How good is the equipment that the troops use?

For six years now, America has been at war in the Middle East. Those of us that are educated enough; know that the reason for this war is oil. The question is, are the troops
equipped well enough to continue this senseless war?

Actually, no, the troops have been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq without even the correct medical supplies. The soldiers have been instructed that in the event of a wound to stick a Tampon in the cut or puncture, in the theory that it will swell and stop the bleeding.
The body armor that the soldiers are equipped with has failed all sorts of tests. It is called Interceptor. A Company known as Point Blank manufactures it. This is the way it is made: There is an outer layer of Kevlar (designed to stop bullets from handguns.) A ceramic disk (about eighteen inches in diameter) designed to stop bullets from higher-grade munitions like rifles and automatic weapons follows this.

The problem with all this is related to money. The ceramic disks and Kevlar rectangles have been reduced in size and thickness to reduce weight and consecutively, reduce cost. Resulting in a less dependable body armor. Well there is a new kid on the block, an armor known as; Dragon Skin. Manufactured by Pinnacle Armor, this body armor is made by dozens of overlapping ceramic disks, which are smaller (about four inches in diameter) than Point Blank’s design, and consequently weigh less, resulting in less cost. Yet it provides more coverage to the body by creating a vest. And thanks to its revolutionary design it is more durable than Interceptor is. On Utube you can watch videos of people unloading clip after clip into Dragon Skin without one penetration.

Lastly, the troops weapons. The primary weapon the United States Army and Marines use is the M16/M4. Around since before Vietnam, this gun has jammed so many times that it is a surprise that it is still used. One soldier said that out of his 30 round clip the M16 jammed 17 times. In fact, 67% of 100 soldiers polled said that they would (if given the chance) trade their M16 out for an AK47. Changes so dramatic as this aren’t even needed. The only thing that has to be done is to switch to the M16/M4 Ultimax (Specially designed to not jam) which can use the Ultimag (a 100-rnd magazine.)

If the government wasn’t so corrupt, it would be easy make such simple changes. But, since there is a revolving door between the government and companies such as Point Blank, which has thoroughly outlawed innovative technologies such as these, the solution is to pull out.

Randolph

TheWar Report

Original story: The MacNeil Lehrer News Hour

The violence in Fallujah has supposedly decreased this week because of the troop surge. Last week US general David Petraeus and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker released their war report after returning from Iraq; and yesterday they were questioned about its contents. General Petraeus said during the questioning that they could not see the pulling out of more than 30,000 US troops this year and in March '08 deciding on a full pullout.

One Iraqi who had seen the War Report called Petraeus' words "The same promise of nothing" and stated that the surge has heightened the violence of the civil war. Senator Barbara Boxer said, "70% of Iraqis say that the surge has made things worse."

Senator Chuck Hagel asked Ambassador Crocker, "Are we going to continue spending blood and treasure (money) like we've been doing?" Ambassador Crocker replied, "We don't know, it depends on the formal decision."

Senator Barack Obama asked, "So is it now thought that the '06 level of violence is making progress?" General Petraeus replied, "Yes, in the face of the civil war we have made progress." Also Senator Warner asked, "Does this war make America any safer?" And to this General Petraeus replied, "Honestly, I don't know."

Last night on the MacNeil Lehrer News Hour, Jim Lehrer asked General Petraeus, "Are these the accurate facts on the situation?" General Petraeus replied, "I tried to prevent, I..I mean present the facts that were told yesterday."

I totally agree with what General Petraeus first said. He probably did try to prevent the FACTS from being told. In fact some of the senators (in support of the surge) when giving their report told that, "We were able to walk through the streets of Fallujah. "Well, according to inside sources:"Every house on that street had at least one soldier in it to ensure that no supporter of the surge (or the Bush gang) was attacked or shot."

In my opinion, it's a nest of vipers telling lies. This war hasn't been about America. George W. Bush used 9/11 as an excuse to start this war. Then lied to Congress about "weapons of mass destruction" (which were never found). And now Bush is getting others to lie for him. This guy needs to be impeached.