VIETNAM, Part Deux (really, Part Duh)

[YoUDeeMan]

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan:

"LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban fighters seized a district headquarters in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Monday despite repeated U.S. air strikes to repel them, adding to the insurgents' recent advances in a heavily fought over region of opium farms and trade routes.

Elsewhere in Helmand, a man in Afghan uniform opened fire in the former British base of Camp Bastion, killing two U.S. service personnel, before being shot and wounded. Another man in Afghan uniform was wounded in the return fire.

Helmand's Musa Qala district fell after the Taliban overran police and army posts to retake a district straddling smuggling routes that was wrenched from them by British and Afghan troops eight years ago.

U.S. warplanes have been bombarding Musa Qala since the weekend, killing up to 40 militants, with two new air strikes on Tuesday. But they regrouped, chasing the district government out of town and confiscating weapons in what a spokesman for Afghanistan's 215th Maiwand Corps called a "tactical retreat" to protect civilians."

Ahhhh...the old Body Count ruse that make it look as though we are winning. Hey, we only lost two American soldiers in the action, but look, we killed up to 40 militants with our bombs! Yea, us!

[Chizzang]

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan:

"LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban fighters seized a district headquarters in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Monday despite repeated U.S. air strikes to repel them, adding to the insurgents' recent advances in a heavily fought over region of opium farms and trade routes.

Elsewhere in Helmand, a man in Afghan uniform opened fire in the former British base of Camp Bastion, killing two U.S. service personnel, before being shot and wounded. Another man in Afghan uniform was wounded in the return fire.

Helmand's Musa Qala district fell after the Taliban overran police and army posts to retake a district straddling smuggling routes that was wrenched from them by British and Afghan troops eight years ago.

U.S. warplanes have been bombarding Musa Qala since the weekend, killing up to 40 militants, with two new air strikes on Tuesday. But they regrouped, chasing the district government out of town and confiscating weapons in what a spokesman for Afghanistan's 215th Maiwand Corps called a "tactical retreat" to protect civilians."

Ahhhh...the old Body Count ruse that make it look as though we are winning. Hey, we only lost two American soldiers in the action, but look, we killed up to 40 militants with our bombs! Yea, us!

We should ask the Russians how long you could (theoretically) bomb Afghanistan
Because they did it for 10 years non-stop and ended up just quitting to no avail

But we're smarter then them.. we'll bomb 'em for 20 years and then quit

[YoUDeeMan]

Guys, ISIS is not as tough an opponent as the opponents we faced in the Vietnam war were. If we put the kind of effort we put into the Vietnam war into crushing ISIS ISIS would be crushed in short order. I think you guys all would agree with that if you think about it for a little while.

Yes there might be something called "ISIS" that would persist and do car bombings and such. But in terms of being some kind of viable military force to do the kinds of things they're doing now they'd be crushed.

Guys, ISIS is not as tough an opponent as the opponents we faced in the Vietnam war were. If we put the kind of effort we put into the Vietnam war into crushing ISIS ISIS would be crushed in short order. I think you guys all would agree with that if you think about it for a little while.

Yes there might be something called "ISIS" that would persist and do car bombings and such. But in terms of being some kind of viable military force to do the kinds of things they're doing now they'd be crushed.

Crushed?

The total tonnage of bombs dropped over North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos came to about 8 million (about four times the tonnage used in all of WWII). http://home.earthlink.net/~aircommando1/Vietnam.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


How'd that work out?

ISIS isn't a viable military force...never has been. They aren't going to march out of the desert and take over Europe with tanks and an air force. And if we want to, we could roll some Abrams into any part of Iraq and Syria that we want to and their isn't a danang thing ISIS could do about it.

Of course that isn't the point.

In Vietnam, the VC and NVA could not hold a village against our troops or weapons. We'd fight our way in...but then...what?

Of course, we'd move on to the next village. And the VC would just come back into the village we just left. In the end, the villagers really didn't want us there, they just wanted to eat and be left alone.

So what do we do in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, or any other place? Put soldiers in every single hut in every village...forever?

Hey, here's your new recruiting poster:

Bored with your life in the U.S.A? Join the Army! Get sent overseas! Occupy a village! Become a village chief! Have sex with a Muslim girl! Stay and have babies! Start a new life in the Middle East! Defend your new village from the previous townsfolk! It is better than Clash of Clans...because it is real! Training provided!

[Ibanez]

Guys, ISIS is not as tough an opponent as the opponents we faced in the Vietnam war were. If we put the kind of effort we put into the Vietnam war into crushing ISIS ISIS would be crushed in short order. I think you guys all would agree with that if you think about it for a little while.

Yes there might be something called "ISIS" that would persist and do car bombings and such. But in terms of being some kind of viable military force to do the kinds of things they're doing now they'd be crushed.

You do realize that "crushing" a movement such as this isn't easy NOR will it take bombs. This isn't some rebellion b/c the cost of lamb has doubled. This is a religious-based movement. You can't bomb away the hate.