A Shock and Awe Strategy
November 28th, 2009
We have a new program here at American Grand Jury. We ask people to send in their editorials and articles so we can post them. As the Editor I enjoy reading your work. Here is an example of a submission by Phillip Cowan in California.
A Shock and Awe Strategy
By Phillip Cowan
As a Viet Nam veteran, I have always advocated a strong national defense. After 9/11, I was as outraged as any American and determined to punish the perps. However, I was never quite convinced that the real villains were hiding in Iraq. Nevertheless, I supported Bush because it seemed better to do something than nothing. We got the little fish, Sadam Hussein, but the big fish bin Ladin is still at large. Who exactly did we defeat in our “victory” in Islam? I don’t think so.
Now bin Ladin and his minions are skulking cowards in the vast and rugged terrain of the tribal chiefdoms in Afghanistan/Pakistan. Are we fighting Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or Islam? Very recent history should warn us that there can be no victory in Afghanistan. Remember the Russian invasion there? Disaster! With all their sophisticated armament the Soviet army was soundly trounced by the Mujahedeen. These are the same fierce guerilla warriors we are currently facing. Our courageous troops are hampered by ridiculous rules of engagement while the Mujahedeen have none. The enemy is acclimatized and well inculcated in guerilla warfare and endlessly supplied by a relentless flow of armaments from the international world of Islam.
The Russians were defeated because we, the U.S.A. supplied and trained the Mujahedeen. Among those guerilla trainees was one Osama bin Laden. Now the shoe is on the other foot. The Russians, partnered with Iran, are supplying the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Our brilliant warrior Generals McCrystal and Petraeus say they require 40,000 additional troops in order to win. And the President waffles. Under the current rules of engagement and half-hearted assault, 80,000 or 180,000 more of our precious young men and women will not prevail. Without question, bin Laden needs to be eradicated, but will that end the threat? This week the tentacles of Al Qaeda have surfaced across America. The Devil is alive and well in America and the world.
In my view, two clear options exist:
Phillip Cowan
Free Lance Journalist
California City, CA 93505
Excellent idea Bob, I like the idea of “regular” people giving their views.
Great letter Phillip! And thank you for your service.
Julie
These types of tirades just leave me cold, I really don’t understand the agenda of those running this blog well enough to understand what would possess them to publish what in essence says: ‘Lets use nukes and show them we mean business’…
Instead, perhaps it might be suggested that since we are there that we follow the model used by Special Forces which is to engage with the locals, demonstrate through actions that the US military is there to help those terrorized by the terrorists, and doesn’t act according to the philosophy of destroying villages to save them.
Being another vietnam vet and one who actually did work with the inhabitants of that country I can tell you Mr. Cowan’s suggested course of action is one that only has an application to the population of a belligerent country which has caused ours direct and serious injury, where their population overwhelmingly supports such unjust warfare, and is instrumental in hiding, supplying, and supporting those conducting actions against us. This was Sherman’s attitude toward the Confederate states and he was correct. It doesn’t apply here. The Afghanistan people have not been involved in direct warfare against our country, they have not overwhelmingly supported the islamic extremists, but instead in most cases have been subjugated by them.
They will respond, and have, to open sincere offers to assist them. They will not respond to false promises or unfounded aggression against them - neither would I.
By all means, kill the damn islamic fanatics, but if you can’t treat the people of Afghanistan with a little common respect then get the hell out and stay out because they sure don’t need you and we don’t need our troops in the field trained to think that all power comes from the end of a gun.
I have to agree with BASCI on one point. Nuclear weapons don’t make sense.. but everything else stated in the editorial needs consideration.. I think it is high time that Afghanistan [certain parts of it] where all the drugs that are produced [which support worldwide terrorism] need to be eradicated.
There again — who in this country wants to stop terrorism and control the flow of drugs? Not anyone I know of in this Administration. Isn’t that what this editorial is all about? — trying to explain that “political correctness” has gotten us to the point where we are weak and afraid as a Nation to do the right thing — yet we will allow terrorists to dictate to the world tyranny and even given them a pulpit to stand on — now that is BS — the only thing tyranny understand is force — if you believe the terrorists will negotiate without force being applied you are simply living in a dream world.
