Author Topic: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]  (Read 161292 times)

roo_ster

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #25 on: January 05, 2009, 03:56:08 PM »
Mogadishu has one of the most extensive telecom network in Africa. There are huge economic reports about how they manage to have quality bandwidth in such a shithole. In the meanwhile Gaza has now reverted to the stone age. They have no cellphone towers, no power outside generators. The Army says they can't communicate. Now maybe you're right and they can.

But the ineptness of Palestinians is COSMIC. These are the people who fire AKs by holding them high over head and pointing them in the vague direction of the enemy.

Interesting.

I would be very hesitant to assume such ineptness on the part of an enemy, even if such ineptness is regularly displayed.  

They could implement the remote FOs if they so desired.  Cell phone, sat phone, two-way radio, whatever.  As long as there is any small amount of fuel, they could get power for their commo device.  That they have not done so is a blessing.
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roo_ster

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MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #26 on: January 05, 2009, 04:00:30 PM »
Quote
I would be very hesitant to assume such ineptness on the part of an enemy, even if such ineptness is regularly displayed. 

I have seen video of them firing the smaller rockets when I was in the Army.

This essentially involves setting up a rocket so it's poked in the vague direction of Israel, chanting ALLAH AQBAR a few times, and lighting it off from a safe distance.
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Scout26

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #27 on: January 05, 2009, 04:05:30 PM »
I have seen video of them firing the smaller rockets when I was in the Army.

This essentially involves setting up a rocket so it's poked in the vague direction of Israel, chanting ALLAH AQBAR a few times, and lighting it off from a safe distance.

Yep, but it only takes one to ruin your day......

NEVER,  EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER underestimate the your enemy.  Assume the worst and plan accordingly. 
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.


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Seenterman

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #28 on: January 05, 2009, 04:19:39 PM »
Quote
According to the UN and various NGOs, only about 25% of the Palestinian casualties are civlians. So the army seems to be doing a good job 'separating' them.


Well, if you were following the news here in the US (why the heck would you) You'd think you were slaughtering civillians left and right.

if the UN estimates the civilian causalities at 25%, they are probably closer to 15%-20%...

A former employee of my law firm who visited today that now works for the U.N. states that their having a hard time declaring what "civilians" are.

Males of fighting age have automatically been declared and counted as "combatants" in certain situations without corroberating evidence.  I dont know how you can go around wildly second guessing when the U.N. with observers on the ground is having a hard time pinning down actual numbers. Are you posting from the Gaza Strip? Thats just arogant to assume.

In regards to the OP stay safe, its getting very dangerous over their.



MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #29 on: January 05, 2009, 04:25:18 PM »
Yep, but it only takes one to ruin your day......

NEVER,  EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER underestimate the your enemy.  Assume the worst and plan accordingly. 

I do have a plan. It involves going down to the bomb shelter, which is rated to take direct hits from stuff far more serious than these rockets, when the alarm sounds. It does not involve living in the bomb shelter, like some crazier neighbors have taken to. It does not involve being scared to the point I give myself nightmares, as some people do. I'm taking things in proportion.
Destroy The Enemy in Hand-to-Hand Combat.

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cassandra and sara's daddy

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #30 on: January 05, 2009, 05:48:02 PM »
the end times are nigh   but does it amuse anyone else that folks from various places in the usa are attempting to hold forth in a discussion with a guy who is actually there?  more amusing in that he served in the armed forces they are kibitzing about? in that i often harass mb over his making pronouncements about the usa i find myself tending to defer to his knowledge of the situation on his block.in spite of the fact that i need to make big adjustments to my world view in order to do so
It is much more powerful to seek Truth for one's self.  Seeing and hearing that others seem to have found it can be a motivation.  With me, I was drawn because of much error and bad judgment on my part. Confronting one's own errors and bad judgment is a very life altering situation.  Confronting the errors and bad judgment of others is usually hypocrisy.


by someone older and wiser than I

MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #31 on: January 05, 2009, 06:00:32 PM »
the end times are nigh   but does it amuse anyone else that folks from various places in the usa are attempting to hold forth in a discussion with a guy who is actually there?  more amusing in that he served in the armed forces they are kibitzing about? in that i often harass mb over his making pronouncements about the usa i find myself tending to defer to his knowledge of the situation on his block.in spite of the fact that i need to make big adjustments to my world view in order to do so

Eh. CS&D overestimates my knowledge of the events here. I have various ways of keeping myself informed of what goes on here, but I'm sure there are many people in this forum more knowledgeable about Middle-Eastern history than I am.

My aim here is only to provide the members of this forum with my anecdotal input - and of course, I will say about my own accounts the same thing I say about others' - the plural of anecdote does not equal data.
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txgho1911

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #32 on: January 05, 2009, 07:10:41 PM »
Through multiple news sources I have followed for news in Israel the cell phone system is shot full of holes. Towers down and switch equipment bombed like broadcast towers. They may have sat phones and 2 ways.
Don't forget this place gets beat up regularly and the coms in place are newer than many places in the US. Cell and landline systems are built together and somewhat interchangeable.

For ending this situation they they will have to end Pal occupation and close Gaza. Pack the noncombatants to the westbank and those who fight get battle that ends with them.
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BrokenPaw

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #33 on: January 06, 2009, 11:48:46 AM »
NEVER,  EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER underestimate the your enemy.  Assume the worst and plan accordingly. 
FWIW,  over-estimating your enemy can be just as big of a mistake; when you over-estimate, you put more resources into your own preparations than you have to, and that means you use them up faster, potentially deplete them sooner, and eventually run out.   Then you're in a bad place.

