itschmee wrote:
Sara let me see if I can give you a feeling for why some Americans feel that to be Anti-war is Anti-american.

As a young 19 year old I packed up my bags and reported to Ft Leonard Wood to begin my service to my country. I lost an Uncle in WW2 and my mother was completely convinced that he died to save america. I greq up with a sense of to be and american we answered to our countries call. I did. I spent a year in Viet Nam. Many of my classmates and contemporaries did not and were actively anti-war. In those days to be anti-war was to be anti-soldier. I returned from that awful place and was called "baby killer", "war-monger",and other hateful names. I could not wear my uniform outside a military base. I could not leave anything in my car that looked army or my car would be vandalized. As a matter of fact my car was spray painted with "Baby killer" becasue it had a army post sticker on the bumper. I was spit on in airports. The experience was horrible. It made me an "Anti-war" hater. I stayed on in to Military for over 20 years. I served a second time in a war. The first Iraq war. Coming home from that war was a whole different experience. The parades, the cheers, the yellow ribbons it left me confused.

Another thing Sara, no sane person that has ever seen the face of war, loves war. I hate war more than you do. But also no one savors the scent of freedom quite as much as someone that has been called upon to put his life on the line for that freedom.

So do me a favor Sara. Don't call yourself Anti-war. For me that makes you Anti-American. Call yourself a War Hater and you are then of the brotherhood.

THere are many out there like me. The term Anti-War just brings up terrible memories of a time when America was confused.

As a younger liberal not of the Viet Nam generation,I have developed a great disdain for the counter-culture of the 60's. It helped no one, certainly not their cause, to pass their feelings on the Viet Nam war on to the soldier. It was not only unfair to the troops, it significantly hurt their cause. Further, this criminal notion of attacking the troops for the government's war has really created and fostered the environment that Sara is lamenting in her letter. It is always American to question your leaders; to oppose wars included. But, because of the thoughtless legacy created by the anit-war counter-culture of the 60's, we can cannot voice an opinion of Iraq without being called anti-american/anti-troop. Shameful, really.

I am against this war. I am against the thoughtless, irrational and reactive decisions that lead to this war. That there should be debate on these decisions is the essence of America. It should be welcomed. Let us all talk. And yet, perhaps even because of my feelings, the respect I have for the soldier cannot be overstated. Noble and brave, only a real coward will question their motivations.

If being a "war-hater" is more acceptable for you, whose service I applaud, then I have no problem adapting the nomenclature. Consider it done. Does not change my opinions on Iraq, however.

War is the federal government's lifeblood and to end war we really have to starve, disable, restrict, constrain that state. Washington should take the money it's spending on war, trillions of dollars, and instead rebuild this country's infrastructure, solve the education, health care, and aging-population crisis. But what do we get? Always, more spending, and always more war. It is easy to understand this country is economically oriented around offensive and security related industry. So when government gets a buck, it is beholden to the security, offensive and war-related lobbyists, industrial and political.

No one has to serve in the military to be a patriot. I am a patriot because I pay the taxes of these so-called soldiers, and yes, I am their boss, ultimately, and as their boss I deserve to have a military that honors and obeys the commander in chief without question, or else get out of the Army and work at Sears.

I have not been wounded, but I have been wounded by the liberals on this site who have nothing but scorn for Bush, Cannon, traditional American values, traditional marriage, traditional roles of the races and genders, . . . traditions that made this nation the envy of the planet. Now we're being brought down by feminazis, minority rights, minority set asides, minoritys in our schools, our hospitals, promotion of the Gay Agenda, anti-Christian rhetoric and degragation of Israel. That is what is happening.

But there is a light coming thru the darkness. This New Yorker mag cover shows that even the liberals know the true feelings of the Magic Messiah Obama and his Anti-American Wife. They say it is satire but the truth comes thru. That cover is the beginning of the end of the Obama Campaign.

Thus saith I.

Ray, you are so lost in the neocon cyber space!

No, you are not anyone's boss in government, and the soldiers answer to their chain of command, not you.

The fact that you miss the satire of the New Yorker's cover which is aimed at folks like you for your foolish and stupid beliefs indicated that you miss the satire that is your beliefs.

Get over it, our world is changing, and your outdated, outmoded, and often flat wrong -- ways are changing forever, and your ilk is going out on the ashheap of history.

Everybody Loves Raymond wrote:
No one has to serve in the military to be a patriot. I am a patriot because I pay the taxes of these so-called soldiers, and yes, I am their boss, ultimately, and as their boss I deserve to have a military that honors and obeys the commander in chief without question, or else get out of the Army and work at Sears.

I have not been wounded, but I have been wounded by the liberals on this site who have nothing but scorn for Bush, Cannon, traditional American values, traditional marriage, traditional roles of the races and genders, . . . traditions that made this nation the envy of the planet. Now we're being brought down by feminazis, minority rights, minority set asides, minoritys in our schools, our hospitals, promotion of the Gay Agenda, anti-Christian rhetoric and degragation of Israel. That is what is happening.

But there is a light coming thru the darkness. This New Yorker mag cover shows that even the liberals know the true feelings of the Magic Messiah Obama and his Anti-American Wife. They say it is satire but the truth comes thru. That cover is the beginning of the end of the Obama Campaign.

Thus saith I.

Being a patriot means paying taxes? That would make many illegal immigrants and foreign corporations patriots. Last I checked, military members are citizen volunteers. They have their own constitutional rights, including rights such as this:
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/militarylaw1/a/obeyingorders.htm
The president also is our employee according to your definition. As the vast majority of the people are against the iraq war, does that not mean that he needs to obey us and withdraw immediately?
Who is bringing you down? Is your standard of living dropping?

unaffiliated_person wrote:
Everybody Loves Raymond wrote:
No one has to serve in the military to be a patriot. I am a patriot because I pay the taxes of these so-called soldiers, and yes, I am their boss, ultimately, and as their boss I deserve to have a military that honors and obeys the commander in chief without question, or else get out of the Army and work at Sears.

I have not been wounded, but I have been wounded by the liberals on this site who have nothing but scorn for Bush, Cannon, traditional American values, traditional marriage, traditional roles of the races and genders, . . . traditions that made this nation the envy of the planet. Now we're being brought down by feminazis, minority rights, minority set asides, minoritys in our schools, our hospitals, promotion of the Gay Agenda, anti-Christian rhetoric and degragation of Israel. That is what is happening.

But there is a light coming thru the darkness. This New Yorker mag cover shows that even the liberals know the true feelings of the Magic Messiah Obama and his Anti-American Wife. They say it is satire but the truth comes thru. That cover is the beginning of the end of the Obama Campaign.

Thus saith I.

Being a patriot means paying taxes? That would make many illegal immigrants and foreign corporations patriots. Last I checked, military members are citizen volunteers. They have their own constitutional rights, including rights such as this:
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/militarylaw1/a/obeyingorders.htm
The president also is our employee according to your definition. As the vast majority of the people are against the iraq war, does that not mean that he needs to obey us and withdraw immediately?
Who is bringing you down? Is your standard of living dropping?

Yes, we are the boss of Bush. And if the American people hated him as much as you Liberal Nutjobs think, they would elect a Congress to impeach him. But they didn't. They elected a Dem congress (with their allies in the Media) by the slimest of margins and then put those twin as leaders Pelosi and Reid (who should be excommunicated this afternoon) in charge. They are so worthless as leaders they couldn't go to Burger King to get a Kid's Meal without screwing it up and you Liberal Puppets know it!

And Bush knows they are weak and can shove down their throats whatever he wants as long as he wants, including this ruling. Whatever you think about Bush, Congress is in more crap.