GAROWE, Somalia -- A high-level European Union delegation visited Puntland region in northern Somalia on Thursday, as the EU prepares to host the Brussels conference for Somalia in September, Garowe Online reports.
Prior to arriving in Puntland capital of Garowe on Thursday, the EU delegation visited Mogadishu where they met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Hargeisa where they met with Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo.
Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole thanked the EU visiting delegation for coming to Puntland for consultations ahead of the New Deal conference in Brussels.
"We are pleased to receive this high-level EU delegation here in Puntland. We discussed a number of important issues for Puntland and Somalia, including the upcoming New Deal conference for reconstruction and development of Somalia," said President Farole.
The president said Puntland government plans to submit its priorities, to be incorporated into the New Deal conference agenda.
"Puntland is completing its Second Five-Year Development Plan and we have shared a briefing paper with the [EU] delegation. The Development Plan includes Five Priority Sectors and Eight Cross-Cutting Issues, including HIV/AIDS and the effects of khat drug," said President Farole, adding that "security is the priority of priorities" for Puntland.
On Puntland's participation, President Farole said: "Puntland is ready to attend the conference with its own name and status. Media reports said [Somali] President Hassan Sheikh [Mohamud] said the Federal Government, Puntland, and Somaliland will attend the conference. But Puntland can only attend when its weight is recognized."
President Farole noted that Puntland were historically neglected in terms of economic development, adding that "families who resided in southern Somalia for centuries returned and rebuilt Puntland and hosted hundred of thousands of fellow Somalis from southern Somalia who found safe refuge and shared with the host community meager resources in Puntland".
"We hope that the Federal Government recognizes and fulfills its national responsibilities," President Farole added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
GAROWE, Somalia -- Puntland Ministry of Health has officially launched a five day vaccination campaign for polio eradication on Thursday, Garowe Online reports.
Puntland Health Minister Dr. Ali Abdullahi Warsame said the mass campaign will reach various places across Puntland including rural areas and faraway towns and villages. The minister added that his ministry wants to dispatch 800 teams of polio workers reaching out to each and every child who could be at risk of getting wild poliovirus especially those living in Sool and Sanaag regions after some cases were reported from Sool regional capital of Lasanod last week.
Both Dr. Ali and Abdi Hagaa, the head of WHO Puntland and UNICEF official respectively who also spoke at the ceremony emphasized the need for pre-cautionary measures as they have received 83 cases from southern Somalia and called on the parents to bring their children at any nearby health facility for immunization.
Puntland Parliament Speaker Abdirashid Mohamed Hirsi who gave the first polio vaccination drops to a young child at the spot told that some parents hide their children from the polio workers I request you [parents] to make your children available for the immunization since wild poliovirus is serious and cause irreversible paralysis.
Puntland Ministry of health together with its partners including WHO and UNICEF previously conducted several rounds of vaccine exercises targeting children less than five years.
This immunization campaign comes as polio outbreak claimed at killed at least 11 people in Hiraan region of south central Somalia and some cases were reported from Sool region.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Lotsa Luck, you're fighting Islamics, and you won't win against years of prejudice.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/27/2013 8:41 Comments ||
Top||
#2
A lottery on how many vaccination workers killed next week?
[CA.NEWS.YAHOO] Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi is under investigation for an array of charges including murder, the state news agency said on Friday, stoking tensions as Egypt's opposing political camps erupted into the streets.
Heeding a call by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for a popular mandate, thousands of people rallied in numerous Egyptian cities, welcoming the military's pledge to confront weeks of violence unleashed by the July 3 overthrow of Mursi.
Supporters of the deposed Islamist leader staged counter demonstrations to demand his reinstatement, shrugging off fears of an imminent crackdown and vowing not to give in to an army demand for an immediate end to their protests.
A Rooters witness said thousands of pro-Mursi activists clashed with pro-army protesters in Egypt's second city Alexandria, some demonstrators hurling stones down on the crowds from nearby rooftops. Fifteen people were maimed.
Seven protesters were also reported hurt during festivities in the Nile delta city of Damietta.
In sun-baked Cairo, army helicopters buzzed low over the main pro-Mursi tent vigil.
There is deepening alarm in the West over the course taken by the country of 84 million people, a pivotal nation between the Middle East and North Africa and recipient of $1.5 billion a year in mainly military aid from the United States.
