From the Sand Pit it's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard, cold dirt
between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains , along
the

Dar 'yoi Pomir River , watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to
a cave. Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of

miles.

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to

avoid another scorpion sting. I've actually given up battling the
chiggers and sand fleas, but the scorpions give a jolt like a cattle
prod. Hurts like a *******.. The antidote tastes like transmission fluid,
but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack.

The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not,

they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water.
That requires couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes
in handy. I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage
facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up to
the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the
hardware.

We bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the new movement.

It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers
yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but
days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to
begin.

I dream of bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my
boot on his throat as I spit into his face and plunge my nickel-plated
Bowie

knife through his frontal lobe. But you know me, I'm a romantic. I've said

it before and I'll say it again: This country blows, man. It's not even a

country. There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no

government. This is an inhospitable, rock pit **** hole ruled by eleventh
century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs.

Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his family: join the
opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are your options. Oh, I
forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed

beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with stomach flu, if that's your
idea of a party. But the smell alone of those 'tent cities of the walking
dead' is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape
bulbs for eighteen hours a day.

I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks, and Turkmen and even a

couple of Pushtuns, for over a month-and-a-half now, and this much I can

say for su These guys, all of 'em, are Huns... actual, living Huns..

They LIVE to fight. It's what they do. It's ALL they do. They have no
respect



for anything, not for their families, nor for each other, nor for
themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with
dead calves and force their five-year-old sons into human cockfights to
defend the family honor. Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts
who feed

on each other's barbarism. Cavemen with AK-47's. Then again, maybe I'm
just cranky.

I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is
running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a
few

hours. Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor,

Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that
awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban 'smart.'
They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word
they are looking for is 'cunning.' The Taliban are cunning, like jackals
and hyenas and wolverines. They are sneaky and ruthless, and when
confronted, cowardly.

They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy

everything else. Smart. Pfft. Yeah, they're real smart.

They've spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very

good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be

products of the devil. They're still figuring out how to work a Bic
lighter.

Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like
trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he just gets
frustrated

and sticks you in the eye with it.

OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole.

Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at

it.

Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and

move on with your lives. The story line you are getting from CNN and other
news agencies is utter bull**** and designed not to deliver truth but
rather to keep you glued to the screen through the commercials. We've
got this one under control The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit
around analyzing what we're doing over here, because you have no idea what
we're doing, and really, you don't want to know. We are your military, and
we are

doing what you sent us here to do.



Saucy Jack

Recon Marine in Afghanistan

Semper Fi



"Freedom is not free...but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your
share".



(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

On Apr 13, 11:11*am, "Steve B" wrote:
*From the Sand Pit it's freezing here. *I'm sitting on hard, *cold dirt
between rocks and *shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains , along
the

Dar 'yoi Pomir River , watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to
a *cave. *Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of

miles.

* * I also glance at the area around *my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to

*avoid another scorpion *sting. *I've *actually given up battling the
chiggers and sand *fleas, but the scorpions give *a jolt like a cattle
prod. Hurts like a *******.. *The antidote *tastes like *transmission fluid,
but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of *it in my pack.

* * The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not,

they are human beings, which means *they *have to eat food and drink water.
That requires couriers and *that's *where an old bounty hunter like me comes
in handy. *I *track the couriers, *locate the tunnel entrances *and storage
facilities, type the info into the *handheld, shoot the *coordinates up to
the satellite link that tells the air *commanders *where to drop the
hardware.

We bash some heads for a while, then I * track and record the new movement.

* * It's all *about *intelligence. *We haven't even brought in *the snipers
yet. *These *scurrying rats have no idea what *they're in for. *We are but
days away *from cutting off supply *lines and allowing the eradication to
begin.

* * I dream *of bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my
boot on his *throat as I spit into his face and *plunge my *nickel-plated
Bowie

knife through his frontal lobe. *But you know me, I'm a romantic. I've said

it before and I'll say it again: *This country blows, man. *It's not even a

*country. * There are no *roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no

government. *This is an *inhospitable, rock pit **** hole ruled by eleventh
century warring *tribes. *There are no jobs here like we know *jobs..

* * Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his *family: join the
opium trade or join the army. That's it. *Those *are your options. Oh, I
forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and *eat plum-sweetened, crushed

*beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose *with stomach flu, if that's your
idea of a party. *But the smell *alone of those 'tent cities of the walking
dead' is enough to hurl you *into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape
bulbs for eighteen hours a *day.

* * I've been living with *these Tajiks and Uzbeks, *and Turkmen and even a

couple of Pushtuns, for over a * month-and-a-half now, and this much I can

say for su *These *guys, all *of 'em, are Huns... *actual, living Huns..

They LIVE to *fight. *It's what they do. *It's ALL they do. *They have no
respect

for anything, not for their families, nor for each *other, nor for
themselves. *They claw at one another as a way of life. *They play polo with
dead calves and force their five-year-old sons into *human cockfights to
defend the family honor. *Huns, roaming packs *of savage, heartless beasts
who feed

*on each other's barbarism. * Cavemen with AK-47's. *Then again, maybe I'm
just *cranky.

* * I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill *because my lap warmer is
running out of juice, and I *can't *recharge it until the sun comes up in a
few

hours. *Oh yeah! * You like to write letters, right? *Do me a favor,

Bizarre. *Write *a *letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and *that
awful, sneering, pompous *Aaron Brown to stop calling the *Taliban 'smart.'
They are not smart. *I *suggest CNN invest in *a dictionary because the word
they are looking for is *'cunning.' *The Taliban are cunning, like jackals
and hyenas and wolverines. They *are sneaky and ruthless, and when
confronted, cowardly.

They are *hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy

everything *else. Smart. *Pfft. *Yeah, they're real smart.

* * They've spent their entire lives reading only *one *book (and not a very

*good one, as books go) and consider *hygiene and *indoor plumbing to be

products of the devil. * They're still figuring out *how to work a Bic
lighter.

Talking to a *Taliban warrior about improving *his quality of life is like
trying *to teach an ape how to hold a pen; *eventually he just *gets
frustrated

and sticks you in the eye with * it.

* * OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get *back to my hole.

Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of * practice, but I'm good at

it.

* * Please, I tell you and *my *fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and

*move on with your *lives. The story line you are getting from CNN and other
news agencies *is utter bull**** and designed not to deliver truth but
rather to keep *you *glued to the screen through the commercials. *We've
got this one under control The worst thing you guys can do right now is *sit
around analyzing what we're doing over here, because you have no *idea what
we're doing, and really, you don't want to know. We are your *military, and
we are

*doing what you *sent us here to do.

Saucy *Jack

Recon Marine in Afghanistan

Semper Fi

"Freedom is *not free...but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your
share".

(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

First appeared late 2001.


Dave

On 2010-04-13, Steve B wrote:

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to
avoid another scorpion sting.
....
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is
running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a
few
....
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole.
Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at
it.

I have never heard of scorpions living in the snow.

Otherwise, the story is very touching.

i

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:05:24 -0500, Ignoramus11847
wrote:

On 2010-04-13, Steve B wrote:

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to
avoid another scorpion sting.
...
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is
running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a
few
...
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole.
Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at
it.

I have never heard of scorpions living in the snow.

Normally they hibernate in cold weather, but sometimes the 2'
centipedes wake them up.

Wayne

Steve B wrote:

(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

Biggest bunch of bull**** I've seen in a while Steve but it's perfect for
jerk off's like yourself.

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll

"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...
Steve B wrote:

(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

Biggest bunch of bull**** I've seen in a while Steve but it's perfect for
jerk off's like yourself.

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you on
sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in the neck?
Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't like
Neo-Socialists.

"Buerste" wrote in message
...

"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...
Steve B wrote:

(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

Biggest bunch of bull**** I've seen in a while Steve but it's perfect for
jerk off's like yourself.

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you on
sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in the neck?
Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't like
Neo-Socialists.

They'd probably be smart enough to shoot you first, Tawwwwwwwm. You'd look
like a puckered 10-ring.

--
Ed Huntress

"John R. Carroll" wrote:

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.

Care to share a synopsis? I'd really like to know how it is going. 4th LAR, what is that,
it didn't strike bell in my head?

