Current events

[william42]

Please disregard this dumb thread. Guys thanks for your posts anyway.

[ole]

Terry:

It is indeed a scary situation made scarier so in the Dow's reaction. In situations like this, I generally take comfort in the idea that we've paid our money and are taking our chances. We had our choice of CnC. If he ain't the right one, it's a bit late to change our minds.

Yes. I'm also concerned that Syria will join in and then we'll have to go after Syria -- stack up another with Afghanistan and Iraq. Not a good time for that, especially when we're trying to talk Iran and N. Korea out of playing with nukes. Maybe this will give the lie to "this is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper." And there were four horsemen...

This, too, shall pass. But we can't seem to slap Israel around, and I haven't yet figured out why we should. There is a major problem over there, and things are edging toward "kill them all and let God or Allah sort them out." Not a nice thing to face.

To tie this into a CW corollary, we're rapidly approaching a Sherman solution. Today, we tend to approach that extreme with tracks of dragging feet in the sand. Sherman jumped over that predictable procedure and went to the bottom line.

The situation has all the earmarks of stinking big time, but this is the purpose for which we hired these guys who are running the show. I'm in favor of letting them run out their term. Then we have the obligation to hire another batch of people who we believe will do what we want.

That being said, do not elect me to a position of power because I will most certainly create more sand over there than there already is.

Ole

[JWNathan]

More sand? Don't you mean you'll turn all the sand to beaded glass? Oh, and you have my vote too.
-Jesse

[ole]

I'll be playing Sherman here, before the WBTS: this is the beginning of WWIII. There can be no peace on earth until the last of "these people" are eradicated or otherwise forever suppressed. Oh yes, Israel is overreacting in attacking a country that's unable or unwilling to clean its stables, but Israel has been facing the terrorist threat for far longer than we have and is likely justifiably ready to march to the sea. And we are bound to support them.

The fundamentalist movement among the Islamic people does nothing but threaten every country in which the movement exists. North Korea, compared to the Jihad is little more than a noxious bug. It lives in isolation from the rest of the world; the terrorist is living among all of us and, like a cancerous growth, it is ignored at the peril of total conflagration.

We are well past time outs here. I haven't figured out where we made the mistake that led to this stepchild's bad behavior. Perhaps history will instruct our descendants, if there are any. Meanwhile, I can only assume a bad seed and react accordingly. Only when this idea and its adherents are gone can we get back to making our way in the world. Most unreasonable; most unfortunate; a nutty impediment to the greater goal.

Did I use enough cliches?
Ole

[SpartanGSG]

No lack of cliches Ole, but well thought out and well articulated. I thought we came to this board to temporarily relieve and release ourselves of the world's troubles through recreational ACW banter and babble. You gotta like the irony of using the topic of all out war between the states to free ourselves if only briefly from the world's wars and conflicts, rising energy costs that dont seem to have a ceiling, bitter political partisanship and global cultural feuds that show no sign of compromise and understanding.
Respectfully,
Spartan

[ole]

You gotta like the irony of using the topic of all out war between the states to free ourselves if only briefly from ....

Amen!!!!!!!!
Ole

[william42]

Ole, Spartan, JW, thanks for reviving this thread that I so lamely started.

The fundamentalist movement among the Islamic people does nothing but threaten every country in which the movement exists. North Korea, compared to the Jihad is little more than a noxious bug.

Exactly. Hezbollah and Hamas will eventually doom their host countries. I've looked hard at this one and I can't fault Israel at all here. All was peaceful. They had even given up Gaza. The kidnappers of the Israeli soldiers have bought themselves some very serious trouble, and unfortunately it will be the weak nations who host them that will pay the price.

...bitter political partisanship and global cultural feuds that show no sign of compromise and understanding.

Again, on the nose. Israel, at this point, cannot and will not yield to the terrorist/kidnapper demands. It's gone way past the point for negotiation...if there ever was such a point. I can't see Hezbollah or Hamas compromising either, though if there is to be a truce or compromise it would have to come from Hezbollah.

I guess it's an hour by hour vigil now, to see just how much S**t hits the fan, and how fast it hits. Where are the moderates? They're probably there but nobody's listening to them right now. Hopefully they'll be heard.

