I worked as a warehouse supervisor at a Best Buy store for 2 years - a significant part of my job was shipping and receiving items between area stores to meet customer requests for out-of-stock or replacement items.
But it was MY job to make sure that happened. Remember that it may not be Best Buy that is screwing you over - it may be that particular store that has poor management and customer service.
Though after seeing the markups, I rarely shop at Best Buy for anything but base computer equipment (not accessories) - which is generally sold at 5% above cost.
"That's a weak propaganda tactic -- I never called the resistance fighters moral. One can state that killing is never a moral act, or at least that's what we learn from Christ's words."
Though the Allah worshipped by the fundamentalist extremists find torture and killing of the infidel to be the most moral act, rewarded greatly in Heaven. Religion is a primary part of the problem here.
"Am I supposed to be wowed because you claim to have access to some classified web? Wow. How 3733t."
Wowed, no. But you need to understand that there is a lot of information out there that you do not have access to. Will not have access to. That's true for me too, as even with relatively high clearance it's generally need-to-know only.
"I'm sure, at some times, some soldiers do have strict rules of engagement. But that certainly isn't the case all the time."
The rules of engagement are quite strict - if you want, I can list some of them, we're required to carry them on us. But we are ALWAYS allowed to use deadly force to defend ourselves, other troops and civilians.
"But of course, thanks to a neutered US corporate mass media, few people know the extent of the war crimes of the US military."
Two things. One, many of the claims made by the insurgents and 'observers' are demonstratably false - or given heavy spin. Two, when you are under fire, when wounded fake death and then shoot you in the back, when bodies are booby trapped so that if you try to help the enemy wounded they blow up and kill you...well, one can gain a somewhat different perspective on the morality of violence than that of an armchair warrior behind a computer.
"The US gov't should know. After all, before he came to power Saddam Hussein was on the CIA payroll. The US gov't backed Hussein's invasion of Iran; the US gov't sold Iraq chemical weapon precursors, biological agents, and other weapons; the US gov't helped to quell UN investigations into Iraq's use of chemical weapons, and the US gov't loaned Iraq hundreds and hundreds of millions to fund his war on Iran while the US navy escorted Iraqi oil out of the Persian Gulf."
Absolutely. We created him, and it fell to us to destroy him. But remember, the Iraqi insurgents aren't fighting for a 'free Iraq'. They are fighting for the power of whatever warlord or cleric happens to hold power in that area. They are fighting for a country where they have the power because they have the guns - instead of a country where power is distributed through a vote.
And then there are the fighters from different countries who are here essentially to kill Americans. And they are not just after military targets - they would just as happily come to your house and slaughter you and your family. At least according to their leadership...
"It seems you've taken it upon yourself to defend the "moral" values of the US gov't/military."
The morality of violence is always a tough issue, but it is the wanton idealist who thinks that problems can be solved without it. The fact is that men like Saddam and the insurgents will not hesitate to kill anybody who gets in their way.
I love hearing complaints from the Iraqi people about our presence in their country, about the current power structure. Because three years ago those who spoke out publicly would have been executed, and their families would have died with them.
"Whether we like it or not, the resistance fighters in Iraq have the moral position."
I think you would find some of the articles and speeches of the "moral" resistance fighters interesting. I'm just not sure where you can access them on the unclassified web.
"Yes, the resistance are brutal thugs who bomb and terrorize the occupation forces and collaborators, but then again, the US Army with its track record of torture, firing into crowds of civilians, and indiscriminate use of firepower in heavily populated urban areas isn't anything to brag about either."
We'll again conveniently ignore the strict rules of engagement that we operate under, costing many U.S. soldiers their lives in an attempt to protect civilians. The use of firepower in urban areas is ANYTHING but indiscriminate. We know that FOX and CNN don't show it that way, and it pisses soldiers off to see it, but trust me - it's a lot different on the ground here.
Collateral damage is regrettable. But the U.S. NEVER knowingly targets civilians. The "moral" resistance SPECIFICALLY targets non-military targets, for example, striking at the families of those who join the work crews for U.S. bases.
Like I said, firing mortars and laying IEDs against military targets is moral - I accepted that risk when I enlisted. But hiding behind civilians and slaughtering them as part of your political/military plan is (I submit) NOT a moral use of violence.
"But the bottom line is that the US/UK invasion is illegal and without justification."
In your opinion. Saddam was a very, very bad man with a lot of power and influence. A mass murderer with a ruthless disregard for human life and dignity.
