Posted on 11/24/2006 6:46:08 PM PST by kristinn
I'm reading an astonishing number of comments on Free Republic these days by posters who have joined the ranks of the anti-American left in calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Some claim to have military experience, some claim to be patriotic Americans and some claim to be smarter than the rest.
These posters are joining the Murtha-Rangel-McDermott treason caucus. Oh, they say they love the troops, but their decision to abandon them in the field speaks otherwise.
Three years ago, the United States led an international coalition to rid the world of one of the worst regimes on the planet. Saddam Hussein was an international terrorist: He financed terrorism, he trained terrorists and he harbored terrorists. He waged war on Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Israel. He waged war on the people of Iraq, including genocidal campaigns against the Kurds in the north and the marsh Arabs in the south.
Saddam successfully subverted the Oil-for-Food program and was wearing down support for continuing the sanctions keeping him in check.
He had numerous contacts with al Qaeda over the years. He tried to assassinate a former U.S. president. He maintained research capabilities to implement nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as soon as the sanctions were lifted. There is evidence that some of these programs would have been operational within a year even with the sanctions in place.
The decision to remove Saddam and his regime as part of the Global War on Terror was correct.
Three-and-a-half years after Iraq and the world were liberated from Saddam and his terrorist regime, there are those on Free Republic who are clamoring to give up, surrender, cut and run, stab the troops in the back, betray the Iraqis, betray our allies in the GWOT, spit on the graves of our fallen heroes and join Cindy Sheehan, Medea Benjamin and Ramsey Clark in bringing about America's defeat in the GWOT.
It's only been three-and-a-half years--only six months since the freely elected government in Iraq was formed. In that time, what has been called a mini-Marshall Plan of construction and reconstruction has come to fruition. The Iraqis have held three national elections, they have held numerous local elections, fourteen out of eighteen Iraq provinces are relatively peaceful and stable.
Six months ago, when the Iraqi government was formed, the experts said the war would be taken to Baghdad because our enemies in the region could not abide the example of a free, democratic society in the Middle East. For once, the experts were right. The battle of Baghdad has been a prolonged Tet Offensive style operation of headline-grabbing attacks intended to sap the morale of Americans and Iraqis alike.
From what I've been reading on Free Republic lately, a lot of Freepers have fallen for the enemy's ploy and are howling like barking moonbats for our immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Some of that talk is couched in talk of 'we're fighting a PC war like Vietnam!' The soldiers I met in Iraq recently told Debra Argel Bastian to pass on a message to the Vietnam vets criticizing the war: With all due respect to your service, this is not Vietnam. It is not being fought like Vietnam. Please let us finish our mission.
But our enemy is playing the Vietnam ploy to great benefit. They know they can count on the American and world media to broadcast their propaganda. They work with leftist Americans to sabotage the war effort at home. They know these leftist Americans have allies in the Democratic party. They know they do not need a military victory--only political and psychological victories are needed to defeat America.
You guys are playing right in to their hands. Congratulations.
There are those who argue that murder and dictatorship is the mindset of the Middle East and that will not be changed by our actions. Funny how those who smugly denigrate the Arab peoples' capacity for freedom forget the wholesale slaughter of millions of Westerners by Westerners at the hands of Western dictatorships just a few generations past.
I hear complaints that the Iraqis aren't standing up. Yet, to use one common example, when police recruits are slaughtered in bombings, Iraqis line up the next day at the same recruiting center. The insurgency is small in number, but they are able to do enough damage on a daily basis to stretch out the time it will take to secure the whole of Iraq.
At this time of our testing, the American people are starting to go wobbly. Sadly, many Freepers are too. Our troops and their Commander-in-Chief are not, thank God. It's only been three-and-a-half years. The progress made has been phenomonal. Throw in the towel now, and you'll just have the terrorists follow us home. Everyone knows that, including you. I'm not willing to pay that price, not now, not ever, but you are.
Let me close by offering similar sentiments recently offered by two men 'in the know' on the situation in Iraq who are not giving up. First, Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister Barzani: "When I was in the United States recently and read the negative news in the Washington Post, New York Times and in the network TV broadcasts, I even wondered if things had gotten so bad since I had left that I shouldn't return."
