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View Poll Results: Can You Support the Troops While Opposing the War?
Yes 49 84.48%
No 9 15.52%
Voters: 58. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 12-23-2007, 05:00 PM
 
Location: North Pacific
15,726 posts, read 7,523,510 times
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When the war began a friend of mine said she felt the war was going to happen whether or not we went there or they came here.

Our troops have a job to do in which a part of that job their life could end at a moments notice. Even if you do not believe in the war, the mission, congress, Bush...now would be a good time to practice how to lie.

Please do not let their deaths be in vain.

Put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel if...
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Old 12-24-2007, 09:54 AM
 
3,963 posts, read 10,608,904 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JVTX72 View Post
By supporting our troops, they can get the job done in the war that is so opposed!
What does "get the job done" mean to you? My point being, there were no clear goals set, no exit strategy, no end in sight. How does one finish an endless job?

I support the troops. I have family there. I support them by protesting and sending lots of mail and packages.
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Old 12-24-2007, 10:13 AM
 
1,409 posts, read 4,853,143 times
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Yes—but there's a way to do it (principled, respectful) and a way not to (craven, treasonous).

Sadly, most of the people I've seen & heard publicly opposing the war are doing so the second way.
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Old 12-24-2007, 10:16 AM
 
1,409 posts, read 4,853,143 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akm4 View Post
What does "get the job done" mean to you?
Victory. Unconditional, indisputable U.S. victory!

That means the terrorists are all neutralized or dead, Iraq is free, and we are safe.
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Old 12-24-2007, 10:27 AM
 
Location: Arizona
5,408 posts, read 7,778,986 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LancasterNative View Post
Victory. Unconditional, indisputable U.S. victory!

That means the terrorists are all neutralized or dead, Iraq is free, and we are safe.
And now back to reality. Of course you can support the troops by opposing the war. Judging from the troops' support of Paul and Obama, this would mean a lot more to them than empty words and yellow bumper stickers.
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Old 12-24-2007, 10:34 AM
 
Location: Fort Worth/Dallas
11,887 posts, read 36,838,954 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SWB View Post
Something has irked me for quite some time now. I have been and always will be a staunch opponent of the war in Iraq, as I never did see a connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein (and if such a connection did exist, it was never revealed to the public). I'm not credulous enough to be led like a sheep to slaughter as President Bush repeatedly changes our objectives for being in Iraq. First it was solely to pre-emptively disarm Iraq from using its weapons of mass destruction against us. Once the public began questioning this, the mission shifted towards liberating the Iraqi people from a cruel dictator and bringing democracy to this nation. Once Hussein was executed and the nation was still in chaos, the focus turned to "rebuilding" Iraq, which is the phase we are STILL in and still will be in for years to come as President Bush was apparently ill-prepared to deal with a civil war erupting between Sunnis and Shiites.

With my disdain for the Bush Administration's foreign policies out of the way, let me also maintain that I have and always will be a huge supporter of our troops. I defend them when they are attacked by extreme left-wingers, as I don't want them to arrive home to as hostile of an environment as our brave men and women who served in Vietnam were subjected to. I proudly had a yellow "Support our Troops" ribbon magnet on my sedan until it was stolen. I support Congress spending as much money as necesary to make our troops over in Iraq feel comfortable, appreciated, and well-armored. I have nothing but the utmost respect for those serving in our military. I wanted to serve myself until I discovered they won't accept gay people because we have cooties (but that's an entirely different gripe of mine aimed at officials, not the troops themselves).

Anyhow, I vividly remember attending a rally in Downtown Scranton in 2004 in which John Kerry and Ben Affleck came to town. Hordes of Republicans swarmed the city as well, yelling in megaphones that we don't support the troops because we don't support the war. To this day a lot of Republicans in this nation still feel as if you can't dissent from President Bush's policies while also respecting and admiring our armed service members. Why? I'm an intellectual person who resents that many of my questions about invading Iraq have never been addressed by President Bush, and I have a hard time pledging full support to military actions that I don't understand. Why should I blindly push for bloodshed if I don't know why? Furthermore, why must I do so in order to be "patriotic" or to "support our troops?"

