Being equipped to survive must start with equipping our thought life. If you can't survive and get along the other humans you can be affected by then either you won't survive or your won't long enjoy surviving.

I must clarify my position before continuing:

I am American
I support our political leadership in their current activities
I find all wars unfortunate but few in history have been seen as avoidable

This forum has been my learning place for being equipped to survive and I have learned quite alot from people of many different national, political and religious backgrounds. (I haven't met many here who are against firearms tho) When we are all well prepared with stocked PSK's, FAK's, BOB's, 4X4 war-wagons, out-of-town supply depots and country hideouts and we become bored with the overwhelming focus on tools and gear; we will eventually have to look at what it takes to survive as communities, nations and worlds. One thing needed then will be a reasonably tolerant view of all and an ongoing attempt to avoid offending those who disagree whilst maintaining open dialog and attempting to find common ground with the greatest number. Whether we do this individually in our neighborhood or nationally in our world the need is the same.

I commend Doug for the original post though I must admit it seemed a bit of a violation of the standing rules when I read it in the forum. I further agree with maintaining the reference in a place of prominence in the forum but removing the thread and the actual content from the forum.

I don't want to be bogged down in a discussion of this war on this forum - I belong to political forums for that. I think that the idea of what survival is like for soldiers might make a good discussion and we needn't discuss the nationality of even the conflict in which said soldiers are / were involved. I would think that the aid / care package for an Iraqi soldier wouldn't differ much from that for an American soldier or a French Foreign Legionair in Africa during WWI. Discussions of E&E might be somewhat off-topic (or-not). Certainly as more of our countrymen and women are finding the need to survive in these hostile environments it is perhaps as much a worthy topic as survival in the tropics or the artic environments.

Point I wanted to make is, as editor of this site Doug certainly should be able to editorialize on his site, and anything new added to the site should be announced here in the forum. But, in fairness to, not only Iraqi's but also those durn French, Russian, German, Chinese and anyone else who has an internet connection and wishes to become "equipped to survive" but not forced to "Think American" however RIGHT we are; the editorial content that doesn't have to do with the forum topic of Equippment should be in the editorial area.

I would see no problem with that thread being in the campfire where we might roast it slowly to the offense and humor of all concerned as long as Doug refrained from shutting down any differing opinions until the flames could be seen in Iraq.

Just my thoughts - certainly, not necessarily yours.

I do not work for ETS or represent it in any way. I am a visitor here - that's all.