Taliban 55th Brigade vs Iraqui Republican Guard

So....I'm betting on our BoyScouts, cause neither one of these "elite" troops seems to want to rumble with us. Given the state of retreat currently under way, I think we should start a thread deciding what to rename Afghanistan....Twin Towers 2 maybe? Nah....that's the problem with waging war with these nations, you have to rebuild them afterwards and teach them what democracy is all about. Not a bad problem when you put it like that. If any of you monitor the Russsian undernet, you can hardly tell their 15 year olds from ours anymore. In 20 years we may be calling them our closest allies, (next to Britain)....it's a scary world. Q

Some guy on CNN last night was saying that this is a "tactical retreat" -- in other words, the Taliban is in headlong flight from Kabul, Jalalabad and most of the country because they want to shorten their lines and regroup in their strongholds. Surrrrrre....I believe the Japanese counterattack resulting from their "tactical retreat" in 1944 from the Solomons, Marshalls, Carolines, Marianas and Philippines should be coming any day now.

Regroup...

The word implies that you were a coherent group in the first place. Gotta agree with the principle of shortening your supply lines, but I think they have seriously overestimated their support in the Southern region. Nonexistent supply lines are NOT good...lol. Q

I've heard a report that our planes were continuing to bomb the Taliban forces while they were retreating from Mu-something-or-other-E-Sharif, thus making their ability to regroup an academic question.

A particularly vicious thought has occurred to me. If we can determine that the Al-Qaeda high command, including bin Laden, are holed up in the mountain caves, (I recall a report narrowing the location down to a 20 square mile area) then why not use a number of those lovely Daisycutter bombs, and those Bunker-Buster bombs I've seen test footage of which can penetrate almost a 1/4 mile of concrete, and simply bring the mountains down with the enemy inside? It would be remarkable poetic justice, as the lucky die instantly, crushed beneath the rubble of a massive structure they thought secure, and the deserving get to slowly starve and suffocate as they are trapped under a mountain of debris, so they can learn exactly what the WTC victims experienced. I think Khan Noonian Singh said it best in Star Trek II: "Buried alive... Buried aliiiiiiiive!!!!!!"

Poetic Indeed

One mountain at a time...it's what we owe those who died during this attack of evil. As someone else stated recently, the media are beginning to lose focus...calling it a "tragedy" or "the events of 9/11". Make sure you don't let it happen ,people. It was an ATTACK....a brazen desperate attack upon people that were just living their lives...some more innocent than others, not all saints, surely a few sinners. Make no mistake about it though...clay feet or not, they were OUR people, and as the world is learning, we honor our fallen with more than mere words...we sanctify their passing by trying to do meaningful acts in their name. You can debate the reasons as many have done...claiming that we're protecting our oil interests or the butts that sit in Washington D.C., but don't dare debate it around me or you'll have an earful coming your way. There are a limited number of mountains in that country, and if we stand firm and resolute, we can make sure none of them harbor this band of killers. And then, if we are the people we claim to be, we should go to the next country with a repressive government and watch as their supposedly "mighty" armies melt away....not from our external attack, but from the internal knowledge that they are wrong and cowardly and weaker than the world would ever believe. We called them Paper Tigers in my youth...and they roar their defiant howls of evil until people with courage point to them and dare them to die for what they espouse. I have no fear of our people failing to rise to any challenge put forth to us...how many other countries can make this claim? Britain assuredly, and perhaps a handful of others, some of which might surprise us. Sorry...it's late and I'm feeling weary and cynical and angry that these evil creatures force us to destroy them with their own foibles. I'll sleep for awhile...but don't let the word "events" mislead you, because it's the first step towards forgetting. Q---

IMHO, the Taliban's 55th Brigade vs the Iraqi Republican Guard would be one of the most amazing battles in military history. Given their previous track records, the 55th Brigade would run for their lives, as the Republican Guard chased them- attempting frantically to surrender.

The only way this would end is when one or both groups spotted a bunch of unarmed civilians, at which point they would wheel into position, mow down the civilians, and then strut around calling themselves "Elite Warriors" and "The Defenders of Islam."

Allah must be SO proud of them...


ASUTickler

I do like that one,ASU.

Damn...

Man, I get nasty when I need some sleep! No more pizza and wine before posting, Q old boy! Although it has a ring of truth, it's way too cynical and pompous to be me! Gotta get the old libido under control there. I'll be shouting "Death to the enemy" from the rooftops soon if I'm not careful. Sheesh....Q

Back on your trail Q!

One or two points for you to chew over.One point that does confuse many English observers about recent conflicts involving deployment of American troops is the contradiction that becomes apparent when American armed forces start to receive casualties. I have no doubts about the abilities, comittment or bravery that the american armed forces will display when the time comes but the american public (or large portions of it) start to go off the whole idea when the body bags start to arrive home and the "what the hell are we doing there?" brigade start to get media coverage. Given the more personal nature of this particular conflict for the American public it may be this squeamishness may not be in evidence so quickly this time.


You also make an interesting point regarding your view that the russians may in time become a close ally and that you can not tell the difference between the way Russian kids talk on the net and American kids, and you make the point that America will have to "teach" other nations what democracy is all about. These two statements explain to some extent what many countries resent about the U S A and how extreme extentions of this resentment can produce evil murderers like Bin Laden. Many countries resent being "told what to do" by the U S A and they resent what they see as the unstoppable tide of American economic and cultural dominance over their countries. You give a good example of what they resent in your reference to russian kids starting to sound like U S kids. So there you have it Q, "compare and contrast" as they say at the start of essay questions at school. I want your essay on my desk no later than monday week, no less than 5000 words. (thats a joke by the way about 5000 words.....dont want you turning in to scott do we!!) TALLY HO!

