Memorial Day to fellow Veterans

[leolou2]

Happy Memorial Day Sirs for your sacrifices to keep us free from one Vet to all others, It is a honor to be amongst you and always will.

[Evil Semp]

And the same to you sir. Thank you one and all who have served and those who support the men and women who are serving our country.

[shieldgenerator7]

May we take this day in memorable honor of all those who have gone before us.

[radiojake]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

[Night Strike]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

From someone whose country was saved from the Japanese because of American soldiers.

[radiojake]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

From someone whose country was saved from the Japanese because of American soldiers.

Saved from the Japanese, occupied by the British - What is the fucking difference? The indigenous of this country are still fucked despite the abscense of the 'Japanese Invasion' - Your argument is only useful for racist xenaphobes who fear the different, those who have been suckered into blindly believing the dominant ideology.

Japan wanted to take a stranglehold of the South-East Asian economy and control it. I do not see how that is any different to what the United States have been doing for nearly a century now (The difference, I guess, is that the US has been successful... and as a result, has been able to present their dominant spin on history)

[saxitoxin]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

You need to take Saxi's class in agitprop. This approach doesn't work and this probably isn't the appropriate holiday thread to broach this topic given that Memorial Day is an observance of the surrender of the Confederate States. Abraham Lincoln is a pre-Marxist liberator in vanguard philosophy.

For more on the historical importance and significance of the U.S. holiday of Memorial Day as a world model for an egalitarian-secularist holiday I recommend "Varieties of Civil Religion" by UC Berkeley radical sociologist Dr. Bob Bellah.

Abraham Lincoln memorial at Revolution Plaza in Havana -

[edocsil]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

From someone whose country was saved from the Japanese because of American soldiers.

Saved from the Japanese, occupied by the British - What is the fucking difference? The indigenous of this country are still fucked despite the abscense of the 'Japanese Invasion' - Your argument is only useful for racist xenaphobes who fear the different, those who have been suckered into blindly believing the dominant ideology.

Japan wanted to take a stranglehold of the South-East Asian economy and control it. I do not see how that is any different to what the United States have been doing for nearly a century now (The difference, I guess, is that the US has been successful... and as a result, has been able to present their dominant spin on history)

Jake one of these days you are going to piss off the wrong person. They will be the person who traces you IP and kills you in cold blood.

Take a look at the accounts or the Japanese soldiers and say that again. The West and Her allies have their faults but we have done nothing compared to the Rape of Nanking. Do not paint us in black mearly to fit you foolish view of the word.

[saxitoxin]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

From someone whose country was saved from the Japanese because of American soldiers.

Saved from the Japanese, occupied by the British - What is the fucking difference? The indigenous of this country are still fucked despite the abscense of the 'Japanese Invasion' - Your argument is only useful for racist xenaphobes who fear the different, those who have been suckered into blindly believing the dominant ideology.

Japan wanted to take a stranglehold of the South-East Asian economy and control it. I do not see how that is any different to what the United States have been doing for nearly a century now (The difference, I guess, is that the US has been successful... and as a result, has been able to present their dominant spin on history)

Jake one of these days you are going to piss off the wrong person. They will be the person who traces you IP and kills you in cold blood.

this doesn't seem like a constructive comment

[radiojake]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

You need to take Saxi's class in agitprop. This approach doesn't work and this probably isn't the appropriate holiday thread to broach this topic given that Memorial Day is an observance of the surrender of the Confederate States. Abraham Lincoln is a pre-Marxist liberator in vanguard philosophy.

For more on the historical importance and significance of the U.S. holiday of Memorial Day as a world model for an egalitarian-secularist holiday I recommend "Varieties of Civil Religion" by UC Berkeley radical sociologist Dr. Bob Bellah.

Abraham Lincoln memorial at Revolution Plaza in Havana -

Fair enough - I fully recognise that my knowledge on U.S military holidays is not great; I am guilty of assuming that it was another nationalist discourse used to vanquish any collective guilt of attrocities commited overseas - (hey, we have them down here in Australia aswell)

Freedom is a word with many contestations - Some of the events and actions commited under this rhetoric is often the complete opposite of my understanding of the word.

I do not mean to offend anyone when I post comments like the one above, but it's not my problem if you do find it offensive.

