This represents some ideas I've been having for the past couple weeks. I'll probably revisit this several times in the course of the day, so there's no guarantee the post as of 23:00 will like much like the post at 00:00. I'll make further changes as an editor, and the other editors can feel free to contribute as they please.
Not quite a week after 9-11-01 the New York Times yes, that New York Times ran an editorial entitled "How We've Changed in a Week." They found, prematurely, that the nation had gotten "back to normal":
But the normal we are returning to is different from what we knew a week ago.
What you might call "an abnormal normality."
Tuesday's tragedies were not only unifying but clarifying. Americans now live a state of war against an irrational, vengeful and elusive enemy.
This is a statement of fact. Some of us have kept this statement of fact in mind for five years. The New York Times isn't among them.
And if we are to win, we will have to become used to the idea that we are in this for the long haul. Coming to terms with that new reality, winning this war, will require discipline, stamina and sacrifice.
True, and wise words, even if long forgotten by the people who wrote them. We're five years into a war that will probably run for a generation, perhaps longer. The enemy remains vengeful and elusive, though much better defined now. We can clearly see, assuming we're paying attention, not a monolithic enemy but a multiheaded hydra.
There is al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden's creation, still in business, now fragmented, its forces augmented by wannabe terrorists worldwide, its leadershhip confined to the backwoods insularity of the Pak-Afghan border more Pak than Afghan, if our assessment is correct.
There is Iran, the fountainhead of Shiite terrorism, parent of Hezbollah and patron of Syria, which isn't particular about the religious orientation of the terrorists it patronizes.
There is the Muslim Brotherhood and its offspring Hamas, confining itself to tormenting Israel, while probing the limits of the democratic process to try and take power in Egypt and Jordan.
There is a separate group of Pakistani-sponsored or abetted terrorist organizations, Lashkar-e-Taiba preeminent among them at the moment, which bedevil India and which make common cause with al-Qaeda. Along with Lashar are the poorly controlled offshoots of Pak jihadism like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
And toward the bottom of the list we have the Marxist groups like PFLP, DFLP, and Fatah itself, the living legacy of patrons have gone out of business, the Maoists in Nepal, the NPA in the Philippines, and FARC in Colombia.
I forgot to include the overt fascisms like Sammy's Baath Party, the Syrian Baathists, and the amalgam of Islamism and fascism that runs Sudan. They make common cause with the Qutbists out of a combination of self-preservation and anti-Westernism...
Overlaying virtually all of the Islamist is Qutbist thought, combining the techniques pioneered by the Marxists and the anarchists with the theology of the Wahhabists on one hand and the nonsense of the Mahdi on the other.
Financing the Wonderful World of Terror is the Muslim man in the street, though his charitable donations, and oil the oil that fuels the Iranian economy and the oil that makes the Saudi princes rich. Every time the price of a barrel of oil goes up a dollar, that's another dollar available to finance our demise.
And legitimizing and coordinating it all is the Ulema, the Learned Elders of Islam, loosely organized in the Supreme Council of Global Jihad. We don't hear about them anymore, but they're still there, and we keep hearing from the individual holy men who make up the Council of Boskone.
The Times then goes on to explain what's required of us:
For years now, younger Americans have yearned to prove that they are as patriotic and as capable of self-sacrifice as the Greatest Generation. The commitment made after Pearl Harbor was both larger and simpler than the one we are being asked to undertake.
It says much about the quality of thought — the quality of people — making up the U.S. military as opposed to those making up the New York Times that one's stayed on target and the other's been drifting since about a month after this article was written.
Back then, the aim was clear, the path was obvious, and the sense of solidarity was natural for a country that had to focus single-mindedly on winning World War II.
Americans have in fact proven their patriotism and their commitment. Today they're fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they're working in support of the war effort in dozens of other countries. They're men and women who are living up to the example provided by the heroes of 9-11: the men of Flight 93, the NYPD and FDNY, Barbara Olsen and a host of others. These are the men and women of the current Greatest Generation, the ones who don't flinch, don't whine, just go in and get the job done.
Our shared mission, to eradicate terrorism, is a noble one.
It's also a lonely mission. Much of the rest of the world is frightened of the task.
The rewards for victory would be immense a safer world and a planetary commitment to cooperation and tolerance. But our individual tasks are vague. President Bush is unlikely to reinstate the draft or impose rationing. We will go about our ordinary jobs as before. Buying consumer goods is not only possible, it has been elevated to a virtual act of patriotism to aid a flagging economy. Nevertheless, we will need to make sacrifices that are all the more difficult because they are unseen and require more patience than heroism.
There's the rub, isn't it? It's hard to be patient. The heroism of patience doesn't involve running into burning buildings. Patience doesn't go well with a short attention span.
American resilience, which allows us to bounce back from setbacks, forgive old enemies and rewrite our national story for every generation, has a downside. Some may call it a short national attention span.
That's what we call it around these parts. We've dwelt upon that very subject numerous times. That fact is, the Times is no less susceptible to Short Attention Span Syndrome than is Joe Sixpack and Harriet Soccermom.
Yesterday's crusade is tomorrow's inconvenience. The gas crisis that was supposed to commit us to energy conservation quickly gave way to the S.U.V. era. People who willingly stand in lines to get through airport security this month may not be so understanding by the Thanksgiving holidays.
The patience lasted past that first Thanksgiving, but not by all that much.
It was evaporating by Christmas. Part of that evaporation was given impetus by Congress' move to make airport screeners civil servants.
It would have lasted longer had the nation accepted the War on Terror as a matter of life and death, but without a draft, without rationing, without the mobilization for total war it's understandable that it wore off.
Perhaps most painful of all, America may have to give up the post-Vietnam illusion that it is possible to fight wars with few casualties.
The Times, with its emphasis on our casualties and the rights of the bad guyz, obviously hasn't given up its illusions...
Our success in the Persian Gulf and even our limited achievements in the Balkans created the illusion that American military technology is sophisticated enough to be used in combat without putting soldiers in harm's way.
Soldiers go "in harm's way" — I hate that term, by the way. Soldiers don't just hang themselves out there for danger to find. — for a reason, that reason being to achieve objectives, to whit, the defeat of the enemy. Good commanders try to achieve their objectives with the minimum of casualties. By the same token, good commanders know that they will likely have to expend precious lives to achieve those objectives. Horribly bad commanders sacrifice their men by the thousands to achieve their objectives, and another kind of horribly bad commander refuses to make the sacrifice, thereby forfeiting the objectives.
But what we have actually been enjoying is an extended string of luck.
The light casualties we've taken have not been a matter of luck, a point the Times missed because they have no particular understanding of military tactics. Our casualties in combined arms operations have been remarkably low. This will continue when and if we go to war with Iran and/or Syria. Military operations that aren't firmly based on combined arms will be higher. Occupation casualties can be even higher, especially when faced with a determined combination of Baathist guerrilla warfare and Islamist terrorism.
Last week, the message came through loud and clear that luck can run out.
In that past few years it's been seldom that we've read the opinion pages of the Times and nodded in agreement. With bodies still unrecovered from the rubble, with soot and the smell of death still in the air, the Times, like the rest of the nation, could see what needed to be done. The could even see what the pitfalls of the coming years would be. But after five years of politix as usual, business as usual, and a constant parade of the usual suspects across the front pages, they've fallen victim again, like much of the rest of the nation to the very things they warned about.
The gravest mistake, the most egregious error, that the Bush administration has made has been to let the public forget, to return to business as usual, when the enemy we face means to destroy us. Probably, rather than pulling retirees out of retirement to fill support slots the draft should have been reinstated. Probably, since we're at war with an enemy that's financed by oil money, we should have instituted gasoline rationing.
But those are should haves. We didn't do those things. We're stuck with the world the way it is. We'll have to live with the consequences of not doing those things, which means we're going to have to work around the problems they raise. Like most shortcuts, it will boil down to "pay me now or pay me later," with the payment being in lives and resources.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Nice rant,Fred. Hard to believe that someone at the Greying Lady wrote that. Wonder he still has a job.
#2
Other than acknowledging just how steep the mountain is when trying to refute the vast majority of the MSM and their incessant drumbeat efforts to invent BDS memes and thwart efforts to keep the focus on the important bits, I echo your thoughts, Fred.
Has a President ever faced such a solid wall of opposition in our history? I don't think so. Everyone seems to believe the bully pulpit would do big majik - everyday. I think that had Bush been using it non-stop for the last 5 years as many demand, he would have "used up" his credibilty and destroyed what value the bully pulpit actually has. Through habituation, people learn to ignore the inconvenient discomforts which intrude upon their awareness. Assessments of politically effective moments to intrude upon the natural public complacency have been made... whether we agree or not.
Funny how, when a resounding success comes along, everyone snarks about Rovian Plots and such. I think those successes should not be forgotten when frustration gets the better of us and we bellyache about perceived failures. Go figure, huh?
#3
* "Let the public forget" - funny, I thought it was the Clinton-led US DemoLeft that wanted Amers to NOT take any mil action, or in the later no action without the tacit/explicit approval of the UNO = "World Community". "Obeying the UNO/World community" wasn't treason, iff I recall, as was Kofi's "America must install a PROGRESSIVE GOVT. in IRAQ", i.e. PROGRESSIVE SOCIALIST GOVT. IN AMERICA!? "MUST", NOT CAN, SHOULD, or MAY.
* "We have to live with the consequences of not doing those things" - funny, unless the Amer education system has been lying to both itself t + whole generations of Amers all these decades, the CONGRESS = THE PEOPLE, AND THE CONGRESS = THE PEOPLE CAN DO ANYTHING IT WANTS TO.
The DemoLefties will support anything from the Right, Center, andor Left, Ultra-Libertarian or Ultra-Totalitarian, etal. that puts the Gummermint in charge of everything and everyone. AND IFF AMERICA = AMERIKA, the USSA = Amerikan Global SSR/USR's, DOESN'T WIN THE WOT = WAR FOR CONTROL OF THE WORLD, FUTURE WORLD ORDER AND FUTURE OWG, THE LEFTIES WILL HAVE THEIR "JUSTIFIED" EXCUSE WHY ORDINARY/MAINSTREAM AMERICANS CAN NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS-FREEDOMS AS THEY DID PRE-9-11, ANDOR PRE-AMERICAN HIROSHIMA(S). VOLUNTARILY = FORCIBLY, UNILATERALLY = BY THE HAND OF THE MANY. *ETHERZONE.com > writer Ted Lang > THERE MUST BE INTERNAL/DOMESTIC ARMED RESISTANCE AGAINST FASCIST DUBYA AND FASCIST GOP-RIGHT, IN ORDER TO SAVE AMERICA AND AMERICAN WAY-OF-LIFE. But-t-t-t-t, to do so while leaving the Clintons and DemoLeft alone, or to not criticize the role of same vv the coming Dubya/GOP-caused anarchies = revolutions = civil war = factionalism/sectarianism in America.
#5
We're five years into a war that will probably run for a generation, perhaps longer.
Fred, I must respectfully disagree. From what has happened, so far, current perspective most definitely seems to support your time line of a generation or so.
What no one can possibly comprehend or predict is the absolutely psychotic insanity of Islam. While Robert Browning's aphorism remains true that "Man's reach should exceed his grasp", Islam and the terrorists specifically take this well beyond its logical limits.
If there is a single hallmark of Islamist terrorism it is that of over-reaching itself. Just as the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, so do the terrorists always rush the gate, jump the gun or however you wish to put it. Look to Nasrallah's recent dust-up with the Israelis for solid proof of this.
It is this one defining characteristic that will bring the Global War on Terror to a head much sooner than a generation from now. Somehow, some way, the terrorists will finally find a way, be it with atomic bombs, biochemical weapons or inflicting some other massive and catastrophic loss of innocent life, that will overcome the West's reticence to inflict wholesale destruction upon the Muslim world.
This is the Muslim holocaust that I continue to predict. The nature of whatever atrocity that will precede this is as irresistible to the terrorists as it is repellant to us in the West. It is much like the fable of the scorpion who rides upon the frogs back only to sting him to death mid-river and thereby drown himself. It is the scorpion's nature as surely as hurriedly and ill-thought-out crimes against humanity are part of terrorism.
Islam's fixation upon death precludes rational elements of thought that we take for granted here in the West. Due to this, the correct emphasis upon long-term planning and a proper degree of goal orientation are simply lacking or intentionally discarded in how terrorism plots it course. Palestinian destruction of the Israeli greenhouses are a sterling example of this. All claims of becoming a new "Singapore" of the Mediterranean aside, these short-sighted thugs simply could not resist the urge to smash all things Jewish and thereby lost an entire agricultural industry that was handed to them on a silver platter.
Islam, as a whole, is batting aside the golden opportunity we in the West are offering it to survive, silver platter and all. As Wretchard in his superb essay, The Three Conjectures, put it; This is Islams golden hour. They can cast aside this last opportunity for reconciling itself to coexist with the West only to die one and all, or they can reach some sort of rapprochement that preserves them. It is impossible to believe that, once again, they will not miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, even one wherein their lives, one and all, hang in the balance. Islams collective martyrdom is as assured as the suns rising in the east.
On this day, the fifth anniversary of the 9-11 atrocity, I no longer abhor such a concept and urge all who intend surviving Islams quest for its global caliphate to embrace this notion as well.
#6
Bravo, Zenster. Only one slight adjustment: Islam's relentless, unmitigated psychosis is precisely why it IS predictable. And that's exactly what makes the end so unavoidably, inevitably clear. However much we don't want it to go that way, it will, it must, because the psychosis leaves it no other place to go.
Posted by: ST ||
09/11/2006 5:39 Comments ||
Top||
#7
"If there is a single hallmark of Islamist terrorism it is that of over-reaching itself."
Most excellent observation, Zenster.
I don't know if you've ever read Larry Niven's stuff, but he described an alien race called the Kzin which fit this exactly. They were fanatical and warlike and always attacked before they were truly ready. Thus, even when they had advantage, they ended up losing.
Niven was writing this stuff forty years ago. I don't know if he had the Islamostalinists in mind, but if he did, he was spookily prescient.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
09/11/2006 5:50 Comments ||
Top||
#8
I don't know if you've ever read Larry Niven's stuff
All of the "Ringworld" series. All the "Moties" books. "Lucifer's Hammer", which was the final straw for me about establishing a permanently manned lunar colony. "Oath of Fealty" and "A Gift from Earth" just recently. "Footfall" and a few of the "Man - Kzin Wars" series. "Integral Trees" and, probably a few others in there as well.
I have several thousand books, hard and soft back in my library. My cookbook collection alone totals almost 1,500 volumes. Since I have left my television off for the last five years, I now read between 20,000 and 40,000 pages per year of everything from reference works to fantasy. Thank you for asking.
#9
"If there is a single hallmark of Islamist terrorism it is that of over-reaching itself."
Most excellent observation, Zenster.
I don't know if you've ever read Larry Niven's stuff, but he described an alien race called the Kzin which fit this exactly. They were fanatical and warlike and always attacked before they were truly ready. Thus, even when they had advantage, they ended up losing.
Niven was writing this stuff forty years ago. I don't know if he had the Islamostalinists in mind, but if he did, he was spookily prescient.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
09/11/2006 6:30 Comments ||
Top||
#10
no mo-
Allow me to suggest a different Niven analogy, and this one from what I - IMHO - consider the finest science fiction novel ever written, The Mote In God's Eye.
The Moties - which looked like supersized chimpanzees with 3 arms - were:
- An ancient race
- A high birthrate
- A past history with exceptional inventions and technology
- A desire to hide their society from outsiders
- A seemingly insatiable desire for political intrigue and plotting that is consistently in the worst interest of their society
- And an uncontrollable urge to fight wars that in the end devastate their civilization.
That sounds a lot like present day Islam to me.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/11/2006 6:40 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Hmmm.
I hadn't thought of that one - but it definitely applies.
And how about A.R.M. as the precursor to the LLL moonbat P.C. thing?
Posted by: no mo uro ||
09/11/2006 7:01 Comments ||
Top||
#13
note that our youngest generation gets it. The Army met their recruitment goals in wartime this year - all volunteers. My 18 yr old son goes in tomorrow to bootcamp at Ft. Sill. When I asked him why he wanted to join, he said 9/11 did it for him.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 8:21 Comments ||
Top||
#14
I salute your young son Frank. Congratulations.
#15
Zen's comment: "If there is a single hallmark of Islamist terrorism it is that of over-reaching itself."
That's a keeper and one that I will use in my own writing in the future, with your permission.
