To Kill or not to Kill.....

                              To Kill or Not to Kill

                                               By : Paul Bonnin Pfiffner

At the core of the law of armed conflict is the regulation of the use of force. Whilst we tend to concentrate today on what used to be called ‘Geneva’ law, that relating to the protection of victims of war, the traditional basis of the ‘law of war’ was the regulation of the conduct of hostilities. Whatever the legal niceties, war in the final analysis comes down to the regulated use of force. This regulation applies not just to the strategic level where senior commanders plan their campaigns but also to the tactical level where individual meets individual face to face. It is at this lower level that it is perhaps most essential to have clear rules so that the individual can act instinctively in accordance with the rules. If the rules are not clear, the risk of confusion and unlawful activity increases dramatically.

The changing nature of conflict over the last 20 years has been accompanied by similar changes in the legal frameworks relating to the spectrum of violence. Just as the traditional boundaries that have divided conflict into different types appear to have broken down, so the legal regimes have merged into one another with not altogether satisfactory results.

The ancient distinction between ‘war’ and ‘peace’ began to collapse after the end of the Second World War. War had always been considered to be the prerogative of States. Internal conflict was not a matter for international concern and was subject solely to domestic law. However, in 1949, when a Diplomatic Conference was examining and reformulating the earlier Geneva Conventions of 1929, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)—with remarkable foresight—pushed for them to be extended from international to non-international armed conflict. This was a step too far for States and the end result was a single article.

The Political brainwashing of the Media.

An article of how the media brain washes the public into a political turmoil turning religions and belief's into one big misunderstanding.....

> Today the realms of politics, commercial advetising, and news and entertainment media are surrounded by all methods of persuasion-techniques to make people believe either on conscious or unconscious levels.

This fact, shall not come as a surprise that ‘mind control’ is a conspiracy theory orchestrated concept but rather a well-researched fact amongst the social psychologists. However, the phenomenon of mind control is processed by a number of dynamic systematic functions under the category of Persuasion techniques.

The phenomenon of mind control is not a lay notion with simple and plain connotations. It operates at the heart of “attitude” of an individual or a group. In social psychology, “attitude” is the nucleus force that influences our behavior (towards something) and in order for someone to influence our behavior, they shall have the knowledge and the ability to influence our attitude and bring a change in it. This change could be well achieved by the application of diverse range of persuasion techniques.

Among such persuasion techniques, the technique which is broadly applied by the news (either print or electronic) media and the politicians currently is known as “Social Inoculation Theory”. Although, this theory is applied for many other reasons by even multinational corporations in order to gain competitive advantage over their competitors. However, nowadays this theory is simultaneously being used extensively by the corporate media to manipulate people’s attitude towards Islam, Muslims and particular group of Muslims which resist any sort of occupation or oppression being imposed upon them (either tangible or intangible).

“Social inoculation Theory” was devised after a study carried out by Hovland and his colleagues during the Second World War, working in the U.S. Army’s Information and Education Division. They analyzed if one sided or two sided messages were more effective in pursuing the audiences. Soon after the defeat of the Nazis in the World War II, their objective was to convince the American troops that the war would continue for next two years, due to the conflict with Japan. During the study, some soldiers were presented with one-sided messages, which didn’t include any opposing views, while the others were presented with the two-sided messages which not only mentioned the opposing view-points but also refuted them. It was concluded that the one-sided message worked better for those that believed that the war is far from being over, while the two-sided messages remained effective with those that initially believed that with Nazis’ defeat war would soon end. Furthermore, the two-sided message along with the refutation (of the opposing view-points) led to develop the sense of “inoculation” among the troops, which prevented them to be susceptible to any unwanted propaganda (from the opposing sides) and in response resist to it. (Hovland, Lumsdaine, Sheffield, 1949)

Later William McGuire developed this inoculation approach to persuasion to counter the Soviet’s propaganda being thrown at the American people. McGuire argued that people become susceptible to propaganda when they are nurtured in a society which overly-protects them from experiencing and confronting anything that is considered as a threat to culturally shared beliefs. Therefore, a certain amount of exposure to the other perspective and later to its refutation can help them resist and guard themselves from the out-side ideologies and practices.