Next, Gen. Abizaid: "When I come to Washington, I feel despair. When I'm in Iraq with my commanders, when I talk to our soldiers, when I talk to the Iraqi leadership, they are not despairing."
"This is, quite simply, untrue."
You just got yourself P0WN3D.
"Source: U.S. National Archives, Record Group 77, Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Manhattan Engineer District, TS Manhattan Project File '42-'46, folder 5D Selection of Targets, 2 Notes on Target Committee Meetings."
"6. Status of Targets
A. Dr. Stearns described the work he had done on target selection. He has surveyed possible targets possessing the following qualification: (1) they be important targets in a large urban area of more than three miles in diameter, (2) they be capable of being damaged effectively by a blast, and (3) they are unlikely to be attacked by next August. Dr. Stearns had a list of five targets which the Air Force would be willing to reserve for our use unless unforeseen circumstances arise. These targets are:
(1) Kyoto - This target is an urban industrial area with a population of 1,000,000. It is the former capital of Japan and many people and industries are now being moved there as other areas are being destroyed. From the psychological point of view there is the advantage that Kyoto is an intellectual center for Japan and the people there are more apt to appreciate the significance of such a weapon as the gadget. (Classified as an AA Target)
(2) Hiroshima - This is an important army depot and port of embarkation in the middle of an urban industrial area. It is a good radar target and it is such a size that a large part of the city could be extensively damaged. There are adjacent hills which are likely to produce a focussing effect which would considerably increase the blast damage. Due to rivers it is not a good incendiary target. (Classified as an AA Target)
(3) Yokohama - This target is an important urban industrial area which has so far been untouched. Industrial activities include aircraft manufacture, machine tools, docks, electrical equipment and oil refineries. As the damage to Tokyo has increased additional industries have moved to Yokohama. It has the disadvantage of the most important target areas being separated by a large body of water and of being in the heaviest anti-aircraft concentration in Japan. For us it has the advantage as an alternate target for use in case of bad weather of being rather far removed from the other targets considered. (Classified as an A Target)
(4) Kokura Arsenal - This is one of the largest arsenals in Japan and is surrounded by urban industrial structures. The arsenal is important for light ordnance, anti-aircraft and beach head defense materials. The dimensions of the arsenal are 4100' x 2000'. The dimensions are such that if the bomb were properly placed full advantage could be taken of the higher pressures immediately underneath the bomb for destroying the more solid structures and at the same time considerable blast damage could be done to more feeble structures further away. (Classified as an A Target)
(5) Niigata - This is a port of embarkation on the N.W. coast of Honshu. Its importance is increasing as other ports are damaged. Machine tool industries are located there and it is a potential center for industrial despersion. It has oil refineries and storage. (Classified as a B Target)
(6) The possibility of bombing the Emperor's palace was discussed. It was agreed that we should not recommend it but that any action for this bombing should come from authorities on military policy. It was agreed that we should obtain information from which we could determine the effectiveness of our weapon against this target.
B. It was the recommendation of those present at the meeting that the first four choices of targets for our weapon should be the following:
a. Kyoto
b. Hiroshima
c. Yokohama
d. Kokura Arsenal"
http://www.dannen.com/decision/targets.html
What really matters is what our forces are ordered - and permitted - to do. With political correctness permeating our government and even the upper echelons of the military, we never tried the one technique that has a solid track record of defeating insurgents if applied consistently: the rigorous imposition of public order.
That means killing the bad guys. Not winning their hearts and minds, placating them or bringing them into the government. Killing them.
GOOD READ!
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11152006/postopinion/opedcolumnists/arabian_nightmares_opedcolumnists_ralph_peters.htm
New Lexicon here seems to be:
Anti-Sadr = cut and run Freepers
Okay...so we put you in the QUIT side of the argument?
I think many here view the struggle in Iraq as solely to train and install local law enforcement and put down the insurgency, so that the Iraqi government can take over. The problem, I believe at least, is that even then a whole segment of the population (Sunnis) would refuse to accept that government, and there's really very little we can do about that. Nation-building is an attempt to create a stable country, but outsiders can really only affect the latter two of the three factors, and frequently seems to be based on the idealistic assumption that democracy has the inherent power to win the hearts and minds of the people. Many times, I don't think it does.
