Support the troops?

[jakobscalpel]

It's been discussed here before... Do you support the troops? There was an interesting article in the LA Times about this topic (click here (http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-stein24jan24,0,4137172.column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions)). I didn't like the author's tone much; it seemed too flippant for the seriousness of the topic. Still, I can't help but agree with the overall point. All the troops are volunteer. I believe this war to be immoral and illegal. Thus, the deaths they cause in combat, regardless of their "orders", are criminal. Why would I want to support a criminal? It is an unfortunate thing, since I know a few individuals in the military. All of them are good people. But good people can make bad choices and the dead remain dead.

[John @ 3300ft.]

http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/annoyed.gif

[Yosemite Joy]

Quoted from the article:

"But blaming the president is a little too easy. The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they're following orders or not. An army of people making individual moral choices may be inefficient, but an army of people ignoring their morality is horrifying. An army of people ignoring their morality, by the way, is also Jack Abramoff's pet name for the House of Representatives.

I do sympathize with people who joined up to protect our country, especially after 9/11, and were tricked into fighting in Iraq. I get mad when I'm tricked into clicking on a pop-up ad, so I can only imagine how they feel.

But when you volunteer for the U.S. military, you pretty much know you're not going to be fending off invasions from Mexico and Canada. So you're willingly signing up to be a fighting tool of American imperialism, for better or worse. Sometimes you get lucky and get to fight ethnic genocide in Kosovo, but other times it's Vietnam.

And sometimes, for reasons I don't understand, you get to just hang out in Germany."


The only thing I hate about this article is that I didn't read it a month ago. AAAAAAAAnd, before anyone gets all angry-emoticon on me, I served in the military.

Bite me.

[John @ 3300ft.]

I guess all the volunteers after 9/11 were stupid dupes...

[jakobscalpel]

Originally posted by John @ 3300ft.:
I guess all the volunteers after 9/11 were stupid dupes...

I doubt it. The act of volunteering for service, military or otherwise, for something you believe in can be a noble act. But, after the initial volunteering, you are now subject to orders which should be abhorrent to any thinking, feeling human being. I'm no pacifist. Certainly there are situations where this type of behavior can be justified. Personally, I do not find this situation to be one of them....thus my conclusions on their behavior.

[Coldwolf]

great Godzilla this is a tough one. We all want to say we support the troops, because to say we don't is like...unpatriotic heresy.

But if we view the war in Iraq as unwarranted, illegal, and immoral.....and I do view the war in Iraq as unwarranted,illegal, and immoral, then those who volunteer into the military are volunteering to do something that is illegal and immoral.


I certainly want no harm to come to our troops. I certainly want them to come home. But as far as supporting their actions? Geez, I don't know.

If they were fighting a war against people aggressing on America, yeah. If they were fighting a war against a vicious dictator who was commiting genocide, yeah.

But who are they fighting and why?

We are claiming that they are fighting terrorists, but I bet most of the men in the "insurgency" don't see themselves as terrorists. By the admission of out CIA, (i'll look up the link later) most of the insugency are men and boys who have had a family member or members killed by Americans. Many more are Muslim men who believe that they are doing Allahs will by fighting an infidel intruder.

By their standards, their religion is more important than and American insituted democracy, and their need to avenge the deaths of their loved ones is also stronger than the need to support democracy. II'm just guessing on this, but I think that most of the people there would like democracy, but not based on the deaths of over 100 thousand Iraqis.

Just my opinion. Take it or leave it.

[jakobscalpel]

I take it emphatically Coldwolf. You put it much better than I did.

[John @ 3300ft.]

Congress should pull the plug on Iraq now.
If the Iraqis want us there, let them pay for it.

[EdBailey]

Some of us support our troops and therefore want them out of Iraq, and out of harm's way. Others support President Bush and want to keep our troops there. Yes, I volunteered and served in the military, and no, I don't
hate America.

[BGW]

I have recently discovered a new meaning to troop support. Previously, I had thought I had this concept nailed down until that is, I saw actual troop support go into action.

A friend of 20+ years recently signed a one year civilian contract for a job in Iraq. His job title is that of 'Ammo Handler'. His job description includes finding and disarming ordinace (bombs) left hidden by what we call insurgents under piles of trash, rubble, and even under the asphalt (to name a few); prior to our troops moving through an area.

If this isn't the true meaning of troop support I don't know what is.

Before learning of my friends newest venture my experience in troop support had been ironing uniforms and sending cookies to Saudi. Troop support on this new level, though I have had several months to process the information, still boggles my mind