Text 6110, 125 rader
Skriven 2004-12-10 23:41:00 av FRANK SCHEIDT (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av BJöRN FORSSTRöM
Ärende: Breaking News!
======================
-=> Quoting Björn Forsström to Frank Scheidt <=-

 FS> That was one soldier who complained.  Furthermore he was from either a
 FS> reserve or National Guard unit.  They *typically* don't have the best
 FS> equipment.

 BF> Still, you send soldiers to a war who aren't fully equipted wheter
 BF> they are reserve or National Guard.

Commanders do what they think best ... I have never commanded any 
troops ... thus asking *me* about this is a waste of time for 
both of us ...
 
 BF>> His answer was:" You go to war with the army you have and not with the
 BF>> one you would like to have". What does that tell the rest of the world?
 
 FS> It tells the world that we do what we *must* do and do the best we can
 FS> with the military equipment we have.  There is *never* a perfect time to
 FS> go to war.  In this case the belief was that Saddam posed a real threat
 FS> and we *had* to neutralize him.  It turned out he wasn't as great a threat
 FS> as was thought but *ironically* he *tried* to give the impression he was
 FS> immediately dangerous and it was that which brought him down.

 BF> It tells ME you are jeopardizing the lives of your own soldiers.
 
It doesn't tell *me* at all, since the safety of our entire 
nation of about 300 million people is more important than the 
safety of a few soldiers.  After all, *each* of those soldier is 
a volunteer.

 BF>> Where are all the Rambo:s?
 
 FS> I don't know ... do you?

 BF> mmmmm....... where the rest of USA should be...... in Hollywood.

Huh?
 
 FS> You leave out the most significant feature of that namely that when they
 FS> refused another eight took identical equipment and did what was ordered
 FS> with no problems whatsoever.  Furthermore what military can stand if its
 FS> soldiers refuse to obey orders?

 BF> You have said that you never take any risks and that was perhaps what
 BF> these soldiers felt.

But they, as soldiers, *had* to obey orders ... I, OTOH, am an 
independent man, no-longer a member of the military ...
 
 BF>> 5 are sueing USA for not letting them go home after fulfilment of their
 BF>> contract.
 
 FS> And their chances are considered *zero*!  I can understand their
 FS> frustration as *I*, too, would be frustrated to be in Iraq longer than
 FS> originally intended.  However I was frustrated being in the Army during
 FS> WWII, but just "sucked it up" as they say.  Our modern generation doesn't
 FS> seem to be willing to sacrifice for a worthy goal.

 BF> Can they be seeing it from my poit of wiew?
 BF> Nothing is worth to sacrifice my life for.

*Nothing*?   I cannot believe that.  *Everyone* has *some* high 
values -- aside from his own neck.  *I* would certainly die for 
the U.S.A. if called upon to do so.
 
 BF>> But I guess that someone of you will say that this is also anti-American
 BF>> propaganda
 
 FS> It is when you don't tell the *whole* story ...

 BF> Neither you or I know the whole story.

But you told only part of it.  You *knew* the rest.
 
 BF>> and have never happend since it was only on TV and said by a corrupt
 BF>> Minister that doesn't know a thing about it and the fact that I just
 BF>> can't prove it.......and hey,
 
 FS> Huh?  What are you talking about.  What you've mentioned was widely
 FS> broadcast on the Fox News Channel.

 BF> What I said about Laila Freiwalds and N379P was widely broadcasted on
 BF> the Swedish news that's also available via sattelite here in Europea
 BF> and no one listned to that.

We've gone through that and ended it I thought.
 
 BF>> Rumsfelt wasn't even in Kuwait. That was an illution.
 
 FS> Huh?

 BF> Just like Laila Freiwalds, remember....

No, I don't ...
 
 BF>> May I ask if someone of you have lost anyone in Iraq?
 
 FS> I don't even *know* anyone over there ...

 BF> Guess that that makes it easy for you.

If it makes it easy for me to be objective about protecting 
America, that's *always* been the case with me.  I don't operate 
on an emotional basis.
 
 BF>> If you have, do you still think it's worth it?
 
 FS> We must defend ourselves.  George W. Bush is doing the proper thing.  Just
 FS> as we defended ourselves successfully against the Germans and Japs during
 FS> WWII.

 BF> Actually, there wasn't any real threat against US soil (excep from
 BF> Pearl Harbour) so
 BF> you did then and are doing now is to fight on enemy soil and that
 BF> isn't exactly what
 BF> I call to defend one self, if you get what I mean.

That's the best place to fight a defensive war -- in the enemy's 
soil!!

... Don't believe everything you hear or anything you say.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Try Our Web Based QWK: DOCSPLACE.ORG (1:123/140)