That's why the peoples of the Mass. Bay Colony persecuted and finally kicked out the Quakers, because they accepted them so very much and saw another Protestant sect as equal to their own form. Is that why Rhode Island got settled or not?
Americans have seen everyone as SO equal, that's why there have been centuries of ghettos and quotas and forbidding people from living where they want to, when they can afford to live with those who don't want then in their towns, section of town, and clubs?
If you don't think that America has always had classes, subclasses, and their own set of "tribes", then you need to read some of FR's threads where some Southerners are still fighting the Civil War.
I don't think these are necessarily DU trolls. That is a pretty low level of sophistication.
I agree, but the DUers aren't very sophisticated(or smart) anyway.
We've been infiltrated over the years by tons of 'rat trolls. Makes me sick.
Al Qaeda Leader: Materials Smuggled Across Border
Thursday, November 02, 2006 Posted: 10:31 PM
NEWSCHANNEL 5 Investigation
Supported by
Terrorists trying to blend in with Mexican culture
A NEWSCHANNEL 5 investigation reveals what the feds don't want you to know. Suspected terrorists are hiding inside the U.S. and they got here by sneaking across the Mexican border.
What we've been reporting for more than a year has been confirmed by a government report just released.
And a brand new interview by Pakistani investigative reporter Hamid Mir is bringing in more information.
Mir has interviewed some of America's most dangerous terrorist enemies. This time the Al Qaeda commander he talked to gave a grim warning that another attack on America is coming very soon.
"We can attack America anytime," says Abu Dawood during the interview. He also told the reporter that Muslims must leave America.
Mir says, "Abu Dawood told me, 'We are determined to attack America again and that attack will be bigger than 9/11."
The Al Qaeda commander says the attack will be led by Adnan El Shukrijumah. He goes by many aliases but is called Brother Adnan by his terrorist friends.
Brother Adnan is wanted by the feds for possible terrorist threats against the U.S. He's considered armed and dangerous
According to the Pakistani reporter, Dawood said Brother Adnan "had smuggled some dangerous materials from the Mexican border to inside the United States of America."
"It's the kind of scenario that worries everybody," says Fred Burton, a former special agent for the U.S. State Department.
Burton spent much of his federal career studying terrorists, predicting their next move. He now does the same thing at Stratfor, a private intelligence agency in Austin.
NEWSCHANNEL 5 asked Burton about the threat.
"I think it has to be viewed credible, until proven otherwise," he says.
The former special agent tells us the U.S. government is well aware Al Qaeda's been working hard to get a dirty bomb into the country, an explosive packed with nuclear materials small enough to carry in a suitcase.
Smugglers have been caught 300 times in the past four years trying to sneak in radioactive material, which could be used to make a dirty bomb.
That's what the International Atomic Energy Agency told the London Times last month.
But Burton says, "I think if Al Qaeda has a dirty bomb, we would have seen it by now." He says a chemical attack is more likely and the Valley could be a launching ground.
Burton says there are several specific locations in Houston, which if hit, could carry out a devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
However Burton also says if Al Qaeda really does have a dirty bomb, border cities are much more vulnerable to attack, because he says terrorists don't want to get caught.
"You'd want to bring that in right across the border, and you'd want to detonate that as soon as you can," he explains.
We asked who would be at risk.
"You would look at cities such as El Paso or Brownsville," he replied.
For law enforcement, it's a very big worry, says Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr.
He testified to lawmakers in Washington about the dangers of terrorists and terrorist weapons getting smuggled in through South Texas.
The sheriff tells us his biggest fear is that something could go wrong with a bomb.
"We're not prepared," he says.
The possible dangers are also a concern to U.S. Congressman Solomon Ortiz. He was among the first in Washington to sound the alarm about dangers at the border.
Ortiz says, "The biggest threat is people coming in and we don't know who they are."
The government does know terror groups like Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah are active in Latin America. In fact, members of Hezbolla are already inside the U.S., coming in through the Mexican border.
