Not a surprise

[sohotrightnow]

Stuff like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?search=iraq&v=NV3SLa2JtsI or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffsIWwyz ... %20taxi%20

Yeah, these are two reasons why I don't support the troops (U.S., British, you name it). There are thousands of these types of videos. The funny thing is, they are proud of what they are doing!!!!! Why on Earth do I have to support this type of f'ed up behavior???? Tell me why!

[Zeuslax]

You know there was a time when you couldn't say anything bad about the US or its troops. After WWII, in Greece, if you said anything negative towards the US or the US military. You would get stomped, quickly! They remembered how the Germans treated them, and they remembered the differences that the Americans brought with them. Respect, honesty, assistance, and a general well being.

[Riss]

Related:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/07/iraq.main/index.html

I read this article with disgust before I started reading this post and as a liberal democrat I find the idea that anyone would enjoy this type of story repugnant. However, I believe events such as these, including Haditha, Gitmo and the nearly daily massacre of innocents due to sectarian violence or the insurgency are cited as evidence on why this war was a very bad decision. I am an opponent of the President, but I don't get the jollies when 100 people are slaughtered so that opinion polls are affected. The facts remain that President lead us down a disastrous course with no end in sight and no viable solutions presented. If things had gone well in Iraq the President would be popular and I would have to admit he had done "a hell of a job". I think its important to distinguish between concern and anger for the situation and joy for a high disapproval rating.

And whose freedom are we fighting for anyway? There have been 17,000 civilians killed this year, but hey they got the right to vote. Tell me that if someone came and shot your family you'd still be psyched to vote in the Republican primary. While the US certainly hasn't killed all those people, their blood is on our hands. If you open the doors of a jail cell are you not responsible for that criminals actions? If you lock 2 sworn enemies in a room with a bunch of weapons are you not responsible for the ensuing violence? War supporters justify all of this by saying, we're fighting for their freedom. Then they brand those who are actually troubled by the violence and who question the decision making ability of the administration who got us in this mess as hurting the troops and the war effort. Many voted for Bush in the 2004 election because he was seen as more decisive than Kerry, probably true. But he has been DECISIVELY WRONG!! Stop telling me than I'm anti-troop, anti-freedom and that I take joy from the failures of our military because I hold our leaders accountable for their actions that effect us all.

[Zeuslax]

[Zeuslax]

One thing that you can't take away from the US and the military is at least they admit the wrong doings. Sometimes later rather than sooner, but at least these men will be prosecuted and this story is brought to light. Our transparency still surprises even the Iraqi's.

[devildog0351]

Yeah, these are two reasons why I don't support the troops (U.S., British, you name it). There are thousands of these types of videos. The funny thing is, they are proud of what they are doing!!!!! Why on Earth do I have to support this type of f'ed up behavior???? Tell me why!

I am not going to even start to try to defend actions some of my fellow brothers in arms have done (Abu Gharab, Gitmo, Civilian incident). Yes there have been some mistakes made, and I know the Articles of the UCMJ will take care of and punish those guilty. I however have no respect for anybody running their mouth saying you don't support our troops. You may not agree with why or how we got in this war. but at least support the troops, we are over there because we are ordered to go, we don't get a choice! We work 24/7 for crappy pay that I know most people wouldn't think about working for. I am proud to serve my Country! It just pisses me off when people say they won't support our troops when they are the ones that have fought and died for your rights to sit here and complain behind your computer. (I have lost many friends in OIF I and OIF II, so don't play the I lost someone I know game; I trained and served next to those brave men!) If you aren't willing to support those who willingly will make the ultimate sacrifice for your rights to sit here with no worries, then please leave the country, I will even help you move. (Just my opinion)

Semper Fi!
Lcpl Cross, MG
USMC

By the way, we need the media to broadcast the good things we do too, not just only negative things in Iraq or Afghanistan. The media is biased to the left, no denying that.

[CATLAX MAN]

I however have no respect for anybody running their mouth saying you don't support our troops. You may not agree with why or how we got in this war. but at least support the troops, we are over there because we are ordered to go, we don't get a choice!

If you aren't willing to support those who willingly will make the ultimate sacrifice for your rights to sit here with no worries, then please leave the country, I will even help you move. (Just my opinion)

Well said. There is a huge difference between supporting the politics behind a war and supporting those that are willing to pay the ultimate price without question. Please don't forget that very important distinction. Our country has made this error before in the treatment of Vietnam War veterans. Let's not repeat history.

[Hackalicious]

I however have no respect for anybody running their mouth saying you don't support our troops. You may not agree with why or how we got in this war. but at least support the troops, we are over there because we are ordered to go, we don't get a choice! We work 24/7 for crappy pay that I know most people wouldn't think about working for. I am proud to serve my Country! It just pisses me off when people say they won't support our troops when they are the ones that have fought and died for your rights to sit here and complain behind your computer.

You will be hard pressed to find anyone outside the extremist fringe that openly says "I do not support the troops"... except maybe The Onion: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/34068

Regardless, most people who proudly claim to "support the troops" aren't willing to make any sort of sacrifice to back it up. They're happy to slap a yellow ribbon on their Escalade, but it's just cheap sentiment to make them feel better about sending someone else to babysit a civil war.

By the way, we need the media to broadcast the good things we do too, not just only negative things in Iraq or Afghanistan. The media is biased to the left, no denying that.

The "liberal media" is owned by several multinational corporations. Their job is not to do what "we need". It's to make money for their shareholders by running stories that sell. In the case of conglomerates like GE, News Corp, Time Warner, and Viacom, it's also to promote other divisions of the company.

