal wacko to become your leader? For those of us old enough to remember, he sounds more and more like Adolf Hitler. God help us all.
There's a distinct difference in purpose, theoretically speaking, between "invading to control" and "invading to punish and destroy". Your operational requirements are significantly different, so I'm told by several military folks I've talked to, none of whom attempted to play down the Afghan resolve, but simply pointed out that if we didn't care about "keeping it", we would not encounter (all of) the same difficulties Ivan did. D -- +---------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | dredd@megacity.org | "Conan! What is best in life?" | | Derek J. Balling | "To crush your enemies, see them | | | driven before you, and to hear the | | | lamentation of their women!" | +---------------------+-----------------------------------------+
Your operational requirements are significantly different, so I'm told by several military folks I've talked to, none of whom attempted to play down the Afghan resolve, but simply pointed out that if we didn't care about "keeping it", we would not encounter (all of) the same difficulties Ivan did.
Ah, but since Ivan tested his superpower battlefield capabilities on lightly armed Afghans and lost thanks to US assistance, the Afghans' neighborly Pakis have come up with nukes and perhaps a few other devices obtained from hardup Soviet CBW researchers who are eager to assist the Afghans just as the US did. Nobody would dare suggest the Slavs are looking for payback, and have lulled the last remaining superpower into thinking bygones are bygones, the cold war is over and done, as if thousands of handy airliners would never become giant Stingers.
There's a distinct difference in purpose, theoretically speaking, between "invading to control" and "invading to punish and destroy".
Your operational requirements are significantly different, so I'm told by several military folks I've talked to, none of whom attempted to play down the Afghan resolve, but simply pointed out that if we didn't care about "keeping it", we would not encounter (all of) the same difficulties Ivan did.
When we British used to run the biggest empire the world has ever seen, we used to call them "punitive expeditions". They never did anyone a bit of fucking good, except a few colonial administrators. Oh, and they never worked against Afghanistan. And still won't, for the same reason. What happens to the Afghans if the US take and burn every city, bomb every dam, every generator, mine every road? Just what has been happening to them for the last 30 years, that's what. And Taliban or worse for another generation. The only way to change Afghanistan is to let the Afghans do it. And most of the ones who could are in Iran now, the only country in the world that helped them when the so-called west was supporting what became the Taliban. Bush II isn't behaving like Hitler, but like some British colonial general circa 1825-1880 We have statues of them dotted around central London. So-and-so the conqueror of Sind. Whats-his-name the hero of the Punjab. No-one now remembers who they were, or anything about them, unless they happened to have a city named for them, or become Prime Minister of some remote colony, or die nobly surrounded by hordes of locals asking impolitely for their land back. Ken Brown
At 12:28 PM 9/14/2001 +0100, Ken Brown wrote:
We have statues of them dotted around central London. So-and-so the conqueror of Sind. Whats-his-name the hero of the Punjab. No-one now remembers who they were, or anything about them, unless they happened to have a city named for them, or become Prime Minister of some remote colony, or die nobly surrounded by hordes of locals asking impolitely for their land back.
Your very English sentiments noted. Get back in queue. Reese
On Fri, 14 Sep 2001, Ken Brown wrote:
Yeah, but your government is behaving like the British government used to. Has been for a century really. Just another colonial power like all the rest.
Ken
So, are you going to tell us something we _didn't_ know already? ;-D -- Yours, J.A. Terranson sysadmin@mfn.org If Governments really want us to behave like civilized human beings, they should give serious consideration towards setting a better example: Ruling by force, rather than consensus; the unrestrained application of unjust laws (which the victim-populations were never allowed input on in the first place); the State policy of justice only for the rich and elected; the intentional abuse and occassionally destruction of entire populations merely to distract an already apathetic and numb electorate... This type of demogoguery must surely wipe out the fascist United States as surely as it wiped out the fascist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The views expressed here are mine, and NOT those of my employers, associates, or others. Besides, if it *were* the opinion of all of those people, I doubt there would be a problem to bitch about in the first place... --------------------------------------------------------------------
-- On 14 Sep 2001, at 12:28, Ken Brown wrote:
When we British used to run the biggest empire the world has ever seen, we used to call them "punitive expeditions".
They never did anyone a bit of fucking good, except a few colonial administrators.
Although the british never succeeded in imposing a ruler of their choice on Afghanistan, they were highly successful in keeping rulers they did not like from ruling Afghanistan. I predict that the American government will have a go at imposing a proconsul on Afghanistan, letting the Russians have a free hand to exterminate the chechens in in return for the Russians letting America have a free hand to do as it pleases in Afghanistan. Whether it succeeds or fails, taliban will be history. --digsig James A. Donald 6YeGpsZR+nOTh/cGwvITnSR3TdzclVpR0+pr3YYQdkG r4rO4lUMHCQma/1hrcESiwZKJn1ulwjRaYQGA+5x 4ZaQyNVUcOMbQE6oA4Hjd7cTtzfWvpQR9ppdUgzSM
The evening news says Dubbya is asking Congress for 20 billion for his little war, and it sounds like the moron is actually going to try to invade Afganistan. I hope, in one respect, they actually do it. It will be amusing to watch the body bags coming home as the Afgans kick Yankee butt just like they did Ivan's.
Isn't there some rule that says "don't start a land war in Asia"? It sounds like that's what's going to happen. The idea of kicking some terrorist ass may be gratifying, but the practice of it may be more than the US can stomach. Salon has a good article sugesting that the US should treat this as a criminal manhunt, not as a military matter, for quite a few sound reasons, which include the idea that a military action will cost the US allies, but a manhunt may help retain allies.
How did you people ever allow this delusional sub-normal wacko to become your leader? For those of us old enough to remember, he sounds more and more like Adolf Hitler.
Oh no, Hitler has come up in this thread!
-- On 14 Sep 2001, at 8:06, Dr. Evil wrote:
Isn't there some rule that says "don't start a land war in Asia"? It sounds like that's what's going to happen
Vietnam was a Soviet proxy, and Ho was a KGB agent sent to rule Vietnam after sitting behind a desk in Moscow for ten years. The Taliban is surrounded by enemies on all sides within and without. Big difference. --digsig James A. Donald 6YeGpsZR+nOTh/cGwvITnSR3TdzclVpR0+pr3YYQdkG 2SEn5/EjwJI+vnbms4Nq+E2Ex5jegCPd3rPVjE6 4iNpfANA+/4UqD3fvi+CkMapLdEaPsSuyzgf22ZKv
participants (8)
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An Metet -
Derek Balling -
Dr. Evil -
jamesd＠echeque.com -
John Young -
Ken Brown -
measl＠mfn.org -
Reese