Archive for the 'War & Warfare' Category

Well, looky here!  Surprise, surprise.  Cooperation between Iran and North Korea.  I am sure that both Iran and North Korea need the missiles and nuclear technology to protect themselves against all of those threats (you know, Kuwait’s threats against Iran, and Liechtenstein’s threats against N. Korea).

In another post I made a few days ago, I criticized the MSM for failure to go into Ramadi (while I also sent people to another Michael Fumento article), saying they were too cowardly to do it.  Someone (incredibly) came to the defense of the MSM, and an argument ensued, until, that is, Michael Fumento weighed in.  He brought the argument to a swift and decisive conclusion, saying:

Insofar as I repeatedly noted in my Weekly Standard article that Todd Pitman was with me in Ramadi, it’s hardly a state secret. Todd is a good reporter and courageous, but his one-time stint in Ramadi (he’s back at home in Africa right now) cannot make up for the lack of MSM coverage in Ramadi or other areas outside Baghdad. As I noted in response to a letter to the Weekly Standard, it’s easy enough to google “Ramadi

Here is Zarqawi from the CENTCOM web site (page “What Extremists are Saying“):

“”Why do not you tell them that your soldiers cannot sleep without taking drugs and hallucination pills …

Barbara Boxer, as shown and discussed on The Factor with Bill O’Reilly, July 10, 2006:

“Our soldiers are having to take anti-depressants …”

The context made it clear that she was discussing forward-deployed soldiers and Marines.  In Fact, the always enjoyable Col. David Hunt had to refute this claim.

I also know that our boys cannot have any drugs, alcohol, women or anything else that would interfere with the performance of their duties or otherwise adversely effect them when deployed.  The only thing they can have is tobacco.

There you have it.  Zarqawi and Boxer – extremists.  Boxer slams our boys in harm’s way because they use smokeless tobacco.

Nice job, Barbara.  Do you feel proud?

Below “Lefty” takes me to task for insulting the MSM.  And then he accuses me of dripping sarcasm in my posts/responses.

I have sat alone in the dark and become pensive over this whole issue, and I have concluded that I did indeed insult the MSM.  And I have wept buckets and buckets of tears over it.

As to this issue of how reporting “from Ramadi,” or “from Haditha,” goes, primarily the MSM is holed up in Baghdad.  They (the brave ones) travel to a site — sometimes — like Ramadi, set up shop on the outskirts of the city where the risk is reduced, and pay informants and other news sources for information about a locale.  Then they report “from Ramadi,” or “from Haditha.”  The more cowardly ones just stay holed up in Baghdad.

Michael Fumento, on the other hand, dons full combat gear, goes in with the boys who are there, and gives us a first hand look during actual combat (like Ernie Pyle).

Michael Fumento is the closest thing to Ernie Pyle we have.  God bless Michael Fumento.

As for the MSM, I have wept buckets of tears over my insult to them.

You do believe my repentance, don’t you, Lefty?  Buckets and buckets of tears.

Here is a good article from MSNBC (I don’t usually like the stuff they produce) on warrior ethics.  It was worth the time spent reading it.  I would also mention a post I made some time ago on Calvin and Aquinas on war (most of the post was quoting Calvin, with a pointer to a paper in “First Things” on the subject of good wars).  This is an even better read, very scholarly and studied.  It may sound jingoistic to some people (who haven’t a foundation, or “world view” from which to launch the balance of their thinking), but there are good reasons for waging war and defending yourself and others.  The fathers of the church even call this a “ministry” to others.

Hmmm.  What would the folks over at Daily Kos think of war as a “ministry?”

I have said before that I do not know, but suspect what happened in Haditha (the Marines engaged in a fire fight and employed approved and necessary room-clearing tactics designed to save Marine lives).  I will wait until the evidence is in.  And it better be conclusive!  But until it comes in, let’s play ‘What’s wrong with this picture?’

It comes from MSNBC.com, and its caption reads:

This image purportedly shows a room where some of the Haditha civilians died. A lawyer representing several of the families of victims provided the photo to media (bold mine).

At least they had the foresight to say “purportedly.”  Take a hard look at the alleged blood splatter pattern.  No, the one up above the bed head board and adjacent to the top of the window.  If I am not mistaken, this is remarkably consistent with someone jumping up in the air four feet and being shot at the apex of his ascent.  Note the fact that the report claims that the occupants of the room were not killed by a fragmentation grenade, but by gun shots.

So we’re back to that person jumping up in the air four feet.

This is very moving — and a must read for those who care about our boys in harm’s way.

Farewell

The Strategy Page has this from July 6:

July 6, 2006: The large number of  charges brought against U.S. troops for crimes against civilians recently is partly coincidence (the rate of such incidents is much less than in past wars, but that is not considered news) and partly right out of the al Qaeda playbook. Making false accusations of atrocities, to attract media attention, is recommended in al Qaeda training documents, as a good way to keep the enemy off balance. After three years of defeats, al Qaeda, and their Iraqi Sunni Arab allies, are in need of some good news. Atrocities can be created, by forcing witnesses to make false claims, and to otherwise fabricate evidence. Anti-American media will not examine the evidence too closely, and will instead run with the story. That most of these claims turn out to be false is, again, not news, and the terrorists know it. Repeat a lie often enough, and it becomes, to some at least, the truth.

On June 23 I said this:

Make no mistake about it.  The tactics of the future will be some or all of the following:

1. Beheadings
2. Kidnappings 
3. Body mutilations and torture of those captured or kidnapped (don’t ever forget that 
   

God bless Michael Fumento.  I am glad to see that someone is bringing the story home of our boys over there.  The MSM is too cowardly to go to Ramadi.  My son deploys early in 2007.  The sentiments that are expressed in the story are felt by me too, and my son is not over there yet.  I intend to print this and make my son read it before he deploys.  Keep up the good work Michael.  I follow you diligently.

G.I. PHONE HOME (OR AT LEAST E-MAIL)

Here I posted (among other things) that there would be an ingrained hesitancy now in the Marines’ room-clearing techniques and less overall willingness to defend themselves due to the charges brought against the Marines at Haditha (along with other similar instances).  At Haditha, I still believe (until it is proven otherwise) that the room was cleared using techniques that the Marines are trained on and which are approved by the brass.  The intent is to kill those in the room.  Read here and here.  The presupposition is that those in the room are enemy, and that the Marines are threatened.

Now we find out that:

In theory, the rules for “clearing a building” are simple: The person inside must have been conclusively identified as a combatant, and the threat must be confirmed as real.

But in practice, every case is different — particularly with an enemy that prefers to hide behind women and children, U.S. combat veterans say.

Marines who fought in Fallouja said later that the mere suspicion that a sniper was in a building was justification for calling in a tank or airstrike. Now the bar is higher.

“It’s not just one suspicion or one event [that is needed], but several,” said Lt. Col. Pat Kline, deputy director of one of the training programs.

The presence of civilians also has to be considered when deciding whether, for example, to enter a building by throwing in a grenade, as Marines did in Haditha.

“Because someone is hostile inside a house, that doesn’t mean the entire house is hostile,” Baczkowski said.

Read the full Los Angeles Times story here.

You mark my words.  This new “protocol” will mean the deaths of more Marines.  But hey.  The upshot is that John Murtha will be happier.