The only media that is supposed to run what "we need" is public broadcasting, which I'm sure you think is biased as well.

[DanGenck]

I have to agree that most people won't make any sacrifice by saying, "I support the troops" and I wonder if maybe that's not the point anyway. Noam Chomsky addresses this in his 1991 book Media Control...

"... and worked very effectively by mobilizing community opinion in favor of vapid, empty concepts like Americanism. Who can be against that? Or harmony. Who can be against that? Or, as in the Persian Gulf War, "Support our troops." Who can be against that? Or yellow ribbons. Who can be against that? Anything that's totally vacuous" (Chomsky, 25).

"You want to create a slogan that nobody's going to be against, and everybody's going to be for. Nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean anything. Its crucial value is that it diverts your attention from a question that does mean something: Do you support our policy? That's the one you're not allowed to talk about. So you have people arguing about support for the troops? "Of course I don't not support them." Then you've won. That's like Americanism and harmony. We're all together, empty slogans, let's join in, let's make sure we don't have these bad people around to disrupt our harmony with their talk about class struggle, rights and that sort of business" (Chomsky, 26).

[StrykerFSU]

The "liberal media" is owned by several multinational corporations. Their job is not to do what "we need". It's to make money for their shareholders by running stories that sell. In the case of conglomerates like GE, News Corp, Time Warner, and Viacom, it's also to promote other divisions of the company.

The only media that is supposed to run what "we need" is public broadcasting, which I'm sure you think is biased as well.

Really? The editor of the NYT's purpose is to just print stories that sell? I thought the NYT was the last bastion of responsible journalism...all the news that's fit to print and all?

The truth is that the editors of papers such as the NYT try to push their leftist, progressive agenda, and attack Pres. Bush. If they wanted to sell papers and make money for those big, bad conglomerates that everyone is supposed to fear than they would offer a more balanced view like dare I say...FoxNews. Look at the numbers.

The editorial pages of the NYT prints nothing but negative articles about the war, our soldiers, our President, our foreign policy, and now about our allies the Israelis who are fighting a war for the survival of their country and we are left to wonder why their circulation is falling.

They're happy to slap a yellow ribbon on their Escalade, but it's just cheap sentiment to make them feel better about sending someone else to babysit a civil war.

I'm glad you can read into the thoughts of all those who choose to show their appreciation for our troops through a sticker. I wear a tshirt from USMC HM-465...am I fake? Spare me your cynicism and send a care package to troops stationed overseas.

[sohotrightnow]

I however have no respect for anybody running their mouth saying you don't support our troops. We work 24/7 for crappy pay that I know most people wouldn't think about working for.

1. Who told you to join the forces? Were you forced to? Don't trot out the fact that you get "crappy pay". You made a decision to do so. What...the military recruiter lied to you by promising a "learning experience", "steady pay", and the possibility of a "college education"? Gee, it sounded so good initially, but they failed to mention that I may get killed. Spare me the sob story. You had a choice and you had your reasons for making that choice. Hell, even the government has acknowledged the fact that some people are trying to join the forces because they are racist and want to kill Arabs.

On the topic of recruiters, they are the scum of the earth. They prey on kids in low-income areas and handicapped people for the love of God! One recruiter called my family's home and said that my brother had contacted him because he was interested in joining. That's interesting considering he is deaf, brain-damaged, and cannot speak.

You may not agree with why or how we got in this war. but at least support the troops, we are over there because we are ordered to go, we don't get a choice...It just pisses me off when people say they won't support our troops when they are the ones that have fought and died for your rights to sit here and complain behind your computer. If you aren't willing to support those who willingly will make the ultimate sacrifice for your rights to sit here with no worries, then please leave the country, I will even help you move. (Just my opinion)

2. So, if they are forced to go, how are they willingly fighting for my rights? Last time I checked, I had my rights before the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and nobody trotted out the "they are fighting for your right to express yourself, blah blah blah." How come they are only fighting for my rights during a war?

3. So, because I don't support people who are forced to/willingly (?????) fight for my rights, I should leave the country? I understand. I think you mean that "if I don't perform my job, i.e. kill people, I will get fired, i.e. discharged, and won't get paid." Give me a break. It's an undesirable job, just like 90% of the other professions in this world. The fact that you are mired in crap 24/7 and I don't empathize, does not give you the right to suggest that I need to leave. But, should you want to help me move, I have an EU passport. The Italian coast seems nice.

[StrykerFSU]

sohotrightnow...I am at a loss. Your lack of respect for someone who is serving their country saddens me to no end. It truly is a shame that you are unable to separate your political views from the scarifices of many great Americans. Maybe someday we will live in a world where a military is unnecessary and all disputes are settled amicably across a conference table but until that day I am thankful that Americans like Lcpl Cross are willing to serve our country.

[Sonny]

The Italian coast seems nice.

It sure does. Make sure any lady friends wear a head scarf if they want to hit the beach:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-08-04-beaches-muslim-women_x.htm

Thank you for your service Lcpl Cross!

[Danny Hogan]

Hell, even the government has acknowledged the fact that some people are trying to join the forces because they are racist and want to kill Arabs.

i'de like to see a source on that.

[DanGenck]

Hell, even the government has acknowledged the fact that some people are trying to join the forces because they are racist and want to kill Arabs.

i'de like to see a source on that.

I don't think there is any documentation on this. However, if you look up some of your old high school friends on Facebook or Myspace, I bet you'll find at least one who joined the service and has some interesting comments in their profile about being in the service...