Patterico's Pontifications

11/17/2006

Readers: Do You Know Anyone Fighting in Ramadi?

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 8:51 pm



Or do you know anyone who knows anyone who is fighting in Ramadi?

I’m going for the six degrees of separation thing here.

I can’t tell you why right now. But I need to talk to someone who is fighting there. It could be very important.

Please e-mail me if you can help. E-mail address is: my moniker (Patterico) followed by the AT symbol (@), followed by gmail.com.

31 Responses to “Readers: Do You Know Anyone Fighting in Ramadi?”

  1. Oh boy. This ought to be good.

    I was looking at the pictures on some of those seized documents in Arabic that the government posted and get this – I THINK I KNOW WHERE THE RUSSIAN COMMANDOS HID THE WMD in the days just prior to the invasion!!!!!1111 I’ll trade this lead with anyone fighting in Ramadi at the moment in exchange for hooking me up with an Iraqi penpal – single women preferred. Here’s a hint about the WMD: It’s in the Euphrates river. No cheating!!! Love, Patterico.

    The Liberal Avenger (c93dac)

  2. Hey, it’s the Liberal “Avenger” again. Nice cape & superhero tights you have there. But is that unbuttoned flap over the ass DC Comics standard?

    Cordially…

    Rick (785992)

  3. #1, you have no idea how silly you could end up looking ….

    Tom Blumer (9a8c25)

  4. My nephew saw action in Tal Afar last year with the 3rd ACR; he is back in the US, but likely to know folks in Ramadi (that would be 4 degrees of separation from Patterico). I would have to ask, though.

    AMac (67ba50)

  5. many soldiers in iraq also have blogs. i’m sure they’d be happy to talk to you. all you bloggers seem to talk to each other frequently anyway.

    assistant devil's advocate (cec1b7)

  6. It could be very important.

    Delusions of grandeur much?

    It’s a blog, Sparky.

    Dave (c65bfa)

  7. @1

    My nephew is in the marines and is fighthing there right now in Ramadi.

    Darren (2e9314)

  8. Tell him to keep away from the Euphrates, Darren! It could be DANGEROUS!

    The Liberal Avenger (c93dac)

  9. I don’t understand that comment, but let’s show some respect to the people fighting in Iraq. If you can’t do that, you won’t be commenting on this site.

    Dave/Sparky,

    It also could be nothing. Hence the word “could.” Since you know nothing about it, your sarcasm is unfounded. But thanks for playing.

    Patterico (de0616)

  10. I was there last year from 08/05 to 03/06 and I came back this August. I did have a blog but my command found out about it last Nov and had me turn it off. Ar Ramadi is something else.

    jason (425150)

  11. Would someone unhappy with Bush and the war qualify?

    Stashiu can nose around.

    steve (eb3c75)

  12. As long as they’re honest, I don’t care whether they support Bush and the war or not.

    I’m looking for people who are there. That’s all. You know someone?

    Or are you just making a snarky comment?

    Patterico (de0616)

  13. Lots of readers know people in the services in theater. I’m trying to imagine approaching a 26-year-old 1LT without being allowed to disclose the nature of the project and whether they should anticipate follow-up Q&A on policy, politics and media. Share some vision. You want street justice and rules of engagement, Iraqi force unit cohesion, morale, troop rotation, big-picture regional stability – what? Do they need to believe in the righteousness of this?

    steve (0ee16d)

  14. I get the sense you’re fishing for info rather than looking to help.

    Patterico (de0616)

  15. I have a few questions. They can hear the questions before deciding whether to answer.

    Patterico (de0616)

  16. And no, they don’t have to support the mission.

    Patterico (de0616)

  17. My Marine nephew supports the mission; but he is not pleased with the lack of troops in Ramadi. He says they need at least two more battalions.

    I’m not happy with Bush or the generals for I agree with the mission; however, I don’t like tit for tat Vietnam type warfare. I believe in using overwhelming force with a willingness to wage war ruthlessly. You don’t kiss the enemy; you annihilate them and you don’t apologize.