[Juan_Bottom]

Take a look at the accounts or the Japanese soldiers and say that again. The West and Her allies have their faults but we have done nothing compared to the Rape of Nanking. Do not paint us in black mearly to fit you foolish view of the word.

That's a matter of view. The US has an extremely long history of overthrowing Peaceful (Latin) or non-threatening (Iraq) Governments for financial profit (Hawaii, Iraq, Grenada) and supporting various dictators/war criminals. In some cases we protected them. And I'm not just talking bout Nazis, there were some that were worse. We also use various corporations, the IMF and World Bank to control and suppress second and third world countries (Ecuador).
Furthermore, America has historically held an extremely racist viewpoint towards Native Americans which continues to the present day.

Did the US support Pol Pot, one of the worst criminals in human history?
I thought the US already did a bad job ( i.e. crime ) in funneling Vietnam war in the Sixties and Seventies, but I did not expect that the supported one of the worst genocide in recent human history

The Times editorial of June 24 recognizes a small problem in pursuing Pol Pot, arising from the fact that after he was forced out of Cambodia by Vietnam, "From 1979 to 1991, Washington indirectly backed the Khmer Rouge, then a component of the guerrilla coalition fighting the Vietnamese installed Government [in Phnom Penh]." This does seem awkward: the United States and its allies giving economic, military, and political support to Pol Pot, and voting for over a decade to have his government retain Cambodia’s UN seat, but now urging his trial for war crimes. The Times misstates and understates the case: the United States gave direct as well as indirect aid to Pol Pot—in one estimate, $85 million in direct support—and it "pressured UN agencies to supply the Khmer Rouge," which "rapidly improved" the health and capability of Pol Pot’s forces after 1979 (Ben Kiernan, "Cambodia’s Missed Chance," Indochina Newsletter, Nov.-Dec. 1991). U.S. ally China was a very large arms supplier to Pol Pot, with no penalty from the U.S. and in fact U.S. connivance—Carter’s National Security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski stated that in 1979 "I encouraged the Chinese to support Pol Pot...Pol Pot was an abomination. We could never support him but China could."

http://www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/hermansept97.htm

This is quite a different story than the one told by the more conscientious historians at Covert Action Quarterly, also published in DC. In the fall 1997 issue, John Pilger writes that the US funneled $86 million in support of Pol Pot and his followers from 1980 to 1986. In addition, the Reagan administration schemed and plotted to have Khmer Rouge representatives occupy Cambodia's UN seat, even though the Khmer Rouge government ceased to exist in 1979. This was a sad effort to grant Pol Pot's followers international legitimacy.

http://www.media-criticism.com/Washi..._Pot_1998.html

[saxitoxin]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

You need to take Saxi's class in agitprop. This approach doesn't work and this probably isn't the appropriate holiday thread to broach this topic given that Memorial Day is an observance of the surrender of the Confederate States. Abraham Lincoln is a pre-Marxist liberator in vanguard philosophy.

For more on the historical importance and significance of the U.S. holiday of Memorial Day as a world model for an egalitarian-secularist holiday I recommend "Varieties of Civil Religion" by UC Berkeley radical sociologist Dr. Bob Bellah.

Abraham Lincoln memorial at Revolution Plaza in Havana -

Fair enough - I fully recognise that my knowledge on U.S military holidays is not great; I am guilty of assuming that it was another nationalist discourse used to vanquish any collective guilt of attrocities commited overseas - (hey, we have them down here in Australia aswell)

Freedom is a word with many contestations - Some of the events and actions commited under this rhetoric is often the complete opposite of my understanding of the word.

I do not mean to offend anyone when I post comments like the one above, but it's not my problem if you do find it offensive.

I don't know that U.S. Memorial Day is a military holiday in the sense of the words as they're known in other countries since it lacks many of the characteristics of such events such as showpiece parades, fireworks, etc. Bellah argues, in fact, that it's a holiday of an unstated civil-secular religion similar to the harvest festival holidays in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Korea (Thanksgiving and whatever else). It's probably difficult to frame it in the cultural perspective of European holiday systems.

[PLAYER57832]

I don't care about the politics. Anyone who gave they life for me/my country deserves my thanks and respect.

