News Stories

[AmeNoJaku]

So the Boston bombing was another crazy conservative or the government tries to pin it on someone else to speed up policies like Iraq and Afghanistan

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Bomb Details Emerge in Boston Inquiry
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/us...xplosions.html

It might be a stupid question to ask but did soldiers than served in Afghanistan or Irak learn much about how were made the IED than where used against them ?

the bomber at the Atlantic Olympic bombing made something similar. You don't need to go to the ME to learn to make these.

[RRW]

DALLAS — American Airlines flights across the country are grounded because of computer problems.

American asked the Federal Aviation Administration to halt its flights until 5 p.m. EDT. Flights on regional affiliate American Eagle heading to Dallas, Chicago or New York’s LaGuardia Airport have been stopped until 3:30 p.m. EDT.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...dd9_story.html

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

the bomber at the Atlantic Olympic bombing made something similar. You don't need to go to the ME to learn to make these.

Actually all you need is to listen to organic chem lessons in Chemistry class during middle school. Petrol + nitrate fertiliser, anything that can create a large enough potential difference to generate a spark, and a cheap handphone + SIM card.

Simple science can kill people.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Rule 1 of Counterinsurgency: If a region has not been completely pacified, all inhabitants of that region can be and should be considered potential combatants.

Ironically this is exactly the opposite of the Counter-insurgency method that was adopted by the Americans in 2006 for Iraq with limited success (though ultimately not enough to clean up all the damage caused by philosophies such as "shoot first, ask questions later"). Whilst inhabitants can be considered potential combatants, the idea of guilty until proven innocent is generally not a good idea for Counter-insurgency.

[Sumeragi]

Originally Posted by oompa loompa

Sure, I agree with you, war is a dirty business, and its only logical that civilians will end up getting killed. The 'terrorists' clearly agree with you 100% too. Lets stop calling them terrorists and start calling them 'Islamic nation special task force'. So what is this, because they've already had most of their country destroyed its alright to slaughter a few more of them? Its not alright to kill people in our country because were stronger?

Here's a very simple question: Is there an insurgency or a land of anarchy in the United States of America?

Originally Posted by Haak

Ironically this is exactly the opposite of the Counter-insurgency method that was adopted by the Americans in 2006 for Iraq with limited success (though ultimately not enough to clean up all the damage caused by philosophies such as "shoot first, ask questions later"). Whilst inhabitants can be considered potential combatants, the idea of guilty until proven innocent is generally not a good idea for Counter-insurgency.

No, it is the only idea that works short of completely winning over the people. There is no soft patting of the situation: It's either you work to completely stamp out the opposition, or you completely win over the people so the insurgency (broad definition here) cannot survive. That is the core of counterinsurgency, and those that ignore it will always be burned.

The US managed to win over the people of Iraq, hence why they didn't need to go down the violent route. With Afghanistan, the US managed to go neither path.

[ArchmageXin]

The US managed to bribe over the people in power of Iraq

Fixed for you there.

[Zakoo]

US never won the people of Irak, they are the very causis of Al Qaeda rooted in the population. They had the confidence of the population at the beginning but they lost it.

[oompa loompa]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Here's a very simple question: Is there an insurgency or a land of anarchy in the United States of America?

Theres a land anarchy.. across an ocean.. so.. kill them? Kill the civilians who need the most help? The insurgency point is already moot, and your land anarchy point is an extremely weak one. Do you want to know why there is a land of anarchy in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the first place? Do you really think the U.S liberated these pitiable, poor, savage, barbarians? What do you think, the army goes to these places and of course, the idiot uneducated locals are afraid of the men with white skin, so dislike them and treat them badly? More importantly, you keep dropping the word counter insurgency, like its an actual science or something. Its not. There is no general school of thought, and there is very limited theory that is based on no empirical evidence. At best a small amount of the hypothetical causal factors actually mean something, but in all likelihood they're just correlated with iron rule under colonization. It is simply the actions taken by a government to quell insurgency taken up against it. Now, clearly the insurgency taken up against it (in this case the U.S), in the affected regions is (dare I say it) justified. It really sounds like you have no inkling about what goes on in the war torn part of the middle east. Oh and the Americans didn't win over anyone in Iraq. Because of what happened in Iraq (again, in this case, with no real justification, that country will take half a century to rebuild.

[kyp275]

nothing like bombing a marathon in the US to bring out all the US-bashers, stay classy and bash on people

[Urzu 7]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Actually all you need is to listen to organic chem lessons in Chemistry class during middle school. Petrol + nitrate fertiliser, anything that can create a large enough potential difference to generate a spark, and a cheap handphone + SIM card.

Simple science can kill people.

That's it! Ban Science!