The analogy for this theory was inspired from the field of medicine. It is observed that in order to inoculate people against a certain virus, they are injected with a very small amount of that particular virus, as a result the body can be inoculated against the virus and the immune system of the body starts to resist it (McGuire, 1999; McGuire & Papageorgis, 1961).

The primary purpose to devise this theory was to strengthen the mental resistance among the people towards any particular object (i.e. either people, idea, individual, belief system or a certain socio-political and economic system), however by not by merely sending a one sided propaganda message, rather by sending a two sided message which would be based on providing certain limited amount of message or opinion from the second end and then attempting to refute it, thereby strengthening and reinforcing the resistance in the audiences or the masses. Similarly, we learnt that this approach was used in order to prevent the American people from the propaganda of the soviets and the communists by inoculating them (make them resist) against any such identical political or economic ideologies.

The premise or rational well thought out behind such persuasive approach is this that it would give the impression to the audiences that they are inclining to a much objective, rational and a broadminded approach (Bohner et al., 2003).While on the other hand the impression being mentally orchestrated by the audiences is solely dependent upon the sender of the information, i.e. to what extent is the sender (of the information) manipulating the message either by providing a true picture of the situation or exploiting the information or the message to meet their (sender’s) own interests.

However, when “social inoculation theory” is applied in the context of changing the attitude of the people towards Islam in order to give rise to a psychological resistance against it, we reach a conclusion without any doubt that the campaign of such attempts are based on providing “an exploited two sided message” about Islam and the Muslims driven by the Zionist corporate media and a certain segment of Western politicians, which are no true representation or reflection of the authentic or true teachings of Islam and rather a delicately crafted “fantasy” and a “hoax” to be inculcated into the audiences mind, so that they either consciously or unconsciously continue to fear Islam as a belief or a way of living of almost 1.3 billion + people on this earth.

The application of “social inoculation theory” can be highlighted in some potential news report, for instance considering the recent ban by the French Government over the use of Hijab. Declaring that “it is against the state’s secular values”, which according to the theory is a one-sided message (in a news-report), and later the Muslim women using it respond that “it preserves their dignity and honor” (makes it a two-sided message in a news report) and finally the refutation of the women’s response with the statement, that “men and women are both equal and free” (in the news report by either the news reporter or some analysts) would help in inoculating the audiences against the women’s justification that used the Hijab.

The second most famous strategy in the international news media and the political dimension against Islam is known as the “repetition technique” or as the more renowned “mere-exposure effect” technique. Although, this technique is overwhelmingly popular in the commercial advertising it has proved to be an effective catalyst for those that wish to manipulate audience’s perception about Muslims, Islam and the population belonging to Islam being oppressed in certain parts of the world and to deceive the audience from the truth of their causes such as the movements in Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan, region of the Caucus, and etc.

The “mere-exposure effect” persuasion technique consists of persuading the audience through the method of presenting a particular message either in graphic or verbal or in combined ways by constantly repeating them either at a particular duration of time, or at no fixed time durations. However, the most important factor given fundamental consideration in the technique is the specific message and the particular image that needs to be portrayed regarding a certain thing (people, things and ideas) and which will need to be constantly repeated, so that the audiences are inculcated with the message to an extent that it affects their attitude regarding a certain thing in conscious and unconscious ways as the sender desires.  The technique doesn’t guarantee desired affects across all the audiences, therefore, some audiences that already hold a strong contrary opinion to the one which is being presented in the message are likely to reject it. Therefore, we observe that many people (although being non-Muslim) in various societies are not affected by the constant propaganda methods of the western media which attempts to malign Muslims or Islam or generalize Muslims to be as “violent or terrorist”.

