Time Magazine's Man of the Year. 2003

[Dangerman]

THE AMERICAN SOLDIER

Since when the hell does it deserves The Man of the Year award anyway?

They illegally invaded a defenseless country under false pretexts, they murdered innocent people under orders of Chimpy, and they are slaughtered like cattle in Iraq about the ratio of three a day.

Why did the American Soldier deserves this honor?

It's freaking bullsh*t!

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Don't blame the troops for policy. nt

[blueknight]

2. the troops

just do what they are ordered. blame the policy, not the young men/women

[randome]

5. Yeah.

Except there have been a lot of fuck-ups in Iraq this past year. Don't think the 'generic soldier' deserves an award.

[blm]

3. You're just getting around to bitching about it NOW?

Right when the GOP is working their ass off to paint the Democrats as antimilitary?

[HawkerHurricane]

6. Makes me suspicous, it does.

Time chooses its 'Man of the Year' based on who made the most news. It's not the best person or anything, but the most Newsworthy. So Adolf Hitler made Man of the Year in 1938(?). The American GI did make most of the news in 2003. And to say 'he's unworthy' is exactly what the RNC would love for Democrats to be caught saying. And it ain't true; the men in uniform deserve that and more; they deserve a President they can trust to not throw thier lives away. John F. Kerry would be that President.

[calico1]

4. That's right...blame the troops.

These troops (or at least most of them) deserved this honor. They got sent there. Not much of a choice if you are in the military. I don't think you can just say "no thank you." Then they got there, didn't have the right equipment, supply lines were and are still bad so sometimes they don't even get regular meals. And on top of it all most of them I'm sure know by now that this war isn't even necessary. They are going through a lot and for that they deserve to be honored. If you want to be angry like I am, be angry at the right people--like the dumbass President and his staff. That is who you should direct your anger at.

[displacedtexan]

7. Why do you hate America, Dangerman?

Just kidding.

Seriously, the only people I've ever known who blamed individual soldiers for policy decisions made by three-piece suits were either completely frustrated by the American War Machine or had an axe to grind with their own (bad) military experiences.

It would help me understand your point if you clarified your original post.

[Dangerman]

8. Actually

I am more confused about why they put the US troops as the MOTY. But I don't hate our troops, is just that Time Magazine is a right-wing magazine IMHO. They'll do anything to please the GOP by covering up the truth in Iraq and manifest the positive side of this illegal war.

I'm sorry I blame the troops for this. But I post this topic because the MOTY confuses me and gave me more doubts about what has happen in this war.

And you're right, D'Uers, I REALLY blame the government, not the soldiers, for this mess.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. TIME: THE WEEKLY FICTION MAGAZINE

[Burma Jones]

10. First of all, the American Soldier is a he or she, not an it

Our Republican friends regard soldiers as "it" That's the only way they could throw their lives away on this war of false pretenses.

Second, the troops cannot be held responsible for what they're told to do by the civilian leadership. In this case, a civilian leadership that did NOT receive the support of the majority of Americans at election time.

[liberalmuse]

11. It's the Bush administration...

not our troops who are to blame in this. Our soldiers thought that they had a president who wouldn't send them to war without a damn good reason. Shame on the American people, and shame on our Legislative and Judiciary branches for doing nothing to stop this political power grab by the Executive Branch.

There are some jerks in the military--oh yes, there are jerks with rank, but there are also some very honorable men and women serving who are going to suffer terribly, along with their families because of being used as Bush's proxies. These are people like ourselves who have dreams of bettering themselves by learning a trade, going to college or by serving their country. How dare Bush put them in this situation!

Personally, I think 'Time's' slapping 'The Soldier' on their cover was a sign of this country's guilt over sending them to kill and die so we could have some false sense of security. What an empty tribute. A better tribute would be to make sure that NEVER AGAIN will a President be able to send them to war 'just because'. And anyway, didn't we already go through this shit with Viet Nam?

[Dangerman]

12. Amen to that.