Donate Bitcoin

Donate Paypal


PeakOil is You

PeakOil is You

THE Iraqi Civil War Thread (merged)

What's on your mind?
General interest discussions, not necessarily related to depletion.

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby OilsNotWell » Sun 07 May 2006, 02:15:52

Well said, gg3
User avatar
OilsNotWell
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1202
Joined: Wed 11 Aug 2004, 03:00:00

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby DesertBear2 » Sun 07 May 2006, 03:02:30

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Gorm', 's')heesh...

get real, comparing this to stalinggrad, or any other battle is ridiculus. This barley qualifyes as a skrimish.


I think the comparison of Iraq to Stalingrad has some merit.

Certainly not close in terms of the mega-battle between totalitarian states or in the number of resources and lives expended. How much of the $650Billion defense budget is being put on the national credit card?

But the US seems to be stuck in a hopeless situation while expending massive amounts of resources and political capital at home. OsamaInc laughs hardily as the US bleeds in Iraq and opposition grows at home.

Not to mention all the other important matters that are being neglected ie Asian relations. And couldn't some of this massive wastage of resources be better used in developing alternative energies and promoting positive goals thoughout the world?
DesertBear2
Tar Sands
Tar Sands
 
Posts: 514
Joined: Sat 13 Aug 2005, 03:00:00
Location: BlueRidgeVA

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby DesertBear2 » Sun 07 May 2006, 03:05:27

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Gorm', 's')heesh...

get real, comparing this to stalinggrad, or any other battle is ridiculus. This barley qualifyes as a skrimish.


I think the comparison of Iraq to Stalingrad has some merit. Certainly not close in terms of the mega-battle between totalitarian states or in the number of resources and lives expended.

But the US seems to be stuck in a hopeless situation while expending massive amounts of resources and political capital at home. OsamaInc laughs hardily as the US bleeds in Iraq and opposition grows at home.

Not to mention all the other important matters that are being neglected ie Asian relations. And couldn't some of this massive wastage of resources be better used in developing alternative energies and promoting positive goals thoughout the world? How much of the $650Billion defense budget is being put on the national credit card?
DesertBear2
Tar Sands
Tar Sands
 
Posts: 514
Joined: Sat 13 Aug 2005, 03:00:00
Location: BlueRidgeVA

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby Madpaddy » Sun 07 May 2006, 03:19:12

gg3,

Absolutely correct with respect to your comments about the British army. I have worked with military people from at least 30 countries and the Brits are by far the best trained and most professional.

And this is coming from an Irishman. I think you'll find that less than 30 British soldiers have been KIA in Iraq. They are the world leaders in counter insurgency operations and are still credited as being the only army to put down a nationalist insurgency (in Malaysia)
User avatar
Madpaddy
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 2043
Joined: Fri 25 Jun 2004, 03:00:00

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby SoothSayer » Sun 07 May 2006, 03:57:54

>> I think the comparison of Iraq to Stalingrad has some merit.

Two very different situations. You are comparing apples with oranges.
User avatar
SoothSayer
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1167
Joined: Thu 02 Mar 2006, 04:00:00
Location: England

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby KevO » Sun 07 May 2006, 04:36:08

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chicken_Little', 'b')ut i thought we were helping them?

don't they like us?

.


you serious?
the Iraqi authorities want nothing to do with the British. The local police won't cooperate with them. Despite the government's mouthpiece (the BBC) assuring us that the local population love them, they don't. The local population want them out. Nobody in Basra wants the British there but Blair says we're helping them.

But there in the right place being near to the Iran border. I bet you we start hearing that Iran are someway involved coz I have a gut feeling that Blair won't step down until we are involved in the looming Iran war that thptb are engineering
KevO
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 2775
Joined: Tue 24 May 2005, 03:00:00
Location: CT USA

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby KevO » Sun 07 May 2006, 04:36:25

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chicken_Little', 'b')ut i thought we were helping them?

don't they like us?

.


you serious?
the Iraqi authorities want nothing to do with the British. The local police won't cooperate with them. Despite the government's mouthpiece (the BBC) assuring us that the local population love them, they don't. The local population want them out. Nobody in Basra wants the British there but Blair says we're helping them.

