Posted on 11/05/2005 6:42:12 PM PST by markedmannerf
The problem, at the immediate one, is not government employee retirement packages, nor military spending, nor tax cuts. The problem is an out of control unearned "entitlements" programs. Military and civil servant pensions are earned benefits, part of what was promised to people when they signed on. Basically deferred compensation. The fact that Congress rather than funding those obligations, chose to buy votes with social programs is another thing entirely. The cuts in the defense budget are to pay for those social "entitlement" programs.
Still I do wish the administration would be honest with us and tell us that, and the Congress would move to end these "entitlement" programs that are not "entitlements", in the sense of something owned or earned, but just vote (and to some extent civil order) buying programs.
Hmm, special forces are boots on the ground. Not permanent ones necessarily.
Are you saying that we should be training indigenous forces? That is the tradition mission of US Special Forces. It's also what we are doing in Iraq, although the job is bigger than the Green Beanie types can handle alone. But it is getting done.
Maintain a troop presence to ensure regional stability. You mention North Korea, American forces have maintained stability through their presence. Look at post WWII Europe, we have maintained stability through our presence.
It doesn't sound sexy but I can tell you assassinations and financial embargoes aren't going to help the situation, but actually worsen it.
Simply put: boots on the ground conventional (politically correct) warfare will NEVER win.
Non-conventional warfare would win.
Re your "Then what?" ............ History taught us that after WW II, Japan and Germany not only were tamed, but developed democracies and became our friends. We won with non-conventional tactics, even though we used boots on the ground.
Unless we go to non-conventional warfare, we will never win fighting the way we are fighting now, because we are NOT "fighting" but using politically correct police actions.
Middie does have a good point about the sad state of military readiness. The blame for that can be laid at the feet of Carter, Clinton and Democrat controlled shifting of military resources to social spending. Clinton wiped out the entire supply of 2500 lb ALCM stocks in Bosnia...and we still don't have our troops out of that mess. We actually removed nuclear warhead from 53 ALCMs and converted them to conventional at a cost of $80K each. We couldn't build more because Clinton sold the entire factories that manufacture the cruise missiles to communist China. He also allowed the ring magnet technology to be sold to them so now they can put a rocket into orbit instead of falling out of the sky midway...all for a little campaign cash. Clinton gave the whole United States a big Lewinsky.
I shouldn't give LBJ a pass either. He let Robert Strange Macnamara waste all our bomb stocks to plow the countryside of Viet Nam while never really using those assets to take out military targets. What a putz. The slimeball Ramsey Clark continues to spew his anti-American venom today. How does trash like that get to be Attorney General?
You've taken an issue that deserves critical analytical thought and discussion and turned it to a partisan ideological rant. I guess there is no remedy for that limited ability to think in a broader plane.
We have already pretty well established that this administration is incompetent in accomplishing anything except perhaps a tax benefit to the wealthiest (hell, I benefit from the tax legislation, but I recognize how wrong-headed it is).
Your words from two prior posts. Leftist ideology.
I guess there is no remedy for that limited ability to think in a broader plane.
Ad hominem attacks too. Try putting some ideas and supporting facts on the table. Railing at the current administration in a historical vacuum is not a valid starting point for a discussion.
D'accord!
You left out "poor thinking form". Whew! Take another gulp.
It does, but it's a legitimate debt, freely contracted for. They can, and have, changed things. For example, when I was on active duty, and afterwords, the GI was "free". Later they made it a matching funds type of thing, which the member had to enroll in, and have withheld from pay, while on active duty, in order to get the matching funds for schooling afterwords.
hmmmm....
as usual you are wrong and showing what you are, with your typical troll "Let's nuke EVERYONE" BS.
you are an ABSOLUTE IDIOT if you think tossing nukes around will do anything close to "ending" the WOT.
but then again, we already KNOW you are a troll.
No doubt from the tone of Iranian statements that a surgical strike on their nuke facilities would trigger general war, in Iran anyway. There could be some military activity in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman until the Iranian military facilities are neutralized. Iran shouldn't even be thinking of trying a massive land assault into Iraq, but they might try it anyway. Best be prepared, and it will be tragic for Iran.
it's one thing to be prepared.
But to say you want to nuke people to end a war is absolutely both insane and stupid.
It wouldn't stop anything.
and you don't need a nuke to take out any other nuclear facilites either.
Tread is only spouting this crap because of his PERSONAL differences with President Bush. No more. he doesn't give a damn about anyone else and he has proven it before.
Rumsfeld DOD is releasing 3rd-year lieutenants and junior O-3s and is reducing the officer corps with the lame rationale' that he's reorganizing the force to better fit the playing fieldAs a company grade officer in the USAF right now, I will tell you that this is deliberately misleading.
Nukes are not needed for these missions anymore thanks to over a decade of development and experience in Iraq. It would be nothing short of suicide to take on a military power that has reached such a high peak. There is still the concept of the nuclear threshhold, which means that no one wants to start using nukes because the threshhold would be crossed and all others would be free to use their own nukes however they want. Not even a tac nuke. This is why Israel should be kept out of it if at all possible: Israel would soon be forced to cross the nuclear threshhold if a serious shooting war starts and goes badly, which is likely if Egypt jumps in.
"If we have hostilities with either Iran or Syria it will be a clear indication that we have failed diplomatically and in our leadership..."
Wrong. Failed Leadership is a false conclusion when dealing with corrupt and bankrupt governments. Japan's constitution still prohibits significant military help. Europe can't crap without U.S. assistance.
"We have already pretty well established that this administration is incompetent..."
I do not believe that is established.
What is estabished is that the Taliban are removed, Saddam is in Jail, Kaddaffi has gone sweet, France is burning, the military now has the F-22A and the most competent fighting forces in the world. What is established is U.S. military logistics and planning is 2nd to none. What is established is that fewer Israelies are dying due to Suicide Bombers (Saddam in jail)and Syria has removed their Army from Lebanon.
"We're talking about spreading hostilities when we are not capable of properly manning the street fighting ..."
False. The hostilities are there. Because they have not touched you personnally does not mean the 3,000 that died on 9/11 mean nothing.
The lesson is: kill your enemy before he kills you!
I wont pick away at the rest of your bile.
Glad you served though.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, BOMB IRAN!
Let's take a stand, bomb Iran.
Our country's got a feelin'
Really hit the ceilin', bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Went to a mosque, gonna throw some rocks.
Tell the Ayatollah..."Gonna put you in a box!"
Bomb Iran. Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Our country's got a feelin'
Really hit the ceilin', bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Ol' Uncle Sam's gettin' pretty hot.
Time to turn Iran into a parking lot. Bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Call the volunteers; call the bombadiers;
Call the financiers, better get their ass in gear.
Bomb Iran. Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Our country's got a feelin'
Really hit the ceilin', bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Call on our allies to cut off their supplies,
Get our hands untied, and bring em' back alive. Bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Our country's got a feelin'
Really hit the ceilin', bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, BOMB IRAN!
Let's take a stand, bomb Iran.
Our people you been stealin'
Now it's time for keelin', bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
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