I'm not going to add comments in the text (this is Fred's essay, not mine), but allow me to note a difference between Zen's comment and Fred's on impatience ('Patience doesn't go well with a short attention span.'): there's a difference of kind between our impatience and Islamicist impatience, and it's important to see that difference. Our 'friends' on the progressive Left, if they acknowledged Zen's comment at all, would claim that we're just as impatient and thus just as ready to destroy the world.
The difference between us and them thus isn't impatience. Indeed, American impatience is a virtue -- it forces us to focus on and solve problems that more patient people (e.g., the Euros) would walk away from.
The difference is the grounding. We're grounded in reality, and the Islamicists are grounded in fantasy. That isn't an insult: the Islamicists believe that if they're faithful enough, for long enough, in just the right way, Allan will open the heavens, smite their enemies and establish the Dar-al-Islam on earth.
Whereas, we know that isn't going to happen. Whether we're Christian, Jewish, Buddhist or secular, as westerners we understand that the End of Times isn't brought about by our actions, it's on a very different time scale with a very different keeper. In the meantime there is reality. Our grounding in reality allows us to see what a situation is and what needs to be done. And since we're Americans, we're a little impatient to get it done. But we have a touchstone.
That allows us to reach but not over-reach, to be impatient but not (usually) to be foolish, and to understand that whatever our religious beliefs, this life, this one right now, is worth living, protecting, and occasionally sacrificing for our families, our children and our country.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 9:41 Comments ||
Top||
#16
I'm still fucking angry, but much more clued up about the enemy and their accesories.
The very reason I HATE islam so very very much because if can make me, ME, consider the possibly the possibility of the need for genocide.
As I say, the issue is not in doubt, but I dread the cost.
Posted by: kelly ||
09/11/2006 10:35 Comments ||
Top||
#19
We all dread the cost. That's why we haven't paid the price yet, before inflation sets in.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 10:41 Comments ||
Top||
#20
Talk is CHEAP NYT. You folks actually sounded American back then. But alas, if one's rhetoric does not match their conviction of heart, the rhetoric will soon change to conform itself to what the heart believes. We have long since learned what you believe. Here's what I believe:
The attempted Islamification of the world is the biggest threat the modern west has faced since Nazism.
You, and others like you are in fact ENEMIES, because your ideology aids and abets Islamists in achieving their ends.
Unlike you, I WILL NEVER FORGET. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE.
Well, glad we had this little chat, NYT. Now F*ck off.
#21
If there is a single hallmark of Islamist terrorism it is that of over-reaching itself.
Good point. You would think they would realize that Allen can't really be depended on to fill in the gaps. In fact he's pretty much as useless as tits on a boar. (or a turd in a rainstorm...)
Never forget also that this war is just the latest 'episode' of a larger war against civilization which has been going on for 1400-odd years - ever since Mo had his 'vision' in a cave. You might say the Crusades were a 'War On Terror' in their day. Even the Jews in Medina were in their own 'War on Terror'....
#22
Great rant, Fred, and great thread, Rantburgers. My wife woke up and turned on the radio. Well, the airwaves are full of 9-11 rememberances. I tell you, I woke up angry and frustrated. I will not watch any TV shows on 9-11 with all their fake, gentle, smaltzy sh*t. I will reflect on the meaning for 9-11 myself, quietly.
We have made a significant amount of progress since 9-11, at a HUGE price in national assets, and with a relatively low level of casualties, if you look at it in the cold accounting of war. Those relatively few casualties are not insignificant. They represent sacrifices in lives unlived, many very young, and lives disrupted or shattered by serious wounds. They are all to be honored.
Many of us, especially Rantburgers, realize the stakes in this war. This is a war for civilization as we know it. This is a war where one side chooses and honors life and liberty, and the other side is an authoritarian death cult. It is not really that complicated.
What makes it a sticky wicket is that to win this war, we, on the side of life and liberty are going to have to get decisive, down, and dirty to defeat our enemies. Collectively, we do not really know our enemy. He takes advantage of every weakness we have to exploit. That which makes us great---freedom, openness, creativity, eccentricities, a system of laws that protect individuals---are seen as opportunities to infiltrate, weaken, and defeat us, just like a virus does, just likc a cancer does.
Much of the world is in denial about the nature of our enemy. As Elrond said to Gandalf at Rivendell, "Our list of allies grows thin." Well, thin is better than nothing. We are where we are and we will just have to readjust to meet these realities.
We have two wars to fight---the external enemy, and the enemy within. The latter seriously inhibits our options and actions against the former. Well, for good or ill, we in these United States are going to have it out with the enemy within, one way or another. We need to engage this battle and win it in order to fight the external enemy. We have a two front war, folks.
It will be up to the people to save this nation, if they really want it saved.
Meanwhile, as to the big enemy, radical, or plain old Islam, the Islamists will keep going and keep probing and will finally stumble on a big bomb or equivalent and use it. Then Wretchard's 3 conjectures will kick it and the problem will be solved. It will be horrendous, but it will be solved. Until the leadership of this death cult is dealt with by taking them out, they will always have a following. The question is: do you take out the nests now, or do you wait until the whole house is infected and you have to burn it down?
We are trying to run a marathon while some in the crowd are throwing rocks. We cannot win the marathon with out dealing with the rock throwers.
/rant. Have a nice day.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/11/2006 11:15 Comments ||
Top||
#23
Wow, Zpaz. Remind me not to piss you off, lol. You have the fever. I once ranted along a similar line and called it "fry us up". I truly dread the 2-4 years it would take for the DhimmiDonk morons to prove just how cravenly corrupt, self-serving, and useless they are to the self-absorbed segment. I'll have to vote Pubbly in November - I just can't make myself go there. But a fine fine rant, bro. *kudos*
#24
Sorry Zpaz, the idea that we need to have the Dhimmicrats on board reminds me of Peter Bienart's "The Good Fight: Why Liberals -- and Only Liberals -- Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again." He's a New Republic editor and is conceited enough to think that Republicans can't fight the WoT. So far I've seen only Pubs do so, and I've no assurance that the Lib'urls can recognize the enemy, let alone fight them.
Bienart is well meaning, but read his argument closely (summary here): it all collapses back into the mushy jello of law-enforcement-plus, with the military option not being part of the plus. He realizes that the jihadis are a threat to him and his values (points for that), but his response to "what do we do" is to "build international institutions".
Feh. He cites Kosovo as an example of our working with allies to get a better result. Reeeeeeally? Kosovo is a near-complete Charlie-Fox situation. He also thinks we need to "live up to our ideals", which is code-speak for the satin-ribbon approach to interrogating jihadis. He wants the results but he doesn't want to think about the difficulty in getting said results.
If what he envisions is international institutions and LE-plus, I'll take Dubya and the point spread.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 11:58 Comments ||
Top||
#26
I'm all in favor of making it a law enforcement problem and leaving the military out of it.
What I have in mind is six or seven 18,000-man police divisions, with heavy armor and their own organic Apache support. Now, we'd have to buy some new radios and such to integrated with the police air arm I think we'll need -- probably four wings of F15s with badges painted on their sides, and one each of B52s and B2s, likewise in blue. The police naval arm would be built around blue aircraft carriers, each with police destroyer escorts, but would also have a submarine arm with blue Tomahawks.
Call it Operation Stop-or-We'll-Shoot.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 12:28 Comments ||
Top||
#28
And why should they follow? What is the Republican strategy for winning? Democratization has failed. I see no successor. "The Long War"? What the hell is that. It never needed to be long, but now it is. We are now in the worst position possible. No one fears us. The board is cleared for Iran and the jihadis and every fifth column in the West. Nothing has been learned in the past five years. We would have been better off doing nothing. All our enemies are strengthened.
The chickenshit nobles, princelings, and plantation owners in the Middle East who send the more troublesome of their slaves to die fighting us so he won't have to put down a slave revolt next year appreciate your belief that democratization is an absolute failure; since you won't surrender and go home, and won't try to change Middle Eastern societies, this makes your troops the perfect jannisary executioners for those who _would_ be overthrowing _them_ instead of fighting the US were the current crisis not going on.
(The best thing of all: this will let them pretend they're a) anti-imperialist, b) the real democrats, and c) pious moslems. The truth is, they're none of the above...)
#29
It is inevitable that this phase of the Long War would be one of slow grinding attrition. That may not play with the TV - instant gratification generations who make up most of our public, but there it is.
Bush policies might have shifted the pace a little, but not much IMO.
The reality is that, while as TW notes we all knew SOMETHING would happen (or we did if we let ourselves pay attention), we were NOT ready for this conflict.
Not logistically, not politically, not geopolitically, not economically.
The closest damn thing to being prepared we had was:
a) The SECDEF's understanding that a WWII/Vietnam military needed restructuring because in any wars we would fight after 2000 info tech would be a key force multiplier our all-volunteer professional military HAS to leverage, and that we would need a more nimble, expeditionary organization to our army.
b) The Bush/Cheney team's pre-9/11 stance that craven international agreements with no teeth in them would not stand (see: Pyongyang).
That's it.
As far as imposing our will, we have done so to a far greater degree than you are willing to admit, zpaz. It's just that the scope of vision of this administration is substantially wider than yours. Here are some (not all) of this administration's intents that they have imposed on the Islamacists, Europe and others:
1. There have been no successful attacks on the homeland since 9/11. If you think that just happened by coincidence, you are blind, deaf and dumb. Attempts have been made. They have been stopped, sometimes in the planning stage.
2. There has been no international economic crisis within the developed countries. Read the text of the latest al-Q video, and then read the transcripts of previous ones. Bin Laden and the more intelligent of the other jihadi leaders are focused on destroying the wealth of the west, in the (probably correct) belief that when that goes, so too does any other resistance to them.
They have failed. There are now significantly stronger security and other controls in the international banking sector, the markets are reasonably solid, oil is still denominated in dollars rather than Euros. That did not happen by accident -- this administration imposed its will on fractious "allies" in Europe and on oil producing countries like Iran who have tried to make a shift happen.
3. In the meanwhile, the technology R&D capabilities of this country have been ramped up BIG TIME to augment our capabilities. Whether it's IED detection systems in Iraq or chem/nuke sniffers in our ports, a signficant improvement in our capabilites has already been fielded and much more is coming.
4. The Army is accomplishing a massive and wrenching reorganization into the brigade as the deployable unit of action rather than, as in WWII, the division. Even BEFORE this reorg got underway, we saw in Iraq captains making the sorts of decisions that in WWII and VietNam Lt. Colonels and above made. That was the direct result of info tech integrated into operations, along with doctrines like Effects Based Operations which Rumsfeld supports.
Accompanying and enabling this reorganization, the Bush administration has attracted new allies in places like Eastern Europe, managed to plant small but sufficient bases in the 'Stans and elsewhere and has ramped up our Special Ops capabilities -- NOT any easy thing to do quickly.
Moreover, this Administration has put MARINE generals in charge of Strategic Command (!!!) and our interface with NATO. I doubt if anyone other than Rummy could have accomplished that. A marine in charge of Strategic Command says our nuclear weapons and our ballistic missile defense are to be seen as operational assets, not a last-resort, remote potential capability.
Think about that one, because I assure you it has had an impact in Europe.
5. Moreover, we have coaxed India into a closer alliance, encouraged Japan to openly talk about throwing off their constitutional limits on offensive military capabilities, kept Pakistan somewhat contained, pressured Iran and Syria, supplied Israel during the Lebanese operations to the extent their muddled leadership could aborb it etc etc. And all the while we have exposed the corruption and bias at the UN for all to see.
I'm sure this doesn't satisfy those who want a visible, devastating counterblow in Iraq and elsewhere. It doesn't satisfy me -- but I don't blame this administration for that. I've read enough military history, and talked with enough of my military colleagues, to recognize that first we get our defenses in order. And while we're doing that, we take the fight to the enemy to disrupt his C4I (command / control /communications / computing/ intel) capabilities, degrade his offensive strength and above all to
shape the battlefield until it favors us.
This will be a *LONG* war. Come to grips with that fact, because it is not going to change. Recognize the steps that have been accomplished. Do your part in November to further them.
And give up the fantasy of a magic wand, i.e. a devastating strike on Iran, or a strike here that converts the Dems a la Paul on the road to Damascus. If those happen, fine -- but I for one am not going to sit back and put all my eggs in those baskets.
#30
The day after 9/11 I wrote down on a piece of paper the governments that must fall. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lybia, Egypt. I keep that paper in my wallet to this day with its two miserable check marks. We stalled on step 3 and are stuck in mid-war.
#31
Nice to see you've got your head well screwed on your shoulders, Ms. lotp; RB ladies (you, TW,...) seem to be refreshingly level-headed and realistical, that's good.
#32
I don't know of anyone here at RB that's 'satified' with the pace of this war. Hell, my grandparents weren't satified with the pace of WWII. We'd all like to see it done more cleanly, decisively and expeditiously. But we're also under no illusions that we somehow need the mullahs of moonbattery to help us win.
The soldiers I work with every day have helped me stay grounded and look at the strategic and tactical issues simultaneously. (Any failures on my part are not their fault. LOL)
#34
Well, good luck with that, Zpaz. I agree with a lot of what you say, but I believe your prescription is a sure looser. The Dhimms will not be led - true, but they will not lead either. Clintoon was the best they had to offer. Gore? Kerry? Hildebeest? Kennedy? Shummer? Durbin? Leahy? LOL. These guys are all wrong. Their interests are different, but they all point to the destruction of America. "True to our ideals" means keeping perfectly clean hands. The war cannot be won with clean hands. The Democrat view that human nature is perfectible is not centered in reality.
The far Left wants the destruction of America. They will never enlist in the defense of this country. They will continue to be a true 5th column.
I also am not pleased with the pace of the war, but many commenters here have pointed out that you cannot lead where the people are not ready to go. I cannot imagine ever voting for another Democrat as long as their ideology is not centered in reality.
#35
Interesting point about imposing our will. Short rant from my fox hole: Remember we can only impose our will on governments/nation states. We can isolate them, attack them, nuke them, etc... This is all based on the premise that the "will" we impose on them is a lesser evil than what will happen if they resist. Our enemies are not governments/nation states. They have no borders, nothing to lose, and we continually want to fight as if they do. If we are going to win this war, and it will be years if not decades, we must be willing to disregard borders and fight terrorism on their battlefield - IE anywhere they are. We must be willing to go into a Mosque and kill the enemy, cross into Pakland and kill our enemies berfore they bring it to us again. If nation states complain, well then we get into the forcing our will on them. I'm tired and don't care what the UN, France or China thinks of our policies and if they protest our killing of terrorists too bad.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/11/2006 14:02 Comments ||
Top||
#36
The Marxist/Soviet influence on the left in this country and Europe remains extremely powerful. It can be concious or subconcious, but it is certainly there. This influence means that the hard core left will not fight for the ideals Zpaz calls for. There will be no transformation until millions of Americans are killed. I state millions rather than thousands because I don't think that even a couple hundred thousand being killed would unseat this other "cancer" that infects them.
But slowly it seems as though the populace at large is turning and beginning to understand what we face. They are schucking the old mind control despite the best efforts of teachers, professors, media elites and elected democrat representatives to keep it working on them.
When another attack hits the US, one that is in the low thousands, these regular folks who pay at least some attention to the left will walk away. The process will move more quickly after that and the hardcore left will be increasingly marginalized. I would like to think the same would happen in Europe if there were a major attack there, but I am less certain of the outcome there. The marxist influence there is far stronger.
If you don't see it, then you are stuck looking at tactical trees and not the bigger forest.
I am losing my patience with people who persist in thinking that this struggle is like a Saturday morning cartoon or a video game. You know, the heroes find the magic sword or execute the stunning martial arts move and KAZAAAMMM - the bad guys are all dead or give up, just in time for the commercials.
The war we are in has been in the making and in slow ramp-up for decades. You are stuck in a WWII mentality: take territory, attrit uniformed/identified enemy.
This war will be and must be fought on the basis of the effects we wish operations to achieve -- ALL the effects, including but not limited to those older goals. That includes economic impacts on us (directly and via the international markets) and political and geopolitical effects (including whatever influence we can exert on the creation of new international structures to replace the eroding post-WWII alliances).
Not to mention dealing with active opposition of the liberals here at home.
