What is Digg?94 Comments
- EochaidRiata, on 10/12/2007, -12/+178Finally, something written at Bush's level.
- cfdude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+64If you just want the powerpoint presentation, here is a direct link:
http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/how_to_win_in_anbar_v4.pdf - spinchange, on 10/12/2007, -3/+64In addition a earned a Bronze Star Medal for service in Afghanistan, This guy spoke fluent Arabic, knew the locals, the sheiks, the tribes, and he leaves behind a wife and three kids ages 7, 5, and 1
http://copthetruth.typepad.com/cop_the_truth/2006/12/american_hero_c.html
The female Major who was killed was the highest ranking female officer in Iraq.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mcclung13dec13,0,6939890.story?coll=la-headlines-california
Their driver Specialist Vincent Pomante III He was 22 and due to come home in Feb.
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=232076
Marked as my #1 - scrubadub, on 10/12/2007, -2/+44Indeed... "mustaches for everyone!"
- TheGnome, on 10/12/2007, -6/+47Fascinating. His idea deserves consideration.
- stephenv, on 10/12/2007, -2/+40His critique is that taking Iraqi military folks who grew up in one part of the country and randomly placing them on the map to replace the U.S. troops is incredibly stupid since they are just as disadvantaged as we are when it comes to knowing who on the street is good or bad.
Community-based security forces may sound "tribal" or culturally different but in reality it's no different than U.S. cities where cops live and patrol in their same neighborhood (which usually has a greater impact on reducing crime). - gabeN, on 10/12/2007, -3/+40mustaches for everyone!
- shadus, on 10/12/2007, -3/+38That owns and he's most likely right, why leave an area when you're afraid your family won't be okay without your protection. Makes a lot of sense. Almost everyone is protective of their blood, the Iraqis are no different. Use the local strengths rather than fighting against them.
- Andrej73, on 10/12/2007, -3/+32Sheik militia => county/city police
very good idea - sinner0423, on 10/12/2007, -16/+44hahahahaha
you ***** rule. +100 internets for you, this made me laugh so hard cause it's so true. - bitteroldcoot, on 10/12/2007, -7/+32Summary: Understand the local culture and work with it.
It's a good idea, but if it hasn't happened already there is a reason. An considering how many people are dieing, it is probably a very disturbing reason. - geronimo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23This was the type of guy we needed to clone. He knew the culture, he had great ideas. And now he's gone, very sad.
- gwalbridge, on 10/12/2007, -6/+26Did you even read the article or the presentation?
- leobaby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20Still thousands of miles away, it appears all politics is local.
- d0b33, on 10/12/2007, -3/+21Thanks for the link, seems like a good idea...
It just upsets me that the guy died... the drawing really makes it personal
:( - everfalling, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19shame the guy died. it's a pretty streight forward idea. maybe the military could honor his service and give this plan a serious look, despite the not so serious stick figures :)
- AeonTorpor, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18"Summary: Understand the local culture and work with it."
Exactly. An understanding of this is what could have lead the US to be successful in Vietnam as well. Like I've said over and over, we haven't learned from our mistakes (gov't never does, sadly).
What do i mean by this? Well, if we gave many of the small towns and villages something in return for our occupation they would have trusted us. A simple example was livestock. If we just gave every family in the village a water buffalo (which they hold very valuable) we would have had a much better standing, we would have had something to offer. Instead we took their village hostage in our occupation w/o compensation and gave them no benefit. This led them to the prospect "freedom" by way of the NVA.
I know it seems trite to compare Iraq to Vietnam, but damnit people, it IS very similar. And it is only that way because of the way our gov't handled it. So sad. - pardonmedoug, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19Dugg because ALL non-extremist positions, plans, and ideas should be under consideration right now.
That means thinking, Mr. President! Please try.
-an American citizen - Yez70, on 10/12/2007, -10/+25You forget our government is led by a moron.
- MaximusIGN, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Very sad that he died...Hopefully his plan will reach the right people and it won't have been in vain.