Another preferred technique used in simultaneous combination with the “mere-exposure effect” is the “classical conditioning/associative learning” a learning technique discovered and studied by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist and a 1904 Nobel Prize Winner for his study of the physiology of dogs digestive system. (Ivan Pavlov- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1904)

The “classical conditioning” consists of identifying a neutral stimulus (object) for which an individual doesn’t have any certain feeling or neutrally responds toward, and later it is presented or associated with another stimulus (object) towards which an individual responds, and then continuously repeating them, until the similar nature of response (for the neutral stimulus) is achieved which is shown or displayed for another stimulus or object. For e.g. consider this technique in our example with combination of the “mere-exposure effect”, we see that in the post 9/11 world the media has associated the terms like “radical, extremists, terrorist and fundamentalists” with Muslims and Islam, we know that any common person would have a negative mental image to the words like radical, extremists and terrorists, however, when associating them with Muslims and Islam on constant and repetitive basis it leads an individual or audiences to associate the negative mental image with Muslims and Islam and this process is repeated to the extent which ultimately leads the terms or the images to be perceived interchangeably, i.e. Muslims as the Terrorists, or Terrorists as the Muslims.

Moreover, the constant and repetitive display of bearded or face covered men battling against the U.S. & NATO Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, women either in Hijab or veil protesting against wars or oppressions against Muslims or women in veil/hijab from Muslim countries are a display of the brilliant application of the mere-exposure effect in combination with the “classical conditioning” to misinform the world against the Muslims and Islam.

This combined technique alike the previous one (social inoculation theory) is used in order to make people believe that Islam, Muslims and their constant cry of just causes all around the world are nothing but a grave threat to the global peace. Therefore, this technique doesn’t come to us as a surprise, when we switch on our televisions, log onto internets and tune into our radios to get some news and perceive the same old fabricated terms for Muslims such as “radical Islamic, Islamic extremists, Muslim Fundamentalists, Wahabbism and etc” either when the matter pertaining to the Muslims is of a social or a political concern.

However, thorough investigation of such attempts to malign Islam and Muslims could help in formally identifying the western media’s and political arena’s objectives. We could reach a conclusion with certainty that the objective of such propaganda and persuasion is to make the audiences which are not aware of the message of Islam, and its commandments’ wisdom to deceive them of the beauty of its message and to prevent people from embracing it as their way of life, to further deceive the people so that they don’t resist their own governments to stop their oppression against Muslims and to ultimately prevent the rise of Islam as a present age compatible socio-political and economic system anywhere in the world.

Yet the massive audiences shall remember that they are not completely restricted to initiate their pursuit of truth. People must try to understand that there are many credible sources on the internet, neighborhoods and the libraries which could help in their learning and orientation of Islam and in breaking the very connotation about Islam which is articulated by the biased factions of Media and the Political circles.

The best way and the first step approach is to be willing and motivated to get a copy of the Qur’an (translated in their native language) to study it and familiarize their minds with its message so that it allows them to learn about Islam and its commandments’ wisdom within its context. Secondly, the access to world famous Islamic orators on websites such as YouTube is a great treasure for those that wish to learn about Islam, orators like Dr. Zakir Naik, Bilal Abu Aminnah Phillips, Dr. Muhammad Salah (from Egypt), Abdul Raheem Green, Dr. Jamal Badawi, Yusuf Estes, and others are a great start for anyone to learn about Islam. Moreover, websites such as http://www.islam-qa.com is a comprehensive source (run by Dr. Shaykh Muhammad As-Salah Munnajid) to learn about Islam from the context of sound teachings of Islam, respectively the Qur’an and the authentic ahadith are a treasure for the beginners and well-learned on Islam alike. Another place for the beginners to  learn about Islam is Islam Tomorrow , Chat Islam or What Islam . Simultaneously, the people ought to consider reading too and that too from the credible authors that are presenting the truth about Islam and not individuals or people that come as a lay authority on Islam and misrepresent the religion to the people, so that they can liberate their minds from being controlled to seek a free thought.

