Send me a private message sometime, I'm interested to see where you've been. I know your pain, I had several friends who were 97E and hated all the red tape they had to go through to do their job. Perhaps you know CW3 Welshoffer, he was a friend and a good man that took a career ruining fall because of the idiots at Abu Ghraib. By the way I was a 98C.
Actually I was a SPC (fourth level ENLISTED rank) and I worked in a very small very secretive community. So yes indeed I do know what happens on all levels since that was my job. What I described is the norm, what is presented to the public via the TV is the abberration. Jarheads are marines, I was no such thing. Also I never said one side was right or said that anything was black and white. I presented the facts of the average situation. The abberrations occur because day in and day out you deal with some guys that have been captured and every day they tell you vile things about your mother, sister, daughter so on and so forth. They also work their hardest to get under your skin because they know that if something happens to them it's another point to chock up to the media victory i.e. they become a martyr.
Let me explain to you how the system really works. Having been one of said easily influenced soldiers I have intimate knowledge of this. You're out on a patrol, you come upon a guy who is setting up a roadside bomb. Now more than likely this isn't really the guy you want as he's just some poor sod that a real bad guy paid to have do this. The bad guy that paid him isn't really even the really bad dude, he's just some farmer that got mixed up with the wrong crowd. You know this, so you catch the guy setting up the bomb, cuff him and take him back to your patrol base. When you reach the patrol base you have to fill out a very extensive form detailing everything that was said and done to the guy. When I say detail I mean it too. After that the guy you captured is taken to a holding area where he's given food and water and basically anything he needs even though what he was doing could have killed you or your best friend. Next time a convoy comes around which is usually a few hours they take this guy to the main base where all the interrogators hang out. These guys spend up to two years in school learing how to interrogate without using torture. They know how to mind fsck you, and they're really good at it. These guys never have to do anything that harms you because they're better than lawyer at playing word games and will generally know within the first few minutes whether you're worth keeping or not. The problems like Abu Ghraib arise because you have people that guard these guys and take it upon themselves to try and find out information. Which I don't have to say is illegal and the real interrogators will have your ass if they find out about it. That's the main point of failure. Now after the interrogator has talked with the guy for a while, if he's worth keeping they will, if not they'll give him a job working on public works projects in the city. That's how the system really works, and maybe people should actually do their research before spouting off with something that you have no clue about and put good people in a bad light.
I'm sure that you're speaking from personal experience with regards to Abu Ghraib and not the drivel that the media spoutes. Oh wait, probably not since it's rather obvious that you have never been there. I have and I'll tell you that the media is full of shit. What a couple of bad seeds do is not necessarily what we all do or condone.
As a former soldier deployed multiple times to the Middle East I can tell you that I actually did recieve a lot of training in the language and culture of Iraq. The problem is that some of the guys on the ground don't pay attention and just don't care. They just want to grunt, beat their chest and show off how superior they are to the Iraqis. Being one of the guys that actually gave a shit I listened and as a result developed great respect for those people. Don't believe everything you see on the TeeVee, reporters are fscking jaded and biased. I would have shot them on site if I could have gotten away with it since all they care about are the explosions, the firefights, and all the other bad shit that a few idiots do. They don't really care to show the guy running through gunfire protecting a kid with his own body because he know his armor at least can take a hit or two before it buckles. Or the guys out there sweating their asses off putting up buildings and doing other publics service works in conditions that would make most of the lard assed citizens of this country keel over and die. So instead of spouting about shit you have seen on the teevee maybe you should enlist and go see what it's really like. I did and I'll never regret it.
I just want to say to the/. community that before you all start raving about the downfall of M$ with this think about all the other industries out there. A few state government industries aren't even a drop in the bucket for the number of licenses M$ has out there. Now all the Fortune 500 companies going to "open" standards would be a watershed prophetic moment, this is pissing in a volcano.
Remember in order for there to be developers someone somewhere has to make money selling software.
