>Robert, > >I would like to pass on something I learned in the last war the US >began to prevent communism from taking over and to establish >Democracy in a third world nation (and we lost that one rather >badly). I served honorably in the Vietnam War and this was my >combat lesson in a sentence. > >TECHNOLOGY CANNOT BEAT IDEOLOGY!
Very succinct. >When people are willing to run into the face of guns armed only with >a broken stick and a willingness to die - Technology shock and awe >is reversed against those who only bring technology onto the >battlefield. I know. Let us not learn that lesson again. Amen... But I fear it should be "Let us not fail to learn that lesson again." Bush et al have failed to learn that. They believe the US failed in Vietnam because of a lack of military resolve, with the major factor in that being the old saw that the war was lost in American living-rooms. Reagan believed the same thing. The US military (most people's military) was fascinated by the way the British were able to control press access during the Falklands war. As we can see, that lesson they did learn, for better or worse - worse, as it buttresses the failure to learn the first lesson. Sure helps to have such a knee-jerk press too. Anyway... http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1194671,00.html The return of people's war Iraq shows the west and its new liberal imperialists have forgotten the lessons of history Monday April 19, 2004 The Guardian http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0421-10.htm Vietnamese advice to U.S.: Leave Iraq Former foe warns of quagmire Knight Ridder Newspapers Wednesday, April 21, 2004 I'm reluctant to fiddle with the admirable brevity of your four-word upsumming Art, but the word "ideology" can cause some confusion. Whatever their political ideology might be, occupied peoples fighting back share the common motive of rejecting occupation, and I think that's the ideology that counts here. Perhaps the American treatment of the British colonial superpower would illustrate that best. Best Keith >Art Krenzel > ----- Original Message ----- > From: robert luis rabello > To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 9:11 PM > Subject: Re: [biofuel] OT: House of Bush, House of Saud book report > > > > > Hakan Falk wrote: > > > > > Robert, > > > > It was very interesting to read your thorough analysis, they are very > > good. > > It will be difficult to get the Iraqi oil on line, as long as the > > occupation continues and I think that Bush understand that and that is > > why > > he pushes the June deadline. > > > He may be a bit simple minded, but I don't think the man is entirely > without wit. There is a political element to this as well, given that > daily casualty reports are an irritant to the voting public. Mr. Bush > faces another election in November, and I think he'd like to have power > handed over already so that he can distance himself from the daily > carnage, call the operation a success, wave the flag a bit more and stir > up additional political support. (Not that he's going to need it with > the campaign funding he's already amassed!) > > > The problem is that it is an other naive > > miscalculation, to belive that they can have a strong puppet regime. > > Didn't the British have that experience in the 1930's? I recall > reading that the RAF had to enforce an unpopular tax by strafing > unfriendly villages. I hope we don't resort to such tactics this time > around. > > > It is > > in a hurry, because without Iraq, it is no space for swing production and > > any pressures to keep oil prices low. The Saudis have always been in > > support of US, but I think that all the anti Saudi talk, is bringing this > > to an end and with serious consequences. They will not make the > > mistake to > > declare this openly, but the result will be the same and the anti Saudi > > talk will be even stronger. The only disaster that US is missing, is a > > very > > bad relationship with the Saudis (declared 25% of the worlds oil > > reserves, > > but probably largely over estimated). > > Saudi Arabia is a SERIOUS problem for us. Alan's post that > originated this thread may illustrate the links between the Bush family > and the House of Saud, but nobody seems too willing to discuss the > potential problems that may arise when King Faud dies. > > > Of course, US can always go back to > > try Venezuela again. LOL > > We've been bullies in Latin America for a long time. That region of > the world is particularly dear to me. > > > > > It is also an other small thing that make the Iraqi situation difficult. > > With the first Gulf war, where the Americans wiped out the Iraqi army, > > the > > US led embargo that killed at least 5,000 children a year and finally the > > invasion of Iraq, it is very few families in Iraq who did not have a > > family > > member or a friend killed by the Americans. After all, 80% of the Iraqi > > population is women and children under 16 years of age. The Americans do > > not have the finesse of Saddam, were the parts of population was played > > against each other, a sort of politics. The Americans are more true to > > the > > American democracy, they kill everybody, without any prejudice to race, > > color or position. I think that it is the trigger happiness in Wild West > > style. > > I woudn't say that. Whoever puts the most ordinance on target > usually wins in a conventional war; a lesson the Russians learned from > Napolean and used with devastating effect on the Wermacht at the end of > WW II. I've said before that the military is a blunt instrument, at > best. Our armed services effectively destroyed the world's "fourth > largest army" because the weapons systems and tactics we've developed > are intended to deliver maximum firepower on a given target. > (Especially the Soviet equipment that largely made up Saddam's army.) > That works well in conventional warfare against readily identifiable > targets. The asymmetrical tactics being used by the opposition in Iraq > cannot be effectively countered this way because the political costs for > slaying civilians en-masse is too high for us to pay. > > > I have a couple of simple questions. Is it possible to win the > > peoples harts and mind, when you killed the same peoples grandfather, > > grandmother, father, mother, brother, sister or friends? Is it not a very > > naive proposition? > > I think it's unlikely that we will win much Iraqi admiration. Most > of us over here will be shocked at this, but that's because so few of us > can see the conflict from the same perspective as the average Iraqi. > > > You are right, to get the Iraqi oil on line, US have to be even more > > ruthless than the evil dictator Saddam, at least he was a native and they > > could take it from one of their own. I do not belive that this is > > possible > > for the American society. It is too many decent Americans, for Bush to > > get > > away with it. > > You have great faith! I sense a different mood among my > countrymen. I hope you are right and I am wrong. > > > > > The best chance of success would be to make a deal and reinstate Saddam, > > but this is not going to happen. Although they now are reinstating > > parts of > > the Baath party members. LOL > > I don't think Saddam will ever see power again. > > > The current junta is without a chance and the will be the next victims of > > US policies, it would not be the first time and actually in line with US > > reputation in the world. They are not known to stick with their > > democratic > > friends, when thing get tough they prefer a strong dictator to do the > > dirty > > work. > > Ask the Latin Americans and Iranians about this. They have > experienced the problem you describe first hand. > > robert luis rabello > "The Edge of Justice" > Adventure for Your Mind > http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/9782 ' ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. 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