Thoughts of a Military History Teacher

Email from a Retired Air Force Officer | 14 September, 2001 | Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)

[SLB]

FYI

[LSJohn]

Well reasoned and well written.

I wish he had focussed more clearly on the poor prospects for success through conventional military means -- indeed that such a course might only make matters worse.

Success or failure will depend upon intelligence collection and analysis and covert operations. The history of the operations side of our intel agencies does not inspire confidence; in fact, what we should do now is exactly what we should have done 10 years ago. The only difference is that now the citizenry is arroused.

[Joe Brower]

Good read. BUMP!

[Wally Cleaver]

Good post--very interesting perspective.

[SLB]

This was passed on to me from a liberal co-worker. His comments were not quite what FReepers have. LOL

[tomkat]

bump this one - he's nailed what this'll all be about !

[antidisestablishment]

Started a war? I think your agitprop would do better elsewhere, comrade.

LET'S ROLL!

[piasa]

Except he didn't start it.

[LarryLied]

Exactly right. The war will be won or lost right here. Happened with Nam. We won on the battlefield, we lost public support. And this is why all these left wing attacks on what we are about to do must be countered. Hard.

[SLB]

FYI

[SLB]

The war will be won or lost right here.

To a large extent that was also the case in WWII and WWI. Overwhelming public support. Bush not only has to direct the campaign (or have very competent generals to so - which I think he does) he has to have a great PR campaign to keep the ball rolling.

[LarryLied]

I'm hoping the recent articles about Peter Jennings trysts with Palestinian chickies was the result of FBI, CIA and NSA information being released. They must have files on all the left wing pieces of crap which clog our media. Time to use them.

[OKSooner]

Bump for later review.

[michaelt]

What did your liberal co-worker (or maybe more appropriately, cow-orker) have to say about this?

[SLB]

They must have files on all the left wing pieces of crap which clog our media. Time to use them.

I would hope they also have info on the likes of commie Lee from California.

[goo goo g'joob]

baddabump

[CoastWatcher]

SBL This ain't Nam; and we can't walk away. Nam is thousands of miles away and was really someone else's fight. When we left Nam, we left the problem there. This time it's on our turf. We can't walk away! Every attack they make will only harded our resolve and our response. There is no surrender only subjugation. America will take whatever steps are necessary to win. CoastWatcher

[Travis McGee]

The difference in the "will factor" this time is that the war will be fought on Battlefield USA. Every American will be in the gun sight.

If the moslem arab terrorists play a dirty war of attrition, (sniping at jets near airports, infecting livestock, releasing plagues) then we will respond with a dirty war of our own and it will become very hot for all moslem arabs in the USA.

The problem is that we cannot tell a "sleeper" suicide bomber from the "nice arabs down the street". When this advantage is taken, all of the "nice arabs" will suffer, it is purely self defense on the part of America. Tragic but true, that is the price a group pays for using these tactics.

One more point: the terrorists are vastly helped by a moslem arab cultural quirk: if a stranger arrives unnanounced on your doorstep, you MUST take him in as a guest, no questions asked. This permits covert terrorists to move and hide among the moslem arab population.