Please do not join the Army and risk getting your hands shot off--or your head for that matter. Iraq will not descend into chaos, it's already in CHAOS. You appear to be a thoughful and talented young man, don't waste that by learning to kill on command at the whim of some unreliable government--we know they're lying, their lips are moving.

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The apocalypse is coming... we're gonna need more ammo.

I am more hopefull then you are, If I were in congress I would vote for the surge but I would also introduce a bill that said 21,000 surge, till the end of summer 2007, then mandatory minimum of 3,000 troops a month withdrawl to begin september 2007 and not to be interfeared with regardless. Any postponement of withdrawl on any month would mean you must withdrawl the previous number (3000) and the current month withdrawl.

So That means I would allow commanders the ability to post pone withdrawls but only to be continued on the second month at same rate pluss postponement. My hope is that this will give commanders the ability to fight effectively with still a substantial force but slowly force iraqies to take responisibility. And let them realise that the american commitment is almost over.

The point isn't to goad you into joining the military because I say so. The point is that you on the one hand say that "protecting America is the most important thing, but on the other, are not willing to make any sort of personal sacrifice towards that goal. In my mind, that is the very definition of a chickenhawk. Your words ring hollow when you aren't willing to back them with your actions.

You may join? How very brave of you. I guess somehow you consider yourself a special case, eh? I don't know how to break this to you, but every one of over 3000 dead and well over 20,000 seriously wounded American Troops, and the estimated 100,000 - 650,000 Iraqi's killed and uncounted maimed, also had dreams and plans they put at risk.

Guys like you are the best argument for something I oppose, a draft without ANY defferments except for complete physical disability. You don't support the troops, you support someone else keeping you safe and sound to pursue your personal happiness.

Old? What the Hell does the "age" of it have to do with anything? News flash ted:

Having been sent to a land far away, against my will, for a "cause" that was based on lies and manipulated intelligence, to put my ass (and hands.. and legs ..and arms) at risk in daily firefights, I'm here to tell you that ANY SOB that is willing to ask the kinds of sacrifices I've seen with my own eyes but refuses to put themselves in the middle of it, isn't worth the powder required to blow them to Hell.

You're a big one to spout off about your "right" to state "your opinion." Well guess what, ted? I also have the "right" to state mine. Frankly, "winning" an "argument" with you in this corner of cyberspace, doesn't even make my radar. In fact, that you think there actually is such a thing as "win" or "lose" here, says something I am trying to get you to see. Real war is happens to real people, with real ambitions, with real families, with real deaths, with real life changing wounds. You can see it for yourself, why can't you see it for your fellow human beings? Where is your conscience? Where is your humanity?


Well ted, another of those "I don't know how to break this to you" moments. Iraq doesn't need to "descend into chaos," it's already there. Will it get worse WHEN we redeploy? Hell yes it will, but the only questions left are WHEN that is going to happen, HOW MANY American Troops we are willing to post there with bulleyes on them, and HOW MANY trillions of taxpayer dollars we are willing to waste putting off the inevitable.

Since Iraq had absolutely NOTHING to do with 9/11, I'll ignore your ridiculous strawman tie-in try. No cigar.

One final time, a reality check. You say you "support the troops," but what you really do, is talk about supporting them but actually don't do a damn thing to back up your empty words.

To be blunt, what political stripe you do or don't paint yourself with, is irrelevent.

Johnny K, thank you for your service. However you seem to be a minority oppinion in the military. I support the military because it appears they support thier mission. If majority of military said that this mission was not worth it I would agree with you. Somehow I want to see some good come out of a very bad situation, and I am hopefull. We have to go to war to win, otherwise we, the country will look weak internationally in the eyes of terrorists or in the eyes of future foriegn conflicts. People will look at vietnam, somalia, iraq, and think if those puny countries can beat the "most powerfull military" in the world, why can't we? And it may be china saying that in the future down the road.

Now with that said, you are right, I am not ready to join the military yet. And I am not going to run off to the recruitment office because you call me a coward oh well deal with it. I support what appears to be majority oppinion in military. Now about families and not having any humanity, or me asking soldiers to protect the country. How is that indicate my lack of humanity?

This is the soldiers job, They should know what they are getting into when they sign up, so you obviously do now and I kind of do as well so I am hesitant to join. OK you can call me what you will. frankly sir I do not think that if I were to go to a recruiters they would let me join because i have Aspergers Syndrome. I have heard they turn them away.

I do live in a military town, right outside davis mothan airbase. I know so many people that are being sent to iraq and afganistan younger then i am right out of highschool. So many soldiers on here would want thier comrads sacrifices to not be in vain.

So do you think that the only people who have a right to support the troops are troops themselves?

No ted, I think supporting the troops requires more than talking tough on some obscure BB in cyberspace. I think supporting the troops requires real world actions not empty words. I think supporting the troops requires real personal sacrifices, not bumpersticker slogans, partisan rhetoric, and false bravado. I think supporting the troops means seeing the situation you put them in for what it really is rather what you wish it was. I think supporting the troops means not putting them in harms way based on lies and disceptions and for political agendas and financial gains at their expense.