I can relate to this. Having just graduated highschool 5 years ago it was my experience that the slow kids were the ones that were catered to. Being somewhat above average (I'm the only person to come out of that school that has really made anything of myself) I was bored to the point of not caring about anything. I was so bored in school even in the "Honors Program" that I didn't even try. I spent most of my classes working on things that were over the head of the teacher, thankfully my parents especially my father was attuned to this and would give me projects around the house that would actually challenge me (my father even though he was a product of his generation and only went through 10th grade is one of the smartest men that I have ever met). Here is a case in point, one day during AP Civics I as usual was sitting in the back of the class fucking off. The teacher had earlier in the week given an optional assignment that was for some kind of regional competition. Well to make a long story short in the last ten minutes of class he got pissed at me and said that the assignment was no longer optional for me and that I had to have a rough draft to him by the end of class. Me being the smartass punk that I was didn't write even a rough draft I just skipped right to the finished thing and wrote him a six page paper. It went on to win some kind of state competition. Now, I'm not particularly special but I had one advantage over my classmates that exists to this day. I can think for myself and do far more than just rote memorization and that is the key. Kids today need to not necessarily be taught a bunch of arbitrary knowledge (however this is important), but they mainly need to be taught to think. I for one will teach my children that all important lesson which isn't even all that hard to teach. Present your kids with challenges and reward them for good results and encourage them when they need it, also known as active parenting. I'm going to stop now because I could probably write a book on this subject and still have some material left over.
I completely agree with and understand you. I'm 22 and one of the generation nexters, however I grew up poor as hell and had to learn how to fix everything and anything I owned if I wanted it to work. So being atypical in your frame of reference I really see what you mean.
I can relate to that, now what's funny is that I'm the one laughing. I was told several times "You'll never make it in the Army...yada yada" Not only did I make it, I excelled at it. Now I'm out, 22 years old, and am far more successful than any other person in my graduating class. I'm a UNIX systems admin in a very very large company and I even have disposable income. I look at all those kids who told me that I would never make it or bullied me and laugh because there they are working in a deadend job with no future, however I do respect them at least they make an honest living unlike a lot of people these days. I for one will always teach my kids the values of kindness, morality, and equality that I was raised on, however I will also teach them as my dad did me that they need to stand up and fight for what they believe in and never believe anyone when they tell you that you can't do something. After all this skinny little geek who was mercilessly bullied and downed grew up to be a 6'1" 180lb success story of a small hick town. The administrators at my school have even asked me when I go to visit if I would speak to the current students at the school.
On topic a little more, my parents when I was young always payed close attention to what I was doing. If I screwed up and did something that I knew was wrong (all kids do it) their punishment was swift and harsh, but there is one key thing they did also, they explained to me why what I did was wrong and also made sure that despite what I may think that they do love me. That seems to me to be the major problem with kids growing up these days. Their parents just don't spend time with them or relate to them in any way. I will always take time to play with my kids and participate in things they enjoy doing because I will enjoy just spending time with them. I have no use for people that reproduce and see their kids as burdens and or are too busy with their "life" to spend time with their kids, I fucking hate that with all my being. I grew up so poor that we could barely afford food, but at least no matter what my parents work never ever got in the way of spending time with us kids.
Well, I can see where you're coming from. There is so much going on about intellectual property it kinda makes you wonder what the next logical step is.
I also am on tinfoil hatter, less than most because I used to work in the industry that tinfoil hatters go on about all the tim.
Having spent a couple years in Iraq I can say with quite some certainty that total apostasy is not punishable by death. Let me give you some examples in Iraq not only do you have several different sects of Islam (Sunni, Shiite, Kurd....) who all believe that the successor to Mohammed is different you also have a lot of Christianity (although somewhat strange), several other religions and then some really strange sect called the Yzidis(can't remember how it's spelled anymore) who worship something similar to the Christian satan and take a lot of drugs.
Slashdot Mirror
Does it run linux?
Send me a private message sometime, I'm interested to see where you've been. I know your pain, I had several friends who were 97E and hated all the red tape they had to go through to do their job. Perhaps you know CW3 Welshoffer, he was a friend and a good man that took a career ruining fall because of the idiots at Abu Ghraib. By the way I was a 98C.
