godzillatemple
|
posted on October 11, 2001 06:11:23 AM new
OK, I know this may seem a bit contradictory, considering the fact that I have said that I don't support nuking the entire Middle East into a glowing crater, but I was just looking at some of the "before" and "after" pictures from our attack and couldn't help wondering what the heck we actually think we're accomplishing?
The following are from CNN.com:
Before:
After:
I mean, I'm all for a "measured" response, and I agree we need to limit the damage as much as possible to military targets in order to reduce civilian casualties, but come on -- we've GOT to have bigger bombs than that! I was expecting to see the entire airfield leveled, not a few potholes in the runways. I'm staring to see why the Gulf War didn't really change anything....
Barry
|
Mylanta
|
posted on October 11, 2001 06:15:20 AM new
Just looks like it saved the Taliban from digging their own foxholes!
|
pyth00n
|
posted on October 11, 2001 06:27:25 AM new
I think the idea was just to be sure no planes could take off and land from that base for a while.
We might be planning to take that facility over for our own use and *want* it to be easy to repair, too.
|
deliteful
|
posted on October 11, 2001 06:31:21 AM new
pyth00n,
Common Sense Rules! 
Jess
|
uaru
|
posted on October 11, 2001 06:39:32 AM new
Some expert on CNN was going over that bomb damage and explaining how the goal was to take out the airfield but do it in a way that it could be easily repaired.
|
godzillatemple
|
posted on October 11, 2001 06:39:35 AM new
Pyth00n: I think the idea was just to be sure no planes could take off and land from that base for a while.
Something tells me that if they really wanted to get an airplane in the air, they'd be willing to taxi around the potholes.
I could be completely wrong, but the picture just struck me as totally ludicrous after hearing reports from the pentagon about how successful our strikes were. I remember hearing the same language during the Gulf War, and yet the damage we inflicted didn't seem to really change things all that much.
deliteful: Common Sense Rules!
It does, indeed. You don't mind if I quote you on that in the future, do you?
Barry
---
The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
|
bunnicula
|
posted on October 11, 2001 07:07:33 AM new
Pretty impressive as an example of pin-point accuracy, isn't it? You know that any bomb that falls even a couple of inches off target will be held up as an example of how we're deliberately hitting "non-military" targets.... 
|
deliteful
|
posted on October 11, 2001 07:09:29 AM new
Godzillatemple,
Quote away. I'm not so naive as to believe I am right all the time. I'm sure if you carefully watch my posts and follow my movements, you will find an occasion to use it. Have fun.
Jess
|
godzillatemple
|
posted on October 11, 2001 07:13:41 AM new
bunnicula: Pretty impressive as an example of pin-point accuracy, isn't it?
Ayup, I'll definitely give them that. Assuming, of course, they were actually aiming for the runways and not the control tower....
Barry
---
The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
|
Microbes
|
posted on October 11, 2001 07:16:19 AM new
We might be planning to take that facility over for our own use and *want* it to be easy to repair, too.
This is my thought.
Pretty impressive as an example of pin-point accuracy, isn't it?
Yes. If you where bin Laden, you would be hoping the US NEVER knows where you are.
|
gravid
|
posted on October 11, 2001 08:09:30 AM new
You know very well they HAVE much bigger bombs. Just not the will to use them.
|
deliteful
|
posted on October 11, 2001 08:12:00 AM new
And I pray that no one ever uses them!
Jess
|
CoolTom-07
|
posted on October 11, 2001 08:41:58 AM new
"Something tells me that if they really wanted to get an airplane in the air, they'd be willing to taxi around the potholes."
Godzilla: No offense but something tells me that physics wasn't your best subject in school. A certain forward momentum is needed to achieve lift off.
|
godzillatemple
|
posted on October 11, 2001 08:50:19 AM new
cooltom: Actually, physics was one of my best subjects. Unfortunately, it was particle physics...
Barry
---
The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
[ edited by godzillatemple on Oct 11, 2001 08:51 AM ]
|
CoolTom-07
|
posted on October 11, 2001 09:05:06 AM new
Chem major here. Actually kinda got bogged down in physics cause of the math. I figured the taxi part was said tongue in cheek but I couldn't resist a good line...
|
jt-2007
|
posted on October 11, 2001 09:35:30 AM new
Barry one of the "officials", not sure who, said on tv that thay did not want to damage that airport because they planned to use it for relief efforts later. It was ALSO to be an example to the Afgan people that we did not want to destroy their livelihood/economy/whatever.
|
thermionic
|
posted on October 11, 2001 09:37:17 AM new
nice even spacing..impressive, although it looks like the taxiway got more attention.
The airport is disabled for awhile. The others are right,we'll need that airport for tourist entering the Afganistan National Wildlife preserve in the near furture. Maybe put a Macdonalds along the service road.
|
thermionic
|
posted on October 11, 2001 09:53:28 AM new
The point might be is to let them fix it, then hit it again the next day. That's quite a few donkey cart loads.. demoralization of the common folk works you know.
|
gravid
|
posted on October 11, 2001 10:19:41 AM new
You can take off on a taxiway if it is long enough. Even land if you have nerves of steel and there is no cross wind.
Standard procedure on cratering jobs like this is to drop some bombs that are delayed or set off by the activity of the repair crews to discourage repair. Sometines they just scatter the whole airstrip with delayed cluster bombs so there are a couple thousand little baseball size bomblets all over that have to be cleared out. Some of them when disturbed have a little charge to make them pop up 3 or 4 foot off the ground before they go off. The only safe way to clear them is with a rifle from a distance and if they are in the weeds or imbedded in the soil that is hard. Especially if they rushed in and tried to start repairing before sunup. If you run out and find out you are among those the best thing to do is stand still until the sun comes up.
I had a friend ask me yesterday - He said -
"They are dropping 5,000 pound bombs isn't that close to being as big as the small atomic weapons the dopped on Japan?
I said "Dan - Those were 40 kilo TON bombs - not 40 kiloPOUND bombs." ----"Oh."
[ edited by gravid on Oct 11, 2001 10:25 AM ]
|
deco100
|
posted on October 11, 2001 11:21:07 AM new
Yeah, with million dollar missiles, I'd expect their mountains to look as flat as that airfield!
|
CoolTom-07
|
posted on October 11, 2001 11:32:04 AM new
"You can take off on a taxiway if it is long enough."
Indeed, except those 10 foot deep potholes just might impede ones progress just a tad don't you think?
UBB challenged on this board so visualize a wink smilie here ---->
|
Zazzie
|
posted on October 11, 2001 11:51:37 AM new
Looking at the after pictures of the airstrip and knowing what they were actually trying to accomplish makes me think only one thing.
WOW!!! Those pilots have really good aim!!! I'd say it was 90% bulls eyes--I can see only one crater that isn't quite on the tarmac
|
thermionic
|
posted on October 11, 2001 12:52:22 PM new
What you cant see are the clustered cassette players playing Pink Floyd's "Run like Hell" over and over again..Live version.
|
gravid
|
posted on October 11, 2001 01:46:07 PM new
Cooltom - Just trying to explain why they cratered the taxi-ways also.
|
CoolTom-07
|
posted on October 11, 2001 01:55:45 PM new
Gravid: okay, got it. Thanks.
Godzilla - is this more to your liking?
|
