Reasons for no war...

[Acriku]

I found this link and found it very interesting. I don't know how valid the reasons are, but they bring up good points. It was written by a Gulf War combat veteran, so this is from experience. One thing I found odd -

According to VA, of the nearly 700,000 veterans who served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, more than 300,000 have sought VA healthcare, and more than 200,000 have filed VA disability claims. Two weeks ago, President Bush slashed $275 million from the healthcare budget of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Not counting the many thousands who are still waiting for disability healthcare, Bush does this right before an oncoming war. Is he one less taco of a combo or does this have a valid reason?

The veteran does support the removal of Saddam Hussein, but does not support such an early attack on Hussein, especially with the public against it.

[slaphapy]

Is he one less taco of a combo or does this have a valid reason?

The veteran does support the removal of Saddam Hussein, but does not support such an early attack on Hussein, especially with the public against it.

LOL one less taco ... lol that's good

anyway... my uncle was a veteran of Vietnam, but he still supports the war...

[rigel6669]

Finally an article that confirms that the gasmask and chemical suits are defective.

What governement would send their troops into iraq without sufficient protection?

Answer: the US governement already did it in the 1 gulfwar :O

I sure hope they will not repeat the same mistake a decade later

[Caid Ivik]

So, they should down Saddam already in Desert Storm, just UN wasn't so for it. Those soldiers are merely professionals (at least ours), which have a big fee for that risk. They've accepted to, brutally said, sell their life to government. But don't think that we have bad chemical protection - highest technology from Liptovsky Mikulas tech-center will be aware with Slovak anti-chemical battalion 8)

[Nyarlathotep]

Those soldiers are merely professionals (at least ours), which have a big fee for that risk. They've accepted to, brutally said, sell their life to government.

That's plain crap what you've stated. Of course there's a risk that they can die and they accepted that. They never accepted the fact that they would be supplied with defective gas masks !!

[Anathema]

I wouldn't say either that soldiers are particulary well paid.

[Caid Ivik]

Any gas-mask can defect. But same there is a possibility of accidental ammo explosion which should kill tank crew immediately or engine failure in transport plane what kills also much. As there is a possibility they will be attacked and shot by soldier, who was so disappointed by defecting gas-mask news, that he became crazy and started to shoot aroung himself crying "damn this war!"

[Nyarlathotep]

Caid, have you even read the link that was posted ???? We're talking about 140,000 soldiers being exposed to chemicals/gas, because their suites and masks didn't function as they should !

[Caid Ivik]

And what if their rifles didn't function as they should in middle of battle? That would be same effect. As it is same possibility. Also, if Iraqis uses VX, they know what WE can use against them... I hope they are not as silly to do it.

[quoudam72]

Caild you still do not understand we are taling about 140,000 pieces of defective equiptment. A rifle my jam from regular usage (or misusage) yes but your missing the point slighty. This military equpitment that was not found defective until after the military went into battle was this equiptment not tested before hand under extreme tests. Defective equpitment in use with military units can be most always fatal.

[nampigai]

So, they should down Saddam already in Desert Storm, just UN wasn't so for it. Those soldiers are merely professionals (at least ours), which have a big fee for that risk. They've accepted to, brutally said, sell their life to government. But don't think that we have bad chemical protection - highest technology from Liptovsky Mikulas tech-center will be aware with Slovak anti-chemical battalion 8)

It wasn't only the UN who wasn't for it, Colin Powell influated Bush (sr.) to stop the war. The american forces was standing by looking on shia moslems rebel against Saddam yet they did nothing cause, people thought Saddam would be the best alternative.

[Anathema]

And it wouldn't have been the first time if the US went against the wishes of the UN anyway.

[slaphapy]

I bet that they will probably supply them with working gas masks... i mean they have them, i bet they will use them, if you believe everthing the media says... well, i won't go there

but, they have masks that can filter viruses, it's not like they don't have the gas masks, and since they do i'm sure they would use them...

[rigel6669]

The point is: most of the equipment of the us troops stationed at the middle east is defective

Does the US governement know this? Yes

Do they care? No

How long would it take to replace the defective equipment by good working equipment? Several weeks, they got stockpiles full of defective equipment

Who will send the troops unprotected to iraq? Bush, like his father did a decade ago

A media stunt? Tell this to the widows of the troops that already died by this big blunder a decade ago

[Acriku]

They do have working gas masks, but there isn't a 100% proficiency for every single one of them, as anything else isn't. But, it's been a while since Desert Storm, and hopefully that is enough time.

[rigel6669]

They will never have 100% profiency, because for each gas you need a different filter. There are some combination filters available but not for all gasses.

I have used those chemical suits and gasmask many times, so i know what i am talking about

[slaphapy]

really?

well i know USAMRIID(United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) and the CDC(Center for Disease Control) both use the one filter, for everything, because, when they go into a biohazardous area they have no way to tell what may be there, so obviously the filter will probably work for everything... since they use the same filters on every field operation they go to

[rigel6669]

Those combination filters ( 1 filter for several gasses ) will never be failproof as their are too many different sorts of biological/chemical agents.

[slaphapy]

but they are designed to filter out even the smallest viruses (note: viruses)

those are some of the smallest things ever,

and biological weapons are made up of viruses and even bacteria, and bacteria are much much larger than viruses

although sometimes the filter also has nothing to do with "faulty equipment" sometimes it is that the soldier gets the virus, or bacteria in other ways, such as not having all cuts or possible "insertion points" for viruses covered, and sealed off...

sometimes people catch viruses simply by not checking all possible places, and they may blame it on the "faulty equipment"

[Acriku]

They will never have 100% profiency, because for each gas you need a different filter. There are some combination filters available but not for all gasses.

I have used those chemical suits and gasmask many times, so i know what i am talking about

Was there ever a dispute of that?

[Caid Ivik]

Caild you still do not understand we are taling about 140,000 pieces of defective equiptment. A rifle my jam from regular usage (or misusage) yes but your missing the point slighty. This military equpitment that was not found defective until after the military went into battle was this equiptment not tested before hand under extreme tests. Defective equpitment in use with military units can be most always fatal.

I can talk about 140 000 soldiers with defective mind. Those things are for one use, so there is no possibility for full scale test of every piece. Nothing is sure, protection against deadly air too, even if you are isolated by all limits.