In WTF news:

Quote"Corporal Tomos Stringer, 24, [was] told by hotel staff that it was company policy not to accept members of the Armed Forces as guests" forcing him to spend the night in his car.[TimeOnline]

Glad to see the hotel getting barraged by protest. The last little bit was nice too:

Quote"In America, they treat soldiers as heroes. We went to Disney World with Tomos and the whole family was moved to the front of the lines. Everybody was standing up and clapping and cheering. Here, soldiers can't even get a bed for the night."

In America they treat soldiers as heroes?  Maybe the people do, but the government sure as hell doesn't.

Quote from: walkerp;244305In America they treat soldiers as heroes?  Maybe the people do, but the government sure as hell doesn't.

Don't you know?  "Support the troops" only extends as far as flag pins and saying nice things about them, not as far as actually supporting them in any substantial way, like not cutting off their benefits arbitrarily or giving them proper equipment or not poisoning them at the chow line.  Or you know, not sending them to die in pointless wars in the first place.

It's the American way.  Lip service uber alles.

Yep.  Put a yellow sticker on your car.  That's all it takes.

But let's not worry about the massive contracts given to Cheney's companies to "manage" the infrastructure on the ground in Iraq and screw the soldiers at home and in the warzone.

Hyperbole for the win… or not. You’ll have to excuse me while I ignore those complaining about “not enough equipment for the troops” when they are the ones who vote to slash military budgets in peacetime. It probably would be useless to point out that VA budgets have increased each year under Bush. Probably does matter to point out that it has increased more under Bush, percentage wise, than under Clinton. But hey, every partisan needs their talking points I guess.

I think the way  american troops are treated is a perfect example of the corporate american mentality that has ran the white house since january 2001: Workers are resources to be exploited and used without regard for their concerns until they are no longer useful to the corporation, then discarded.

American soldiers who've served their terms of enlistment are 'stoplossed" and sent back over and over again, they are not given the equipment they needed as it's expensive and people's lives are cheap, and when they get disabled are are no longer useful resources they are simply dumped like broken equipment.

Welcome to corporate america. Dick Cheney, CEO.

BTW, a major threat to US vehicles and personnel are cheap shaped charge warheads. The Israelis have a working defense against them that they would let the US copy that could save some lives in iraq and afghanistan. The pentagon won't touch it because an american corporation has the contract to make it, and won't have theirs ready till 2010. So to keep profits going to a US corporation american soldiers are left without a working defense against shaped charge warheads.

Quote from: Demonoid;244350American soldiers who've served their terms of enlistment are 'stoplossed" and sent back over and over again, they are not given the equipment they needed as it's expensive and people's lives are cheap, and when they get disabled are are no longer useful resources they are simply dumped like broken equipment.

Actually, soldiers are more expensive.

Not a fan of WIki but it is a place to start and jives with what I have heard.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_cost_of_training_a_soldier_in_the_military

Bill

This thread's OP is a troll event.

 I saw the news article about this story at the DRUDGE REPORT abd thought better of posting it at any gaming forum. The only reason to start athread about it is to start an argument.

Yes that hotel clerk acted  a little crappy and there was a backlash (like there should be). Everuthing else talked about isn't really relevent.


- Ed C.

Quote from: Demonoid;244350BTW, a major threat to US vehicles and personnel are cheap shaped charge warheads. The Israelis have a working defense against them that they would let the US copy that could save some lives in iraq and afghanistan. The pentagon won't touch it because an american corporation has the contract to make it, and won't have theirs ready till 2010. So to keep profits going to a US corporation american soldiers are left without a working defense against shaped charge warheads.

Which system is this? 25% of Israel's casualties in the '06 Lebanon war were do to missile attacks on their armor.

Quote"Hizballah also employed the RPG 29, the AT-4 Spigot, the AT-5Spandrel, and the AT-13 METIS-M systems. In all, around 40 tanks were damaged in the course of the war, resulting in the deaths of 30 tank crewmen--25 percent of the IDF's entire combat losses in the war"

If such a system can not protect tanks, you think it's going to protect Hummers and deuces?

Quote from: CavScout;244371Which system is this? 25% of Israel's casualties in the '06 Lebanon war were do to missile attacks on their armor.


If such a system can not protect tanks, you think it's going to protect Hummers and deuces?

Uh, ever stop to think that without that intercept system the casualties would have been HIGHER?

Ever stop to think, period.

Quote from: Koltar;244364This thread's OP is a troll event.

 I saw the news article about this story at the DRUDGE REPORT abd thought better of posting it at any gaming forum. The only reason to start athread about it is to start an argument.

Yes that hotel clerk acted  a little crappy and there was a backlash (like there should be). Everuthing else talked about isn't really relevent.


- Ed C.

Oh fuck off you fat toad. Cosksuckers like you just call everything that you don't agree with "Trolling" and "flamebait". You're as bad as the assholes who call everyone who disagrees with them "nazis".

Christ just looking at your avatar makes me want to spit right in that fat, pompous face. Your posts are even worse.

Wow, I think Ed's kind of ugly but I have a hard time mustering that kind of bile for someone on the intarwebs.

Quote from: Demonoid;244474Uh, ever stop to think that without that intercept system the casualties would have been HIGHER?

Ever stop to think, period.

Ever think it's not as effective as you tried to claim?

PS: Who else uses those phrases when confronted with facts? :hmm:

Quote from: Demonoid;244479Oh fuck off you fat toad. Cosksuckers like you just call everything that you don't agree with "Trolling" and "flamebait". You're as bad as the assholes who call everyone who disagrees with them "nazis".

Christ just looking at your avatar makes me want to spit right in that fat, pompous face. Your posts are even worse.

For such a new guy, you sure have some built up animosity towards Koltar.

Quote from: Koltar;244364This thread's OP is a troll event.

For once, we agree.

The mistake was obviously caused by the hotel clerk confusing the fellow trying to check in with drunk soldiers from a nearby base. While foolish, this is hardly representative of anything and is simply a misunderstanding blown out of proportion which everyone has decided to use to beat their political opponents over the head.