Saturday, December 10, 2005
Why I Love The United States Marines
From the Marine Corps Moms site, a letter from the father of a current Marine serving in Iraq (2 tours) to Representative Murtha.
Read it, read it, read it.
13 Comments:
By 
Gordon Smith, at
Sat Dec 10, 04:02:00 PM:
Wow.
I'm curious, CP, what sort of dissenting opinion to the war could one have and not be called a traitor or seditionist?
It sounds to me like I either get on board with you or I'm a traitor.
John Murtha's ultimate concern is for the safety and security of the United States. You don't have to agree with him, but he will always be entitled, especially as an elected representative, to have opinions that differ from you.
By TigerHawk, at
Sat Dec 10, 04:27:00 PM:
Well, I can't speak for Cardinalpark, but you certainly know my point of view, Screwy.
By 
, at
Sat Dec 10, 07:56:00 PM:
SH - you can have whatever opinion you like, whenever, because its a free country. But I think you should check the dissent at the door when the congress votes to go ahead and the shooting starts.
Because after that, it only helps the bad guys and hurts our guys (the good guys).
By Cardinalpark, at
Sat Dec 10, 07:57:00 PM:
That was CP responding to Screwy above
By Catchy Pseudonym, at
Sat Dec 10, 11:12:00 PM:
When you start a war under shady circumstances then run it like a moron, you open yourself and the war you started up for criticism. People think this war sucks and that the leaders running this war suck. It shouldn't surprise people that Americans are going to be outspoken about it and use the incompetence of this administration against them. To me this isn't a problem of dissent, it's a problem of a poorly started and horribly executed war. Get your act together and you'll see criticism fade. And that doesn't mean pretending everything's spifftacularl when in fact it's not.
By Gordon Smith, at
Sun Dec 11, 10:29:00 AM:
"In my opinion people who need to think this way will not--can not--think otherwise. "
The people who fall into this category are not numerous enough to account for a 55% disapproval rating on the handling of the war or who account for those who believe the Bush administration misled us.
Middle America thinks this, sirius. When the U.S. with its NATO partners went into Afghanistan and dismantled the Taliban's terrorist infrastructure, most Americans felt that the Bush administration acted honorably and in the best interest of our nation. The dissent in regards to the Iraq invasion is entirely different.
By Catchy Pseudonym, at
Sun Dec 11, 01:30:00 PM:
I don't have to rob this war of moral legitimacy. The Bush administration has done a great job of that on its own.
And you can't accept that people think this war and administration suck? Go out in the world and talk with people. There's a large population of Americans who think that and they're not all liberal commie Democrats either. There is a definite growing population of Republicans questioning the president's skills, or lack of skills.
"Stay The Course" isn't satisfying them anymore. But if the president started showing results (real, not manufactured, results) I imagine many of these people will back down. I'm personally looking for a huge drop in violence, successful training of Iraqi troops (preferably ones that won't be killed 24 hours later by a suicide bomber), electricity that doesn't go down for hours or days... basic stability. Elections are neat and all and make great photo shoots and references in inspiring speeches, but we need to get a grasp on the basic neccessities or it will be fruitless. I want to hear a plan for that.
By Dawnfire82, at
Sun Dec 11, 03:50:00 PM:
"Elections are neat and all and make great photo shoots and references in inspiring speeches, but we need to get a grasp on the basic neccessities or it will be fruitless. I want to hear a plan for that."
You're not going to hear a plan for that. Al Quaeda has CNN. The best way to lose initiative and set yourself for failure is to let the enemy know what you're planning to do.
Generally, the opinions of middle America don't matter (and shouldn't matter) to the executors of foreign policy. Middle America has no access to career diplomats, foreign relations analysts, intelligence analysts, spies, generals, private opinions of foreign heads of state, and so forth that help determine and influence the course of the nation internationally. Middle America has access only to selectively leaked stories selectively reported by the mainstream media; hardly a way to run a country.
By , at
Sun Dec 11, 08:20:00 PM:
They have provided kids with toys they would,nt be able to get and they have defdned this nation SEMPTER FI
By Catchy Pseudonym, at
Mon Dec 12, 09:57:00 AM:
You're right Sirius, It is a shame. I should have personally done more to have stopped this war from starting in the first place than just watch it unfold on CNN, though I know individually I would have had no impact. That's a lesson I've learned throughout this. Regardless how I feel, we're there now and we have no other option than to win. That's why having Bush run the show makes me so nervous.
By Catchy Pseudonym, at
Mon Dec 12, 05:09:00 PM:
God that's such a tired load of crap. There's a loads of other dictators murdering people that we're all too happy not to deal with. If we're such a selfless nation that we want to give back to the world selflessly, why don't we use our resources to take on famine, aids... Why does it take nations and leaders pleading with us for years in order to get us to stop genocide in Africa? Don't give me that moral crap about the war. Good will happen, but it's going to happen out of bad. it will happen because a proud, arrogant uninformed president threw our troops into a war that was poorly thought out and executed. And only out of the intelligence, strength and heart of our trrops will we prevail despite of that. That's the strength of America and that is where the good will come from all of this bad.
By Catchy Pseudonym, at
Wed Dec 14, 12:54:00 PM:
I merely acknowledge the selective morality you like to throw up for your arguement. There are many other dictators and murderers we choose not to eliminate and sacrifice our children to spread democracy in those countries. At least argue this war strategically. I can accept that. But morally, your arguement is weak. Also, "action" can take on many forms besides bombs and bullets.
You're right when you said, "I should have known better, and judged you more accurately from the start" You should have known I was someone who wasn't going to buy your tired arugment based on weak logic and selective morality. We both could have used this time better.
By Catchy Pseudonym, at
Thu Dec 15, 12:40:00 PM:
I can see arguing with you is pointless. I wasn't bemoaning anything, I was pointing out, and I'll say it again, that wrapping up morality to this war as a justification for it is itself hypocritical. I bring up our lack of intervention with the other Saddams of the world merely as a case against your argument.
Strategy trumps morality, you said it yourself, "not so favorably in China or Sudan".
I am also more than willing to talk about Democrat failures as I am not too big of a fan of either party. I guess since I don't fully think everything in this war is peachy keen you just assumed I'm a die-hard Democrat. You know what assuming does.
