http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA9JOQZLSD.html

........................................... Amen.

Who would do such a thing? Is there no such thing as respect and decency anymore? <img src="images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Well, at the risk of being thrown out of the forum - this is war. If you expect the enemy to play by the rules you made up, then you're doing it wrong.

I remember in the early days of the war (I think the one in Afghanistan) I was somewhat bemused by the attitude of the BGen who was acting as the spokesman for the US military forces, talking about how the Afghani resistance was using undercover suicide bombers and hiding behind civilian "human shields"; he said something to the effect that these weren't soldiers, because soldiers wouldn't do anything so cowardly.

It struck me as a ridiculous attitude, and still does. Here was the most powerful country in the world - the world's only remaining superpower. They'd invaded another country; they had the most high-tech weaponry available on the face of the earth - tanks, stealth fighters and bombers, GPS, Type 1 cryptography, precision guided missiles, smart bombs, and everything else you could imagine wanting to have in a war. They were going up against people armed with antique rifles, home-made explosive devices, and anything else they could cobble together from the rubble. They may or may not have been sincere in their belief that they were legitimately defending their country against an invader; but here was the most powerful military force on earth whining about how THE OTHER GUY wasn't fighting fair.

It reminded me of the British officers in the American Revolution/War of Independence, complaining bitterly about how the "colonials" were hiding behind trees and wearing clothing that was hard to see, instead of standing out in the open wearing bright red uniforms, like the British soldiers. Very unsporting of them. <img src="images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

The bottom line (without getting into the question of who's right and who's wrong) is that the most powerful nation on earth is engaged in a war with a group of people who are outnumbered, outgunned, and impoverished; the only weapon they have is the upcoming US Presidential election. If they can convince the American people to vote for Kerry, and that results in US troops being pulled out of Iraq, then it will have been a sound military strategy, just as it was in Mogadishu.

No matter how good your justification is, you can't invade someone else's country and then complain when they fight back. That's just reality. As Captain Erikson said to the captured U-boat commander in "The Cruel Sea" - "This is war. I'm sorry if it is too hard for you."

First of All, -My Respects and Condolences to the Two Emergency Services Personnel Wrongly Killed by Somebody.

Now Concerning your Good Points as you've Raised.

Yes, on Many to All of Them! And They're Quite Fair Points. But I Don't Think All of the Terrorist and Etc Suicide Bombing is Out of Defense!

If we are More or Less in the Right, As we in the West Generally Are, (Except for Areas of Moral Slippage in my Opinion!),-

*And* We're Fighting for our Very Survival!; -

Then I would Gladly Use What Superior Weaponry and Resources as we Have! To Return to your Quote, -This is War! I'm Sorry if That's a Bit Too Hard for our Al Qaida or Other Enemies!

The Taliban incidentally Had a Chance to Avert an Invasion of their Country, I'll Remind. They Did Not Avail Themselves of It! They Had a Decision to Make. And They Decided on War! However Unfair or Lopsided it May have Been!

As Afghans, it was the Taliban's "Country". But as to Osama and the Many Other Arabs and Non-Afghan Foreigners Present, -Their Country it was Not! They in Fact, Effectively Took Over the Afghan Country. -As to Who Took Over One's Country!

It was They who Threw the First Warlike Punch!, on 9-11. So as to Who Started the War!....And Brot War Upon Themself!....

I Know that a Superior and Stronger Country can Feel They're in the Right! Whether or Not They Actually Are! The British Redcoats Felt that They were in the Right, as Much as any Patriot Did! That German U Boat Commander may Well Have Thot His Side to Be in the Right, as his British Captor may Have Also Felt! Assuming They were Such Individuals. Others of course are "Just" Doing their Duty. Point is, Anyone on Both Sides can Feel They're in the Right!

But Sometimes, -One Side to Some Degree or Another, -Really Is! Except for in my View Some Areas of Moral Slide and the Like, -We in the West These Days Quite to Very Much Are!, In an All Round Right.

So I Understand from Their Perspective their Wanting to Fight like Modern Day Rebels against we the Modern Day Redcoats!

"But Too Bad! This is War! And you Guys Have Thrown the First Punch! We Are in a General All Round Right. And You're at Least Largely in Quite a Wrong! You Do Want to Kill!, -U.S. / Us! And We Are in a Fight With you for Our Very Survival!"

So Against These Backdrops, -I of the Free World West, -Am Gonna Use All the Superior Weaponry and Tactics as I've Got!

And They're Not Gonna "Nicen Down" Any of Their Advantages! Why Shud we "Nicen Down" Ours!? (Not that you Feel Such, and I'm Not Saying you Were.)

We Yankee Rebels may have Shot from Behind Trees, in our Own Defense! Against the World's Then Great Power! We May Well Have been somewhat Less Than Noble of Ourselves too!

But the Modern Day Suicide Bombers, -Even by Their Own Self Justification and Logic, -Don't Always Do so in Defense! And even What Such of Theirs, is a Defense to them, -is Nevertheless an Offense to U.S.! Including to Innocent, Non-Combatant Civilians!

You've Raised some Good Points. But I just Wanted to Respond, and Share with you, What I Feel to be some Good Counterpoints.

Suicide Bombers?,-A Long and Short of It, -Is that we're Gonna Have to Fight Them and Win!, in Any Event! These are the Likes of Who we Now've Got to Fight!

So America!, -Quit Michael Jacksoning Around and Stuff!, -and Get Down to the Business of your Very Survival!

This is Not Something you can just Bip Around a Bit on! And Then just Go Home!, -When you Get a Little Uncomfortable or Tired! Or When the Short Term Starts Mergeing into the Long Term!

Put Frills like Mike Jackson on the Shelf for Awhile! Or Hopefully and Better Yet!, -For Good! We've Got Better Things to be Doing!, -With the Very Defense and Survival of our *Own* Country Right Now!, -Than the Likes of That! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]aardwolfe[/email]

The latest news states an ex husband slew both and comitted suicide. I'm lost <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> How did we make the leap to world terrorism? This readyness to blame losers from a Chuck Norris casting call for every calamity is dangerous social policy. This is the 'thinking' that puts Jews in cattle cars, Japanese Americans in Manzanar and young black men hanging from trees.

Oops <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Guess I should have read the article before I responded to it. I just automatically assumed that m9key was referring to the 4 american contractors killed and mutilated in Iraq.

I'll be quiet now...

I Thot that Aard might have Made such an Unintended Boo Boo! So I Responded to his Spirit and Content of his Post, while also Sincerely Addressing the Real Spirit and Content of This Thread. Again, my Condolence and Regard Still Stands.

They Stand as Well for the Four U.S. Contractors of Which Aardwolfe Speaks of.
[color:"black"] [/color] [email]aardwolfe[/email]

Aard Simply Thought we were Talking About the Four American Contractors Slain in Iraq. At Right About this Time. That's How. Very Understandable.

I Think we All Extend our Sympathy and Condolences to Them as Well.

This has Simply been How.
[color:"black"] [/color] [email]Chris Kavanaugh[/email]

Note this line from the original article:



How about letting them carry their own sidearm (if they so choose). Why do so many people in this country have this "Big Brother is the only one who can use a gun” mentality? Why not let them defend themselves?

With an ex-spouse involved, it might not have helped in this case. But who knows?