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Any of you read this book by British corospondant Richard Minotar?
He was on AM radio today hit some highlights..the books thrust is how much better we are doing in war on terror than is publisized..few points that I recall.
1) This war is global...not only middle east but N. Africa (US and French special OPS in Chad, Niger, Sudan, Libya, others), central America, SE Asia (Phillapines, Indonesia, others). In all 102 countries and over 3000 dead or captured Al Queada.
2) Capture of "Admiral" of Al Queda and 18 bomb laden ships
3) A thwarted plot by Meki (sp?) to kill Bush in N. Africa, 2002...guess that is not an Al Queda vote for Bush>.
4) Terrorist captured in N. Africa with credentials of an airline mechanic from JFK airport!
5) And most intersting, a qoute from a senior intell operative.."we stop on average one plot PER DAY aimed at the US or US interests" pointing out that by agressively going on the offense it "is no accident that the US has not been attacked".
Got the book and can't wait to check it out..
Also, in unrelated news..the house draft bill sponsored by Democrats Charlie Rangle & Fritz Hollings was defeated by a vote of 400 to 2 so NO DRAFT....reaffirming what Bush said last week of an all volunteer army. So those worring about the draft can relax..
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Originally posted by DanNx:
Any of you read this book by British corospondant Richard Minotar?
He was on AM radio today hit some highlights..the books thrust is how much better we are doing in war on terror than is publisized..few points that I recall.
1) This war is global...not only middle east but N. Africa (US and French special OPS in Chad, Niger, Sudan, Libya, others), central America, SE Asia (Phillapines, Indonesia, others). In all 102 countries and over 3000 dead or captured Al Queada.
2) Capture of "Admiral" of Al Queda and 18 bomb laden ships
3) A thwarted plot by Meki (sp?) to kill Bush in N. Africa, 2002...guess that is not an Al Queda vote for Bush>.
4) Terrorist captured in N. Africa with credentials of an airline mechanic from JFK airport!
5) And most intersting, a qoute from a senior intell operative.."we stop on average one plot PER DAY aimed at the US or US interests" pointing out that by agressively going on the offense it "is no accident that the US has not been attacked".
Got the book and can't wait to check it out..
Also, in unrelated news..the house draft bill sponsored by Democrats Charlie Rangle & Fritz Hollings was defeated by a vote of 400 to 2 so NO DRAFT....reaffirming what Bush said last week of an all volunteer army. So those worring about the draft can relax..
That draft vote was MESSED UP. Rangel flipped out when the House Republicans called his bluff and said "OK, let's vote", and then he started rushing to make sure no one voted for the bill. Busted, you tool.
As far as the Shadow War idea, I can sorta vouch for the fact that there are operations going on that aren't centered on Iraq and Afghanistan. It's one of those "I know people who know people" things, and there are lots of stories that aren't being told. But then, it's not like I can prove any of it.
"Think of it, if you like, as a librarian with a G-string under the tweed." Clarkson on the Mondeo.
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Originally posted by DanNx:
..reaffirming what Bush said last week of an all volunteer army...
i wonder what to make of the reports from some soldiers that they're being pressured to re-enlist or risk being deployed to iraq. sounds like some recruiters may be playing dirty.
'03 Saab 9-5 Aero
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Originally posted by BP:
Originally posted by DanNx:
..reaffirming what Bush said last week of an all volunteer army...
i wonder what to make of the reports from some soldiers that they're being pressured to re-enlist or risk being deployed to iraq. sounds like some recruiters may be playing dirty.
Recruiters? Once you're in the door, they are done with you.
And, once you sign the contract (voluntarily) the government pretty much owns you. In time of national need, they can hold up separations and retirements, even transfers, but this is usually at a DoD or service level. That is, the local commander can't institute a "stop loss" just for his unit.
But, people can play dirty, and you know it happens. Could be the CO or the senior enlisted who are pressuring. Bottom line is that without the "stop loss" from the Pentagon, they don't have a leg to stand on.
Who wants to lead that way, anyhow? Not only is it wrong, it's pathetic and destroys morale.
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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My brother-in-law is an Air Traffic Controller in the Marines and just re-enlisted. You wanna know what pressure they put on him to reup? A $10k bonus and choice of duty station.
Sounds like a good deal to me, reward the soldiers who make the military their career. Rewarding loyalty will mean happier troops.
I have also just picked up a copy of "The Shadow War", after reading some excerpts and seeing the author on CNN, MSNBC, and FOXnews within a few days of each other. Should prove to be an interesting read, especially with my intel background.
E1
1999 Cougar - Supercharged 3L
1992 Talon TSi - AWD Turbo
1992 Eclipse GSX - AWD Turbo
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True. Incentives are usually the first step. I'm saying that there may be a few misguided souls who think they can use fear and threats to motivate people.
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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Oh, I am sure it happens, too. Hopefully the internal checks and balances make sure that our Soldiers, Seamen, Marines, and Airmen are all treated equally, and that fear cannot play any role in their deployments, or lack thereof.
I've delt with a few CO's in my time that weren't the brightest on the block, and would use fear and intimidation to get their way. We just have to hope that these types of people will not be in charge of deployments of our troops.
E1
1999 Cougar - Supercharged 3L
1992 Talon TSi - AWD Turbo
1992 Eclipse GSX - AWD Turbo
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Originally posted by BP:
Originally posted by DanNx:
..reaffirming what Bush said last week of an all volunteer army...
i wonder what to make of the reports from some soldiers that they're being pressured to re-enlist or risk being deployed to iraq. sounds like some recruiters may be playing dirty.
That stuff has been going on forever in the military....when I was in it was "re-enlist or you will do another Med cruise and circle "bagel station"..off coast of Lebanon". Course, the logic usually fails..."if I re-enlist I'll STILL get sent to Bagel station only LONGER...knowing the CO did not really have the power over where you went.
It was not rare but not common either, and again..few bite on that hook. Like the story below, I was (15 years ago) offered $7,000 and choice of duty to re-enlist as an Air Controller (I passed)...I would have thought the bonus would be bigger by now.
1999 Amazon Green SVT Contour (#554/2760)
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use."
-Soren Kierkegaard (as posted by Jato)
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