[hope_full]

This article - in a mainstream publication - is a scary piece of news. Just scary as hell.

Do you ever look around at the hoi polloi and just wonder how they can sleepwalk through this stuff without questioning and pondering the bigger plicture? When I was in Sunday School, the #1 thing we were taught was this: Learn how to be an independent thinker, independent of the good opinions (or not-so-good opinions) of the crowd.

How can people not pay attention to what's going on?

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SILENTTODD', 'W')e don't have an Army BIG enough at this moment to begin to occupy this country under force of arms, let alone Iraq right now.
Last I read the active Army is less than 500,000. The Air Force was bigger than that 32 years ago when I was in it. The Army during the 1970's was about a 1 1/2 million at that time after Vietnam. You would have to abandon all other postings around the world at this moment to even make a start at this.

[Revi]

Well this made me feel better:
From the article above: “I can’t think of a more noble mission than this,” said Cloutier, who took command in July. “We’ve been all over the world during this time of conflict, but now our mission is to take care of citizens at home ... and depending on where an event occurred, you’re going home to take care of your home town, your loved ones.”
Wow! What does that mean?

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Revi', 'W')ell this made me feel better:
From the article above: “I can’t think of a more noble mission than this,” said Cloutier, who took command in July. “We’ve been all over the world during this time of conflict, but now our mission is to take care of citizens at home ... and depending on where an event occurred, you’re going home to take care of your home town, your loved ones.” Wow! What does that mean?

[seahorse2]

Obviously, a Brigade, which is about 3k people, is only enough for perform operations in one major city. Further, I doubt they would break the brigade up, bc BCTs are intended to be "stand alone" units.

So, this unit, already with lots of experience in Baghdad, would be very capable of moving into a major city and restoring order, providing security etc.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse2', 'S')o, this unit, already with lots of experience in Baghdad, would be very capable of moving into a major city and restoring order, providing security etc.

[Dreamtwister]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse2', 'S')o, this unit, already with lots of experience in Baghdad, would be very capable of moving into a major city and restoring order, providing security etc.

[seahorse2]

My gut reaction is this unit is on stand bye for operations to either secure NYC or Washington D.C. Why? bc NYC is the "financial capital" of the world and certainly the US and D.C. is our proverbial "head." However, I could also see them moving into a major oil hub like Houston. However, look at how many hurricanes we have suffered, the damage, etc., just this last week and no active unit brigades were sent i. I say that just to give you perspective of the scope of problem needed before such a unit would go into an area.


Further, remember back during Katrina, a brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division was finally sent in for security purposes (too late, but sent in never the less). At that time, the Army groaned about taking an active duty army brigade "offline" to do a role that should be handled by the guard. Further, it only shows that a dedicated active brigade to Northcom is probably not necessary, since active duty units can be brought in during emergencies if necessary. During the Rodney King riots, active duty units were brought into quell the riots. During the Detroit riots and even the Little Rock Central crisis, active duty units were able to respond quickly. All this to say that history shows an active unit dedicated to homeland missions is not necessary, and I find it odd that while the US is waging to wars, it would take a BCT offline and dedicate it to a homeland mission. Seems absolutely unnecessary, unless, of course, they are planning for a specific contingency.

[Pops]

I think the services, like the various bureaucracies around power, have a longer memory than the civilian leadership and the grumbling is one of the greatest strengths of our system.

[Newfie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse2', 'M')y gut reaction is this unit is on stand bye for operations to either secure NYC or Washington D.C. ....

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FreedomSlave', '.')..Why assume national scope for the deployment of an obviously insufficient number of troops to do that kind of job?...

[SILENTTODD]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pretorian', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SILENTTODD', 'W')e don't have an Army BIG enough at this moment to begin to occupy this country under force of arms, let alone Iraq right now.
Last I read the active Army is less than 500,000. The Air Force was bigger than that 32 years ago when I was in it. The Army during the 1970's was about a 1 1/2 million at that time after Vietnam. You would have to abandon all other postings around the world at this moment to even make a start at this.

[Quinny]

I think you're underestimating the power of the press and demockracy and the organised nature of the armed forces.

Individuals armed to the teeth would be picked off one by one,

Unless you're planning some kind of collective revolution.

[Dreamtwister]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SILENTTODD', 'W')hat I am saying is the current Army can barely control Iraq, a nation of what, 30 million people? 1/10 the population of this nation. And in case you are unaware many of those 300 million are heavily armed. In my limited exposure, I know people who have 50 caliber sniper rifles and recent generation night scopes to go along with them. Heck even someone with bolt action 30.06 or .308 hunting rifle with a scope can be a real fly in the ointment to any plan to impose some kind of dictatorship, let alone the many individuals with fully automatic weapons that exist out there.

And another point, don't believe for a minute that everyone in the military is going to follow orders lock step like some new Fourth Reich. Many will remember they took an oath to defend the Constitution, not obey some new Fuhrer. I certainly would not have obeyed such orders when I served.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SILENTTODD', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pretorian', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SILENTTODD', 'W')e don't have an Army BIG enough at this moment to begin to occupy this country under force of arms, let alone Iraq right now.
Last I read the active Army is less than 500,000. The Air Force was bigger than that 32 years ago when I was in it. The Army during the 1970's was about a 1 1/2 million at that time after Vietnam. You would have to abandon all other postings around the world at this moment to even make a start at this.

[vision-master]

Don't forget the churches. Just like across the pond in Hilter's era. The sheeple will be convinced to turn in their weapons by our religious leaders.

[Mesuge]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SILENTTODD', '
')And another point, don't believe for a minute that everyone in the military is going to follow orders lock step like some new Fourth Reich. Many will remember they took an oath to defend the Constitution, not obey some new Fuhrer. I certainly would not have obeyed such orders when I served.

[Arsenal]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Quinny', 'I') think you're underestimating the power of the press and demockracy and the organised nature of the armed forces.

Individuals armed to the teeth would be picked off one by one,

Unless you're planning some kind of collective revolution.

[seahorse2]

America is a tinderbox right now. Congress has about a 9% approval rating, the President isn't much better, people are pissed and fed up, and demand "Change" thus both candidates claim to offer it but don't, and no one believes them. All it would take is one "shot around the world", one video of a Federal Reserve bank in any major city burning and the floodgates of change that the people cry for would be unleashed. The PTB would think it was hell.

[ReverseEngineer]

Army-People Problem.

The Army is COMPOSED of the People. If the army kills too many of the people they are composed of, there is no army. What is the rationecessary here of army kills of poulation to army replenishment that is a sustainable ratio? Has Ben Bernanke worked this one out? Did Bush work it out as a Yalie? I suspect he was otherise busy.

As I stated earlier, I have great faith in the men I know who are military. I do know the general dangers, but at least short term I ahve to put my faith somewhere, and its in the tough men I know who are are Pilots and Surgeons in the Military. Done their tours of duty in Iraq, they have stared down the apocalypse already to an extent.

I cannot imagine these men turnig fire on their own. If somebody orders them to do so, they will REBEL. It would be a big mistake in my opinion for TPTB to try to use the military to subjugate all. The military will fracture if that happens. They will give the Order, then about 2 seconds later they will have a bullet thru the brain. Not right away, at first the information dissemination and propganda prevents that. A day comes though when it is seen for what it is. That is the day Marie Antoineetee lost her head, its the day the Romanoffs were excuted in a basement. That day is coming, just cannot say how long before it does.

Reverse Engineer