Terry

[william42]

You vets and/or current active duty guys may be able to answer this. I'm staying out of the political mud that is the Middle East right now, but I've had this technical question pertaining to equipment, and perhaps you could help: I've noticed that the Israelis, when shelling, into whatever territory or terrain they happen to be targeting, are using almost exclusively tanks. Does anyone find it strange that their "artillery" consists of tanks, and not actual cannons? Is this common in the Middle East, or with Israel?

I remember in the Gulf War, watching video footage showing US artillery crews servicing and firing gigantic artillery pieces, ...cannons. So I'm curious as to the use of tanks by the Israelis for shelling purposes. Maybe the answer is obvious, but I surely don't have a clue. Thanks.

Terry

[william42]

Well, ok, maybe for mobility reasons? But aren't modern day field artillery pieces pretty mobile also? Or possibly protection for the crews, where maybe the crew of a field piece might be more exposed than a tank crew? Just a couple of guesses.

Terry

[ole]

Terry:
I'm guessing they are using tank guns simply to be a bit more surgical in the damage they intend to do. Just a thought.
Ole

[SpartanGSG]

Terry,

I think fast, mobile and destructive tank warfare has been a staple of Israeli military doctine since the sixties whether it be engaging Egyptian armored units or Hizbollah/Hamas strongholds and villages.

[johan_steele]

It's the direct & indirect fire capability of Israeli tanks. The Merkava is capable of carrying a Mortor as well as the main gun. It is also one of the most heavily armored tanks in the world.

[william42]

Thanks guys. All valid answers that make good sense. Far be it from me to second guess the Israelis when it comes to defense, but I sort of wondered about the lack of cannon, in the sense of an artillery piece separate from its transport. 'Preciate it.

Terry

[SpiritofPickett]

A good friend of mine has just come back from Israel.

She naturally discussed the current state of things with Israelis she met. She discovered that there is a not insignificant Christian Palestinian community. These people also live 'Under the Israeli yoke'.

But no Christian Suicide bombers. Now why is that...?

[william42]

Again, while staying out of the politics of that volatile region, did anybody notice yesterday, while watching news, that, video of the inside of an Israeli tank was shown, including the crew loading and firing?

Maybe that's been shown before, but I can't ever remember seeing the actual operation of an Israeli tank from the inside, including the loading of the shells,the yanking of the lanyard, and the mechanical movement of the breech equipment required to release the empty shell. Is this unusual for the Israelis to allow this kind of visual access to their equipment, or has this been shown before?

Terry

[william42]

Has anybody seen the new commercials for the H3 Hummer? What is the message that we're supposed to get from that?


According to the Hummer people, if you're standing with your child at a playground apparatus, and some other parent and her kid cut in front of you, and are rather unpleasant about it, then you should do which of the following?:

A. Avoid confrontation in front of your child and let other kid ahead of you. Let it roll off your back, in other words. or...

B. Verbally chastise the other parent anyway, just to let you know you think they're out of line. ...or

C. Go spend 35 grand on a new Hummer. You'll feel all better. You'll take your mind off of the incident, and last but not least, it will teach the other parent a lesson they'll never forget, and nobody will ever mess with you again.


Geez.

[VS on the belt plate]

Earlier someone had mentioned the IDF artillery/armor.

What you have seen firing from stationary posistions are actually self-propeled artillery/not tanks. I thought I heard they are American made 155 mm Howitzers.

The shells are made by Israel.

VS

[william42]

If anyone wants to weigh in on this please do. IMO.....I'll state that again...IMO, anybody who lags behind for days in this grueling Tour de France race, then on the toughest leg of it in the French Alps, passes everybody and gains an 8 minute lead, should be politely requested to pee in a cup. I could be wrong, but to the best of my knowledge the human body does not manufacture synthetic testosterone. But then again I haven't read the latest medical breakthroughs in the journal of the AMA. Again, just my opinion.

Terry

[whitworth]

The Israelis are not going to volunteer to go to another Auschwitz. They know the Holocaust.
For many living Americans, a holocaust is losing electric power and the airconditioner on a 98 degree summer day.

And many Americans may pause to think why they do not understand Israelis. Why some humans may seem a little different. Perhaps not love "peace" the way some Americans seem to do.

Perhaps the dark side of life hasn't intruded too greatly on many Americans dreams.

[ole]

Thanks, Whitworth. As a rather distinct people, we seem to have short memories. We seem to not understand a people who started with "Never Again," and will likely never forget it.
Ole