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1 posted on 03/18/2014 2:11:35 PM PDT by Mozilla
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To: Mozilla

Lets be aware of those who want us to rush into war.

Take a look at history re 4 August 1964.

LBJ’s duplicity got us into a land war in SE Asia and split this country apart.

LBJ’s duplicity cost a lot of lives and left thousands of brave soldiers, Marines, Air Force and Sailors mentally harmed for life.

http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2008-02/truth-about-tonkin

On 2 August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox (DD-731) while the destroyer was in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. There is no doubting that fact.

But what happened in the Gulf during the late hours of 4 August—and the consequential actions taken by U.S. officials in Washington—has been seemingly cloaked in confusion and mystery ever since that night.

Over the next three hours, the two ships repeatedly maneuvered at high speeds to evade perceived enemy boat attacks. The destroyers reported automatic-weapons fire; more than 20 torpedo attacks; sightings of torpedo wakes, enemy cockpit lights, and searchlight illumination; and numerous radar and surface contacts. By the time the destroyers broke off their “counterattack,” they had fired 249 5-inch shells, 123 3-inch shells, and four or five depth charges.

Commander Stockdale was again in the action, this time alone. When his wingman’s aircraft developed trouble, Stockdale got permission to launch solo from the Ticonderoga . He arrived overhead at 2135. For more than 90 minutes, he made runs parallel to the ships’ course and at low altitude (below 2,000 feet) looking for the enemy vessels. He reported later, “I had the best seat in the house to watch that event and our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets—there were no PT boats there . . . there was nothing there but black water and American firepower.”

Captain Herrick also began to have doubts about the attack. As the battle continued, he realized the “attacks” were actually the results of “overeager sonar operators” and poor equipment performance. The Turner Joy had not detected any torpedoes during the entire encounter, and Herrick determined that the Maddox ‘s operators were probably hearing the ship’s propellers reflecting off her rudder during sharp turns. 12 The destroyer’s main gun director was never able to lock onto any targets because, as the operator surmised, the radar was detecting the stormy sea’s wave tops.

By 0127 on 5 August, hours after the “attacks” had occurred, Herrick had queried his crew and reviewed the preceding hours’ events. He sent a flash (highest priority) message to Honolulu, which was received in Washington at 1327 on 4 August, declaring his doubts: “Review of action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes fired appear doubtful. Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonarmen may have accounted for many reports. No actual visual sightings by MADDOX. Suggest complete evaluation before any further action taken.”


2 posted on 03/18/2014 2:13:55 PM PDT by Grampa Dave ( Too bad Obama does not take OUR borders as seriously as he does the Ukraine!)
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To: Mozilla

If Ø did anything more than blow smoke, he’d only be making things worse... a LOT worse. Better he keeps golfing and goofing, Valerie does her thing, and we inch towards the end of his tenure.


3 posted on 03/18/2014 2:14:51 PM PDT by C210N (When people fear government there is tyranny; when government fears people there is liberty)
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To: Mozilla

Go volunteer, sugar.


4 posted on 03/18/2014 2:21:59 PM PDT by Psalm 144 (My citizenship is not here.)
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To: Mozilla
We're the world's lone superpower

Lost me right there. We were as recently as four years ago. But nobody fears us, or respects us. And on top of that, we're broke.

5 posted on 03/18/2014 2:24:42 PM PDT by henkster (I don't like bossy women telling me what words I can't use.)
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To: Mozilla

Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter’d with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial................


6 posted on 03/18/2014 2:27:09 PM PDT by Red Badger (LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
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To: Mozilla

Grab a rifle, Joel.


7 posted on 03/18/2014 2:28:06 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Mozilla

The article’s point seems to be you fight, I’ll cheer.


8 posted on 03/18/2014 2:28:11 PM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
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To: Mozilla
I understand mercenaries make big bucks. I am sure you can find someone to hire you.

Hopefully when you get back we will have a decent president in the White House and be working toward less than our current 17 trillion in debt.

Oh and Soros will lose his bet on the S&P. By the way foreign policy under our current bozo is a very very bad idea.

10 posted on 03/18/2014 2:34:59 PM PDT by MarMema ("If Americans really wanted Obamacare, you wouldn't need a law to make them buy it." Ted Cruz)
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To: Mozilla

Why is it always some polished east coast ivy league purebred with no military service experience who is all enthusiastic about the prospect of involving our nation in a shooting war?


14 posted on 03/18/2014 2:46:55 PM PDT by TADSLOS (The Event Horizon has come and gone. Buckle up and hang on.)
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To: Mozilla

Pollack, a Harvard grad, is a former democrat who ran against Illinois Democrat Jan Schakowsky in 2010 as a Republican.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Pollak


17 posted on 03/18/2014 2:48:53 PM PDT by sergeantdave
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To: Mozilla

Joel,

Sorry but no. Our allies are rich enough to defend themselves. We’re exhausted and overextended and the American people are in no mood for further foreign entanglements.

Let’s get our own house in order before we start worrying about other countries.


18 posted on 03/18/2014 3:25:21 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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