I'm so proud.. NOT!

[flacaltenn]

Making friends in volatile areas of the world --- US style..

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/03/23/us-jet-downed-in-libya-and-rescue-plane-strafes-villagers-trying-to-help-pilot-115875-23009060/

WITH a stricken US pilot lost, alone and terrified in the dark, Gaddafi-hating villagers rushed to his aid and to thank him for taking on the tyrant.

But as they approached, ****American special forces unleashed a terrifying volley of gunfire, scattering them in all directions fearing for their lives.

Shooting from an Osprey attack aircraft, afraid their comrades were about to fall into the hands of ****Gaddafi’s brutal forces, troops strafed the ground to clear the way for a dramatic rescue.

But several villagers were injured in the melee, including a man who was said to have lost a leg.


Conducting a "clean" war from 2000ft. They love us now.. $100M a week is the cost. That's 2000 angio stent operations a week.. Or the entire startup cost of at least 4 midsize Silicon Valley companies. A WEEK!

And that virtually ended the Obama pledge of "no boots on the ground" in the first week of the operation.. I ASSUME many "boots" went in to rescue the pilots.


http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libya-Tripoli-Rocked-By-Heaviest-Night-Of-Bombing-Since-Nato-Strikes-Began-Gaddafi-Appears-On-TV/Article/201106216007648?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header _4&lid=ARTICLE_16007648_Libya%3A_Tripoli_Rocked_By_He aviest_Night_Of_Bombing_Since_Nato_Strikes_Began%2 C_Gaddafi_Appears_On_TV

Loud explosions have rocked Tripoli during the heaviest night of bombing since Nato air strikes began on the Libyan capital.

Sky's security editor Sam Kiley, who is in the capital, said the number of bombs dropped on Tripoli targets was nearer 30 than 60.

However, he said: "It was a very heavy bombardment indeed, probably the heaviest in a 24-hour period that's been seen so far."

In America, President Barack Obama said it is just a matter of time before Col Gaddafi was ousted.


AND THEN WHAT -- Mr. Prez? Instant Karma love and peace in Libya? Free Oil for Everyone? Having a leftist Prez sure makes the "blood for oil" argument go away doesn't it? Never got any when it was OUR blood, now we're smarter about who bleeds.

Congress is in NO HURRY to consent to this venture. They just hope it goes away before their 30 day response is due.. Typical... I'm so proud.. :mad:

[noonereal]

maybe Mexico is a good alternative for you? :)

[BlueStreak]

Silicon Valley? Naw, China. American employees are too expensive. F**k those people, we can get it done cheaper elsewhere..........................(Sarcasm)

God, what a f**kin' mess, those poor people, ran to help, but ended up getting shot at. Oh well, such is the fog of war.

But you had to know it was just a matter of time. Our Prez said no boots on the ground. He also said Gaddafi had to go. I guess he was assuming NATO was going to handle it..........yeah, right, NATO. The only way for our Prez to keep his word on the whole "Gaddafi must go" thing is to....just push NATO aside and do it ourselves. Which is what should be doing anyways. Uhhhh, but we're not.

However, having said that..........................

This is not the first war situation in which friendlies have been mistakenly fired upon, and sadly, it probably won't be the last. Our man was down, Special Forces went in to retrieve him...HOOAH!

Presidential hypocrisy notwithstanding, it would be awesome to see Gaddafi finally come down.
And I think only an ass would fail to see that. Maybe if we threw in a bunch of vapid flag-waiving, Sarah Palin playing "Battle Hymn of the Republic" with armpit farts while screwing up the lyrics and Sean Hannity on hand to declare how the Almighty himself guided the Special Forces troops in to rescue our brave airman who volunteered to go make Libya as free and democratic as a Massey coal mine in Appalachia......Would you be "Proud" then?

"Karma love and peace"? Personally, I prefer Unicorns and glittery rainbows.

Dave

[piece-itpete]

No blood for oil? No firing on countries that didn't attack us first? Saddam should stay, but Gaddafi should go? Stinks to high heaven. At least Bush got Congressional approval :rolleyes:

NATO = Need America To Operate

It's Obamas baby.

That said I don't blame the troops. How on earth do they know who's a friendly?

Pete

[flacaltenn]

Before I get accused of anything here..... Those downed pilots were coming home. Even if we had to light the fires of hell around them as a perimeter.

When France intervened on our behalf in OUR war of Independence, they knew EXACTLY who they were dealing with. (That womanizing whore-hound Franklin who wouldn't leave their booze or women alone in Paris) :D

But to vaguely declare creeping "no fly" strategy that morphes day by day with the stated purpose to REMOVE Khadahfy - a man who layed down his empire ambitions and weapons to us just a few years back -- is foolish when we KNOW that over 50% (and growing) of the Libyans will hate us for that act. NO idea of future leadership or even govt structure. NO guarantee the fighting will even END.. And that OUR BOMBS are killing solely Libyans every day. Not bad evil Libyans.. Libyans fighting for THEIR country..

We are so dam incompetent to order the finest, bravest soldiers in the world to get involved in a cat-fight like that.. I wish I could take the keys away for a couple months til these children realize what they're doing.. :mad:

[BlueStreak]

Before I get accused of anything here..... Those downed pilots were coming home. Even if we had to light the fires of hell around them as a perimeter.

