The Taliban

[kcbigpapa]

Originally Posted by catnipdipper

I don't think that the Taliban, nor Al Quaida is afraid of us and that is the problem.

Now I watch a show called "lockdown" I think it is on Nat Geo from time to time. I also watch Gangland and History Channel.

Why not empty Death Row, Hard Core Lifers and Gang Members, Crips,Bloods, La Eme, Arayan Nation and drop them into Afghanistan by parachute and given a weapon. Ammo is dropped later with some food and water. Maybe Biker gangs too and drop the cycles in later.

The savings would be enormous, we would be safer, and as I know I hope these dudes never ever get out I think the Taliban might become convinced of the same thing. I doubt those that we drop would ever convert and I doubt the entities would ever seek peace with one another.

Just a suggestion.

[wellendowed1911]

DD tell me if this suggestion is too simplistic are far fetched:
1) Since 2005 under the Bush Administration and I even heard Obama say the same thing- that we must train and equip the Afghan army to fight their own battles-ok what is taking so freaking long? Why don't we just arm the afghan army with enough strength- give them good quality weapons- a few hundred helicopters- and I am not talking about any advanced Apache copters- train and rebuild their Air Force because in 2001 when we invaded they had no air force and today they still have no air frce and just let them be strong enough to protect their country. Now if we can take an 18 year old young man who never fired a gun in his life right out of High School and 2 years later turn him into a highly skilld killing machine there's no reason why since 2001 we have been unable to arm and equip the Afghan govt to the point where we can vastly reduce our troops and get the hell out of Afghanistan.
Am I wishing for too much???

[catnipdipper]

KCBP I assume that you are in awe of the suggestion?

In my opinion we do not have prison walls thick enough or high enough or strong enough to make me feel safe from these dudes that I have seen.
I would rather let the Taliban deal with them than the taxpayer.

[john_galt]

What happens if they decide that they like the Taliban and the Taliban decides that our criminals would be good operatives?

[dirty dog]

Originally Posted by wellendowed1911

DD tell me if this suggestion is too simplistic are far fetched:
1) Since 2005 under the Bush Administration and I even heard Obama say the same thing- that we must train and equip the Afghan army to fight their own battles-ok what is taking so freaking long? Why don't we just arm the afghan army with enough strength- give them good quality weapons- a few hundred helicopters- and I am not talking about any advanced Apache copters- train and rebuild their Air Force because in 2001 when we invaded they had no air force and today they still have no air frce and just let them be strong enough to protect their country. Now if we can take an 18 year old young man who never fired a gun in his life right out of High School and 2 years later turn him into a highly skilld killing machine there's no reason why since 2001 we have been unable to arm and equip the Afghan govt to the point where we can vastly reduce our troops and get the hell out of Afghanistan.
Am I wishing for too much???

Its not nearly as simple in Afghanistan as it is in the US. Here you have motivated individuals who want to be in the military, its always easier to train someone who wants to be trained. This is why our military is a stronger better fighting force without the draft than with it. The society in Afghanistan is tribel. It is proving to be difficult to get men of different tribes to work together leaving old tribel bickering behind them. It would probably be the same thing as putting me and LM in the same unit. One of us I am sure would fall to friendly fire, the same thing is occuring here. In addition, they have never had a real central government and swearing allegence to a central government vs. the local tribel leader is new and difficult for them, without this allegence it is easier for individual Afghan soldiers to be bribed, corrupted and in some cases used to advance the insurrgent cause. Then finally you have what might be the most difficult thing to overcome, in some cases the Security force member may have to combat members of his own family who may be fighting for the insurrgents. I am sure you might find it difficult to do as your suppose to if the person you are shooting at is family. It would be very similar I suppose to the conflict many had to deal with in the civil war in this country. These are serious societal issues that have to be overcome. This is very different than in Iraq which has had a strong central government for many years. This is a complex issue which requires a lot of time and discussion. As easy as it might seem to compare Iraq and Afghanistan the truth is they are very very different issues.

[dirty dog]

Originally Posted by kcbigpapa

Papa you are truly a master wordsmith, your ability to accurately convey your thoughts in such a concise manner is something legends are made us.