But there in the right place being near to the Iran border. I bet you we start hearing that Iran are someway involved coz I have a gut feeling that Blair won't step down until we are involved in the looming Iran war that thptb are engineering
KevO
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 2775
Joined: Tue 24 May 2005, 03:00:00
Location: CT USA

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby Chicken_Little » Sun 07 May 2006, 06:52:09

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', 'T')he British Army is *not* pathetic.

A close friend of mine, a Captain in the US Army, a guy who is the warrior's warrior, tells me he has done a number of training exercises and field activities with the British Army (classified details omitted as per usual), and he holds them in the highest regard according to all relevant measures of military capability and attitude. He even goes so far as to say that the US could learn much from Great Britain in both training and field.



Whoah. Looks like we have some Anglophiles in the house.


The British armed forces are in fact completely pathetic in that they have shitty equipment and practically no air cover.

They are still flying Harrier 'jumpjets' from the 60's for Christ's sake.

And please don't call us 'Great Britain'. We're pretty obviously not 'great' since we take our orders from our American masters.

'the UK' or 'Britain' is fine.

end of message.
Chicken_Little
Lignite
Lignite
 
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu 10 Mar 2005, 04:00:00
Location: Airstrip 1
Top

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby Wildwell » Sun 07 May 2006, 07:42:40

Well Great Britian never meant it was great, it meant the countries of England, Scotland and Wales in unison. I think the United Kingdom refers to Northern Ireland as well...

Anyway, it's worth noting that the defence budget is constantly being cut. Why a small poxy island like this has to get involved in everyone else's business God only knows...

Actually while we're on the subject could I ask people to please not call us England, it really annoys the Scots for a start and it's rather like calling the US Texas. It's especially important as we're run by a bunch of Scots..

As a cultural note the British don’t like success because of its class war background, unless you’re dead when a statue is erected, and has a bee in its bonnet about all this racism and immigration – mainly because of it’s imperial background and the left wing teaching profession. Therefore I’m not surprised people have posted then Army is ‘pathetic’ which actually it’s one of the best in the world.
User avatar
Wildwell
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1962
Joined: Thu 03 Feb 2005, 04:00:00
Location: UK

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby Chicken_Little » Sun 07 May 2006, 08:22:31

I would really love to know where people of all nationalities get off with this worshipping the British armed forces thing.

Look, face facts, the British military is a bit shit.

Almost no aircraft carriers, crappy planes, ill-equipped troops. Infantry rifles that don't work (SA-80). Tanks that don't work in sand (Challenger).

I'm just sick of this whole militarist attitude we have in the UK. Let's stop glorifying violence.
Chicken_Little
Lignite
Lignite
 
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu 10 Mar 2005, 04:00:00
Location: Airstrip 1

Re: Basra thinks it can take the pathetic British Army

Unread postby Wildwell » Sun 07 May 2006, 08:53:13

The British forces are a shadow of their former self, but their training is still top notch. I’m not sure if I agree people glorify violence. To me this is a country with very left wing attitudes, but with right wing tendencies.
User avatar
Wildwell
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1962
Joined: Thu 03 Feb 2005, 04:00:00
Location: UK

Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby Lokutus » Tue 06 Jun 2006, 19:43:16

So they are amputating heads over there and lining them up along the curb.

Can we start calling it a "civil war" now?
What will arrive first? Peak Oil or the Second Coming? My money is now on the latter.
User avatar
Lokutus
Tar Sands
Tar Sands
 
Posts: 886
Joined: Mon 19 Sep 2005, 03:00:00
Location: OR, USA

Re: Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby lutherquick » Tue 06 Jun 2006, 20:00:57

Well... Americans were scalping American Indians, including children, and that was for democracy....

I just got done watching FoxNews, and everything there said Iraq is peaceful, and all the wmd are secured... oh, oh, oh... and Saddam will soon pay for his 9/11 attack...
User avatar
lutherquick
Tar Sands
Tar Sands
 
Posts: 529
Joined: Fri 04 Feb 2005, 04:00:00
Location: NJ

Re: Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby dukey » Tue 06 Jun 2006, 20:05:14

I dont know i've not been there
All i see is the filtered media that the US allows through.