- Valarauka, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Being able to express an idea so clearly, concisely and understandably is a kind of genius in itself...
- mre5765, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13"deserves consideration" has to be the understatement of the year.
TFA says that the army officer who wrote this presentation was fluent in
Arabic and obviously knew what he was doing.
This is the greatest thing digg has ever put on the front page. - freff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8There are other sides. As one person has pointed out, it leaves responsibility for security up to local "militias", which can lead to serious abuses. Tragically, it's a chance taken in exchange for security of an area, and once it became clear (about 2 years ago) that Iraqi reconstruction was not going the way Rumsfeld's handpicked Pentagon guys had planned, they should have begun working on a viable plan B.
Cpt. Patriquin's plan would have been a great start as he himself pointed out, a couple years back. Now, due to ideologues in all the wrong places along the food-chain involved in this war, we are in a position where we're forced to send a couple hundred of thousand troops(that we don't have) and commit to completely occupying the country and shutting off its borders (McCain's solution; to be done unilaterally, because there will be no more 'coalitions' in Iraq), or we get out with as small amount of bloodshed and diplomatic embarrassment that we can possibly achieve.
There are no more clean solutions available to us in Iraq. That's squarely the fault of the Bush Administration, and guys like this Cpt. Patriquin have paid the price. - jpolacek, on 10/12/2007, -6/+13Fantastic link!
- freff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Our role in 1985 Afghanistan has nothing to do with our role in Iraq today. In Afghanistan, we were arming and training militia groups in order to fight against Soviet forces. We were asking them to destroy, not protect, and we trained them in guerrilla warfare, not in keeping the peace. That's not what this man was suggesting at all. Your attempt to compare the two geopolitical situations is flawed at the very core of your assumptions.
- hambend, on 10/12/2007, -13/+20An excellent idea. You know, it sounds an awful lot like what used to go on before the US invaded.
HMMM... - Gobblieguk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6On the 5th of December, two of the greatest men I have ever had the privilege to know were killed when their HMMWV was struck by a roadside bomb in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. One, Specialist Vincent Pomante, was my soldier and a very dear friend. We had been together as a team since April of 2005. The other, Captain Travis Patriquin, I met after coming to Iraq this second time, and he quickly befriended Pomante and I. Nearly everything I have done for this past year has involved the both of them in some way. I ask that you please keep them and their families; Vince's mother, father, and sister; and Travis' wife, two sons, and daughter, in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season, and remember that it is the sacrifice of honorable men such as these that make our nation great and keep us free.
This was the email I recieved from my brother in law over in Iraq, a message I'd like to pass it on to all of you who read these posts. - volscio, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11If you don't think variations of this haven't been tried already, then you really have no clue what's going on in Iraq. This sounds like a strategy that the Army/Marines were trying to employ early on in the "war".
There are reports that sheiks in Al-Anbar are banding together against foreign fighters but they're doing it on their own and not through the IPs or IA. - Suits, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10I was waiting for the Stick Death animation to kick start.
Regardless of quality visuals, straight forward and to the point is usually key. Unfortunate he died. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9We are losing so many good men such as Captain Patriquin because of the Bush administration's incompetance in coming up with a strategy that works in Iraq. Bush needs to stop being so ***** stubborn and open up to outside opinions and suggestions. I hope he sees this man's plan. Its so simple that I think it might actually work.
- Cronium, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I feel like growing a moustache now
- hipnotic, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8A good man who truly wanted to help the people of Iraq, who understood the complex nature of the war, and understood victory would involve more than "blowing ***** up". Too bad the President doesn't get this.
I salute you, Captain Patriquin. - danarchist, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Its a great idea, and seems easy enough.
I wonder why it hasn't been done yet? (not sarcastic, I actually do wonder).
There are other sides to this argument, and I'd love to know them - absurdpoet, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8This needs to be dugg, again, and again.
- 4UIDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Turning militia loyal to their religious leaders into a professional police force loyal to the government has already been attempted, and there are problems with this because these militia can then use the power and authority entrusted to them to commit more atrocities, just like the insurgents. The region has a culture of murder and torture, and there is no simple solution for that.
