Rivergang

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Posts by Rivergang

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  112

  Afghanistan-Kabul falls to Taliban - U.S. Embassy staff evacuated by helicopter

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in a scene reminiscent of the fall of saigon, the usa embassy staff have been evacuated by helicopter.. for a third time in asia ( a fourth, if you count usa supported chiang kai shek's defeat in mainland china) usa supported forces have been defeated.

  more than 1 trillion dollars wasted and a huge deathtoll (both sides) afghanistan is back to where it started,.

  will the taliban behave differently this time ?

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  Rivergang

  Anon,

  With all due respect, you do need to check your history, starting with Pol Pot. He was nothing to do with Vietnam; he was the leader of the communist faction (known as the "Khmer Rouge") in a neighbouring country, Cambodia. Early in 1975, the Khmer Rouge completed their overthrow of the pro-Western government of Marshal Lon Nol, when they captured the capital city, Phnom Penh.

  Secondly, it was Richard Nixon who pulled US combat troops out of Vietnam. (Although, it must be said, after the Tet Offensive of February 1968, nobody had any further thoughts about winning the war - only about how America could best extricate itself from the debacle).

  Nixon and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, coined the term "Vietnamisation" of the war, in which - similar to Afghanistan - the local military were to progressively take over the fight. I can remember it like it was yesterday when the first US troop withdrawals took place during the latter part of 1969, and all the fanfare that was made of that event.

  1969 was the first year of Nixon's presidency - and it was he that initiated the withdrawal of US combat troops, not LBJ.
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  34

  “Well at least he doesn’t make mean tweets”

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i asked a tennis friend this morning what he thought about what’s going on in afghanistan and he said it was terrible.

  he was a military man and identifies as a middle of the road republican.

  he supported most of trump’s policies but voted for biden because he couldn’t take trump’s mean tweets.

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  Rivergang

  Rocketman123,

  Yet another example of a US-backed military force, superbly equipped, but lacking the will to fight.
• 
  112

  Afghanistan-Kabul falls to Taliban - U.S. Embassy staff evacuated by helicopter

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in a scene reminiscent of the fall of saigon, the usa embassy staff have been evacuated by helicopter.. for a third time in asia ( a fourth, if you count usa supported chiang kai shek's defeat in mainland china) usa supported forces have been defeated.

  more than 1 trillion dollars wasted and a huge deathtoll (both sides) afghanistan is back to where it started,.

  will the taliban behave differently this time ?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  Rocketman123,

  Another case of a US-backed military force, superbly equipped - BUT without the will to fight.
• 
  112

  Afghanistan-Kabul falls to Taliban - U.S. Embassy staff evacuated by helicopter

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in a scene reminiscent of the fall of saigon, the usa embassy staff have been evacuated by helicopter.. for a third time in asia ( a fourth, if you count usa supported chiang kai shek's defeat in mainland china) usa supported forces have been defeated.

  more than 1 trillion dollars wasted and a huge deathtoll (both sides) afghanistan is back to where it started,.

  will the taliban behave differently this time ?

  1. 
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• 

  Rivergang

  but the Japanese showed how soft your people are

  I am intrigued, here!

  Who exactly are you referring to when you say "your people"?

  
  
• 
  112

  Afghanistan-Kabul falls to Taliban - U.S. Embassy staff evacuated by helicopter

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in a scene reminiscent of the fall of saigon, the usa embassy staff have been evacuated by helicopter.. for a third time in asia ( a fourth, if you count usa supported chiang kai shek's defeat in mainland china) usa supported forces have been defeated.

  more than 1 trillion dollars wasted and a huge deathtoll (both sides) afghanistan is back to where it started,.

  will the taliban behave differently this time ?

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• 

  Rivergang

  South Vietnam revisited!

  FTS, in three of those cases you mention (i.e. Afghanistan, South Vietnam and China), US-backed forces were certainly given the capability to resist. What they lost - or perhaps never had in the first place - was the will to fight.

  To quote the observations of a recognised military genius, Napoleon Bonaparte:

  "In war, moral power is to the physical as three parts out of four."

  The real challenge, it would seem, is not in throwing money, materiel and manpower at the problem - it is in somehow inspiring people to fight; a much more subtle challenge.
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  34

  “Well at least he doesn’t make mean tweets”

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i asked a tennis friend this morning what he thought about what’s going on in afghanistan and he said it was terrible.

  he was a military man and identifies as a middle of the road republican.

  he supported most of trump’s policies but voted for biden because he couldn’t take trump’s mean tweets.

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  Rivergang

  no one has a good record involving themselves in Afgan business, period!!!

  When that involvement takes the form of a military "solution", this is all too true!

  During their time in India, the British certainly learned that the hard way.

  Even after a rare bit of military success in the Second Afghan War - achieved when Lord Roberts force-marched a 9,000 man relief column from Kabul to lift the siege of Kandahar and to then subsequently rout a rebel army - they soon completely withdrew. Thereafter, Britain used more subtle means to advance its interests in Afghanistan.

  For a detailed account of these matters, the following link provides an informative read.
  

  LORD ROBERTS AND THE MARCH FROM KABUL TO KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN, 1879–80 | Weapons and Warfare
  
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  13

  ''Deliverance at Hand''. Now 15 years on &....

  by Beth Sarim in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ....and still no big 'a'.

  armageddon.. it was 15 years ago dubland was in lala dream-like almost trance-like state hanging on the notion the big 'a' was imminent.. it was ironic.

  ironic at that time was when.... i was starting my long waking-up process.

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  Rivergang

  Dubs everywhere were more than convinced it was the last ''convention ever'', ''dont even bother making plans'' or vacations for the next year or so.

  They said exactly the same about their "Peace on Earth" international assemblies in 1969!

  
  
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  34

  “Well at least he doesn’t make mean tweets”

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i asked a tennis friend this morning what he thought about what’s going on in afghanistan and he said it was terrible.

  he was a military man and identifies as a middle of the road republican.

  he supported most of trump’s policies but voted for biden because he couldn’t take trump’s mean tweets.

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  2. 
  3. 
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  Rivergang

  Just the geography alone of Afghanistan works heavily against any invader.

  For example, Alexander the Great lost more of his army in just crossing that country from south to north, than he ever lost in any single battle that he fought. By the time his Greco-Macedonian army had marched through the Hindu Kush mountains then crossed the desert areas to the north of those, it was in a very sorry state. This was further exacerbated when even more of his thirst-stricken men died after gorging themselves on water, once they had reached the Oxus River, on Afghanistan's northern border.

  As Winston Churchill once observed "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it".
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  36

  Overweight Jehovah’s Witnesses

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what was your kingdom hall like when it came to overweight witnesses?

  i remember counseling some people on their drinking habits.

  a few snickered that if we were going to counsel them because they have had way too many at a wedding reception, what about very overweight witnesses that have a lifestyle of overindulgence?

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  Rivergang

  During my time with the JWs (1969-1994), obesity amongst them was not that common. Furthermore, the few that did have an issue with their weight tended to be those that had thyroid or similar problems.

  In the years since then, the only contact I have had with the Witnesses is when they have called at my door, or when I have seen them manning the Apathy Cart. On neither occasion have any stood out as noticeably overweight.
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  20

  Did You Think The Majority of Elders Were “Qualified “?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in my opinion, in a body of elders let’s say with 7 elders , 2 or 3 were pretty much on the ball.

  they were reasonable, intelligent and moderate.

  the others were either extremely extreme about everything or very liberal.. did you have qualified older men or were they all lousy to you?

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  Rivergang

  In this part of the world, at least, more than a few were even certified Pest Control Technicians!