"Our Troops"

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I don't understand why people are mad and complaining that our troops are dying. I get that they are loved ones and that we don’t want them to die. But they enlisted. They signed up for a job that requires them to risk their lives. They are doing exactly what they are getting paid for. And I respect them for that. I could not respect them if they were sitting around collecting the money they agreed to accept and did nothing in return. The pay is crappy but they made the choice of being in the armed forces. They could be home flippin' burgers but they wanted to be heroes and protect our way of life. So let us respect them for it. We have enough losers living off the tax payers lets not encourage more to do it.

oh, baby, awsome way to chuck a mad badger in! Nice job, you know this will go on for pages and pages!

Well, there are infinite points along a continuum. On one extreme are the people who think that war is justified until the first U.S. soldier is killed. Then it's too costly. Give up and come home. On the other extreme is the thinking "Hell, they knowingly singned up. Who cares if they die. That's their job." I felt like your post was way too close to that sentiment.Myself, even if I support a war, I hate the fact that soldiers die - on either side. Death is always horrible and should never be dealt with so cavelierly.

shortly, more soldiers will die in Iraq than sivillians died in the 9/11 attacks.to me, that's a bit like using humans as cannon-balls.

I don't want anyone to die. And I'm sorry if it came off that way. What I'm saying is Where are all the protesters for the police officers and firemen? They signed on for dangerous jobs and no one is camping at the White House saying We should stop our firefighters and police officers from doing their jobs because they are dying. I think they all deserve equal respect and should be allowed to do their jobs.

Police officers and firemen aren't used as cannon fodder by privileged people who come up with what turn out to be false reasons for going to war. Soldiers are in that unfortunate position. Keep in mind that none of the people making the decisions are going into battle, and neither is anyone in their families (with the exception of one or two congressmen).They're sent into an insurgent war without enough body armor and with too few armored vehicles. Too few troops were sent to keep a lot of areas stable. There are decisions being made that are unnecessarily costing the lives (and health) of soldiers.And at the end of it all, there's still a good chance that Iraq will disintegrate into civil war.The death of any soldier is sad, but the deaths of the soldiers in Iraq are in a way sadder than the deaths of soldiers in World War II. I don't see how you can support the troops and at the same time support the leaders who are in effect killing them.If police officers and firemen were sent into dangerous situations without any planning or proper equipment, I would hope there would be people protesting.

Point is most people support the troups, but they do not support the war. There is a big difference.

Are you serious?! You think it is just thier job? Unbelievable.

Well...we know who Steve's been listening to/reading.

Not Karl Rove or Rush Limbaugh. Where do you get your information?Do we have a specific disagreement, or are we painting with a large brush today?While you're at it, go look up the military service records, for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, various other neocons who were pushing for war, etc. All of them where eligible for Vietnam. But look how those sonofabitches smeared Max Cleland (whom I've met), John Kerry, and John Murtha (all of whom are decorated veterans). It's just amazing how they got away with what they did. The average American is pretty easy to manipulate, apparently.Cheney didn't serve because he "had better things to do", and got five deferments. The only thing he didn't do to get out of serving was to go to Canada. And don't forget Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, and Lewis Libby.The incompetents who were gung ho for the Iraq invasion, and who were supposed to be planning for it, were not to keen on serving in a war that they supported; that's better done by the children of the less monied and less influential, I guess. The big problem, though, is not that they're hypocrites; it's that they're utterly incompetent.Now with what part of that do you have an issue, or should I expect another "you're a big fat meanie" type of response?

Steve, once again you need to settle down and stop taking things so seriously. Do you really need for me to insert one of these every time I say something in jest so you'll know the spirit in which it is offered. I'm not having any more of these pissing contests with you because they are tiresome. Please learn to take a joke.You are such the big fat meanie.

Do you understand the diffence between "a joke" and "sarcasm"? Here's the definition of sarcasm.

I may not support the war, but I do support our troops. They're out there busting their asses, doing something that no one else will, standing up for what they believe in, and laying down their lives for "us". They're not out there because the "have" to be there, they're there because they "chose" to be there and I respect that. I have a deep respect for any man or woman (soldier, firefighter, police officer, ect.) who will lay down their life and work their ass off to protect someone else. That's just my two cents worth...

Whats sad.. Most of the people I know enlist for one reason. They cant afford college and cant get a decent job to pay for it. So in some cases, we could say people are dying to further their education. Its not cool, but Americans need to stand up and give the soilders a big round of applause when they come back unlike when soilders arrived home from Nam.

But did they "chose" to be in Iraq? Or did they "chose" to serve and protect our country?

Now the question is, is the war in Iraq really "protecting" our country? What was the justification for the invasion? That's why people are pissed off. They are dying when we perhaps had no real reason to be there in teh first place.

As I said, I'm not for the war. I think it was a big waste of time and money, and too many people were killed for no reason. I believe the war could have been and SHOULD have been avoided, but I'm not the "president" or "congress" so that choice does not lie in my hands. Did alot of the soldiers choose to go to Iraq? Probably not, but they did choose to sign up for the armed forces (and you never really know where you're going to be sent once you sign the dotted line, anything is possible). All I was trying to get across was that "our" troops should be respected and honored because they're the ones who have their lives on the line everyday.

"our troops should be respected and honored because they're the ones who have their lives on the line everyday."Agree.But the question is, who and what are their lives on the line for?Is it for, and to protect, the American public?Is it to bring freedom and democracy to the Iraqi people?Or Is it to support the military industrial complex?Check out what KBR is paid to provide a plate of food to a single soldier. On a cheap day, for lunch, its north of twenty dollars. As you supply larger numbers of anything the price should go down. Do soldiers really need watermelons carved to look like flower baskets, and radish roses on the sides of the salads?Check out one of the multiple $100,000,000.00 contracts for security to firms such as Blackwater. The top military commander in Iraq has had the harshest criticism of private security firms for undermining the efforts and advances of our troops. The entire assault on Fallujah, according to U.S. command (where many troops where injured or lost their lives), was a result of a under-maned private security firm going into an area that the U.S. forces advised against (the armed forces cannot keep a private security detail from any public road or city) and then did not coordinate with the armed forces, and ended up getting killed. The result, the assault on Fallujah as a reprisal for the killing of the private American citizens and, according to the top military command, the greatest single set back to the entire war effort. And this is not the only example of private contractors running counter to military operations and undermining military objectives. The money trail, and what we get for it, seems to suggest the answer, at least to me.____________________________________As a foot note, a very large number of military commanders, in theater as well as in the Pentagon, strongly appose privatization of services.

B E A utiful. abso-fucking-lutely beautifuly put.I dont think Iv ever seen it put more plainy or simply and I couldnt agree more.

I know a couple of former troopers who would grappel your neck for this lol jk. My brother missed almost two years of college to fight in the war with Iraq and of course disobeyed my fathers orders so he was infuriated for about a year and a half. I get what you're saying though in a way. But you can't say we're not suppsoed to feel sorry for them. They're OUR people. And they're fighting an unncessary war for the sake of protecting the country... if it's even really needed. But yeah if I found out someone I knew died their I'd be pretty upset. You're not over there. And some of them are really young.