As far as technology goes, don't take my word for it. Go talk to then-LTC Rocky Marcone, the Silver Star awardee commander whose tank battalion was at the tip of the spear in the Thunder Run to Baghdad. Ask him what he thought of Blue Force Tracker (now fully deployed as FBCB2) when it was given to his battalion two weeks before he crossed into Iraq. Then ask him how it saved his battalion -- and secured critical bridges used by the rest of our forces -- when the IRG counterattacked under cover of a sandstorm and FM voice comms were degraded to the point of being useless. I could tell you what he told me and about 30 officers and a few other civilians in a presentation over lunch one day when he got back stateside, but you wouldn't pay it any attention I suspect.
#39
Re-institute the draft. I don't want an Army of professionals. I want amateurs. Pissed-off amateurs who had to leave their homes and families. They will force a short war because the political heat they will bring to finish will be unbearable. ALL must share the burdens of the war. Give every segment a stake in the battle.
With that one you clearly demonstrate that you haven't a clue about the current state of our Army, how they train, how they fight and how they are equipped.
Sorry Charlie, masses of drafted grunts with M16s aren't going to be deployed. What a recipe for degrading our military strength!!!
#44
#45 Re-institute the draft. I don't want an Army of professionals. I want amateurs. Pissed-off amateurs who had to leave their homes and families. They will force a short war because the political heat they will bring to finish will be unbearable. ALL must share the burdens of the war. Give every segment a stake in the battle.
The peanut farmer and his amnesty program ended all chances of this ever becoming reality, even it were a sane idea which is hardly the case. Would you propose drafting men only? Oh, I see, you'll draft 18 year old young ladies as well. I don't think so. You can stick a fork in the draft, it's DONE!
#45
NS, I see his agenda but let him call it out specifically. I'll just keep batting down his military ignorance, along with others here who know the score.
#46
Forgot another of the Bush administration's major accomplishments: the ramping up of special forces was accompanied by having a Spec Ops guy as Chief of Staff of the Army now.
#47
The funny thing with St Cyr is that graduating from there is the only way someone will ever be promoted past captain in the french army (that what I was told during my national service)
I don't know what this school is worth on the "international military market", but I do know it's a bastion of elitism (think "Old France", with catholic value, families with officers from generations to generations,...) and selection (every few years or so, there are reports of students dying from over-exhaustion during hiking, I've seen it at least twice IIRC, or hazing).
Screw smart weapons? Again WTF??? This aint a gang fight what the F is he thinking? "Lets throw humans at it" Draftee's don't want to be there so they will fight harder?? Arggg, my ten year old has a better grasp of combat than this Z guy, but then my son has probably know more soldiers lost in this war than him, unfortunately.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/11/2006 14:57 Comments ||
Top||
#49
#13 note that our youngest generation gets it. The Army met their recruitment goals in wartime this year - all volunteers. My 18 yr old son goes in tomorrow to bootcamp at Ft. Sill. When I asked him why he wanted to join, he said 9/11 did it for him.
Posted by Frank G 2006-09-11
Btw, speaking of military students, all my sympathy and admiration to your son, Mr. Frank G. Not only can he understand the stakes, but he does act upon his beliefs. Stand up guy.
#50
Anon5089, as I recall St. Cyr takes people with a baccalaureate degree and puts them through focused military training. They also earn a master's degree in the process IIRC. The ones I've met have come to my place of employment to learn / exercise some technical skills. They've done well.
#51
Also, regarding the lotp long war, there's something that is not taken into account I fear, it is demography and immigration, IE population shifts.
Again, sorry if I rant, but you're thinking of the WOT in military terms, which is appropriate for americans (you're the ennemy); on the other hand, I fear we euros/froggies have much more to fear from "demopathy" and demography (relative birthrates combined with immigration), along with the crumbling of "european civilization" on itself (we're being "colonized" and submitted into willing dhimmitude, if you wish).
You're being fought and attacked in an asymetrical war, we're being subverted (with the help of the socialist/marxist metastasis) and invaded, in slow motion, with terror being only one mean to further that end (stick & carrot). Perhaps it will end up in hot conflict, with ethnic/religious intestine warfare say in France & Belgium, with possibly algeria or turkey coming in along volunteers from the arabo-muslim world to military "help the persecuted muslims" once TSHTF(???).
I'm not sure both sides of the Atlantic face the same war, at least for the time being; rendez-vous in a few decades.
Sorry if I sound a bit hollow, but that's what I believe; it's always interesting to read RB and have that "military" perspective, but I'm not sure it does apply to Europe at all.
#54
I gotta say I prefer lotp's take to that of zpaz. A draft is not necessary and not politically feasible. We don't need millions of boots, and we sure as hell don't want to grind the region into rubble.
What we have in Iraq (not Afghanistan) is an experiment to see if an otherwise intelligent, well educated people stuck in despotism, totalitarianism, and Islam can make the jump to personal liberty (the correct expression of democracy, as Fred often reminds us) within a generation. The jury is out and will be out until around, oh, 2020 or so.
If they can, the solution to Islamicism and Qutbist theology is at hand -- we have to force the Arabs to be more like Iraq. If they can't, we may well be royally screwed, but we're not going to know for at least a decade.
That doesn't fit our nature as impatient people, but that is what it is going to take, along with Fred's big blue nightstick.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 15:18 Comments ||
Top||
#55
Anon5089, I was just responding to the incoherency of Zpaz' comments on military options. I'm more than aware of the other dimensions of this struggle.
You in Europe are farther along in the cultural / demographic suicide curve than we are. I wish I had an easy solution for you. In a small way, our continued interchanges with your underfunded and unsupported militaries may help to encourage a wider resistance to the creeping conquest of your continent, but I am not optimistic.
#57
You in Europe are farther along in the cultural / demographic suicide curve
Yes, and I'm part of the problem, sadly.
What scares me is that while I mostly admire the USA (say, some western cultural aspects you've so far managed to retain, plus some original, "anglosaxon", ones), my readings have shown me you're engaged in that same suicide curve, which you sent back to Europe in the 60's, where it encountered a much more favorable ground (dechristianization & marxism cultural hegemony)...
Remember, in 2002, about 49% of the Us electorate basically voted for a guy in the EU mold. When I'm feeling low, I think you'll more or less the torch-bearer of what's left of the West, and that you're under siege from within too.
My 18 yr old son goes in tomorrow to bootcamp at Ft. Sill. When I asked him why he wanted to join, he said 9/11 did it for him.
Frank, please do me a huge favor and extend my warmest personal thanks and deep appreciation to your young lad for his commitment to America. Our country cannot survive without contributions like his. I cannot imagine both the pride and trepidation that, as a father, you must be feeling right now. Here's hoping that my small gesture of support can help you in some way.
That's a keeper and one that I will use in my own writing in the future, with your permission.
I would be honored to see it used by yourself, Steve. At all times I have tried to deliver cogent and worthwhile commentary at this site (with a smaller boatload of snarking). That you see some value in my efforts makes it all worthwhile.
I will also make careful note that in my above observation the role of some horrendous Islamic terrorist attack is not supposed to be that of the "magic wand" that others here rightly denounce. I do not seek or expect there to be some overnight solution to this nearly intractable situation.
None of this prevents me from anticipating that Islam will, at some future point, manage to commit an atrocity that goes so far beyond the pale that our outrage will finally overcome any reluctance we may have to inflict massive retaliation. It may as well be carved in stone. Islam's very nature is one of supreme arrogance and overweening pride.
Within that self-important mindset dwells a blatant disregard for the value of human life. Be it that of Islam's intended victims or its own followers. This is the key aspect in their arrogation of power and how it will lead to their downfall. Islam's blind obsession with the subjugation of its self-perceived enemies is what will drive it to commit this ultimate offense. They cannot possibly see how such a potent tool could work against them when they are able to deal such a horrendous blow to their foes.
I can only hope that the remaining world will wake up to this fact before Islam detonates a nuclear device in some major metropolis. They want to do it. They plan on doing it. They will do it if opportunity presents itself. This monstrous desire on Islam's part is what must imbue us with the grim determination to pre-empt such a horror.
It is nearly impossible to avoid the cynicism that predicts how such an atrocity must necessarily precede our finding such resolve. This will be our own greatest crime against ourselves. Faced with every possible indication that Islam is a clear and present danger, we continue to give them the benefit of the doubt.
We stopped giving such benefit to the Nazis long before they had even attempted to kill thousands upon our own shores. A single attack by Imperial Japan awakened our nation's wrath. How it is that so many terrorist atrocities have happened without us finding the courage to begin dismantling Islam is simply beyond me.
#60
"Oooooooh! Another coup de reorg. Take that Osama. By the way, how is the Osama Hunt going inside information person? Us chillin's wanna know. Have you tagged the old boy yet? Why not sick some Network Centric Warfare on him? That'll do the trick. Can he be found on Blue Force Tracker? He is the one in the white turban."
Lose the shitty attitude, Zpaz. RIGHT NOW.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/11/2006 16:01 Comments ||
Top||
#61
Zpaz, your observations are so off base as to be laughable. The coming war with Islam will be unlike any other war we have ever fought. Afghanistan and Iraq need to be our final lessons in nation-building.
We have neither the economic wealth nor the military staff to go in and put boots on the ground in all enemy countries (those boots that you are so in favor of drafting). As lotp so cogently notes, American technology is driving us towards incredibly smart weapons that preclude the need for ground force invasions and yet still manage to inflict the needed amount of destruction. Combined with a much more responsive military doctrine, our armed forces will project power in entirely different ways from all previous history.
We now enter an era of doing what our military does best, namely, "breaking things". We must begin a process of using whatever tools available, be it economic sanctions or cruise missiles, to disable our foes. Let them use their own treasure to rebuild. Should they not reconstruct according to our liking, we will raze and repeat.
#63
Zpaz, you and Islam just think we are currently at war. Yes, Islam is at war with the United States. So far, America has not even gone to anything approaching a true war footing against Islam. Once that happens, the difference will be like night and day. However, I don't expect someone of your limited vision to notice.
HINT: Insults are the surest indicator that your arguments carry little, if any, weight. Intelligent people use factually based information and informed opinion to establish their points. So just keep on poking eveyone with that stick. They're bound to start liking you real soon.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/11/2006 16:26 Comments ||
Top||
#65
Yes sir. Ok everybody, funs over. Back to the club for drinks.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/11/2006 16:28 Comments ||
Top||
#66
thank you for all the above well-wishes - I will pass them on. Keith seems to have his head on straight, and I'm so very proud of him. It hurts to have him leave the nest (I only have his 17 yr old brother left), but I'm only being selfish on that.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 16:33 Comments ||
Top||
#67
Time to go,zpazz. They're pissin'on your swag.
#68
Since I think more in terms of vectors and trade offs than in poles (high tech good <---> low tech bad), I'd like to make a few comments.
High tech weaponry, I think that the _only_ high utility system to come out of all of the recent fielding initiatives has been BFT. I'm not saying that high tech is bad, but one system out of 13 (that's a number that I recall reading) is a pretty poor ROI. I won't bore you with all of my theories and direct experience with the evolution of technology. I would only like to point out that evolved systems like (what most of us now consider to be) crappy Dell servers are much more reliable than purpose-built MILSPEC systems ever were.
Regarding the discussion of networked forces, I have yet to see any serious discussion of the value of hierarchical versus peer networks in warfare. Peer networks will grind you down in a war of exhaustion but are poor at massing for decisive effect in wars of annihilation and manuever. It's generally good that we are networking our forces, I just want to make sure that what we create is the right kind of network. The politicos wouldn't know Metcalfe's Law if it hit them in the face and the technologists are usually just abyssmal at understanding the organizational behavior issues.
Draft versus volunteer military. I'm not sure if either of these two paradigms will remain the right ones in the near future. Especially in Europe, the only way to fight this threat may be as creative minorities, expressing themselves militarily as militias. There would be enough standardization among the militias to realize some economies of scale and for them to communicate and mass for decisive warfare. I am not sure that we will ever reach this point in the US, but there is some chance that we will.
Frank G: Please pass along my thanks to your son for volunteering to serve.
Fred: Thank you for a great piece. I am long overdue in hitting the tip jar.
#70
When I made my comments about reinstituting the draft I wasn't referring to combat troops. I suggested drafting people for support roles: truck drivers, maintenance, computer guys, clerks, cooks, and what have you, basically what used to be called combat service support positions and maybe some combat support. I wouldn't draft them so much because the military needs them as because they need the military: the motivation, the sense of purpose, the feeling that they're contributing to the defeat of the enemy.
Talking about millions of boots on the ground shows Zpaz doesn't have the concept of the combined arms force down yet. That's understandable, since most of the rest of the world, to include the Brits, doesn't seem to quite get it. They regard our successes in Iraq I and Iraq II as flukes. They weren't flukes, and similar successes will be the case every time we engage in a similar major conflict, unless the force is reorganized out of existence or the doctrine is dropped in favor of something else -- and it had better be something even better, or we'll be back to the golden age of body bags.
When I went into the Army, back in that golden age, the cream of the crop was skimmed off in the recruiting process, going to the slots where smarts were deemed most necessary, to include clerk-typist school. The leftovers got to hump ammo in the artillery, or to suck diesel in an armored unit, and the bottom of the barrel went to the infantry, since they were good for nothing better.
That was the requirement, back in the age of STRAC. Military philosophy saw us drafting huge numbers of men to deploy to Europe to fight the Soviets' huge numbers of men, refighting Kursk in central Europe, cannon lined up hub to hub and tactical nukes popping off in all directions. That was the other end of Mutually Assured Destruction.
Combined arms reverses the priorities of the STRAC military. The tooth is where most of the quality goes, and the tail has to make due with what's left over. Not that there aren't lots of quality people in the rest of the Army, mind you. Recruiting standards are much higher than draft standards (two arms, two legs, pulse) were, which gives us better quality to pick through.
The combat arms -- infantry, artillery, and armor -- do not need the unmotivated, they do not need the guys who flunked out of cook school. It takes brains to execute today's infantry tactics, along with the courage and toughness our parents and grandparents brought to World War II. It takes a hell of an NCO corps to coordinate those smarts and toughness, and it takes constant and realistic training. The officers of today are head and shoulders above most of the run of the OCS mills I saw in Vietnam. There aren't any Lieutenant Niedermyers anymore. The armed forces we've put together specifically to perform combined arms operations is qualitatively the best in the world.
A draft would be a political move, a move to include the nation in what I regard as a fight for the survival of our civilization. I occasionally think it would be a good move, but as has been pointed out, it's not a feasible political move right now.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 16:42 Comments ||
Top||
#71
damn everytime I get so busy with projects I can't even blog all the fricken critters come out....
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 16:52 Comments ||
Top||
#74
Frank: add my profound thanks to your son.
As to Fred's point on the draft, nope, not feasible now. I live in a blue state and I have to say that even the folks who support the WoT at home would rise up against a draft.
That said, I understand the point of a draft as Fred outlined it: purpose, motivation and contribution would go a long way towards binding us together. But draftees on a two-year hitch aren't going to master combined arms, and I think the cultural rub of volunteers (who do the infantry/armor/artillery/cool stuff) versus draftees (who haul ammo and dish out reconstituted eggs) would be harmful to our country, not helpful.
I do wonder whether a volunteer civil affairs corps would be helpful; might get the 40 to 55 crowd in some numbers to help with the peacekeeping and rebuilding. The 93rd Volunteer Light Infantry? Dunno if that would work.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 16:58 Comments ||
Top||
#75
Frank, thanks and good luck to your son. I hope the pride you feel in his decision overcomes the fears that any parent would feel.
Fred, re: the draft
I am of a mind, perhaps hopelessly so, that there needs to be some sort of national service for the 18-20 year old set. This would force intermingling/integration at least to some degree. More importantly, if done correctly, it would imbue a sense of nationalism on many of our citizens. The obvious problem here is that the only institution set up for this kind of thing is the military and one can only wonder at the Charlie Fox that other government institutions would make of such a program.
#76
Steve W: I must agree that having a two tier Amry would not be helpful. In an infantry battalion, everyone from the newly minted PFC to the battalion commander curses the "fucking pogues" and "fucking REMFs" in the CSS and CS units. As I have aged and gained some wisdom, I have realized that that attitude was not particularly healthy. Drafting the CS and CSS types would make it even more unhealthy.
#77
I was in the Army back in the early 70's before they ended the draft. I wouldn't want us to go back there. Really.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/11/2006 17:18 Comments ||
Top||
#78
High tech weaponry, I think that the _only_ high utility system to come out of all of the recent fielding initiatives has been BFT
I guess my perspective on that has been shaped by the systems I'm seeing deployed and close to deployment. Among the deployed:
- The Raven backpackable UAV which played an important role in Fallujah, when we finally decided to roll in.
- The robots that cleared caves in Afghanistan.