Last, however not the least people need to consider going to diverse sources for a different perspective on the news of developing events, enabling them to get a complete background of the events and thereby empowering them with the choice to freely discern between the truth and falsehood in it.

Finally, the detailed explanations made in our discussion can be presented in the eloquence of the Qur’an to cease our argument, to shed our despair and to enlighten our hopes.

“And they (disbelievers) plotted, and Allâh planned too. And Allâh is the Best of the planners.” (Qur’an, Al-e-Imran, Chapter 3, Ayat/Verse-54)

“They (the disbelievers) want to extinguish Allâh’s Light with their mouths, but Allâh will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though thedisbelievers hate (it).” (Qur’an, Taubah, Chapter 9, Ayat/Verse-32

The causes of Poverty In 3rd World Nations

 By: Paul Pfiffner


Today’s world is divided in to three parts. The first part includes superpowers such as United States of America, China and Britain which are controlling the world. Next
 

group are the developing countries which are being supported by the superpowers. For example South Korea is being supported bye U.S.A. The last part is known as the 3rd world countries like Iran, Iraq and Turkey. These countries are suffering from many problems such as high population, sanctions and above all poverty. Although almost all of these countries have lots of human potential and oil resources but they still face indigence. The main cause of this matter is colonization, none existence of paying attention to the health issues and finally low culture.
Colonization is the main reason that 3rd world countries are suffering poverty. For many years these countries have been invaded by the foreigners such as Russians British and French. In fact colonization is still continuing in these countries but in a different ways such as spreading democracy and overthrowing the dictator and dangerous regimes. The main way to obtain these goals is war and military action in the name of giving freedom to the people’s of these countries. The best example would be Iraq’s war and Afghanistan war. These wars are not beneficial for the nations but and have lots of damages and losses. The worst war’s damage is poverty. History shows that whenever wars take place poverty and economic depressions are the main result of them. Furthermore, colonization causes racism in 3rd world countries. For instance, French induced racism in Rwanda .They have separated the people to the two groups of Hutu and Tutsi .This racism still exists therefore there is no unity among people which causes many problems, and the main one is poverty. Because wherever there is no unity among the nation that country would not improve and fall behind. Another effect of colonization on appearing poverty in 3rd world countries is dispute in multicultural communities. Westerners always tried to make controversy among the multicultural communities to retard them which in the end result in poverty.
The second cause of penury is none existence of paying attention to the health issues .In 3rd world countries number of sick people is always increasing because of wrong decisions related to the welfare problems and lack of a well-ordered schedule for vaccination and eradication of diseases. For example in Pakistan the health programs are more focused on curing rather than prevention. In addition most of the 3rd world communities are unaware of the infectious diseases such as AIDS. Hence a lot of money is spent on the health issues without any effective results. In the end the governments will end up with a more infected people and a lot of wasted money which also causes poverty.
The last cause of poverty in these kinds of countries is that a huge majority of people’s culture is low and week i.e. people do not have a correct perception how to improve and what is best for them. In most cases this happens because of extremism in religion .For example in Iraq people instead of being united and trying to move to the better future ,support terrorist groups because they believe that these groups are fighting against the God’ enemy. This will change nothing but making the invasion time longer .Another problem is that people in these countries are used to be consumers rather than a producers. Therefore they spend a lot of money on consuming and importing goods from other countries .This might not be bad for them in short term but in long term it will cause a terrible loss and poverty for the country.
3rd world poverty has a lot of causes like colonizing, health issues and cultural problems. Any countries that suffer these factors or even one of them usually face poverty. In my opinion issue of poverty in 3rd world countries will be more complicated and acute unless the world unite and help these countries to uproot poverty.