Mursi has not been seen in public since his downfall and the army has said he is being held for his own safety. But Mena news agency said the former president would now be tossed in the calaboose You have the right to remain silent... for 15 days as a judge investigated a raft of allegations.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
There is deepening alarm in the West over the course taken by the country
Egyptian authorities have arbitrarily arrested and detained Syrian refugees as sentiment against them grows, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.
Did the UN ever speak out about 'anti-American' hostility in Egypt?
The climate of hostility has increased since the Egyptian army seized power this month, human rights groups say. More than 90,000 Syrians are believed to have come to Egypt to escape the civil war, now in its third year.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Syrians had been accused of taking part in protests supporting Islamist President Mohammed Mursi, who was toppled by the army on July 3. The UNHCR had requested access to 85 detained Syrians and assurances that they will not be returned to Syria, she told a news briefing.
There were a few who were arrested for alleged violent acts during protests. Were not sure what the charges are for the others, she said.
Mursi last month announced he was cutting off diplomatic ties with Syria, and some of his Sunni followers had talked of waging holy war against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, who is backed by Shia Muslim Iran and the Lebanese Shia Hezbollah militia.
The new army-backed administration in Cairo has distanced itself from Mursis position.
But Egyptian media and television have made disturbing statements against Syrians, Fleming said.
Were obviously very concerned when big public communications machines like television are behind some of this rhetoric that is very xenophobic, she said.
The hostile environment has led to surge in the number of Syrians already in Egypt approaching UNHCR to register as refugees, she said. The government estimates that there are up to 300,000 Syrians currently residing in the country, she added.
The Egyptian government has introduced entry requirements for Syrians, requiring that visas and security clearance be issued prior to travel to Egypt, the agency said.
Flights carrying Syrians have been turned back from airports in Egypt to Damascus and Latakia in Syria, she said. Some 476 Syrians had been deported or denied entrance to Egypt since the new measures were put in place on July 8.
UNHCR has appealed to the government to consider at least allowing women, children and the elderly to enter the country without the visa restrictions, Fleming said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"The new army-backed administration in Cairo has distanced itself from Mursi's position."
Ha! Ha! And even Hamas is trying to suck up to it's former Iranian sponsor, despite the fact many Hamas goons have been caught by Syria fighting for the terrorists fighting the shit terrorists.
Pox on both their houses!
Posted by: Bob Snore6814 ||
07/27/2013 21:19 Comments ||
Top||
Masikryeong Skiing Ground, a key element in state propaganda for the new regime of Kim Jong Eun, recently met with disaster after a portion of the construction site collapsed following seasonal rains. Now, an inside source has told Daily NK that additional heavy rains have caused landslides, heavily damaging neighboring homes and farms.
According to the source, the damage was caused by the removal of trees from the slopes of the planned ski resort. However, it was also exacerbated by two further factors: that personnel dispatched from Pyongyang were only concerned with restoring the skiing ground; and that there was negligent disregard for flood control measures to ensure that water would flow in a controlled way.
The source, who originally hails from Gangwon Province, told Daily NK, In recent days there was a landslide at Masikryeong Skiing Ground, so cornfields and rice paddies in the vicinity have been completely submerged. People were completely defenseless at the sudden inundation.
The source followed up, Along with the rain, drainage ditches have become clogged with the muddy water and sand that flowed down from the ski resort construction site, so the fields remain flooded. People have been complaining that preparations were not made before the trees were cut down.
A South Korean intelligence official gave cautious backing to the story, saying, It seems that the area was seriously damaged by heavy rain since there is no grass on the steep Masikryeong slopes. Considerable manpower has been introduced to try and recover it. According to the South Korean state meteorological agency, 420mm of rain fell in the area between July 10th and 14th, and continued to fall less intensely thereafter.
The project to recover the Masikryeong Ski Ground project is a particularly urgent one, because the construction has been trumpeted as one of Kim Jong Euns main state projects, designed to feed into propaganda about him being a young man with a drive to make North Korea more powerful through science, technology, and sport. The authorities have even launched a nationwide campaign rooted in the slogan Masikryeong Speed, meaning that failure is not an option.
The source informed Daily NK that the personnel mobilized for the recovery effort have been drawn from universities in Hamheung in South Hamkyung Province, as well as Hamju and Jeongpyeong counties.
Initial news of damage to the Masikryeong area was provided by representative Shin Young Sun of Pureun namu [Green Tree Charity Foundation], a group that sends aid to North Korea. Speaking with the South Korean media, Shin stated, There has been a lot of rain in the Gangwon province since the night of the 11th. Theyve suffered floods and landslides. There has also been a landslide at Masikryeong. I heard that support personnel have been sent there from Pyongyang.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
#1
Body surfing would suit the Norks I would think.
