F-22's? I didn't think they were even in production yet.

I don' think the terrorists have any understanding of the level of hell that will at the right time, be unleashed on them.

"It's the plan". This is what I wanted to hear. 10 years of this plan. New rules of engagement. Eradication. Let's roll...

Learn how to "duck", real quick like.....

In light of your post of 5 or 6 articles ago on Rumsfeld and the moaning, this is a good read. I've got high hopes for the adults....

blackmail and at places, small groups of soldiers or SEALs will appear in total darkness

Blackmail?? Appear in total darkness?? What is this?

General: Action will come 'without warning'

By Frank Sesno
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) --Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who was drug czar during President Clinton's second term, said in an online exchange last month that those against the United States in its war on terrorism would "be killed suddenly, in significant numbers and without warning."

McCaffrey, who commanded the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division in the Persian Gulf War, offered his blunt assessment on the mission and the strategy confronting the United States and its allies in an e-mail exchange with a cadet at West Point, where McCaffrey teaches.

The exchange took place September 19 -- a little more than a week after the deadliest terror attacks on U.S. soil. McCaffrey and others have since distributed the e-mail widely to friends and associates in the national security community.

McCaffrey told CNN he is not displeased the exchange became public, because he is eager to articulate the likely multi-faceted course of action.

McCaffrey identified multiple objectives -- to increase domestic security, build a strong coalition and finally "take the gloves off and use integrated military power to find, fix and destroy" terrorist organizations.

He told the cadet, "We are going to disrupt these people through preemptive attack ... we will deceive them, we will run psyops on them, at selected points and times they will be killed suddenly, in significant numbers, and without warning."

"Tomahawk missiles, 2000 pound laser guided weapons dropped from B2's or F22's at very high altitude, remote control, booby traps, blackmail and at places, small groups of soldiers or SEALs will appear in total darkness, blow down the doors and kill them at close range with automatic weapons and hand grenades," the e-mail message read.

McCaffrey went on to say: "We will find their money and freeze it. We will arrest their front agents. We will operate against their recruiting and transportation functions. We will locate their training areas and surveil or mine them. We will isolate them from their families.

"We will try to dominate their communication function and alternately listen, jam or spoof it. We will make their couriers disappear. If we can find out how they eat, or play or receive rewards, or where they sleep -- we will go there and kill them by surprise."

McCaffrey said the military component would be "a supporting but lesser aspect of a strategy that will be based fundamentally on diplomatic and economic leverage to compel cooperation with international law."

The retired general said there would need to be substantial and costly efforts to reduce the "environmental factors" that feed "extremist madness."

That would include "dramatically increased" international aid to address the poverty of Palestinians, Afghans, Sudanese and others, he said.

A U.S. military official who was shown McCaffrey's comments said they were the "insights of a very smart guy."

Another official said they do not contain any national secrets, but they do accurately reflect the strategy the United States has adopted.

In the words of this official: "It's the plan."

Why is this all beginning to sound as silly as "The Mother of All Battles"?

Bluster and posturing seems quaint only when coming from the other side...

I heard Rush reading this same email last week. He refused to disclose the source, but said most Americans would recognize the author if he told his name.

I imagine a lot of these things have already transpired and we'll never know what happen where, other than there are LOTS of DEAD TERRORISTS in Afghanistan!!

Semper Fi,
Norb

I like it!

Screw the 2000 pounders. Drop a few 15,000 pounders like they dropped in the Gulf War...the one where the Brits thought someone dropped a nuke and were hollering all over their walkie talkies asking "Who the hell dropped the nuke" Thats the one they simply slide out the back of a C-130, or similar, on a crate and it floats gently down to the proper altitude where it goes off and levels everything for MILES!

I don't know about you all, but I am beginning to get demoralized. We have to act in some kind of public display of real awful force. And, we have to do this soon. We have to make a point, the same way that the Jews do when they are attacked. We just can't put everything on hold while some snotty frenchman sips his tea and argues the benefits of the theoretical aspects of the arab equation with respect to the universe... SLAM THEM NOW!!!!!