[patches70]

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

[ ] understands the concept of "Memorial Day"
[X] Blames soldiers for the decisions of political leaders

[Army of GOD]

I agree that in the last 65 years, the US has done nothing but put their dick in other people's anuses, but this isn't about getting pissed at the people that send the orders. The point of this is to remember those that we're sent as pawns to do the dirty work of pussies who were too afraid to do it themselves.

There have been 4 "necessary" wars in US history: the Revolution, Civil War and both the World Wars. While I disagree with the premise of the other wars, I commend the soldiers because if they didn't carry out the orders they were given, they'd get shit.

And jake, your comment was on par with the Westboro church people's actions. Congratulations, that's a highly sought after position.

[Army of GOD]

And inb4 "yer jus' a stupid nationalist". If you know anything about me, you'd know that I think Amerika can go f*ck itself. This isn't about Amerika, so shut up.

[radiojake]

I don't care about the politics. Anyone who gave they life for me/my country deserves my thanks and respect.

Intersting, considering the soldiers who have given their life have so under conditions completely created through the political environment - You can't remove politics and war. What is that old saying? that war is just the continuation of politics -

I feel sorry for combat troops who have enlisted as a result of the economic situation; poor or uneducated with limited means for decent income. War machines prey on these kind of citizens; very much like pawns in a chess game. Ironically they often fight (obliviously) to perpetuate the system of inequality that ravages much of the world. The 'winners' of war are invariably the elites with the capital and power who often perpetuate war for the sake of the attainment of more said capital and power.

However, I digress, as it has come to my attention that Memorial Day is not the shallow, nationalist war propagating machine that I assumed it was. This is for another thread.

Carry on.

[radiojake]

And jake, your comment was on par with the Westboro church people's actions. Congratulations, that's a highly sought after position.

Which comment, and how?

[Army of GOD]

This comment, you troll.

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

f*ck, I need to stop myself before I respond to trolls. I'm easier than Sunday morning (which is harder than Serbia's mom).

[radiojake]

This comment, you troll.

Ha.

Invading far away countries in the name of freedom - Nice.

You have all been played like pawns under the banner of western imperialism - Go drop some more bombs on faces you can not see and on names that you can not say.

f*ck, I need to stop myself before I respond to trolls. I'm easier than Sunday morning (which is harder than Serbia's mom).

You didn't say how this equates to the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church

[Army of GOD]

[oVo]

Jake you are an idiot. I'm sorry you lack the decency and common sense to create a thread of your own where international events you have little to no understanding of can be discussed.

Instead you felt a need to derail and disrespect the memories of millions of veterans who are remembered on this day for their unselfish service and personal sacrifice as participants in numerous wars and other tragic global events. War is hell and very few people want to be there. It just isn't at the top of anyone's to do list. The only true winners on the battlefield are flies and worms.

There is a time and place for everything and I'm sure there were people who gave all they had in your corner of the world so that you could have the freedom to piss on this thread with your ignorance. God bless 'em and may their best intentions and sacrifice always be appreciated and remembered by all who follow.

[radiojake]

Jake you are an idiot. I'm sorry you lack the decency and common sense to create a thread of your own where international events you have little to no understanding of can be discussed.

I accept that charge; I should have started another thread - As I already have conceeded, I have incorrectly assumed the meaning and rhetoric behind Memorial Day.

However, I will not be made to feel bad for my cynicism - I consider it a healthy part of a living, breathing democracy (hey, isn't this what the fighting is supposed to be for?)

[mpjh]

OK, families who lost a loved one because of war are not going to take to criticism of the country well. I understand that.

My dad fought in the South Pacific, and it was the only thing in his life he was truely proud of doing. He had his rank of Master Sargent placed on his headstone and nothing else.

I also am a vet of Viet Nam war.

But I still think we are an empire that now causes more harm to ourselves and the world than benefit. I earned the right to think and say that.

[thegreekdog]

Memorial Day, as some here have indicated, is to honor the soldiers, not the politicians who sent them to die.

I honored my grandfather, my grandfather-in-law, and my uncles. They served in poor conditions and, in my uncles' cases, without the support of the American people on their return. They should be thanked.

Regardless of my views on US foreign policy, this is the reason for Memorial Day.

Jake - While I appreciate your comments, this was the incorrect thread to post those comments in. I would hope that someone as empathetic as you normally seem would have understood that people want to honor their fallen family members without being berated by someone from another country. Unfortunately. it appears I was sadly mistaken. Very disappointing.