Who are the Basques ?

                                                     By: Paul Pfiffner


The Basquesare a group of people living in the area of northern Spain and southern France. The Basquesare a distinct ethnic group, although they have genetic similarities to many Portuguese, Britons, French, Irish, and Spaniards.
The modern-day Basquesare thought to be holdouts of the early people of Western Europe, most of whom were exterminated or enveloped by early conquerors. Various Basque tribes, notably the Aquitani and Vascones, were mentioned by Roman writers. The Basque region was known as Vasconia during the Middle Ages, and was eventually divided during the time of Charlemagne into two distinct kingdoms, the Kingdom of Pamplona and the Kingdom of Castille. The Kingdom of Castille annexed a great deal of the Basque territory from the 11th to 16th centuries, and this land eventually became a part of Spain. The rest of the Basque territory would become part of France.
The Basquesare fiercely self-deterministic, and many are part of a movement claiming sovereignty throughout the Basque region. The Basquesspeak their own language, have their own radio and newspapers, have their own educational system, and continue to embrace a culture spanning thousands of years.
During the Spanish Civil war, the Basquesjoined in with the Separatist movements, hoping to at last have total autonomy. When Franco defeated the Separatists, however, the Basqueswere reassimilated into the Spanish government. Since then, however, a number of reforms have taken place, granting the Basquessteadily more and more autonomy, even while they remain a part of Spain and France. The Basqueshave been granted the right to speak Euskara, to run their own schools, and to practice their own culture.
At the same time, many Basquessee the perceived continued occupation of their homeland as a great injustice. The ETA, a Basque separatist group, or terrorist group according to the US State Department and other governmental bodies, continues to fight for complete autonomy. The Basquesconvene their own Parliament, and in both 2002 and 2006 this Parliament reasserted their right to self-determination.
Ancient Basquesare thought to have worshiped the goddess Mari, and ancient Basque culture was thought to be largely matriarchal. The old Basque religion also included a number of mythical figures, including nymphs, giants, genies, and supernatural beings that supposedly built the stone circles that dot the landscape. Since the advent of Christianity, the Basqueshave historically been almost entirely Roman Catholic, and a number of prominent saints, including Francis Xavier, have been of Basque origin. In fact, the founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius Loyola, was a Basque. In recent years, however, religious attendance has fallen off dramatically, echoing similar shifts in the larger region.
The Basquesare well-known for their close ties to their land and their families. Many Basque surnames are derived from the names for traditional Basque farms,  giving an immediate tie to the land the people hail from. Inheritance in Basque culture traditionally places a premium on keeping land together, passing it all on to the oldest son. This is one reason why so many Basques, mostly younger men, made their way out into the larger world to seek their fortunes.

The Jupiter discoveries

                                  The Jupiter Discoveries

                                                       By: Paul B. Pfiffner

BERKELEY — Skygazers here are watching one of Jupiter's dark brown stripes that faded out last spring slowly regain its color, tipped off by an amateur astronomer from the central Philippines.

In early November, amateur astronomer Christopher Go of Cebu City observed a prominent bright spot in the unusually whitened belt, piquing the interest of professional and amateur astronomers around the world. Amateur astronomers had earlier noticed that the long-standing stripe, known as the South Equatorial Belt (SEB) just south of Jupiter's equator, had turned white.

Now astronomers can observe a rare and mysterious phenomenon caused by the planet's winds and cloud chemistry, thanks to Go, of the Physics Department of the University of San Carlos.

After follow-up observations with NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, the 10-meter Keck telescope and the 8-meter Gemini telescope, all atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and elsewhere now believe the stripe is making a comeback.

Astronomers announced first-glimpse images of the reappearing stripe Nov. 24.

"The reason Jupiter seemed to `lose' this band – camouflaging itself among the surrounding white bands – is that the usual downwelling winds that are dry and keep the region clear of clouds died down," said Glenn Orton, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "One of the things we were looking for in the infrared was evidence that the darker material appearing in visible light was actually the start of clearing in the cloud deck, and that is precisely what we saw."