"This makes Iraqis fighting against the occupation forces as just another group of outgunned people doing anything they can to resist a foreign invader."
And the Saudis, Syrians, Afghannis, Lebanese, Jordanians, Iranians...
>>And while we are at it we'll conveniantly forget that the only reason the insurgents are letting off bombs and mortars is because the Americans are there in the first place, way to destabalise a region dudes.
ROFL
Wait, I'm sorry, are you seriously suggesting that Iraq is *less* stable now than it was under the previous regime? I think you need to take a look at the reign of Saddam Hussein. I'll mention the tens of thousands in mass graves and the chemical weapon attacks against opposing tribes within his own country and leave out things like the palace that I work in that was built on the blood of 3,000 workers.
I mean that 3,000 workers DIED to build it.
(so I'm not really leaving it out:) ).
The Iraqi National work crews on our bases have a steady, reliable job, many for the first time in their lives. They are well paid and, at least all those I have spoken to, are very grateful to the Coalition forces for taking Saddam's boot off their necks and his guns away from their heads.
Insurgents striking against military targets is war - as a soldier, we accepted that risk when we volunteered for military service. I don't like being shot at, but that's part of my job.
However, the insurgents are encouraged by both their religious and political leadership to attack - specifically target - civilians...both Iraqi and international. IMHO, people like that do NOT get the benefit of the doubt.
And we'll conveniently ignore the fact that most of the work soldiers are doing in Iraq is rebuilding the infrastructure of the country, training the Iraqi National Guard to take responsibility for the security of their own people, and establishing a foundation for a representational government.
We'll also conveniently ignore the fact that the 'slaughter' - which I'll assume refers to the unfortunate death of civilians - is primarily due to terrorists carrying out IED attacks that target population centers such as hotels and marketplaces while the U.S. "freedom fighters" are limited in their response to avoid unnecessary collateral damage.
Obviously your view of the "Operation Freedoms" is based on media spin - which is not uncommon, but I'd expect more from America's 'intellectual elite' on slashdot.
And, if you've ever been shot at or had 127mm rockets exploding all around you while you huddle in a ditch hoping that the next one doesn't have your name on it, you'd probably think that using remote controlled vehicles on the ground as well as in the sky does count as progress.
Slashdot Mirror
I worked as a warehouse supervisor at a Best Buy store for 2 years - a significant part of my job was shipping and receiving items between area stores to meet customer requests for out-of-stock or replacement items.
But it was MY job to make sure that happened. Remember that it may not be Best Buy that is screwing you over - it may be that particular store that has poor management and customer service.
Though after seeing the markups, I rarely shop at Best Buy for anything but base computer equipment (not accessories) - which is generally sold at 5% above cost.
"That's a weak propaganda tactic -- I never called the resistance fighters moral. One can state that killing is never a moral act, or at least that's what we learn from Christ's words."
Though the Allah worshipped by the fundamentalist extremists find torture and killing of the infidel to be the most moral act, rewarded greatly in Heaven. Religion is a primary part of the problem here.
"Am I supposed to be wowed because you claim to have access to some classified web? Wow. How 3733t."
Wowed, no. But you need to understand that there is a lot of information out there that you do not have access to. Will not have access to. That's true for me too, as even with relatively high clearance it's generally need-to-know only.
"I'm sure, at some times, some soldiers do have strict rules of engagement. But that certainly isn't the case all the time."
The rules of engagement are quite strict - if you want, I can list some of them, we're required to carry them on us. But we are ALWAYS allowed to use deadly force to defend ourselves, other troops and civilians.
"But of course, thanks to a neutered US corporate mass media, few people know the extent of the war crimes of the US military."
Two things. One, many of the claims made by the insurgents and 'observers' are demonstratably false - or given heavy spin. Two, when you are under fire, when wounded fake death and then shoot you in the back, when bodies are booby trapped so that if you try to help the enemy wounded they blow up and kill you...well, one can gain a somewhat different perspective on the morality of violence than that of an armchair warrior behind a computer.
"The US gov't should know. After all, before he came to power Saddam Hussein was on the CIA payroll. The US gov't backed Hussein's invasion of Iran; the US gov't sold Iraq chemical weapon precursors, biological agents, and other weapons; the US gov't helped to quell UN investigations into Iraq's use of chemical weapons, and the US gov't loaned Iraq hundreds and hundreds of millions to fund his war on Iran while the US navy escorted Iraqi oil out of the Persian Gulf."
