Iraqi civilians feed hungry US marines

AFP/Yahoo ^ | 3-29-03

[American in Israel]

To refuse offered food in a mideast culture is to refuse the offer of friendship, and an insult.

Bingo! I would eat the food. There are a lot greater dangers, like driving to work. To give poisoned food in the Middle East would be pretty unthinkable. Imagine how much the hearts and minds campain is accomplishing in a Middle Eastern setting. Our supplying food has a FAR greater effect than most realize. The 'Adults in charge' are smarter than we think.

[American in Israel]

While I agree with most of what you are saying, I think you have to keep in effect the concept of war as a controled riot. If Rommel or Patton acted that way, the war would never be won. Yes we are in a very dangerous position, yes our supply lines are way over extended, but that is the cost of war. Timid generals never win.

On one hand there is the bet that we can control the Iraqi army from the Air, on the other this is a WMD war not a conventional one. Scary job, general.

I think we are taking a risk, to collapse the regime after taking out Saddam before it can recover. No other way has the highest chance of stopping Iraq from Nuking our supply depot. If we march forward slowly, the Chemicals would have be flying by now. We are past Saddams redline, the capture of chemical shells though empty and thousands of chemical suits prove that. The Snake is headless, but not for long, it is sprouting new heads rapidly. We must strike fast, hard and often while it recoups.

If you are afraid to loose, you will insure that you do. The war so far has been fought brilliantly. If I was playing a war game, these generals would have me beat. Hats off to our Generals, knees bent to our God, and tally ho!

[patriciaruth]

there should be a reason.

Consider this possibility. The tank and LAR run to Baghdad was televised, so we wanted them to know we were closing in real fast.
Someone suggested the strategy was to panic the Iraqi command into bringing as much as possible of the Republican guard units back to defend Baghdad from this televised blitzkreig American assault, thereby pinning as many of them there as possible so that there would be less of them in the South, North, West and ?East to fight through.

Bunched up around Baghdad the Republican Guard divisions would be much easier to "soften" up from the air.

[CarmelValleyite]

That hot chocolate story was based in Moscow, IDAHO, not Moscow, Russia!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CarmelValleyite]

Maybe the young boy was planning to use the metal sink as a shield during his "escape." Could be?

[Spruce]

[CarmelValleyite]

I'm 54 years old, grew up in L.A. in the sixties, and had NO IDEA "Hotel California" was about marijuana.

[CarmelValleyite]

We already have thousands of Iraqi immigrants in California and yes, they are doing just fine here -- and most support Operation Iraqi Freedom, though they are understandably concerned about their friends and relatives in Iraq.

[Pro-Bush]

I heard Hotel California was supposed be hell.

"You can check in, but you can never check out"

[JasonC]

"Towns and villages are virtually deserted, prompting speculation that most had shifted to safer ground before the fighting began."

Um, if this is even close to true, we should not worry about civilian losses when we go after Iraqi forces in urban areas. Perhaps the civilians know the plan is to fight in such places, and have already made it out of dodge?

[Ditter]

I say this story is a "crock". It doesn't make me feel all warm & fuzzy like it does some on this thread. I don't believe it for a minute. Where does the story really come from?

[AAABEST]

For whatever reason you pinged me to your post...

M'am I don't think you're a loser. The reason why I pinged you to my post is because you keep pinging me to yours. Which is fine, I don't mind debate and you're a nice enough lady but you should know by now when you respond to my posts that Mr. Rogers is not going to reply.

I promise I'll try to be nicer to you. I'm going to say a prayer for your son. OK?

[ohioWfan]

Thank you, don-o! (I'm a ma'am)

And thank you most of all for your 'Tennessee prayer.'

[ohioWfan]

I keep pinging to you?? Are you being serious?? I did so once, and apologized. And on this thread, I was just kidding about the appetites of young men.

You don't have to try to 'be nice' to me, AAA.......I never could stand Mr. Rogers (no offense to his family.....he was a good guy).

I can take honest criticism, even by cynics, if it's fair, and I like a good verbal fight as much as anyone. But IMO, it would be against your nature to be kind, because of your apparent instinct to ridicule those you don't agree with OR understand. Just try to be honest............ with yourself and others, and objective in seeking the real truth...........one that is not viewed through the darkened glasses of your cynicism.

And thanks for praying for my son. I very much appreciate that.

[AAABEST]

Pinging, repying whatever you want to call it. Why do you bother with me when the result is always the same? That would be fine, but then you come up with lines like "for whatever reason you pinged me to your post". Well that's what posters do when someone "pings" or replies to them.

As far as your lesson on honesty, I'm always honest. My world veiw and yours are light years apart. The "truth" in your world is humorous (albeit slightly tragic) to someone like me, and I will never see your light. As a matter of fact, I'm going to instruct a family member to shoot me if my truth ever even remotely resembles yours.

You're right I'm not nice, although I try to be a good person (difference). I'm quite convinced you're a good person as well, who may think that she's a nice person. However you're a colossal pain in my ass, so what's the difference? Your supposed niceness is as aggravating and upsetting to some as the un-niceness you ascribe to me. So I guess we're even.

As usual we're not getting anywhere here, but please feel free to chat any time as I find you fascinating. Kind of like studying an alien species.

All that said, if you need someone to talk to about your son, you can email this lady. She had a son in the first Gulf War and understands what you're going through. She's talked to others on this forum by email and phone.

God bless.

[ohioWfan]

As a matter of fact, I'm going to instruct a family member to shoot me if my truth ever even remotely resembles yours.

Interesting. The truth that I seek, and have been seeking for 46 years of walking with the Lord, is God's truth, through studying Scripture and through prayer.

I don't claim to have found it all, but if you find me 'alien' in my search for God's truth, I do feel sorry for you. And as for political truth......I base my view on it's relationship to Scriptural truth. We may disagree on points, but if you find me 'alien' there, then you are not a Conservative.

Now I'll leave you alone, and pray that your family doesn't actually shoot you if you finally grow beyond your cynicism and anger. You seem to have the potential to become a decent human being, and might do the world some good someday.

[RAT Patrol]

This is very sweet and I don't wish to be too cynical but they should be very careful about taking food from strangers.

[ez]

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - LSD

The Hotel Califonia - THC

To be honest, I read or heard this somewhere and never took the time to analyze it. It may be a coincidence...

[ez]

"We were all middle-class kids from the Midwest," Henley said of the Eagles. "'Hotel California' was our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles. It was meant to be a metaphor for the United States, for the excesses this country has always been known for. It wasn't meant to be just about California or Beverly Hills. It was more or less taken that way, but we had broader intentions than that. When you love something, you have to point out the things that are going wrong."