    There was no apology when the allies killed tens of thousands of German and Japanese men, women, and children civilians when Dresden and Tokyo were firebombed.

    As far as I’m concerned in war there are no “innocent” civilians. I would rather see a million of the enemy die, including their civilians, than see one American die and I would not deem it acceptable to allow American sons and daughters to die as acceptable losses to prevent civilian deaths.

    War is hell and it should always be so.

    Darren (2e9314)

  18. My son is in Ramadi,(a Sgt. in the Army) you can email me and i can forward your info to him, let me know what you would like to ask him and i’ll tell him

    Marguerite (240b8e)

  19. As far as I’m concerned in war there are no “innocent” civilians. I would rather see a million of the enemy die, including their civilians, than see one American die and I would not deem it acceptable to allow American sons and daughters to die as acceptable losses to prevent civilian deaths.

    Is this Darren L.? If so I think I know you from bible study class. Did you get that book you were working on about the teachings of Christ published yet?

    The Liberal Avenger (c93dac)

  20. Dear The Liberal Avenger:

    No I’m not that Darren. I live in Florida.

    I noticed you quoted me. I guess that is something that “Darren” would say as well, since you thought we were one and the same.

    See “Great Darrens” do think alike! 🙂

    Darren (2e9314)

  21. I would rather see a million of the enemy die, including their civilians, than see one American die

    Oh. So we can just pull out of Iraq then. Ok.

    actus (10527e)

  22. Liberal Avenger…….read Luke 22:35-38

    It’s one of “the teachings of Christ”. I’d love to get your take on it

    senorlechero (360f45)

  23. senorlechero,

    As I understand it, it’s a test. Those of his disciples who understood the spiritual nature of Jesus’ kingdom would understand that Jesus was speaking of arming oneself against spiritual attacks, those like the disciples who brought him the swords got the brush-off, as in 22:38b. “That is enough.” Is two swords enough for any earthly battle? No. Jesus is dismissing them, ending the conversation.

    As Calvin says, “It was truly shameful and stupid ignorance, that the disciples, after having been so often informed about bearing the cross, imagine that they must fight with swords of iron.”

    Auguste (8492e8)

  24. (Btw, fair dinkum, all that wasn’t right off the top of my head – I refreshed myself by browsing a commentary or two. The Calvin quote, especially, I didn’t exactly have at hand. Obviously.)

    Auguste (8492e8)

  25. I am posting the below in reference to posts 22 & 23 from something I had written and posted elsewhere. I think it is related to the “topic” of post 22.

    When looking through Psalms, I see that the Throne of God is not only girded with love but justice as well. I think oftentimes we forget the justice part and only focus on half of the equation. For example, it would not be LOVE to sit back and watch an evil man oppress the weak without taking action. It would not be wrong for me to kill an evil man to prevent him from killing another, i.e. like a family member or a complete stranger. Self-defense and/or defense of another is not un-Christian.

    PS 82:1 God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. 2 How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. 3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

    We are instructed to rescue the weak and needy and deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. Sometimes, regretfully, that takes force.

    Psalms 106:3 How blessed are those who keep justice, Who practice righteousness at all times!

    Proverbs 21:15 The execution of justice is joy for the righteous, But is terror to the workers of iniquity.

    Sometimes one must EXECUTE justice.

    Now I do agree that it is BEST for our rulers to do the rescuing and execute justice for that is their mandate, but sometimes in life we are placed in the position of either doing so or not doing so.

    I would rather be found doing so. I hope I’ve not misunderstood where you are coming from, but perhaps this will help you to see where I am coming from.

    Islam is evil. I can LOVE the person; yet still hate the evil they follow and as long as men, who are lovers of evil, live on, then a person who believes in love and justice can’t sit idly by. Sometimes it may even require the taking up of arms and waging war.

    Darren (2e9314)

  26. Darren, you have the framework of an excellent point with the conclusions of a raving, megalomaniacal lunatic.

    Your last paragraph, with the word “Christianity”, “Judaism”, or “The West” would not be out of place in a Wahabbi Madrassah.

    As there is no arguing with Islamic religious extremists, so, I see, will there be no arguing with you.