When France intervened on our behalf in OUR war of Independence, they knew EXACTLY who they were dealing with. (That womanizing whore-hound Franklin who wouldn't leave their booze or women alone in Paris) :D

But to vaguely declare creeping "no fly" strategy that morphes day by day with the stated purpose to REMOVE Khadahfy - a man who layed down his empire ambitions and weapons to us just a few years back -- is foolish when we KNOW that over 50% (and growing) of the Libyans will hate us for that act. NO idea of future leadership or even govt structure. NO guarantee the fighting will even END.. And that OUR BOMBS are killing solely Libyans every day. Not bad evil Libyans.. Libyans fighting for THEIR country..

We are so dam incompetent to order the finest, bravest soldiers in the world to get involved in a cat-fight like that.. I wish I could take the keys away for a couple months til these children realize what they're doing.. :mad:

OMG! Saying something nice about the French and admitting one of "The Founders" wasn't a perfect angel all in the same paragraph?!?!?!?!? You'll lose your teabagger credentials over that one, mister! Tsk, tsk!

Dave

[merrylander]

The WaPo had a picture on the front page of the open cargo bay of a C-5 with the coffins of four of our bravest and best at Dover airbase. Contrast that with that idiot Saxby Chambliss on Newshour last night arguing for more troops in Afghanistan. Don't we have enough surveillance satellites? Don't we have enough Tridents? Come home and let that crook Karzai know that the first sign of a training camp and the birds start to fly. Florence can't watch the pictures on the Newshour, I force myself to watch and dry my eyes afterward. Kharzai's government is corrupt to the core, he is mentally unstable so why are we pouring in money and blood for a bunch of savages.

[finnbow]

Somehow we have a cultural arrogance that says each and every country (including the ruling elite/warlords within them) longs for a Jeffersonian democracy just like ours. Afghanistan (or Iraq or Libya) wouldn't know what to do with a Jeffersonian democracy. Hell, with the ways things are looking nowadays, I'm not so sure we do either.

[flacaltenn]

Hell FinnBow:

THey barely know what to do with a ROAD or SCHOOL. Our "infrastructure" investment in that country is a bigger waste than funding shrimp running on treadmills.. At least the latter pushes science a teeny bit further.

MerryLander: Amen bro.. It all reverts to a poppy-growing, dust bowl subtitled version of Road Warriors starring Mel Gibson --- whether we leave today or 20 years from now..

[merrylander]

The problem with "giving" people a Jeffersonian democracy is that we seem to have forgotten our own history.

One argument I have heard is that since we built schools there now 50% of the students are girls. If the Taliban tries to change that they had better learn to sleep with one eye open. The ladies may not have guns but I am sure there are plenty of sharp knives available. Maybe one of them is called Lorena.:rolleyes:

[flacaltenn]

Well -- 2 Congress critters have woken up.. And one is actually my senator..

http://www.dnj.com/article/20110609/NEWS01/106090309

Sen. Bob Corker wants President Barack Obama to justify the Libyan invasion to Congress and get permission from the House and the Senate before continuing involvement in NATO missions in that North African country.

The Tennessee Republican and Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., introduced a joint resolution Wednesday that also bans U.S. troops from being deployed on the ground in Libya.

The measure urges Congress to debate U.S. involvement in Libya.

Corker said what was to be limited U.S. involvement in Libya now has no end date.


Step on it... Don't get distracted. STOP this intervention now.

The only time we should even CONSIDER an intervention like this, is when a recognized faction comes and ASKs us to help.. And by recognized, I mean people with some clout and a staff working for the cause..

[finnbow]

Well -- 2 Congress critters have woken up.. And one is actually my senator..

http://www.dnj.com/article/20110609/NEWS01/106090309



Step on it... Don't get distracted. STOP this intervention now.

The only time we should even CONSIDER an intervention like this, is when a recognized faction comes and ASKs us to help.. And by recognized, I mean people with some clout and a staff working for the cause..

While you're of course right with your concerns about this intervention, Congress punted decades ago on the War Powers Act. It is a shell of its former self.

Now, between the "support our troops" jingoism and our general fondness of watching real live American bombs blow up on TV, nothing will change in Libya until Ghaddafi pulls the plug (or we pull it for him).

[piece-itpete]

“The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.” — Sen. Obama on December 20, 2007

Um, bam?

Pete

[flacaltenn]

He was young and inexperienced then Pete.. Said a lot of flippant things. We should not hold that against him.. Especially stuff like ---

"""The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies."""


This has been an educational experience for the man.. And he's been exposed to so many bad influences (like Pelosi-Reid). Give him time to figure out where he stands..

Seriously FinnBow:

Now, between the "support our troops" jingoism and our general fondness of watching real live American bombs blow up on TV, nothing will change in Libya until Ghaddafi pulls the plug (or we pull it for him).


Hope and Change eh? I'm not falling for the Change part of that again..

[djv8ga]

Somehow we have a cultural arrogance that says each and every country (including the ruling elite/warlords within them) longs for a Jeffersonian democracy just like ours. Afghanistan (or Iraq or Libya) wouldn't know what to do with a Jeffersonian democracy. Hell, with the ways things are looking nowadays, I'm not so sure we do either.
So true.