Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 19:28:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Thomas Seay <entheogens-AT-yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: AUT: Re: [G_O] Criticism of "No Blood For War"


Peter,

Yes, the refusal of the US proles to die at the
beckoning of the govts is one of remaining legacies
of the Vietnam war.  I dont see how that disputes
points (2) or (3) though.  In fact, it re-enforces
them.

Because the government realizes that a war will become
very unpopular if a lot of US soldiers start to die,
it now prefers massive bombing missions with few or no
ground troops.

And it also tries to reduce the amount of "collateral
damage" or at least create a spectacle that informs
the public of a desire to reduce "collateral damage". 
Even though I was just a young boy at the time, I
recall the effect that picture of the young Vietnamese
girl running naked through the roads after an attack-
had
on Americans. Hussein also realizes the propaganda
value of civilians being killed by his attempts to
create "human shields".

They want to get the job done with as little bloodshed
as possible and in as little time as possible.  

You are right, though.  It will be more difficult for
them to do.  That is why they hope to get Kurd rebels
to do a lot of the dirty ground work, just as they got
the anti-Taliban forces to do the same in Afghanistan.
 

-Thomas


--- Peter Jovanovic <peterzoran-AT-hotmail.com> wrote:
> hi all
> 
> Thomas wrote:
> >We know that the US government has learned the
> lessons
> >from the Vietnam war:
> >(1) Get the war over quickly
> >(2) Do so in a manner that as few American soldiers
> >die as possible
> >(3) Do so in a manner to reduce as much as possible
> >the civilian casualties in the country being
> invaded.
> 
> I wonder about points 2) and 3). The refusal of US
> proles to die en masse 
> for 'their' state is one of the most enduring gains
> of the Vietnam War era 
> struggles. If the US is to continue its wars -
> Afghanistan, Phillipines, 
> Iraq, where next? North Korea? Colombia? Nepal?
> Iran? Syria? won't it need 
> an army and public that will accept mass casualties?
> 
> cheers
> peter
> 
>
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