Wes

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:54:23 -0400, "Buerste"
wrote:


"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
m...

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you on
sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in the neck?
Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't like
Neo-Socialists.

Hey Tom, have you thought about contacting godaddy to see if they want
to bid on hosting your blog?

Wayne

On 2010-04-13, Wes wrote:
"John R. Carroll" wrote:

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.

Care to share a synopsis? I'd really like to know how it is going. 4th LAR, what is that,
it didn't strike bell in my head?


I second that.

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:54:23 -0400, "Buerste"
wrote:


"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
om...

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you on
sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in the neck?
Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't like
Neo-Socialists.

Hey Tom, have you thought about contacting godaddy to see if they want
to bid on hosting your blog?

Wayne

No, It's difficult to maintain a head of steam. I'm a very jovial guy most
of the time and only poke those I know will have a melt-down in the little
boxes they live in. I'll just stick to a couple of NGs where I have the
worst idiots plonked.

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:12:23 -0400, "Buerste"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:54:23 -0400, "Buerste"
wrote:


"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
news:etWdnUl1V_JvC1nWnZ2dnUVZ_gednZ2d@giganews. com...

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you on
sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in the neck?
Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't like
Neo-Socialists.

Hey Tom, have you thought about contacting godaddy to see if they want
to bid on hosting your blog?

Wayne

No, It's difficult to maintain a head of steam. I'm a very jovial guy most
of the time

That's hard to believe. Is it as true as what you wrote above?

and only poke those I know will have a melt-down in the little
boxes they live in.

You're the one melting down. How long before you start telling stories
about fending off 2' centipedes and bench pressing 800 pounds?

I'll just stick to a couple of NGs where I have the
worst idiots plonked.

Post it anywhere you like, but it will be still be total crap.

Wayne

Wes wrote:
"John R. Carroll" wrote:

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.

Care to share a synopsis? I'd really like to know how it is going.
4th LAR, what is that, it didn't strike bell in my head?


http://www.marforres.usmc.mil/4thMarDiv/4thLAR/

They haven't updated the page yet.
SgtMaj Cottle and his driver, Lance Cpl. Rick Centanni, were KIA a month
plus ago.
They were both fine men, good Marines and a credit to both their country and
the uniform.

The IED's in Iraq were generally 20 pounders, #40 tops. They are about #100
in Afghanistan.

--
John R. Carroll

Buerste wrote:
"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...
Steve B wrote:

(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

Biggest bunch of bull**** I've seen in a while Steve but it's
perfect for jerk off's like yourself.

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you
on sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in
the neck? Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't
like Neo-Socialists.

"Only talk when it improves the silence" - Edmund Muskie

I commend that thought to you Tom.

--
John R. Carroll

On 2010-04-14, John R. Carroll wrote:
Ignoramus11847 wrote:
On 2010-04-13, Wes wrote:
"John R. Carroll" wrote:

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.

Care to share a synopsis? I'd really like to know how it is going.
4th LAR, what is that, it didn't strike bell in my head?


I second that.

H&S Co. is doing interdiction missions, they are hard against the Pakistan
border, from Khan Neshin and they will be rotating back to the States
shortly.
It's hot - 120 F - during the day and there is a lot of dust.
LOL
They have two seasons, hot blowing dust followed by rain and mud. That
varies depending on where, exactly, you are.
The mountains are another matter and don't count. It's no man's land.

The regular Afghan Army is an excellent, well equipped and disciplined
fighting force. As good as there is.

The general population are just like people everywhere. They are poor but
care about the same things anyone does.
Food on the table and the well being of their children and so forth. They
are friendly, approachable and generous.
Like all people anywhere caught in a gang war, they normally keep their
heads down and go about their daily business as best they can.
They would like for things be calm and absent that they try and stay out of
the way, unnoticed.

The district/regional/national police, the politician's, and many of the
local militia's are as corrupt as can be, gangsters really. Afghanistan is
little more than an organized criminal enterprise. Nothing has changed in
this regard since the last super power visited Afghanistan. This guy Karzai
is just our "Don" and there is little reason to think that change is in the
air.

