Warning- this might very well be a crass thought...

[collwen]

but it will stay in my head if I don't say it...
About the London bombings-


Ok, so is it time for the IRA to go and kick the al-Qaeda's ass because they're the only ones who are supposed to be bombing the English?

Comments

[zed42.livejournal.com]

think we can get the ira to start bombing the radical muslims? after all... anglicans are at least a form of christianity... they want the world converted to islam.. that's much worse! :)

not quite it.

[tetsujinnooni.livejournal.com]

IRA should go on a bughunt for al Qaeda cells because the reportedly al Qaeda operation could have been misattributed as one of theirs... and there's no WAY that the IRA is stupid enough to kick the hornet's nest now, the Paras would NOT be amused having to go in to their own country to kick doors and try not to shoot through a wall and hit a kid.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

lol


As I said, it was a bad idea but I had to say it or get stuck with it.

Re: not quite it.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if they're more effective than the US military has been....

Re: not quite it.

[tashabear.livejournal.com]

Now that's hardly fair.

Re: not quite it.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

Tasha, it's not individuals of the US military that I think are not doing a good job (in fact I know quite a few, including yourself, who do their jobs very well), it's how the military as a whole is being used that I see as being less then effective.

Also there might be something to using a group of terrorists to fight terrorists- they have a similar mindset that also gets around the issues of honor, a sense of fair play, and international law that a national military has to face in strategic planning. The US falls victim to those restrictions more harshly than some other countries- we have to hold up to higher standards because we're the US. These standards prevent our military from using measures that would be more effective.

And the enemy we're facing doesn't hold themselves accountable to those standards or even basic international law when attacking us.

Re: not quite it.

[tetsujinnooni.livejournal.com]

but, conversely, the US has intelligence assets which would not be available to the hypothetical IRA safari... nor the logistical train, nor the training to reduce the chances of collateral damage, nor...

US Military is doing a damn good job of holding up their end of the stick.

US politicians? Well, now, there's a problem.

Re: not quite it.

[tetsujinnooni.livejournal.com]

maybe 'ruthless' or 'uncompromising' are the words you want there, rather than 'effective'...

Executer

[(Anonymous)]

Having been in the service, there is a validity to the statements here. The military wasn't made to fight an enemy like terrorists. Military intelligence (I cringe at those words) will take years to infiltrate terrorist cells, where the IRA may have a quicker time at it as they may have simular contacts. Terrorists have learned how to avoid military intell, but they are not trying to hide from the IRA...