- IED detection and detonation systems in use and soon to be deployed.
Among those close to deployment:
- The Commander's Digital Assistant. Think: ruggedized PDA with comms which allows a patrol to send info on people/munitions/etc. found - real time updates to every other CDA in the area of operations, resulting in real time maps with updated overlays and rapid situational awareness at the squad level. "Every soldier a sensor."
And a lot of C4I systems being upgraded, integrated, deployed as soon as they are able to be used.
Fred is right on when he stresses combined arms operations. I'll go farther and say that there is a whole hell of a lot more in the way of joint service ops going on than makes the news. True at the special forces / unconventional operations level, but at other levels too. That Fallujah operation which melded army and marines is one example.
And just to make it clear, I'm not "high tech beats low tech" -- but high tech where it fits and enables the forces to leverage is a great investment. The battlefield networks and the emerging DOD global information grid tie it all together. 115AS, it ain't real until it's real, but from what I can see the issues you're concerned about have had a lot of attention.
#79
I feel a lot better knowing the soldiers Keith will be serving with made the decision to join and fight voluntarily. The draft sucked and I hope it never becomes necessary, cuz I think it will always suck. Better to have a dedicated professional competent and loyal fighting force. The supporters of the draft raise it because they know it would kill the high esteem we currently hold our military in (see: Rangel, D-Asshole)
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 17:30 Comments ||
Top||
#80
Best of luck to your son, Frank. God bless 'im.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/11/2006 17:34 Comments ||
Top||
#84
We have demonstrated that in combat our quality will beat any quantity "they" can assemble, with the possible exception of China. And even China is trying to get up the quality ramp as quickly as they can.
However, after the combat is over, quantity has a quality all its own. This may be where we need the unit for which the draft is appropriate. More a police force than a military one. One that might be a seperate service, perhaps the NG. Available for domestic use in FEMA emergencies as well as overseas.
Iraq is not the last country where we will crush the state in a month and be stuck with the population for a decade, if not a century (remember we've been in Germany and Japan 60 years). Using capital intense military in a labor intense environment is as bad a mismatch as sending a labor intense military force to fight our capital intense troops. How to manage the abandoned population of the states we destroy is a problem which I have the impression we are not addressing in any way. And its hard to see how it will make anyone's career a success. The ground version of mine warfare.
#85
I suggested drafting people for support roles: truck drivers, maintenance, computer guys, clerks, cooks, and what have you, basically what used to be called combat service support positions and maybe some combat support.
That was the complaint the french professionnal military expressed when the draft was ended in 2000 (?, did my compulsive military service in 1998 and I was among the very last, including lots of mid/late twenties students who had delayed has late as they could), IE with the draft ended, they lost all that cheap support personnel, which often included skilled people , cooks, mechanics, computer operators,... and had to do with a reduced manpool (army went from 257 000 or so to 150 000), with recruits drawn from lower social backgrounds while having to be paid about ten times as much as draftees (starting at then 6000 FF a month against +/- 500 FF).
A "draft" of such CSS could be useful, assuming it is presented the good way (the myth of the ms in France was it allowed social mixity for at least a short period in life, it renforced patriotic feeling, etc, etc...), I don't know.
#86
lotp: I don't think that you are a "high tech all the way" kind of person. But I have seen up close the synergistic effects of Congress, the defense industry and O-6's and above looking for their next star and too often the results remind me somewhat of that 300-lbs sheriff's wife mentioned on Rantburg today: disgusting, bloated and useless.
Despite having a background in technology, I am of the opinion that a platoon leader functional in the local language and a company commander fluent in it are much more valuable than a sensor network. Also, based upon my reading of history and personal experiences, I believe that it is better to train every unit to elite unit standards than to have elite units. I know that the current sensors coming out are much better than the REMBASS stuff that I played with in the late 80's. However, it was child's play to defeat those sensors. When I did my terrain analysis, I just figured out where the black palm grew or where bad land nav (and if you weren't in a light infantry unit, you tended to have bad land nav skills) might carry the MI guys into an impact area and used that information to come right up on them undetected.
I suppose that one day all jihadis will have nano-parasites (being sarcastic, Ship) embedded in their brains that will start spewing Prozac if they so much as think "jihad." Until then, you need small unit leaders that can interact with the locals, you need to recon until you are sick of it and then recon some more, and you need leaders that can shift rapidly from cunning and craft to the bloody mess of decisive battle.
#89
After reading this thread I've had a thought, not exactly a "Draft" but something with the same name (For misleading the enemy as much as continuity)
All the "Young Men" (Of both sexes) are required to register and attend a "Boot Camp" (Again the misleading name)
But what they encounter is a severe and disguised psychological testing, somewhat as really went on at Boot, but with a grading and division of folks by abilities, not the traditional Boot of forcing them into a "Military" mold, but to find out what they're really capable of and steering them into that area where their abilities shine.
Instead of a continuious three months with the exact same "Bunkies" say that every week or so there's a seemingly ineffective shakeup, where you'd get sent lock, stock and duffel bag to an entirely different location, maybe even a different state, and get an entirely new barracks full of faces to meet and greet, then as each seemingly disastrous shakeup occurs, you find that your new bunkies seem to have an awful lot in common, such as all your friends seem particurlarly good electronics breadboarders, or all own highly customized cars, or all are big game hunters, or all are skilled snow skiers, etc, then you're either sent to school (Oddly a whole lot of your new bunkies are there too) and then sent home.
While you're thinking just how screwed up the Military Draft is, the real effect is to classify the available folks into skill sets, then when a particular set of skills is needed, joe from Montana (Who just happens to be an olympic grade skier, an avid elk hunter, and hates the hot summer,) is drafted into the ski patrol.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/11/2006 19:10 Comments ||
Top||
#90
RDees website is bein overwhelmed. I get no server etc.
#91
Also extend my thanks to your son, Frank: I have encouraged my sons to consider the military option as well, although they won't be able to exercise it, as they choose, for a few more years.
The contempt that the left demonstrates toward the volunteer army is an extension of their contempt for all things voluntary, whether it be social work, real work, and charity. Volunteerism means that individuals make choices, and it irritates the left that they are not making those choices FOR those individuals. Yet, as has been demonstrated time and again, a well-led group of volunteers engaging in any competitive behavior will beat an equally well-led group of draftees who were recruited against their wills. Letting people make their own choices, as long as they don't interfere with other people making their own choices, is at the core of being an American, so a volunteer army is the most appropriate, and moral, force for protecting a nation that has that view of moral choice. This, of course, will be diametrically opposed to, and opposed by, any philosophy or religion that says, in effect, "You don't have any choice!" THAT is the conflict facing us today.
#92
I think the draft is misunderstood. When one perceives that he is being forced to do something, then he resists. However, if he is forced to choose and his choice never includes going home unproductive, eventually he will join some group or he will set the ultimate bad example. When you present a group as the toughest, then only those who think they are the toughest will join. When you present a group as being the smartest, then only those who consider themselves smart will join, etc.
The problem today is that the MSM (our favorite traitors) have painted it as Bush's war and not America's war. We have been painting the MSM as anti-American, and they are. We need to paint the military as pro-American and patriotic. We need to define what is American and what is patriotic.
We need to see the Twin Towers collapse over and over until we can't reasonably except that act.
The MSM knows this so they will not show it. They desire to lul the people back to sleep and play their mind control games.
We should have anti-Islam rallies and show the phalk up, but nothing is important enough for the average American to give up his golf game.
zpaz may be right in that we need another 9/11 to focus the blusterers on reality instead of little bunny's soccer game, or the World Series or whatever the next time slot contains. I know many executive types who just don't follow the WOT.
Maybe a full fledged oil shortage will do it.
Maybe we should bomb the oil pipes and tankers to force their attention. But then, they think we're crazy and life goes on because we pay the high taxes for such protections. Why tip the cart ?
#93
I suppose that one day all jihadis will have nano-parasites (being sarcastic, Ship) embedded in their brains that will start spewing Prozac if they so much as think "jihad."
11A5S - I really like that idea... hmm... I should bounce it off some nano folks I know....
Of course if it disabled them somehow the cost to maintain them would bankrupt their families...
#95
I now read between 20,000 and 40,000 pages per year of everything from reference works to fantasy.
Gee, Zenser, I thought I was the only nut that did that... 8^) - plus I've written five and am working on six or eight others. My friends do complain that it takes me away from working on my stamps too much, but they're not serious - I hope!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/11/2006 23:59 Comments ||
Top||
#96
The day after 9/11 I wrote down on a piece of paper the governments that must fall. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lybia, Egypt. I keep that paper in my wallet to this day with its two miserable check marks. We stalled on step 3 and are stuck in mid-war.
We are stalled by our own elites in my opinion, not by the jihadis. Whether by design (the left wing) or by failure to lead well (the right wing), we are stuck.
Since our elites are not capable of winning the war, I have signed off on defending them. Why defend people who will not or can not defend you?
The left is blind to the threat and can continue to be since the Bush Administration has prevented another attack on US soil - a minimal requirement of national defense that ultimately does not win the war - in fact quite the opposite. It simply allows the left to say "See, there is no threat!".
The left will not get in the game until they see that the jihadis mean all of us dead. They must feel it in their gut. They must fear for their lives. That will only happen if we are attacked again. GWB, for all his guts is not up to the rhetorical challenge of the day. Thus, I say let the terrorists come. Let them do their worst. That's right, bring it on. To quote a violent fanatic from some other war, "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land can never be purged away but with blood."
Only if our elites can mobilize all of us with a coherent ideology, coherent goals and country-wide participation, will I rejoin this war.
Add one more government that must fall. That would be ours. Let the Democrats win the next election. Let them be responsible for formulating a winning strategy. And when they fail, well, maybe they will pull their heads out of the sand. Only with the Democrats and the -dare i say it - moonbats on board do we have a chance of winning this.
Allow me this last heresy, but I believe we can not win without Hollywood kicking ass and taking names. That's right, we need those talented propagandists on our side, not the jihadis. Otherwise, go ahead and buy your prayer mats.
As for my fellow Chicagoan, are the current results acceptable? It has been five years and what has been accomplished? We are stuck on Guadalcanal and we are spent. GWB is now unable to move anyone. The Democratic campaign to stick it to Bush has had one victor - the jihadis. The lesson I have learned, is the war can not be successfully prosecuted without the Democrat's support.
The Republican willingness to fight counts for nothing because the Democrats refuse to be led. On the contrary, they are actively fighting for the enemy. This is a national disaster.
And why should they follow? What is the Republican strategy for winning? Democratization has failed. I see no successor. "The Long War"? What the hell is that. It never needed to be long, but now it is. We are now in the worst position possible. No one fears us. The board is cleared for Iran and the jihadis and every fifth column in the West. Nothing has been learned in the past five years. We would have been better off doing nothing. All our enemies are strengthened.
The goal of war is not to commit genocide or reduce the enemy to rubble, it is to impose your will on the enemy. Have we done that? No. We never will with one hand tied behind our back. That hand must be freed. That hand will never land with a roundhouse until the Democrats fear for their lives. In the end I am not looking for the Democrats to take power and exercise it as is, I am looking for their very transformation in the core of their souls when disaster strikes. If you think they are hopelessly stuck as is, then we are all lost. We can not fight without them. Without them, we might as well declare defeat and go home. The Democrats must transform. It can only happen if they are in power. I intend to vote straight Democrat as an act of war.
#98
Charlie Foxtrot is the phrase Steve. And who cares if it was not pretty? Kosovo passed the one and only test that matters. We imposed our will on the Serbs. They capitulated.
Five years on, have the Mullahs capitulated? Has Hezbollah? Hamas? The Muslim Brotherhood? Al Qa'eda? The Taliban? We have achieved nothing. Are you truly satisfied with our current status-quo muddling strategy? I'm not. I am outraged.
#99
It is inevitable that this phase of the Long War would be one of slow grinding attrition
How so? Explain to me this inevitabileness. Did I miss that in GWB's horoscope?
Are the Mullahs being attrited? The Madrassahs in Pakistan? The Imams in Saudi? We are not engaged. They all have a secure base of operations. All I see is us that it is being attrited with our elites cheering all the way.
In 2001 we chose to walk all over the Taliban. In 2003 we chose to walk all over Saddam. And you say we are somehow not prepared for war and need "restructuring". What a hoot lotp. Since 2003 we have lost our will and have chosen to fail. Bugger that.
tech would be a key force multiplier our all-volunteer professional military
Do you actually believe that jargon? You should write pamphlets like that and send it to the Mullahs. You are utterly brain-washed. The guys on flight 93 knew more about fighting than you ever will. It ain't about tech. It is about will.
#101
Enough. Screw all the maudlin 9/11 sentimental rubbish. Here is my strategy for winning:
1. Ask Congress for a declaration of war on Afghanistan (no mistake), Iraq (no mistake), Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lybia, Egypt and nuclear Pakistan. This forces Congress to say yea or nay. Which in turn forces the people to decide what exactly it is we are doing. It will put the decision in the people's laps and not the cabinet's. Put your faith in the people. Yes or no. Are we in a war or not. If not, you bring the troops home. If so, we have our mandate to crush the enemy.
2. Re-institute the draft. I don't want an Army of professionals. I want amateurs. Pissed-off amateurs who had to leave their homes and families. They will force a short war because the political heat they will bring to finish will be unbearable. ALL must share the burdens of the war. Give every segment a stake in the battle.
3. Boots on the ground everywhere in the millions.
4. Any resistance. Rubble. This must be our stated strategy from the beginning. Make it a fact on the ground that no outside Euro ankle biter can fight. They will get used to it. Impose our will face-to-face man-to-man. No retreat from harsh measures.
5. Only drafted, censored Army Journalists on the ground.
6. Screw smart weapons. The biggest fallacy we live by is that war can be won without slaughter. Any resistance and pull the troops out and bring in the B-52's with dumb bombs. Then send the troops back in. Make them bleed, not us.
7. Impose our will. Piss on the Koran.
You will see how fast it will all end. When the country has come around to my way of thinking and it will, I'll be waiting with my pea-shooter wearing my adult diapers.
#102
That includes economic impacts on us (directly and via the international markets) and political and geopolitical effects (including whatever influence we can exert on the creation of new international structures to replace the eroding post-WWII alliances).
Could someone please translate this mush for me. Dude, I humbly bow down before your superior jargon. I am now utterly and completely convinced by your arguments from authority and inside information. If only I were in the know, I would be in the know, you know. The inevitableness is washing over me as we speak.
Enjoy your Long War or whatever you choose to call it tomorrow. I hope you get that promotion and nice big fat pension. Us dumb citizens will sit this one out and just shake our heads. You obviously have this one in hand. Everybody move along, the professionals are here to save us.
#103
my son has probably know more soldiers lost in this war than him, unfortunately
Is that the criteria for passing judgement on combat operations or lack thereof? How large my personal body count is? Are you Cindy Sheehan? Do you have absolute moral authority because your body count is higher than mine? Would you like a badge? Would you like a National Defense Service Medal with Maple Leaf Cluster for each body so we can know the superiority of your arguments before you open your mouth.
That's the ticket. Cultural interchanges. Where cars can get off one cultural highway and onto another. Sounds a bit left-wing touchy-feely, but hey, I am game. Ummagosh, we are so gonna win.
A draft is not necessary and not politically feasible
You guys always prat on about doing battle with the left wing. I see no better way than to institute a draft. Just think of all the possible "interchanges" in boot camp.
#106
Forgot another of the Bush administration's major accomplishments: the ramping up of special forces was accompanied by having a Spec Ops guy as Chief of Staff of the Army now.
Oooooooh! Another coup de reorg. Take that Osama. By the way, how is the Osama Hunt going inside information person? Us chillin's wanna know. Have you tagged the old boy yet? Why not sick some Network Centric Warfare on him? That'll do the trick. Can he be found on Blue Force Tracker? He is the one in the white turban.
Dude, you lost me coming out of the gate. In case you haven't noticed, we have already been in that war for a while as Inside-Information-Person (IIP) has so "cogently" pointed out.
Combined with a much more responsive military doctrine, our armed forces will project power in entirely different ways from all previous history.
Phhhhhpth. Thanks, but no thanks for that pap Zenster. You are a genuine windbag. Rush now down to your local recruiting office so that you too can some day become an IIP and get your Army War College lobotomy. All that rubbish is just so without the will to use it.
