Day: August 24, 2015

Rangers Lead The Way

The US Army Rangers were the big story in the media last week………. for the first time in the group’s history women have graduated from the months long trial……no small accomplishment…..and yes I have something to say about the situation……

In my youth I was in the military and served in Vietnam….I was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division in the Mekong Delta……my unit was the LRRPs or Co.E 50th Infantry……we did the long haul recon for the division……in 1967, October to be exact my new boots hut the red clay of Vietnam running……we were a unit within the 9th Division and in 1969 all LRRPs were reassigned to the newly constituted 75th Rangers……while I was in Vietnam I was not a Ranger, I will always be a LRRP regardless,  but my unit was reflagged as Ranger……so I have an interest in the Rangers and their legacy…….

Now let’s talk about those industrious young ladies, shall we?

The first female soldiers to complete the Army’s rigorous Ranger School pinned on their black-and-gold Ranger tab at a graduation ceremony today to cap their history-making week. At a ceremony on the shore of “Victory Pond” at Fort Benning, First Lt. Shaye Haver of Copperas Cove, Texas, and Capt. Kristen Griest of Orange, Connecticut, graduated alongside 94 male soldiers. Their success casts new attention on the obstacles that remain to women who aspire to join all-male combat units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment. Although Haver and Griest are now Ranger-qualified, no women are eligible for the elite regiment, although that could change eventually.

Griest, 26, is a military police officer and has served one tour in Afghanistan. Haver, 25, is a pilot of Apache helicopters. Both are graduates of West Point. Of 19 women who began the Ranger course, Haver and Griest are the only two to finish so far; one is repeating a prior phase of training in hopes of graduating soon. Griest told reporters yesterday she hopes her success shows that women “can deal with the same stresses and training that men can.”

I do not want to take anything away from the accomplishment of these women…..it took fortitude, bravery and determination to complete this of….even if they were men…….nothing easy about the course.

long-range-recon-patrol-lrrps-vietnam-1967.jpg

My problem with this situation is that these women do not intend on using their training as a Ranger….it is basically to pad their resume….for promotions and assignments.  I realize that women are not allowed in combat situations…..this could change and it should for women are just as capable as men of handling stress and such under combat conditions.

My problem is with these women and anyone that goes through this rigorous course just to prove a point……this objection applies to men that do the same thing (Sen. Tom Cotton)…..it is not that they want to serve in an elite unit but rather how it looks in their personnel records…….

If these types want to test themselves then try base jumping or banjey jumping…….or if one graduates from the course then there should be a mandatory 18 month tour as a Ranger……..

The Ranger tab is an honor….not a PR tool.

 

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What Is Trump’s Deal?

This election (2016) has gone wild ( maybe it would be more interesting if they threw in a couple of co-eds girls without tops) ……….we have mumblers, screamers and those that are too boring to mention…..and then we have a famous showman that wants to be president…..why?

What could the possible benefit be to him….after all he is a businessman and that means it is all about the bottom line, right?

Then I ask again……what is his deal?

I mean the Donald is racking others over the coals….his poll numbers are through the roof…….he has crapped on a bunch of ‘wannabes’ that were first tier candidates as early as January of this year…..but their candle is flickering…..candidates like Perry, Jindal even the once upon a time fave, Jeb Bush….all are playing second fiddle.

Now I ask what is Trump doing?  He is not touching on many issue aand the ones he accidental talks about there is no solutions…..just hyperbole and slogans all geared for applause….more so than votes.

Let’s talk about his campaigning style…..what would you call it?

I cannot say without being insulting and I would like to avoid that if I can……Is he campaigning or is he negotiating with the American people?

From Trump’s negotiation style……….

Keep them a bit off balance. What they don’t know won’t hurt you, and that may help you down the line. Knowledge is power, so keep as much of it to yourself as possible.

Trust your instincts. There are a lot of situations that will not be black and white in negotiating, so go with your gut.

Don’t be confined by expectations. There are no exact rules, and sometimes I’ve changed course in the middle of negotiations when something new has occurred to me. Remain flexible and open to new ideas, even when you think you know exactly what you want.

So far his tactics look a lot like his negotiation style…..at least to me…….he has offered no policies, other than some obscure promises……he tries to keep his opponents off balance……..he is saying what benefits his audience….in other words he is only looking at himself…..not the country as a whole.

