Real World

Hmmm....


http://blog.washingtonpost.com/early...to_suppor.html

The Troops Also Need to Support the American People

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I've been mulling over an NBC Nightly News report from Iraq last Friday in which a number of soldiers expressed frustration with opposition to war in the United States.

I'm sure the soldiers were expressing a majority opinion common amongst the ranks - that's why it is news - and I'm also sure no one in the military leadership or the administration put the soldiers up to expressing their views, nor steered NBC reporter Richard Engel to the story.

I'm all for everyone expressing their opinion, even those who wear the uniform of the United States Army. But I also hope that military commanders took the soldiers aside after the story and explained to them why it wasn't for them to disapprove of the American people.

......

Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform, accepting that the incidents were the product of bad apples or even of some administration or command order.

Sure, it is the junior enlisted men who go to jail. But even at anti-war protests, the focus is firmly on the White House and the policy. We don't see very many "baby killer" epithets being thrown around these days, no one in uniform is being spit upon.

So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?

........

America needs to ponder what it is we really owe those in uniform. I don't believe America needs a draft though I imagine we'd be having a different discussion if we had one.

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

wistahpatsfan

Any soldier who feels "frustration" over opposition to the occupation of Iraq needs to remenber that they are servants of the United States. While I understand their frustration, they must understand that the only purpose for their existence is to do the will of the American people and defend them from external threats. They are in no way above any American who lives honestly and obeys the law. They want to have a debate, quit the army and call a radio talk show. And that goes for those who are opposed to the war and feel the urge to ***** about their situation in a public venue.

patsfan13

Interesting that as a Libertarian you don't feel they have the same right to express their opinion that you do. Suprising you are usually consistent on these issues.

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"Some guys play in all-star games, some guys don't. I don't know who picks all those all-star teams. In all honesty, I don't know who picks the combine, for that matter," Belichick said. "How does (Miami-Ohio offensive lineman Brandon) Brooks not get invited to the combine? How did Vollmer not get invited to the combine? I don't know. We can't really worry about that. We just have to try to evaluate them the best we can."

Seymour93

Yeah it would be completely different.

If we had a draft, support for the war would be around 15%. The troops would be subjected to Vietnam era harassment. The number of people on drugs would skyrocket. Crime would go through the roof. The amount of people receiving benefits from the government would triple. What a horrible idea.

It's not the military's fault the war is unpopular, it's Bush and the neocon's for putting them in a situation where they were doomed for failure.

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Fixit

"Foreign and domestic."

That is all.

Real World

Did you guys even read the entire article at the link?

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

Patters

I think it's easy to understand where many of the troops are coming from. They have a natural bias, since it would be hard to admit that they are fighting an ignoble or wrong war. It would be hard for them to accept that their buddies died and they risked their lives in vain. It would be hard to admit that those they trusted, the CiC, deceived them or needlessly put them in harm's way.

We have put the soldiers in a terrible situation, but now that we've made a bad choice, we have to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT and end the war. Sure, some soldiers will come home depressed, but at least they'll be alive. The troops certainly have as much right to expect us to boost their morale as we have the right to try to save their lives. Unfortunately, we can't do both.

Real World

Of course it would because you'd be drafting people like the guy who wrote the column. This guy seems to think the troops should (Please be quiet - edited) about people like him, Hanoi Jane, and the azzwipes holding this sign:

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

Real World

Part of their point is that they support the mission, so you should therefore support them. I don't think enough people understand that.

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

Harry Boy

YOUR RIGHT ON THIS ONE and we would also have an Army full of gang bangers, junkies, pedophiles, cowards, drunks, morons and sniveling liberals.

THAt'S WHY THE RACIST CHARLIE RANGEL "WANTS" THE DRAFT.

AMERICA NOW HAS SOLDIERS THAT WANT TO BE SOLDIERS THEY VOLUNTERED.

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Harry Boy (Genius)

In The Absence Of Law And Order Society Will Surely Destroy Itself