#109
Zenster. I will put my faith in the American people. You can put your faith in whatever gizmo gives you a woody. Nice religion that technology worship. Catch the fever!
via Roggio's Fourth Rail
The commander of Hezb-i-Islami and al-Qaeda ally detained during a raid in eastern Afghanistan
On the day of the fifth anniversary of the 9-11 attack, Coalition forces score a high value target in Afghanistan. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the commander of Hezb-i-Islami and ally of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, has been captured during a joint U.S. and Afghan Army raid in eastern Afghanistan. Hekmatyar, contrary to his rhetoric gave up to the Coalition forces without a fight. Hekmatyar's arrest is said to be part of an 'ongoing operation.'
Hekmatyar has been designated by the U.S. Department of State as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and has participated in and supported terrorist acts committed by al-Qaida and the Taliban. The 9-11 Commision report indicates Osama bin Laden kept lines of communication open with Hekmatyar. bin Laden apparently kept his option open, maintaining contacts with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who, though an Islamic extremist, was also one of the Taliban's most militant opponents, states the report.
Hekmatyar fought against the Soviets, was prime minister of Afghanistan in the mid 1990s, and became an anti-Taliban fighter until the collapse of Afghanistan's Taliban government in December of 2001. After the U.S. operation, Hekmatyar threw in his lot with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and brought Hezb-i-Islami into battle against the government of Hamid Karzai. Hezb-i-Islami split in two, with a section loyal to Hekmatyar (know as Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin or HIG). HIG has influence particularly with Afghan refugees in western Pakistan.
The capture of Hekmatyar is a major blow to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, as it provides an opportu nity to split his organization. HIG is considered one of the major Anti-Government Elements (or AGEs) in Afghanistan. And Hekmatyar may be privy to valuable information about the location of high level al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 21:24 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#8
"commander of Hezb-i-Islami and al-Qaeda ally detained"
Too bad it doesn't say dead.
But I'll take what I can get.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/11/2006 22:14 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Let the Afghans have at him. I understand they're quite good at the old "tortured screams" bit.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/11/2006 22:18 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Good catch. He will talk, just like all the coward terrorist.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/11/2006 22:18 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Remember Bush's speech? We caught So-and-So and he led us to So-and-So. So-and-So talked, and he led us to So-and-So. Again, So-and-So talked and we got So-and-So and the story goes on! All these So-and-So's are in Gitmo, soon (well maybe later) to be joined by another of their kind.
Thanks to all our troops (military and our IC) on the ground, on this special day, for what they have given, to make this happen. And will continue to make happen.
#13
YES YES YES YES YES YES AND YES. Just finished watching Path 9/11, started reading the blogs and caught this too, through Instapundit. Hek' a rat bastard and we spent a year trying to kill him. This won't make since, but that Tarin Kowt bombing--Hek. Wedding bombings--Hek. Raising money (back in '05) for the sundry spring offensives/bombings--Hek.
An HVT worth having. Get him to gitmo and then get him gone.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
09/11/2006 22:38 Comments ||
Top||
#15
I daresay Hekmatyar has at least a clue as to the whereabouts of Osama and his butt-buddy Zahari. At least good enough intel to give us an idea of his recent hideouts, habits, mules, and allies.
I would make him regret the day his mother brought him into the world...for every soldier, sailor, and marine that have died or been wounded because of him.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 22:46 Comments ||
Top||
#18
btw - if his acolytes are any representation, he can't pitch. They throw grenades like little girls
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 22:48 Comments ||
Top||
#19
From Michael Ledeen at The Corner:
Hekmatiar is a particularly evil man, who has been Iran's main agent of murder in Afghanistan for many years. He had just received a substantial quantity of anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons from the mullahs, and his capture is truly wonderful news. Waydo go, guys!
#23
Darth, you nailes it. The big boys obviously are not real hot to meet allan anytime soon. They enjoy the infidel perks of being grand poobah mullah too much.
(KUNA) -- At least five people, including four policemen, were killed and several others wounded Monday as a suicide bomber detonated himself amidst the funeral of a provincial governor, who was assassinated in a simlar attack on Sunday. It was the funeral of Paktia Governor Hakim Taniwal when a bomber exploded the explosives around his waist amidst the crowd gathered to bury the governor, said a police official Jan Mohammad.
The blast took place in the Tanayee district, the native town of the late governor, said the official, adding, the dead included four policemen. The governor and two of his colleagues were killed in Paktia province on Sunday in a suicide attack outside his office.
Taniwal's a real loss to Afghanistan. He's the guy who threw Zadran out of Khost. I doubt they'll get another governor as good as he was. He was killed five years, almost to the day, after Masood.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 10:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
They're big on anniversaries, these guys. Kind of reminds me of Farrakhan's odd numerological rant at the Million (sic) Man March a few years ago.
Posted by: just sayin ||
09/11/2006 13:33 Comments ||
Top||
KABUL - At least 94 suspected Taleban insurgents were killed overnight on Sunday by international and Afghan forces in southern Kandahar province. In the joint operation by Afghan forces and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) known as Operation Medusa, 94 insurgents were killed and 1 was wounded in four separate battles overnight Sunday in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, a NATO statement said.
Two coalition soldiers were also killed in two separate incidents overnight Sunday in Kandahar and the southern province of Zabul, coalition forces announced in Kabul Sunday. One of the two soldiers was working with a unit of the Afghan army that is currently supporting Operation Medusa in Panjwayi district, 25 kilometres west of Kandahar province, the statement said. The second soldier was serving with the operation in support of Afghan Army forces in Zabul province. Both soldiers were members of the embedded training team, which trains Afghan army soldiers for military operations, the statement added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
94 insurgents were killed and 1 was wounded
I just thought that ratio needed emphasis. Continuation of same will reduce the potential for recidivism or for overcrowding at Guantanamo.
At least three French nationals were kidnapped in Yemen Sunday by armed tribesmen, security officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said tribesmen from the al-Abdullah tribe kidnapped the French nationals in the Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen. The officials said the kidnapped French nationals were in a convoy of foreign tourists when armed gunmen blocked the vehicle they were in and took them hostage.
Elderly tribesmen began mediation efforts with the kidnappers, but it was not immediately clear what demands, if any, the abductors had. The French Embassy had no immediate comment.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
AL Qaeda has warned in a video aired on the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks that US allies Israel and the Gulf Arab states would be its next target in a campaign that would seal the West's economic doom.
Deputy al Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahri said in remarks apparently addressed to Western leaders: "I tell them do not bother yourselves with defending your forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. These forces are doomed to failure.
"You have to bolster your defences in two areas ... the first is the Gulf, from which you will be evicted, God willing, after your defeat in Iraq and then your economic doom will be achieved," he said in the video broadcast in part on the Arabic al-Jazeera television channel.
"And the next (target) is Israel. The current of holy war is closing on it and your end there will put an end of the Zionist-crusader supermacy."
Zawahri's warning of attacks in the Gulf, the world's top oil exporting region, follows previous calls by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to target oil facilities to cripple the West.
In the video, Zawahri urged Muslims to step up their attacks against the United States and the West, according to excerpts aired by CNN television network.
Ceremonies were due to take place on Monday across the United States to mark the attacks that triggered Washington's global "War on Terror".
CNN said the video was available on Islamist Web sites, but it could not be found on the mainstream sites often used by militant groups.
It quoted Zawahri as saying that "new events" were on the way.
"Your leaders are hiding from you the true extent of the disaster," Zawahri said. "And the days are pregnant and giving birth to new events, with God's permission and guidance."
The video showed Zawahri dressed in white and sitting in front of a book case. It appeared to be part of al Qaeda's own commemoration of the attacks on New York and Washington which killed almost 3000 people.
Zawahri held the US-allied governments of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia responsible for the killing of Muslims in the Middle East, Al Jazeera said.
"Israel has been able to dominate Lebanon and Gaza only because Egypt has been totally removed from the conflict with Israel," Zawahri said.
On Sunday, al Qaeda's media arm al-Sahab released a 92-minute video entitled "The Manhattan Raids", a collage of video footage showing bin Laden urging the attackers to prepare themselves for martyrdom, the wills of some of the attackers and clips showing the men training in an unidentified location.
Almost all of the 19 suicide attackers who hijacked 4 airliners during the attack were Saudi Arabians.
#7
How did Zawahri steal the DNC's talking points?
Who do you think writes them?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/11/2006 12:23 Comments ||
Top||
#8
What would islamofascists do without solid support from the LLL? Even an AIDdamn Goddamn makes little impact unlike the waves from the loathsome Left.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/11/2006 16:35 Comments ||
Top||
#10
More proof to the MSM-DemoLeft that the WOT is NOT a WORLD WAR, FOR CONTROL OF TERRA FIRMA, and that Fascist = Limited Commie-Totalitarian Amerika need NOT fight "over there", as oppos to CONUS-NORAM per se. Governmentism-Totalitarianism = Libertarianism; and Geopol Retreat/Fallback = National Security-Safety. America getting out of the PACRIM, LOWER AMERICAS, + ME + AFRIQQUE > obviously means enemy armies will NOT target America = Amerika afterwards.
from a much longer discussion of his April time traveller piece in which a grandchild of one of us comes back in time ... and makes clear the consequences of our choices. If you haven't read it, go to this article, follow the link to the April piece and then read this. Powerful stuff and dead on.
Lee Harris (Civilization and Its Enemies: The Next Stage of History) and Sam Harris (The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason) almost certainly arent related, but the themes of their books are.
Lee Harris does not focus on Islam as the "enemy of civilization"hes wise enough to know that the enemies of civilization take many forms over the centuriesbut he shows us that these enemies of civilization share one overriding commonality: they are transformational faiths and ideologies which must, invariably, see other human beings as means to their ends rather than as ends in themselves.
Not enough commentaries have been written about the absolute stupidity and uselessness of the 9/11 attacksspecifically about them being absolutely stupid and useless even from a sane global jihadists point of view. While an attack on the Pentagon might be rationalized in military or Clausewitzean terms, the more successful attack on the World Trade Center was totally devoid of real military or strategic value. There were no follow-up attacks. The attacks were part of no greater plan. The slaughter of 3,000 American civilians did absolutely nothing to further any jihadist "goals"whether it be the removal of American troops from "sacred Muslim soil" or the weakening of the Arab regimes that were the jihadists real enemies.
Since humans are always in need of a metaphor or historical correlative in which to frame surprising new events, many Americans compared 9/11 to Pearl Harbor, but even those attempting that comparison must have known it was unhelpful in guiding our thinking. The sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 did follow Clausewitzean logicwherein warfare becomes an "extension of diplomacy by other means"and in the Japanese militarys attempt to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet at harbor and thus neutralize our warmaking ability in the entire Pacific region for just long enough to allow the Japanese Imperial forces to occupy their objectives, expand their hegemony, and then sue for a separate peace with a weakened United Statesthe Japanese plan, although a long shot, had both military and strategic national policy merit.
The central miscalculationon the effect such an attack would have on the previously torpid American will to engage in warfare overseaswas profound (and fatal to the future of Imperial Japan and the Southeast Asian Coprosperity Sphere), but at least the military goals and execution were consistent with Clausewitzean realities. And the Japanese military follow-ups to the neutralization of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harborcoordinated attacks from Southeast Asia through the Phillippines to Wake Island to Midway and beyondwere perfectly timed and, for a while, very successful. (And might have been completely successful had the American aircraft carriers been in port at Pearl Harbor during the attacka mistiming amounting to less than 24 hours. Upon such near misses hinge the geopolitical fate of the world.)
The viciousness and senselessness and sheer "one-offness" of the 9/11 attacks against civilians in the World Trade Center and on the hijacked aircraft themselves guaranteed only that the United States would be roused again from its torpor and would be certain to use its militarythe most powerful military in the history of the planetagainst something and someone. From all rational perspectives, the 9/11 attacks were stupid and useless.
Except from the truly nonrational and mystical point of view of a transformational belief totally removed from reality.
In Civilization and Its Enemies, Lee Harris looks at the rise of Italian fascism in the 1930s and explains why Mussolinis destruction of any belief in the efficacy of the League of Nations and of the "international community" (that oft-cited but never truly sighted phantom) all but guaranteed another World War. This failure of all rational international efforts to prevent Italy from enacting its fascist fantasy ideology through the invasion of Ethiopia, which, like the attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11, had no rational Clausewitzean, foreign-policy, or military goals, but which rose instead from a collective fantasy Mussolini was sharing with the Italian people, cannot be understood through the Clausewitzean or other modes of reason in personal or international conduct, but only through acknowledging the power of transformative beliefs
"The concept of belief , as it is used in this context, must be carefully understood, in order to avoid ambiguity. For most of us, belief is a purely passive response to evidence presented to us: I form my beliefs about the world for the purpose of understanding the world as it is. This belief is radically different from what might be called transformative beliefthe secret of fantasy ideology. Here the belief is not passive but intensely active, and its purpose is not to describe the world but to change it. It is, in a sense, a deliberate form of make-believe, in which the make-believe becomes real. In this sense it is akin to such innocently jejune phenomena as "the power of positive thinking," or even the little train that thought it could. To say that Mussolini, for example, believed that fascist Italy would revive the Roman Empire does not mean that he made a careful examination of the evidence and then arrived at his conclusion. Rather it means that Mussolini had the will to believe that fascist Italy would revive the Roman Empire.
#1
The enemy of civilization is not a modernistic philosophy, such as Marxism. It still embraces civilization, even if it is a terribly dysfunctional version of civilization.
The true enemy of civilization is barbarism. The opponent to modernity. The nostalgic belief that in the primitive past were things "better". More spiritual, more honorable, more blessed and healthier.
It is a Darwinistic struggle. Civilization and barbarism, modernity and primitivism, cannot coexist.
Barbarism is always disadvantaged, because civilization thrives on better ideas, better ways of doing things, that have already been tested over time and shown to be superior to the systems of the primitives, in all ways.
So what is the threat to civilization? Exactly what happened to Afghanistan under the Taliban. Absolute destruction, and the rule of chaos and whim. That is the only victory of the barbarian, to reign over ruin. To promulgate a new dark ages, as happened with the fall of ancient Rome.
This is what the barbarian really wants. This is why he cannot be bargained with, bribed, or negotiated with. Either his primitivism must be destroyed, or civilization must be destroyed.
It is not a "reasonable" fight, where "reasonable" people may agree to disagree, where mediation can overrule violence and destruction. These are all tools of civilization, they do not apply.
#2
So what is the threat to civilization? Exactly what happened to Afghanistan under the Taliban. Absolute destruction, and the rule of chaos and whim.
Agreed that is the final outcome if the barbarians win. I would only add that the THREAT can be imminent even if that outcome seems far off.
There are substantial parallels between Iran under Ahmadinajad and Italy under Mussolini. Both have a will to believe, both are being given a pass by the international community and just as the fascists of the 1930s nearly destroyed Europe (and did gut what was of great value there), so too the fascists in Iran and elsewhere today threaten the ruin of what is best everywhere in the world.
#3
The viciousness and senselessness and sheer "one-offness" of the 9/11 attacks against civilians in the World Trade Center and on the hijacked aircraft themselves guaranteed only that the United States would be roused again from its torpor and would be certain to use its militarythe most powerful military in the history of the planetagainst something and someone.
Unless that was the intent of the attackers, their planners and the sponsors in the first place.
Methinks Mr. Simmons is ignoring one of the objectives of terrorism/guerrilla warfare.
As Harris says in The Enemies of Civilization"For us, the hijackings, like the Palestinian suicide bombings, are viewed merely as a modus operandi, a technique incidental to the larger strategic purpose. Consider the standard Arab apologists explanation of such acts: They dont have jet fighters, so what other means do they have of fighting back? But even those who are most unsympathetic to the Arab fantasy-ideology look upon the suicide of the hijackers, like that of the Palestinian terrorists, as merely a makeshift device, a low-tech stopgap, and nothing more. In our eyes, these attacks represent simply Clausewitzean war carried out by other meansin this case by suicide.
But in the fantasy ideology of radical Islam, suicide plays an absolutely indispensable role. It is not a means to an end but an end in itself. Seen through the distorting prism of of radical Islam, the act of suicide is transformed into the act of martyrdom martyrdom in all its transcendent glory and accompanied by the panoply of magical powers that religious tradition has always assigned to it.
How hard it was after 9/11 (and 7/7 in London) for anyone in the non-Islamic Westeither the decriers or the apologists for these acts of barbarismto understand that the goal of the attacks was not the destruction of the World Trade Center towers or of the Pentagon or the London Underground, but was the transformative acts of the suicides themselves. The ensuing destruction and deathincluding what bin Laden later acknowledged was the surprising collapse of the Twin Towers themselvesamounted to a bonus.