#4
they took a hill, removed the trees and freed up the topsoil to erode, then were gobsmacked as gravity, rain and stupidity worked just as well as they have together for about 5,000 years
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/27/2013 14:27 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Remember, these are the guys who wound up with all the good fertile farmland at the end of the Korean war, and messed _that_ up.
Pakistans main opposition party announced on Friday that it would boycott next weeks election for a ceremonial head of state to protest against the manner in which the vote was brought forward.
The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the ballot would be held on July 30 instead of August 6 after the main ruling party complained that the original date clashed with the end of Ramadan. Many lawmakers tasked with electing a successor to President Asif Ali Zardari will be on pilgrimage or offering special prayers at the tail end of the holy fasting month, the court said.
Twenty-four candidates applied to contest the vote, although the election of Mamnoon Hussain, the candidate for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party is considered a foregone conclusion.
We have been left with no alternative, but to boycott the election, said Senator Raza Rabbani, the presidential candidate for the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The Supreme Court did not issue us any notices, nor did they hear us or provide us an opportunity to present our point of view... a unilateral decision was made, Rabbani said. We see it is part of moves to impose the centres rule again.
Pakistans new president will be elected by members of the upper and lower houses of parliament and of four regional assemblies.
Rabbani said that the Supreme Court decision made it difficult for him and other opposition candidates to campaign in four provincial capitals and the federal capital Islamabad in just two days.
Rabbani is a highly respected senator and one of the few PPP politicians who could have commanded cross-party support in the vote, although the PML-N is expected to vote as one for Hussain.
The last PPP government had a turbulent relationship with Pakistans top court, and Rabbani said his party would struggle against the mindset which interfered with the election process.
The boycott is not the end of the story. The story begins here and we will continue our struggle against the current system and the mindset behind it, Rabbani said.
Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf, the second largest opposition party led by former cricket hero Imran Khan, said they would contest the election despite reservations over the change of schedule.
After consultations, we have decided to contest the presidential election, Khan told a Press conference. My party and I think the PPP is right that very little time has been given to candidates for canvassing. The election commission should have thought about this."
Retired judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, a retired Supreme Court judge with a reputation for being competent and honest is the PTIs candidate for president.
Zardari was elected after the PPP won elections in 2008 following the assassination of his wife, former premier Benazir Bhutto. The PPP served a full five-year term in office, but lost heavily in May general elections won by a PML-N landslide.
Zardari is hugely unpopular, reviled for alleged corruption and for presiding over a government that oversaw deteriorating economic growth and increasing attacks from the Taleban. He did, however, earn grudging admiration
...not from us...
for managing to keep his coalition in power and for returning to the prime minister powers commandeered for the presidency under military dictatorships.
Those constitutional amendments mean that the presidency is now a ceremonial post and Hussain, a staunch loyalist of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has little personal clout.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Without proper standards and oversight, the outsourcing of security functions by the UN to private companies could have a negative effect on the effectiveness and image of the UN in the field.
Any more of a "negative effect" than introducing cholera in Haiti, the debacles in Mogadishu and Bosnia, and engaging in child prostitution in Africa?
The Pentagon has informed the U.S. Congress of a possible sale of $2 billion worth of military equipment to Iraq, officials said Friday. Lawmakers, notified Thursday, have 30 days to raise any objections to the plan, which consists of three contracts.
The first includes 12 Bell 412 EP helicopters and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support totaling an estimated $300 million.
This equipment will provide the Iraqi Air Force with a search and rescue capability critical to developing a mature Air Force, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, said in a statement.
The second contract, worth an estimated $900 million, is for 50 M1135 Stryker Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicles. The sale would provide the Iraqi army with reliable capabilities for early warning of contamination by radiological, biological, and chemical material, according to the DSCA.
Worth some $750 million, the final contract is for five years of maintenance support for a series of vehicles, from simple jeeps to so-called Tactical Floating River Bridge Systems.
Helping Iraq maintain, sustain, and effectively utilize the equipment it has purchased or received from the United States over the past decade is a U.S. priority, the DSCA said.
As with all notifications of such plans, it underscored that the proposed sale would not alter the basic military balance in the region.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I bet there are plenty of people in US intelligence community who wonder how Iran gets access to US military tech.