Oh, there is one other thing. If you don’t like the blog or you don’t like the way we censor (tell the liberals to take a hike) then you are welcome to hit the DELETE key on your computer. We are not perfect around here but we can see a lot more clearly than most of the Obot’s believing there is a “end to the rainbow” if they follow the O’man down the rotten path to socialism.
Well personally I believe drugs are poison but be it far from me to decide if people wish to kill themselves they should be stopped.The so called “War on drugs” does nothing but keep drug lords and gangs reaping high profits while picking the pockets of American taxpayers in a futile attempt to stop it.Does “Prohibition” back in the 1920s tell you anything ? It will only be when the enormous profits of drugs are defeated will this fuel that supports war and terrorist be curtailed.The downside to this is that law enforcement will be required to find more productive means of employment like disposal of the misguided souls who decided to follow their own path to destruction.
I may be off base here but I’m still trying to figure out what our mission in Afghanistan is. I thought we went to Afghanistan to root out, capture or kill the terrorist bin laden and his Al Qaeda terrorists that attacked us on 9/11/2001.
I believe that should be our primary mission, as former Pres. Bush declared, you’re either with us (USA) or against us in the war on terror and that we were going to bring USA justice to all who attacked us, and whoever is planning to attack us, where-ever they are.
I do not support using our troops as ambassadors of democracy in overthrowing dictators or dictatorial regimes. If that were the case, we would be at war with at least a third of the world’s governments. That is for the citizens of those countries to decide in how they want to live. We can support and supply, but the dirty work of actual fighting should be done by the people who want to be free. That way they have their personal investment in the victory and not a foreign investment such as USA blood. The USA is not the world police or world arbitrator of how different countries rule their people. Let the UN do their job.
I do support surgical strikes, wherever, to get or bring justice to those who have caused harm to USA interests and USA citizens. That is the primary and Constitutional responsibility of our military, the defense of the USA and it’s citizens. Send in the special forces to execute whatever means necessary to bring about that justice and then get the heck out. There is no need for 100,000 of our best to be putting their lives on the line to rebuild countries where the people are too timid or fearful to invest their own blood in bringing about their own freedom. Our military is not some mercenary force to be hired out to the highest bidder.
Somr dsy lry snybody or everybody do what they want to do, isn’t that anarchy? Not sure, I used alcohol for years, but it has been over 25 years since I quit that. My opinion, we should help as much as possible in Afganistan, also we should have the main Islamic Terrorist out of the White House and have him join the rest of his people. Get Out, Usuper and let the american citizens heal our country. You have made all this country problems worse, take you wife with you, go live in Gitmo where the other terrorists live, say how mean we are then. With 26 attendants to keep this person safe, too much overkill. prayer for Obama, Psalm 109.8 God Bless America
Subject:
Do Your Job
To:
President Barack Obama
Rep. F. Allen Boyd
Sen. Bill Nelson
Sen. George LeMieux
November 20, 2009
Dear President Obama,
My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don’t believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos’n Mate. Now I live in a “rest home” located on the western end of Pearl Harbor allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
So here goes.
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.
I can’t figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
” We’re no longer a Christian nation”
” America is arrogant” - (Your wife even announced to the world,”America is mean-spirited. ” Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)
I’d say shame on the both of you but I don’t think you like America nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
After 9/11 you said,” America hasn’t lived up to her ideals.”
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British ? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War ? I hope you didn’t mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers,husbands,and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around because we stand for freedom.
I don’t think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man. Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don’t, I’ll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don’t want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts who was putting up a fight? You don’t mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don’t want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life but you’re the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you’re not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you’re thinking of.
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president. You’re not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That’s not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now. And I sure as hell don’t want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.
Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
McAlpin , FL
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=10892&letter_id=4287614061
Great post Mr. Estes, I agree about Afghanstan, we are there now, not my idea to go, but as our young people are there defending freedom for all, and to try to help we should at least support them, as this dithering so-called president doesn’t know his — from a hole i the ground, he reminds me of Nero who fiddled while Rome burned and that was blamed on the Christians. I am thoroughly disgusted with the idiot in white house, he has trashed all I hold dear so I might so I will trash his allah, who does not exist, except in the minds of Radicals who want to behead everybody as they did Daniel Pearl while his pregnant wife watched. Great timing Muslims, you radical people are spawn of the devil. God Bless America
BOb. thanks for the e-mail, you are a kind, compassionate, caring person. God Bless you sir.