I'm hoping some Republicans can please enlighten me as to why your party feels this way. In Vietnam public sentiment was negative, and Americans displaced their anger upon our helpless troops. In Iraq public sentiment is negative, but Americans are correctly aiming their anger at Congress and President Bush while still praising our brave men and women. Why is this so unacceptable? Are we expected to act like sheep being led to slaughter by not demanding accountability from our elected officials?
NO, you certainly CAN oppose the war and support the troops SWB. You are entitled to your opinion and although I am Republican, I'm not much in support of anything dubya does these days. Although not a liberal, I'm not against liberals per say; Thank God we have two parties, although it appears that both parties these days are more similar to each other than different.
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Old 12-24-2007, 10:37 AM
 
1,409 posts, read 4,853,143 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bily4 View Post
And now back to reality.
No, I'm serious. About this time of year in 1944, there were people in the U.S. who would've said the same thing about us ever being able to whip the Nazis in Europe or the Imperial Japanese. Fortunately, it wasn't long before they were proven wrong.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bily4 View Post
Judging from the troops' support of Paul and Obama...
The troops' support? On that I'd like to see some examples. I haven't heard much of a groundswell among the enlisted ranks for either of those guys.

For those domestically supporting either RP or Obama for their "war" stances, I can respect that. In fact, Ron Paul is a very good example of my "first" category above—i.e. he opposes the war for principled reasons, and does so respectfully.

Obama's motives I don't know and would rather not guess. But if he really thinks we can sit down and chat with Amad-nutjob in Iran, then he's probably too naïve to be president.
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Old 12-24-2007, 10:45 AM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
10,447 posts, read 49,561,189 times
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Supporting the troops. What does that mean? Jumping up and down in the streets with banners and holding signs that say horray for our side? Or maybe putting those magnetic made in China stickers on your car does the trick. That magnet only supports slave labor in China, not the troops.

I dont know how to answer this question. This is a fake, illegal, undeclared, bully beware here come the big bully Americans again butting into everyone elses business. How dare we jamb our customs and beliefs down some other countries throat? Countries who been there and established their own ways for centuries. How would we like it?

This is a one man war. Or shall we just call this man the dictator. Ok how about we just call him what he told us to call him: "The Decider". This is his war, not ours, not the American people. Unfortunatly the court appointed dictator gives the orders and those poor military troops have to go into that God forsaken place that is not fit for humans.

Those people love to fight over there. Let them. Why should we try to be their policemen? They been fighting for a thousand years. They will contine to fight for another thousand. They do not want us there. The American people do not want us over there. Most other countries do not want us over there. But the Dictator does. This is his own personal war and may the Americans who have to be there on his orders and those who lost their lives for nothing be damned is his motto.

Ok...after that rant I still cannot answer your question. I just hope whoever is the next clown to come into power that he or she will bring home all the troops on the same day, the same hour they are sworn in.
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Old 12-24-2007, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Arizona
5,408 posts, read 7,778,986 times
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[quote=LancasterNative;2327084]No, I'm serious. About this time of year in 1944, there were people in the U.S. who would've said the same thing about us ever being able to whip the Nazis in Europe or the Imperial Japanese. Fortunately, it wasn't long before they were proven wrong.

The Nazis and Imperial Japanese being sovereign nations. Terrorists being in cells all over the world; you see the difference. You have read our intelligence reports that having our army being in Iraq has increased the threat globally to Americans I trust.


The troops' support? On that I'd like to see some examples. I haven't heard much of a groundswell among the enlisted ranks for either of those guys.QUOTE]

Check which candidates are getting the most financial contributions from all active military and their families. Paul 26%, Obama 24% approximately.
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Old 12-24-2007, 11:00 AM
 
Location: Small patch of terra firma
1,281 posts, read 2,363,351 times
Reputation: 550
Quote:
Originally Posted by actonbell View Post
[color=Navy]Our troops have a job to do in which a part of that job their life could end at a moments notice. Even if you do not believe in the war, the mission, congress, Bush...now would be a good time to practice how to lie.
So all the lies to put troops in harms way which has resulted in over 3800 American military deaths and over 24000 injured (includes those who are now amputees), you just want those opposed to the war to just smile and lie to keep them in harms way? That is the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Lie to keep troops in combat.

Quote:
Originally Posted by actonbell View Post
Please do not let their deaths be in vain.

Put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel if...
How would you feel if you were a soldier and someone said to you “yeah, the justification for why you’re over there fighting keeps changing but let’s just say we thought one good excuse is to say you’re fighting to avenge the death of the last soldier who died over there avenging the death of another soldier who died because we have followers who will lie to keep you in the fight.”

So when did saving face become patriotic?
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