[Vision2020] [Spam] Re: Tet Offensive
Matt Decker
mattd2107 at hotmail.com
Fri Nov 10 15:21:58 PST 2006
>From: lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com>
>Reply-To: lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com>
>To: "Matt Decker" <mattd2107 at hotmail.com>, sunilramalingam at hotmail.com,
> vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: [Vision2020] [Spam] Re: Tet Offensive
>Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:28:44 -0800
>
>Great post Matt
>
>Roger
>-----Original message-----
>From: "Matt Decker" mattd2107 at hotmail.com
>Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:04:35 -0800
>To: sunilramalingam at hotmail.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: [Spam] Re: [Vision2020] Tet Offensive
>
> > Sunil,
> >
> > You have a lot or very good points and questions in your last post. What
>do
> > we do in Iraq? I myself won't kid anyone about what we shoould do and
>not do
> > now, for I am not the expert. I will leave that to the people in
>postion. I
> > do feel however, that we did not utilize the best military in world to
>it's
> > full capabilities. We have young very intelligent and highly motivated
> > Marines and soldiers. Instead we over used them and now have the
>national
> > gaurd pulling duties. These reservists, no offense, are not as
>specilized as
> > the regulars. Granted it doesn't matter who is driving into the IED, but
>I
> > can also say if we had let the generals do there jobs at the begining of
>the
> > war instead of the senators and brass monkies back home, things would be
> > different.
> >
> > The media has not played a very supportive role in this and vietnam war.
> > They tend to remind the public that Marines have surrounded Falujiah and
>are
> > about to destroy a mosque that has Al-Zaqauri in it. They will focas
>their
> > opinion on how destroying that Mosque will be devistating to our cause,
>but
> > won't realize that in war you have to be fast, deadly, and pack fury
>with
> > you. War is never good but if your going to do it, then kill them quick.
>Use
> > sense and only kill the bad ones, including the 13 kid with an ak47
>shooting
> > at you. But get it done quickly. It sounds bad but all great leaders
>have
> > realized this concept, including Hitler. Bad man but a great leader. Ok
>now
> > i'm rambling.
> >
> > As in the media, they do whats good for them, the story. Portraying a
>marine
> > as a baby killer, but not have the slightest clue that the kid was
>shooting
> > at him. If they had shown the bad things we did in WWII, we would have
>never
> > one. Shooting unarmed Japanese, bombing Drisdin, assasanations, Etc. I
>don't
> > agree with them, but will also tend to push that aside for the overall
> > agenda, victory and peace.
> >
> > In no means should the media not do story about Cambodia or, Muy Lia, or
>the
> > recent 7 Marines in Iraq that staged a civilians death as terroristic.
>They
> > should. We should know about what going on, in order to learn from it.
>But,
> > the medias portrayal of the Vietnam War and Iraq war has been nothing
>but
> > negative. Which in turn WILL kill more Marines and soldiers.
> >
> > Try the next time you watch the news and count how many positive stories
>you
> > here about. Kids being helped, buildings being built, area being
>secured,
> > then count how many bad stories you here.
> > Then go to conservative web site and look at the good stories you see. A
> > total different story.
> >
> > Anyways I won't go on any further for now, but since I will most likely
>be
> > called a bunch of names and ridiculed for this, not by you, you have too
> > much class, but by others, I will just let you know I am leaving town
>for
> > the weekend so a response won't be for a couple of days.
> >
> > Take care Sunil
> >
> >
> > >From: "Sunil Ramalingam" <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com>
> > >To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> > >Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Tet Offensive
> > >Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:12:27 -0800
> > >
> > >Matt,
> > >
> > >I tried to find the show tonight at 9, and it wasn't there. So I did
>some
> > >reading about Tet here:
> > >
> > >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_offensive
> > >
> > >and browsed through Stanley Karnow's 'Vietnam, a history.' I think Kai
>is
> > >right in that neither the Vietcong nor the NVA could claim a
>traditional
> > >military victory after Tet. But I think they scored a propoganda
>victory,
> > >and I don't think that was media's fault or doing. After years of our
> > >government claiming we were close to victory, they struck all over
>South
> > >Vietnam, even hitting our embassy. Until Tet, the media went along
>with
> > >whatever the government was saying. Tet changed that, and led to more
> > >critical reporting.
