Superthread LXXII - Honouring The White, Off White, Cream & Beige. :-(

[sensesmaybenumbed]

What other choice do they have? Officers from up and down the east coast are coming in to relieve the BPD, who have had pretty much every officer they have on the streets for 24 hours now.

Hell, even the fish and game officers have been called up.

 

[Bulldog Force]

The coverage on ABC news 24 was bad. Seeing people in mass numbers looting stores was bad. National guard disbursed all over the joint didn't appear to be deterring things at all.

 

[Drew-Sta]

What other choice do they have? Officers from up and down the east coast are coming in to relieve the BPD, who have had pretty much every officer they have on the streets for 24 hours now.

Hell, even the fish and game officers have been called up.

I'm simply suggesting they are pouring oil onto a fire by sending in ill equipped people to deal with the situation.

The army would be a better option, TBH. Better trained and far more conscious of what they'd need to do.

Any update on the severity of it?

 

[Twizzle]

all they need now is one or two more back guys to get killed in the riots and it will be world war 3

 

[Misanthrope]

The whole concept of a National Guard is ridiculous, but that goes hand in hand with the lingering fear that American citizens seem to have that their government will bring back a reign of tyranny like the British did.

Keeping a separate military outside of the jurisdiction of the US government only works if you actually train them to the same standard.

If the government decided it wanted to unleash a little tyranny, the actual military would destroy the National Guard.

 

[Didgi]

lol yeah, surely there's enough undeployed or home-deployed actual trained US troops to handle this sort of thing. Would need far less of them than the part time reserves, probably full of nutjobs, to bring things under control.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

The national guard is no different to our reserves. They arent just some commoner with a rifle.

All national guard members undergo basic training which is 10 weeks. 10 weeks basic training is pretty standard for most militaries across the world.

Then a national guard soldier undergoes their specific job training. For your run of the mill infantryman that's a 13 week course. National guard infantryman complete the same course as regular army to be deemed an infantryman.

National guard also generally work one weekend a month and also a 2 week training block in the year. Similar to what our army reserve do. Because national guard are mostly a domestic unit a lot of their training is generally focussed towards natural disasters, urban conflict and civil unrest.


So no, they aren't just some redneck with a gun who has no training.

Also you gotta consider that yeah there might be national guard who are just out of boot camp, but there will also be a lot of experienced soldiers there with decades of service in the guard. There are also a shit load of ex full timers as well.

 

[Drew-Sta]

Stop talking sense, CH. We're bashing Yanks here.

 

[Misanthrope]

And you failed to answer our most pressing question: Who would win?

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

CH, thats a best case scenario for an individual..

I've been listening to the scanner overnight. Its not good out there.

Have a listen for yourself, google Baltimore police scanner.

 

[soc123_au]

The national guard is no different to our reserves. They arent just some commoner with a rifle.

All national guard members undergo basic training which is 10 weeks. 10 weeks basic training is pretty standard for most militaries across the world.

Then a national guard soldier undergoes their specific job training. For your run of the mill infantryman that's a 13 week course. National guard infantryman complete the same course as regular army to be deemed an infantryman.

National guard also generally work one weekend a month and also a 2 week training block in the year. Similar to what our army reserve do. Because national guard are mostly a domestic unit a lot of their training is generally focussed towards natural disasters, urban conflict and civil unrest.


So no, they aren't just some redneck with a gun who has no training.

Also you gotta consider that yeah there might be national guard who are just out of boot camp, but there will also be a lot of experienced soldiers there with decades of service in the guard. There are also a shit load of ex full timers as well.

I was involved in a joint exercise with some US National Guardsmen back in the early nineties. Logistics wise they were all up in it, but discipline & general soldiering was well below par compared to the Aussie equivalent. Obviously I only came into contact with a tiny percentage of that group & I imagine things have changed post 9/11. In saying that I wasn't blown away by the skills of average US regulars either. They seem to trawl the bottom echelon to pump the numbers.

 

[Misanthrope]

That's the US way. Keep 'em dumb & poor so that enlisting is the best way to pay off your debts and get health cover.

The US servicemen deployed in South Korea were among the most ill-disciplined, troublesome, and downright shitty individuals I met in Korea. I had more than one clash with them in Seoul. Even had to have one taken away by whatever you call the guys who keep them in line when they're off duty.

Airforce guys in Gwangju, on the other hand, were a lovely bunch.

 

[muzby]

and on the other side of the world, just over 3 hours till there is state sanctioned murder of 9 people...

such a strange world at the moment..

senses, me and the mrs sending you guys safe wishes..

and a silverback.

 

[Misanthrope]

Am I the only one who doesn't give a shit about the Bali 9?

We might not condone capital punishment here, but they knew the risks of importing drugs going in. Rehabilitated or no, they're being punished in accordance with local law.

I'll just be glad to stop hearing about it.

 

[Dutchy]

f**k em


should've been necked years ago

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

I'm no fan of the death penalty, but all 9 of them knew what they were getting themselves into and I feel very little sympathy for them.

 

[Drew-Sta]

I don't support the death penalty, but the journo porn going on right now is ridiculous. Sure, I'm sad they're dead. But they knew what they were getting themselves into.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

IMO the media is just trolling everyone. Reading through a lot of FB comments on news.com the vast majority of people don't care about the Bali 2. The media is just trying to get viewers by using a controversial viewpoint. Obviously the earthquake in Nepal and Baltimore riots are more pressing issues than 2 criminals.

In regards to the national guard, you can't judge their ability as soldiers by off duty behaviour, our soldiers are always getting in trouble on the piss.

But generally the U.S. military shit kickers are bottom of the barrel as far as intelligence goes, I have never met or trained with any national guard so I don't know what they are like first hand. I think their deployment in Baltimore is more a show of strength, a deterrent. 5000 soldiers on the street is enough to deter anyone from rioting. Plus integrating soldiers among police may make rioters think twice as they are pissed off with police and not soldiers.

 

[Skinner]

The United States is a borderline third-world country so you can't be too surprised.

I understand the sentiment, but that is a fairly big statement. Mind you, I suppose they execute their criminals as well....

 

[Twizzle]

This media circus in Bali is an embarrassment. The media have no scruples whatsoever.

Anything to sell newspapers.