Posted on 07/09/2009 2:21:32 AM PDT by Scanian
LAST week, 4,000 US Marines launched a major operation in Helmand, the poppy- queen province in southern Afghanistan. The Marines performed magnificently, reaching their objectives with minimal casualties -- mostly from the 110-degree heat. But something important was missing: Afghans in uniform.
A few hundred Afghan players showed up in the backfield. But the village elders saw American guns.
The Marine mission is to provide security for villagers, build trust and instill confidence in the Kabul government. This would all be far easier if the Afghan military and police were competent, trustworthy and present.
After 8½ years in Afghanistan and despite extensive efforts, we and our NATO allies have produced only a now-you-see-'em-now-you-don't Afghan army. The police are corrupt, partisan and loathed by the population.
We made better, if imperfect, progress in Iraq. Yet there, too, questions remain about the integrity of the military and the utility of the police.
What's the problem? Why haven't years of effort and billions of dollars, coupled with our training expertise, forged fully reliable military units and constabularies? The answer lies in our own military culture.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
The article said — What’s the problem? Why haven’t years of effort and billions of dollars, coupled with our training expertise, forged fully reliable military units and constabularies? The answer lies in our own military culture.
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Ummm..., no, the answer lies in the backward culture, the backward people and the backward mentality that they have. It’s all backward, so what else can you expect out of them?
He kind of implies that in the rest of the article. U.S. military personnel might hate each other personally but they can count on each other regardless of race, ethnicity, state of origin, etc. Can’t do that with Afghans.
Well..., I did take the time to read the rest of the article before I posted and that’s what I came away realizing, after reading it. Of course, that wasn’t a revelation that just came to me at the point of reading that article... LOL...
The bottom line is that the culture and people and their mentality is *so backward* and so absent of normal social values (with the emphasis on “normal”, as they do have “values” except that they are evil values, actually, stemming from being adherents to an evil, oppressive governmental idealogy called “Islam”) — that it’s hard to conceive of them as “people”.
They resemble, over in Afghanistan, a bunch of cattle and/or animals who happen to be able to talk and look like humans, but they are really on the level of animals, instead.
So, how can one train animals, like they are, to be “human”, when the evil and oppressive governmental idealogy (called “Islam”) keeps them at the “animal stage” of existence?
Before we all jump to conclusions about the Afgan tribes take a look at these 5 short videos. I had never thought about it, but this all makes sense.
http://blog.stevenpressfield.com/
You said — Before we all jump to conclusions about the Afgan tribes...
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Well, I’ll admit to making this reply *without* looking at what you’ve supplied — and deciding on the basis of the *only thing* that I need to know about Afghans and/or any other people in that situation.
All that I need to know is *if* a group of people adhere to the evil, oppressive and dictatorial governmental idealogy (called “Islam”) — and that tells me all I need to know about whether they are *animals* or not. Nothing much more is needed to determine the worthwhile nature of a group of people or the society they live in.
So, having said that, I’ll venture on over to what you posted. But, I can *assure* you, that nothing that can *ever be presented* can counter-act the evil, oppressive and dictatorial mindset/behavior of a group of people who belong to that evil and oppressive governmental idealogy (called “Islam”).
Okay, I started reading the supplied material... and I caught, right at the beginning, the following...
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Trower writes extensively on how to properly manage and maintain the support of these units, the members of which he describes as “generally illiterate, haughty and turbulent: but they are gallant and true, hard-working and zealous.” Of their martial skills, they were “first in excellence.”
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Yes, and I think my dogs qualify on that level. So, apparently they have “risen” to the level of dogs, and maybe quite so..., as I wouldn’t deprive them of being on the level of my dogs...
And then I saw the following, which was interesting...
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Educated by years of living in the tribal areas of Pakistan and India, Trower argues that British officers should make every effort to blend in with their native recruits. This recommendation will ring familiar to American military advisors, particularly U.S. Special Forces. . . . [Native troopers should be treated] with the utmost respect: “It is the treatment they receive which will make them either cheerful or zealous soldiers or useless rabble.” . . . [and] tribal leaders were to be treated as allies, not subjects.
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Yes, I would agree. I actually treat my dogs very well, too. I respect them as good dogs. I treat them in the utmost and finest fashion as a dog, and I think my dogs are the best ones around. I agree with treating dogs with the utmost of respect for what they are....
And certainly, you can never expect a dog to be any more than the dog that they are... it makes great sense to me...
It’s just the ones here in America that tend to think of them as people who have the problems...
Americans and especially the US Army as an institution can not wrap their heads around these cultures. Heck, the US Army had to years into Iraq, write, yet again, another counter insurgency manual. They updated the parade ground band manual more times.
Anyways, for hundreds of years the Brits, especially, handled this problem pretty good. Brit officers and NCO’s, with local troops in their area with their people and lots of politics. The Brits did it in a way that the economic growth would pay for the program. Sort of Regular Army Brits meets SF.
The Russians sort of did the opposite. Russian officers and NCOs with troops from far away that would have no problem firing on the locals.
You said — The Russians sort of did the opposite. Russian officers and NCOs with troops from far away that would have no problem firing on the locals.
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Yeah, the problem here is that apparently we don’t realize that we are not dealing with people, but with dogs. I mean, being an adherent to an evil, oppressive and dictatorial governmental/idealogical system (called “Islam”) is putting oneself on the level of an animal like a dog.
So, the reason why a person can’t train a dog properly, is that they don’t think of them as a dog, but as a person (a mistake a lot of people make). Once the person realizes that they are dealing with a dog, they have no problem, from then on, training that dog very well....
Once we realize that we are not dealing with people who have cultural values on the level of people, but they have values on the level of dogs, and then we treat them that way — they’ll understand very well, just like my dog understands much better when I treat it as a dog and not as a person....
