Posted on 01/08/2005 9:17:39 PM PST by FairOpinion
My question would be "WHY IN THE NAME OF HELL HAVE'NT WE BEEN DOING THIS ALL ALONG?. I thought that was part of urban warfare. I assumed we had smarts enough to have special forces out doing these types of covert operations from the very beginning. But the liberals have the pentagon scared to take any type action that might be reminiscent of Iran and the contra scandal. I'm am so sick of everything we do having to be politically correct!
Yes! What the hell have we been waiting for?
Yes, cutting off the head of the snake usually is a very good start.
Fighting a fire with fire also works.
Let the hunt start, set the hounds loose!
This is exactly Hom the Israelis have defeated Hamas. Let's do it.
I met one American guy who was a member of such squad in Vietnam. He killed about 100 people and became an emotional wreck as a result. Could not have family (he was still young when he returned), has constant nightmares/sleep problems and has to keep going to the VA psychiatrist. He is a very nice, kind and smart fellow.
"[... Raskolnikov's] name derives from the Russian word raskolnik, meaning “schismatic” or “divided,” which is appropriate since his most fundamental character trait is his alienation from human society. His pride and intellectualism lead him to disdain the rest of humanity as fit merely to perpetuate the species. In contrast, he believes that he is part of an elite “superman” echelon and can consequently transgress accepted moral standards for higher purposes such as utilitarian good. However, that guilt that torments him after he murders Alyona Ivanovna and Lizaveta and his recurring faintness at the mention of the murders serve as proof to him that he is not made of the same stuff as a true “superman” such as Napoleon. [...] "
It was tried in Iran under Shah - as a result the popular uprising brought ayatollahs to power.
Let's roll
Americans control Kabul. The rest of the country is run by the Northern Alliance (Russian/Iranian sponsored) and some areas by Taliban.
Is terrorism defined by actions or accident of birth?
"Is terrorism defined by actions or accident of birth?"
Are you saying that we really should have more understanding towards the terrorists, because they can't help themselves, they were "just born that way", and we should just sit back and allow them to keep slaughtering innocent people, including us? Have you forgotten about 9-11 or do you think that it was all our fault and we deserved it?
In the WOT, no option should be removed from the table.
No, I asked wherther terrorism is defined by actions or accident of birth? You were non-responsive.
"I asked wherther terrorism is defined by actions or accident of birth? "
For you to even ask this question and consider it a serious question, is preposterous.
Yes, it also worked extremely well in VN. It was called Operation Phoenix. A joint CIA - SF op. During its run over 20,000 VC & NVA were .. ah.. 'taken out' ;-)
Then there was MACVSOG, but that's another story.
(an aside; in fact one Freeper has that handle - MACVSOG)
There is a good essay I just found, which gives people a dose of reality.
Torture: can we handle the truth?
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=4164
It is often said that we must not become tyrannical concerning the methods we use to keep us safe. For example, we shouldn’t use force to extract confessions from known terrorists, even though they may have information that could deter another disaster in our country. However, the capture of any terrorist leader is more than a symbolic apprehension; it is an opportunity to extract data that may save thousands of American lives.
Suppose you knew for a fact that your family was in imminent danger of being murdered in a plot masterminded by bin Laden or some other homicidal psycho? Suppose, further, that you knew a confession from him would save the lives of your family. Would you be willing to have the authorities use torture to obtain it? If your answer is no, then you evidently think it’s more noble to allow your family to suffer and die than it is to force a confession and save them. As far as I’m concerned that’s not nobility, it’s stupidity. Worse, it’s a flawed philosophy that jeopardizes our attempts to withstand the threat to our survival.
uh... are you sure he wasn't a 'poser'?
No offense but your opening statement is "I met a guy".
FYI, if he was 'for real' he would have been a member of the US Army Special Forces (1st Special Forces, 5th Group) as THEY were the working arm of Operation Phoenix, which was the closest we had to what the leftists call an 'assassination operation'. And if he was SF, he WOULDN'T be a mental wreck. A snake eater ain't going to go mental over taking out 100 bad guys, that is a given.
Then there was MACVSOG, but again those were Green Beanies too, so again the mental wreck thing doesn't fly. And if I recall correctly operation Tailwind in particular or MACVSOG's main mission objective in general wasn't 'assassinations'.
So again, no offense but I think the guy was a phony and yanking your chain. In fact I'd bet on it, because he sounds like one of John Kerry's 'war criminals'.
No, he is not. I met him couple times - I helped him with the ride to his psychiatrist. He was hesitant to speak about his experiences - I proded him when he complained about his insomia, we talked about him going to confession (to the priest) if he can be forgiven. Etc ...
The guy is not a poser and he keeps his problem in secret, he is very embarrased about. I cannot give more details for obvious reason and I do not want to question him more on this topic. Only thing I could be sceptical is the number of people he gave (it is hard for me to imagine this).
How can you know if such people cannot become mental wrecks? Are you a better expert on human psyche than Dostoyevsky?
Killing the enemy is objective #1, by any and all means necessary.
As to torture, I give a shi'ite. The WOT ain't beanbag.
As to someone threatening my family - 'they' better pray they kill me first when I find them.
Pentagon better get with it. That is how we dealt with the Vietcong in the Mekong Delta. This is a lesson learned over twenty years ago, and now the Pentagon is starting to think about it! Sec Rumsfeld may have his faults but some of his impatience with his generals are justified.
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