Free Republic

This is ludicrous and the United States should not attend if you ask me!

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This is not a good idea. The reason the UN got involved in Korea was because the Soviet Union was boycotting the UN and was not there when the vote was taken to take military action in defense of South Korea.

We want our ambassador at every meeting, then veto.

Francophone Socialists and Greens feared that the law would be rendered toothless, if the amendments were too radical.

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Without some sort of enforcement, isn't the law, shall we say "toothless".

This is like the laws liberal cities such as Berkeley like to pass, it makes them feel good, but does nothing.

There has not been another major attack in the United States since 9/11 - Could this aggressive use of wiretaps be one of the reasons?

I hate to say it, but this whole thing is turning into a quagmire, if they do not stop trying to act so politically correct, and start bombing heavily, there is no way they will capture Baghdad.

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Less than a week at war, and we are in a "quagmire". This says more about you, and your knowledge then anything going on in Iraq.

Six months from now if we are still outside of Baghdad, and heavy fighting is still going on, we might be in a quagmire, but four days in the war!

In the battle of Cannae (216 BC), invader Hannibal faced numerically superior Roman forces. Both sides lined up in traditional fashion, infantry at the center, cavalry on the flanks.

As they say, the Romans were still fighting the last war (using the same tactics they had used in the past.) This was their failure. Hannibal came up with a solution to their tactics (which is why you don't want to keep doing the same thing over and over.

Having said that, I don't think we are seeing the Coalition Forces "fighting" the last war. Going in before the Air War started for one.

The United States made a decision to keep the civilian casualties low, we can do this only at a price. I will wait until the war is over to decide if the price was worth it. But, having made that decision, we can not do what we need to do to keep our casualities low (bomb the hell out of everything).

There is more to war then being able to kill, you need organization, command, and supplies. Iraq will fight this war with whatever supplies they have on hand. No matter how much that is, it is not enough.

We are only seeing what the "embedded" reporters are seeing. What is the 82nd Airborne doing, what about the 101st and the 173rd? We are not getting much news from the north, or the west. I have a feeling we have not really seen the "shock and awe" campaign yet.

Anyway, that is my opinion.

Gen. Giap.......technique/Chinese Proverb.

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I am sure our military can also read history.

Other units still not heard from are the brigade of the 82nd and the 172nd Airborne Brigade.

173rd Airborne Brigade.

Whatever you think of their bravery, in this situation, they did their best to stop a pointless war.

Thanks, now we know what your real point is.

I seem to recall sometime in the late 1970s some mindless protestor was trying to stop a trainload of muitions (in northern California) and sat down on the train train tracks. The train did not stop, he lost both legs.

These protestors do not seem to understand that this train is not going stop because they are sitting on the tracks, if they do not move, they will be hurt, or killed. The responsibility of which, will be theirs alone.

We didn't win Vietnam because we didn't invade the North due to fears of Chinese & Russian intervention. We invade the North, the war is over in days.

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"We invade the North, the war is over in days" I don't think so. First reason, China, second reason Soviet Union.

Review the Korean conflict, as soon as we pushed the North Koreans back, and move into North Korea, China sent troops south.

The goal in Viet Nam was to stop the spread of Communism, not start WWIII.

A case could be made if continued to provide supplies, and air power, the North would not have been able to take the South. But we did neither, and in the end South Viet Nam cease to exist.

We are still too close to Viet Nam to get a proper perspective on it. It will be up to historians to sort it out.

Fortunately, the same restrictions the United States faced in 1950 and the 1960s are not in play today. The end of this conflict will be much different. But, it does not hurt to go after the "hearts and minds" of the civilians, just keep on guard, and don't trust them with your life.

Color me cynical but this sounds so much like the "hearts and minds" doctrine of Viet Nam which didn't turn out so well for the good guys.

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Viet Nam was not lost due to the Military failure of the American Soldier, it was lost due to the lack of support of the American People. We gave up, came home, and then ended support for the people of South Viet Nam. The North continued to get support from their allies (as well as some of ours) and was able to win the war.

Did the "hearts and minds" doctrine hurt us in Viet Nam, I don't think so, did it help, I like to think it did.

Guess Apple beat everybody to the punch again.

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That is like saying the Vikings discovered America, so, it did not "stay" discovered until Columbus.

Apple may be the best computer ever made or ever will be made, but there is something wrong if few are buying it. What could that be? A conspiracy against Apple, or just piss poor marketing, you decide.

This is also true for music on hold (on telephones)

I don't know about this, I am sure I have some people who were direct decendants of Neanderthals :-)

By this weekend...

I live in California. I support the three strike law.

I read that the Judges should have some leeway in setting the sentence. That is what got us here in the first place. Judges were letting criminals go time after time after time. I too would prefer that Judges had some leeway, but I would also prefer having Judges that would take their jobs serious, and not act as another defense attorney.

Very few law abiding citizens well find themselves facing the three strike law. First you have to commit a felony, and then be caught and then be tried and then be found guilty. Now, can anyone tell me with a straight face that someone found guilty of a felony was for the very first and only crime they committed? No, most likely they have committed many felonies but have only been caught for the one.

After serving your time, you have to return to your life of crime, and start the process over, committing felonies, getting caught, getting tried, and being found guilty.

Now, after getting out the third time, you have a choice, do not commit anymore crimes (or move out of California) or risk the third strike.

If you go out to commit more crimes you are pretty much telling the world you can not help yourself and that you will continue on your merry criminal way, unless stopped. Well the three strike law is going to stop you, at least for awhile.

This is a quality of life issue as much as anything. The person who had their golf clubs stolen (in this case) should not have suffered this loss, regardless of the cost of the clubs.

Every crime committed affects innocent civilians, and sometimes in large ways sometimes in small ways. Stealing is wrong. Society should have the right to discourage people from committing crimes. And if someone has shown through their actions that they can not help themselves, then they should be locked up for a very long time.

I live in California, and I have no problem paying for the prisons.

If you think the three strike laws are too harse, invite the criminals into your state and treat them with kindness, as long as they are off the streets, I am happy.

You are correct. Another area that oil seeps to the surface is now a major tourist attraction, the La Brea tar pits. Funny, how oil on the ground in the middle of Los Angeles is a tourist attraction, but (potential) oil on the ground in some far reaches of Alaska is an enviromental disaster.

This is all too funny.

Over the weekend I picke up a DVD on old TV programs (from the 1950s, it was cheap).

Anyway, the action was filmed outside around Long Beach California (as near as I can figure from the story line).

That does not matter as much as my point, which was in one scene the characters are driving past an oil field. For as far as you could see were oil derricks and oil pumps.

Now, if all that drilling did not kill off the good citizens of Long Beach, why are we concerned about some remote spot a thousand miles from no where.

"The arrest of a few individuals from within al Qaeda's ranks will have no bearing on the organization's functioning," Wali said at a hideout near the southern Afghan town of Spin Boldak.

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His words would carry a little more weight if they were not issued from some secret hideout.

The minute he appears on the radar screen he will either die, or join his friends in Cuba.

I don't think they have caught on yet that the rules have changed. In the past, they would commit some act of terror, and then hide out for awhile, and in time it would be safe to come out and go about their business. Not anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I think they are still dangerous, but every time one of them makes an appearance, or issues a statement or commits an act of terror, they become one step closer to their fate.

Have you been asleep for the past few years. This stamp is not new.