#5
There are hundreds of acres of Saudi that are covered by American military equipment that just sits there and will never be used. Warehouse stacked to the ceiling with stuff also which will never be used. And the Iraqi Republican Guard in their distinctive Red Boots were to be seen in the refugee columns dressed up like women as the American Tanks drove by...
Islam can pay us real cash for our stuff and then they can whisper to one another while they tip toe to the rear. Because that is what they will do. They will twinkle to the rear...unless they have something better to do like put their wife's head in a bag. Or blow up their cousin's house and rape his goat.
A spokeswoman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said that Brussels was looking into media reports that Israel was reducing cooperation with EU diplomats seeking to advance projects for the benefit of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israel has blocked the European Union from aiding tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank, in retaliation for an EU ban on financial assistance to Israeli organizations in the territories. The European mind has difficulty grasping the idea of Jews who don't just submit to what "their betters" may decide for them.
#4
Catherine Ashton sounds like the name of an English female. There exists no other on Earth as deluded with self importance and as conceited as an English female.
Seriously women here really are that bad..
#5
TC, A couple of our best friends are "English" females and much as I love them I have to admit that you're correct. Been over there many times and get them in a group and.......oy.
My thought is that it has to do with the emasculation of British men as a result of WWI & II. The men that were left at home just weren't up to the job, but, I'm not sure.
#6
Yes, the complaint of the Tommies in the latter part of the war was that the Yanks were - over paid, over sexed, and over here. To which the Yanks responded that the Tommies were - under paid, under sexed, and under Monty.
#9
Israel should make it clear that no Leviathan oil will be sold to EU countries that vote or participate in actions against them. Split the EU up internally
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/27/2013 9:10 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Not sure it is such an old phenomenon as ww2.
Women were second class in terms of equality in the workplace up really until the 80's. Legal framework got placed and positive changes did happen early on but I believe most change for the worse came under Tony Blair and New Labour.
I'll give you an example of what I mean by 'worse'; I just did a search "history of uk female equality in the workplace" which returned hit after hit on laws I must obey mixed and whinging about how it is still oh so unfair for women, with very little in way of history and celebration.
Here's one; I was sat on the N24, a young women behind me made the comment 'why do pedestrian crossings signs have silhouettes of men and not women?' I would have thought there is more to worry about in life and the world than fucking crossing signs but to a socially conditioned woman in the UK it seems this question is of more significance.
#16
'why do pedestrian crossings signs have silhouettes of men and not women?'
Considering that pedestrian crossing signs are adorned with silhouette stick figures, one can only assume that said UK "feminists" wish that said stick figures be wearing dresses. Which doesn't sound terribly feminist.
Syrian opposition groups stand ready for peace talks with Damascus if President Bashar al-Assad would transfer all executive power to a transitional body, their leader said Friday, dpa reported.
Ahmad al-Jabar, president of the Syrian National Coalition, said in New York that the United Nations Security Council should demand all Syrian parties accept a national transitional government with full executive authorty including military and security matters.
"The Security (Council) must explicitly require this of all participants," al-Jabar said.
He said the 15-nation council should impose targeted sanctions against Damascus if it rejects a transition.
Al-Jabar said he would take part in peace talks in Geneva if Damascus "explicitly" would transfer all authority to the transitional body. A conference last year in Geneva called for a political and democratic transition to end the conflict, which arose after a bloody regime crackdown on pro-reform demonstrations in early 2011.
"The situation in Syria is desperate," al-Jabar said. "The Syrian people are calling for peace and democracy. We need more international pressure to force the Assad regime to accept a transition regime."
Diplomats who met with al-Jabar and his delegation said the discussion covered issues from human rights to prospects of a political settlement.
"We received a positive message and a strong commitment to unity and democracy in Syria," British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said following a three-hour meeting. "They rejected extremism and terrorism."
French Ambassador Gerard Araud said the Syrian opposition gave a "clear commitment" to a new Geneva conference while demanding that Damascus relinquish power to the transition government.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, whose country backs al-Assad, called the meeting "useful."
"We should not be carried away (by the commitment). The meeting was not to officially recognize the coalition," he cautioned.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Arab idea of negotiations: "first you surrender unconditionally"...
UN Security Council members held informal discussions on Friday with Syrian opposition leaders for the first time since the conflict erupted in March 2011, dpa reported. The closed-door meeting was organized by British ambassador Mark Lyall Grant at UN headquarters in New York in a bid to update the 15 council members on the complex situation in Syria.
