Fighting Evil

[Sgt. Boomer]

joeb Wrote:well, yeah that happens, sadly. But I\'m mainly pointing at the USA which often claims to be \'oh so good and righteous\'....:roll:

I guess the fact that they\'re simply so hypocrite gets me somethimes.

That’s understandable. And certainly any time you have high standards, high ideals, there is going to be a failure to live up to those ideals. And criticism is necessary to remind people/groups/nations that it’s not enough to simply have high standards, you also have to keep them. In the case of Abu Ghraib the administration took far too long to deal with the mess and so deserved the rational criticism it received. Unfortunately most critics on the right were so busy defending the administration from irrational criticism that they were seen to be condoning the incident.

=D.C.L.I=TuRb0jUg3nD Wrote:Boom ... manages to keep a cool theoretical distance to all this

I’m glad that’s how it comes across. That’s how it’s intended.

Jonathan Wrote:(See above)

Of course some people try my patience more than others. :roll:

Tell me, did you follow your own advice? If you’re a combat veteran I apologize in advance. If you\'re not, then why would you imagine your opinion is any more valid than others? Are you suggesting that only veterans should have the vote? Politics consists of more than foreign affairs. Or would you suggest the army should run the government? Would you extend that logic to fiscal matters? The top 10% of wage earners in a nation account for about 70% of tax revenues. Should only the wealthy decide policy on tax rates and public spending?

Quote:Kevin Dougherty, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Thursday, December 16, 2004

HANAU, Germany — A buzz of anticipation rifled through the crowded gymnasium. In a few minutes, a Band of Brothers six-pack would pop in for a brief visit before heading off for a historic reunion in Bastogne, Belgium. ...

When the six walked into the gymnasium, the place erupted in applause, and continued as the veterans, now in their early 80s, walked through the crowd toward the stage.

“I’d rather be here than back home,” William “Wild Bill” Guarnere said to the gym full of GIs.

Buck Compton referred to the 1st Armored Division as “a noble unit” that today faces a foe that is “far and away a greater threat [to world peace] than the enemy we fought.”

“Your country is for you and proud of you and don’t you ever forget it,” Compton said, eliciting hearty cheers.

Those are men who actually saw their friends or other people die in front of their eyes. It doesn’t sound to me like they share your view.

You say killing people is just flat out wrong. I trust you’re consistent in that belief. That you oppose abortion and euthanasia. That you abstain from using illegal drugs because of the tremendous amount of violence and death the criminal drug trade causes.

What do you do when the situation isn’t black and white? Is it wrong to kill people to stop them from killing others? Was it wrong to kill Nazi’s who were killing civilians? What about the 50,000 or so children that were dying in Iraq every year because of Saddam and UN corruption in the oil for food program? Would you rather Saddam was still in power? Do you feel the same moral indignation towards the insurgents in Iraq? Or is it just the US you disdain?

There is a difference between glorifying war/violence and embracing it as a first resort, and understanding that in an imperfect world it is sometimes necessary. There is room for reasonable people to disagree on the merits & future of Iraq as a battlefield in the war that began on Sept. 11th, but I take exception to the sort of pacifism that vilifies all US action and GW Bush in particular. And I think the typical US soldier in Iraq would prefer it if the likes of Cindy (insurgents are “freedom fighters” Sheehan would just accept that it’s happening and be grateful for their sacrifices.

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DO NOT shut these threads down. The political discussions here are about 100x more civil than in most newspapers’ editorial/letters sections, not to mention online political/news forums. It’s one of the few places I can talk politics without seeing my blood pressure hit the roof. It’s kind of like playing touch-football compared to the attempt-to-maim Australian rules football of other debates. Even when you loose your cool Turbs, you maintain an icy Nordic dignity that’s fun to watch.