The problem is, I agree that the soldiers have it rough, but Im more of the belief that - they are dumbasses for signing up with the military, and also fighting a war for what reasons? Maybe its the guilt that all the republicans have for putting those people in that situation?!? Honestly, if our military was smart, do you think they would be dying and killing others - in a war for unknown reasons? These are the same kind of people that prolly believed in fighting the Vietnam war for so long.It makes me question their belief system, reasoning ability, openmindedness, and overall understanding of the world. It jades me in a way that makes me almost ignore what comes out of their mouth. I mean, why should I waste my time with anything these kind of people have to say - if they dont even get something as simple as this?
What are we to do when people refuse to open their minds?
Fighting for their Freedom? Sure, I would love to belive that. All the while restricting our freedoms in the US, all in the name of security. I feel like we meddle in so many other countries, that we are just asking for people to hate us.
17 comments:
I for one am glad that there are people out there willing to defend our country, and am proud of the sacrifice Americans made in the fight against tyranny in WWI and WWII. I'm also proud of the efforts of the union soldiers during the CIvil War. It takes a lot to be willing to lay down your life for the protection of your countrymen, and for the concepts of liberty and freedom.
What bothers me is when you take an idealistic, 18 year old kid, and feed his head with George W. Bush talk and send him off to die (or worse yet, bear lifelong mental scars for killing other people) in the name not of liberty and freedom and democracy, but in the name of big oil and cronyism. Idealistic kids who want to do the right thing for our country are not the problem. The manipulation of good intentions is the problem.
The problem is, from Korea onwards, our military has not been used as an agent of defense. We have not used it to liberate the oppressed or abused. It has not been used to carry out policies that are in the interest of American citizens, our allies or the people of the world. It's been co-opted by Big Industry, just as Dwight Eisenhower (hero of the D-Day invasion) warned it would be back in 1961. The result of that manipulation is an American machismo on the right and a cynical pessimism on the left. I would challenge those of us on the left to keep an open mind too.
Anyway, the most telling quote on the rock is the quote from Thomas Jefferson. "We confide our strength without boasting of it."
I wonder if those on the right or left have truly appreciated the irony of that statement being painted on a rock glorifying the War on Terror.
http://www.brentdey.com
-Brent Dey
Well Said!!!
-Don Clark
I just think we need to respect those who are serving. Always.
We question the leaders and respect the servers.
-Brent Dey
I dont agree with you on this point - in this war.
The problem is, that I truly believe that they are killing people and dying for unknown reasons.
If I was in that situation, I would have to say that not fighting the war - and facing jail time - may be the best option for me.
In the other wars you mentioned, I would fight...
And there is my problem, I question the servers - because they seem like mindless humans to me (in this war). Really? I would have trouble trying to understand why I am fighting or killing others. I mean there had better be a really good reason - not just to protect our soldiers on foreign land.
-Don Clark
Well... I agree that this war is pointless. I always thought the Vietnam war was pointless, but then I went to Vietnam with an ex-girlfriend whose dad had been killed there fighting for something he believed in. He made a sacrifice for our country, maybe because he was manipulated, maybe because he was misguided, maybe because he was dumb, maybe because he was smart. But the point is, he put himself through something I can not imagine going through, and for that he deserves my respect.
Would he deserve my respect if he were a nazi war criminal? Of course not, but I don't think these guys are nazi war criminals.
I respect the guys serving and put pressure on the leaders who are using and abusing them.
-Brent Dey
LMAO! Putting yourself thru something that you cant imagine gets you respect?!?
You must be the biggest fan of the show JACKASS on MTV. Congrats. Really.
Nazi war criminal? Time will tell how bad we were. And who knows, this situation may cause WW3. Which may put them far beyond comparison of the Nazis. Dontcha think? I really dont think its outta the question...
You put pressure on the leaders? Ive been dreaming of that for years!!! Tell me your secret!
-Don Clark
Andrew Sullivan: "Critics will no doubt say I am accusing the Bush administration of being Hitler. I'm not. There is no comparison between the political system in Germany in 1937 and the U.S. in 2007. What I am reporting is a simple empirical fact: the interrogation methods approved and defended by this president are not new. Many have been used in the past. The very phrase used by the president to describe torture-that-isn't-somehow-torture - 'enhanced interrogation techniques' - is a term originally coined by the Nazis. The techniques are indistinguishable. The methods were clearly understood in 1948 as war-crimes. The punishment for them was death."
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/05/verschfte_verne.html
FYI - The Armageddon Flowchart
http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/features/armaged.htm
Clark- Come out of your parents basement, live in the real world, do something knoble (like serving in the armed forces or even the peace corp) instead of being a whinning little putz.. Your life experience probably amounts to flipping burgers at Micky D's or White Castle.. You have no experience to make the statements you make as evidenced by them... Just a bunch of liberal talking points found on any Hillary site... Come buttercup, grow a pair...
