Blogger "Russell" wants others to carry his water

Russell's blog at vort.org had a lot to say about the Hang it up Harry post...

Russell, you poor misguided soul!  First we are not a "Republican blog".  In fact we are not connected to any political party. Now I will admit that I, this blog's author, do for the most part follow a conservative ideology. I respect the opinions of others - especially if their positions are logically based and presented fairly without the use of "four" letter words.  With you sir, I need to remind myself that I swore an oath years ago to defend your personal freedoms.  You obviously are someone who takes his personal freedoms in this great country for granted and are clueless as to the meaning of personal sacrifice and commitment.  That said, you strike me as the kind of person who would expect others to carry your water for you!

What's more...you seem obsessed with the word "insurgency" and use it incorrectly in your rebuttal to my post.  Insurgency and its tactics are as old as warfare itself.   Most experts define an insurgency as an organized movement aimed at the overthrow of a constituted government through the use of subversion and armed conflict.  "Counterinsurgency" are those political, economic, military, paramilitary, psychological, and civic actions taken by a government to defeat an insurgency.  Since Iraq has a constitutionally elected government (unlike the one under Saddam Hussein), they are fighting a counterinsurgency against terrorists elements that like to blow-up marketplaces and kill innocent women and children trying to realize what you sir take for granted daily and would prefer others to deal with as you call it "…an impossible mission." 

One final thought: Russell you took out of context the comments made by then Senator Robert Taft following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 7,1941.  Senator Taft's primary disagreements were with President Roosevelt's "New Deal" initiative as well as Roosevelt's foreign policy.  Nowhere in anything that I have read about Senator Taft did he ever suggest that America was losing or would lose World War II.  If you can prove me wrong, please give me a reference and I'll investigate! 

Until then, enjoy your freedoms and remember the rest of us GIs on Veterans Day my friend...oh in case you forgot...it’s on November 11th!

Comments

[Gayle Meise]

Blogger Russell must have been a state side commando and learned nothing from the Korean war or Vetnam. As a vet of ww2 and Korean war I knew before we went in to this conflict it was a mistake and now can tell you how to get out. Tuck in your tail and hitail it out is the only alternitive. Let the people have ther civil war and set up their government as they wish.

[Blogger Russell (a.k.a. Russell)]

Gayle --

I was not alive during World War II, Korea or Vietnam. I turned eleven shortly after Gulf War ended. Nevertheless, I have indeed learned as much as possible from those conflicts and from others. I'm still learning from those conflicts -- there must be ten thousand lifetimes worth of learning from any one of those wars.

One of the things I learned is that good intentions are not enough to achieve a strategic objective. A lot of cleverness and careful preparation is required, and even then the outcome is uncertain. If you fought in World War II and Korea, you've lived long enough to know that sometimes things just don't go the way you thought they would, or the way they ought to, or the experts said they would.

Our government wasn't very clever when it decided to invade Iraq. It didn't do much in the way of careful preparation. It's not even clear that it had good intentions, at least not at the top. So now things are busted. More and more good people are loosing their lives for this mission, and things are getting worse despite their sacrifices. We don't have the tools to fix this. No on really does, except perhaps the Iraqis themselves.

I won't pretend to know how we should leave, but however it is done, it should be with maximum alacrity. The sooner our leadership admits that its strategic objectives are lost, the sooner we can leave.

[David Cochran]

Joe, I would have to agree with you. Russel appears to be a self-importaant liberal gas-bag, that wouldn't agree with a conservative if he said the sky was blue. He tows the liberal line from "we lost the war!" to global warming. I don't often get involved in commenting on blogs, and I still don't understand the concept of "my opinion is so important I must share it with everyone", which to me, is the purpose of a personal blog. A lot of space used to say not much of anything.

[David Cochran]

Please forgive my prior post. I did not intend to criticize bloggers in general. Just those who host a blog site that provides no social impact other than blowing their own horn. This site is a great means of interaction between those of differing opinions. Keep up the great job Colonel!