Your comparisons of the Afghan soldiers to dogs gravely offended me. I personally knew airmen that died in aircraft crashes and were killed by suicide bombers while just trying commute to their base. In exchange for their service, most received less than $150 a month. The cost of living in Afghanistan isn’t on par with New York or Tokyo, but feeding a family on those wages is a challenge I very much hope to never experience.
Our Afghan translator spent over a year with a Spec Ops team. He was in countless fire fights, survived a couple of IED attacks and earned some damn good references during his time in the field. Because of his work with the U.S., he and his family was targets. I’m extremely proud to have helped him obtain a U.S. visa under a program for Afghan and Iraq translators and he’s definitely not an animal.
All of Ralph Peters’ observations about Afghan culture are spot on. The tribalism exist, the corruption exist (both the evil get rich kind and the my kids are hungry kind), an almost total lack of appreciation for the rule of rule of law exist and of course Islam is used to radicalize. Basically they’re where the Western world was in the Dark Ages. But you’re great-great-great grandfather wasn’t an animal and neither are the men I worked with.
Another large problem Ralph Peter’s missed (granted he only has so much space in a news column) was that Afghans who have worked with outsiders before have been left high and dry. Case in point, a newly arrived U.S. general told an senior Afghan officer during an initial visit that “we’ll never leave you”. It sure seemed like a good thing to say, but the meeting instantly turned icy. Why? A Russian officer had been in the very same office, sat in the very same chair, with the very same Afghan officer many years before and had said exactly the same words. The time between the Russian's exit and the American’s arrive wasn’t exactly pleasant for the officer. It’s not likely the Afghans (or their families for that matter) who were on the losing side during the earlier civil war would survive being wrong again.
I’m a long ways from being a blame America first kind of guy, but a portion of our troubles are because advisory efforts haven’t always been carried out “with the greatest efficiency”, but I’ll save that for another time.
Insurgencies aren’t beat by spouting off or chest thumping, they’re won by tuff minded optimist and patience. Just a few things to think about before comparing other men to dogs. RedDog#1
Well..., it just comes down to any adherent to the evil, oppressive and dictatorial idealogy/system of Muslims (known as “Islam”) is a dog, basically — because they’ve decided to become dogs on their own... by what they’ve adhered to...
Now, if they decide to join the human race and dump and abandon that evil, oppressive and dictatorial idealogy/system of Islam, then they’re on their way to becoming human in their choice of lifestyle and not simply dogs...
I hope I offend as many as possible on this issue, and offend the *profoundly*...
The only difference is that I and/or others of the Christian faith, don’t believe in government control of everyone, forcing them to become Chrisitians or else they will be killed and/or become second-class citizens, don’t teach Christians cut off people’s heads, hands and other extremities, don’t teach Christians to kill anyone who leaves Christianity, don’t teach Christian members to kill anyone on the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, don’t teach Christians members to actively and violently overthrow all the other nations of the world, as soon as they are able and for those same Christian members to eliminate all other religions.
You’ll find no Christians actively setting up a government/system and/or idealogy that mandates all government control for all aspects of Christianity and that every other government in the world must be eliminated by those same members (of Christianity).
It’s the difference between human beings and *dogs* which have less than any humanity. And the difference between *evil incarnate* in the adherence of those Muslim members versus the righteousness inherent in the teachings of Christianity (of which *absolutely no righteousness* exists in Islam, not even in the least...).
Your astounding arrogance is only matched by your disgusting condescension, oh great wise one. But sometimes the bubbles of spew that drip from your lips go a little too far.
Like this time.
Congrats on a stellar performance !
Well, I can see your destiny in a crescent moon, fairly soon... LOL...
Oh..., and talk about “disgusting”.... yeah... under the topic of Islam and any adherents to that evil, oppressive and dictatorial government/system of Muslims, called “Islam” — should have the word — “disgusting” as a synonym to Islam....
I’m so glad to oblige..., if for no other reason, than for people to understand that eating feces and getting any nourishment from that — would be better than having Islam around...
Might as well post this for anyone who is ignorant of Islam and their evil dog adherents... (or anyone who happened to believe President Bush about the “religion of peace”, as if it were a religion and as if it were concerned with peace)
Of course, I don’t expect to change the minds of any of the “supporters of Islam”...
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From another post that I did earlier...
That evil and oppressive governmental idealogy of Islam and the way of implementing it by Sharia law is already making inroads right here in this country — the good ole USA. We’re about to see a “takeover” of the U.S. by the evil and oppressive idealogy of the government of Islam (that is aiming for world-wide conquest and has stated that the U.S. is *on its list* to take over...)
And for those people who need some additional facts about what the evil and oppressive governmental idealogy of Islam is doing, look at some of the following.
There’s no question about it... the enemy is *Islam* itself and the evil and oppressive and false idealogy that it perpetrates. Some say the problem is “fascism” (instead of the basic oppressive governmental idealogy of Islam, itself). But, that is to engage in “political correctness” and nothing more... and sidetracks people from the *true enemy* in this war.
In one generation we’ll see, right here in the United States that “Islam” is the enemy and not “fascism”...
Muslim Demographics...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU
and also, this...
Islam: What the West Needs to Know - FULL LENGTH ENGLISH VERSION
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-871902797772997781
and then, looking at this...
“The Third Jihad” (video - abridged version of film)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2271522/posts
This is the allowance of “false gods” to take over this nation because of the ignorance of the people of the land in regards to the true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...
And so, we see that we’re going to have the “false god of Islam” ruling over the USA and running the USA in just one generation from now.
Gosh darn it. I know better, but sometimes I can’t help feeding the trolls. It’s like wresting with a pig in the mud...after a while you realize the pig is having fun.
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