Sunday, July 29, 2007

Rules of Engagement Kills soldiers

In guerrilla warfare, the enemy does not play fair. The enemy knows about the "rules of engagement" and seeks to take advantage of that knowledge only to make the opposing forces appear as violators. In the case of Iraq, the US Armed Forces are loosing a lot of soldiers to IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices) every day.

Which leads me to this question, what counter measures are the US government creating to protect our soldiers against them? And we are not just talking about deaths due to IED's, but also disabling injuries to thousands of soldiers. How about those HUM Vee's? Most of those vehicles are death traps in the urban war setting. And are not full armor proof.

The more governments attempt to civilize war or turn it into a so called gentleman's fight by establishing rules, the more vulnerable our soldiers become and the more creative the enemy will win small destructive battles against our armed forces. Prosecuting soldiers for war crimes will not calm or stop the enemy from working.

The story of "Blackhawk down" traveled around the world especially into the enemies hands. They learned how vulnerable a great armed forces can be in a urban warfare environment and most prospective enemies know they can not win against our technology and resources. Sorry, no head to head competitive battles in the deserts or jungles anymore. Why urban?

Because the enemy knows that we are humane and will go through great lengths to avoid collateral damage. In fact, the more collateral damage, the better for the enemy. Why? They can manipulate the victims emotionally to join opposing forces with inflammatory speeches and other propaganda.

In addition, the enemy can also frame our soldiers easily for murder. They can put our military field officers in jeopardy of court martial and the evidence appearing against them while investigating incidents. Instead, it seems good officers and or none commissioned officers and other soldiers are caught in the middle of politics becoming liabilities instead.

Rules of engagement are killing and permanently injuring our soldiers and destroying there honor and or integrity. Are there any solutions? Long term solutions does not create an itch that politicians want to scratch. Only short term solutions, the quick and easy seem to peak significant interest of politicians. Hey perhaps we can't blame politicians completely, they only do what the people demand mostly, of course the people can also include special interest groups and corporate.

Our US Armed Forces ultimately fight for each other and there own survival. They love there country, but it is the guy next to them in combat that matters most. And rules of engagement and the lack of unit support in time of need kills our soldiers and who is liable for that? --- Pall Stanley


Compensation For Slavery?






Check out this comment from the television minister about the reimbursement for slavery in America. By now we must know that our economical system of today was the beneficiary of four hundred years of slavery. Be that as it may, the dollar during the periods of slavery had tremendous value by comparison to todays economy, we all understand, right?

Where am I going with this? Today, a dollar amount could not possibly be attached to the cost of slavery. Most importantly, the people that deserve the compensation for there labor and troubles as the result of living during that period in history are no longer alive. What am I talking about? Most of my brothers and sisters of today if compensated monetarily would end up putting there reward back into the very same system that benefited from slavery anyway.

My compensation should be to view me as a man and measure my worth by my own merit. Do not make assumptions or conclusions about my outer appearance without considering the heart. Do not categorize me about the car I drive, the money in my back account, my family affiliations, the college I received a degree from, the color of my skin, and so on. Look into the heart of a person, let my merit be my ticket to opportunities in this life.

Idealistic? Even with the correct education, knowledge, skills, finances, dream team, and more, I would still have a challenging time purchasing a major league baseball team. Even if I am the best candidate for the job of being an owner, and I mean sole owner. This would be my payback, just give me a fair opportunity without bias. Comment by Pall Stanley