a thought on "supporting the troops".....

[Postman]

...I support the troops by paying my taxes which help pay their salaries, medical care, dependent care, retirement.

That's where my support of the troops ends.

If I own a demolition company and my job is to bulldoze a house at a specific address and I begin to raze the house but halfway through the demolition I get information that tells me I'm at the wrong address, do I continue to raze the place?

Support the troops do what? Create more terrorists?

Iraq is going to cause some serious blowback and American blood will be on George W. Bush's hands.

[Worst Username Ever]

1. I support them as a human being who realizes they are in a dangerous

place, and I want them home safely with their families.

[gratuitous]

2. You and I are in a distinct minority

But it's nice to know there's one other person who thinks the way I do on this matter.

[Malva Zebrina]

3. I have said it before and I will say it again

People have been roped into a Bush meme. With all sorts of guilt heaped upon them by Bush, ie. you are either with us or against us, to not support the war morphed into not supporting the troops.

Those who can think it through will understand that to "support the troops" if they embrace that meme, means they support the mission--ie the Bush's war.

There can be no "support the troops" if one does not support the mission.

One can support individuals--specific soldiers for instance, but to latch on to the "support the troops" meme means one supports the mission. I am certain those who latched on to that meant well, but it only serves to satisfy the word smiths in the Bush administration.

When I see a car with a yellow ribbon pasted on it, I assume they support the war. I can see no other way to interpret that slogan.

[cynatnite]

6. I've been torn about this

I haven't bought a yellow ribbon for my car because it feels like it would be a symbollic support of the war. I can't in good conscience do it.

I feel guilty because as a vet I've supported the troops in all that they do and I absolutely hate this war in every way.

[RyomaSakamoto]

4. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS - OUTSOURCE THE WAR

TO IRAQIS - FUCK HALIBURTON

psst... pass the word ;->

[Starlight]

5. No, you're not the only one

I think a lot of people feel the same way but don't speak out due to the very loud, aggressive & scarey pro-war people.

[Lone_Wolf]

7. Supporting them is counter productive

Part of the problem with society today is we glorify the military. We perpetuate the myth that the military fights for noble ideals like democracy and freedom. We tell the youth that a profession in the military is honorable. Time to get away from this Groupthink and take the blinders off...

A neutral observer looking at the war in Iraq would see that it was not fought over some lofty ideal. Instead, they would see that the war in Iraq was about the expansion of the American Empire.

Let's call a spade a spade... many of the people who join the military are mercenaries. They chose to join the military for financial reasons. I don't support them when they are killing innocent civilians.

[cynatnite]

8. mercenaries...no

Going in for financial reasons...yes. We had a lot of years of peace time.

For a lot of us, we had families to support, wanted to go to college and serving out country was an added benefit.

The problem is now we are in a time of war and many of the military today joined when we were at peace. Once in, you go where they tell you to go.

The other problem, which I thought was fabulous of Michael Moore to mention in his movie, is that we have to risk our lives for a college education. We have to risk our lives to support our families.

For the most part, the troops in the military don't join to get rich which is what your post implies. The economics in this country and how we are raised is what has put us in the position we are in. It's been like this for decades. Not likely to change anytime soon.

The other thing is name one war where no civilians were killed. You won't find one. Even when we fought wars when we had good reason to fight them, civilians were killed. It's a sad fact that is unavoidable.

Also, majority of troops aren't murderers. A few bad ones get in there which paints the entire military in a bad light. War brings out the worst in a lot of people and this illegal and immoral action proves it.

I'm a vet and in the past I have always supported the troops no matter what. It's hard to support them even now so the best I can do is to support my two relatives who are currently in Iraq.

There are a lot of good people in the military who still believe in serving their country even wondering what in the hell they are doing. I'm not going to denigrate and question their motives for serving or going over there. I think that's counter-productive.

[Postman]

9. Soldiers, sailors and marines....

take an oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign or domestic.

Anyone stationed in Iraq who thinks they are defending America must be drinking the kool-aid by the gallon.

I know that if I were there, I wouldn't feel as if I were fulfilling that role.

Every time Bush and his cronies speak about the military in Iraq its all about "making Iraq safe for freedom and liberty"..is that what these guys signed up for? To make Iraq a bastion of freedom? I'd say get me the hell out of here yesterday.

Besides, we all know that making Iraq a democratic haven in the Middle East was yet another BS reason to justify the existence of US troops on the ground after all the OTHER reasons fell flat.

If you really wanted to create a "democracy" in the Middle East why not start with your allies like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain. War wasn't necessary to create a "democracy".