This is topic The new 'Cold War'? in forum The Flameboard at Flare Sci-Fi Forums.


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Posted by targetemployee (Member # 217) on :
 
On Washington Week in Review, a PBS show, one of the political commentators with connections to the White House said a rather unbelievable remark. According to high officials at the White House, the new thought on the war on terrorism is that this will be a new Cold War and may not be resolved within 50 years. Our frelling government is conceding defeat and is willing to wage a war of attrition.

I feel the need to say some treasonous remarks at this moment; however, I will refrain out of respect to our nation and its laws.

[ October 06, 2001: Message edited by: targetemployee ]


 
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
 
Take some comfort in the fact that that's the cold, hard truth.
 
Posted by targetemployee (Member # 217) on :
 
I don't.
On Star Trek, yes , there is a saying in the episode "The Enemy Within". A captain should never show weakness to his crew. Or, from military history, to enemies.

We are in a state of declared war with every thing that hates us. We announced plans and then renounced those same plans within a week or two. Our enemies, who are great in numbers for various reasons, see us as weak and look at us for being weak. Sooner or later, our enemies will see an oppurtunity and strike.

How many dead must we suffer before we judge that this is the last time and act decisively? We worry too often about casualities, and appearances, and having money that I feel that we lose sight of what is important-our values as a people.

If this is war, then the government should show leadership and leave all doubts behind closed doors.

What I see-an administration that is more interested in how their corporate friends need, then what is necessary for this country. There is a plan for additional tax cuts. In a war, taxes fund a military. If we cut additional taxes, how will we fund the military to fight a war? And what programs will be cut to pay for a fifty year plus war with no resolution in sight? Will we be a country of rights after fifty years, or something else? There is the beginnings of a movement to possibly considering interning immigrants who match a certain racial profile.

There should never have been a declaration of war until all facts had been known.
 


Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
 
Show me how one can "decisively" knock out terrorism.

Oh, wait...
 


Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
 
How do you fight a military action against an unorganized cell-based force?

The British asked that from 1775 to 1781. They ate buttered scones with tea & crumpets & marched in nice neat straight lines & formations down roads. The colonists ate SQUIRREL MEAT & picked off the opposing force from the trees. They weren't very hard to miss, what with being dressed in red & all.

A hundred ninety-five years later, the Vietnamese handed our asses back to us on a platter using the very same tactics. We were the British, except we were sans scones & wore camouflage. The Viet Cong ate dog & a shitload of supplies raided from us. It wasn't very hard to miss us, either, what with all the screams & such.

We learned from those mistakes; nothing's more annoying than getting swacked with the same shit that you used to gain independence. Now you'd have this nation go & stumble in blindly like a drunk frosh at 2 AM into a frat guy's bedroom? Getting raped is one thing; going into a situation without considering it is another.
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Easy. Say: "Any terrorist group which attacks us, or any of our citizens, will be destroyed. Any terrorist organization we find any members of on our soil will be destroyed. Any government which we find is supporting terrorist acts against any US citizens, will be destroyed. You may address all comments and complaints to the Bureau of Waste Management."

We then cut off all trade with countries which support these terrorists, (or which complain about our actions) increase domestic energy production, institute gas rationing, and begin an INTENSIVE program to switch as much generation as possible over to solar/wind power generation and alternatively-fueled automobiles, with the accompanying high funding and tax breaks for producing higher-efficiency engines and higher-efficiency collection and transmission technologies, and offer to share this technology with our allies.
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
quote:
Any government which we find is supporting terrorist acts against any US citizens, will be destroyed.

Given that we trained and supplied bin Laden and presumeably a great deal of his el Queda (spelling?) organization during the Soviets' conflict in Afghanistan, does that mean our beloved President is going to call in a nuclear strike on Langley?
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
The difference between Afghanistan now and Vietnam then (and Afghanistan 20 years ago, for that matter) is that the combatants were each being supported and supplied by powerful outside governments. The Viet Cong had the Chinese AND Russians. the Afghan rebels of 20 years ago had the US.

Now they have nobody, except BinLaden's money. I'm fairly confident we can outspend him.

[ October 06, 2001: Message edited by: First of Two ]


 
Posted by IDIC (Member # 256) on :
 
They're also most likely backed by the governments of Iran, Irak, Libia... the list goes on.
 
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
 
Well, al Quaeda and Iran are about as chummy as Inspector Gadget and Dr. Claw. And seeing as Libya has been handing over its intelligence info on bin Laden to the Anti-terrorist coalition, I'd drop them off that list for now, too.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Apparently, although the Iranian government is unwilling to publicly declare that it finds bin Laden to be responsible, in private discussions it *has* blamed him.
 
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Iraq, MAYBE... but we all know what the Iraqi military is capable of... or rather, ISN'T.
 
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
 
Iraq will probably get a taste of this whole anti-terrorism coalition. From what I have heard, Saddam has been funding some of Bin Ladin's operations.

With regards to 'Nam; Another reason why we got our asses kicked is because we weren't sending in trained, ready-to-go troops. We were sending scared 18 year old kids who didn't have a fucking clue how to be soldier nor did they have any training outside that of a 6 week boot camp. Or was it 4 weeks? Either way, you probably see my point.

[ October 08, 2001: Message edited by: MIB ]

[ October 08, 2001: Message edited by: MIB ]


 


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