I WANT TO SEE THE GROUND FLATTENED. I WANT THEM TO FEEL OUR RAGE. WE MUST DO IT NOW!!!!! NOW!!!! N-O-W!!!!!!!!!

"...F-22's? I didn't think they were even in production yet..."

'Officially', there are four prototypes, three flyable. Remember, even though most of us knew about 'Have-Blue' and 'Pave-Blue' for years, the F-117 didn't officially exist, until laser-guided bombs started raining down on Baghdad in 1990.

I'll bet they'd LOVE to try out the Raptor, and as-soon-as-possible! Me too!...Fregards

I like the way you think. And if the Ruskies are on our side as they seem, I understand that they got some FAE's that'll suck the air out of all the caves...

Allow me to correct a couple of earlier posts about the BLU-82. It was dropped only three times in the Gulf War, and then only as a test in uninhabited areas.

It is older than I thought. It was used in the Vietnam era to create instant landing zones in dense jungle. It was then called the "Daisy Cutter." It was used against troops only once, by the South Vietnamese against the NV. It destroyed an entire batallion of NV when they were caught in the open.

Also, the pounds per square inch pressure that this weapon develops at ground zero is 1,000 per square inch, not the 2,000 that I previously cited.

The Russians have been using similar fuel air weapons against the Chetchnians in the mountains there.

The conclusion that this is an effective weapon against both troops and buildings, stands as stated.

There is also a shoulder-fired version of this weapon which has the impact of a 1.21 caliber artillery shell.

For accurate use, this weapon needs to be dropped from low altitude, which means it is a "retarded" bomb. It releases fins when dropped so it will slow down. That is necesary so it does not brow the tail off the plane that dropped it.

Just some useful information for FReepers.

The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob,
cyberCongressman from Western Carolina

Click here for Billybob's latest, "Bush is DEAD Wrong." The next, "The ONE Commandment," will be posted after al Qua'da and Taliban are gone, or in about 48 hours.

Click here and go to "ALCU Watch" for "The Law of War," a detailed legal discussion of how the US declares war, both historically and in this instance.

For a clear discussion of the difference between what the US can constitutionally do in wartime with aliens (but NOT with US citizens of foreign extraction), see my book, Manzanar, published in 1988.

The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob,
cyberCongressman from Western Carolina

Click here for Billybob's latest, "Bush is DEAD Wrong." The next, "The ONE Commandment," will be posted after al Qua'da and Taliban are gone, or in about 48 hours.

Click here and go to "ALCU Watch" for "The Law of War," a detailed legal discussion of how the US declares war, both historically and in this instance.

For a clear discussion of the difference between what the US can constitutionally do in wartime with aliens (but NOT with US citizens of foreign extraction), see my book, Manzanar, published in 1988.

No F-22s and I doubt we will see any B-2 action, so far the first paragraph is Bravo Sierra, waist of time this is not a clintooon type war. Get down on the deck and cream them.

Vannrox, I'm normally a fairly peaceable person. On ol' granny who'd rather be knitting than fighting. But your post is on target, if it's not too politically incorrect to use that term. From my limited dealings with Middle Easterners, I know basically one thing: generosity and patience are viewed as weaknesses by them. The one thing they do understand is pure, unadulterated force. That, they respect. They might not like it, but they respect it--and until we gain their respect, they're not going to stop their "fun and games."

SLAM THEM NOW!!!!!
and save our economy without all this corporate welfare!
This waiting is hurting us in very real ways. Everyday the terrorists hurt us more.

I would rather that we do it right than do it quickly .... and by "right" I mean totally, utterly, thoroughly wipe them off the face of the earth ..... and it takes time to plan, gather the intelligence, move the resources, and execute ALL the elements of the plan (cutting off of finances, determining just who are our friends and who befriends the terrorists, etc.).

Also, I think the element of surprise and tension ... the ticking clock ..... is important. I'm sure an instant response was expected ..... this way they must suffer the suspense of wondering when. And often the Israelis do it this way ..... wait patiently before acting.

An instant, spectacular response would feel good ..... but I don't think it would be the best way to rid the earth of this scourge ..... and that must be our mission.