As much as we all hate war, the troops are there for a noble cause, I believe. I will never get the picture out of my head of Iraqis cheering the troops as they moved in, of the man beating a statue of Saddam with his shoe, or a woman proudly displaying a purple finger because she braved the threats of terrorists and decided to vote.
It's a sad fact, but a paradox of life is that if you want peace you must be prepared for war. People aren't dying because Bush simply has an irrational hatred of Iraqis (and who ever thinks that should seriously consider removing the tin foil hat they are wearing), so to compare Bush to Hitler is simply disgusting and irrational. People are dying because people like Saddam wage war against and divide their own people (slaughtering of the Kurds anyone?). Our soldiers are dying because they feel they are serving their country and spreading freedom.
Dorothy Thomson:They have not wanted Peace at all; they have wanted to be spared war -- as though the absence of war was the same as peace. Aristotle:We make war that we may live in peace. George Washington:There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy. John F. Kennedy:It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war. John Stuart Mill:War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. Patrick Henry:It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! March 23, 1775 Spinoza:Peace is not the absence of war; it is a virtue; a state of mind; a disposition for benevolence; confidence; and justice.
-- Edited by Martiangirl at 10:30, 2007-03-03
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In blackest day or brightest night, watermelon, cantaloupe, yadda yadda, erm. . .a superstitious and cowardly lot, with liberty and justice for all!
I know it may be for a good cause, but the price is growing... Mister Tchlis said that it's going to be a trillion dollars worth in deficet (sp?) if we keep going.
Daddy thinks that the US is just screwing things up there. (Quite honestly, I don't know what to think of this war at all.)
Yay for our history teacher being a teacher and still making us laugh! 8D
Very nice, Martiangirl. You`re one of those few that see the ar from a different light. Most everyone hates Bush, Bush does this, Bush does that...you know what I say to Bush haters? Why don`t you try to sit in his place and make decisions instead? Bush is trying, however unfortunately undesirably, but he is trying.
I`m no fan of George myself; my mom says she would`ve put a different Republican up there, but she`d rather any Republican than any Democrat. And, especially in these troubled times, I agree with her (no offense to Democrat supporters). We shouldn`t be cursing Bush; he didn`t start this ****. We should be cursing Suddam and bin Laden, the monsters that started this whole mess. If they weren`t attack us for whatever reasons they saw fit, then our soldiers wouldn`t be over there in the first place.
Suddam`s already down, thank heavens; now we just need to find bin Laden, if he`s still around. And, I hope he gets a punishment far worse than hanging. I`d like to see him get a firing squad.
I remember that there was an article in the UpFront magazine that my history teacher gives out...it was talking about that if we keep going with this war in Iraq, we may have to reinstate a draft...I don't want to leave Chicago!
If they seriously consider reinstating the draft, I`m leaving the country with my mother and little brother. In just over a year, I`ll be eligible...*shivers* And if we wind up with a Democrat president, the problem will get compounded with poorer support for military, a double-punch to the 18+ populace. Well, if a Democrat president even gets so much as a lead in the votes, I`m going to be moving to Canada.
Yeah. Not to mention the hell the country went through during the Vietnam war. That kinda disillusioned a lot of folks about the draft. Though that doesn't stop some folks from insisting on bringing it back. I remember hearing at least one guy who has been gunning for mandetory service from everyone since before the war. Because he feels the all volunteer army unfairly consists mostly of poor minorities. Yeah. . .that makes perfect sense.
That whole "reinstate the draft for the war" idea has been floating around for the past 5 years.
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In blackest day or brightest night, watermelon, cantaloupe, yadda yadda, erm. . .a superstitious and cowardly lot, with liberty and justice for all!
Crossfire wrote: If they seriously consider reinstating the draft, I`m leaving the country with my mother and little brother. In just over a year, I`ll be eligible...*shivers* And if we wind up with a Democrat president, the problem will get compounded with poorer support for military, a double-punch to the 18+ populace. Well, if a Democrat president even gets so much as a lead in the votes, I`m going to be moving to Canada.
who says that if a democrat wins were automaticlly going to lose?I keep hearing this "if a democrat wins Im going to kill my self " blah blah blah that is an offensive sterotype I mean not all of the democrats that I see like Hilary clinton and brack obma are good canidates ,but just because they dont support the war it doesnt mean we are going to lose,I mean JFK was a in my eyes a GREAT president and he was a democrat,you should'nt count people out just because they dont support the same causes you do,and if I remeber thats one of the reasons so many people hated kennedy it was because he was Catholic.
True that. The thing is that the Democratic Party now is bit different nowadays. Real Democratic moderates are shoved to the sidelines in favor of Leftie superstars like Hillary.
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In blackest day or brightest night, watermelon, cantaloupe, yadda yadda, erm. . .a superstitious and cowardly lot, with liberty and justice for all!
I sympathise with the people in power, they have to make difficult decisions and face much criticism from the public. Nothing they do will ever please everyone. Tony Blair over here in the UK is unpopular now over his involvement in Iraq as well. Apparently, he made the decision to go to war based on insubstantial documents or something. We'll never know for certain really. But now that it's happened, we have to follow it through to a finish i think. But the troops can't stay in Iraq for too long, they're becoming more and more unwanted. And the country needs to find it's own footing.
