You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
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Not everyone is on the same page as Keith Olberman (Conspiracy! It’s all a Bushitler conspiracy!) about Halliburton moving to Dubai. Another example in what unstated assumptions you have, or grasp on reality, effects how you process info.
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The Danger Room covers the questioning of the substance of Khalid Sheik Mohammed’s confession.
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Read this and tell me that there aren’t serious similarities in the rhetoric used by the IRC and groups like International Solidarity.
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Mark Grimsley, aka War Historian, gets a hit in on PowerPoint presentations, in and odd way.
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JRobb has some criticism of the ‘oil spot’ approach to counter-insurgency when applied to urban environments.
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What do we use as Trias bait, John? Maybe beer?
--ry
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How about this for a little "bait": Democrats Pull Out New Improved Veterans Against the War, turning the whole "listen to the commanders in the field" strategy around on the Republicans who are still trying to figure out their pilot seat from their tail booms while barely holding on to the skids.
Media Stupidity or Blatant Propaganda - you be the judge.
A little entry from the annals of KC Soldiers' Angels: Meeting Rosie the Riveter
Finally, for your amusement: St Patrick's Day Messenge to the Troops - Blooper Reel1
-Kat
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For ry's scrapbook: yet another illustration of the differences between Normals and Uniforms -- Job Accountability.
We sometimes get a nice epitaph, though.
To the perpetual disgrace of public justice, the honorable John Byng, admiral of the blue, fell a martyr to political persecution on 14th March in the year 1757, when bravery and loyalty were insufficient securities for the life and honor of a naval officer.
Another look at Walter Reed, with some support for MG Weightman. -the Armorer
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Heee - Proof Positive is at hand! Bush is truly, one of the four horsemen of The Apocalypses. His true purpose for traveling to Latin America, is now revealed: To bring plague and pestilence to México. The very same day he left the Mexican city of Mérida, Sun-blotting clouds of locusts, befell upon the darkened skies of the city. Well, according to snail-loving folks at Agence France Presse. My apologies to those languagely challenged, a this is the only reference I could find - BOQ
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Hmm...not sure if this has already been publicized here at The Castle, but I figured linking to a pinup calendar twice couldn't hurt. Especially one that raises money for American veterans (hat-tip to Target Centermass). - Damian
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]]> *A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires.Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute.
Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is*
The UAVs (oops, can't call 'em UAVs anymore - they're now Unmanned Aerial Systems... some Colonel got his Legion of Merit for that change...), er, um UAS's we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.
I call the post that because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
]]>I was pretty good at it, which made me not so good at being among people who get their feelings hurt too easily by people like me who don't shellac their commentaries enough (Ry is an example).Or this:
Other people feel less... well, just "less," around former and current mil folks.None of you did. So get off my back. And yes, i do realize that it was done in support of a fellow Denizen and not intended, or I hope it wasn't, as a slight. but it shows exactly the same sentiment, openly and vigorously, as Normal does. AFAIK nobody complained about that. So why this? What's different about it? I don't know how many times someone has found a clever way to call non-military males 'un-men' and nancy boys. oh, but now were supposed to worry about making military and ex-military people fell different in a way that has a negative connotation. My bad. It isn't just one person doing it, I have done it too, nor is it always conveyed with a sense of comradeship either as it is often flat out mean; and has been at times personal. So get off my back about it. I use something as shorthand to describe a phenomenon as opposed to intentionally insulting. Not intentionally insulting and something, like the f word, that has a million and one meanings dependent on usage running from a status put on a pedestal to out right hatred, unlike some of the naked and uncloaked derisive sentiments trafficed around here. And now we're supposed to worry about this one because it offends a few people when we haven't cared about how other terms might have offended civilians who are lurkers and passers by for several years? I find it odd that even though I have ersatz family, since my real one sucks, and loved ones both in and out of uniform too that some of you all are assuming that just because I say something you find distasteful that I'm like another crowd that knows little and have to be reminded of things. Like alot of the other Normals and Soldiers around here I sit someplace between the camps. In another category with its own benefits and its own problems. It might also help to see that I also mentioned the training element as well. Guess what. The groups already exist and the problems exist. Whether the term is used or not. Regardless of how you feel about it There's terms and phrases used profusely around here that do the same damn thing. Are we to declare a moratorium on ALL of them then, or just the ones particular Denizens don't like? Contempt of soldiers or civilians doesn't need new terms. 'America is at the mall.' Multiple messages, but inherently contemptuous of civilians who aren't gung-ho about the war. But with Normals we have something that is different. But it offends sometimes. So let's ban it. In truth, I find this is a rather fair weather complaint seeing how often people around here have expressed differeing levels of disdain for Normals/Civilians in many different forms and many different threads. Now that there's something that reminds you of it and makes you feel bad about it there's a problem? The term is a better descriptor because of how it incorporates all of the different feelings and emotions involved. Kinda like the f word being able to convey a hundred different things. as I've laid out afore. It's useful. It makes us all look at the differences and think about how we strengthen the divide or not. Unless Armorer tells me not to I'll continue to use it for exactly these reasons. My appologies to Sgt. B. I was trying to think of people who weren't involved in this to use in examples to keep it from inflaming the anger of participants. No slight intended. Yes, sometimes when John uses it I'm offended. Other times not. It serves a larger purpose. So unless directed to I'll continue to use it. Not because I like sticking it to anyone, but because it does things simply saying civilian can never do. ]]>