Prisoner Swaps

[edgeburner]

A fair bit of the issues of low turnout in '14, is because the american public, in general, are simply fed up with washingtons outright stupidity. Why vote when it really doesn't matter who you vote for, as nothing is going to chang

 

 

Voter turnout in 2014 was the lowest since WW deuce.....One cannot deny the dissatisfaction with the performance of Washington as a 'hole', but, the Republicans didn't form a wave by anything they accomplished. The pen and the phone, the IRS, fast and furious, the AP - FNC nonsense, the veterans administration, on and on....one scandal after another.

 

The democrats have been laying in the green grass since 2007....things have actually gotten worse since then.

 

"Blame it on Bush" ain't wrokin' no more. The sheen has been scraped off and the underlying truth exposed.

Edited February 13, 2015 by edgeburner

[RZ1029]

"We do not negotiate with terrists." Or something like that.

 

On one hand, I dislike the idea of abandoning our own to the hands of ISIS and similar ilk, but on the other, it becomes untenable to take hostages if they level the building you're holding the hostages in in response. (Case in point, Russians dealing with Nord-Orst back in 2002.) It's a somewhat heartless and nearly indefensible situation (good luck explaining that strategy to the American public) but it's something that you almost have to consider as an option when you're talking about such extremist groups.

[HeyYou]

"We do not negotiate with terrists." Or something like that.

 

On one hand, I dislike the idea of abandoning our own to the hands of ISIS and similar ilk, but on the other, it becomes untenable to take hostages if they level the building you're holding the hostages in in response. (Case in point, Russians dealing with Nord-Orst back in 2002.) It's a somewhat heartless and nearly indefensible situation (good luck explaining that strategy to the American public) but it's something that you almost have to consider as an option when you're talking about such extremist groups.

In this instance, I agree with the Russians...... Paying to get hostages back just ensures that more hostages will be taken, and you end up financing those you are fighting. Sending in special forces to try and free them is a much better idea. Failing that, killing everyone around, you would think would discourage the hostage takers a bit.

 

Now, that said...... While our government states "we don't negotiate with terrorists", that's really a lie. They have done so on a fairly regular basis. The 'prisoner exchange' for the Bowe Bergdahl guy for instance. Or, how about paying some of the warlords in afghanistan to NOT attack our convoys? Right, let's pay the folks we are fighting, not to fight us in one spot, so they can use the money to buy weapons, etc, to fight us somewhere else. That makes perfect sense...... No, wait......

 

I have given up expecting anything even remotely resembling 'intelligence', from those within the beltway.

[Stronglav]

We Israel released a lot of killers terrorists in exchange of one soldier.

Me I personally think it's wrong.Because those released will go and kill again.

So unfortinate as it is this was a mistake.

If you would say:being in captivity is no fun I would agree.That's why we have all those

special SWAT and other ppls to do the rescue.Unfortinatly my goverment doesn't care what I think.

[edgeburner]

"

 

Me I personally think it's wrong.Because those released will go and kill again.

Aye. These extremist aren't your everyday Joe who gets an egotistocial boost and a self-inflated sense of importance out of street marching disssidence.

These guys are dedicated....to the death.

[Aurielius]

There has been the oft repeated phrase "We will leave no man left behind", BS..we have left deserters behind before. The dictum is for the dead on the field and POW's..not weasels that went over the hill in an active combat zone. Six men died looking for him, I reserve my empathy for them and their families.

[edgeburner]

 

.not weasels that went over the hill in a combat zone. Six men died looking for him, I reserve my empathy from them and their families.

Indeed...

 

Also, Kudos to his squadmates, who had the courage to tell the truth, in spite of pressure applied by the state department, and, insults hhurled at them by the MSM.

 

They made me proud.....An emotion i don't feel too often nowadays.

[Maharg67]

No government in the world seems to have fully worked out a way to deal with terrorism, with terrorist fanatics, and that is not surprising because it is a problem that is extremely difficult to deal with, especially on an international basis. Current problems have their roots deep in past history, difficulties with dealing with terrorism is systematic to governments and are related to general long terms weaknesses in the same. Look at the world wide problems with the economy, for example, and dealing with organised crime for another. Taking into account such a history it is hardly surprising that governments make so many mistakes in dealing with terrorist hostage situations; the only good thing is that terrorists also make stupid mistakes.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Maharg67

[Vagrant0]

No government in the world seems to have fully worked out a way to deal with terrorism, with terrorist fanatics, and that is not surprising because it is a problem that is extremely difficult to deal with, especially on an international basis. Current problems have their roots deep in past history, difficulties with dealing with terrorism is systematic to governments and are related to general long terms weaknesses in the same. Look at the world wide problems with the economy, for example, and dealing with organised crime for another. Taking into account such a history it is hardly surprising that governments make so many mistakes in dealing with terrorist hostage situations; the only good thing is that terrorists also make stupid mistakes.

I think some of this boils down to the fact that nobody wants to draw clear sides in the matter. We can't frame terrorists as evil, like we could with the Nazi's, because it isn't tied to any singlular set of beliefs or nationalities. The fanatical sects are blended with the normal population, making it impossible to attack them without "innocents" caught in the crossfire (nevermind the military equipment being positioned next to schools and hospitals). There's no country to wage war with, no leadership to target, and no regular military to fight against. Instead it is armed civilians, women and children with bombs, and everyone wants to be the martyr. All this complicated further by the fact that you have people traveling freely into and out of these areas of the world... Then there's the world dependence on oil.

 

This puts the West at a tough position. Any attack launched by us means civilian casualties or destruction of infastructure and backlash back home from bleeding hearts. Meanwhile any effort to back out and appease them just makes them demand more while initiating terrorist attacks. We take too strong a stance, and people complain about the costs, we take too weak of one and terrorists win. Nobody wants to step up and be the villain, do what has to be done, and accept the consequences.

[HeyYou]

Yeah, now, war-fighting has to be politically correct too..... In WWII, the allies (yes, that would be the 'good' guys) PURPOSELY targeted a city with little to no military values, with the express purpose of killing civilians, to see how it would affect enemy morale..... thousands died in the fire-bombing of Dresden. No one here at home batted an eye. But today, you could kill 50 known terrorists, but, if ONE woman, or child is also killed, there is a public uproar. My how times have changed.

 

I suspect, that if the US took a zero-tolerance to terrorists, and states that support them, went in and blew the crap out of the terrorists, where ever they happen to be found, regardless of territorial borders, and then DIDN'T throw billions down the toilet rebuilding said damage...... after a while, terrorism might lose some of its appeal. It would certainly lose some appeal for the states whose territory they were found in.... they might get a different idea about allowing them to remain, or giving them money..... But, that would be horribly politically INcorrect, and would never get approved as a policy.