Look,
I don't agree with most of HH6's political views.
However, there is nothing dishonorable about joining the military. And it takes some serious balls to do what they do in Iraq. They took an oath and 99.99% are making good on that oath. Those that strongly don't agree with the war leave the military honorably. Many people make a career out of being in the military. There is nothing wrong with that either. It's an honorable profession.
At some point, many of you haters need to realize that's it's the American Military that is responsible for many of our freedoms we enjoy, namely to criticize the government.
I, for one, am vehemently opposed to the Iraq war/occupation but do not for one second DISGRACE myself by calling an honorable person in the military a murderer. They are doing what they took an oath to do and believe they are protecting our country. No wyou can argue all day long about the justification of the war but you cannot argue the integrity of our fighting men. And i'm not talking about the bad apples you get from any group of people. I'm talking the people in the military who are sacrificing soo much to fight what they believe is a worthwhile fight.
So stop fvcking disgracing yourselves while you sit in your cozy ass homes. You need to get your ass out fo the house and talk with some of the broken shattered families of wounded or KIA's. Tell them they are murderers. Or better yet, go over to Iraq, and get you arm blown off by some farmer/insurgent.
I see your point. I don't agree that we have our freedoms or liberties b/c of the military. We have those b/c of the constitution.
Our country's philosophy and morality for war is predicated on self-defense and not on brutal, unprovoked and discretionary attacks.
The war machine can be used for good (defense) and for evil (conquering).
This is why the reason the US attacked Iraq is important.
We can shield ourselves from criticism by heaping heroic accolades on the men and women of our military--and they do deserve that when they deserve it--but that's a dodge in this case.
Or we can integrate the reason for the US's attack into an analysis of the actions of the military soldiers.
Are the US soldiers defending america? I think that's a fairly obvious 'no.'
Are the US soldiers defending an ally? No. Iraq attacked no one.
How can we still view the soldiers's actions in Iraq as heroic or moral or the like?
Now the tactfulness with which someone tells a soldier or his family that they are doing wrong in Iraq is a different story all together.