posted
It's bad enough that the US is going to war in such a blatant act of aggression (justified or not). It's bad enough that the only reason anyone gives a damn about Iraq is because of the oil. It's bad enough that our leaders are willing to risk the ruination of long-lasting international relationships to satisfy their goals.
But the revelation that the majority of the American public just doesn't care about all this is shocking, saddening, and quite disturbing.
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Well, given the choice between watching Jerry Seinfeld comment about inane bullshit and Wolf Blitzer getting visibly aroused by large explosions, I can't blame them. I can only handle the Jingoistic Circle-Jerk on CNN for so long before switching to 'real' news coverage that your country sadly lacks.
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I've had CNN on in the background for most of the day. Shortly before 2p.m. (CST), they were talking to journalist May Ying Welsh, who has remained in Baghdad. She was talking about how much more severe the "A-Day" attack was, in comparison to the prior days of bombing. I think she was implying that the casualties may be much greater as well, when she mentioned that, during the lighter bombings, there were 37 civilian casualties.
Barely more than two hours later, the exact same station stated that "there have been no reports of civilian casualties".
I mean, lying is one thing, but do they really need to be insulting and/or moronic about it?
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by TSN: Barely more than two hours later, the exact same station stated that "there have been no reports of civilian casualties".
I mean, lying is one thing, but do they really need to be insulting and/or moronic about it?
Gee, y'think mabye the Military told the network to say that? I'ts not like the smart bombs are smart enough to only kill enemy troops.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
I can see it now...a bomb flying up to a guy on the street in Baghdad...
"Excuse me, good sir, but are you The Enemy?" "Uhhh...no." "Oh. Well, could you direct me towards some? I really have the need to explode soon." "Um...try down that street." "Thank you!"
-------------------- "The French have a saying: 'mise en place'—keep everything in its fucking place!"
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I'm not a liberty to say right now, but the US and the British military both have weapons that are far smarter than what you have been told. We have weapons that can kill everything inside a building and leave the building untouched by just exploding 9they're not dirty). We got something called Daisy Cutters that can explode and create a expanding shockwave to cut infantry in half.
Recently the military announced that they exploded a 20 kiloton conventional bomb. The funny thing is that we already possessed that (most militay are aware of it, part of our Aircombat Training) such bomb but five times as powerful.
We can blow up a bus between two buildings only a foot apart from the bus, and leave no trace of that bus or that bomb exploding. Soon or later, we'll have bombs and missiles that probably can do what Shik has said.
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted
You know our educational system is in a shambles when people have such a poor grasp of context.
"There were thirty seven casualties during the lighter bombing." "Shock and Awe is now going on." "There have been no (reported) civilian casualties."
Translation: "The thirty-seven who were casualties are still casualties. No new casualties due to the shock-and-awe campaign have been reported yet. We trust you to be intelligent enough to realize we're talking about two different phases of casualties here."
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:I think she was implying that the casualties may be much greater as well, when she mentioned that, during the lighter bombings, there were 37 civilian casualties.
Barely more than two hours later, the exact same station stated that "there have been no reports of civilian casualties".
I mean, lying is one thing, but do they really need to be insulting and/or moronic about it?
TSN and Rob are both wrong.
Key word: REPORTED casualties. So, while under a (realtively) heavier bombardment, the reporter mentioned that in an earlier, lighter bombardment, there had been 37 injured. The news station didn't not report later that there had been NO casualties due to the heavier bombardment, but rather, that none had yet been reported from whomever it is does that type of reporting.
posted
That's what I said, that no NEW casualties had been REPORTED from the NEW campaign yet.
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I've noticed that the reporters in Iraq call every bomb that Iraq drops a "Scud", but reports I see on the ticker tape, say that no Scuds have been fired.
I haven't been watching closely. I saw enough during Vietnam and Gulf WarI to do me for the rest of my life.
-------------------- Sparky:: Think! Question Authority, Authoritatively. “Believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see.” EMSparks
Shalamar: To save face, keep lower half shut.
Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
As I said before, I have heard "two scuds" everywhere, and believe the mention of "no scuds" referred to a single day, one when no launches of scuds occurred.
Until I see an official announcement otherwise, I'm staying with that.
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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Um... yes. About two to three weeks ago, the military announced that they did drop a bomb that equaled a 20 kiloton atomic bomb. I happen to know this for a fact because AOs which i deal with everyday deal with such bombs. The military will not tell the press everything that they have or know. What, do you think they're stupid? What's the point of being classified if they tell it to the news?
Anyway, it's not a nuclear scale bomb that can wipe out cities, but just the bomb when it explodes creates a small explosion as powerful as a 20 kiloton nuclear bomb.
Then again, Omega, you appear to know more than i do about the military, so maybe I'll believe you. Obviously my 6 months of air warfare was for nothing.
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted
Forgive me, but was it not a twenty-thousand POUND bomb? Ain't no chemical that would be equivalent to a 20. Thousand. TONS. Of TNT that is still going to be light enough to carry on a plane, unless they've redefined the laws of physics on me.
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
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Da_bang80
A few sectors short of an Empire
Member # 528
posted
a 20 kiloton conventional bomb,i don't think it would have to way 20,000 tons to have a blast equivalent of 20 kilotons. anyway, I'd have to see it to believe it. even then, it'd better make a very big explosion!
-------------------- Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I cannot accept. And the wisdom to hide the bodies of all the people I had to kill today because they pissed me off.
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