Afghan war

[wildcat]

SAW where we are losing more troops. If we would look at history instead of some bookkeepers starting our wars they would know the last foreign army successful there was Alexander the Great. Turks, Russians, Egyptians, British, and a hundred other armies, including ours, have got their buts kicked. GET THE FUCH OUT OF THERE!!!!!!!

 

[MadMo44Mag]

These people in the middle east have been waring for centuries over their religions.
We are there to protect US and UK oil interests and nothing more. You can claim to liberate the peoples from tyranny but that's BS!
Oil is why we are there because the freaking tree huger's here in the US will not allow us to explore and extract the resources from our own lands.
In the mid 60's the US government decided that it would be smart to import oil from the middle east rather than use our own resources. We see where that has got us!

 

[Big country]

We are there to attack the people that attacked us and attack those that support the people that attacked us, not liberate the people the people don't give a damn if we live or die although I would think that a vast majority would rather see us die. The people that attacked us are likely in Pakistan by now but were in and we could win if the POTUS would pull his head out of his ass.

 

[wildcat]

OIL is the keyword---All we need now is IRAN to lob a few nukes on israel and you can say "goodbye world". We need Teddy Roosevelt back--"Leave those idoits alone and walk softly and carry a big stick" Load your magazines and buy a bunch of ramen noodles.

 

[claymore504]

We WILL win over there if Obama would send the troops we need. You can say oil all you want. But, people are being helped over there and it will take them standing up for their country to win in the end. Plus we are there to kill some terrorist trash. We walked softly long enough before 9/11 now we are using the hell out of our big stick. Closing your eyes and covering your ears does not mean the threat is not there and does not need to be delt with.

 

[GI-John]

After 911 the american people wanted blood for what happened. You can not just send troops on a mission to risk life, limb, and eyesight, and when the going gets realistic you just jerk them around. Soldiers and Marines are beaten in the head with "the goal/the mission", and its utmost importance. Im sick of this pull out crap. Both the U.S. Marine Corp. and U.S. Army have evolved so much since the invasion. Understanding the culture and working with it rather then against it has been a long process but it is yielding results. Need I remind you that the black liquid you think we should abandon will not only cripple this economy in its absence but also fund the wrong people with devastating arsenal.

BTW, the loss of any American life to the enemy is depressing but for you people who refer to wars as won or lost. Crunch the numbers, Our death toll is a fraction of what we have inflicted on the opposition. Does anyone really win in war, NO. However if that is your outlook on war then you are still wrong.

 

[TrailDust]

We are there to attack the people that attacked us and attack those that support the people that attacked us, not liberate the people the people don't give a damn if we live or die although I would think that a vast majority would rather see us die. The people that attacked us are likely in Pakistan by now but were in and we could win if the POTUS would pull his head out of his ass.

I'll agree to every word of that. Americans are upset because this area of foreign policy has lasted longer than two weeks, the maximum length of time the average American (or Congressman) can think into the future.

 

[wrtanker]

I've heard that before about the last sucessful army was Alexander. But you have to look at the goals of each of those armies. Our goals there are much different from all those other guys, even the colonial British.

As for just being about oil you have to look at how much oil we import from Afghanistan, or did before 9/11. Do you really think we're worried about oil from Af?

This world has become a very small and connected place. You have to consider every action for it's global implications. Even what happens in Bolivia has implications for Europe if you look at the connections and impacts. This is a very complicated world with no simple actions. That said, I agree that we need to get busy and get the job done in Afghanistan. Our success there is vital for so many reasons. Our military can do the job if we have the proper support from our politicians. And that support is really complicated, too.

 

[brickboy240]

If we'd drill here and tighten up our borders and watch who we let in...we won't need to waste our valuable soldiers in a shathole like the 'Stan.

...think about it.

- brickboy240

 

[TrailDust]

If we'd drill here and tighten up our borders and watch who we let in...

If only.... Welcome to America, land of idiotic political policy. We're sitting on 2 trillion barrels of oil, 800 billion barrels (about 3 times the proven Saudi reserves) of that oil is economically recoverable with global oil prices at $38 a barrel, yet we aren't touching a drop due to Presidential and Congressional policy. Insane!

 

[MadMo44Mag]

If only.... Welcome to America, land of idiotic political policy. We're sitting on 2 trillion barrels of oil, 800 billion barrels (about 3 times the proven Saudi reserves) of that oil is economically recoverable with global oil prices at $38 a barrel, yet we aren't touching a drop due to Presidential and Congressional policy. Insane!

This attitude started back in the mid 60's as Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company.) was really ramping up and producing. The Saudi's wanted more control and the US knows at some point the Saudi's would nationalize the oil field which in the mid 80's they did after squeezing the US and UK out.
Back to my point - The US and UK knew what they held in reserves and had a good idea of what lay in the ocean they could drill and extract, based on the days technology; so the idea was to let the Saudi’s sell us oil; oil would be traded in US dollars and help support the dollars value. In addition the thought was why use or reserves when we can buy their oil knowing that at some point that oil would be depleted and our reserves left pretty much untouched.
As the years passed and the tree huggers and special interest groups got more powerful this idea has backfired and now when it would be in our interest to explore, drill and produce our own oil we are prohibited because of laws that have been passed because of the tree huggers and special interest.
911 gave excuse to put boots on the ground in part of the world where we needed troops for various reasons but primarily to protect our interests 1st and the Iraqis people second.
No doubt the Iraqi people are better off and we have made in-roads into parts of the world we would never have gain access too if not for 911 but don’t fool yourself we are there for the interests of BIG business and national security and the Iraqi people have benefited form it.
When the SHTF in the Middle East and it will happen we are in a good position to guard and protect out interests.



Flame suit on!!!!!

