SAW 20110528. Initially titled "49".
This is a post from my WordPress blog Stay A While, along with the comments. I decided to duplicate my WordPress blog posts (along with all comments) on Blogger for posterity. Also because I lost my WordPress password and haven't been able to recover my account. So I just copied everything over and changed the publish dates. Anyway, enjoy.
Subject: I had a blog before Stay A While, but I'm telling you any more about it. This is a post from that blog.
(a re-post from a few years ago)
Unfortunately, one of the sacrifices soldiers have to make; is to die for the stupidity and lies of their leaders. It has been that way forever, not just since President Bush.
That's why it's so important that we (citizens) hold our leaders to account for their decisions.
What do we do if we have spoken and our leaders still act against our wishes?
Being a good citizen, is more than just voting. Civic responsibility is more than just looking out for what's good for ourselves, but what's good for the whole country. The idea that "special interest" groups hold so much power over our representatives; shows just how much we are failing to do our jobs, as citizens.
If we see ourselves as the defender of liberty in the world, then we have to think of the world, not just our country.
If we commit violence in the name of national security, is that to actually protect our people and land, or to protect some commodity we are addicted to? When we talk about our national security interests in the Middle East, lets be clear, we are talking about securing a flow of oil. The life blood of our economy, without which our economy would certainly crumble. It is not only essential to us, but essential to the world, that America have a healthy economy.
So is it moral to defend a necessary commodity to us, with deadly force? To me, not if we have other means at our disposal to replace that commodity. Laziness, or a refusal to invest the needed money to produce those resources, is not an excuse to substitute offensive violence, and death. Wouldn't it have been more moral to invade and end the genocide in Darfur?
Would Islamic terrorists be attacking us, if it were not for our policies and behavior through the last century towards them, to protect our flow of Arab oil? It is to late to change what we have done in the past, so we must face this violence for years to come.
To want to dominate the world, with any one political philosophy, is insane. So we must question if it is best for us to force democracy throughout the world. If free elections bring socialism to South America, do we invade South America? If free elections bring communism to Russia, do we invade Russia? Are these truly free elections? Did we have a truly free election in 2000?
The President has decided that we need a violent offense, to defend ourselves. This is a policy change for America. We watched England be bombed for years, we saw China raped, France fell, but we didn't enter WWII until we were attacked. The League of Nations, the United Nations, both attempts to remind us that we do have a responsibility to the world, and must engage to ensure our own security.
To equate killing with honor, is immoral. I suppose we need to entice young people somehow, to do our killing for us. Is there such thing as a good war? NO. Are there times when it is necessary to fight and kill? YES.
The troops have honor in the courage they show, willing to put their lives on the line for their fellow citizens.
It is our mistake if we, or our leaders make the wrong decision about which situation calls for the sacrifice and death of our young people.
Everyone jumps on the band wagon of praising our soldiers for their courage and sacrifice. Yet, we cut Veterans benefits, refuse to pay what it takes for them to have the best equipment and supplies, they have to fight the red tape just to get needed medical care, private citizens pay for bullet proof vests, private citizens pay for a military burn unit in Arizona, and on, and on, and on.
We are hypocrites en mass on this issue. It's time to put our money where our mouths are! The political debate ends when it comes to taking care of our troops.
Support the troops – with your money!!
No new taxes! Quite a line to attract voters. No one wants to pay more taxes. We have to decide what kind of society we want and how much we are willing to pay for that society.
6 Responses.
dmarks: "Would Islamic terrorists be attacking us, if it were not for our policies and behavior through the last century towards them, to protect our flow of Arab oil?"
Probably. They hate us for our freedom (the US allows a lot culturally, and allows freedom of religion as part of it) and they especially hate us for standing in the way of their goal of exterminating Jews.
dmarks: And I should have added great post overall. Memorial day is about more than hot dogs on the grill. How many of us have actually gone to the cemetary services many communities have honoring the fallen? I’ve gone to a couple, but that is nothing to boast about. I should go every year.
Leslie Parsley: "Everyone jumps on the band wagon of praising our soldiers for their courage and sacrifice. Yet, we cut Veterans benefits, refuse to pay what it takes for them to have the best equipment and supplies, they have to fight the red tape just to get needed medical care, private citizens pay for bullet proof vests, private citizens pay for a military burn unit in Arizona, and on, and on, and on".
You said it all right then and there.
Terrific post and I love your new site. I'm getting ready to make the switch as well. Any free advice?
TOM Wordpress: Hi Leslie,
Happy Memorial Day (weekend).
Thanks for stopping by "Stay A While" on Word Press.
Advice:
I'm just learning this site myself, and not even half done with what I want to do with it.
I would say, don't over think it.
You just have to get used to everything being somewhere else, but it’s all the same steps and most of the same features. Let me know if I can help.
Set up your new Word Press blog ASAP, then work on it as time permits. Setting up the template and settings, is easy and fast.
From what I could tell; the first comment by anyone has to be approved, then future comments from that person, will be automaticly published unless you have moderation, which I have not activated on this blog.
If you get stuck (no matter how simple) ask me. Here, or I still have the same Email:
jbm479@gmail.com
Good Luck.
TOM Wordpress: "Probably. They hate us for our freedom (the US allows a lot culturally, and allows freedom of religion as part of it) and they especially hate us for standing in the way of their goal of exterminating Jews".
Good points, I agree.
However, it seems being on their soil with our troops, is what really set them off over 20 years ago.
There will always be a percentage that hate us, but that is not even close to a majority, it’s still a tiny minority of the population.
But that's all it takes.
We defiinately have enemies in the World who want to kill us.
dmarks: "However, it seems being on their soil with our troops, is what really set them off over 20 years ago".
I remember that. And it was one of the least-aggressive intrusions of US troops into a nation imaginable. These soldiers were in limited numbers, and kept to limited areas, were there are the request/permission of the Saudi government, and were not engaged in any action whatsoever in Saudi Arabia.
The thing about it that turned these people into bloodthirsty savages was that the US troops there were not Muslims.
"There will always be a percentage that hate us, but that is not even close to a majority, it's still a tiny minority of the population".
I take this as meaning that you are not blaming Islam, or not “all Muslims” for this. I definitely agree.