Syria's ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, protested that the meeting was "illegal" as the UN still recognizes his government.
"The situation in Syria is appalling," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry in New York, and called for efforts to find a political solution to end the 28-month conflict.
On Thursday, the Syrian National Coalition, headed by Ahmad al-Jarba, met with Kerry and German Ambassador Peter Wittig in New York.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/27/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Tried that several years ago with pilots; succeeded in getting several good people killed.
Fire departments tried that for ladder rescue work; succeeded in getting several good people killed.
What was it Einstein said about the definition of insanity?
#4
...she says training systems do not maximize the success of women.
War doesn't maximize the success of women. The enemy doesn't care what you or feminists or judges have to say about it. The battlefield for over 4,000 years of recorded history is basically a Darwinistic environment. You adapt or die. So far the vast majority of cultures and civilizations have found women by and large have not necessarily been up to the butchery over any real extended period of time. Exceptions do not make a case.
#5
I actually think I'd be OK with the butchery, P2k, since I'm very interested in helping my way of life survive. (I admit I may be a outlier, female-wise, in that regard, though I think women can be pretty deadly if they're fired up enough).
What all the feminists and judges don't want to admit is that women, by and large, just don't have the strength to be infantry.
It's not like being a firefigher (which I have been), where you can drag a victim out of a building; it's not that far to get out of a building, and it's really not that hard to drag even a large man. (That slinging someone over your shoulder and carrying them while you're in a standing position, like you see in movies, is horse hockey - that's putting the victim, who might still be breathing, right up in the toxic fire gasses, guaranteeing that he/she won't still be breathing when you get outside.)
In combat, you don't just drag someone out of building and had him/her over to the rescue squad. You may have to pick up and carry your wounded buddy, who could be much larger/taller than you, and his gear, and your gear, probably some distance. (I've never been in combat, so correct me if I'm wrong.)
I can't do that. No woman (and some of the men) I know can do that. I've got enough common sense to realize it. Apparently the feminazis don't.
Affirmative action in combat is insane, and will get people killed, including the women. And I have no doubt the feminazis will then whine about how that's not fair and the enemy killing women is discrimanitory - waaaaaah (like the enemy somehow cares).
There are plenty of jobs women can excel at in the military. COMBAT AIN'T ONE OF THEM.
Idiots.
Posted by: Barbara ||
07/27/2013 14:36 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Affirmative Action anywhere is insane, but that hasn't stopped it's use for decades now in promotion, selection, and assignment boards.
Oh if I could be there:
Listen up for the MACO! Tonight is marginal due to winds. We'll be jumping CARP [Computerized Air Release Point], at 1250 AGL. TOT is approx 2120 hrs local. SPC Smith here will be on the ramp, first stick, first pass. She'll be jumping the baseplate. For obvious reasons, we'll want her on the ground first. I will jump the tube. The rounds and extra ammo will be distributed among you at the airhead. Winds on the DZ are from the South at 8-10 knots gusting to 14, turn and track toward the sound of the aircraft during descent. It will have a heading of 180, into the wind. There is essentially no moonlight, you'll likely not see the bird once you exit. Clear the DZ as quickly as possible, the follow-on passes will be inbound at 5 minute intervals. Get to the high ground and road. Look for the flashing red light. That will be the Rally and turn-in point. We'll assemble here, establish a hasty security perimeter, inventory equipment, ck for injuries, and link up with the Pathfinders and reception committee. It will be a 5k ruck to the RON point just short of the objective. Any questions? Good luck. Hooah!
#7
When I saw the headline, I was sure it was from a satire site like the DuffelBlog or the Onion.
When I read it, it sure sounded like satire, but the speakers were dead serious.
As Barbara so eloquently points out, it is a simple biological fact that men are on average stronger than women. And raw strength does make a difference in combat. (Pure luck also plays a huge part, but I assume that both men and women have the same amount of that.)
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/27/2013 15:45 Comments ||
Top||
#8
it is a simple biological fact that
Women can bear children and men can't. That is why it's the males who take risks.
#12
You may have to pick up and carry your wounded buddy, who could be much larger/taller than you, and his gear, and your gear, probably some distance. (I've never been in combat, so correct me if I'm wrong.)
You're not. My Misguided Children practice this consistently. Over-the-shoulder and litter (with moving change-out), dead weight, etc.
#13
I used to care about this issue but no longer do.