We're also learning these Middle Easterners are changing their Islamic names to Hispanic names, buying fake documents, learning Spanish and posing as Hispanic immigrants.
Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo says there's even a training camp in Brazil teaching Middle Easterners how to blend in to the Mexican culture.
According to government intelligence, Middle Eastern aliens from countries known to harbor terrorists are smuggled to staging areas in places like Venezuela and the tri-border region between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Then they're smuggled again through Mexico and our border right into the U.S.
There's a big payoff for those who sneak them in. Mexican illegals pay smugglers an average of $2,000. Middle Easterners pay as much as thirty times that amount, up to $60,000!
"I don't think they really care who they're bringing across, as long as they get paid for it," says Texas Congressman Michael McCaul. He put out the report, which also says Islamic terrorist groups may be using Mexico as a refuge.
During our investigation, we found out a lot of people from suspicious countries are crossing right here in South Texas. Since 9/11, literally hundreds of illegal aliens have been caught here from places like Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt and Pakistan.
Federal law enforcement estimates only ten to thirty percent of illegals who cross are actually caught.
Governor Rick Perry says, "To think that international terrorists have not already exploited our border is naive."
http://www.newschannel5.tv/2006/11/2/30781/-Al-Qaeda-Leader--Materials-Smuggled-Across-Border-
Download Report:
http://www.newschannel5.tv/pdf/investigations.pdf
Since the election the chances of doing anything about this has dropped to near zero. But we are "teaching the GOP a lesson" aren't we?
Makes me sick, too.
Iranians Training Qaeda Terrorists to Attack Our GIs
By CON COUGHLIN
The Daily Telegraph
November 14, 2006
Iran's Revolutionary Guards are training hundreds of Al Qaeda fighters to carry out attacks against coalition forces throughout the Middle East.
The Iranian government has been providing a safe haven for fighters loyal to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terror group since they were forced to flee Afghanistan in late 2001.
But Western intelligence agencies now report that the Iranians are training Al Qaeda fighters at centers that were previously used by other Islamic militant groups, such as the Lebanese militia Hezbollah.
The decision to allow Al Qaeda fighters to train in Iran was made by President Ahmadinejad as part of his policy of attempting to forge closer links with Mr. bin Laden's organization.
The training of Al Qaeda operatives is part of a wider Iranian ambition: to take control of the Al Qaeda terror network by encouraging it to promote officials known to be friendly to Tehran.
Al Qaeda fighters stay at guest houses on the outskirts of Tehran used by the Revolutionary Guards for conducting training in sophisticated terror techniques. Some of the training is carried out by the guards' elite Quds (Jerusalem) force, their main paramilitary unit. Apart from standard training in firearms and combat drill, the fighters all learn how to prepare car bombs.
Many of those trained in Iran then travel to countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, where they use their new skills to carry out attacks on coalition troops.
http://www.nysun.com/article/43442
it doesn't matter; leave Iraq or stay in Iraq... either way we will be in Iraq for th next 50 years, even if we leave for a couple of years because of a bunch of Anti American Liberals.
On the other hand in the 1980's Mommar Qaddafi {sp} was set back by a missile in his tent. He understood you mess with us we come for you. he got awful quiet for a long time after that. No foreign head of state should be immune from our wrath if they wish to engage us.
The best way not to be attacked and this applies whether it involves another nation or the thug trying to rob you is how you present yourself to others. You present yourself as weak be ready to be attacked. On the other hand if the Bully Thug knows you are armed and will act accordingly he thinks twice. In the months up to 9/11 we had a ship bombed and a plane forced out of the sky in International Air Space. Someone saw the events as a weakness to exploit.
We have got to get our military posture back and that includes a realistic standing active duty military. Part of the reason we were attacked on 9/11 had to do with active duty 24/7/365 readiness. A plane went flying into the Pentagon for Pete sake. It wasn't shot down. That showed the world how much of Washington , DC was open to attack.
Some could say this was a first but actually it wasn't. In the 1970's a whack job held the people of East Tennessee in terror by having an airliner circle Oak Ridge threatening to send it crashing into the nuke weapons facilities. Had he crashed into his target as he threatened I would not be here typing to you. I live close enough that I am at ground zero first strike if we take a hit. I'm also down wind by less than 10 air miles.