This white cloud deck is made up of white ammonia ice. When the white clouds float at a higher altitude, they obscure the view of the lower brown clouds. Every few decades or so, the South Equatorial Belt turns completely white for perhaps one to three years, an event that has puzzled scientists for decades. This extreme change in appearance has only been seen with the South Equatorial Belt, making it unique to Jupiter and to the entire solar system.

The bright storm that Go observed in the faded belt was quite unusual, said Imke de Pater, UC Berkeley professor of astronomy.

"At infrared wavelengths, images in reflected sunlight show that the spot is a tremendously energetic `outburst,' a vigorous storm that reaches extreme high altitudes," de Pater said. "The storms are surrounded by darker areas, bluish-grey in the visible, indicative of `clearings' in the cloud deck."

"I was fortunate to catch the outburst," Go said. "I had a meeting that evening, and it went late. I caught the outburst just in time as it was rising. Had I imaged earlier, I would not have caught it."

Go witnessed the disappearance of the stripe earlier this year, and in 2007 he was the first to catch the stripe's return. "I was able to catch it early this time around because I knew exactly what to look for," he said.

To confirm the presence of such clearings, the team obtained data at longer wavelengths (5 micron) sensitive to thermal emission from Jupiter's deep atmosphere. These data confirm that the visibly dark material indeed is being seen through holes in the cloud deck, "perhaps signaling the start of the SEB revival," added Orton.

The white band wasn't the only change on the big, gaseous planet. At the same time, Jupiter's Great Red Spot became a darker red color. Orton said the color of the spot – a giant storm on Jupiter that is three times the size of Earth and a century or more older – will likely brighten a bit again as the SEB makes its comeback.

The SEB underwent a slight brightening, known as a "fade," just as NASA's New Horizons spacecraft was flying by on its way to Pluto in 2007. Then there was a rapid "revival" of its usual dark color three to four months later. The last full fade and revival was a double-header event, starting with a fade in 1989, revival in 1990, then another fade and revival in 1993. Similar events have been captured visually and photographically back to the early 20th century, and they are likely to be a long-term phenomenon in Jupiter's atmosphere.

Scientists are particularly interested in this event because it's the first time they've been able to use modern instruments to determine the details of the chemical and dynamical changes of this phenomenon.

"These observations may help to unravel the mystery of why this transition occurs, and may allow us to understand the longevity of Jupiter's belt/zone structure," added Leigh Fletcher, a scientist at Oxford University in England.

The event also signifies another close collaboration between professional and amateur astronomers. The amateurs, located worldwide, are often well equipped with instrumentation and are able to track the rapid developments of planets in the solar system. These amateurs are collaborating with professionals to further study the changes that are of great value to scientists and researchers everywhere.

Since the discovery of the first spot, there have been several more outbreaks of varying strengths. The SEB revival is happening fast, with violent eruptions, de Pater said.

Observing this event carefully may help to refine the scientific questions that will be posed by NASA's Juno spacecraft, due to arrive at Jupiter in 2016, and a larger mission to orbit Jupiter and explore its satellite Europa after 2020.

The observations were conducted by a large team of observers around the world. At UC Berkeley, the following researchers are involved: Imke de Pater, Michael Wong, James Graham, Shelley Wright and Franck Marchis. More observations at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths.

The Military Rules of Engagement

In his article Spinning Haditha, Marine W. Thomas Smith made the following sad but prophetic observation:

… every student of military science understands the ugly nature of insurgencies; where insurgents are un-uniformed, unconventional fighters who move freely throughout the community during the day, and become bushwhackers at night. They routinely use women and children as human shields, and often coerce the latter into the service of operating guerrillas.
This is particularly effective against U.S. forces, because the enemy knows that no matter how much stress they may be under, American soldiers will go to great lengths to avoid killing women and children; and even hesitate (at great risk to themselves) when they see women and children shooting at them.