Here's a link to a documentary on the problem of converting the militia into police:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-377952052252839443&q=killing+squads
Historically, no Western power has ever been able to successfully control any portion of the Middle East. This is taught starting from junior high, around the same time as Vietnam. It is strange how people can be told not to do something, with a complete explanation as to why, and then still do it. But I guess historically people have been known to repeat history, and arrogance has always been a serious epidemic.
Perhaps the only thing that can stabilize a place like Iraq is a very advanced social policing technology that has not yet been invented, that's decades and decades away.
Makes one wonder how many more good people will be lost before then... - freff, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6No, not a genius, but he also didn't have political blinders over his eyes affecting his judgment either.
He just saw what was happening on the ground, and formed his opinion based off what he understood to be an efficient and effective way to win and go home. - digg0digg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4includes picture of Capt. Travis Patriquin
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/D70B1D57771A80708625723F00150B86?OpenDocument - xGORDOx, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7I guess the MSM that reported this is also wrong.
never did the presentation state Civil War or pulling the troops out.
Maybe we should listen to our men on the ground instead of suits in Washington and suits on TV. - spinchange, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This is a *real* ISG report- By man who lived it, spoke about it with them in their tongue, fought for it, and paid the ultimate price of his life for it.
Make it your #1 if you care about this stuff. - martalli, on 10/12/2007, -7/+10"You forget our government is led by a moron."
We get who we vote for. - rjmills, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3What you don't understand is that people on the "front lines" or "on the ground" often have a better idea of what's going on than those higher up the food chain. The up and ups are usually well-insulated from reality.
- SeraphimJulius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This needs to be shown on the news over and over and over again. Even if Bush doesn't see it the first time I am sure with the repeat it will have to get his attention sooner or later....well hopefully it will get to his attention...
There are so many things we can be doing in Iraq right now to get our men out and we are not doing any of it... - thekarmastrike, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Smart. Glad to see there is more to our men in uniform than blindly following the civilian leadership. A terrible shame he passed away.. he would've gone far.
Perhaps the circulation of this will have an effect on the greater consciousness of the Armed Forces, and they will start thinking things other than "Stay the course!!" "Dint stay the course!!", like our corrupt civilian leadership. - mattsidesinger, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4"Moustaches for everyone!"
- freff, on 10/12/2007, -6/+8Like Yez70 said, you're assuming that Bush's goal the entire time has been to find a way out of Iraq, and not to establish a long term US presence there. From the time Saddam fell, people have been pointing out that we didn't have a realistic exit strategy out of Iraq. I wonder if Cpt. Patriquin would have had an opinion on that one. Judging from his presentation, I'm going to guess that he may have.
Bush, and everyone that had a hand in planning this war are definitely moronic. Thoughts and prays to this guy's family, and a speedy return for the rest of the troops. - isadoradunkan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The plan should be given serious thought-----------after all nothing else has been working. And unfortunately his death proves that. What a brilliant and beautiful person he was. Take his word for it because he knew and understood. Maybe his death will not be in vain. A simple plan might work and maybe save the lives of thousands of people.
- SenatorPenguin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Unfortunately, this doesn't account for the major sectarian violence going on in Iraq. As long as there are Shia's and Sunnis in one area, the group in power will try to oppress/kill the other. Instituting a religious leader's private army as police will only lead to the oppression of the opposing Islamic sect.
The only reason this wasn't as big of a problem before we came into the picture was because Saddam was a ruthless dictator, and he was the only one who did any oppressing. Saddam was horrible and cruel, but he did prevent all of the extremist groups from killing everyone. - RobototoboR, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-377952052252839443&q=the+death+squads
iraqi death squads. 45 min documentary. - bishsd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I was smiling through reading the entire presentation until I hit that part. Devestating that he died for a lack of policy.
- LilRabbitFooFoo, on 08/11/2008, -1/+3Simple enough that even Bush can understand it...
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