Beyond that there isn't much I could, or would, have to say. Well,
maybe just one thing. I'll be glad to see our guys home, and that's
what they are. Our guys, not mine.


Thanks

Isn't Agfhan national army essentially a locally recruited force? Why
isn't it corrupt like everyone else?

i

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:15:00 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Buerste" wrote in message
...

"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...
Steve B wrote:

(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

Biggest bunch of bull**** I've seen in a while Steve but it's perfect for
jerk off's like yourself.

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you on
sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in the neck?
Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't like
Neo-Socialists.

They'd probably be smart enough to shoot you first, Tawwwwwwwm. You'd look
like a puckered 10-ring.

Someone recently said,

"Regarding the behaviors I'm objecting to, I find nothing to tolerate
in open calls for threatening or killing people whose politics you
don't like."

Easy, now, I couldn't resist teasing you a little here. :)

Ignoramus11847 wrote:
On 2010-04-13, Wes wrote:
"John R. Carroll" wrote:

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.

Care to share a synopsis? I'd really like to know how it is going.
4th LAR, what is that, it didn't strike bell in my head?


I second that.

H&S Co. is doing interdiction missions, they are hard against the Pakistan
border, from Khan Neshin and they will be rotating back to the States
shortly.
It's hot - 120 F - during the day and there is a lot of dust.
LOL
They have two seasons, hot blowing dust followed by rain and mud. That
varies depending on where, exactly, you are.
The mountains are another matter and don't count. It's no man's land.

The regular Afghan Army is an excellent, well equipped and disciplined
fighting force. As good as there is.

The general population are just like people everywhere. They are poor but
care about the same things anyone does.
Food on the table and the well being of their children and so forth. They
are friendly, approachable and generous.
Like all people anywhere caught in a gang war, they normally keep their
heads down and go about their daily business as best they can.
They would like for things be calm and absent that they try and stay out of
the way, unnoticed.

The district/regional/national police, the politician's, and many of the
local militia's are as corrupt as can be, gangsters really. Afghanistan is
little more than an organized criminal enterprise. Nothing has changed in
this regard since the last super power visited Afghanistan. This guy Karzai
is just our "Don" and there is little reason to think that change is in the
air.

Beyond that there isn't much I could, or would, have to say.
Well, maybe just one thing.
I'll be glad to see our guys home, and that's what they are. Our guys, not
mine.

--
John R. Carroll

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:05:24 -0500, Ignoramus11847
wrote:

On 2010-04-13, Steve B wrote:

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to
avoid another scorpion sting.
...
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is
running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a
few
...
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole.
Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at
it.

I have never heard of scorpions living in the snow.

Otherwise, the story is very touching.

i

They do live in snowy areas including Afghanistan. They go dormant
and don't hunt during cold conditions, but they can come out of
dormancy quite quickly. (see cite) If this guy sometimes has a
working lap warmer and the scorpions can sense that, he may well
attract them and get nailed periodically as looking like a food
opportunity.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...scorpions.html

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:15:00 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Buerste" wrote in message
...

"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...
Steve B wrote:

(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

Biggest bunch of bull**** I've seen in a while Steve but it's perfect
for
jerk off's like yourself.

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you on
sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in the
neck?
Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't like
Neo-Socialists.

They'd probably be smart enough to shoot you first, Tawwwwwwwm. You'd look
like a puckered 10-ring.

Someone recently said,

"Regarding the behaviors I'm objecting to, I find nothing to tolerate
in open calls for threatening or killing people whose politics you
don't like."

Easy, now, I couldn't resist teasing you a little here. :)

Hey, don't look at me. I'll be sitting on my porch and playing my banjo.
d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

wrote:
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:54:23 -0400, "Buerste"
wrote:


"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into
a bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot
you on sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you
in the neck? Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines
don't like Neo-Socialists.

Hey Tom, have you thought about contacting godaddy to see if they want
to bid on hosting your blog?



