In 1887 Conan Doyle wrote the first Sherlock Holmes story, which was set in the then-present time: 1887. The character Doctor Watson was described as a recent veteran of a war in Afghanistan. This was considered by readers as perfectly plausible.
In 2010 the BBC rebooted the Sherlock Holmes character in a film set in the then-present time: 2010. The character Doctor Watson was described as a recent veteran of a war in Afghanistan. This was considered by viewers as perfectly plausible.
I have the uneasy feeling that waging war with Iran is the equivalent of stepping on a rattlesnake and that it will be a repeat of Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Why a stronger army can loose from a much weaker enemy is explained by Machiavelli. It is hard to win from a very motivated patriotic people who protect their country, homestaeds and families.
Machiavelli also said this:
Never do any enemy a small injury for they are like a snake which is half beaten and it will strike back the first chance it gets.
The British invaded Afghanistan in the late 1830’s because they feared that Russia would take control of the country to threaten their stranglehold on India.
In 1842, while retreating back to India, the entire British army was massacred save for one soldier. It’s assumed he was allowed to live so he could report back to the Brits the lesson they had been taught.
The Russians followed suit in 1979 to prop up their political interests in the country. They too suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Mujahedeen (with US help and Bin Laden on our side) resulting in tremendous cost of lives and treasury.
The US invaded the country in 2002 in a gambit to get at Bin Laden after Saudi citizens attacked the twin towers.
So far, we’ve lost thousands of proud young men in their prime, over 30,000 civilian killed, countless lives destroyed and trillions of borrowed taxpayer dollars funneled to the military industrial complex.
Bin Laden was killed ten years after the start of the invasion by a couple of dozen special force operators in Pakistan where our “allies” were sheltering him.
Some in the latest contingent of US troops weren’t even born when the conflict started.
Lesson learned? I guess not.
So far, we’ve lost thousands of proud young men in their prime, over 30,000 civilian killed, countless lives destroyed
What I cannot understand is how all these murdering policitians who started these useless wars always seem to get away with it. Same as how they are able to sleep peacefully ever again…
Your history overview of the Afghanistan wars is in fact the perfect illustration of what Machiavelli once wrote, you cannot win from them. The story repeated itself in Vietnam with these little yellow men.
That is an easy question to answer.
In the USA there is no compulsory service. No one is required to serve their country in the armed forces. Currently less than 1% of the population serve and they volunteered. Is this enough to fight all the conflicts the USA is involved in around the world? No. The US taxpayer pays a tremendous amount to contractors to do the job draftees used to do. If the total “defense” budget was known it would probably be around 1 trillion US dollars a year. The defense department has never turned in an audit though they are required to do so by law so know one really knows.
The elected people of both parties collect million of dollars from “defense” contractors and others with a vested interest in military expenditures. They do this by way of “campaign contributions” aka bribes or being assured of a 6 figure salary working for these contributors once out of office These same elected officials know their children or grandchildren have no fear of being called to serve. So, these elected officials line their pockets. The USA is nothing more than a high priced banana republic that is declineing just as the UK and others have in the past.
The citizens of the USA vote these people into office so this is what they want. Got to respect their wishes.
There is not one word French in your arguments. Politics is simply a revenue model for a small army of self-enrichers. We have a saying that in the end every country gets the government they deserve so don’t complain.
We have a minister-president who is probably not on the take. He is single, teaches once a week class on economics, goes to his work place in The Hague on his bicycle and eats at his mother’s once a week. Until a year ago his mother did his washing and ironing but she is getting too old (82) for that now, This may all sound ridiculous but it is the truth.
Once the target point is reached a limpet mine is attached in a matter of seconds using either the built-in magnet or an optional gun powder-actuated strike tool, a nail gun. The nail gun can be used to fasten the mine to non-metallic surfaces where the ring magnet cannot be used.
One such nail hole used to hold a mine in place is visible in the picture. It is a bit strange that they used the nail gun as the magnet will hold perfectly well on the iron hull. Also strange is the fact that it seems to be an empty hole, maybe the nail went right through the not too thick hull plating but that can normally only happen when a washer is not in place.
Why worry about magnets and nail guns.Easier is just glue. Being a naval officer once upon a time, we were ordered to to use our brains before going down with our ships. Of course, I therefore avoided sea going down services - boring - and remained ashore most time, where the girls were. So, easiest way to sink a tanker outside Fujairah - just glue a bomb to it in the waterline. Use an FRB - it takes 30 seconds, etc, etc, etc.
It’s not what we want, it’s what the propaganda machine of the corrupted party system force feeds ignorant voters into believing they will get something very different.
The greatest example is the morbid devotion of the American blue collar class to the politicians who are harming them the most.
More or less, kind of human decoration to brighten things up. That bicycle is probably according to the job description not part of their responsibility.
I don’t know Dutchie I think you may be barking up the wrong tree. Looks like the same damage up higher to the left (2nd arrow). There seems to be some old paint repair centered on that lower location and perhaps the upper one which are diametrically opposed. Maybe some kind of strong back was fitted here or a semi-permanent fender. Using powder installed fasteners for an explosive device doesn’t sound too logical or stealthy.
