Supporting the Troops - or lack thereof?

[aphex]

There's something I've yet to understand. When i mentioned to a republican friend of mine that I supported a reduction of troops in Iraq, he automatically started in with "How dare you not support the troops!"

Now, this is something that I don't understand and maybe you all could help me out on. From my perspective, I believe I support the troops more because I don't want to see them die in a ill-guided and apparently mis-managed war. I want them to spend the rest of their lives with their families, with their children, with their parents, etc.. By supporting them, I want them to live.

Am i mistaken here or is the "You don't support the troops" notion misguided?

 

[DaveSimmons]

It's an un-American attempt to stifle debate and dissent, an attempt by the Rebuplican marketing machine to convince the public of the false dilemma that anything less than blind obedience to every whim of our glorious leader is treason.

So why do you hate freedom?


Edit: the Republican marketing machine has been tremendously more effective in choosing the terms and framing the debate in both the (permanent) "war" on terror and the war in Iraq than the mostly clueless and ineffectual Democrats. Hence the media and citizens accept and use those loaded terms, and it's an uphill fight to discuss ideas without including their choice of emotional baggage.

 

[sandorski]

It's just a soundbite meant to shutup anyone from suggesting that the War isn't going well or is not worth it. Doesn't make sense, except for the person using it, who thinks they just destroyed your arguement against it.

edt: oops, beaten

 

[daniel49]

Originally posted by: aphex
There's something I've yet to understand. When i mentioned to a republican friend of mine that I supported a reduction of troops in Iraq, he automatically started in with "How dare you not support the troops!"

Now, this is something that I don't understand and maybe you all could help me out on. From my perspective, I believe I support the troops more because I don't want to see them die in a ill-guided and apparently mis-managed war. I want them to spend the rest of their lives with their families, with their children, with their parents, etc.. By supporting them, I want them to live.

Am i mistaken here or is the "You don't support the troops" notion misguided?

That sounds like your friend went a bit overboard. You can support the troops and oppose the war at the same time...shrug

 

[cwjerome]

It's definitely a nice change from the 60s and early 70s. There's an insignificant sprinkling of marxists, radicals, and idiots, but these days most people who hate the war can still love the troops. Probably a reflection of a more conservative society compared to back then.

 

[Darkhawk28]

Originally posted by: cwjerome
It's definitely a nice change from the 60s and early 70s. There's an insignificant sprinkling of marxists, radicals, and idiots, but these days most people who hate the war can still love the troops. Probably a reflection of a more conservative society compared to back then.

Sorry, my dad's best friend came back from Vietnam and was spit on by rich, white conservatives. Try again.

Btw, he lost an eye, an ear, part of his right arm, most of his muscle in his right leg and part of his right foot in that lie of a war.

 

[techs]

Apparently bringing the troops out of harms way instead of keeping them as human targets all for a mistake is not supporting them.
According to the right wing.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: aphex
There's something I've yet to understand. When i mentioned to a republican friend of mine that I supported a reduction of troops in Iraq, he automatically started in with "How dare you not support the troops!"

Now, this is something that I don't understand and maybe you all could help me out on. From my perspective, I believe I support the troops more because I don't want to see them die in a ill-guided and apparently mis-managed war. I want them to spend the rest of their lives with their families, with their children, with their parents, etc.. By supporting them, I want them to live.

Am i mistaken here or is the "You don't support the troops" notion misguided?

his notion is misguided.

 

[cwjerome]

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28

Originally posted by: cwjerome
It's definitely a nice change from the 60s and early 70s. There's an insignificant sprinkling of marxists, radicals, and idiots, but these days most people who hate the war can still love the troops. Probably a reflection of a more conservative society compared to back then.

Sorry, my dad's best friend came back from Vietnam and was spit on by rich, white conservatives. Try again.

That's just weird. But I'm sure we can find examples of... just about anything.

I'll try again. Do you think because of that anecdote that the vast majority of TROOP protesters, haters, and spitters were NOT leftwing shmucks?

 

[EagleKeeper]

The problem may be that you can not reduced the troops.

A reduction will expose them more.

You either
Beef them up to be able to fully respond everywhere and quickly or
Bring everyone back immediately - pack and go.

The latter is best, however, politically not acceptable to the WH and the following civil war that will exist and impact other ME countries that have religious stakes in the Iraq outcome.

 

[daveshel]

It's just more parroting of the same thoughtless claims that have been around every time the US has been involved in a military action since I was a kid. back then it was "America - Love it or Leave it!"

Misguided sells it short.

 

[Lemon law]

The fact that we are even having this debate indicates we are in denial.---the fact is that any fearless leader can put the entire nation at risk---and by even permitting a fearless leader to act in a war like manner puts every man, women, and even as of yet unborn child under a cloud of collective guilt.

Maybe Japan is the classic case for that---an inner circle of only ten or so people hatched the plan to
bomb Pearl harbor. Only a few thousand or so people implemented the plan---and once that plan was
executed it resulted in almost the total destruction of Japan.