I don't think a lot civilians understand how deployed military personnel see
their world.
Especially not civilians of the arm chair warrior variety. I don't know a
single serving individual that would put together the garbage in Steve B's
post that was attributed. "Saucy" Marine ought to have been placed under
arrest and stood a court.
That's sort of what ticks me off, that someone might actually believe this
junk. It's the ravings of an insane person and I take offense to things that
portray any group as insane or otherwise defective, mentally or otherwise.
It's particularly offensive when done in the "Spirit" of "Patriotism".
Feh

I've always believed the world would be a better place if every American did
a tour in the armed forces that included a period of deployment on foriegn
soil, not country club service. I still believe this is true.

I single out American's because no other country on the planet can deploy
nearly as large or potent a force as America can without considering the
immediate consequences all around. OUr President can just pull the trigger
and figure it all out later. We are truly unique and so have a genuine
responsibility - to ourselves - to act in a reasoned and considered manner.
We also have the luxury of pausing to think before we act and we ought to
start excercising that luxury. Experience in uniform would insure that our
actions were guided by a little wisdom. I can't imagine Dwight Eisenhower or
Harry Truman ordering the attack on Iraq in 2003. I also can't imagine
either of those two letting up at Torah Bora.


--
John R. Carroll

Ignoramus11847 wrote:
On 2010-04-14, John R. Carroll wrote:
Ignoramus11847 wrote:
On 2010-04-13, Wes wrote:
"John R. Carroll" wrote:

Isn't Agfhan national army essentially a locally recruited force? Why
isn't it corrupt like everyone else?

Several reasons but one is a hangover, if you will, from the Russian
campaign.
The conscripts are young and in a country as poor as Afghanistan, are
"lifers".

They end up with a strong national identity and see the drug trade as a
threat rather than an opportunity.
They also have the example of Pakistan right next door. The Pakistani army
is nearly a entity in its own right whose primary purpose, or one of them,
is to protect the national identity when necessary from internal political
upheaval.

--
John R. Carroll

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:28:13 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Don Foreman" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:15:00 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Buerste" wrote in message
...

"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...
Steve B wrote:

(The above may or may not be authentic... sounds plausible)

Biggest bunch of bull**** I've seen in a while Steve but it's perfect
for
jerk off's like yourself.

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


--
John R. Carroll



Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into a
bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot you on
sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you in the
neck?
Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines don't like
Neo-Socialists.

They'd probably be smart enough to shoot you first, Tawwwwwwwm. You'd look
like a puckered 10-ring.

Someone recently said,

"Regarding the behaviors I'm objecting to, I find nothing to tolerate
in open calls for threatening or killing people whose politics you
don't like."

Easy, now, I couldn't resist teasing you a little here. :)

Hey, don't look at me. I'll be sitting on my porch and playing my banjo.
d8-)

LOL!!!

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:30:28 -0800, "John R. Carroll"
wrote:

wrote:
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:54:23 -0400, "Buerste"
wrote:


"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...

I spent an hour on the phone last week with two actual Marines in
Afghanistan with the 4th LAR.


Did you tell them how much you hate America and want it changed into
a bankrupt Socialist welfare state? Would these two Marines shoot
you on sight? Or, would they not waste ordinance and just K-Bar you
in the neck? Or, would they just snap you in half? Real Marines
don't like Neo-Socialists.

Hey Tom, have you thought about contacting godaddy to see if they want
to bid on hosting your blog?



I don't think a lot civilians understand how deployed military personnel see
their world.
Especially not civilians of the arm chair warrior variety. I don't know a
single serving individual that would put together the garbage in Steve B's
post that was attributed. "Saucy" Marine ought to have been placed under
arrest and stood a court.
That's sort of what ticks me off, that someone might actually believe this
junk. It's the ravings of an insane person and I take offense to things that
portray any group as insane or otherwise defective, mentally or otherwise.
It's particularly offensive when done in the "Spirit" of "Patriotism".
Feh

I've always believed the world would be a better place if every American did
a tour in the armed forces that included a period of deployment on foriegn
soil, not country club service. I still believe this is true.

