Posted on 06/22/2004 9:47:27 AM PDT by Maigrey
Breaking from Al Jazeera.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Yet equally as important, was the fact that the Allies had strike teams prepared to land all around the country where the prisoners were kept by the Japanese, and quite boldly, the began to intrude upon Japan's territories.
Many Japanese planned to resist despite commands from military HQ and despite the commands of the Emperor.
The sudden presence of fresh American forces, dropping out of the sky, landing here and there, very slightly began to let the steam out of the Japanese war machine. Because in many of the Japanese, they knew the war was lost. The presence of our troops, in China, on Formosa, in Japan, was enough to also precipitate the varied urges within the individual Japanese to end the thing.
And so the war dissolved.
In Japan proper, the atomic bombs had much to do with affecting the military, on that note; the atomic bombs tipped the scales toward peaceful interests.
Yet the atomic bombs did not scare the Japanese military into surrender; they simply needed enough of a reason to submit somewhat, in their view, with some vestige of honor that they had done their duty for their Emperor.
Some Japanese officers and enlisted could not accept that, and they killed themselves.
General MacArthur had much to do with scrapping the original plans of occupation, replacing them with some ad hoc re-generation of Japanese governance along democratic-republican principles. (I don't know enough about those details.)
Still, the general plan to not appease our enemy, to prosecute the war to the finish, to not stand for sanctuaries, to press the enemy on all fronts while exploiting weaknesses, worked, as it did for General Grant, and it can again.
If ...
Regarding the nukes possibility, possibly. We have already been hit with a bioweapons attack. I never forget the anthrax attacks that occurred virtually simultaneously with the 9/11 hijackings. Could it happen again? Of course it can.
I don't think time is on our side in this debate.
I agree — and so does President Bush.
...we'll get what you want though. Sit back and see attitude.
I am not saying "sit back and see." One last time: I am saying that the president has taken the brave and risky step of giving both the Afghan and Iraqi peoples the opportunity to build free, democratic societies. We are not likely to know the full outcome for a long time. In the meantime, we have to stay the course. Neither "nuke them" nor withdrawal are options.
Who's there to do it to? There's no capital city, no dictator, etc.
In war, an enemy must be defeated, demoralized, and destroyed...thats how you win. We are not doing that in Iraq. We didn't do that in Vietnam or Korea either. To win the WOT, we must fight to win. War is for men not sissy PC metrosexuals. Hopefully someone in this admin will wake up and realize that. Muslims generally think in Old Testament terms..."an eye for an eye". We cannot win this war by fighting "civilized" or "western". If we really want to win, things are going to get ugly...real ugly.
Very true...its the horror of it that ends it. Someone has to say I give up. If you aren't losing anything you don't give up. To end a war there has to be a winner, we fight to win or we give up....which is it that Americans want? To win....or muslim domination because that is the price of this war if we lose.
The reason I said shooting is because the firing squad is part of our culture. Beheading is part of their culture & I don't want to be like them. Anyway, dead is dead.
Nothing...
And in a way that would be a very effective way to divide the country even more...
But the negative/positive (depends on where you fall on the issue) side to that, would be that this country has quite a few people who are very adept at protecting themselve and their families and friends...
And if there becomes a trend, that terrorists (that we know are already in this country) start to operate in this country...
I predict a backlash of major proportions against a community who should have done everything they could to cough up those who would perpetrate these crimes...
Before they happen...
But let us hope they don't try it...
Later,
Steve
Here is what your missing Maximus:
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS NO LONGER ABLE TO FIGHT THIS WAR!
They started to cave the moment their masters; the elites in NY, Hollywood, and academia, took off their flag-pins.
Bush can do nothing without the public, and the world-wide leftists have won.
Our citizens want to "make it all go away".
We are Israel now.
And if a Kerry/UN/Soros ticket wins, everything WILL go away, for we will not hear or see it.
If you saw LOTR-ROTK you know what I mean
Flattening cities therefore doesn't stop them.
Wrong....because those who are secretly supporting them will have a real good reason to stop....their families.
You just don't get it do you?
I must not -- for the life of me I cannot "get" why you folks are so hot to act like nazis. Especially when doing so would do far more harm than good.
I don't think the "Vietnam" comparison is really one of methods and strategy . . . it's one of underlying policy. Where Iraq and Vietnam are most similar is the tenuous rationale for getting involved in the first place. The lack of immediate threat, as it becomes more clear in retrospect, is a recipe for waning public support. This is why comparisons between Afghanistan and Vietnam are silly, while comparisons betwee Iraq and Vietnam are at least arguable.
I've been watching the world for a long time. I'm used to seeing politicians twirling and spinning like weather vanes. And so, when the President and his team say they have a long range plan, that they don't want to swat flies, that they'll stay the course---I worry that they'll weaken when fickle public opinion turns against them.
Public opinion is a battleground, one strategically valuable ground, worth fighting for. The Bush team doesn't seem to think so.
Thead's over -- time to tell the AM to lock this one down.
Keep yer powder dry.
I understand. But couldn't we at least put out some propagana that all our ammo is soaked in pig blood.
Anyway, we will only use their tactics on them until they are all dead- while they will use their tactics until they are all dead.
Almost...Not quite...
But it doesn't mean it has to continue down that path...
I think there are enough of us Americans left who will know when the time comes what to do...
But...And thats a big but...
I don;t think it will get that bad...
Sure were all upset, and not surprised by this incident either...
I think the best thing is we are "talking" about it here...
Sure we're ready for something to be done about it...And it is being address...We already see it as we speak...
I for one am glad the physical fight is over there...Lets hope it stays that way...
If it gets over here, and it has in some ways...I think we can handle it...It'll still be painful, it'll still hurt...But I know its manageble...No need to sugar coat it...
Bottom line is that we need to stick together, be ready to back the play we do make...
We know somebody's got to make a gutsy call here...I for one want him to know he's got support...And thats about all we can do...The rest of it is way over our paygrade...
Later,
Steve
"Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option."
"The dictator who is assembling the world's most dangerous weapons has already used them on whole villages -- leaving thousands of his own citizens dead, blind, or disfigured. Iraqi refugees tell us how forced confessions are obtained -- by torturing children while their parents are made to watch. International human rights groups have catalogued other methods used in the torture chambers of Iraq: electric shock, burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues, and rape. If this is not evil, then evil has no meaning."
"And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country -- your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation."
"And as we and our coalition partners are doing in Afghanistan, we will bring to the Iraqi people food and medicines and supplies -- and freedom."
Although I know your opinions are set in stone, others may happen across our little exchange of posts, and perhaps some of them will have open minds.
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