Actually I was a SPC (fourth level ENLISTED rank) and I worked in a very small very secretive community. So yes indeed I do know what happens on all levels since that was my job. What I described is the norm, what is presented to the public via the TV is the abberration. Jarheads are marines, I was no such thing. Also I never said one side was right or said that anything was black and white. I presented the facts of the average situation. The abberrations occur because day in and day out you deal with some guys that have been captured and every day they tell you vile things about your mother, sister, daughter so on and so forth. They also work their hardest to get under your skin because they know that if something happens to them it's another point to chock up to the media victory i.e. they become a martyr.
Let me explain to you how the system really works. Having been one of said easily influenced soldiers I have intimate knowledge of this. You're out on a patrol, you come upon a guy who is setting up a roadside bomb. Now more than likely this isn't really the guy you want as he's just some poor sod that a real bad guy paid to have do this. The bad guy that paid him isn't really even the really bad dude, he's just some farmer that got mixed up with the wrong crowd. You know this, so you catch the guy setting up the bomb, cuff him and take him back to your patrol base. When you reach the patrol base you have to fill out a very extensive form detailing everything that was said and done to the guy. When I say detail I mean it too. After that the guy you captured is taken to a holding area where he's given food and water and basically anything he needs even though what he was doing could have killed you or your best friend. Next time a convoy comes around which is usually a few hours they take this guy to the main base where all the interrogators hang out. These guys spend up to two years in school learing how to interrogate without using torture. They know how to mind fsck you, and they're really good at it. These guys never have to do anything that harms you because they're better than lawyer at playing word games and will generally know within the first few minutes whether you're worth keeping or not. The problems like Abu Ghraib arise because you have people that guard these guys and take it upon themselves to try and find out information. Which I don't have to say is illegal and the real interrogators will have your ass if they find out about it. That's the main point of failure. Now after the interrogator has talked with the guy for a while, if he's worth keeping they will, if not they'll give him a job working on public works projects in the city. That's how the system really works, and maybe people should actually do their research before spouting off with something that you have no clue about and put good people in a bad light.
I'm sure that you're speaking from personal experience with regards to Abu Ghraib and not the drivel that the media spoutes. Oh wait, probably not since it's rather obvious that you have never been there. I have and I'll tell you that the media is full of shit. What a couple of bad seeds do is not necessarily what we all do or condone.
Rabid foaming at the mouth flame war in 3.....2......1......
I choose politicians.
As a former soldier deployed multiple times to the Middle East I can tell you that I actually did recieve a lot of training in the language and culture of Iraq. The problem is that some of the guys on the ground don't pay attention and just don't care. They just want to grunt, beat their chest and show off how superior they are to the Iraqis. Being one of the guys that actually gave a shit I listened and as a result developed great respect for those people. Don't believe everything you see on the TeeVee, reporters are fscking jaded and biased. I would have shot them on site if I could have gotten away with it since all they care about are the explosions, the firefights, and all the other bad shit that a few idiots do. They don't really care to show the guy running through gunfire protecting a kid with his own body because he know his armor at least can take a hit or two before it buckles. Or the guys out there sweating their asses off putting up buildings and doing other publics service works in conditions that would make most of the lard assed citizens of this country keel over and die. So instead of spouting about shit you have seen on the teevee maybe you should enlist and go see what it's really like. I did and I'll never regret it.
I wonder if a system like this will get my patent on left side book binding through.
I just want to say to the /. community that before you all start raving about the downfall of M$ with this think about all the other industries out there. A few state government industries aren't even a drop in the bucket for the number of licenses M$ has out there. Now all the Fortune 500 companies going to "open" standards would be a watershed prophetic moment, this is pissing in a volcano.
Remember in order for there to be developers someone somewhere has to make money selling software.