I single out American's because no other country on the planet can deploy
nearly as large or potent a force as America can without considering the
immediate consequences all around. OUr President can just pull the trigger
and figure it all out later. We are truly unique and so have a genuine
responsibility - to ourselves - to act in a reasoned and considered manner.
We also have the luxury of pausing to think before we act and we ought to
start excercising that luxury. Experience in uniform would insure that our
actions were guided by a little wisdom. I can't imagine Dwight Eisenhower or
Harry Truman ordering the attack on Iraq in 2003. I also can't imagine
either of those two letting up at Torah Bora.

Well said!

Don Foreman wrote:
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:05:24 -0500, Ignoramus11847
wrote:

On 2010-04-13, Steve B wrote:

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen
seconds to avoid another scorpion sting.
...
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer
is running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun
comes up in a few
...
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my
hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but
I'm good at it.

I have never heard of scorpions living in the snow.

Otherwise, the story is very touching.

i

They do live in snowy areas including Afghanistan. They go dormant
and don't hunt during cold conditions, but they can come out of
dormancy quite quickly. (see cite) If this guy sometimes has a
working lap warmer and the scorpions can sense that, he may well
attract them and get nailed periodically as looking like a food
opportunity.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...scorpions.html

The only way a scorpion will attack a human is if you step on it, or
otherwise muck it around.
Sort of like what a person might do to one closing in an anything warm and
in your lap.
I handled them when I was living in NM and didn't suffer from the
experience.
Not from a sting anyway.

--
John R. Carroll

Ed Huntress wrote:
"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:15:00 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:

They'd probably be smart enough to shoot you first, Tawwwwwwwm.
You'd look like a puckered 10-ring.

Someone recently said,

"Regarding the behaviors I'm objecting to, I find nothing to tolerate
in open calls for threatening or killing people whose politics you
don't like."

Easy, now, I couldn't resist teasing you a little here. :)

Hey, don't look at me. I'll be sitting on my porch and playing my
banjo. d8-)

LOL
Between you and Gunner the entire country will be surrounded!

--
John R. Carroll

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:30:45 -0800, "John R. Carroll"
wrote:

Don Foreman wrote:
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:05:24 -0500, Ignoramus11847
wrote:

On 2010-04-13, Steve B wrote:

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen
seconds to avoid another scorpion sting.
...
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer
is running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun
comes up in a few
...
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my
hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but
I'm good at it.

I have never heard of scorpions living in the snow.

Otherwise, the story is very touching.

i

They do live in snowy areas including Afghanistan. They go dormant
and don't hunt during cold conditions, but they can come out of
dormancy quite quickly. (see cite) If this guy sometimes has a
working lap warmer and the scorpions can sense that, he may well
attract them and get nailed periodically as looking like a food
opportunity.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...scorpions.html

The only way a scorpion will attack a human is if you step on it, or
otherwise muck it around.
Sort of like what a person might do to one closing in an anything warm and
in your lap.
I handled them when I was living in NM and didn't suffer from the
experience.
Not from a sting anyway.

They'll crawl into boots, attracted by residual warmth, so if one
takes off boots on bivouac where scorpions be it's a good idea to
shake boots good before putting them back on.

Scorpions are predators, so their degree of aggressiveness will depend
on ambient temperature and level of hunger. I recall one in a
C-ration can, hot weather, hitting that sucker like a stacatto cymbal.

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:26:02 -0500, the infamous Don Foreman
scrawled the following:

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:05:24 -0500, Ignoramus11847
wrote:

On 2010-04-13, Steve B wrote:

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to
avoid another scorpion sting.
...
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is
running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a
few
...
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole.
Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at
it.

I have never heard of scorpions living in the snow.

Otherwise, the story is very touching.

i

They do live in snowy areas including Afghanistan. They go dormant
and don't hunt during cold conditions, but they can come out of
dormancy quite quickly. (see cite) If this guy sometimes has a
working lap warmer and the scorpions can sense that, he may well
attract them and get nailed periodically as looking like a food
opportunity.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...scorpions.html

Wow, the little bastids are truly Al Qaeda material. These insect
terrorists hunker down and have a bunker mentality when conditions
warrant, then pop out and wreak havoc when they want, during more
favorable conditions.

--
STOP THE SLAUGHTER! Boycott Baby Oil!

On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:05:24 -0500, Ignoramus11847
wrote:

I have never heard of scorpions living in the snow.

