If Saddam has half a brain,

Post #79,001 by Arkadiy 2/3/03 5:32:09 PM Reply	If Saddam has half a brain, he already has procedures in place on how to make sure Baghdad population survives w/o power or water for as long as he needs to win this war. It's not our problem to ensure that Baghdad population has fresh water and light, it's Saddam's problem. As long as we don't blow civilians up with high explosives, I think it's a fair game. It's war, after all, not diplomacy. (Mind you, I don't think that this particular war is justified. We should not start it. But I hate the PC way of waging war in general.) -- We have only 2 things to worry about: That things will never get back to normal, and that they already have.
Post #79,217 by TTC 2/4/03 12:06:21 PM Reply	Re: If Saddam has half a brain, But you said "We're not firing at a city". You just shifted your position.
Post #79,262 by Arkadiy 2/4/03 2:08:49 PM Reply	We're firing at very specific building in a city Buildings in which civilians have no business whatsoever. Buildings that have ample security perimeters manned by guards whose job is to keep "the rabble" (aka civilians) out. We pay alot of money and attention to limit the damage to those buildings only. If Saddam cared the rat's ass about civilian population, he would have expanded the security perimeter by a few blocks and kept everybody out. We made our list of targets abundantly clear. If Saddam fails to take steps to protect his population, it's his fault. -- We have only 2 things to worry about: That things will never get back to normal, and that they already have.
Post #79,351 by Ashton 2/4/03 8:33:55 PM Reply	Heard a lengthy analysis yesterday of our 'Tactical Plan' (natch the unClassified version. Natch.) This from a woman just back from Iraq, looking over the situation now re civilians, medical care, basic human needs -- after 12 years of embargo. "All Systems" are weak; there is little 'food storage for future' -- most sell the allotments from legit. oil sales ("Given them" by the "beneficence of Saddam"). Proceeds from such sales == the only means of purchasing meat (for just one thing). Yada & yada - she covered a huge amount of ground, by speaking concisely and intelligently about What she Saw. All water in Iraq is electrically pumped. Our conducting chaff over powerlines - is so obvious it may be made into a Disney movie. People are trying to store water in 'bladders' against the likelihood nay certainty -- that much of the country's infrastructure shall be placed out of operation, and the likelihood that MONTHS shall elapse before a semblance of correction. We may 'prevail' in this first strike. But there will be many thousands of civilian collateral damage (that euphemism to gag anyone) - from dysentery to a raft of other utterly predictable consequences. The techno details of our marvellous destructive capability - demonstrate Where we place most of our focus, right after 'selling things' that need [oil]. We are about to unleash a nightmare atop all the above duct-taped together civilian milieu. The US shall be Hated as never before. And Dubya's peculiarly bucolic and abrasive personality is the obv Focus for all that Rage. (We have no idea how many -and soon- are the next candidates on the Repo Hit List leading to WW-III.. with just a small next miscalculation). If Saddam cares not for the civilian population (?) Obviously we care even less. Whatever that says about US and our lust for control of [oil], at any cost. No "yes, but..s" will be able to counter the post-First Strike Tee Vee evidence. Unless.. Congress acquires some guts and aborts. Ashton
Post #79,421 by Arkadiy 2/5/03 4:55:05 AM Reply	Maybe caution will prevail and we will refrain from bombing power plants. But... Country's infrastructure is a legitimate target in a war. That's why a) we should not start this war and b) Saddam should do what he is told, up to and including exile. Militarily, he has no options. The only thing that allows him to remain defiant is his total disregard to Iraqi population's suffering. But then, that's nothing new. See "sanctions". -- We have only 2 things to worry about: That things will never get back to normal, and that they already have.

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