Some things to think about

In Canton, Ohio, twenty miles south of where I'm sitting, the fire department has put in a request for bullet-proof vests. In Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton they already are standard equipment for paramedics.
Says something about our society, doesn't it?
There was a time when the arrival of firefighters or an EMS ambulance was greeted with sighs of relief and gratitude. Today in certain places the sighs have been replaced by gunshots. Contrary to what some people believe, it has nothing to do with race. White neighborhoods, black neighborhoods, Hispanic neighborhoods, it can happen anywhere.
Close to home, a major league outfielder could throw a baseball from Goodyear's world headquarters to the neighborhood where I spent my formative years. It's a white neighborhood, a place where today it would be unwise to walk alone down one of its streets. Things have changed, it's not 1939 any more. That's unfortunate.
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Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, Britain's highest ranking officer in Afghanistan, says the war there cannot be won. To end the mess, he says, a deal may have to be struck with the Taliban. That group of insurgents, according to Carleton-Smith, will still be there after all foreign troops have left.
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Having carried a rifle in some of the biggest infantry battles in history and survived, I don't like the things I see in film of actual combat today. There was a new film this week raising the issue of so-called "friendly fire," a misnomer if ever there was one. The striking thing to me is the level of talking and yelling. Platoon sergeants, squad leaders or an officer, if one is present, should be the only ones sounding off unless a private is calling attention to a new threat. Close combat should not include a gabfest. When it does, the chance of survival diminishes. It is to be hoped that what is shown on TV news exaggerates reality.

Thanks for your insight Dick.
Thinking that we can win wars with weapons is a thing of the past. Yes, we can win a battle but that is not winning a war. The war in Iraq was lost the moment it started.
My question on a different thread was: What exactly are we trying to win? Does anyone know?

Don,
I'm currently doing some background work on my new novel. I posed some questions to an Iraqi who fled with his family to Jordan after the invasion.
Here's what he had to say: (paraphrazed)

. < Before the invasion life was peaceful. It was not always easy with the sanctions imposed from the Gulf War, but all the needs of life were available. As long as one did not get involved in politics or criticize the regime, there was no cause to worry.

The young people sought a future free of war. They were fed up with the insecurity caused by war and many sought to emigrate to Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA or to seek good jobs and a higher education in the Arabian Gulf countries.

Attending the university was affected by the consequences of war. students tried to get better grade marks but bribes were often needed to get them. They had freedom in every way except for talking against the regime.

Muslims and Christians lived side by side in peace. There were no differences. Christians had the freedom to build churches without fear of persecution. (After the fall of Saddam Hussein there was no more respect and dignity for Christians.)

Saddam ruled with an iron hand. Although there was no freedom to express feelings contrary to the regime, there was peace. After the American invasion, many people expressed hate towards Saddam because it created a dark and unknown future.

The present regime is worse than with Saddam Hussein. People feel insecure. More than four million people left Iraq fighting for their identity. The Iraqi people now face an uncertain future, especially for Christians.
Within five years since the fall of the Saddam regime, the number of
Christians has been reduced by one third. It is anticipated that within 7 – 10 years Christians will disappear from Iraq completely. The invasion is
creating a purely Islamic state.>