Allies ? yeah, Right.

[Pecos Bill]

Relax, I did not say" I agree with him". even a stopped clock is right twice a day. (I did buy a lottery ticket though    )

Sorry Tom, I didn't realize we were using "lawyer speak" I figured since you said FQ was not wrong you were implying agreement. My mistake.

Pecos who stands chastised.

[tombogan03884]

Is this guy available ?

Sorry Tom, I didn't realize we were using "lawyer speak" I figured since you said FQ was not wrong you were implying agreement. My mistake.

Pecos who stands chastised.

Sorry Pecos but I just couldn't make myself use the "R" word in reference to FQ 

[fightingquaker13]

Is this guy available ?

Sorry Pecos but I just couldn't make myself use the "R" word in reference to FQ  

Pecos, thanks for having my six, but Tom can Dis me up, down, and sideways and I will forgive him because here he's demonstrating how "negotiating" ought to be done. In this case, it serves a greater good . Here's the question. Given that our defense budget exceeds the GDP of most countries,Given that we have enough nukes to blow the planet up about four times over, and Given that our conventional forces can ruin any other nations whole day, "WHY ISN'T THIS OUR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY WITH THE FREAKING TERRORISTS, THE SAUDIS, THE PAKIS AND THE IRANIANS? WTF ARE WE THINKING? WHY THE HELL AM I PAYING FOR ALL THESE EXPENSIVE WIDGETS OF DESTRUCTION AND TRAINED OPERATORS IF WE WON'T USE THEM? Is that hard to elect someone serious enough to convince the other side that we would pull the trigger? Seriously, I would.

All kidding aside, I'd drop the hammer on Saudi, the NKs or Pakistan in a heartbeat. So would Tom or Path, and we are more often than not oposed to one another. So why is it so hard to elect people, whether they are liberal or conservative, who can manage to credibly scare the the 3rd world? It seems like that would be a prerequisite for office.   (Rant over, It just had to be said).

FQ13 who is just sayin'

[Pathfinder]

FQ, one word - and it ain't plastics. Well, it is, sort of - oil.

The deal was made post WWII that the mooslims can get away with damn near anything so long as the oil flows freely and damn the cost. The problem is, someone in the 40's seemed to forget about that whole getting burned thing when you shake hands with the devil.

TPTB who have directed the US and pretty much the Western world since WWII have dictated that the oil shall flow freely to power the industries of the world. Nothing will be allowed to interfere with that.

[Pecos Bill]

Guys I've read through this again and have a few comments.

First: FQ, I don't know if it's covering your six or just being tired of personal attacks and folks attempting to wiggle out of their comments by using lawyer speak. Nothing personal Tom just tired of your blasting everyone who doesn't agree with you.

Second: as far as the Middle East is concerned I think we have been there too long and wasted too many lives (U. S. and Allied) and we need to get the hell out of there now. Let those fools kill each other but keep them confined to their own country.

Third: my first reaction to this mess was the same as it was for Vietnam. Blow the hell out of the b.....ds and go home. Since then I've become familiar with a book written several thousand years ago. I've not read it but I have discussed it with those who have and I think it applies to Vietnam and the Middle East. The book is The Art if War by Sun Tzu. (sp) Overwhelming force will not work against an enemy you can't see. To counter such an enemy you must use the same tactics or give up the fight. Our guys are trying but it's got to be hard.

Rant over.

Pecos who hasn't typed that much in a long time .... a very long time.

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

But every word was worth reading Pecos. So thanks.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

Pecos, I'll comment on each of your paragraphs seperately.
The 1st one, I don't much care, (and I expect you don't care whether I do or not ) I base my "blasts " on cited historical precedents. Like the Bible says, "There is nothing new under the sun" (except maybe sexting ).

The third paragraph about "The Art of War"  makes the 2nd irrelevant. Sun Tzu also stresses the need for coherent and concise objectives before war is decided upon. The reason we became bogged down in pointless sacrifice in both Vietnam and Afghanistan is because our Politicians refuse to face that fact. If the objective were something as tangible as "taking their damned oil"  we would see an achievable objective, we hold the oil fields and they are to beaten to do anything about it = we win.
The touchy feely stupidity of "Spreading Democracy" to people who don't want it is simply a path to either the same type of embarrassment we faced in Vn. or a war that will never end.
A lesson from Sun Tzu that was illustrated by  , our own revolution , the Phillipine insurrection, and VN. is that the greatest army in history can never defeat a foe who simply refuses to give up, since that is exactly the type of foe we are facing in Afghanistan we need to either set a concrete , coherent objective and achieve it, or else say "We have blown up X amount of stuff, and killed Y number of people. Don't make us come back." And then get the hell out of there.
(Musashi's "Book of five Rings" is another good one  )

[Pecos Bill]

I bow to an obviously superior intellect. You are correct Tom I really don't care what you think of me and I know you don't care what I think of you and I know that you know that also. I t is, however, on occasion to read the drivel you produce and I look forward to more of the same. Do you, by chance, have your own radio talk show?

Pecos, who's just asking.

[tombogan03884]

I don't talk like I write. I learned to write from reading books, I learned to talk hanging around gravel pits, barracks and factories.
If I had a radio show it would be one long BEEEEP.  

[Pecos Bill]

I don't talk like I write. I learned to write from reading books, I learned to talk hanging around graval pit barracks and factories.
If I had a radio show it would be one long BEEEEP.   

I was thinking you'd give Beck or Rush a run for their money.

Pecos