I am sorry if I spoke offensively. I`m simply stating my views (and Hillary is one person I do NOT want to see get the position of President). I just prefer Republican Presidents; I wouldn`t mind a Democrat heading environment programs, however (one view I share with Democrats is a need to preserve nature).
Well I watched this video about the 9/11 bombs and what George Bush did before and during the events that took place including the war in Iraq. I must say that the things George did and how the events evolved makes you think "What is the point!?".
For example, there was some bits in the video that stated that the way to prevent terrorism, the Americain authorities considered happy community groups, golf clubs (equipment and the place) and breast milk really bad, but it was okay to take four boxes of matches and two lighters on an aeroplane in an airport!
Not being offensive to anyone here but I've gotta ask you, who has been in a situation like that? When you can't take ordinary objects like a spoon on a plane! The woman who couldn't take the breast milk on the plane had to put some on her lips so that her kid wouldn't starve by kissing her while drinking the milk! This world has gone balistic!
Akira_Cat wrote: Well I watched this video about the 9/11 bombs and what George Bush did before and during the events that took place including the war in Iraq. I must say that the things George did and how the events evolved makes you think "What is the point!?".
For example, there was some bits in the video that stated that the way to prevent terrorism, the Americain authorities considered happy community groups, golf clubs (equipment and the place) and breast milk really bad, but it was okay to take four boxes of matches and two lighters on an aeroplane in an airport!
Not being offensive to anyone here but I've gotta ask you, who has been in a situation like that? When you can't take ordinary objects like a spoon on a plane! The woman who couldn't take the breast milk on the plane had to put some on her lips so that her kid wouldn't starve by kissing her while drinking the milk! This world has gone balistic!
Which video is this?
Which airports are allowing matches and lighters on planes? Those were prohibited items pre-9/11.
I know that all liquids were banned when they caught some would-be terrorists in London trying to get on a plane with liquid explosives disguised as harmless beverages, hair gel and such. Though I believe they have slackened the rules a bit to allow for baby formula and medication by now.
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In blackest day or brightest night, watermelon, cantaloupe, yadda yadda, erm. . .a superstitious and cowardly lot, with liberty and justice for all!
Regarding liquids, they have loosened the restrictions a bit. Right now, you're allowed to carry liquids in containers < 3 oz. or 100 mL, and it all has to go in a clear, one-gallon Ziplock-type bag, which is inspected separately when you go through security. There's a lot of variation in the details of security as a whole, though. I travelled to Dublin over Christmas break, and Dulles (Washington D.C.) and Dublin Airports were what I would consider average - diligent security, but not over the top. Heathrow in London, however, was bipolar. On the way over, security was at pre-9/11 levels, but on the way back, it was a HUGE hassle, more like immediate post-9/11 when the airports were first opening back up.
Oddity: Your dad is probably safe . If the old system was reinstated, only men 18-25 could be drafted, and I really don't think Congress would risk the public backlash from restarting the Selective Service when our military isn't hurting for personnel in the least.
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Ah, Tech. Tu chauffes mon cœur comme un jour en été…
Skifox wrote:If the old system was reinstated, only men 18-25 could be drafted, and I really don't think Congress would risk the public backlash from restarting the Selective Service when our military isn't hurting for personnel in the least.
That doesn`t comfort me very much; I`ll be turning 18 next year! BTW, my birthday`s on March 27th, so I wouldn`t be very far off. If there`s even a hint of the draft returning, I`m hauling it outta this country faster than you can say "gun". I might even say hi to Kaejae when I get to Canada.
Crossfire: I try to look on the bright side and remind myself that I've already made it through two years of eligibility. Y'know, before this whole "War on Terror" business got started, I had considered joining the Air Force Reserve to help pay for college and get flight training, and if it all ends within a reasonable time frame I still might, but there's no way I'm risking combat deployment if I can avoid it.
Oddity: You're a girl, too. That helps. ;P Besides, by the time you're 18, hopefully this whole affair will have an end in sight. Your dad being over 25 is a very good thing. If he wasn't, that would mean you were born while he was in middle school!
Yeah, conscription is teh suck.
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Ah, Tech. Tu chauffes mon cœur comme un jour en été…
Well, it wasn't really considered sexist back when the draft was last used. At that point in time, women were not assigned combat duty, so since the draft was intended to provide troops specifically for combat, women were exempt. Women do go into combat now, so it's conceivable that a new system could include women, but this is one case where I doubt any female-types will be pushing for equality.
Interesting fact: Our government spends roughly $24 million every year maintaining the (unused) Selective Service System. What a waste of taxpayers' money...
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Ah, Tech. Tu chauffes mon cœur comme un jour en été…
No draft, plz Ooh, that reminds me, I have a math test tomorrow...
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Bunnies aren't cute like everybody supposes! They've got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses! And what's with all the carrots! Why do they need such good eyesight for anyway?! Bunnies! Bunnies! It must beBUNNIES!!