Comments on: The Largest Marine Operation Since Vietnam

By: Occupying Afghanistan Sounds Like Fun! [Tea Party] | Online Gossip

Occupying Afghanistan Sounds Like Fun! [Tea Party] | Online Gossip — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:02:00 +0000

[...] “You’re going to drink lots of tea. You’re going to eat lots of goat. Get to know the people. That’s the reason why we’re here.” -Brig. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson to officers from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. [...]

By: Endy

Endy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:26:03 +0000

One organizer per 100,000 residents is the standard ratio for community organizing when all you need to do is build the org(More staff can be added when you need to mobilize the community, and can be recruited locally). You also want a Directorate for coordinating multiple communities, optimally within State or Provincial lines for legal and cultural ease; this should be two or three people, with technical support staff (telecommuting possible but not encouraged). The same can be repeated on the National level. You'll want to hire and place staff one layer at a time, starting with the highest level of coordination you know you'll need: so first a couple of field staff for the whole country, then a couple of field staff for each territory to be organized(in this case just 1: Helmand) then a field organizer for every 100,000 residents. This is how Obama won the Presidency.
Thus I can estimate that the population of Helmand is approximately 800,000, assuming all technical staff is kept safely out of the country and therefore not included in your dozen.

By: Swami_Binkinanda

Swami_Binkinanda — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:29:33 +0000

Whaaat? Telling our people not to go on some kind of sociopathic mad killing spree of racist and religiously bigoted destruction? How is that going to placate the conservatives like Cheney?

By: Brave New Wave - Children of a Lesser Revolution Brave New Wave Marine Commander to Troops in Afghanistan : ‘You’re Going to Drink Lots of Tea’

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:59:06 +0000

[...] The Largest Marine Operation Since Vietnam [Washington Independent] [...]

By: Turn Your Lonely Eyes To Afghanistan For A Moment « Around The Sphere

Turn Your Lonely Eyes To Afghanistan For A Moment « Around The Sphere — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:29:37 +0000

[...] Spencer Ackerman posts, here and here. Ackerman: While I’m inclined to agree with the argument that a counterinsurgency [...]