Beautiful art work by the way :)
We need to stay out of every other countries business, let them fight their own battles, bring our troops home & secure OUR OWN borders, which would cut down on illegal immigration...all the money we're spending in other countries & we can't even take care of our own homeless, sick & elderly,,,can't wait to see which idiot we get stuck with in the 2008 election!
I have news for you. In the military, for whatever conflict is waged for whatever reason, it is kill or be killed. There is more to the military than simply lobbing a few grenades and sitting around beating your chest like Tarzan. First, before you are even accepted you must take what is called an ASVAB. Its an aptitude battery of tests. I got an 82 on mine, the examiners eyes were like dinner plates. Then, if you are lucky, and pass with a score of maybe 30 or above, (most in my branch get at least 80 or better) you get shipped off to recruit training. There, they spend nine weeks TEACHING you stuff like basic seamanship and nomenclatures and YES, NAVAL HISTORY and other stuff on which you are tested (YES, THEY TEST YOU!) After graduation, they ship you to whatever A-school that you picked during your MEPS. Where you are made to STUDY, STUDY, STUDY your rate (job in the Navy) until your brain has turned to what feels like soggy butter. And then, you study some more. The penalty for failing one test is you get washed back. The penalty for failing two is you get washed back again. The penalty for three is you get booted out of A-school. (Of course, I passed all of mine) Then it is off to your permanent command. You are now expected to study all of this ON YOUR OWN TIME and ON YOUR OWN DIME. Oh and get this there is even MORE training. You must get familiar enough with your weapon to say, take it apart and put it back together with a function check IN NO MORE TIME THAN TWO MINUTES. For someone like me who has never touched an M240B in her young life, this did not come easy, however, I soon got it down to a science. And received my certificate when despite never having fired one before, I managed to nail just about every target. Oh but there's so much more. You have to incorporate all of this knowledge and so much more in order to get your warfare device which can take easily a year or more to qualify for. You have to take this course and take that course just to stand out and earn a promotion (after passing the advancement exam of course) And IF YOU'RE LUCKY, You'll make Chief Petty Officer in 10 years or so. If you're lucky.
I am doing all of this RIGHT NOW so that people like YOU can hide behind the relative safety and anonymity of a keyboard and post your deluded opinion about how you just know that we are all sheep in uniform with no brain at all who know how to do nothing but take orders. I am willing to go out and fight..... AND DIE...... so that you can sleep at night, safe and secure in your bed. Type away, we have the watch. Just do me one favor.
Never call me or any of my counterparts "stupid" again.
Very Respectfully,
CM3 Constance Goodnow USNR
For those who have served in the military, freedom has a flavor which the protected shall never know.
Ask yourself this question: At what point am I willing to take up arms in defense of myself, my family and my country? If your answer is that you will never resort to violence in defense of anything, that you will always defer to diplomancy, then you are now, and always be a slave to those willing to bring violence to you.
If it wasn't for our military "meddling" in other countries affairs, there would only be one country in Asia (Japan) and only two countries in Europe (Germany and Italy). If it wasn't for you hippy peaceniks, 3 million people would not have been slaughtered in Cambodia, 1 million people wouldn't have been cut down in Rwanda, and people would not be getting murdered in Darfur as we speak.
Tell me, what freedoms have you lost here at home while our military fights overseas to protect them? Did you lose the freedom to call your friends in Pakistan without someone listening in? If you did, you might want to rethink who you call friends.
The only freedoms I have lost, is the freedom to live out my life without having to hear idiots wax poetic about knowing that all the world needs is a big group hug. Take that crap elsewhere, it aint selling here.
James Weaver, GMC, USN (ret)
The men and women in the U.S. Military fight and die every day so that people like you can be an ass without fear of reprisal. So you can go to school, (apparantly without learning to spell), and say whatever you want to say without getting arrested. So you can walk down the street spewing crap without being blown up. Not one law abiding citizen has had his or her rights trampled on. If you were even slightly intellectually honest with yourself you would know this. Call me a dumbass. No problem. That's your right. That's a right you would not have without the military.
SKC(SW) Kyle W. Prunty, USN
Have any of you actually talked to a vet who has served in Iraq or are you getting everything from CNN? You see, the men and women I speak to tell me that they are doing good. That most of the country is safe now and most iraquis are not fighting, it is foreign fighters who are causing the problems. There are hospitals, schools, women and men can vote and in many ares they can actually voice their opinion, something they haven't done in years. Roads are being built and freedom is begining to rear her head.
have any of you travelled outside this country of ours? have any of you seen aomething besides what is on TV? Tiajuana doesn't count because you have to get past the AMerican bar to see the real country.
Stop reading about the world and go out and experience it. You'll find you actually know very little and that many other people actually appreciate our help.
That 18 year old who is filled with Bush's ideas? he read the same news as you. That person in the military sepnds up to a year or more in school so that they can use the technology he has to employ. Stupid people don't last long in combat.
Yes, I am a vet and I have a request. Please don't stand infront of memorials like that if you not a vet or if you intedn to insult us. It demeans you and more, it demeans the memorial.