We have to get the State Department out of the hair of the Pentagon and out of the loop when it comes to military action. Some blame the media but that place leaks like a sieve.
We need more covert operations in fighting terrorist cells but they need to be ran by the Pentagon not by the CIA or other agencies. As such the new DHS is a farce and should be closed. Accountability would be there. We've got to get strong enough to where we face our fights alone. We aren't there by any means. We should be the guaranteers of no one freedoms but our own.
Saddam could have been taken almost any time had we not announced to the world we're coming to get you. The same with bin Ladden. The State Department should have been used to quietly convey the message you have so much time to stop your actions or we come after you and say no more. Don't make empty threats to thugs. I'm old enough to remember PUEBLO and LBJ's empty threats to NK and the Commanders Court Martial that followed. What do we have now? A POTUS threatening NK but no action. Saying nothing would have been wiser than giving him a false confidence. I can only hope a quiet mosquito see's NK's leader & lands on the honored ones parade if you catch my meaning.
Being nice to heads of state sponsoring terrorism has earned us misery as a reward. I'm not anti-war but I think war should be a last resort. Once declared it being an absolute act no mercy no rules of engagement. If there are better ways to obtain the same results short of it then do it.
Realistically we have to understand our troops must come first. That means they like equipment need downtime and replacements. Gulf War one cost us a carrier believe it or not due to missed downtime and over deployment three times in three years. Some ask how are you going to get the needed manpower? Here's some ideas. Restore the original GI Bill. My company in basic training was among the last to receive it. Limit first time enlistments total obligations to 6 years. Only in cases of advanced special training should an actual first time enlistment active duty be 6 full years active duty. Meaning such programs as Navy Nuclear propulsion etc where the classes alone take a year. Go back to 3/3 and 4/2 enlistments except for career second enlistment and beyond contracts. A lifer knows the score and can make such a serious obligation with full understanding. If my grandkid right now was to want to join the military as good as I know it was for me I would not encourage him because of the 8 year obligation rule.
Train more recruits for active duty and end the Army National Guard dependence. My unit trained to protect Oak Ridge. Being locals we knew the terrain, roads, ridges, valleys, etc. You can train a green recruit off the street for combat overseas about as fast as you can an Army NG Unit. Army NG's BTW many were not Army or Marine vets but rather prior service AF and Navy. That means they never had Army Basic. We found out a year ago how valuable NG's are to state and local civil defense. They should be returned to that posture with special training in response to domestic terrorist attacks.
Here is one that really sticks in my craw. Never ever turn over a scumbag like Saddam that the Armed Forces of the United States went to war to capture to any other jurisdiction. With actions such as that it's worth someone yelling a loud What Are You Doing!
We frisk granny at the airport and take her face cream {granny who any idiot with two functioning brain cells knows is harmless} yet we park three nuclear carriers in a shipyard {not the same readiness posture as a Naval Base} at the same time. If you wish I can show you a picture taken at Norfolk, VA that should make you madder than a wet hen. It was taken after Jan 1995 I am certain. One half minus one of the entire U.S. Navy Carrier Fleet all berthed in a row at the same base at once. That laxness brought us 9/11. Wanna know what was once classified information even on recent built carriers? Look at the military or history channel. Had I tried to get me a look see at the Mags I would have gotten a U.S. Marine Issued M-16 slug to my skull.
I'll go further on this. I would prohibit women from serving on United States Navy Combat ships. Ships are not a place for social engineering, PC, nor being nice for that matter. Ah enough said about it I think you get the idea. My idea of military readiness that was taught me and what is being passed off for it today is lacking. That includes the new no shouting at recruits in basic PC nonsense. We are losing the war and it's right here in our own nation. We better get a good grip on it before we go looking for more elsewhere.
You may not think much about my ideas but I served on active duty in what was then the lowest level of morale, readiness, and discipline since WW2. It was called the Hollow Carter Military. The only wise move Carter made was his second Secretary of the Navy who went back to the basics starting in 1979. Despite all our problems our fires lit, our screws turned, and we passed all readiness evaluations.