Al-Qaeda did not bring down the towers. The nineteen hijackers did not bring down the towers. God brought down the towers.
Elsewhere in The Enemies of Civilization, Lee Harris suggests that the true enemies of civilization tend to be intellectuals. Those individuals within even the most ethically advanced societies who see things in terms of black and white, those men and women who are incapable of pragmatism and compromise but who deal in absolutes. They are the men and women, so frequently the privileged elite in each era, who see the need to transform the world for the better. And the instrument of that transformation is, invariably, blood and more blood.
Why did our fictional Time Traveler return to New Years Eve 2005? The paradoxical answer might be that it was the last real time of peace he knew of in the 21st Century.
"Forgetfulness overcomes every successful civilization," writes Lee Harris. That forgetfulness is this: in each era, just when trade and peace and reason and moderation seem most likely to prevail, the opportunity for the zealots to succeed through ruthlessness is at its greatest.
#8
Damn. Absofuckinglutely great reads, lotp! Awesome - and better when read in order, as you point out. The Time Traveler, alone, is something I must share with some folks. To fail to do so would be criminal negligence.
Lee Harris was one of my favorite analysts. His departure from TCS was quite a disappointment... he's still "gone", right? I stopped going there when he "retired". He was the first to grasp and define the Bush Doctrine - what an amazing gamble it was, how important it was to redefine the conflict in relevant contemporary terms, and where it could lead us if we have the stones. Of course, way back then, only the hardcore cynics recognized how quickly 9/11 would be buried, lessons unlearned, and the sheeple led back to the Tranzi pastures of peace in our time. I didn't see it coming until it was already upon us. His incredible lessons fall on (mostly) deaf ears, now, methinks... perhaps a more apt description is they whiz by overhead, since most have submerged themselves, once again, in the comfort zone of navel gazing bullshit.
This Dan Simmons guy is new to me, but with these articles he already holds a spot on my must-read list. He gets it all, from the minutia to the cosmic view.
The Time Traveler should be required reading for all Americans. The Lee Harris Al Q Fantasy Ideology required for all US politicians. Those who argue should be shot, immediately, IMO. Make that gut-shot. Those that get it should read the Simmons review and dissection of Harris' brilliant analysis.
Luckily, I don't have any strong opinions about this stuff, of course, but I do recommend ugly and slow painful death for those who fail to get it. It will save time and aggravation later. I think it's another data point on the curve that proves the night basketball thingy has lost its efficacy. Once that's gone, well, there's nothing left but doping up the drones so they can't find the polling place - or killing them off. It's not really as drastic as it sounds. The Time traveler article serves to prove that point rather well, I think. It demystifies the concept, sheds that silly emotional content, takes us to the point with real alacrity, don't you think? Heh.
#9
I've travelled to many countries and my great delight was to celebrate what was different. I just loved it.
However there were some countries that I did not delight in. These were all Muslim countries. There was no joy, no happiness.
As a friend said to me ," I've lived in Saudi Arabia for two years and I couldn't find one thing to laugh about."
Islamic countries are dismal places, end of story.
But that wouldn't be a problem if it hadn't been for one American. On his own, he unleashed more Muslims on the world than had existed in all of Islam's history. It's not Mad Mohamed who is causing all the problems in the world today, it's Borlaug.
If a muslim had discovered what he did , they would have kept it to themselves. To gain that knowledge you would be required to convert to Islam.
But what did Borlaug do?
He gave them the secret to fulfilling Mad Mohammed's dream of world conquest for free.
Sure his heart was in the right place, but I bet he didn't think of "unintended consequence.
As Mark Styn keeps reiterating "It's the demographics, stupid"
History is replete with cases of mass migration caused by over-population, for instance the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Mongol expansion, etc.
When you look at Pakistan in 1950, they only had a population of around 30 million.
Today that population is over 170 million, with the biggest group being males between 17 and 20years of age. Excellent cannon-fodder.
The population is doubling every 30 years, and with a GDP per capita of less than $2,500, there is a huge pool of potential terrorists for the recruiters to send to finishing school in the Madrases.
They are breeding faster than we can kill then, without the aid of nuclear weapons.
So who is to blame for this?
#12
#10 "They are breeding faster than we can kill them"Well, have we really given it our best effort? Posted by mcsegeek1 2006-09-11 12:20|| Front Page|| ||Comments Top
Your Continuous Termite Protection Plan Includes: Ongoing Inspections
Orkin continues to inspect and monitor your home for signs of termite activity.
Re-treat ProgramIf termites return to your home following a treatment, The Orkin Man will return to re-treat the problem at no additional charge.
Were Not Satisfied Until Youre Satisfied.
If youre not completely satisfied with your termite programs results, simply write to Orkin within 30 days of your initial treatment. If Orkin is unable to rectify the problem within 30 days of written notification, we guarantee to refund your initial treatment charge and any prepaid renewal.
#15
Once that's gone, well, there's nothing left but doping up the drones so they can't find the polling place - or killing them off.
Ummm, listening to the news, that phase is well under way, and the odd thing is it's being done by the very people its also being done to.
I wonder if it's a form of intelligence "Purifying" itself?
(sorry, don't really have a good word for this type of activity)
getting the stupid to kill off the stupider, then themselves getting killed off either by themselves, the Cops, or rotting for their productive years in Prison.
Either way, humanity seems quite content to let it happen. Stupidity is fatal, and damn near nobody gives a shit.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/11/2006 19:29 Comments ||
Top||
#16
Unfortunately, in order to save civilization, we must become uncivilized.
Only if you equate civilization with non-violence. Hint, who were more civilised Romans or Gauls?
#17
Thank you for posting this, lotp. The Simmons "Time Traveler" piece was a bit depressing but necessarily so. Some of the money quotes from the discussion page:
"Let us imagine that peace one day comes to the Middle East. What will Muslims say of the suicide bombings that they so widely endorsed? Will they say, We were driven mad by the Israeli occupation? Will they say, We were a generation of sociopaths? How will they account for the celebrations that followed these sacred explosions? A young man born into relative privilege, packs his clothing with explosives and ball bearings and unmakes himself along with a score of children in a discotheque, and his mother is promptly congratulated by hundreds of her neighbors. What will the Palestinians think about such behavior once peace has been established? If they are still devout Muslims here is what they must think: Our boys are in paradise, and they have prepared the way for us to follow. Hell has been prepared for the infidels. It seems to me to be an almost axiomatic truth of human nature that no peace, should it ever be established, will survive beliefs of this sort for very long."
Which, in short, is why I view the continued existence of Islam with great trepidation.
Finally, a recurring theme in much of my own writings deals with the Thundering Silence of moderate Islam [spit].
Most of the world, especially since 9/11, has been waiting for a rousing and unqualified renouncement of suicide bombings, jihad, persecution of infidels, fatwas, honor killings, and other Muslim atrocities from the silent majority of Muslim clerics and devout Muslims.
With very few and always heavily qualified exceptions, that "silent majority" has remained silent. Arranged marches of "moderate Muslims" to protest even the most outrageous public atrocitysuch as the Nov. 2004 brutal murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a 26-yr.-old Dutch Moroccan man in retaliation for van Goghs film "Submission" documenting abuses of Muslim women in Europedrew far more journalists and local Dutch marchers than Muslims.
As Fred has said:
You want to quickly eliminate "Islamophobia"? Actively hunt down and ruthlessly kill every terrorist you get wind of. No explanations accepted, no dissimulation, just a bullet to the back of the head. Or maybe cut their heads off, we don't care. When Islam as an international force is something terrorists are afraid of, then we can talk.
This isn't happening, not by a long shot, and we are under no obligation to be delicate in how we clean Islam's house for it. Their purposeful laziness in addressing (by Western standards) the contamination of their religion by psychotic and genocidal elements can no longer be construed as anything by willing and overt support for such tyranny.
Donny Regan was a friend of mine. We grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was a great person to have as a friend, a stand up guy. He would literally give you the shirt off his back if you were in need. Quick with a smile and a joke he immediately charmed neary all who met him. Donny bartended at his brother Billy's bar, Mahoneys, on Aveneue D for several years and was easily one of the favorites. He later married his sweetheart and went on the Fire Department. I lost track of him just before he got married due to leaving Brooklyn myself.
Only shortly after 9/11 did I find out that he perished in the conflagration that day. I was not surprised. Donny would have been the first to come to your aid if you were in trouble. He proved it time and again before 9/11 and that virtue was probably one of the primary reasons he joined Rescue 3 of the FDNY.
He will never be forgotten.
His son joined the Marines and fought in Afghanistan and Iraq and is now on the FDNY fulfilling his father's legacy. No greater tribute could a son pay his father's legacy.
AoS note: moved to Home Front, WoT. Thank you for this tribute, it's especially appropriate today.
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/11/2006 08:53 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I apologize for preempting the 'burg for a personal tribute, but the blogger who was supposed to post one for Donny hadn't done so yet this morning and he deserves to be remembered.
Thank you.
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/11/2006 8:57 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I watched the NYFD special last evening. I have a new found appreciation for those brave men. Ironic that the first casualty was Father Mycahal Judge, the NYFD Chaplain. One must wonder if the Almighty didn't reach down and take him to be in charge of welcoming the others home. An Irish tenor sand "Danny Boy" at the end and every fireman's photo was shown in groups of 4-5 frame sets. I wept like an infant. I hate the bastards that did this, always will. Slay them all.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/11/2006 19:06 Comments ||
Top||
#6
A HERO is an ordinary person who did ordinary things that others belabel as "extra-ordinary", not himself. *STARSHIP CAPT. JEAN LUC-PICARD saved a Federation starship by destroying an attacking enemy vessel wid what Starfleet or the Federation later called " the PICARD MANEUVER" - to PICARD, he didn't do anything special at the time, only "what any other Helmsman in Starfleet would have done" in his shoes.
The morning of September 11th I TiVod what I could I was changing back and forth between the channels, not really thinking of posterity. Over the next week I edited the footage for the monthly family movie, then laid down some music. (Its the closing title music for Crimson Tide, a movie Id recently seen.) The duration of the music clip matched the length of the piece almost exactly, with a few tweaks necessary at the end. The result captured the horror, sorrow and fury I felt then, and felt for quite a long time afterwards. Time dilutes the emotions, eventually but I cant watch this without feeling what I felt on that day. Ive watched it on the anniversary dates ever since.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/11/2006 07:30 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
BALTIMORE: A Pakistani man who lived in the Baltimore area and graduated from a local high school in 1999 is among the 14 high-value terrorism suspects transferred from secret CIA prisons to the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to await trial, according to profiles of the suspects released by the federal government. Majid Khan (26), who was arrested in 2003, is a Pakistani national who moved to the Baltimore area with his family in 1996, according to the profile released by the office of John Negroponte, the director of national intelligence.
Ahmed Khan, who identified himself as Khans brother, said a lawyer had advised them not to comment at this time. Khans father, Khan Ali, told The Washington Post last week that he believed the charges were false. The father said the family had not known where Khan was since 2003. After graduating from high school in 1999, Khan became involved in a local Islamic organisation and returned to Pakistan in 2002, according to the profile.
The profile said that in Pakistan, Khan was introduced to senior Al Qaeda operational planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Mohammed then allegedly selected Khan as an operative for a possible attack in the US. Khan had worked at his familys gas station and was able to help Mohammed with research into a plan to blow up gas stations, the government said. Mohammed also asked Khan to research how to poison US water reservoirs, according to the government profile.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:13 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Another Daily Times article with the feel of triangulation. I'm sure he was a "good boy" who never would've embraced jihad or anything. That he was apparently "radicalized" HERE is what should be focused upon, I think. That he went to PakiLand for activation is SOP.
I like this profile approach - they're obviously mining the minutia and making the connections. Paying attention and using their heads... I sorta like it, myself. Geewhiz, think any of the usual bitchers and detractors hereabouts will realize this important fact and give our security folks some credit? I'll wear my seatbelt so I can withstand the deluge of agreement, LOL. :)
Heres a collection (assembled over the years, with much input from other Rantburgers) of some of the best information on 9/11 available online today. Feel free to add to the list in the comments section.
Jim Dwyer, Eric Lipton, Kevin Flynn, James Glanz and Ford Fessenden. "Fighting to Live as the Towers Died"New York Times (LRR) -- an incredibly detailed reconstruction of the 102 minutes between the first attack and the final collapse.
Editorial, "Common Valor"Wall Street Journal -- ". . . in the midst of tragedy we do well to recognize that these firefighters did not lose their lives. They gave them."
Peggy Noonan, "Courage Under Fire"Wall Street Journal -- "Three hundred firemen. This is the part that reorders your mind when you think of it. For most of the 5,000 dead were there--they just happened to be there, in the buildings, at their desks or selling coffee or returning e-mail. But the 300 didn't happen to be there, they went there. In the now-famous phrase, they ran into the burning building and not out of the burning building. They ran up the stairs, not down, they went into it and not out of it. They didn't flee, they charged. "
"Mysterious Red Bandanna Man Is 9/11 Hero" WNBC-TV -- The story of Wells Crowther, an equities trader and volunteer firefighter who worked in 2 WTC, and was as much a hero as anyone that day.
Vincent Druding, "Ground Zero: a Journal"First Things -- account of an early volunteer in the recovery effort
Rod Dreher, "The Hole in the Skyline"National Review Online -- "Every morning when I open the door to go to work, there is a hole in the sky where the World Trade Center used to be, a memento mori, a reminder of death. Not just the death of the 2,800, but of death itself, and the impermanence of all things human. That hole is the first thing I see in the morning when I leave my house, and the last thing I see at night before I come inside for my supper."
Bruce Springsteen, "The Rising" -- About a firefighter at the WTC. I can't forgive Springsteen his later embrace of moonbattery, but he's a talented songwriter, and this is one time he got it exactly right.
Steven Den Beste, "The First Anniversary" -- "In America we remember. We remember people who made choices. We remember an unforgivable attack. We remember people who refused to submit, and chose to die well, defiant to the end. We remember two words: Let's roll."
James Lileks, "The Daily Bleat" 9/13/01 -- "The men on the plane decided to attack the hijackers. They learned what had happened in New York with the other hijacked planes; they figured their lives were lost already. They fought back. What its like to swallow your terror and act is beyond the imagination of most ordinary folks - but the point is, they were ordinary folks. Were all on that plane now." 9/14/01 -- "The planes are landing again. I saw them fly over the house tonight and I wanted to, and did, cheer. Waved them past. Gnat waved hello as well. Its a heartening sight." the week of 9/17-21/01 -- "Im tired of people who can watch 5,000 people from 62 nations burned alive and crushed to death, and think: well, you know you had this coming." 9/11/02 -- "Were going to win. We dont have any choice." 9/11/03 -- "Two years in; the rest of our lives to go." 9/8/06 -- "Just so you know: 9/11 reset the clock for me. All hands went to midnight. Im interested in what people did after that date, and if the movie [The Path to 9/11] shows that before the attack one side lacked feck and the other was feck-deficient, I don't worry about it. It's like revisiting Congressional debates about Hawaiian harbor security in November 1941. Y'all get a pass. The Etch-A-Sketch's turned over. Now: what have you said lately?"
John Derbyshire, "Two years on"National Review -- a tribute to "small teams of inconceivably brave men and women, working in strange places, unknown and unacknowledged"
Larry Miller, "Two Years"Weekly Standard -- "That's the choice: Stop, or keep going; keep our promises, or forget we made them; be responsible, or irresponsible; face facts, or ignore them. It's easier to stop, you know. Beating these folks will take a very long time. Decades, probably, and that's if we do everything right."
Steven Green, "Terrorized? Hell No!"VodkaPundit (blog posting) -- "Remember, too, our just vengeance. Our president told us, 'I hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.' And they do hear us, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. They hear us, not because we used our weapons to murder their civilians, but to bring down their tyrants. From our loss, we gave them hope. The loss felt in Baghdad and Kabul is that of Sisyphus without his stone. The sound they hear is the ring of freedom. And they hear us, even if only a whisper, in Syria, in Iran, and - yes - they hear us in Saudi Arabia, too."
Peggy Noonan, "A Heart, a Cross, a Flag"Wall Street Journal -- "On Sept. 10, 2001 we were, a lot of us, immersed in a national culture--a big, vivid, full-network, broadband, opens-soon-at-a-theater-near-you culture--that allowed us to live knee deep in distraction. . . . And then Sept. 11 came." "I Just Called to Say I Love You,"Wall Street Journal -- "This is what I get from the last messages. People are often stronger than they know, bigger, more gallant than they'd guess. And this: We're all lucky to be here today and able to say what deserves saying, and if you say it a lot, it won't make it common and so unheard, but known and absorbed. I think the sound of the last messages, of what was said, will live as long in human history, and contain within it as much of human history, as any old metallic roar."
