> In a message dated 98-05-13 00:08:20 EDT, Tom Hughes writes:
<< Relax John, the stuff we do is all a game! The real nut cases don't play
with soldiers, they join militias and pretend to be soldiers (you aren't a
militia man John are you?) >>
OK, let's nip this in the bud right here. John is talking about using SG2 to
represent actions far more common and unpleasant than most of us like to think
that most wars have. Yes, shooting at crowds with machineguns is disturbing,
but honestly, if people are watching a crowd threaten men with machineguns,
the situation is getting out of hand anyway. That's what wars are about. When
other options fail, or are not effective. I'm sure that John is not endorsing
random violence (& our Yank ghetto problems are NOT caused by trained
soldiers, thank you).
Over-reaction
and the wisdom of certian crowd control techniques are VERY different when you
are the one who is being threatened with dismemberment, OK? Some situations
are obvious to outside observers, most are not. Good troop commanders are
often put in positions where they never should have been, and are faced with
decisions that the should never have to make, even as wartime commanders. They
are put there by politicians. Blaming the hammer when a screw doesn't go in
right is the real idiocy.
And could we please refrain from flame-baiting? Whether or not
John is a member of any particular organization is rather irrelevant. And now
my personal comments as a father of a young child: My son loves going outside.
We live in an area where that is not a good idea all the time. We are trying
to get out of it as quickly as possible. I am concerned about
bullet-drop - physics most people can't comprehend. I hear gunfire
nearly every night. I own firearms, as a collector, enthusiast & for
protection. I don't pretend to be a soldier. I do know enough to protect my
family. I would rather have soldiers on the street corners than those who
reside there now. That way I would know that the people with the guns are
properly trained in their use (with a bit of police training thrown in, maybe,
or a LOT more cops, with better guns). A GOOD troop commander might make my
neighborhood safe. He would care about what happens to my son, 'cause that's
his job!
OK - I may have over-reacted and ranted a bit, but my opinions still
stand. Don't blame the tools for policy & political failures, and I'd rather
have trained soldiers than gangbangers any day.
> On Wed, 13 May 1998 00:57:01 EDT, NVDoyle <NVDoyle@aol.com> wrote:
> OK - I may have over-reacted and ranted a bit, but my opinions still
Over reacted... nah, just showing a healthy care for the future of your son. I
echo those sentiments myself.
On a GZG note, does anyone know when and if the BDS book will be released?
Maybe even a slightly more fleshed out TO&E for the various forces in the
GZGverse?
> On a GZG note, does anyone know when and if the BDS book will be
Yes! Yes! When! When! How about TO&E for the Free Cal-Texans!
BTW Are the Oceanic Union and New Israel minis available from Geo-Hex?
Or only Eureka?
> You wrote:
> In a message dated 98-05-13 00:08:20 EDT, Tom Hughes writes:
For whatever reason, I havn't seen this message.
> << Relax John, the stuff we do is all a game! The real nut cases don't
Define 'militia'. I'd point out that by Federal Law, all able-bodied,
male, US citizens aged 18-45 are part of the Unorganized Militia,
excepting those in the Armed Forces. So you are probably a 'militia man'
yourself.
And the short answer is yes. I belong to the category of militia with the
highest readiness level (remember I excluded the Regulars above), the Army
National Guard.
> OK, let's nip this in the bud right here.
I'm just going off what I know about colonial actions in Terran history and
SF, notably David Drake's Hammer's Slammers.
have. Yes, shooting >at crowds with machineguns is disturbing, but honestly,
if people are watching >a crowd threaten men with machineguns, the situation
is getting out of hand >anyway. That's what
And with illtrained or illdisciplined troops, especially if they come from a
culture which doesn't put much value on human life in the first place, it's
going to happen.
wars are about. When other options fail, or are not >effective. I'm sure that
John is not endorsing random violence (& our Yank
Nope--and I'm not endorsing doing this to people you are supposed to be
protecting. Except as a last resort. I like sucking oxygen, and will
not let any finicky whining by ivory-tower academics prevent me from
doing so. If I have live ammo and have to make a choice between my life and
someone else's, I'll make the call in favor of my life. Too bad if that
offends you. And I consider myself an American patriot who loves his country.
Now imagine a mercenary with no stake in the society which employs him. How
much easier is it make that decision? Probably a lot. Now put him on a planet
other than his own, where he doesn't speak the language, and have a completely
hostile populace. What happens there?
> And now my personal comments as a father of a young child : My
Hear, hear. Note also that overwhelming force is more than enough to keep most
common criminals off the street and in hiding. Only fanatics with political,
religious, or racial agendas are going to argue with someone driving a Hummer
with a.50 cal on top
_even_if_he_has_no_live_ammo. This is a lesson of Los Angeles.
The OU and NI should be available from Geo-Hex soon, KR has all the
masters and I'm sure he will be posting a reply shortly.
Jon at GZG has them all too.
Of course I have them at Eureka and the exchange rate is very good for people
buying from Australia at the moment, though it is going to hurt me on my
projected visit to Historicon.
Best wishes
Nic
> At 11:04 PM 5/12/98 -0700, you wrote:
Or
> only Eureka?