But I think its safe to say, America has totally destroyed iraq. School/hospitals, thousands of homes, all destroyed leaving thousand of people in temporary shelters. Not too mention how many people have been killed, or how much money has literally been blown 'liberating' this poor country. Or how the US let private companies basically steal iraq money and bodge the reconstruction effort.
User avatar
dukey
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2248
Joined: Sun 20 Feb 2005, 04:00:00

Re: Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby Lokutus » Tue 06 Jun 2006, 20:09:38

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dukey', 'I') dont know i've not been there
All i see is the filtered media that the US allows through.



I abandoned US media a few years ago. The one exception is NPR.

I now go with the BBC, CBC, and ABC (Australian).
What will arrive first? Peak Oil or the Second Coming? My money is now on the latter.
User avatar
Lokutus
Tar Sands
Tar Sands
 
Posts: 886
Joined: Mon 19 Sep 2005, 03:00:00
Location: OR, USA
Top

Re: Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby Zardoz » Tue 06 Jun 2006, 20:31:59

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5053134.stm]Violent Baghdad deaths top 6,000 - The number has risen every month, to 1,400 in May. The majority are believed to be victims of sectarian killings. But observers say the real death toll could be much higher.
[/url]
Gunmen kidnap 50 in Iraqi capital

Iraq gunmen kill 24 civilians at checkpoint

No Escaping Iraq Violence

U.S. Soldier Among 30+ Deaths In Iraq

Iraq imposes emergency in Basra

Haditha: Massacre and cover-up?

Gego posted this on the "Blundering BushCo" thread:

The cost of war
"Thank you for attending the oil age. We're going to scrape what we can out of these tar pits in Alberta and then shut down the machines and turn out the lights. Goodnight." - seldom_seen
User avatar
Zardoz
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 6323
Joined: Fri 02 Dec 2005, 04:00:00
Location: Oil-addicted Southern Californucopia

Re: Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby Chicken_Little » Tue 06 Jun 2006, 20:58:15

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lokutus', 'S')o they are amputating heads over there and lining them up along the curb.

Can we start calling it a "civil war" now?



Sorry to be pedantic, but you can't 'amputate' a head. Amputation implies the non-fatal removal of a body part, hence a head can only be severed, not amputated.
Exterminate all the brutes!
Chicken_Little
Lignite
Lignite
 
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu 10 Mar 2005, 04:00:00
Location: Airstrip 1
Top

Re: Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby Lighthouse » Tue 06 Jun 2006, 21:08:50

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chicken_Little', 'S')orry to be pedantic ...


Good on ya mate. It's like "friendly fire". It's killing you but it sounds much nicer ...
User avatar
Lighthouse
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1290
Joined: Thu 02 Mar 2006, 04:00:00
Top

Re: Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby Clouseau2 » Tue 06 Jun 2006, 21:32:35

It's always interesting reading the work of Salam Pax:

Salam Pax

Having trouble getting into a Shia district doesn’t mean that I am OK in Sunni areas. Sunni areas are even tougher. To start with they have their own set of fashion rules. There is a whole What Not To Wear spin-off for the west of Baghdad and the prize isn’t just a special wardrobe but you get to stay alive.

Let me give you a quick run down. Let’s look at men’s fashions first. Things that can get you killed include:

Shorts
A goatee beard
Jeans that are a bit tight or are too fashionably “distressed”
Colourful shirts
Hair Gel!!!
A necklace
A Shia name (anything that has anything to do with Imam Hussein or a member of his family)
User avatar
Clouseau2
Lignite
Lignite
 
Posts: 262
Joined: Mon 18 Oct 2004, 03:00:00
Location: San Francisco, CA

Re: Iraqi Civil War hot enough for ya?

Unread postby pigleg » Wed 07 Jun 2006, 00:00:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chicken_Little', '
')Sorry to be pedantic, but you can't 'amputate' a head. Amputation implies the non-fatal removal of a body part, hence a head can only be severed, not amputated.


I'm not sure its such a clear-cut definition; I could only find some sources that implied survival after the amputation, but others had only the minimal requirement that part removed must have stuck out from the body. What is your source? Also, it could be possible to keep the torso alive without the head and satisfy your definition?
Beware the deadly bulb!
User avatar
pigleg
Peat
Peat
 
Posts: 68
Joined: Fri 17 Feb 2006, 04:00:00
Location: Toronto, Canada
Top

PreviousNext

Return to Open Topic Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests