[OT] I've arrived in Afghanistan

Oscar F · Post by **Oscar F** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:16 am

Godspeed M.Breq's.
May you have a safe tour of duty and may fate and fortune look down upon you favorably in Afghanistan.
All the best and now we are all here thinking of you.
Kindest Regards,
Oscar (aka FaX)

forge · Post by **forge** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:08 pm

Oscar F wrote: Oscar (aka FaX)

????

what happened to Fax??? what have you done with him??? give him back!

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:03 pm

Machinesworking wrote:M. Breqs, out of curiosity, why don't you just join the police force in Canada? I'm serious about this.

Quite simply, most of the cops I know are really depressed. They spend their days dealing with wife-beaters, drunks and criminals. It colours their worldview and makes them really pessimistic about human beings. They develop a really bad impression of mankind's fundamental morality, as they assume everybody's an asshole because they interact with the worst assholes in society all day. Cops don't see a lot of the good in the world. Soldiers do, and they want to protect it.

I also can't enforce laws with which I disagree. I could never, never arrest somebody for posession of weed or something for instance as I think non-physically addictive drugs shouldn't be illegal (same with prostitution).

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:13 pm

Tone Deft wrote:Breqs - Do you have any military background? Props, listen to any advice your peers in the military (not here, FFS) can give you, surround yourself by people who don't fuck around, it's business 24/7, but you know that.

I joined in 1990 and served in Bosnia. I'm currently a reservist with the Canadian Forces. I'll be deploying as a Sergeant. Because my eyesight degraded (I'm somewhat myopic), I was forced to transfer out of the Infantry in 1998, and I'm in a highly technical trade these days... That's about all I can really post on the internet.

I already know my subordinates, and they're pretty solid guys. One of my bosses is young Lieutennant (and a bit of a ditzy blond type), but she's smart enough to let her Sergeants call a lot of the shots so that should be cool. My Sergeant-Major is a veteran of the Kosovo conflict and he's been "tried by fire" so we're pretty confident that he's got his head screwed on tight.

I'll be working in French too, which should be cool - I speak well enough, but I'll probably be fluent after three months training and 9 months in ops, augmenting a francophone battle group .

yoshitosser · Post by **yoshitosser** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:38 pm

Godspeed You Black Emperor

With so much personal info you've posted on this music forum, I feel I really know you and your family.

AOnline · Post by **AOnline** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:16 pm

Good luck overthere.... Wont be easy!

By the way, most probably you will be eating some food from our company overthere...

Pasha · Post by **Pasha** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:23 pm

Good Luck!
We'll miss you!
Simply put I hope you will come back in the same condition as you left.
Keep your eyes open!! Don't do nothing you might regret later.

- Best
- Pasha

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:37 pm

AOnline wrote:Good luck overthere.... Wont be easy!

By the way, most probably you will be eating some food from our company overthere...

McTaliban with cheese?

sorry couldnt resist

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:53 pm

Mbox,

You've always been cool. Geez, I thought you were working on how to put more fist-pumping motions into your DJ set, not this kinda thing!

Violence begets more violence -what are your personal thoughts about that phrase? (I'm not interested in what your peer group's collective thoughts are about that phrase)

Sam

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:57 pm

Terrance and Phillip in Iraq -

reminds me of the hit episode, where Terrance and Phillip go to Iraq to rescue Terrance's daughter from the iranian captures - I know Iran, Iraq, what's the difference

but what ends up happening is, while Terrance and Phillip are in Iraq Saddam Hussein starts to take over canada -

when Terrance and Phillip get back they realise what's going on and work with Scott (who's a dick) to over throw Saddam at the Vancouver Rough Riders game - they use chemical warfare

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:59 pm

Sales Dude McBoob wrote:Mbox,

You've always been cool. Geez, I thought you were working on how to put more fist-pumping motions into your DJ set, not this kinda thing!

Violence begets more violence -what are your personal thoughts about that phrase? (I'm not interested in what your peer group's collective thoughts are about that phrase)

Sam

I wouldn't worry about more violence - canadians aren't the most violent people in the world...real heavy hitters when it comes to violence

I didn't even know canada had an army

Martyn · Post by **Martyn** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:12 pm

The best to you man, everybody has to follow their conviction. It's not my way but who am I to judge in this crazy old world. I truthfully hope that you don't have to kill another person, or that you yourself don't come to any harm.

Just make sure that you get back in one piece so that you can keep bumping that old groove quantise thread eh?

Stay safe, serious dose of pure reality ahead!

M

Oscar F · Post by **Oscar F** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:54 am

forge wrote:
Oscar F wrote: Oscar (aka FaX)
????

what happened to Fax??? what have you done with him??? give him back!

My whole log in and everything got screwed up along with my account and I can't log into it for some reason anymore

Oscar F or Oscar L.F if I used my full initials would be and is my real name.
FaX is a nickname I have had for years and years and years and years.

Sorry to disappoint you Forge

.

conny · Post by **conny** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:17 am

minimal wrote: I have more fear that on this planet there are people with your mind than I fear a couple of poor, ignorant and desperate mens who follow some fanatic because they (mabye) don't have anything left.

I'm sorry but I have to agree on this.
Allthough as a human I respect your choice and hope you'll be safe (and that you don't kill anybody).

// C

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:57 am

Sales Dude McBoob wrote:Mbox,

You've always been cool. Geez, I thought you were working on how to put more fist-pumping motions into your DJ set, not this kinda thing!

Violence begets more violence -what are your personal thoughts about that phrase? (I'm not interested in what your peer group's collective thoughts are about that phrase)

Sam

You're right to a point... Violence often begets violence, but not always.

Pacifism enables violence as well. The only time pacifism works is when your enemy holds a respect for life. That's why the British quit India at Ghandi's urgings; Western Civilization, of which the British were a key member, abhorred the waste of life. Gandhi's strategy has failed the Tibetans, who are occupied, dominated and killed by Chinese soldiers all the time.

Overwhelming, annihilating violence begets peace ultimately. France and England decided to coexist after the 2nd defeat of Napoleon, because the French had been so decimated that they were unable to even consider fighting. Likewise, Germany and Japan after WWII. Likewise the city-states of the Athenian empire; When faced with the inevitability of Athenian victory, when they all were crushed (with the Spartans holding out to the bitter end mind you), they got along nicely for hundreds of years, ushering in a golden age of enlightenment. An age paid for in blood soaked bronze. When one side attains a decisive, crushing victory, peace is almost inevitable.

Violence is allowed to continue when there are artificial, societal, economic or political pressures to limit the campaign. The Balkans are a prime example. To this day there are still arsons, snipings and simmering, low level conflict. How many will die over the next 50 years? How much suffering will the refusal to coexist cause? Economically, socially, politically? What is the effect on people's lives when they grow up hating the other because they think that "next time, we'll fuck 'em up RIGHT"? The minute the EU forces leave Bosnia and Kosovo, violence will break out again... So what was gained, other than a long period of instability, injustice and hellish living conditinons?

Negotiated peace doesn't last, because each side thinks that with the right timing and without those pesky limitations on their violence, they would be able to win a better settlement than that which was negotiated. Only when one side is crushed, their infrastructure, institutions and society deconstructed, will they capitulate and accept the victor's terms.

Think of it another way; it takes an epic scale societal upheaval to manifest profound and permanent societal change. Upheaval on the scale of a pandemic, economic disaster, or a decisive defeat in a total war.