RE: IRAQ: Predictable catastrophes of human stupidity

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Apr 14 2003 - 11:37:36 MDT

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    --- Keith Elis <hagbard@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
    > Damien Sullivan:
    >
    > > Training and habits. This is why people don't want the military
    > > used for intra-US law enforcement.
    > > The military is trained to kill enemies. That's their job.
    >
    > Your local police force is suited for number 1. Add some specialized
    > units and they can be prepared for any number of localized threats
    > involving a handful of miscreants, armed or otherwise.

    They can also handle peace keeping to a large extent. Combat troops
    should only be used to support specialized units like SWAT, and then
    they should be garrison troops, not line troops. There is a significant
    difference between the two.

    > In such situations, it seems easier to teach a combat
    > soldier to treat a population with respect than to train a cop to
    > operate as a functioning member of a combat unit.

    Teaching a combat line marine to be sensitive to what he should be
    viewing as the enemy entirely nullifies his training for combat. You
    might as well just discharge him and put him out of his misery.

    Civilians are entirely incapable of having an informed opinion about
    these issues. Police can be trained for special unit tactics, but even
    then they must be separate from regular police units, which is why SWAT
    team members are in no way useful for, say, community patrol. They are
    entirely separate and incompatible skill sets.

    =====
    Mike Lorrey
    "Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                                         - Gen. John Stark
    "Pacifists are Objectively Pro-Fascist." - George Orwell
    "Treason doth never Prosper. What is the Reason?
    For if it Prosper, none Dare call it Treason..." - Ovid

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