[dirty dog]

Originally Posted by john_galt

What happens if they decide that they like the Taliban and the Taliban decides that our criminals would be good operatives?

I had the same thought, its been my experience that loyalty is not high on their list.

[catnipdipper]

JG and DD....are you just being negative or do you REALLY think that the Taliban is capable of turning the prisoners to their side?

You just like to hear yourself say no to things, give backhanded insults and then run to mommy claiming the bullies are after you and you did not start it.

[catnipdipper]

Did the Germans turn the Dirty Dozen to their side?

We would have the dirty thousands on their own side for survival.

If most conservatives want to deport 12,000,000 illegals and believe the logistics are there to fly them home then surely they are there to air drop some bad guys and clean up the prison mess.

[BiggestBest]

Originally Posted by catnipdipper

Did the Germans turn the Dirty Dozen to their side?

Do you really believe that the Dirty Dozen is representative of the worst guys in our current prison system?

Rent the movie "Just Cause". The character played by Ed Harris is closer to what you're suggesting we put into the hands of the Taliban. Guys with a grudge against the US for putting them in prison in the first place.

[catnipdipper]

BB I know the suggestion is very out there.

We fear the Taliban and Al Quaida and they do not fear us. They are crazy and fearless and willing to do anything to defeat us.

Who would ever have thought about hijacking airplanes and flying them into buildings, shoe bombers and the like.

Except for drones we do not think as creatively and are bound by terms of war.

We need to be more creative militarily and hang some ideas out there like buying the poppy crop, using otherwise wasted and costly human resources or what ever.

We need creativity and innovation and/ors thousands more drones. Clinton did bomb Serbia to submission and we did not lose one troop in that conflict managed by Wes Clark.

Support the Taliban and you get bombed.

Sorry about that.

[kcbigpapa]

Originally Posted by catnipdipper

KCBP I assume that you are in awe of the suggestion?

I don't think "awe" is the best word to convey what I was trying to get across.

Originally Posted by catnipdipper

In my opinion we do not have prison walls thick enough or high enough or strong enough to make me feel safe from these dudes that I have seen.

"Is there a big problem with prison escapes where you live?" he asks sarcastically already knowing the answer.

Why would the prisoners fight the Taliban? What incentive do they get? Do they get pardoned when they get back or do they go right back to prison? Release from prison would be the only way this would ever occur, but you said these people make you feel unsafe, so we would be potentially releasing them from prison if they survived battle. Do we get rid of the soldiers we have now since they won't be needed anymore? What is to stop the prisoners from siding with the Taliban to farm more opium? Many crimes are related to financial desires and the prisoners would have a great chance of making lots of money off of heroin. Do we have a ranking system for the prisoners? You know, would lifers be equivalent to four-star generals? Would jaywalkers (repeat offender jaywalkers, the kind that deserve jail time) be equivalent to a private first class? Would child molesters clean the latrines? Last but not least, do you have any idea of what the purpose of the US prison system? Contrary to popular belief, prison is not meant to punish criminals, but it is to be used as a means of removing the offenders from the general population. The optimal result is to rehabilitate the offender so that when/if released from prison, the person would be a constructive member of society and not a repeat offender.

[dirty dog]

Its been my experience that criminals are influenced by money, the middle east is loaded with money, most of the terror activities we see are supported by rich Saudies. I would imagine a lot of these guys who scare you, would be happy to scare you some more if they had a million dollars in their pocket.

[kcbigpapa]

Catnip, the problem with trying to buy the poppy crop is that if the farmers try to sell their crop to the US the Taliban/Al-Quaida will kill them. We cannot compete with that. The farmers will turn down the money in order to save their lives. The Taliban desperately needs this crop as a source of revenue for weapons/arms to fight our soldiers.

[Omahan]

Originally Posted by catnipdipper

JG and DD....are you just being negative or do you REALLY think that the Taliban is capable of turning the prisoners to their side?

This is more or less an argument of the facts.

Originally Posted by catnipdipper

You just like to hear yourself say no to things, give backhanded insults and then run to mommy claiming the bullies are after you and you did not start it.

This is a personal attack. You need to learn the difference and you are almost out of chances to do so.