Teach....

as in "demonstarate" was more what I meant, rather than handing out the "Textbook For Democratic Behavior"...lol.

As for resenting the fact that youth in other countries are emulating the American lifestyle, oh well. Evolve or die, and survival of the fittest and all that! Hopefully they'll assimilate the best of the American culture and temper it with some of their own traditions and such, and the resulting meld will be irresistible and then OUR youth will be copying the best of their new culture and this cycle will continue until we form the First World Federation or somesuch governing body and begin moving forward as one people. There's no comparision but a bit of contrast for ya, Red!

As for the American public getting cold feet when we take causalties...don't bet on it. The ongoing issues of chemical attacks and the "bold" inflammatory statements being issued by the backpedaling Taliban are keeping the war fever at a hot burn. What really screws these guys though is their treatment and statements regarding women. There's a lot of husbands over here with VERY angry wives....when we have angry wives/girlfriends/significant others/whatever we get little peace of mind, among other things, which makes us VERY irritable and warlike. I've never seen the resolve that I observe in most of the female Americans here...these morons have managed to really p.o. them, which assures their downfall. Most of the time there's a certain element in the country that's traditionally "soft" on war/killing/violence in general, but they have removed one of the major moderating influences in that sector by alienating the American woman so thoroughly....very bloodthirsty lot when riled. Bet on continued efforts to stomp on these guys...you'll make money.... Q

Isn't the Taliban beginning to remind you of the "Black Knight" scene in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail?"

World: You're losing the war.

Tal: No we are not.

World: But you've lost control of over half the country.

Tal: We did not lose control. It is a tactical retreat.

World: Then how come your guys are all defecting or surrendering?

Tal: No they are not.

World: Look, it's obvious you're losing.

Tal: We will destroy the United States.

World: HOW?

Tal: (Long pause) Next question.

Red Indian, I'm guessing that you're not a parent. I am. Here's the answer to your question from my perspective.

That laughing baby you bounced on your knee, the little kid you played frisbee with, the surly teenager, grew up and went off to defend his fellow citizens. Now you're wearing your best dark suit, seated by the graveside at Arlington. The honor guard has fired the salute, its sergeant has handed the folded flag that covered the casket to your wife.

Was it worth it?

The American public have rightly decided that feel-good exercises beloved of the Left, like Somalia, aren't worth it. The war with the Taliban and Osama are a different story. Same will hold true for Iraq, when the time comes.

Strelnikov

"If"....

If we hold steady and stomp on another "nest" of terror in a smaller country, I think you'll be seeing massive defections from the militant Islamic line...most specifically Iran, which is already wobbling towards the West. Given that scenario, and always of course assuming Israel will be holding their own line of defense and offense at the ready, I don't think you'll get a very big tussle from Iraq...more of an abdication and loot the treasury of anything I can grab on the way out, oh yeah, cover my back and die well Republican Guard...see ya. Saddam may not be the sharpest crayon in the old coloring box, but even he ought to know that his chances against an enraged already mobilized US force with 95+% backing from the homeland are basically nil. Perhaps he'll taunt us with a line in the sand...more likely he'll sell out everyone else and collect as much of the reward money as possible before he books. Hope Osama flees his way, because it's a nearly certain bet he'd give him up to stave off his own day of reckoning a bit.

We might be better off discussing the rise and soon to happen "fall" of Militant Islamic" forces....has anyone else read some of the current documents that correlate the movement gathering recruits in "waves" that correspond to the USAs refusal to retaliate for "incidents" in their embassies and on foreign territories/in foreign seas? The theory is that the perceived indifference of our government to these attacks gave the movement credibility and a type of glamor(in a religously fanatic sense), and accelerated the growth of what shoould have been an incredibly tiny extremist faction into the general mainstream of Islamic society. So, we helped create the very beast that sank it's fangs into the WTC by being "tolerant" and "prudent". I believe Strel and I had a discussion (light years ago)about how this crap never happened to Russia because everyone knew their tanks would roll and the reprocussions would be immediate and harsh. This is basically 4th grade all over again, gang! Remember when Johnny would snatch your swing at recess and you'd fume about it, but your parents and teachers and minister and such would explain it away and counsel peace? Ya shoulda snoot smacked him immediately and sent him to the back of the line to get his own damn swing! And if he was too lazy or stupid to get one then he'd be playing on the slide and too bad! By 8th grade Johnny was up to much worse, and after he cheated and lied his way through college he probably went into politics or sales! If you had just introduced him to the RL, he might have grown up to do something honorable.....I mourn the lost lives, both on our side and theirs. All this energy and effort being expended on these people who could have done something to actually ADVANCE their nations and hopes and causes and dreams.. aargh...more coffee.... Q

Right on Daumantas

I think the Taliban are acting very much like the Black Knight scene in Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail. Of course, at least the Black Knight didn't hide behind women and children while fighting like the Taliban do. So I would say I still have a lot more respect for the Black Knight even if he is not that great a swordsman.

Also as the Penatagon has said to the Taliban "We will not forget September 11th, but the world will forget the Taliban.". Just had to add that thought. And now for something completely different... Happy Thanksgiving to you all on the TMF.