> > >
> > >Ultimately, I think Tet points out some of the problems inherent in
>wars
> > >like Vietnam or Iraq: when you end up in the middle of someone else's
>civil
> > >war, how do you define victory? How can you win? That we had a
>military
> > >victory at Tet was not enough in the end.
> > >
> > >This is a quote I came across several times in the last couple of
>months,
> > >in articles comparing Iraq and Vietnam:
> > >
> > >'This brings to mind a story from the Vietnam era, as written up in the
> > >March-April 2005 Military Review: "While negotiating in Hanoi a few
>days
> > >before Saigon fell, U.S. Army Colonel Harry Summers, Jr. [later author
>of
> > >On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War], said to a North
> > >Vietnamese colonel, ‘You know, you never defeated us on the
>battlefield.'
> > >The Vietnamese colonel replied, ‘That may be so, but it is also
> > >irrelevant.'" '
> > >
> > >People often blame the media for the outcome of the Vietnam War. Would
>it
> > >have been right for the media not to cover, for example, the bombing of
> > >Cambodia? If Americans and Vietnamese had continued to die without
>news
> > >coverage, would that really have changed the outcome or made what we
>were
> > >doing right?
> > >
> > >I don't think a lesson we should draw from Tet is that the media should
>not
> > >cover what is happening. While I agree that some good things may occur
>in
> > >Iraq, I think there's a civil war going on.
> > >
> > >Seems to me if you're in the middle of someone else's war, they've got
>more
> > >to fight for than we do. And if you're there for the wrong reason, how
>do
> > >you answer the question 'Why are we there?' If the question can't be
> > >answered, public support for that war is going to wane. I don't think
>that
> > >question could be answered in Vietnam, and it isn't being answered in
>Iraq
> > >either.
> > >
> > >I don't think we should crap on the troops sent off to war by
>politicians
> > >and generals. I think when the politicians and generals send off
>troops
> > >for no good reason, the leaders deserve to get crapped on. I think
>that's
> > >what they did in Vietnam, and again in Iraq. They put troops in
>situations
> > >where victory might only be reached at a price that is obscene, and the
> > >troops pay for it first, and then the nation as a whole. They owe the
> > >people an answer about what they're doing and why.
> > >
> > >Today the question is 'What do we do now?' I think the only way out is
>for
> > >us to give up our idea of permanent bases in Iraq, and undo the
>economic
> > >decisions made by Paul Bremmer. He privatized the Iraqi economy (such
>as
> > >it is), basically into our hands. I think the only way out for us is
>to
> > >get other nations to join in stabilizing Iraq. I don't think we can do
>it
> > >alone, but it may happen if others get involved. But no one's going
>to
> > >help if they think it's just going to cement our control over Iraq.
>Why
> > >would they risk their kids for that? How would they explain that to
>their
> > >people?
> > >
> > >Well, I thought that was the question. I just saw a report that Rice
>said
> > >the election will not change our objective in Iraq, and that Iraq has
>to be
> > >successful. I don't know what that means or how we will get there.
> > >
> > >Anyway, that's my two cents. Sorry if I rambled.
> > >
> > >Sunil
> > >
> > >
> > >>From: "Matt Decker" <mattd2107 at hotmail.com>
> > >>To: sunilramalingam at hotmail.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
> > >>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Tet Offensive
> > >>Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:47:27 -0800
> > >>
> > >>Sunil,
> > >>
> > >>I would think that the negative media towards our troops and how
>"they"
> > >>dictate the battlefield would be a start.
> > >>
> > >>Take Care
> > >>Matt
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
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