LizzieRossetti:We in Great Britain have a saying,I don't suppose we are unique;
If you can read and write-Thank a teacher
If you can read and write in English-Thank a Soldier
If taken literally, that is, to mean that wars should be waged on behalf of the preservation of the English language, the colloquialism is one of the most absurd things that I have ever heard.
Interpreted analogically to mean that soldiers defend liberties, etc., then it is still absurd, but slightly less so.
LizzieRossetti: Personally I would hesitate to make judgements and form conclusions about something of which I had no experience,without first having talked with someone who had...
Citizens should be hesitant to judge the military? Most assuredly not.
Keep in mind who it is that you allegedly serve: the people. Citizens are completely justified in critiquing the military. Liberties and freedom of speech are far more important than the feelings of soldiers. Even having an argument over the matter of whether or not citizens should be able to judge the military would be distasteful.
Additionally, most of my comments have little to do with the common military grunt. Low-level soldiers had nothing to do with the funding and furnishing of weapons to the Indonesian Army, the US sanctions against Iraq, the decision to go to war, our support of Saddam back when he was doing immoral things, etc. Those decisions were made in the upper echelons of government and the military.
Furthermore, seeing as how soldiers would face severe reprisals if they were to criticize the war openly and effectively, the statements of support for US, UK, etc. foreign policies made by anyone in the military are rendered meaningless. Even if it could be proven that a specific soldier was speaking genuinely when making statements in support of the war, there is still the fact that they have largely been brainwashed to consider.
Your opinion on these matters means less than the testimony given by those being put under duress and tortured at Guantanamo. LizzieRossetti: In the particular arenas of involvement we are currently engaged in,our humanitarian element expend resources for the benefit of all in the horrible circumstances we all find ourselves in,including the treatment of "enemy" wounded,civilians found to be in harms way,and our own casualties alike.
How could the 1990-2003 US sanctions on Iraq, which killed well over a million people (1,000,00 by 1996) possibly be reconciled with your statement?
How could US funding of the Indonesian army, which killed 200,000 in East Timor, possibly be reconciled with your statement?
How could US coups and death squads in South America possibly be reconciled with your statement?
Those things can't be reconciled with your statement, which is why it is simply absurd. The US, et al. have a long track record of selectively giving aid, inflicting incredible amounts of harm without proper justification, and propping up oppressive regimes. Your statement is very obviously false.
LizzieRossetti: In the Military,we do not seek thanks from every livingsoul.
It is just as well that you do not seek thanks because aside from certain exceptions (Tillman, Manning, et al.), you will not receive it... at least not from me.
LizzieRossetti: I do not suppose for one minute that everyone will see my remarks in the same light that I do,however,I do know that in some small way I will have left at least MY mark,in a way that my heart dictated I should.I joined a line a long way from home,so that those who chose not to do so,could go about their own business without let or hindrance. Yes.I am saddened that those very people choose to use their freedom to denigrate freely,but that is their choice,because they still do have a choice.A choice that perhaps,someone else paid for with their life.Willingly.For them.
Do not suppose that you fight for my benefit. I have already said at least once that the US, UK, et al. would have been better off if they had done nothing instead of what they have done, so despite whatever you might say, I clearly do not believe that the behavior of our government and military, once it is all summed up in its totality, is beneficial to the citizenry of the US, UK, et al.
There is, however, the question of who it is that you are truly working for to consider, for you are obviously not carrying out the wishes of the majority of US, UK, et al. citizens. Perhaps you ought to reread the statements of oneputtdavid, who has openly and unequivocally said that he supports the war because he believes it will result in the emergence of Jesus Christ, even if it results in the deaths of hundreds of millions (paraphrase of his words.) (Note: I fully agree with oneputdavid that it is the case that what we are seeing is an attempt to put on a Biblical play, of sorts. The difference is that I believe it is incredibly foolish.) oneputtdavid is not alone in this insanity. In the US alone, those who believe and work for the same goals number in the tens of millions.