Right now…..his supporters are being told what they want to hear…..they are getting nothing as far as solutions go…..I mean most of his supporters would not know an illegal immigrant if one bit them in the butt……he is playing to their fears…….most are unfounded fears…….to them if a person speaks Spanish then they must be an illegal……a smoldering hatred…..none of which will be good for the country.

Trump is not campaigning….he is negotiating…….

What is Trump’s deal?

Will There Be Peace For The Middle East? | Ace News Room

An op-ed that I wrote for Ace News Room……they are always publishing the news from around the world…..keep up with an ever changing world and read Ace News room every day…..

I touch on a subject that few people think about these days with the war on ISIS and all the other violence in the Middle east……

I want to thank them for showing the confidence and have me write for them from time to time…..thanx, guys.

 

Will There Be Peace For The Middle East? | Ace News Room.

War, What Is It Good For?

That was the question asked in a protest song from the 60’s…..and it still remains  an excellent question.

We know that war is not good for life or health or to massage an economy back to health…..not good for food production….then what is it good for?

The US is involved in the fight against ISIS    and with that comes all the deaths, destruction and violence…….what good could come out of this war?

The BBC is reporting the only good thing to come out of war…….

Researchers say that in countries like Syria and Iraq, levels of air pollutants have fallen dramatically.

The amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air over Damascus has fallen by up to 50% since start of the civil war.

The authors believe their work has important lessons for projections of global emissions.

Since 2004, scientists have been able to monitor atmospheric pollutants with high levels of precision thanks to the deployment of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument onboard the Nasa Aura satellite.

Say what?  Yep the air quality is getting better where the fighting is engaged……what about the other countries that are not “at war”?

But in nearby Lebanon, there was a “drastic” rise of up to 30% of the same pollutant, thanks to the influx of refugees. The scientists say that this was very unusual as economic growth in Lebanon declined significantly at the same time.

Even in a relatively calm country like Israel…..the air quality is sucking also…..

What conclusion can we draw from this news…..

Other scientists welcomed the study, saying that it followed on from previous research carried out during the Iraq war. They say that it highlights the critical role of accurate satellite information. It also highlights the scale of destruction across the Middle East and the huge impact on people.

“It is very sad that we have on the borders of Europe this huge conflict,” said Prof John Burrows from the University of Bremen, Germany.

“But perhaps scientific information like this helps our understanding. It’s proportional to people, so if emissions have gone down in Syria by 50%, I’d expect that 50% of the people might have been displaced, as indeed they have.”

It is sad that the only ‘benefit” found for war is……the quality of the air we breath gets better……I think the people in Iraq and Syria had rather worry about dying from bad air than a barrel bomb……whatcha you think?

Coalition ISIS ‘successes’ show no signs of halting terrorist group — RT News

WE Americans hear on occasion the successes of our air campaign against the brutality of ISIS……we hear about the bad guys killed or the number of vehicles destroyed or thew locations that are hit with C&C support for the group……

So according to the reports in our media we are holding our own against the savagery of ISIS…….

Hate to tell my readers this but we as news consumers are not always given the whole story…..just the parts that are positive……I know you are shocked right?

So really how are we doing against ISIS?

 

Coalition ISIS ‘successes’ show no signs of halting terrorist group — RT News.

Sonali Kolhatkar: Why Are We Ignoring the War on Yemen? – Sonali Kolhatkar – Truthdig

I am a watcher of international events…..so should all Americans if they care about the future….the problem is those in power do not want us to be aware of the ‘friends’ and their violent nature…..

There is a world of death, destruction and violence all in the name of national security that most Americans choose to ignore….I try to change that…..

It seems that Saudi Arabia has decided that it is time to use some of the weapons they get from the US and attack their neighbor to the South Yemen……a country with NO air force an army that is ineffective and a country that has lacked stability for decades……in other words it is a turkey shoot for the Saudis against a small group of resisters…..kinda reminds me of the devastation that Israel inflicted on Gaza…..basically a helpless neighbor……which by the way is also carried out with weapons supplied by the US……..

 

Sonali Kolhatkar: Why Are We Ignoring the War on Yemen? – Sonali Kolhatkar – Truthdig.