Archive for the ‘war’ Category

Missed the point but almost figured it out…

Posted: May 12, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news, war
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Today on Morning Joe they were talking about movies and the statement was made concerning war movies that Americans Just didn’t want to see them.

They are missing the point. Americans don’t want to see war movies painting our troops as either evil villains or victims and that is what Hollywood has offered us.

Joe & company did make the point that heroes were not being promoted but that’s not because the Bush administration and the army didn’t decorate people. It’s because the media didn’t support the war and decided that people like Paul Smith who was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor were not worthy of a story since telling it might promote military service or been seen as support for the evil George W. Bush.

This is the reality and it needs to be expressed more often.

On Morning Joe today they were talking about Afghan War

Posted: May 10, 2010 by datechguy in Afghanistan war, war
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And the subject of civilian casualties comes us as it always does whenever the US is involved in a war.

I personally think people have seen too many movies and seem to have the idea that we can magically only hit the bad guys. Generations will pass before that is possible, but something that Lesley Stahl said really bothered me.

She talked about how civilians die in drone attacks and how even at maned checkpoint civilians are accidentally killed. She talked about how it hurts our reputation in the world.

I never forget that she was the person who was questioning General Colin Powell about his supply lines in Iraq

I want to ask that great military tactician Lesley Stahl a serious question:

Since it is necessary to get further troops on the ground and further forward to decrease civilian risks and since such actions are inherently more dangerous lets bottom line it; How large an increase in American casualties (read dead American soldiers) would you be willing to accept Lesley in order to drop accidental civilian casualties by say 10%?

I’d love get an answer on this one.

Hey I tease the Morning Joe folks a lot…

Posted: May 7, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news, war
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…but getting involved in a Navy Seal event was really cool:

The Navy SEAL Warrior Fund began the day at the New York Stock Exchange, where Vice Admiral Joseph Maguire, USN, rang The Opening Bell at the NYSE. VADM Maguire is the deputy director for Strategic Operational Planning at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). Ms. Tracy Tapper, surviving spouse of SOC David Tapper (Killed In Action, Afghanistan, August, 2003) and LT Jason Redman (Wounded In Action, Iraq, September, 2007), accompanied VADM Maguire.

Emotions ran high as dinner hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of the MSNBC Morning Joe Show emceed the evening events and celebrated the heroes in the audience. Not only did they offer uplifting and inspiring comments about the Navy SEALs and their service to this country, but also offered insights as to the impact the Navy SEAL Warrior Fund has on the families and dependents of Navy SEALs. They both thanked the New York City Police Department Honor Guard for presenting colors prior to the start of the dinner.

One of the reason why I like this crew (Joe, Mike, Barnicle and Willie) is they are the most “normal” of the morning people. They could fit in at any local diner around here.

And the timing is pretty good too because:

A Virginia military jury found a Navy SEAL not guilty Thursday on all charges he punched an Iraqi suspected in the 2004 killings of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah.

“I’m really happy right now,” Matthew McCabe, the Navy SEAL, told Fox News shortly after hearing the outcome of the court martial. “It’s an amazing feeling. I’m on cloud nine right now.”

That makes 3 for 3 acquittals for the seals on this. The administration’s decision to go after these guys was in my opinion disgraceful and political.

Glenn put it best:

They were betting on Navy SEALs wimping out. How smart was that? And now we know to regard future charges with skepticism.

Of course the administration thought so, how many actual Navy Seals or serving soldiers do they actually know outside of formal events?

I’ll bet Joe, Mika and particularly Barnicle could have told them these guys wouldn’t fold.

“Exercises in futility”

Posted: May 6, 2010 by datechguy in opinion/news, war
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Lets see what happens when we use the re-written standard (amateur hour) to determine if something should be treated as a legitimate attack.

On November 22nd 1864 a brigade from the 15th Corps of Sherman’s Army was dug in as a rear guard during the march through Georgia. 3000 Militia under P. J. Phillips attacked.

The attack was amateurish, moving forward across an open field toward veterans who naturally blew them away each time they charged. When it was all over a 10-1 casualty ratio told the tale of a foolish and useless defeat.

Under our new standards does this battle count?

Ok now lets apply the rules that some are trying to apply to the attack attempt on Times Square and see if this marker should come down:

This shouldn’t count as a battle. The tactics used were obsolete, the person leading the attack had no experience in battle and wasn’t even smart enough to not charge across an open field. Yeah he has some connections to the Confederate Army but he was Militia so it wasn’t as if it was a professional army that was even attacking. They should have simply apprehended these guys and arrested them as insurrectionists.

Now naturally none of us are going to take the Battle of Griswoldville out of the history books or pretend it is not a part of the Civil War.

Likewise it behooves us not to pretend that what happened in NY was anything less than a battle in the war on terror. Of course the facts are making pretending otherwise less and less possible.

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