February 27, 2013

• My Life as a Murderer

  I have an admission to make-I am a murderer. I haven’t gone on some rampage shooting random people but, if we are to look at intention, then I am a murderer. It is an odd arising in me. I am, for the most part, pacifistic. I mean this not just in materialized practice (I don’t cause any wars) but also in my intellectual belief (that it is the only conclusion that I can come to as a policy once I apply reason). And yet, despite this, against both of these aspects of my cultivated self there arises in me, at times, a strange plotting that confuses me and, possibly, shows signs of a preceding (previous life even) predilections.

  When I was in India I went to teaching on Buddhist thought. For two weeks the Dalai Lama taught on the roots of Compassion and Wisdom (Bodhichitta for those who know what that means). It was in the Himalayan foot hills amidst the alpine pines where the former British elite used to garrison soldiers and take their leisure.

  The hill (mountain in America) that Mcleod Ganj is located is, from a distance knife like at the top and then tapers only to the front. Both sides of this town are steep nearly cliffsides that fall off into river valleys that resemble depressions caused by a giant axe stroke.

  When I walked from the bottom of Mcleod Ganj in a town called Dharamsala and climbed up the tapered front to Mcleod Ganj my mind immediately went to ‘defense’. I could see it. Two view points on the opposite sides of the valley from Mcleod Ganj to view those sides for intrepid invasion also a third set of eyes if we include the front of Mcleod Ganj, to view the valley as it comes to the hills.

  If attacked in a normal way have hidden forces both to the right and left, small forces, probably horsed if we are talking pre-gunpowder (my mind does dual calculations for both eras). If frontal attack, as would be the norm, the other ways around are the Himalayas and impassable cliff faces. Allow them to, if they are in force, to come up the mountain with enough resistance to give the impression that they are making progress on their own. Once they reach the kill zone (space that has been cleared of trees from the walls usually to the extent of bow shot or rifle shot) release cavalry from one hidden side hill to flank the attackers. Hold the other in reserve for surprises like them reserving a group to flank the flanking cavalry.

  Abnormal way-to use the extremely steep sides of the opposite valley walls. Send out sortie to engage any who get past the watchtower, slowly fall back to walls. Watchtower to flank as they pass, or, if they are engaged, send large sortie group to flank from front of Walls with remaining forces to hold walls.

  Repeat on the other side.

  I could see why the British chose this place as a hill garrison and a place to feast their elite. The defense is easy. Water from the Himalayas that is safe from tampering, storage for food stuff, also, even the tops of this hill are arable thus can hold out almost indefinitely.

  How to attack? Small force around watchtowers up the Himalayas, flank the town. No walls in this direction. Use their walls as against them as it hems them in. Start a fire to blaze down the back of their town, then push against the front with infantry. Soldiers will have to deal with chaos, firefighting, and fighting. Hold reserve groups to hold off flanking of infantry, wait until fire does its damage, continue with a holding position. Use the strengths of the fort to its disadvantage. Will not be able to wait out the invasion.

  Defense?

  Cut back forest on the back side, make a moat that can be doubled as a fire break and identify a fire brigade that is civilian based so soldiers can focus on war.

  …....

  I read about the Iraq war and eventually stopped. I didn’t like what my mind was doing.

  Fallujah

  In defense earthen ‘speed’ bumps made of dirt and rubble. Expose vulnerable underside of armor to RPG attack. Dig holes in thoroughfares and fill with oil, cover with flammable rubble. As armor falls into pits, or gets paused by the, set fire-metal is highly conductive to heat. Normal small arms fire for when soldiers appear. If they bring in heavy armor (large Abraham tanks) and oil is scarce, randomly make oil pits, to increase fear, tunnel our beyond the perimeter as much as possible. It allows for soldiers to walk over but any heavier weight will make tunnel collapse. Reduce advantage of armor. Why are the tunnels used for slowing armor and not soldiers? Humans can get out of hole better than a vehicle. Also, we have to think about escape. Need escape routes in the dark that are easier for soldiers to get out. If interspersed with holes caused by collapsing tunnels then the break up is good for stealth. If too much then it can be used against soldiers as a place to defend.

  Against shells? Dig, dig, dig. Use WW1 trench techniques.

  Offense?

  While attacking with so much armor advantage. Use bulldozers or their equivalent to raise defensible bulkheads. Go at small intervals with interspersed bulldozers (if it proves that there are collapsable tunnels) to limit armors loss. Shell consistently at closer and closer range as moving bulkheads closer and closer. Make them larger as getting closer to buildings. Once town is ringed start destroying buildings with armor, shells, fire. Move inward. If pits of oil occur-the fill from the inward moving rubble should fill enough for armor to go over. Should be over quickly with little loss of offensive life.

  Defense?
  Some tunnels that can withstand armor. This would be with soldiers with heaviest artillery (RPG). Passing armor will be identified. This will be coupled with a intensive sortie againts oncoming armor/soldiers. Then falling back. Perhaps the bait will be taken and they go more heedlessly into buildings. Flank with troops. Keep doing this until group is strongly within the perimeter. Half of buried offensive arises at night and flanks them from the perimeter of their bulkheads.  Pounds them with artillery and hoping that there are enough in the city to counter attack.

  The half still in the tunnels are waiting for the inevitable reserves to come in to hit their backside. They will be to hold off this group of flank them.

  Really in this situation you are drawing out the eventual loss. Too much disparity in weapons/power.

  Keep escape routes open as long as possible. Then up to command to decide whether it is ‘till the last man’ or they can escape.

  Why?

  My mind does this at regular intervals-at parks, camping, hikes, trekking. Not all the time. Thank goodness. But I find it disconcerting. I hate war. I am a child of war. My parents suffered through it. I a refugee because of it.

  I don’t know, really, why. It is there. I wish it wasn’t. No matter the creative aspects of war it is futile in its efforts at anything but creating more war.

  Why does my mind do this?

  I wish it did not.

  • 2:44 pm
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