For example, in a big battle not much would be different were there women fighting there. That the 22,000 casualties at Antietam were men instead of women seems unlikely to make any difference. Nor would the outcome of the battle be much different because one side had "stronger" soldiers, because the leadership on both sides was too poor to leverage the advantages that each actually had.
From the point of view of the individual, if we were drafting women and putting them in the infantry where they were more likely to be killed than the men who could be there, then that would upset me. But to let women volunteer to take this risk, well, I am good with that.
Perhaps it is somewhat unfair to the men who get stuck in units with their weaker sisters that to survive, they have to do more, and sometimes even that won't be enough.
Besides, if history is any guide, most of the women about to deploy into real danger will fall pregnant shortly before it is time to get going, so actual war-fighting will be largely unaffected.
#14
Besides, if history is any guide, most of the women about to deploy into real danger will fall pregnant shortly before it is time to get going, so actual war-fighting will be largely unaffected.
What about the issue of sending under-strength units into battle?
#15
But to let women volunteer to take this risk, well, I am good with that.
That's the catch. Since the Militia Act of 1792 through today's Title X USC subparagraph 311 the Militia, men don't get to volunteer. All males 17 to 45 are members of the (unorganized) militia and subject to conscription. It's Congress' authority per Article I, Section 8. It'll never be 'equality' they claim that's being sought until the 'responsibility' goes along with it. Otherwise it's privilege and prerogative.
Nor would the outcome of the battle be much different because one side had "stronger" soldiers
But it does, because its endurance. Endurance to do sustain marches to make it to the field. Endurance to carry a soldiers load. Endurance to put up with little or no field sanitation to avoid debilitating afflictions common to field duty. The un-strong drop out before the first shot is fired. If they're not there, they can't fight.
#16
Oh, pish posh. The militia act is an act of Congress, and can be changed any time, just like the now defenestrated draft law. In order to draft anyone in the future, the Congress would have to pass a new law. And if they do, they will rewrite it to establish legal conscription on anybody they want to. When that happens, let's argue about those details.
As for endurance, again looking at Antietam, with that leadership, it probably wouldn't matter much if the battle were 50 miles north at Gettysburg or 50 miles south at Mananas.
It is possible that extra endurance might give one side more ability to maneuver tactically a-la Napoleon's campaigns, but none of these Generals were anything like Napoleon, nor is a disparity in maneuver dispositive in battle. Maneuver is just one of many dimensions of capability that an able commander must consider in order to succeed.
I am unconvinced that the sex of soldiers matters much in the outcome of most battles, or campaigns. It would matter a lot to the women who will be casualties at the front and to the people in their unit who were relying on them to not die or be wounded. But an able commander should be able to manage the battle, or campaign, even if burdened with marginally more casualties than would have happened with an all male force.
#19
Yes, marginally. I mean how much less effective in combat can a motivated and trained woman be?
10%? 20%? 50%?
So in the invasion of Iraq, we lost 139 solders and defeated the existing government. I ask, could GEN Franks have won that thing with 153/167/209 losses from an ALL woman Army?
#21
So in the invasion of Iraq, we lost 139 solders and defeated the existing government. I ask, could GEN Franks have won that thing with 153/167/209 losses from an ALL woman Army?
In Iraq, we had the Maxim gun, and they had not. Against a near-peer adversary, without air dominance, and perhaps even air superiority, these factors will count. The massive federal deficits being racked up do not bode well for future defense budgets, and that means procurement could ramp down to Carter-era levels, giving potential adversaries the time to catch up.
GEN Franks could do exactly the same thing today to China, Russia, or France as he did to Iraq then.
Their only hope would be nukes, which would then unlock the key to their obviation.
Better they will decide to lose power, than to be incinerated.
Any Government that actually engages the U.S. militarily will be destroyed, and that will continue to be true for at least a decade, no matter what the funding is.
The whole near-peer concept is a useful thought experiment which helps with budgets, but the reality is void.
#23
If American feminism is a real thing, then it should support having some buff chicks bleeding out in shit-hole foreign countries to protect the rights and privileges of Americans of every gender just like men have done for centuries.
If feminists can't support that thesis, then they need to argue to get ladies out of combat. But, I am good with letting the ladies, who volunteer to do so, shoulder the burdens of freedom along with us men.
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.
GAROWE, Somalia -- A high-level European Union delegation visited Puntland region in northern Somalia on Thursday, as the EU prepares to host the Brussels conference for Somalia in September, Garowe Online reports.