 

[wrtanker]

Protecting our interests is not a bad thing. In fact, it is the only good reason for doing anything outside our borders, especially if it is going to cost lives. Do we really want to comit the Marines to Darfur? What's to be gained? I know about the suffering and injustice there but with no national interest all we'd be is cops. What business do we have going in there? Of course we went into Iraq to protect our interests. If Sadam had minded his own business he'd still be in power instead of dead. Syria is no better than Iraq was but they haven't overtly threatened our interests. We need to protect what's important to us whether it's our source of the oil that powers our country or keeping serious weapons out of the hands of maniacs that threaten us.

 

[TrailDust]

As the years passed and the tree huggers and special interest groups got more powerful this idea has backfired and now when it would be in our interest to explore, drill and produce our own oil we are prohibited because of laws that have been passed because of the tree huggers and special interest.

And it's shocking, disgusting, infuriating to realize that these people constitute only a tiny fraction of the U.S. population (very low single digits, IMO), and yet their opinions, their politics are allowed to control the rest of us. And for what?

 

[Hawghauler]

I must agree 100% with Big Country. We are here to find and kill the bad guys. We are not getting oil from Iraq we are trucking it into Iraq. We are not getting anything from Afghanistan, we are trucking it in. The men and women of the Marines, Air Force, Army, and Navy are doing a hero's job going after bad guys, not doing seismagraphic oil exploration. Sleep well on your 1000 thread count cotton sheets because there are vigilant war fighters here putting the word out there that it really sucks to attack America.

 

[MadMo44Mag]

Hawg I am normally in 100% agreement with you and I do agree with your comments up to a point but with boots on the ground in that part of the world, with Iran and others there out to destroy us and Israel we are protecting our interest and allies in that part of the world.

The Saudi's will play both sides against the middle because they dislike the US and Israel just as much as Iran and the rest of the Middle-East. They will smile and whisper in your ear and twist the knife in your back. The Saudi's are out for the Saudi's and no one else.

PLEASE don't think I am bashing our solders because I am not. I am very proud of our men and woman in uniform and as you know me, you know my kids are in the service.

You just have to understand that 911 was a point in history that allowed the US and its allies to put boots on the ground in an area of the world where our interest were being threatened as well as the physical USA.

You just can't go busting into another country without just cause and 911 offered that just cause. Our purpose there is two pronged – kill the bad guys and protect our interests and to think we are ONLY there to kill the bad guys is not thinking the situation all they way through.

Stability in that part of the world is paramount to the West.

If the Middle East were to explode with Iran and Israel in a shooting war oil prices would skyrocket, the Saudi’s would be dragged into it and this country would come to a grinding halt. These are Muslim countries and will side with each other before they support the USA and its allies.


Common sense should tell us there is more to this than just getting the bad guys for 911 based on the history and current situation in the Middle East.


Is that a flame thrower you have in your hands??? - LOL!!!!!

 

[Hawghauler]

We do want stability here so we can buy their oil rather than drill for our own, we can agree on that. Our politicians did use the excuse of Sept 11th to come here even though they have had ample opportunity in the past, they just had a president this time with a set of balls to do it. We can agree our nation has an oil interest. The original post though seemed to me leaning towards we are getting killed for no reason so lets pull out. That I disagree with. We are killing bad guys here and showing the Islamic terrorists that at least occasionally we have an American president that doesn't take crap. I do know our boys and girls know what their job is here, and that is to win the war on terror, and they are doing it. They'd do it faster if they got the surge their boss with balls asked for. Even though our president has big ears, he doesn't listen to his generals very well.

 

[MadMo44Mag]

We do want stability here so we can buy their oil rather than drill for our own, we can agree on that. Our politicians did use the excuse of Sept 11th to come here even though they have had ample opportunity in the past, they just had a president this time with a set of balls to do it. We can agree our nation has an oil interest. The original post though seemed to me leaning towards we are getting killed for no reason so lets pull out. That I disagree with. We are killing bad guys here and showing the Islamic terrorists that at least occasionally we have an American president that doesn't take crap. I do know our boys and girls know what their job is here, and that is to win the war on terror, and they are doing it. They'd do it faster if they got the surge their boss with balls asked for. Even though our president has big ears, he doesn't listen to his generals very well.

We be on the same side Hawg - LOL!!!!
Yeah after re-reading that I see what you mean but that was not the intent.
We need to be knocking heads over there and keep boots on the ground because sooner than later the SWHTF!

 

[eriadoc]

SAW where we are losing more troops. If we would look at history instead of some bookkeepers starting our wars they would know the last foreign army successful there was Alexander the Great. Turks, Russians, Egyptians, British, and a hundred other armies, including ours, have got their buts kicked. GET THE FUCH OUT OF THERE!!!!!!!

Actually, the borders have shifted around over the centuries, but the mountainous region that has always been part of what is currently Afghanistan was not conquered by Alexander. Darius I failed, Genghis Khan failed, and all the others you mention failed. Russia failed in the 1800s, and the USSR failed in our lifetime. That cracks me up, in a macabre sort of way.

 

[Big country]

I just thought I'd say real quick that no one is saying you don't care about our troops Mo. I understand your point of view and respect it. What we are doing here is something the liberals are afraid of, Having a difference of opinion discussion with out calling names or talking bad about one another's mother. (just say that last part out loud it's funny) and I do agree that being in the middle east would put our troops in striking position of just about all of the usual trouble makers. But we got there by chasing the arrogant Muslim extremists that like to brag and carry on about what a good job they did. But whatever the discussion we are all friend's and there has been no name calling or your momma jokes so I guess we're all still friends. LOL!

 

[TrailDust]

there are vigilant war fighters here putting the word out there that it really sucks to attack America.

"...to the shores of Tripoli!"

The ass kicking started during Jefferson's administration and should never have stopped.