🚀 go-pugleaf

"Brian Daily" <daily.brian@gmail.com.nomaps> wrote in message 
news:mrita2luqf0dlo06p37us1jp9ei9l9gagc@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 07 Jul 2006 20:59:03 GMT, "Arved Sandstrom" 
> <asandstrom@accesswave.ca>
> wrote:
>
>>Well, big deal. People get by. It's not like the Taliban aren't roasting
>>either.
>
> They aren't packing 70 pounds of gear and body armor and they have spend 
> their
> lives there.

To the degree that "spending your life" in one particular place uniquely 
equips one to survive there, I don't buy it. People from elsewhere can adapt 
fairly quickly. Or not adapt, to the same degree. What often goes unsaid is 
that native peoples in harsh environments are paying the price every day of 
their shorter lives.

> You just don't get it.

I think I do get it. I've spent some really serious quality time packing 70 
pounds or more of gear, and I have a pretty finely developed appreciation 
for what 25 pounds, 50 pounds, 75 pounds or 100 pounds feels like after 12 
or 24 hours in various climatic conditions.

> Equipment breakdowns are no big deal if you have time to fix it!

True enough.

> The Taliban don't give them time. Even changing a fucking tire is VERY 
> risky.
> Broken vehicles are blown up and left behind, even those with minor 
> problems
> because there is NO WAY to guard or retrieve them.

I'll agree that a down vehicle out in hostile country presents a problem. 
I'd disagree that the automatic thing to do is to blow it up, because in 
this particular conflict the objective is to find and fix a relatively 
elusive enemy; if a broken vehicle becomes a magnet for the baddies, that's 
actually a tactical bonus, because you now know where they are. Hell, if 
they haven't tried this already they should start - have an LAV "break down" 
somewhere, put out a platoon for a night defense, and stick a few snipers 
further out.

AHS