'Welcome home,' Obama tells troops from Iraq

[Slufa111]

Thank you for your sacrifice and service in completing a difficult and largely thankless job in an exemplary manner. Thanks to you and your fellows in arms, over thirty million fellow human beings now enjoy the basic freedoms and liberties we so often take for granted, free from government rape rooms and secret police and summary execution. It's not a perfect country - no conceit of man every is - but you have given them the freedom to make of it what they will. Well done!

Your welcome. Thank you for supporting the military!

 

[Nebor]

This quote from Obama

So we have to tell the many thousands of dead men and women that they didn't die defending this country or defending our freedom, not defending the safety of their families or their fellow American's families. They died because we had to do what was right... in IRAQ?

This sort of foreign policy is acceptable in America? Americans accept this?

Absolutely. Defending the freedom & liberty of the weak is a noble pursuit.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

I'm glad to see we're pulling the troops out of Iraq as I won't have to worry about my daughter getting an assignment there, it was bad enough having her in Afghanistan for a year.

Thanks to all who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, your service to this country is much appreciated by this Army dad and Navy veteran.

 

[cybrsage]

One this we all must remember is that every single person in the US military right now either enlisted after the wars started, or reenlisted after the wars started. None of them can say they did not expect to go to war.

I am proud of their service, regardless of where they served. It is a testament to the US that so many people would volunteer to join the military knowing they have a good chance of being sent to a war zone.

 

[cirrrocco]

One this we all must remember is that every single person in the US military right now either enlisted after the wars started, or reenlisted after the wars started. None of them can say they did not expect to go to war.

I am proud of their service, regardless of where they served. It is a testament to the US that so many people would volunteer to join the military knowing they have a good chance of being sent to a war zone.

I agree, so if people support the soldiers, why wont they want to pay a war tax. words are nice and comforting but it does not feel like there is a wars going and american boys and girls are dying in far away lands for no good reason.

why do republicans want to start wars but not want the civilian population [at a minimum people making more than a million AGI] to pay a few percent extra?? where is the patriotism then?

 

[cybrsage]

I agree, so if people support the soldiers, why wont they want to pay a war tax. words are nice and comforting but it does not feel like there is a wars going and american boys and girls are dying in far away lands for no good reason.

A war tax is a bad idea. Congress will keep us in a continuous state of war so they can get that money all the time.

why do republicans want to start wars but not want the civilian population [at a minimum people making more than a million AGI] to pay a few percent extra?? where is the patriotism then?

Apples do not belong in the same bin as oranges.

 

[BladeVenom]

A war tax is a bad idea. Congress will keep us in a continuous state of war so they can get that money all the time.

The Spanish American War Tax on phones was eliminated after only 108 years.

 

[cybrsage]

And what a hard fought 108 years it was!

 

[cirrrocco]

Taxes were high during the 2'nd world war. It went down.

This country is fighting 2 wars right now. I want high taxes so people would kick these war mongers out of the congress and senate.

 

[jhu]

And how!

They went as far as renaming French Fries as Freedom Fries, because France wasn't supportive of our invasion of Iraq!

Fries dude. FRIES.

Some of these "good'ole boys" were so God damn blind with pride and drunk with the prospect of contractor money they even swept over the name of french fries.

Really, fries!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_fries

I prefer my liberty cabbage.

 

[momeNt]

Absolutely. Defending the freedom & liberty of the weak is a noble pursuit.

Since when do we have to go around the world and expend the lives of our citizens doing "good" to other nations?

So Iraq was worth the cost to you? From both a monetary and lives lost standpoint? Tons of other nations need democracies, why are we avoiding the ones with nuclear capabilities, even if half the world was nuked, it was for a noble cause.

 

[Nebor]

Since when do we have to go around the world and expend the lives of our citizens doing "good" to other nations?

So Iraq was worth the cost to you? From both a monetary and lives lost standpoint? Tons of other nations need democracies, why are we avoiding the ones with nuclear capabilities, even if half the world was nuked, it was for a noble cause.

