Page 2 of 2 [ 23 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2

WilliamWDelaney
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Apr 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,201

05 May 2011, 1:29 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Dox47 wrote:
I keep telling you people, "adventure cruises" for people who want to shoot pirates. This idea's time has come.


Privateers and mercenaries used to be legitimate occupations until fairly recently on the timeline. Now such people would be viewed as criminals wholesale.
Uhhh, not so fast. Blackwater, remember.

Actually, I think that our president should ultimately be judged based on how well he credits the people who did this mission and those who were involved in training them. This is the proper station of a figurehead, and it is honorable conduct for a commander-in-chief.



ruveyn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 87
Gender: Male
Posts: 31,502
Location: New Jersey

05 May 2011, 2:08 pm

WilliamWDelaney wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Dox47 wrote:
I keep telling you people, "adventure cruises" for people who want to shoot pirates. This idea's time has come.


Privateers and mercenaries used to be legitimate occupations until fairly recently on the timeline. Now such people would be viewed as criminals wholesale.
Uhhh, not so fast. Blackwater, remember.

Actually, I think that our president should ultimately be judged based on how well he credits the people who did this mission and those who were involved in training them. This is the proper station of a figurehead, and it is honorable conduct for a commander-in-chief.


Privateers can still be commissioned by Congress by way of Letters of Marque and Reprisal. It is constitutional and legal.

ruveyn



Vigilans
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Jun 2008
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 12,181
Location: Montreal

05 May 2011, 2:18 pm

WilliamWDelaney wrote:
Uhhh, not so fast. Blackwater, remember.


They're called Xe now, aren't they? (hm, I wonder why they changed their name?) I'm definitely not a fan. PMCs proved themselves to be a liability in Iraq


_________________
Opportunities multiply as they are seized. -Sun Tzu
Nature creates few men brave, industry and training makes many -Machiavelli
You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do


Jojoba
Toucan
Toucan

User avatar

Joined: 7 Feb 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 260

05 May 2011, 3:01 pm

Liked Bill O'Reilly's article today about credits for the SEALs operation. The piece is about the politics of how information was obtained, leading us to bin Laden in Pakistan.

Truth vs. Ideology
http://www.billoreilly.com/site/rd?saty ... id%3D31987

part of the article:

Quote:
The record shows that just three men were waterboarded: Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah, and Rahim al Nashiri, all al-Qaeda big shots. Under duress, KSM gave up vital information that crippled his terror group and ultimately led U.S. authorities to watch Bin Laden's top Pakistani courier. Eventually, that man led the CIA to the compound outside Islamabad.

But still, the far left won't budge. No matter what the facts are about the effectiveness of coerced interrogation, they will deny them. Infuriating.

The sane policy going forward is this: The president, and only the president, should have the power to order coerced interrogation, including waterboarding, if national security is endangered or American lives are on the line. One man makes the decision, and his orders are carried out by an elite intelligence team answerable directly to him.

So, if President Obama doesn't want to order waterboarding, fine; that's on him. But the elected leader of the nation should have the power to make the decision.

It is ironic that many on the far left openly celebrated the death of Osama bin Laden. So, guys, let me get this straight: It's okay for U.S. forces to shoot a terrorist in the head, but not okay to waterboard him if lives are in danger? Good grief.

It is long past time for Americans to reject ideology that endangers human beings. We live in a dangerous world chock full of doomsday weapons. Common sense should dictate how the federal government defines strategies to protect us. How many times have you heard ideologues say that coerced interrogation does not work?

Well, it does. Ask Bin Laden. Wait, we can't.



DW_a_mom
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Feb 2008
Gender: Female
Posts: 13,683
Location: Northern California

06 May 2011, 2:49 pm

That article tries to conveniently skip a few important details. While KSM was water boarded, he apparently did not give up this key information at that time. It was some six months later, when in a more conventional program.

Many experts say the real problem is that the enhanced techniques don't work. What works is slower, more touchy feeling, understanding what really makes your target tick.

Or so I've read.


_________________
Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).


iamnotaparakeet
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 31 Jul 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 25,091
Location: 0.5 Galactic radius

06 May 2011, 5:10 pm

DW_a_mom wrote:
That article tries to conveniently skip a few important details. While KSM was water boarded, he apparently did not give up this key information at that time. It was some six months later, when in a more conventional program.

Many experts say the real problem is that the enhanced techniques don't work. What works is slower, more touchy feeling, understanding what really makes your target tick.

Or so I've read.


Puppy dogs would do the trick.



simon_says
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Jan 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,075

06 May 2011, 5:13 pm

Here is a conservative who voted for McCain saying Obama was right and kept his promise on how he'd get Bin Laden.

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article ... ents/#ctop