American "rescue boots on the ground", to shepherd dying innocents from the face of a mountain...

[Fred Sanders]

Last edited Tue Aug 12, 2014, 01:32 PM - Edit history (3)

a vast arid treeless desert mountain, in hellish heat, those are the kind of American boots on the ground I can support....and it would end the "boots on the ground" propaganda phrase synonymous with war and death and destruction and futile imperialism forever.

There are Biblical overtones that may even give Republicans pause, maybe a sign of the End Times, so let Obama do it, they may blubber.

Call war what it is, not some bastardized political phrase meaning nothing and confusing everything.

"Boots on the ground" can also mean "help is on the way", American style. It is a very fungible phrase, which is why politicians and the weaponized media love it so.

This really is a golden opportunity to mount the greatest rescue by air in history.


..............................

American non-naval assets permanent current military deployment


Country Total Army Navy USMC USAF Reference

Afghanistan 30,700
Iraq 750

Africa and the Middle EastEdit

Country Total Army Navy USMC USAF Reference

Kuwait 13,021 10,768 291 140 1,822
Bahrain 3,227 19 3,023 153 32
Qatar 592 339 5 0 248
Saudi Arabia 332 208 27 0 97
United Arab Emirates 313 26 16 187 84
Egypt 267 215 21 1 30
South Africa 215 3 1 208 3


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_deployments#Africa_and_the_Middle_East

So when there is a real war to fight America is strong like lion, but when there is a humanitarian war to fight, America is weak like kitten?

[antiquie]

1. There are closer boots than ours. ~ nt

[Fred Sanders]

2. And closer terrorist bent on stopping it. Have you see the video from the Kurdish news agency

showing the drop of private relief aid, how they were fired at by ISIL?

The rescue mission needs security, clear enough, and the helicopters have to land for a few minutes, the crowd needs control, that is the only reason for a brief armed presence, not to be confused with the fungible phrase.

Unless that is the intent , that is what fungible phrases are for.

[antiquie]

6. Too bad no one will help except U.S.

Yet any mission to evacuate the remaining Yazidis from the mountain is likely to be perilous, and could test Mr Obama's pledge to limit US involvement in Iraq's latest chaos.

"That's going to be a very big operation," said Ken Pollack, former CIA and White House expert on the region. "They can't stay on the mountain. They have to leave."

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2014-08-11/iraq-crisis-us-explores-options-on-how-to-rescue-desperate-yazidis-from-scorching-mountainside-malik/1355424

emphasis is mine

[Fred Sanders]

7. A coalition of the willing to do humanitarian work is indeed a good thing to attempt.

[antiquie]

8. Because altruism is always the U.S. motivation ~ nt

[bigtree]

9. altruism

Countries that intervene militarily rarely do so out of pure altruism. -

Samantha Power (U.S. Ambassador to the UN)

[bigtree]

3. did you happen to notice how intractable the insurgent group is proving to be?

. . . is there something I'm missing here?

Is there some strategy announced? Is there some announced escalation, or is this just a preference of yours?

I think U.S. boots on the ground augers a wider war.

I remember a full occupation of Iraq and bodies still flowing down the river so frequently that families would line the banks looking for dead kin floating by.

[Fred Sanders]

4. Judging from the geography in and around Mount Sinjar you could spot a terrorist 30 miles away.

Using only your own eyesight.

I doubt ISIS has any ability to intervene in a rescue...and why would they?

My point is that these boots are made for rescuing.

[bigtree]

5. Is there a reason you can see why 'boots' aren't still there?

Any reason you know of why Pres. Obama has rejected that option? I can provide some reasons for you.

. . . the British foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, said on Monday. “This is not simple — getting it in is very challenging, getting people off that mountain is even more challenging.”

That open territory is a risk for troops, as well as the civilians.

U.N. spokesman Kieran Dwyer . . . says the large mountain where the people have taken refuge is about 60 miles long and 6 miles at its widest point.

[newblewtoo]

10. I think I've seen this movie and

heard the songs

It never ends.

As someone once said, "Just say NO!

[Calista241]

11. No one else is able to help

Deploying troops a thousand miles from home is incredibly difficult. You can't just fly them and drop them off. They have to be supported, and that's time consuming, expensive, and resource intensive.

A plane load of ammunition can be expended in a half hour of even light fighting. Keeping the troops equipped and effective is a major, major undertaking.

No European military could deploy troops there, with the possible exception of Turkey, without major US logistical support.

[Fred Sanders]

12. A purely rescue mission on one isolated mountain too much for the American military, maybe less

than 15,000 friendly folks?

Maybe you are right, they could be that weak, not like they have half a dozen military bases in the area and a bunch of airfields and naval vessels and planes and such. Not like the American military knows the area because they have been there before.

[bigtree]

13. that sounds reasonable and likely

. . . although, a few allies are working on it.

According to statements released by the White House, leaders of both Britain and France have agreed to join the United States in providing help to the refugees, and that on Saturday Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to develop options to secure the civilians' safety.

The White House also said Obama and French President Francois Hollande agreed on the need for an "urgent, coordinated international response to the humanitarian disaster." The two leaders said they would work together on a longer term strategy to counter the Islamic State group.

[Fred Sanders]

14. As I said, "blessed are the peacemakers"....may not be an original line.

[Calista241]

15. So basically they said:

"If the US does the vast majority or the work, we'll assign a couple of our guys to go along. Especially if they can mooch off your stuff."