I DON'T SUPPORT our troops.

[bigred]

Well, I do. Everyone should know that, but apparantly Joel Stein of the Los Angeles Times feels differently:


http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion...,4137172.column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

There are brain-dead people in L.A. - ?? In the....gasp......MEDIA????






NO WAY!!!!!!!

 

[bigred]

You're obviously someone who has been planted here to slander the brave American government and the brave American fighting men. Not to mention the honored dead.

Your support of the troops is admirable....but frankly, what an asinine thing to say.

First, you I'm betting you have little if any experience working with/for the gov't. I can tell you for a fact and from personal experience that while what was said may be at least partly "sour grapes" the gov't has no problem screwing people over and not losing a wink of sleep over it, certainly to include DoD.

Second, you slander someone who oh btw IS a brave American fighting men. duh.

Cmon back when you have the vaguest clue what you're talking about.

 

[bigred]

I think he's just trying to make an extreme point

Of course he is. Why? Because as a media dork he is by definition an attention whore. lol @ taking someone like that seriously - or paying them any attention. Shame on us all.

 

[Bob Klase]

No, there isn't a valid comparison between Hitler and Hussein.

Using your reasoning there's no such thing as a valid comparison between any two objects- I can always find differences.

But I can also find similarities:

Hitler ruled one of the most powerful nations in the world at the time

Saddam Hussein had one of the largest armies in the world.

Hussein was the dictator of a third world country, a country that had been considerably weakened by a previous war with the US and a decade of sanctions.

Hitler was the dictator of a small country in Europe, a country that had been considerably weakend by a previous war with the US and most of Europe.

 

[peptoabysmal]

Obviously I hate our freedom. It just bugs the hell out of me that people who claim to support our troops support an administration that craps on us every day. How anybody could be pro Bush and support our troops is beyond me. I enlisted under Clinton and it didnt take this long to get the money, I guess its all the cuts.

We can pay Brown & Root gate gaurds 100k each but cant hire a few more secretaries to process paperwork? I think its "backlogged" on purpose so that less people will be able to use it. I have heard that only 1/3 of soldiers entitled to education benefits ever see a penny, now I believe it.

I don't understand how you think the flag wavers have anything to do with your monetary situation or how you blame just the Bush administration for an outdated pay system.

BTW how many times have you enlisted?

 

[Bob Klase]

Victory (I believe) was proclaimed with the unconditional surrender of German forces...are you suggesting this as the criteria for measuring victory in Iraq?

Pretty much the entire leadership of Iraq was killed or captured and the army was disbanded. Are you suggesting an unconditional surrender is significantly different that a total defeat which essentially leaves no one both alive and in charge of the country to actually surrender?

Yes, that was a victory. There are many victories and defeats in war. Every battle is won and lost. Stabilizing and rebuilding the country comes after the military is defeated.

The fact that US still has troops in germany? well, would you support the US having troops in Iraq to 2060 and beyond?

Probably not, but that depends on why they're still there. Do you think we should have pulled all our troops out of Europe and Japan in 1949? Should we have left South Korea in 1954? I think too many people have watched too much TV and expect every problem in the world to be solved with the space of 4 commercial breaks.

I'm just trying to find what people think "victory" in Iraq is....any suggestions?

There have been victories in Iraq. There's also been setbacks. Clarifly what you expect to happen after "victory" and maybe we can define which victory you're asking about.

 

[Bob Klase]

I think this is the Catch-22 inherent in the notion that "I was following orders" being not regarded a legitimate defense for a soldier's actions during war.

That's 1/2 true. "Following orders" is only a valid defense when the orders are lawful / legal orders. If the order is not lawful then you are obligated to not follow it.

 

[Orwell]

Saddam Hussein had one of the largest armies in the world.

... Equipped with old Soviet weapons...

Hitler was the dictator of a small country in Europe, a country that had been considerably weakend by a previous war with the US and most of Europe.

Ok, that last paragraph indicates that I'm arguing with an ignoramus... So I won't bother keeping at it. I think you need to read some European history.