I have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for the better part of the last five years. I have worked with Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines on a daily basis. I have seen friends come here with a sense of pride and duty, and leave here under our flag. Our Military is a collection of some of the finest people our counry have to offer. There is a higher concentration of High School grads and College degrees in the Military than that of the general population. EVERYONE that is over here is a volunteer. They fight and die so that piss-pants little punks like you don't have to. The next time you see a member of our Military, you should thank him or her, and be glad they don't stomp your snot-nosed little ass into the ground. These people over here want you dead. It doesn't matter whether you are a homosexual, liberal, paraplegic, school teacher...they will kill you and your entire family simply because you don't believe the same things they do. Our Military is the only thing keeping them from doing it. If you think I'm exagerating, take a trip to Western Pakistan and ask a few people.
My military blood boils to read the acid you spew. You have absolutely no right to call yourself an American. I spent 25 years in the service of my country, and I know the cost of freedom, and that's why I place the highest of values on freedom. You take it for granted because you've never done anything to earn it. It's been served up to you on a silver platter, and even while you say such hurtful, hateful things about us brothers in arms, we still defend you. We, the warriors are all that stand between you sheep and the hungry wolves. We're the people who are keeping the wolves at bay. We are the Warriors, and we don't like being warriors, but by God, somebody has to do it.
We choose to do it of our own, free wills because we are proud of our country and we believe in all She stands for. We chose to do this out of the love for our country and our way of life, and all you can do is to call us stupid and that you don't understand why we would fight, and possibly die, in defence of freedom. I didn't join my country's military to die. I joined my country's military to fight. The possibility of dying while serving is always present, and I happily accept that risk because people like you won't do it. You are the stupid one. Stupid and Ignorant. You are stupid to write such things, and your ignorance comes shining through in your words. Get out of your mommy's lap and go see the world, little kid.
SK1 Michael P. Evans, USN, RET
What is this odd fascination with dying some of you seem to have? As in "OMG I CANNOT DIE for no reason because war is so stupid"?
Are you afraid of death? Death comes for us all. Accept it.
You dont really get a choice in dying or living. How you live your life...totally up to you. People who serve in the military do not need constant reaffirmation of their choices, so you should probably get a clue on that and stop calling us stupid. Some of the most intelligent people on this planet are wearing a military uniform today, and in a few years they will all be unleashed on the civilian workforce and bumping you out of a job.
19 year olds working at Xerox probably are not allowed to touch a copier, but the same 19 year old with the right training, lead men into battle and are responsible for those men's lives, equipment, all while serving as a representative of the US and a responsible steward of the taxpayer's dollar. And most of them come home.
Those that dont, are honored. The least you could do is leave them to rest in peace. Your apparent immaturity and unhappiness with your own lives should not be projected upon people you only wish you could hold a candle to.
I agree. Grow up, see some of the world and stop hiding behind the computer.
MA1 Lisa Chambers, USN
It is so Great to see someone of your age doing something so memorable! Thank you for challenging me to do good for others also!
Leslie Bahan, West Liberty
Unfortunately none of your thoughts are original. There are many idiots like you, but luckily most American citizens do realize the service of or military is what preserves our freedom. By that same token, idiots like you are allowed to speak your piece, despite how very little your piece contributes.
For lack of terms you are worthy of, you are young and stupid. If you are proud of your thoughts, don't blog! By all means, shout it from the mountaintop! Go to a street corner or anywhere else so public and exercise your freedom. Let us see how quickly others see you as unworthy of your freedom and let us see how quickly everyday, normal citizens shut you down. You'll never stop being a coward and so will never be worthy of anyone who has worlds of courage more than you'll ever have.
Oh, I and I will be posting anonymously because I don't have time to register, however, if you would like to get in touch with me, my name is Kat Collins and I live in Junction City, Kansas. Look me up, as I am no coward.
Don
Gee I wish that I lived in that little shell that you live in. Unfornately I don't.
You see I remember September 11, 2001, I remember the USS Cole, The USS Starke, The marine barracks in Beiruit Lebanon, The hostage situation in Iran.
I support your ability to speak your mind, the guy that burns the flag in protest, the Westboro Baptist church,.
You see In proudly served my country for 26 years starting with Vietnam and, The Lybian crisis, Grenada, and Kuwait.
All of us "dumb asses" are doing our time so that your little pansy ass can say what you want. By the way just how old are you.
Bob Goggin, PRCS, USN, Ret
as I read some of the posts from Don & the first post about our militry being "dumbasses" I thought I would just cry from the sactamonious, ignorant, cowardly, delusional arrogance this country has raised up. I was so angry I could not come up with the words to express myself. To all those who have responded to these fools, I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. You are the REAL America! The America that understands what has been sacrificed for the freedoms we are blessed with. Thank You for showing me that those psudo intellectuall cowards are not what we as a country really made of. Thank you to those of you who have served this country with honor & dignity. Thank you Lord that I don't have to depend on Don to sleep safely tonight. My heart has been restored!In humble gratitude, Vivian
Post a Comment