That's what I think supporting the troops is ted, maybe I'm wrong.

johnny k, if you told me most troops think its a lost cause then I would ask for them to be pulled out immediately. are you ready to tell me this?

In my mind, either this war is going to turn for the better in a few months after the new plan is implimented, or the apocalpse/WW3 is just around the corner. My plan for my life is to get my official diagnosis of aspergers so i can hopefully get tax breaks to go to The Musicians Institute in Los Angelos California, I am scheduled to start in april. (Mi.edu) And study there for a year with some of the best musicians in the world.
Since I am into heavy metal, I want to then see if i can get my diagnosis overturned, so i can join the military. Ever since i was little i always wanted to be an airforce pilot, but i don't think this is possible since i have not graduated "Real college." So i hope to join the army, hopefully with my age, experiance and high IQ I could become an officer. And I hope to write heavy metal music about war from my expierance. I think I might be a good soldier, i was born with a highly disiplined and logical mind. anyways thats my plans.

Sorry Ted, I'm not going to bite on that one, you're going to have to do your own research on that. I will give you a hint though, there have been polls taken of those "in country," and you probably won't like what they showed. Quite frankly, whether or not you "ask for them to be pulled out immediately" is hardly relevent, as this administration has shown a complete distain for what anyone has to say that doesn't walk in lockstep with their every screwup, including the OVERWHELMING majority of the citizens of this Nation.

The only thing I'm really trying to get across to you Ted, is that it's time to try seeing past the rhetoric and BS, 'cuz even if you don't feel it now, all of Bush & Co's f*ckups are going to come back to haunt ALL citizens of this Nation and the world. Your grandchildren will be paying for this schmucks blunders.

Now, I don't know what you would do if you were in a bus headed for a cliff, but the first thing I'd do is to get the steering wheel out of the hands of the idiot driving. I guess you'd encourage him step down harder on the gas, eh?

Bush knows in his heart he screwed up, I could tell with his last few speeches. so do you think he should be impeached? I think they should just install new dictator and let him dominate iraq personally and then get the hel out. But I will wait to see if the plan brings about any changes.

Impeached? Possibly.

Exhaustively investigated and put on public record? Certainly.

Be held accountable for ALL the mistakes of his administation, be they lawful or not? Absolutely.

Have unwavering oversight applied to EVERYTHING he does? Without question, he can't be trusted to do the right thing.

And IMO, the rest of his party is on probation for the forseeable future. The results of their abuses of power are only now starting to come to light. About the only good thing to say about it, is that the lead up to the next election won't be boring.



What "plan" would it be that you are speaking of? You mean the "failure in the large econo size" plan? Well, you just keep tellin' the idiot driver to mash down on the gas, the rest of us will try to do what we can to either get him to apply the brakes and turn the bus or toss his worthless ass out of the drivers seat. Just remember Ted, when he takes this Nation over that cliff, you ARE going with it.

We are all going with it. To me the surge is the presidents last chance to vindicate himself. In my mind he has till august to yield Dramatic results or he is toast. Untill that time I will object to any hearings of any kind. I think all presidents should have hearings about thier administration when thier term is up, to publically shame them, or to congradulate them on a job well done so that the next president will be forced to see the consequences of thier actions, that they could leave a good legacy, or a legacy of shame. I think this should be done too congress men too.

Do you think that this plan will make things worse? How so? It appears the iraqi government has signalled its willingness to cooperate.

You're way more generous with your "chances" than I am. Looking at the "scoreboard," if anything, he's had far too many "chances" already. Frankly, his "vindication" shouldn't be done at the cost of more American lives.

Like it or not Ted, those hearings are already underway and are going to do nothing but increase in frequency and volume in the coming months. The rubberstamp, do-nothing, blind-eye Congress is gone.

Cool idea Ted, but how you would ever get the windbags to shut up and get back to the Nation's business in such a system?

"Worse" is a pretty fuzzy term. I'm doubtless that it won't make things "better." How? Simple math: more targets = more flag-draped caskets. (Of course, you won't be allowed to see them, THAT might start you thinking about the real human costs of this WAR OF CHOICE.)

Sorry Ted, but considering the puppet government of Malaki's record of living up to their promises has been, their "cooperation" isn't something that impresses me.

So if it can't get worse then why dont we give it a chance? The general himself said you will know if it is working within a few 2 months. Fuckin do it and see if it works. THERE TO MUCH AT STAKE HERE! No one seems to get it, if there is successs it will be GREAT for the middle east... if there is failure it will be a DISASTER! One last throw of the dice even if more soldiers are killed, sadly seems to be our best option. It aint just malaki, its al sadr and iraqi generals who seems to be complying.

Very well-said. There's little I could add to this. I just wanted to emphasize the point I put in bold above.

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither breaks my leg, nor picks my pocket."

Thomas Jefferson