Absolutely. We created him, and it fell to us to destroy him. But remember, the Iraqi insurgents aren't fighting for a 'free Iraq'. They are fighting for the power of whatever warlord or cleric happens to hold power in that area. They are fighting for a country where they have the power because they have the guns - instead of a country where power is distributed through a vote.
And then there are the fighters from different countries who are here essentially to kill Americans. And they are not just after military targets - they would just as happily come to your house and slaughter you and your family. At least according to their leadership...
"It seems you've taken it upon yourself to defend the "moral" values of the US gov't/military."
The morality of violence is always a tough issue, but it is the wanton idealist who thinks that problems can be solved without it. The fact is that men like Saddam and the insurgents will not hesitate to kill anybody who gets in their way.
I love hearing complaints from the Iraqi people about our presence in their country, about the current power structure. Because three years ago those who spoke out publicly would have been executed, and their families would have died with them.
"Whether we like it or not, the resistance fighters in Iraq have the moral position."
I think you would find some of the articles and speeches of the "moral" resistance fighters interesting. I'm just not sure where you can access them on the unclassified web.
"Yes, the resistance are brutal thugs who bomb and terrorize the occupation forces and collaborators, but then again, the US Army with its track record of torture, firing into crowds of civilians, and indiscriminate use of firepower in heavily populated urban areas isn't anything to brag about either."
We'll again conveniently ignore the strict rules of engagement that we operate under, costing many U.S. soldiers their lives in an attempt to protect civilians. The use of firepower in urban areas is ANYTHING but indiscriminate. We know that FOX and CNN don't show it that way, and it pisses soldiers off to see it, but trust me - it's a lot different on the ground here.
Collateral damage is regrettable. But the U.S. NEVER knowingly targets civilians. The "moral" resistance SPECIFICALLY targets non-military targets, for example, striking at the families of those who join the work crews for U.S. bases.
Like I said, firing mortars and laying IEDs against military targets is moral - I accepted that risk when I enlisted. But hiding behind civilians and slaughtering them as part of your political/military plan is (I submit) NOT a moral use of violence.
"But the bottom line is that the US/UK invasion is illegal and without justification."
In your opinion. Saddam was a very, very bad man with a lot of power and influence. A mass murderer with a ruthless disregard for human life and dignity.
"This makes Iraqis fighting against the occupation forces as just another group of outgunned people doing anything they can to resist a foreign invader."
And the Saudis, Syrians, Afghannis, Lebanese, Jordanians, Iranians...
>>And while we are at it we'll conveniantly forget that the only reason the insurgents are letting off bombs and mortars is because the Americans are there in the first place, way to destabalise a region dudes.
:) ).
ROFL
Wait, I'm sorry, are you seriously suggesting that Iraq is *less* stable now than it was under the previous regime? I think you need to take a look at the reign of Saddam Hussein. I'll mention the tens of thousands in mass graves and the chemical weapon attacks against opposing tribes within his own country and leave out things like the palace that I work in that was built on the blood of 3,000 workers.
I mean that 3,000 workers DIED to build it.
(so I'm not really leaving it out
The Iraqi National work crews on our bases have a steady, reliable job, many for the first time in their lives. They are well paid and, at least all those I have spoken to, are very grateful to the Coalition forces for taking Saddam's boot off their necks and his guns away from their heads.
Insurgents striking against military targets is war - as a soldier, we accepted that risk when we volunteered for military service. I don't like being shot at, but that's part of my job.
However, the insurgents are encouraged by both their religious and political leadership to attack - specifically target - civilians...both Iraqi and international. IMHO, people like that do NOT get the benefit of the doubt.
And we'll conveniently ignore the fact that most of the work soldiers are doing in Iraq is rebuilding the infrastructure of the country, training the Iraqi National Guard to take responsibility for the security of their own people, and establishing a foundation for a representational government.
We'll also conveniently ignore the fact that the 'slaughter' - which I'll assume refers to the unfortunate death of civilians - is primarily due to terrorists carrying out IED attacks that target population centers such as hotels and marketplaces while the U.S. "freedom fighters" are limited in their response to avoid unnecessary collateral damage.
Obviously your view of the "Operation Freedoms" is based on media spin - which is not uncommon, but I'd expect more from America's 'intellectual elite' on slashdot.
And, if you've ever been shot at or had 127mm rockets exploding all around you while you huddle in a ditch hoping that the next one doesn't have your name on it, you'd probably think that using remote controlled vehicles on the ground as well as in the sky does count as progress.