joe cool 360 wrote:I'd call a struggle against numerous guerilla fighters who often employ cowardly tactics in an effort to curb Islamic extremism and terrorism pretty heroic.
And I call it stupid. Mostly because it is not working in the slightest and anyone with a brain would see that. The fight against extremism and terrorism is not won by military conflict, it only makes the problem bigger.
But your mind is made up judging from your choice of words. I wouldn't call their tactics "cowardly", I would call them sensible. You can't stop them from doing what they do by engaging them in war, because war is the main source of new recruits for them. An ideological war is not fought on the battlefield but in legislation. A war on terrorism is silly because it bypasses the entire idea behind their view of the world. They don't care if you kill them, they don't care if you take over the country, those things only give them more reason to hate you and to get more recruits to hate you.
I'm going to be honest, I'm not in the military, nor do I plan to join; no one in my family is in the military (except for a cousin I haven't seen for 7 years and a grandfather I've never seen). I'm not going to pretend like I know why people sign up for the military and fight in this war, I can guess, but that's it. But one thing I know for certain is if someone voluntarily signs up to get shot at by people who are trying to kill him/her, they get my respect.
And they get my contempt. If you voluntarily sign up to get shot at, that makes you an idiot. I know people who signed up for the military, one of my friends is going to join the military (if he hasn't found something else by now) and I have no initial respect for what they do.
Sure, I can bring up respect when they do something good like build a school or defend a town, but that has nothing to do with their military role.
My opinion on the people who refuse to go on missions depends on the situation. If it seems to be an unethical mission, then I wait, if it seems to be something caused out of simple unwillingness, then I would label them a coward. I know that if you're gonna sign up for this kind of work, you have to be willing to accept that you could be called upon to fight, which is part of the reason I don't think I could sign up for the military. Typically, I wait to hear what other soldiers say about the person before I make a judgment on that person.
Well that's okay. I have the same view, except that I think that the missions in Iraq and so are unethical. Maybe people are unwilling to be blown up to pieces there, but that is still a more sensible position than just going there and being blown up.
And it's your retarded irreverence for soldiers that would result in a welcoming party like when they returned from Vietnam.
????
I don't think I would have the guts to enlist in the military unless the country got invaded, but I have no doubt that anyone would question my patriotism. It's not joining the military or running for a political office that makes you a patriot, it is doing what you can to make this country a better place to live in.
Well wooohooo!
And if that patriotism involves you going to a country half-way accros the globe I have trouble seeing how that makes your own country a better place to live in.
You are funny kettle.