heartoftexasarmymom wrote:What a colossal waste of taxpayer money. How does one use "non-violence" to win hearts and minds, when the population at large is uncivilized and understands nothing but violence??? Locals will respond to whomever promises them what they want, allegiances shift with the faintest breeze, money and weapons talk -- that's power, that's protecting their self-interests. These people don't know anything else, and that's how their country has been for centuries ... and I doubt they ever can be "civilized" in any way approaching what our culture considers "civilized".
Our military appears weak, to be expending so much time, effort, so many resources, on "non-violent stabilization" efforts ... which are what? Radio broadcasts ... temporarily mollifying mullahs ... shaming corrupt cops and officials? Puleeeeeze.
And no, I haven't been there, done that ... but I correspond with soldiers and marines who are, who have been, and some of them are in the middle of the worst fighting, and some of them in intel. I'd trust the thoughts and insights of boots on the ground faster than any lace panty privileged academic.
You really have absolutly no clue what is required to fight an insurgency do you ????..
dont you think that getting in the head of what modivates the insurgent base would be important?....how about why a certain tribe does what it does ?......do you realize that some of what we are fighting is misinformation plain and simple ....I would go with the guy that can kill me at will to for talking to the coilition....so would you ....It is survial at its most base level ...I cant make you understand it .....you have never known what it is to wonder what you will eat tonight ...or if the taliban will cut your head off for talking to the wrong person ...or even if you will get blown the fuck up trying to go to work ...
any of the atmospherics uncovered by these teams are invaluble.....ANY information about who we are fighting is usefull ....
we could go in and blow the shit out the whole fucking country ...we are more than capable ....However the russians did that ...at one point there were 20 something DIVISIONS in this country and they got the shit kicked out of them....we have a fraction of that and are makeing headway .....we can beat our heads aginst the wall or we can fight smart...
With all due respect MOM ....go bake some cookies ....pack a care package and send it to your son .....we got the fight ...nothing pisses me off more than someone espouseing an uniformed opinion second hand from a source living at the SPC level .....with no fucking clue what the big picture is.... But then again I am only working my third year in this country ...