I can relate to this. Having just graduated highschool 5 years ago it was my experience that the slow kids were the ones that were catered to. Being somewhat above average (I'm the only person to come out of that school that has really made anything of myself) I was bored to the point of not caring about anything. I was so bored in school even in the "Honors Program" that I didn't even try. I spent most of my classes working on things that were over the head of the teacher, thankfully my parents especially my father was attuned to this and would give me projects around the house that would actually challenge me (my father even though he was a product of his generation and only went through 10th grade is one of the smartest men that I have ever met). Here is a case in point, one day during AP Civics I as usual was sitting in the back of the class fucking off. The teacher had earlier in the week given an optional assignment that was for some kind of regional competition. Well to make a long story short in the last ten minutes of class he got pissed at me and said that the assignment was no longer optional for me and that I had to have a rough draft to him by the end of class. Me being the smartass punk that I was didn't write even a rough draft I just skipped right to the finished thing and wrote him a six page paper. It went on to win some kind of state competition. Now, I'm not particularly special but I had one advantage over my classmates that exists to this day. I can think for myself and do far more than just rote memorization and that is the key. Kids today need to not necessarily be taught a bunch of arbitrary knowledge (however this is important), but they mainly need to be taught to think. I for one will teach my children that all important lesson which isn't even all that hard to teach. Present your kids with challenges and reward them for good results and encourage them when they need it, also known as active parenting. I'm going to stop now because I could probably write a book on this subject and still have some material left over.
Wow, I knew my new Sunblades were hot, but Mars!?
I completely agree with and understand you. I'm 22 and one of the generation nexters, however I grew up poor as hell and had to learn how to fix everything and anything I owned if I wanted it to work. So being atypical in your frame of reference I really see what you mean.
I for one welcome our new politician overlords...oh wait nevermind.
I can relate to that, now what's funny is that I'm the one laughing. I was told several times "You'll never make it in the Army...yada yada" Not only did I make it, I excelled at it. Now I'm out, 22 years old, and am far more successful than any other person in my graduating class. I'm a UNIX systems admin in a very very large company and I even have disposable income. I look at all those kids who told me that I would never make it or bullied me and laugh because there they are working in a deadend job with no future, however I do respect them at least they make an honest living unlike a lot of people these days. I for one will always teach my kids the values of kindness, morality, and equality that I was raised on, however I will also teach them as my dad did me that they need to stand up and fight for what they believe in and never believe anyone when they tell you that you can't do something. After all this skinny little geek who was mercilessly bullied and downed grew up to be a 6'1" 180lb success story of a small hick town. The administrators at my school have even asked me when I go to visit if I would speak to the current students at the school.
On topic a little more, my parents when I was young always payed close attention to what I was doing. If I screwed up and did something that I knew was wrong (all kids do it) their punishment was swift and harsh, but there is one key thing they did also, they explained to me why what I did was wrong and also made sure that despite what I may think that they do love me. That seems to me to be the major problem with kids growing up these days. Their parents just don't spend time with them or relate to them in any way. I will always take time to play with my kids and participate in things they enjoy doing because I will enjoy just spending time with them. I have no use for people that reproduce and see their kids as burdens and or are too busy with their "life" to spend time with their kids, I fucking hate that with all my being. I grew up so poor that we could barely afford food, but at least no matter what my parents work never ever got in the way of spending time with us kids.
Hah! You can't fool me, that wasn't an old text file, it was a .ini!
Someone used math to prove that the weatherman is wrong or maybe even right. Who'd a thunk it.
Well, I can see where you're coming from. There is so much going on about intellectual property it kinda makes you wonder what the next logical step is. I also am on tinfoil hatter, less than most because I used to work in the industry that tinfoil hatters go on about all the tim.
Having spent a couple years in Iraq I can say with quite some certainty that total apostasy is not punishable by death. Let me give you some examples in Iraq not only do you have several different sects of Islam (Sunni, Shiite, Kurd....) who all believe that the successor to Mohammed is different you also have a lot of Christianity (although somewhat strange), several other religions and then some really strange sect called the Yzidis(can't remember how it's spelled anymore) who worship something similar to the Christian satan and take a lot of drugs.