    Auguste (8492e8)

  27. And I will clarify further, before my angry but serious answers are too badly misinterpreted:

    My response is not that evil does not exist, nor that evil must never be resisted; my response is that he who appoints himself arbiter of what is “evil” and what is “good”, what is “justice” and what is “love”, interspersed with calls for unlimited civilian deaths and the elimination of a billion people, shows himself arrogant at best.

    Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them…never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

    Auguste (8492e8)

  28. Dear Auguste:

    First of all you stated: “interspersed with calls for unlimited civilian deaths and the elimination of a billion people”.

    That is taken out of context and twisted from a prior post for your own biased interpretation. All I said there is that when in war I prefer the enemy die instead of my countrymen and I can get melodramatic to make my point! One can themselves read what I said without your rose colored glasses interpretation.

    Cicero stated: “The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil.”

    You admitted evil exist; yet foolishly demand and expect that no one is qualified to quantify it and/or define it for when they do you accuse them of being a self-appointed judge. Who is to judge? You? To discern what is evil do we do it by committee? Evil is a lot like obscenity. You know it when you see it.

    Offended that I “judged” Islam? Well I didn’t do it in a vacuum. I have read the Quran from front to back so no one can accuse me of “taking something out of context” and I have read some of the Hadith. It is evil. It calls for the wholesale murder of Christians, Jews, and infidels. I do not support the wholesale killing of non-violent Muslims. However, I would prefer they were all deported from the West for their religious and political ideology, i.e. called Islam, is incompatible with Western civilization.

    I didn’t need a committee of 12 to tell me that Hitler was evil or that Mein Kampf was evil. No one, but perhaps you, would call me a “raving, megalomaniacal lunatic” if I called Hitler and his followers evil which must be confronted and war waged against them.

    I guess you would just accuse me of being a self appointed arbiter of “what is “evil” and what is “good”, what is “justice” and what is “love”.

    Pure idiocy.

    Auguste you operate under this delusion that all cultures and/or all “religions” are equally good. It is quite obvious you have never read Islamic writings to have taken such offense to my calling a spade a spade.

    Islam is evil and your sentimentalist diatribe won’t change that fact. As to argument, one can’t argue with a fool either.

    Edmund Burke stated that: “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.”

    I bet you are one of those “do nothing” guys.

    Darren (2e9314)

  29. Auguste

    Liberal theologians ALWAYS spiritualize the teachings of Jesus. Calvin (not a liberal by todays standards) made this mistake in many of his teachings, constantly spiritualizing promises God made to Israel/Judah into the current state of Christianity.

    The simpler, more coherant interpretations are those that take God at His word. When He spoke to Israel about the future of Israel He did not mean the “Church”

    Nothing in the Luke 22 passage indicates the need to spiritualize it. Jesus asked them if their needs when had been met when He sent them out. They said “Yes”. He goes on to tell them that He will not be around much longer and they better be prepared for what is coming.

    Using the spiritualized interpretation you do, what did Jesus mean when He told them to “Take your purse…..take your money….”?

    That Peter was one who “took a sword” sort of throws off the idea that disciples who did so were “brushed off”? When Peter tried to defend Jesus he was told to “put up your sword, for he who lives by the sword shall also die by the sword”. Peter did in fact die by the sword, or so legend has it. But Jesus did NOT say that trying to defend Him was wrong.

    The bible needs to be interpreted in the way it was intended, and only spiritualized when that was the intent.

    senorlechero (6da437)

  30. Jesus didn’t say that trying to defend him was wrong? I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what he said – if Peter had succeeded in rescuing Jesus, where’s the resurrection story today? Hint: Nowhere. The Messiah was supposed to deliver Israel, and Jesus did that – not by force but by redemption.

    I don’t see how you can possibly unspiritualize the bible. But I see why you NEED to, because without it your worldview and your religion would create some sort of positive-negative singularity and become nihilism. Oh! Too late.

    Auguste (8492e8)

  31. That was alot of words saying NOTHING. No resbuttal is possible, because your comments prove my point

    senorlechero (360f45)


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