If Jimmy Carter as poor a POTUS as he was and he was apthetic indeed, and the DEMs as sorry as they were could keep a Cold War military deployable how come the GOP refused to correct the damge done from 1989-present? Simple. They are all on the same team on military readiness. To all of them it was a non issues. Poppy and Cheney cut it the Clinton and the DEMs cut it deeper. The GOP then said well look at all the money we saved the taxpayers and they did nothing. How do I know they did nothing? After 9/11 two aircraft cariers failed critical readiness issues. There was no excuse for it and two Navy Captains were made scapegoats for a Pentagon and congresional created problem. All of them used the military budget to divide it up for their pork projects. If Bush & the GOP or any party for that matter wants to ever convince me again they are serious about our national defense then they better start making it priority number 1. So far I have seen nothing to point to that. What will it take?
And who says we haven't "won" in Iraq?
Have we WON in Afghanistan?
Al Qaeda's Last Stand in Anbar
November 24, 2006: Earlier this year, al Qaeda declared western Iraq (Anbar province) to be their new base of operations. Shortly thereafter, a coalition of Sunni Arab tribes agreed to work with the government to destroy al Qaeda forces in the area. This brought to a head two years of violence in western Iraq. While many of the tribal chiefs out here had been allies of Saddam Hussein, and his Baath Party, this was mainly because Saddam was generous with the tribes, and pointed out that, in the wake of the 1991 Shia Arab revolt (which the Sunni tribes helped put down), if the Sunni Arabs did not stick together, the more numerous Shia would destroy them. The Kurds, who already had a sanctuary (protected by American and British warplanes) in the north, would join in slaughtering the Sunni Arabs, if given a chance. Then, after Saddam was overthrown, and al Qaeda offered to help the Sunni Arabs eject the Americans, and regain control of the country, the Sunni tribes kept fighting. But the alliance with al Qaeda soon unraveled. By 2004, Sunni Arab tribesmen were fighting with al Qaeda. The problem was that al Qaeda did not believe the tribes were aggressive enough, or religious enough. First threats, then the murder of Sunni Arab tribal chiefs, brought al Qaeda into open warfare with the tribes. At first, the anti-al Qaeda tribes were not the majority, and they were outgunned by the Baath Party terrorist organizations and pro-Saddam tribes. But month-by-month, more tribes turned against al Qaeda and Baath. For the last year, as more American and Iraqi troops moved into western Iraq, the fighting became more intense.
Over a dozen tribes are now pro-government, with tribemen joining the police force, and serving in their own neighborhoods. Recruiting was slow at first, even with the approval of the chiefs. Only 30 stepped forward last June, but now there are 1,300 tribesmen in the police force. During that same period, some 750 al Qaeda and Baath terrorists have been killed in Ramadi, the center of al Qaeda power in Anbar. There are only a few hundred of them left, and the government controls two-thirds of the city. During that same period, the number of terrorist attacks, including roadside bombs, has also fallen by two-thirds.
This has brought about a civil war in western Iraq, with Sunni tribes fighting each other. Even with al Qaeda and the Baath Party terrorists, the anti-government tribes are on the defensive. Ramadi, which was to be the capital of the new al Qaeda sanctuary, is in ruins, and the scene of daily fighting, and defeats for the terrorists.
Al Qaeda no longer boasts of a base in western Iraq. To do so would have to address the fact that most al Qaeda losses in the area have been at the hands of angry Sunni Arab tribesmen. The tribes are fighting for their homes, and western Iraq is the only part of the Iraq that is almost wholly Sunni Arab. Angry Kurds and Shia Arabs are driving Sunni Arabs out of other parts of Iraq, and the only alternative to foreign exile, is moving to western Iraq. The only way to hang on to western Iraq is to eliminate the al Qaeda and Baath Party groups that refuse to halt their terrorist operations. Al Qaeda knows it's losing its battle for western Iraq, which is one reason why they have shifted so many resources, especially cash and leadership, to Afghanistan. The al Qaeda defeat in western Iraq has not gotten much attention in the media, but it's there, it's real and it will soon be over.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htterr/articles/20061124.aspx
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