Troops Will Carry General's 'Common Sense' Rules on Wallet-Size Cards

[Rose Siding]

American troops in Iraq are getting a new list of dos and don'ts on how to behave in the war zone from their top ground commander.

At a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday, the officer, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., briefly referred to the 11 rules he had issued on wallet-size laminated cards, after Representative Silvestre Reyes, a Texas Democrat, expressed concern that the American military might be underestimating the violent insurgency.

"Boy, that is something we watch every day," General Casey said. "To give you an example, I published 11 FAR's, call them Flat- Rules. And one of those FAR's is to be focused on the enemy and to be opportunistic."

General Casey's command has ordered 170,000 of the cards and 1,000 2-feet-by-3-feet posters emblazoned with the rules, which advise the 139,000 troops in Iraq on topics including learning Iraqi customs and searching for creative solutions to knotty problems.

......(list of rules follows)

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/politics/26cards.html?ex=1277438400&en=374ecc4c0227a564&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

[wakeme2008]

1. Good one for Bushie

Be patient. Don't rush to failure. :rofl:

[darkism]

2. "Do not connect prisoners to batteries"

[jobycom]

3. Weird. Not one of the rules advises troops on Iraqi customs

Aside from telling them to learn Iraqi customs.

[bpilgrim]

9. i don't think anyone knows them

but that seems to be SOP these days of the neoCONs :crazy:

peace

[daleo]

4. These hardly seem like great revelations.

"Let's see - should I treat people with respect? Oh, yeah it says to do so on this card here."

(the list, for those who have trouble with NYT links)

Make security and safety your first priorities.
Help the Iraqis win - don't win it for them.
Treat the Iraqi people with dignity and respect. Learn and respect Iraqi customs and cultures.
Maintain strict standards and iron discipline everyday. Risk assess every mission - no complacency!!
Information saves lives - share it and protect it.
Maintain your situational awareness at all times - this can be an unforgiving environment.
Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you.
Innovate and adapt - situations here don't lend themselves to cookie-cutter solutions.
Focus on the enemy and be opportunistic.
Be patient. Don't rush to failure.
Take care of yourself and take care of each other.

[saigon68]

15. Don't call the Natives "Sand Niggers or Rag Heads"

Don't put a Bag on the head of a handcuffed Native



Don't attach an electric wire to his Scrotum.



That would be a start

[Athame]

18. Thanks, daleo

I hate going to the NYT.

These are the biggest bunch of bullshit! Can't you just see the soldiers pulling out these cards for reference? These are mostly just meaningless phrases.

Focus on the enemy (who is the enemy?) and be opportunistic (kill 'em all and let G*d sort it out?)

this can be an unforgiving environment!!! :puke:

Almost as bad as the Pray-for-the-president cards they had at the beginning of the invasion.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. This list appears to missed .....

.... don't run with scissors. And look left and right before crossing. Also, no seat belt advice for the humvee drivers.

What crap.

[marbuc]

6. How about a similar list for Congressional Members?

Although common sense, sometimes they don't remember that they are not allowed to accept lobbyist paid trips. Sometimes they forget they're not allowed to launder money through bogus real estate deals. Sometimes they forget that they cannot accept a large contribution, and then turn around and vote against the public interest on behalf of that contributor. Sometimes they forget that it is highly unethical to accept money from gambling interests to finance anti-gambling campaigns in an effort to shut down a rival casino.

[jobycom]

10. Oh, brilliant post! Thanks. nt

[Straight Shooter]

7. Take care of your (crappy) equipment and (maybe) it will take care of you.

I bet a lot of soldiers couldn't help but laugh at that rule.

[truthisfreedom]

8. alrighty-then! how long did they wait to tell the troups that there are

rules of engagement? i guess this was the part of the pre-planning for the war that they overlooked, like protecting the hundreds of tons of explosives that are blowing our kids limb from limb every day.

[koopie57]

11. Hummm, I wonder

if these little pieces of plastic will help protect the soldiers from the bombs? Maybe the soldiers would have preferred a bullet proof vest or some better communication equipment, or anything but this insult.

[Doomy]

12. Kool Ade

on a card.

[fasttense]

13. They should add:

Don't torture prisoners or force them into your sexual fantasies.

[Thor_MN]

14. If they need spelled out for them on a card,

what are the odds of them being able to innovate and adapt? I keep telling the cat to learn to scoop his own litter each day and so far, nada.

Why not just buy them some motivational posters (from Haliburton Press at just $192,468 a pop)? Kitty hanging in a tree ought make things better...

[mbperrin]

16. OK, OK, look, if you wanta teach someone somethin' in English, but

their native tongue is Kat or anything else, you must speak S-L-O-W-L-Y and LOUDLY so that they understand! I see 'Murikans do this at airports all over the world, so it must work! ;)

[RedSock]

17. how thick are these cards?

maybe the troops will scotch tape them to the sides of their vehicles?

[Karla Marx]

19. Who needs armor

when you have a deck of cards?