Originally Posted by kyp275

nothing like bombing a marathon in the US to bring out all the US-bashers, stay classy and bash on people

It all started when someone posted an article on the Afghan war from 2002. That is why I said I was annoyed by that. I saw it posted elsewhere on the internet and people were trying to say "Boston bombing? So what, look what happened in Afghanistan on the same day!" (*trollface*notreallythesamedayorevensamedecade *trollface*)

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

The US managed to win over the people of Iraq, hence why they didn't need to go down the violent route. With Afghanistan, the US managed to go neither path.

the US didn't so much as won over the people of Iraq as the extremest manage to alienate the Iraqi people so much the US became the preferable alternative.

[NorthernFallout]

New bomb details emerge.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3093288.html

The explosives used in the deadly Boston Marathon bombing were contained in 6-liter pressure cookers and hidden in black duffel bags on the ground, a person briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

From other sources (Swe) it seems one of the containers contained metal fragments and steel balls, while the other contained nails.

EDIT: Missed ganbaru's post. Oh well.

[Sumeragi]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

the US didn't so much as won over the people of Iraq as the extremest manage to alienate the Iraqi people so much the US became the preferable alternative.

Same thing in the end.

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by oompa loompa

The people of Boston certainly didn't deserve this.. but this is daily life in much of the world. When all these people say "My thoughts go out to you, Boston" where 3 people died, its as if they affirm that no thought will be given to the large stretches of the world where terrorism and bomb-blasts are an everyday affair, not to mention some foreign power bombing the shit out of your small village for literally no reason. and no thoughts are given to them, no one even blinks when these innocent, war-torn miserable people are killed everyday.

Honestly, I agree completely with the point you're trying to make, but what do you expect?

For my part, that's one of the thoughts that crosses my mind every time such a tragedy occurs in my country. I wish people were more considerate of other parts of the world, too. At the end of the day, though, people are always going to be more focused on their neck of the woods, their people, and their situation. It's not 'right,' but it's understandable.

It even occurs in a microcosm within the same state; for instance, a gang shooting in a low-income urban area vs a gang shooting in a suburb of the same city would provoke different responses.

The life of Afghani villagers is equal to people in Boston or anywhere else. I'm not disillusioned to believe that the American military is some force of justice, either. Bottom line is, in a place where violence and chaos is the norm, it's natural to become desensitized to it. It's far more sensational when such a thing occurs in a 'peaceful' area. It's also only natural that people are going to feel more connected and alert to events happening in their region of the world than one that is very disconnected from their day to day living.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by ChainLegacy

Honestly, I agree completely with the point you're trying to make, but what do you expect?

For my part, that's one of the thoughts that crosses my mind every time such a tragedy occurs in my country. I wish people were more considerate of other parts of the world, too. At the end of the day, though, people are always going to be more focused on their neck of the woods, their people, and their situation. It's not 'right,' but it's understandable.

I get your point, but I get Kyp's, too. Tragedy strikes the ass end of nowere, Foreignland, and nobody cares one way or the other. (Except the Foreignlandians, obviously.)

Tragedy strikes America, and people see it as a signal to climb on their soapbox and denounce what in this context is the victim.

[RRW]

YouTube

https://youtu.be/BRvKhJmW_XY

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

[ArchmageXin]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

I get your point, but I get Kyp's, too. Tragedy strikes the ass end of nowere, Foreignland, and nobody cares one way or the other. (Except the Foreignlandians, obviously.)

Tragedy strikes America, and people see it as a signal to climb on their soapbox and denounce what in this context is the victim.

At least United States isn't being blamed as responsible for Earthquakes.

[Ithekro]

US experiance with insurgency is not very good, though it is varied in who, hows, and where.

US against various Native Americans
US against the Confederate States of America (actually more so in the Reconstruiction were we still have the KKK running around almost 150 years later.)
US against groups in the Philippines
US against Mexico from time to time depending on what Mexican Revolution is happening. (not counting the aftermath of the Mexican-American War since I don't recall much about that because the Gold Rush and the Missouri Compromise take up the history text of that period before the Civil War lead up begins)
The US didn't do all that much in the aftermath of the First World War that I recall, though there was something going on with the support of the Czarist forces during the Russian Revolution before the Soviet Union was fully formed.
Then there are the occupations of West Germany-West Berlin, West Austria, Italy, and Japan. Austria and Italy resolved fairly quickly, but West Germany and Japan took a while, plus US troops had to stay for other reasons following the end of he occupations.
Potentially US against North Vietnam and the Viet Cong (my father spent a year on the rivers and canals during interdiction patrols and the like for the US Navy and South Vietnamese Navy during the Vietnamization project.)
Now Iraqi and Afghanistan are added to the list

And all had different methods and tactics (and results) to dealing with the problems.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by ArchmageXin

At least United States isn't being blamed as responsible for Earthquakes.

Some Americans love to blame natural disasters on the (American) gays...