Victor Davis Hanson, "The Great Divide"National Review -- "It will require an economist, politician, historian, philosopher, and artist to make sense of the world turned upside down after September 11, which unlike Y2K really did prove to be the abyss between the millennia."
George W. Bush, Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People September 20, 2001 -- "The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them." Never forgive, never forget, never excuse.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Excellent. "The Falling Man" was made into a documentary.
What's missing? In only one of the twin towers was there an escape route from the roof. Eleven people escaped from above the burning floors. Once the way out was discovered a couple of escapees risked secondary explosions and returned to the roof to inform others. After some discussion, most decided to await a helicopter rescue. That story should be told.
#2
There's a great deal of information about 9/11 available, much of it not well-known by most of the public.
I'm surprised someone hasn't made a movie about the lesser-known or discussed actions by ordinary people that day.
The huge armada of private boats that evacuated so many people from lower Manhattan would make a good part of a movie by itself, and it wouldn't help the hated Bush Administration at all, which ought to please Hollyweird. People just responded - with no direction from any government agency - when they saw they were needed. That's America. Of course, it's possible Hollyweird doesn't want people to be reminded of that, or even that Hollyweird wouldn't recognize the real America if it bit them in the ass.
Another story I read in a follow-up news report not long after 9/11 was of a couple of fighter pilots who were scrambled when the government realized they were missing several planes that morning and something was terribly wrong. The pilots - who I believe were Air National Guard, but don't hold me to that - had no missles and quickly figured out that they had no way to actually shoot down an airliner if they needed to. (Their jets probably had guns - don't remember if they had live ammo, or not, but if they did they knew it wasn't enough to be able to shoot down a 747.)
So they agreed that if they found they needed to bring down one of the airliners, they would have to ram it and die. They didn't get the chance, obviously, but even making that decision was heroic. That, plus the story of the thousands of boats, would make a fantastic movie if done right.
Indie producers/directors/writers - are you listening? Everyone knows the famous stories - tell the lesser-known but equally important ones. You'll make a bundle.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/11/2006 1:02 Comments ||
Top||
Police on Monday said the explosive devices used in Friday's attacks contained RDX and were similar to those used in the July 11 train bombings in Mumbai even as they released the sketch of a suspect seen at one of the blast sites in this textile town.
Forensic tests performed on samples collected from blast sites here revealed that the bombs contained a mix of RDX, ammonium nitrate and hydrocarbon oil.
The devices used in the blasts in Mumbai's commuter trains had the same composition, a top police official said.
The tests were performed at a forensic laboratory in Nasik, the Delhi-based Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the National Security Guard's laboratory.
Nasik's Superintendent of Police Rajvardhan, who gave details of the forensic tests and released the third sketch, said the drawing was based on eyewitness accounts of a suspect seen near the Hamidia mosque.
The sketches released on Sunday were of two men who purchased bicycles on which the bombs were planted, he said.
Rajvardhan said no arrest or detention had been made till now. "We are only questioning the eyewitnesses or the people who come forward with information. I request media not to publish anything without confirming the same as it is leading to confusion and panic," he said.
Police in Malegaon have set up a special number (02554-342197) for people who want to give information or leads regarding the Friday blasts.
"It is too premature to divulge information regarding the investigations at this juncture as we are investigating many angles in the investigations," Rajvardhan said adding he could not comment on the involvement of any specific terrorist groups in the attacks.
Reacting to reports that a local newspaper had received a call warning about the blasts, Rajvardhan said, "As a matter of precaution, we are tracing the number from which the call was made."
Policemen are interacting with locals and taking them into confidence to maintain peace in Malegaon, he said. Four blasts had rocked Malegaon on Friday, killing 31 and injuring nearly 300 people.
Posted by: john ||
09/11/2006 17:10 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Investigations have thrown up another link between the two terror strikes. Nashik and Mumbai police suspect Lashkar-e-Tayyeba's top commander Abdul Raheel Sheikh to have masterminded the terror plot in the textile town. Raheel is the prime suspect in the 11/7 attacks.
He had stayed in Malegaon for a few weeks before finally escaping to Bangladesh in the second week of May this year, sources said.
Police believe Raheel could have visited Malegaon to issue instructions to a large number of active members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), present in Malegaon and the adjoining Jalgaon and Aurangabad districts. The needle of suspicion is increasingly pointing towards the SIMI and the Lashkar, said a senior officer.
Posted by: john ||
09/11/2006 19:29 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Good way to start rioting in India; set off a few bombs clearly the work of jihadis, then set off a few bombs targeting Muslims "in revenge". The Muslims killed in the "revenge" bombs are martyrs, right? Their deaths are part of jihad, right?
Hell, beating yourself up or torching your own business is part of jihad, so murdering your fellow Muslims must be, too.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/11/2006 20:19 Comments ||
Top||
#3
That was my first thought as well, RC. These bastards have zero compunction about killing anyone, be it the enemy or their own. This is the same sort of psycho bullshit as Charles Manson. Trigger race religious riots at any cost. Islamic Helter Skelter, baby.
SRINAGAR: A Pakistani national was among five suspected Islamist militants who were killed in the latest violence in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), which also left dead one civilian, police said on Sunday.
Four of the militants were killed in three separate gunbattles late on Saturday in the southern districts of Poonch, Doda and Pulwama, a police spokesman said. "One of the slain militants was a Pakistani," he said. Suspected militants shot dead a former colleague who had surrendered to the army recently, police said, adding that a civilian hurt in an alleged militant attack had died on Sunday. Insurgents routinely target informers as well as pro-India politicians.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:07 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
QUETTA: Around 18 people were injured in a powerful bomb blast in the provincial capital on Sunday morning. The homemade bomb went off in Shawakasha Road's food street at Junction Chowk at about 9:05am, said police sources. The bomb, which had been fixed to a parked bicycle, damaged four shops, three restaurants and two cars. The injured people, including a woman, were shifted to hospital for treatment. Two of the injured people are in critical condition. The police sources said it was a terrorist attack, and police had started searching for the assailants. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:06 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Suspected Islamic militants killed a tribal elder in South Waziristan on Sunday, an intelligence official said, in the latest attack against a tribesman suspected of collaboration with authorities in the hunt for insurgents. Malik Dalai was killed in a drive-by shooting near Wana, the area intelligence official said on condition of anonymity. Dalai, 40s, was walking home from a bazaar in Wana when masked attackers opened fire from assault rifles, killing him instantly. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:01 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Odd how all the spies seem to be tribal elders.
A special US unit now has the authority to go after Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan without having to seek permission first, according to two US officials. A comprehensive report on the hunt for bin Laden run by the Washington Post on Sunday says that Lieutenant General Stanley A McChrystal, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) operates on the understanding with Pakistan that US units will not enter Pakistan, except under extreme circumstances, and that Pakistan will deny giving them permission.
This is what happened in January 2006, when the JSOC troops clandestinely entered the village of Saidgai, two officials familiar with the operation said, and Pakistan protested. The authority, one knowledgeable person said, follows the target: if the target is bin Laden, the stakes are high enough for McChrystal to decide any action on his own.
The JSOC has been given more resources from the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies. President Bush recently directed the team to flood the zone or intensify the search for bin Laden. The resources of the special group in terms of personnel and materials were also increased. However, no one is certain where the zone is.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"No one is certain where the 'Zone' is" > well now, I wouldn't go that far. Many anti-American agendists, Global-crats Commie-crats Retreat-crats + Waffle-crats etal. certainly have a stake in making sure that Kindo is never found - what will Whitney say???
#2
Send up a swarm of long duration surveillance drones. Arclight anything that remotely resembles bin Laden. Use spatulas to collect DNA evidence for subsequent confirmation.
Yes, I'd love for us to capture him alive. We need to milk him like the last cow on the farm. But more than anything, I just want him dead.
#3
This could all end tomorrow. One unsolicited walk-in, one tribesman seeking to collect the $25 million reward, one courier who would rather his kids grow up in the US, one dealmaker, and this could all change, he said.
They should kick the reward to fifty million, or even 100 million. It would be worth it in the short run, let alone long run. Those jihadis watched "Lets Make a Deal". They know.
Family goes to the US. Bullshit. The whole village comes over. We'll even give them driving lessons and a taxi each. If it means no GIs get killed getting the scum bag, it is worth it.
#7
Daily Times. Geez, think there might be some less than pro-WOT reasons for running this story? I'm sure this will generate big-time IslamoNazi faction furor. The PakiLand Follies.
#8
For technical intelligence ISI works hand in hand with the NSA (National Security Agency)
Maybe why we've not got the bugger yet...
Posted by: Howard UK ||
09/11/2006 5:33 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Ramzi Yusef was captured after the US arranged for a huge air-leaflet dropping in Pakistan. According to leaked info. one of his own associates couldn't resist the $2 million reward. Khalid Sheik Mohammad was also betrayed for money. I have met Pakistanis who dislike Arabs for their arrogance and lazyness. I am really surprised that the $25 million reward has not yielded results. Special Forces can't do anything without reliable info.
#10
Confirmation, I suppose, that OBL is nowhere near the border.
While SF raid border villages, Osama is safe inside the ISI safehouse in Rawalpindi.
Posted by: john ||
09/11/2006 6:53 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Family goes to the US. Bullshit. The whole village comes over. We'll even give them driving lessons and a taxi each. If it means no GIs get killed getting the scum bag, it is worth it.
Sorry, I don't want any more of those barbarians in the US. Promise them homes in the US, and settle them in Gitmo.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/11/2006 7:24 Comments ||
Top||
#15
IMHO, the death or capture of OBL will not change anything in the WoT, just like the death of the terrorist Che Guevarra (killed in 67 and made a martyr 30 years later by Castro) did no change "la Revolucion comunista" neither did the arrest in 94? of terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sánchez (aka Carlos, made a hero by Hugo Chávez in 2006)) changed anything.
#17
Take out some Saudi princes with charatable attitudes with their money, as well as some Iranian MMs with significant assents that this whole Jihad thing will start winding down. Otherwise, we will be expending all our treasure and military treating the symptoms.
Take out the brains and the food source and the rest of it dies.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/11/2006 11:24 Comments ||
Top||
#18
The ISI would not have green lighted this deal if they thought we'd actually get OBL. That said, we might be able to snatch some mid level guys.
#19
I suspect this is the payoff for the Wazoo truce deal. Why else would would compel the Bush administration to be so quiet in the face of Pak's "abject surrender"?
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
09/11/2006 13:15 Comments ||
Top||
#20
#16 Death has shown remarkable success in deterring repeat offenses by its recipients.
Posted by Thaitle Phiter8656 2006-09-11 10:27|| Front Page|| ||Comments Top
Whahahahahaha, yes indeed. The statistics on mortality and recidivism are strikingly parallel.
#21
IMHO, the death or capture of OBL will not change anything in the WoT, just like the death of the terrorist Che Guevarra (killed in 67 and made a martyr 30 years later by Castro) did no change "la Revolucion comunista" neither did the arrest in 94? of terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sánchez (aka Carlos, made a hero by Hugo Chávez in 2006)) changed anything.
It might shut the Dems up for . . . 5 minutes. I'd like to find out if you're right either way.
Posted by: Tibor ||
09/11/2006 21:49 Comments ||
Top||
#22
It might shut the Dems up for . . . 5 minutes.
Nope. Two minutes before they're expressing "concern" that OBL gets "humane" treatment.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/11/2006 21:56 Comments ||
Top||
BAGHDAD Iran has shelled Iraq and captured seven of its soldiers in an escalation of ongoing skirmishes.
Iraqi officials said the Iran Army fired artillery shells into Iraq last week and captured seven soldiers northeast of Baghdad.
This was the most serious incident between Iran and Iraq in 2006. Last year, Iraq reported Iranian Navy clashes with Iraqi patrols.
On Saturday, the Iraqi Defense Ministry reported the Iranian capture of seven members of an Iraqi border patrol. The ministry said the Iraqis were detained while they were stationed at the Hankin border terminal near Haila. The ministry said an investigation has been launched.
In August, Kurdish officials in Iraq said the Iran Army shelled suspected insurgency strongholds in northern Iraq.
Iran has acknowledged fighting along the border. The state-owned Iranian news agency Irna said on Sept. 7 that Iran captured seven Iraqi soldiers who crossed into Iran's Ilam province.
"The reason for their infiltration is under investigation," Irna quoted an Iranian security source as saying.
But Iraqi officials later said Iran provoked the clashes by firing artillery shells into Iraq on Sept. 6. They reported artillery strikes near the Iraqi town of Mandali, 100 kilometers from Baghdad.
On Sept. 7, officials said, an Iraqi border patrol spotted an Iranian outpost in Iraqi territory. A clash ensued and the seven Iraqi soldiers were captured and taken into Iran, they said.
The fighting came on the eve of a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to Teheran. Al Maliki was to have flown to Iran last week, but the visit was postponed.
#5
Anybody have any clue what these guys were doing there? As far as I know, they haven't even stated what they were doing there, let alone the actual reason they were there. Scouting missions?
#6
They were THAT DEEP into Iraq? Where the hell were our troops?
"Northeast of Baghdad" is rather like saying "northeast of Tennessee; it covers quite a bit of area. You can't expect reporters -- who have as much familiarity with the geography of Iraq as they do with, well, Tennessee -- to be any more precise.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/11/2006 20:08 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Reporters always site activity relative to Baghdad becasue it sound so much more impressive than saying "Northeast of my hotel."
U.S. troops begin patrolling in Shiite militia stronghold
By Anita Powell, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, September 11, 2006
BAGHDAD The American militarys quest to clean up sectarian violence in Baghdad took its first, very tentative steps into Baghdads most infamous neighborhood Sunday morning.
Troops from the Fort Wainwright, Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team visited Sadr City, the teeming Shiite slum famous for its densely packed population and as the headquarters for radical Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Sadr is the leader of a Shiite militia, known as Jeish al-Mahdi, that is said to be responsible for many of Baghdads sectarian killings.
Lt. Col. Al Kelly, commander of 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, said Sadr City has been high on his priority list since the unit was sent into Baghdad to participate in the joint American-Iraqi cleanup operation dubbed Operation Together Forward.
When I first got here, I was like, What are we waiting for? he said. Lets go.
The battalion also has cleared several contentious neighborhoods, including the western suburbs of Shula and Ghazaliya, and the contentious neighborhoods of Adhamiya and Rusafa, since the operation began in August.
Despite claims by American military officials that the operation has significantly reduced sectarian violence in Baghdad, officials with the Iraqi Health Ministry reported 1,500 violent deaths in August, roughly the same as in July, according to The Associated Press.
While Kelly said he views Sadr City, in northeast Baghdad, as just another neighborhood, he realizes the strategic importance of the area and the risks involved.
They believe were going in to attack, he said. I have no doubt about that.
Sunday morning, Kelly visited the local police station and assured police chief Gen. Hassan Hamoud that he didnt plan to employ the same tactics in Sadr City as in other neighborhoods. For example, American soldiers will do joint patrols with local Iraqi police and not, as in other neighborhoods, with the Iraqi army. He also said house-to-house searches may not be on the agenda.
I dont think were treading more lightly, he said of the plan. I think its easily perceived that way. But we know Sadr City is a critical piece of whats going on right now.
Hassan who lays claim to being the lone Sunni in his 1,200-man police force said he felt the fate of Sadr City would have wide-ranging implications.
The weight of Iraq is all on Sadr City, he said in Arabic, through an interpreter. This area has its own significance. The provinces down south are all linked to Sadr City. The sheiks there are all dependent on Sadr City.
The militia, he said, is considered a quasi-governmental entity in the neighborhood. He said militia members help police at checkpoints, clean up the streets, and operate schools and hospitals. He said they do not openly carry weapons, a claim supported by American military police training teams who work in the area.
He said he felt a large number of troops as many as 7,000, by his estimate would be necessary to rid the area of its problematic elements.
Even so, he said, You will not be able to finish Jeish al-Mahdi. Its just like the Baathists; were still finding them.
And he warned Kelly not to expect a warm welcome from residents.
#2
You and I both know we don't have the cajones to do what needs to be done. I know you were a using a little hyperbole, but the administration is too nice, and we care too much to take care of business. When it comes to islamofascism, you have eliminate the fighters and the supporters.
