Semi-Daily Journal

Apparently, the good professor can't see that if the troops weren't being attacked there would be no need for full body armor.

"Like many other U.S. service members in Iraq, her son was given a Vietnam-era flak jacket that cannot stop the type of weapons used today."

NEWS FLASH! RPG's (rocket-propelled grenades) and land mines (the so-called Improvised Esplosive Devices, "IED"s) are not some new technology.

These types of tactics have been routinely used in guerilla war for the past 40 years, at least.

That's what US forces face today: guerilla war. It is exactly what James A. Baker III, of the Bush I administration, said would happen if we invaded Iraq.

No one would listen to him then, but maybe they'll listen to him now. After all, he's one of their own.

The very best thing we could do is to get out of there ASAP. The longer we stay there, the more costly it will become for us, until we have nothing left.

Shrill. Clinton did it! We have to fight against terrorism. We should be allowed to keep the money we earn. You are supporting the terrorists. Businesses can regulate themselves.

See, we don't even need any real conservatarians, we can just invent them up to stir up the thread.

My, my, so many guns around town and so few brains.

Thanks for this Brad, it's both unbelievable and despicable. And among the most easily changed things, it needs a higher priority - higher publicity.

I'm surprised it's not as big as the Plame thing. (I guess Rove will be gone, soon.)

Pick a war, any war, and I’ll give you a similar or worse story. Of course it’s inexcusable not to give our every solder the very best equipment we can. But we don’t, and we never have. When Jordan invaded Israel in 1967, the IDF was grateful that they used American APCs (or was it tanks), where the fuel cartridges were external. (See Michael Oren, “Six Days of War”). Welcome to the real world professor.

I wonder what the holdup is...How much do the jackets cost? Or are they new technology, and the problem is manufacturing enough of them, in time?

Thank you, Zarkov. That is an excellent excuse, with great generality. It can be used by the administration and its supporters for just about everyrthing.

I hope for your sake that you copyrighted it; if not, you're missing out on a chance to 'create' millions of dollars of wealth for yourself.

Zarkov, can you come up with _any_ war where the rich were given a huge tax cut while the troops were inadequately supplied?

And is there _anything_ that this president could do that would be bad enough that you wouldn't find some defense?

I suppose if he molested children you'd pull up the ancient Greeks.

What the hell have we been spending $300 billion a year for the last ten years for the Defense Department budget for? It sure hasn't been for high salaries for members of the armed services. All this expenditure, and the current troops are ill-equipped? Does this make any sense?

Charles

We're spending billions on missile defense, and we can't even protect our soldiers against mere small-caliber projectiles.

Who needs full-body armor when the grateful people of newly-liberated Iraq are throwing flowers at your feet and singing your praises to the heavens?

I thought this was the administration that was being run by professionals. That supporte4d the troops. That was bringing honor and respectab....

Oh, to hell with it.

The Guard and reserves are notoriously always underequipped. Then again, they are not supposed to be the front line soldiers. They are support troops (one of the 100 or so for every fighting soldier). But the major operations are over. There is no war, only vulnerable targets. When Iraq is over, it will be a textbook analysis of what not to do.

"Zarkov, can you come up with _any_ war where the rich were given a huge tax cut while the troops were inadequately supplied?"

I'm sure that there have been numerous examples through history. I, personally, however, feel that the US shouldn't be striving to emulate those examples. Others might feel differently.

"And is there _anything_ that this president could do that would be bad enough that you wouldn't find some defense?

I suppose if he molested children you'd pull up the ancient Greeks."

-Posted by: rps on September 30, 2003 04:20 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/28/opinion/L28SOLD.html

My Tour of Duty in Iraq

To the Editor:

Re "My Duty as a Soldier":

As a reserve military policeman serving in Iraq, I take offense at the letter writer's glorification of combat and criticisms of overstrained National Guardsmen and reservists.

My unit was activated in February. We sat stateside for three months before arriving in Kuwait. We have spent the last four months in Iraq conducting countless raids, keeping law and order and training the new Iraqi police.

We get shot at regularly, endure searing heat and live in less than desirable conditions. While serving my country is a great honor, there is no glory here on the ground.

We still have not been told when we will be redeploying home. Now we hear that reservists will do full 12-month tours "boots on the ground" in Iraq. Many of us are tired, hot and irritated. As far as I'm concerned, reservists serving in Iraq have earned the right to complain.

(Specialist) RICHARD MURPHY

Hilla, Iraq, Sept. 22, 2003

My Duty as a Soldier

To the Editor:

As a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, I find your Sept. 15 front-page article "For Citizen Soldiers, an Unexpected Burden" rather disheartening.

We members of our great nation's armed forces are to fully expect to stand ready to defend what we have. We know what we signed up for, whether we are on active duty or otherwise. It is our honor and our duty to preserve, protect and defend, and it is a poor testimony to our cause if our duty is, to quote Staff Sgt. Mike Gorski, "too much to ask."

Where would we be as a civilization if at one time or another we decided that dying on the hills of Gettysburg, the shores of Normandy or the mountains of Afghanistan was "too much to ask"?

The men and women of America's armed forces must continue to stand proudly behind our mission on the front lines of freedom in these dark and uncertain days.

(Pfc.) ERIC W. SLEBODNIK

Indiana, Pa., Sept. 15, 2003

rps, I'm certain that there's lot of examples like that. Screwing the troops is an old military tradition, in many, many countries. I, for one, would prefer that our administration have a better policy, but then again, I'm an Evul PC Librul.

bakho:
the ratio is more like ten to one.

“And is there _anything_ that this president could do that would be bad enough that you wouldn't find some defense?” – rps
You are assuming that Bush is himself responsible for Suzanne Werfelman’s son having a flak jacket instead of an Interceptor vest. How do you know this? As I said, all wars exhibit problems with equipment. Our troops have taken very light casualties in this war, so the equipment can’t be too terrible. A lot of soldiers have been killed by shots to the neck, and no vest would help. Moreover this story comes from a newspaper article, and as everyone knows, newspapers often lack critical details. Reading a newspaper is like looking at the world through a pinhole. I don’t trust them on technical issues. The interceptor vest is something an objective fact finder should investigate and issue a report. Remember the flap about the M16 during Vietnam? The whole story there is much more than what was reported in the newspapers.

Perceptions do not limit reality.

If you would be unloved and forgotten, be reasonable.

Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.

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