Thoughts on the Chattanooga shooting
Jul. 22nd, 2015 09:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chris_gerribI think everybody's heard of the shooting of five sailors and Marines at two recruiting centers in Chattanooga. Herewith, some thoughts.
1) Although I'm saddened by the shooting, why do these five individuals merit the flying of flags at half-staff and the thousands killed in Iraq and Afghanistan did not?
2) I notice various citizens standing self-appointed guard at recruiting centers. Given that we run about one shooting at a recruiting center every other year, and that there are thousands of such centers in the US, how long does anybody think these guards will be on station? Or what real effect the guards will have?
3) I am enthusiastically in favor of letting troops have weapons to defend themselves. However, if the first indication of a problem is you taking a round in the chest, your list of tactical solutions is very short. Even if you don't get shot, surprise attacks by your enemy will always be difficult to overcome.
ETA 3a) At the second location, the one where everybody was killed, two soldiers were armed and returned fire. Neither individual was able to stop the shooter.
4) Recruiting centers, by the nature of what they do, are soft targets and can't really be secured. They are also legitimate military targets.
5) As with much of the current "War on Terrorism" (tm), killing Arabs in Iraq does not seem to prevent Americans from launching attacks in America. Perhaps we should re-evaluate our approach to the problem.
1) Although I'm saddened by the shooting, why do these five individuals merit the flying of flags at half-staff and the thousands killed in Iraq and Afghanistan did not?
2) I notice various citizens standing self-appointed guard at recruiting centers. Given that we run about one shooting at a recruiting center every other year, and that there are thousands of such centers in the US, how long does anybody think these guards will be on station? Or what real effect the guards will have?
3) I am enthusiastically in favor of letting troops have weapons to defend themselves. However, if the first indication of a problem is you taking a round in the chest, your list of tactical solutions is very short. Even if you don't get shot, surprise attacks by your enemy will always be difficult to overcome.
ETA 3a) At the second location, the one where everybody was killed, two soldiers were armed and returned fire. Neither individual was able to stop the shooter.
4) Recruiting centers, by the nature of what they do, are soft targets and can't really be secured. They are also legitimate military targets.
5) As with much of the current "War on Terrorism" (tm), killing Arabs in Iraq does not seem to prevent Americans from launching attacks in America. Perhaps we should re-evaluate our approach to the problem.