#4
I hope we have some way of identifying these guys or they'll just melt away to fight another day. Yeah, we may catch some, but not enough to efficiently stop the breeding process. I have no idea what a solution would look like, but this is what I think. I hope I'm missing something! :-)
#5
It is true...they (the True Believers) have no fear of death. That is the exact reason we are wasting money and lives trying to reason and "win their hearts and minds." The True Believers must be identified and eliminated.
#6
The True Believers must be identified and eliminated.
They're all either True Believers, or True Believer Supporters. Cordon the place and burn it down. Shoot anything that tries to escape the flames.
A couple of applications of this tactic in each Islamic Hot Zone, and most of the problems with Islam would vanish overnight. The overall death toll would probably be lower as well. Oh well, guess we'll have to do it the hard way.
#7
...reported 1,500 violent deaths in August, roughly the same as in July, according to The Associated Press.
Now just a minute.
A few days ago it was 3,500 killed in July, and the worst ever since the fall of the Roman Empire.
So, AP - is August much better than July, or were you lying about July?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/11/2006 16:31 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Cordon off the entire district's perimeter. Evacuate all women and children. Detain and confine any males of fighting age who attempt to leave. Burn the area to the ground and shoot anything that tries to run out.
We do this just a few times and Sadr's militia will stop fighting us. I know this is dreaming, right now. At some point in the future, it will be these sort of tactics or using nuclear weapons.
#9
Hama rules, guys, Hama rules. The way you break the back of this crap and keep it broken is the way Hafez Assad took care of the Muzzy Bros in Hama. It took 20000 dead but the Muzzy Bros in Syria have never lifted a hand since. That's what it takes and anyone who thinks differently is deluding themselves. That's why the sooner we get out of dealing with Iraqis the better off we'll be because there's no possibility of us taking that kind of decisive action. We're too hamstrung by our internal enemies.
Posted by: mac ||
09/11/2006 17:30 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Mac and Zen...Our administration is too caught up in Murtha-itis and the November elections to ever entertain the correct course of action. There are millions of innocents in Iraq. Unfortunately there are 1000s of bad guys...and the bad guys have the same impact there as they do in Compton, Bed-Stuy, and other gang-infested places in the US. The answer is like Zen says: Cordon off the rathole. Give the innocents 72 hours to leave, and annihilate the vacated area with massive airpower. The whole lot of those islamo-cockroaches are not worth a hangnail on the sorriest marine or soldier.
(KUNA) -- A suicide attacker wearing a belt rigged with explosives blew himself up on board of a mini bus outside a military conscription center in the capital on Monday killing at least 13 people, a security source said. The source said seven people were seriously wounded in the explosion that happened in front of the station at Al-Muthanna air strip in Al-Shaljiah district.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 10:38 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
(KUNA) -- Iraqi police found a makeshift weapons and explosives manufacturing plant in Baghdad early on Sunday, a source of the Interior Ministry said. An exchange of fire was heard Sunday morning in a home on a street in Al-Karada neighborhood. After the police raided the house, they found three dead human bodies and a large cache of weapons and ammunition, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The police found materials used to make explosive devices, wires, and TNT explosives, the source added. The materials were guarded on the scene until a special force arrived for confiscation. The source said the house was being used by insurgents to manufacture explosive devices and bombs to target Iraqi security forces and civilians in Baghdad.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 10:16 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Sounds like they were having a little discussion among themselves before the coppers arrived. Rico apparently didn't care much for what some of the boys had been saying about him behind his back.
(KUNA) -- Iraqi government troops have arrested 14 suspected terrorists in a wide-scale search operation in the capital, the Multi-National Force said in a statement released on Sunday. Soldiers of the Sixth Iraqi Army Division arrested the suspected insurgents and seized 39 pieces of arms in their possession in a wide-scale search operation, carried out throughout this week, it said, adding that the troops searched some 4,000 houses in Al-Mansour district.
The government forces have located and confiscated lights arms, personnel armor and terrorist propaganda documents, the statement said. It quoted a colonel who was involved in the operation as saying that it was successful due to cooperation of civilians who helped the forces in the search. The colonel also said the terrorists would not be able to continue hiding in this district due to the government forces' activities and mounting coordination with civilian informants.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 10:13 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
Reading this makes me wonder if we shouldn't have done this the minute the pictures came out.
The notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad is at the centre of fresh abuse allegations just a week after it was handed over to Iraqi authorities, with claims that inmates are being tortured by their new captors. That didn't take long, did it? Where's the furor, the seething? Both at home and abroad.
Staff at the jail say the Iraqi authorities have moved dozens of terrorist suspects into Abu Ghraib from the controversial Interior Ministry detention centre in Jadriyah, where United States troops last year discovered 169 prisoners who had been tortured and starved. No more of the inefficiency of redundancies this way.
An independent witness who went into Abu Ghraib this week told The Sunday Telegraph that screams were coming from the cell blocks housing the terrorist suspects. Prisoners released from the jail this week spoke of routine torture of terrorism suspects and on Wednesday, 27 prisoners were hanged in the first mass execution since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. Must think they've already gotten anything useful out of them. And they're probably right. I wonder if Ahmed is still an innocent shoe merchant.
#4
I just got through watching Lilek's video recap/tribute from 9/11. Therefore, my sympathy meter, which has been on the fritz for five years, is assured of malfunctioning for a long time to come.
#8
Some of the small number of prisoners who remained in the jail after the Americans left said they had pleaded to go with their departing captors, rather than be left in the hands of Iraqi guards.
"OK, I guess you can follow us to our new base, but you'll have to bring your own leash. You'll be handcuffed so you'll have to carry it in your teeth." :-)
#9
gorb, when I saw the England's pic at the link, a thought just occurred to me that the commanding officer responsible for the prison may have said: "and keep the terrorist prisoners on leash".
England just interpretted it too literaly.
A bomb in a busy commercial area of central Baghdad killed five people Sunday, as lawmakers' wrangling over a draft bill that Sunni Arab groups fear will break up the country led to parliament suspending its debate before it could even begin. The roadside bomb detonated near a mobile phone shop near Tahrir Square, a popular commercial area with shops specializing in electronic goods, photographers' equipment and mobile telephones. At least five people were killed and another 17 were wounded, police Lt. Ali Metaab said.
Less than an hour later, a parked car bomb exploded behind a police station in the al-Alwiya district, killing a police officer and wounding five police commandos and two civilians, police Lt. Col. Mohammed Abbas Salman said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
The ruling Hamas militant group on Sunday rejected calls by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to moderate its violently anti-Israel ideology. During a trip to the West Bank, Blair said the international community should restore contacts with the Palestinian government if Hamas forms a unity government that accepts Western demands to renounce violence and recognize Israel. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the group is ready to ready to form a coalition government with the more moderate Fatah movement, but "not according to standards that are dictated."
"I want to renew our rejection of these (Western) decisions because we consider them as biased, unjust and conditional decisions," Abu Zuhri said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Still sending the checks Tony?
Posted by: ed ||
09/11/2006 1:22 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Lol, ed. I think you've identified the flaw in the EU approach to the problem: insufficient attention to reality. :-)
Palestinian witnesses in the southern Gaza town of Rafah said Sunday night that two Palestinians were killed after an IDF tank fired a shell at a group of Palestinians. The IDF said that it had spotted members of the group trying to lay a roadside bomb along the Gaza security fence. According to Palestinian sources, the group was comprised of civilians.
Gotcha. A group of civilians were laying a roadside bomb when they got shot. Wotta atrocity.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Sheesh. Somebody ought to let the JPost folks know that their articles are read by unsophisticated and uninformed tools and moonbats people, too. This could've come from KUNA or the AP, as written. It supposes the reader will know BS on sight. Not true, guys.
A spokesperson for the terrorist group allegedly responsible for the kidnapping of Cpl. Gilad Shalit announced Sunday night that Shalit was alive and was being treated well, Israel Radio reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I would rather hear it from Cpl Shalit myself. Preferably while he is poolside in Tel Aviv.
#4
Has there been any evidence, other than reassuring statements from terrorist scum, that Shalit is alive? I hate to be negative, but I fear he is not.
#5
So were the people at Abu Ghraib (http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=165594&D=2006-09-11&SO=&HC=1), but you did'nt believe us, why should we believe you?
IDF forces arrested two Palestinians carrying a suspicious object and attempting to cross the security fence in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday night. The two were taken in to the authorities for questioning.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
Sri Lanka's army said on Sunday that 28 soldiers and dozens of Tamil Tigers had been killed in their advance across frontlines in the island's far north, as the rebels accused them of shattering what is left of a 2002 truce.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said fighting continued to rage in no-man's land on Sunday morning. They said six of their fighters had died since the offensive in the northern Jaffna peninsula began on Friday and 13 were wounded.
"We have destroyed the bunkers of the LTTE," said army spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe. "It was a successful operation and at the moment we are consolidating the area," he said. He said 28 soldiers had been killed and 119 injured, while the Defence Ministry said it believed at least 60 rebels had died.
The Tigers have threatened to retaliate with all their might if government offensives continue. "The Sri Lankan government have declared war against the LTTE by these offensive attacks," S Puleedevan, head of the Tigers' peace secretariat, told Reuters by satellite phone from the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:18 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
...the rebels accused them of shattering what is left of a 2002 truce.
Heh. Only took 'em a few weeks to notice. Guess they don't read Rantburg...
#7
What a total package- smoking coool looks, and smart as well. She's the inventor of Frequency hopping spread spectrum communications for radio homing torpedoes, US Patent #2,292,387
* "Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid." Hedy Lamarr
* "Films have a certain place in a certain time period. Technology is forever." Hedy Lamarr
#12
OMG....what a face. I can only imagine the rest of her charms.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
09/11/2006 14:11 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Originally named Hedley Keisler, she starred in a German film called "Ecstacy" where she had a nude scene as well as a very graphic (facial expressions and vocal) sex scene. Film was banned for quite awhile in Europe and US; I actually saw it on cable in US (uncut) a couple of weeks ago. And yes, I agree with all the teenage boy comments since I have had them myself.
#19
Fred, I knew Hedy invented FHSS. However, I had never seen this picture of her. Teh picture here was the only one I'd seen. She was smoking. As a wireless industry member I can tell you I have never seen an RF engineer remotely as attractive.
#22
As a wireless industry member I can tell you I have never seen an RF engineer remotely as attractive.
My college roommate became an RF engineer; he's designing electronics for the defense industry now. As he's the Humblest Man On the Net, I don't think he'd mind being compared to Hedy -- and found lacking.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/11/2006 22:28 Comments ||
Top||
The 9-11 Memorial Denial of Service attack continues for the fourth day. I've bumped the firewall and now I'm heading off to nitey-bye. Hopefully that'll keep us going until morning, when I or one of the other mods will bump it again.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 01:27 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Thank you, Fred, RB is the epitome of interactivity and the open exchange of views.
#3
It's too bad we can't get some civil, well reasoned discourse from these people. The beauty of the Internet is that it allows for such things. I guess the Levant gave it his best effort. It was pretty cool the way you let him have his say but then he discovered he just wasn't up to it. They can't compete with you Rantburgers intellectually so they have to resort to adolescent pranks.
#4
I doubt it was Levant or his associates. He actually conversed here and exchanged ideas, and although I disagreed with him many a time, I'd welcome his return. More likely the morally and intellectually bankrupt Daily Kosites just showing their habit of childish behavior in the face of superior arguments.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
(KUNA) -- At least five people, including four policemen, were killed and several others wounded Monday as a suicide bomber detonated himself amidst the funeral of a provincial governor, who was assassinated in a simlar attack on Sunday. It was the funeral of Paktia Governor 
KABUL - At least 94 suspected Taleban insurgents were killed overnight on Sunday by international and Afghan forces in southern Kandahar province. In the joint operation by Afghan forces and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) known as Operation Medusa, 94 insurgents were killed and 1 was wounded in four separate battles overnight Sunday in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, a NATO statement said.
At least three French nationals were kidnapped in Yemen Sunday by armed tribesmen, security officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said tribesmen from the al-Abdullah tribe kidnapped the French nationals in the Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen. The officials said the kidnapped French nationals were in a convoy of foreign tourists when armed gunmen blocked the vehicle they were in and took them hostage. 
Donny Regan was a friend of mine. We grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was a great person to have as a friend, a stand up guy. He would literally give you the shirt off his back if you were in need. Quick with a smile and a joke he immediately charmed neary all who met him. Donny bartended at his brother Billy's bar, Mahoneys, on Aveneue D for several years and was easily one of the favorites. He later married his sweetheart and went on the Fire Department. I lost track of him just before he got married due to leaving Brooklyn myself.
BALTIMORE: A Pakistani man who lived in the Baltimore area and graduated from a local high school in 1999 is among the 14 high-value terrorism suspects transferred from secret CIA prisons to the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to await trial, according to profiles of the suspects released by the federal government. Majid Khan (26), who was arrested in 2003, is a Pakistani national who moved to the Baltimore area with his family in 1996, according to the profile released by the office of John Negroponte, the director of national intelligence. 
QUETTA: Around 18 people were injured in a powerful bomb blast in the provincial capital on Sunday morning. The homemade bomb went off in Shawakasha Road's food street at Junction Chowk at about 9:05am, said police sources. The bomb, which had been fixed to a parked bicycle, damaged four shops, three restaurants and two cars. The injured people, including a woman, were shifted to hospital for treatment. Two of the injured people are in critical condition. The police sources said it was a terrorist attack, and police had started searching for the assailants. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Suspected Islamic militants killed a tribal elder in South Waziristan on Sunday, an intelligence official said, in the latest attack against a tribesman suspected of collaboration with authorities in the hunt for insurgents. Malik Dalai was killed in a drive-by shooting near Wana, the area intelligence official said on condition of anonymity. Dalai, 40s, was walking home from a bazaar in Wana when masked attackers opened fire from assault rifles, killing him instantly. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
A special US unit now has the authority to go after Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan without having to seek permission first, according to two US officials. A comprehensive report on the hunt for bin Laden run by the Washington Post on Sunday says that Lieutenant General Stanley A McChrystal, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) operates on the understanding with Pakistan that US units will not enter Pakistan, except under extreme circumstances, and that Pakistan will deny giving them permission.
(KUNA) -- A suicide attacker wearing a belt rigged with explosives blew himself up on board of a mini bus outside a military conscription center in the capital on Monday killing at least 13 people, a security source said. The source said seven people were seriously wounded in the explosion that happened in front of the station at Al-Muthanna air strip in Al-Shaljiah district.
(KUNA) -- Iraqi police found a makeshift weapons and explosives manufacturing plant in Baghdad early on Sunday, a source of the Interior Ministry said. An exchange of fire was heard Sunday morning in a home on a street in Al-Karada neighborhood. After the police raided the house, they found three dead human bodies and a large cache of weapons and ammunition, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
(KUNA) -- Iraqi government troops have arrested 14 suspected terrorists in a wide-scale search operation in the capital, the Multi-National Force said in a statement released on Sunday. Soldiers of the Sixth Iraqi Army Division arrested the suspected insurgents and seized 39 pieces of arms in their possession in a wide-scale search operation, carried out throughout this week, it said, adding that the troops searched some 4,000 houses in Al-Mansour district.
A bomb in a busy commercial area of central Baghdad killed five people Sunday, as lawmakers' wrangling over a draft bill that Sunni Arab groups fear will break up the country led to parliament suspending its debate before it could even begin. The roadside bomb detonated near a mobile phone shop near Tahrir Square, a popular commercial area with shops specializing in electronic goods, photographers' equipment and mobile telephones. At least five people were killed and another 17 were wounded, police Lt. Ali Metaab said. 
The ruling Hamas militant group on Sunday rejected calls by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to moderate its violently anti-Israel ideology. During a trip to the West Bank, Blair said the international community should restore contacts with the Palestinian government if Hamas forms a unity government that accepts Western demands to renounce violence and recognize Israel. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the group is ready to ready to form a coalition government with the more moderate Fatah movement, but "not according to standards that are dictated." 
Palestinian witnesses in the southern Gaza town of Rafah said Sunday night that two Palestinians were killed after an IDF tank fired a shell at a group of Palestinians. The IDF said that it had spotted members of the group trying to lay a roadside bomb along the Gaza security fence. According to Palestinian sources, the group was comprised of civilians.
Sri Lanka's army said on Sunday that 28 soldiers and dozens of Tamil Tigers had been killed in their advance across frontlines in the island's far north, as the rebels accused them of shattering what is left of a 2002 truce. 