Otherwise, the story is very touching.

i

I live in snowy country, and they are all over the place, just more active
in different times of the year.

Steve

John R. Carroll wrote:

The regular Afghan Army is an excellent, well equipped and disciplined
fighting force. As good as there is.


No kidding? First of heard that.
In fact I've seen reports and videos indicating they are worthless
dopeheads.

Steve B wrote:
On Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:05:24 -0500, Ignoramus11847
wrote:

I have never heard of scorpions living in the snow.

Otherwise, the story is very touching.

i

I live in snowy country, and they are all over the place, just more active
in different times of the year.

I battle those little *******s every year here in DFW. Our house is
built on a sandstone rocky hill, which apparently is heaven for
scorpions. When it gets hot and dry they start coming into the house.
Fortunately, I have 3 cats that live to hunt, and scorpions are their
2nd favorite toys (May flies are #1). We would prefer that they kill
them more quickly than they do.

But even better is finding them before they get in.
I do that with a UV flashlight. Those little suckers light up like the
sun when you hit them with a blacklight. Remeber those psychedelic
blacklight posters from when you were a kid, and some had scorpions on
them? Same thing, same color - yellow-green. It has to be seen to be
appreciated.
It's pretty amazing, and a bit fun now. One lap around the house
before bed with a UV flashlight and a can of Raid.

On Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:15:25 -0500, RBnDFW wrote:

John R. Carroll wrote:

The regular Afghan Army is an excellent, well equipped and disciplined
fighting force. As good as there is.


No kidding? First of heard that.
In fact I've seen reports and videos indicating they are worthless
dopeheads.

Indeed. The several buddies I currently have working in Afghanistan
pretty much agree with your statement.

Gunner


"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost

Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:15:25 -0500, RBnDFW
wrote:

John R. Carroll wrote:

The regular Afghan Army is an excellent, well equipped and
disciplined fighting force. As good as there is.


No kidding? First of heard that.
In fact I've seen reports and videos indicating they are worthless
dopeheads.

Indeed. The several buddies I currently have working in Afghanistan
pretty much agree with your statement.

Says the man and his 8' centipede and BS insurance stories.
LOL
Credible you are not.

--
John R. Carroll

RBnDFW wrote:
John R. Carroll wrote:

The regular Afghan Army is an excellent, well equipped and
disciplined fighting force. As good as there is.


No kidding? First of heard that.
In fact I've seen reports and videos indicating they are worthless
dopeheads.

Yeah, I've heard some of that. It usually starts out from Army units trying
to explain their lack of success on the field.
This is particularly true in areas that resemble the Korangal Valley. 42
KIA, 10X wounded and for nothing. Rambo Bush charged over the hill without a
plan, without intelligence and in the complete absence of a clear goal. A
brief study of history would have revealed the stupidity behind the original
mission.

The US Army didn't care for the Afghan regulars because they would refuse
stupid mission assignments and were eventually ordered out by their command
and sent where they could do some actual good.

The truth is that it's an American civilian command and not a support
failure.

Spc. Robert Soto of Company B, First Battalion, 26th Infantry
"It confuses me, why it took so long for them to realize that we weren't
making progress up there,"
In June, 2005 a four-man team of SEALs was ambushed on a ridge above the
valley.
Three were killed and the helicopter sent to rescue them was shot down,
killing eight more Navy SEALS and eight other servicemen.

I wonder what Pentagon jackass ordered that up.

I don't know why Spc. Soto was confused.
It's pretty clear his mission was **** for brains from the start.
Our armed forces operate on the principal that everyone going all the way up
the chain of command has been thoughtful, deliberate and careful.

At the highest civilian level, where ultimate goals are set, that means a
carefully considered and well defined outcome.
Soto just couldn't believe that the chain of command had failed right at
the very top. He wouldn't even have considered it.

Had we actually accomplished out original mission, we wouldn't be in
Afghanistan today.
As it is, we are going to be propping up Karzai and his successors with
money, men and material for a long time.
The only result is that we'll end up with less and less men, money and
material and the gangsters in Afghanistan will prosper.
They aren't going anywhere. Afghanistan is their home.

--
John R. Carroll