I followed on to predict that charges of civilian casualties and inappropriate rules of engagement would become a staple of enemy propaganda, that rules of engagement would be modified, and that U.S. troops would become increasingly hesitant to fire on the enemy. Every one of these predictions has come true.
As discussed in Newsweek’s expose on Marine Captain Rob Secher, Captain Secher wrote home that “any time an American fires a weapon there has to be an investigation into why there was an escalation of force.”
In my article Unleash the Snipers!, I noted that Marines in Ramadi have noted the hindrance the rules of engagement have become to their missison:

The military has also tightened rules of engagement as the war has progressed, toughening the requirements before a sniper may shoot an Iraqi. Potential targets must be engaged in a hostile act, or show clear hostile intent.
The marines say insurgents know the rules, and now rarely carry weapons in the open. Instead, they pose as civilians and keep their weapons concealed in cars or buildings until just before they need them. Later, when they are done shooting, they put them swiftly out of sight and mingle with civilians.

In my article Racoon Hunting and the Battle for Anbar, I noted that Marines from Fallujah report that:

“A lot of us feel like we have our hands tied behind our back,�? says Cpl. Peter Mattice, of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment. “In Fallujah, [insurgents] know our [rules of engagement] – they know when to stop, just before we engage.�?

Most recently, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who interviewed PGA golf professionals on a tour of Iraq to entertain the troops, we have this sobering report directly from the front:

“One guy told me, ‘I’m hesitant to do the job I was trained for. I don’t want to return fire because I might be on CNN the next day.’ That’s sad. That’s a guy risking his life for us. He doesn’t want his family to see him on CNN being portrayed the way those guys are being portrayed.”
“He said, ‘The hardest thing for a soldier to do, despite all his training, is to return fire when he is fired upon,’ ” Kelly said. “It shows the smallness of the position I’m in, comparably speaking. Fear of failure (in golf) and fear of death, come on, there’s no comparison.”

For those who know about the confused ROE, this should not be surprising. As noted by Newsmax, Rules of Engagement: Can Our Troops Defend Themselves?, the vaccilating and politically correct ROE are described as having changed to the point that our troops are afraid of defending themselves:

Well before the conflict in Iraq and up until apparently this past summer, U.S. combat troops found comforting words in the ROE for the individual fighter facing an unpredictable enemy, seeking to kill him or her through any trick or stratagem:
“Nothing in these ROE limit an individual soldier’s right to defend himself or a commander’s inherent authority and obligation to use all necessary means available and to take appropriate action to defend his unit and other U.S. and friendly forces in the vicinity.”
And these words for the unit leader:
“These rules do not limit a commander’s inherent authority and obligation to use all necessary means available and to take all appropriate actions in self-defense of the commander’s unit and other U.S. forces in the vicinity.”
However, the new standard ROE promulgated this past summer (CJCSI 3121.01B) has individual self-defense described as a subset of unit self-defense.
Furthermore, the new regulation ominously adds some specific wording that says, “as such, commanders may limit the individual right of self-defense.”
One informed source, a former military lawyer, noted to NewsMax that with the new language in place it is problematic to tell soldiers during their training that they have an inherent right to defend themselves. Indeed, the new rule can only add to the bewilderment and suspicion with which some soldiers regard ROE.