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buzz_knox

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #34 on: January 06, 2009, 01:33:47 PM »
Mind, the Israeli government prohibits publishing exact locations more accurate than the nearest city.

But if you live in Ashdod, rumours about the locations will... err, spread.

Does the gov't block the internet, cell communications, TV, etc?  The terrs don't need to know which city they hit; they just need to replicate the strike that nearly hit a kindergarten.  That's not hard to do at all.

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #35 on: January 06, 2009, 01:38:07 PM »
A former employee of my law firm who visited today that now works for the U.N. states that their having a hard time declaring what "civilians" are.

Males of fighting age have automatically been declared and counted as "combatants" in certain situations without corroberating evidence.  I dont know how you can go around wildly second guessing when the U.N. with observers on the ground is having a hard time pinning down actual numbers. Are you posting from the Gaza Strip? Thats just arogant to assume.

He probably just recalls the "funeral" where bodies were paraded around and the mourners denounced Israel.  When an Israeli drone flew overhead, the "decedents" jumped off and ran for cover.  It was a pretty good video to watch.

Add in Hamas' tactic of staging and firing from occupied civilian houses (in order to instigate fire on the homes), the tactic of putting weapons installations and storage facilities in mosques and hospitals, and various sundry items, and it's easy to understand why the UN estimates are questionable.  Recalling the incidents where Hezbollah used UN outposts and vehicles to launch attacks on Israel, and it gets even easier. 

Headless Thompson Gunner

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #36 on: January 06, 2009, 09:01:07 PM »
They miss the CITIES they're aiming at 60% of the time.

10% of the time, they miss the COUNTRY they're aiming at.

Well then, it's a good thing they can't make up for their poor accuracy by firing a great number of shots at the same targets.

Oh, wait...

MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #37 on: January 06, 2009, 09:17:11 PM »
Well then, it's a good thing they can't make up for their poor accuracy by firing a great number of shots at the same targets.


If they could have been firing more rockets, they would have. They can't. Our friends in the South have closed the Rafiah Passage, and right now the Army is busily applying some much-needed boot to ass.

Destroy The Enemy in Hand-to-Hand Combat.

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MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #38 on: January 07, 2009, 03:42:12 AM »
They fired some rockets at my town today and missed it.
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Zed

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #39 on: January 07, 2009, 04:11:24 AM »
Yes, well.  There is that.

Never understood the appeal, really.  One was enough.  Seventy two?  Not so much.

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MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #40 on: January 07, 2009, 12:44:06 PM »
Multiple rockets fell in and around Ashdod today - the media say nothing hit within the city itself, but locals insist two rockets hit in certain industrial areas within the city.

Also, some losers have taken to adjusting their cellphone ringtones to sound like the air raid alarm.
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RaspberrySurprise

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #41 on: January 07, 2009, 12:59:06 PM »
Quote
Also, some losers have taken to adjusting their cellphone ringtones to sound like the air raid alarm.

Something tells me that when the police or military discover this hilarity will ensue. Unless of course it's patently obvious that it's fake.
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roo_ster

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #42 on: January 07, 2009, 01:12:12 PM »
Also, some losers have taken to adjusting their cellphone ringtones to sound like the air raid alarm.

A righteous smack to the side of the head does wonders...
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roo_ster

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MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #43 on: January 08, 2009, 02:29:26 AM »
Moar rokkits!

Now not only in Ashdod - but also in the North. Apparently some splinter group is behind that.
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MrRezister

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #44 on: January 08, 2009, 09:32:59 AM »
I've got an internet friend "in country" reporting that some rockets seem to have come from Lebanon. 

Big deal or not so much?
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MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #45 on: January 08, 2009, 09:35:02 AM »
I've got an internet friend "in country" reporting that some rockets seem to have come from Lebanon. 

Big deal or not so much?

Depending whom you ask. Apparently it was some minor splinter group who fired them. The question is if it evolves into something bigger.
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Manedwolf

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #46 on: January 08, 2009, 11:02:16 AM »
Something tells me that when the police or military discover this hilarity will ensue. Unless of course it's patently obvious that it's fake.

Well, you could do something like attach these balloons to your vehicle and drive around. I'm sure that'd cause a bit of amusement.



Probably followed by a beating, but hey.

MicroBalrog

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #47 on: January 08, 2009, 01:59:46 PM »
Quote
Probably followed by a beating, but hey.

You don't need that to make MAGAV beat you.

They mistook family driving in their car for drug dealers once. Hilarity ensued..
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tyme

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #48 on: January 08, 2009, 04:01:28 PM »
Quote from: MicroBalrog
Mogadishu has one of the most extensive telecom network in Africa. There are huge economic reports about how they manage to have quality bandwidth in such a shithole. In the meanwhile Gaza has now reverted to the stone age. They have no cellphone towers, no power outside generators.

The Palestinians can get rockets but not commodity communications equipment like HAM radios?  Most of them are modifiable to transmit over a huge range, making identifying communications rather difficult.
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roo_ster

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Re: This was uncomfortably close [A rocket fell a block away from me]
« Reply #49 on: January 08, 2009, 05:53:05 PM »
The Palestinians can get rockets but not commodity communications equipment like HAM radios?  Most of them are modifiable to transmit over a huge range, making identifying communications rather difficult.

I think the deal is that they won't get them or are not smart enough to get them and put them to use.

Which makes me wonder what sort of Darwinian pressures are going on inside Gaza these past few decades.
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roo_ster

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