Analysis and Commentary
From the beginning of a Marine’s time in the Corps, to the last day that he is active, he lives with the concepts of “fire watch” and “guardian angel.” When Marines are sleeping, deployed on a base, or any other time they are not actively engaged in operations, a “fire watch” is set up, and Marines rotate through this duty. This is a defensive posture, taken twenty four hours a day. The guardian angel is supposed to locate to a position of concealment in order to move in offensive operations against any enemy who would do harm to Marines. Defensive and offensive postures – the two go hand-in-hand and are employed at all times.
The Marine is taught that he is always free to defend himself and other Marines. The protection of Marines is thought- and activity-consuming and is paramount in their tactics. Fast forward to Iraq and current ROE. Now he is taught that commanders may limit the right of individual self-defense. If there were only one or two anecdotal pieces of evidence that Soldiers and Marines felt hamstrung and confused by the current ROE, then this might point to a problem.
I have given the broad outline of a change in ROE, along with four such pieces of anecdotal evidence, and this is only from main stream media reports. Further, while orders flow down in the military, complaints flow up. If Captain Secher felt this way (noting that any time a weapon is fired, an investigation has to be conducted), it is extremely likely that his men felt this way. There certainly is a problem.
Consider the psychology of the warrior. Even if not a single Soldier or Marine had died as a result of hesitation due to ROE (that is, even if this danger is only potential and has not become actualized), the psychology of fear has set in. Not fear of the enemy, but fear of firing a weapon. This fear can cause hesitation, and even the enemy knows the U.S. ROE and can and has taken advantage of them. Hence, there is increased danger for our troops, and they know it.
What we need are robust rules of engagement. What we have are confused Soldiers and Marines, afraid to fire their weapons.

Americas newest infantry rifle " Magpul Masada"

he Masada rifle was developed by US-based company Magpul Industries,which became famous for its line of aftermarket accessories and replacement parts for firearms. Work on the new modular rifle, suitable for civilian, police and military applications and designed more or less along the lines of the SCAR program commenced in 2006. First prototypes were shown to the public in 2007 at ShotShow, and early in 2008 it was announced that new rifle (previously known as Masada) willbe mass produced by famous American gun-making company Bushmaster Firearms. Current plans are to introduce civilian and police(semi-automatic) versions in mid-2009, with military select-fire version scheduled for production in late 2009. It is also planned to introduce Masada / BushmasterACR rifles in 5.56mm / .223 Rem caliber; other calibers might followlater. Magpul also is developing a 7.62x51 / .308 Win version of the Masada / ACR rifle, provisionally known as Masoud. It is still in early development and no information is available on its date of release to the public.

The Masada/ BushmasterACR rifle is gas operated, semi-automatic or selective-fired (Military version only) weapon of modular design. It utilizes aluminum allo yupper receiver, with polymer pistol grip / trigger / magazine housing(lower receiver) unit which is attached to the upper receiver using cross-pins. Various types of  lower receivers are planned to accommodate different types of magazines (i.e. Ar-15 type magazines as opposed to AK-type magazines). The trigger / manual safety unit is made as a single removable item, and it mostly utilizes Ar-15-compatible parts. The barrels of ACR / Masada are quick-detachable, with short-stroke gas pistons attached to each barrel. To remove the barrel(for change, inspection or maintenance), user has to remove polymer handguards, then swing down the wire lever, located below the barrel,turn the barrel to unlock and pull it forward and out of the receiver.All barrels are free-floated within handguards to achieve consistent accuracy. Bolt group also is made as a single unit, with captive return spring and rotary multi-lug bolt which locks directly to the barrel breech. The standard magazine housing, which is suited to accept Ar-15 type magazines, has ambidextrous magazine release buttons. The ambidextrous bolt stop release button is located at the front of the triggerguard. Safety lever is also ambidextrous, and charging handle can be installed on either side of the gun, depending on user preferences. Depending on the version (or user preferences) ACR /Masada rifle can be equipped with various Magpul-made buttstocks, fixedor side-folding, and adjustable for length of pull (some also with adjustable cheek rest). Each Masada/ BushmasterACR rifle gas integral Picatinny rail on the top of the receiver;additional accessory rails can be installed on forend according to user preferences. Masada / BushmasterACR rifle can be fitted with removable iron sights, and/or with any optical or night sight  with appropriate mounting.

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