Time will tell if Iraq was worth the cost. The idea of a free, democratic Iraq certainly was worth the cost.

We're working our way down the "needs democracy" list, and I agree that the possession of nuclear weapons shouldn't shield an oppressive regime from the consequences of their actions.

Some prefer living comfortably over dying courageously.

 

[momeNt]

Time will tell if Iraq was worth the cost. The idea of a free, democratic Iraq certainly was worth the cost.

We're working our way down the "needs democracy" list, and I agree that the possession of nuclear weapons shouldn't shield an oppressive regime from the consequences of their actions.

Some prefer living comfortably over dying courageously.

If you really feel this way, then wouldn't it be best if they were put under the control of the USA? You know, the country that got democracy right? Why give them the chance to mess up again so soon and elect a militant muslim like ~10 year after we withdraw?

edit: That may not be right either, shouldn't we just have a complete open immigration policy? The costs of these wars and bringing democracy abroad is probably greater than just letting people seeking democracy come here. Plenty of space here, and this way the militants can keep militanting.

 

[Nebor]

If you really feel this way, then wouldn't it be best if they were put under the control of the USA? You know, the country that got democracy right? Why give them the chance to mess up again so soon and elect a militant muslim like ~10 year after we withdraw?

First off, I'm not sure we hold the crown for "the country that got democracy right." We've given them a clean slate, a decent framework and a fair chance at forging their own democratic system. They have the resources to fund it too. It's up to them. Democratically, they gave us the boot. If they applied for statehood, I suppose it'd be a different argument.

 

[Nebor]

edit: That may not be right either, shouldn't we just have a complete open immigration policy? The costs of these wars and bringing democracy abroad is probably greater than just letting people seeking democracy come here. Plenty of space here, and this way the militants can keep militanting.

I don't know much about immigration costs. Also that's not my decision to make and I'm not interested in discussing it.

 

[momeNt]

From gingrich's deficit plan thread.

We don't need to reduce debt, we need to increase spending in order to grow ourselves out of the recession, and into more foreign countries (militarily speaking.)

Bold my emphasis

I thought you were joking back then, now I know you aren't. Agree to disagree.

 

[OutHouse]

I watched the speech and all i can say is ITS ABOUT FUCKING TIME! 9 years is 9 years too god damn long.

Also
The Army really needs to ban the HUAHHHAAAAA shit. jesus you hear that and they sound like a bunch of pussies not warriors, and when you have a few hundred sounding off with that shit they sound like a group of retards saying HUHHHHHH??????

 

[HomerJS]

The war tax should be any active duty combat soldier should not pay federal income tax. Their taxes can't be made up by income over 1 million dollars.

 

[hal2kilo]

The war tax should be any active duty combat soldier should not pay federal income tax. Their taxes can't be made up by income over 1 million dollars.

They volunteered.

Other than that. Thank you for your sacrifice and I hope you all get your butts safely home.

 

[OutHouse]

Time will tell if Iraq was worth the cost. The idea of a free, democratic Iraq certainly was worth the cost.

We're working our way down the "needs democracy" list, and I agree that the possession of nuclear weapons shouldn't shield an oppressive regime from the consequences of their actions.

Some prefer living comfortably over dying courageously.

it is NOT our country's job to spread democracy. NO american life is worth it. you sound like a brain washed military nut job.

 

[1prophet]

Time will tell if Iraq was worth the cost. The idea of a free, democratic Iraq certainly was worth the cost.

We're working our way down the "needs democracy" list, and I agree that the possession of nuclear weapons shouldn't shield an oppressive regime from the consequences of their actions.

Some prefer living comfortably over dying courageously.

What Democracy,


women had more freedom under Sadaam
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/12-3

worse if you are gay
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/middleeast/08gay.html

In 2005, the country’s most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, issued a religious decree that said gay men and lesbians should be “punished, in fact, killed.” He added, “The people should be killed in the worst, most severe way of killing.” The language has since been removed from his Web site

http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_774.html

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Iraqi Social Status (civil) Law follows the Islamic Sharia (Islamic legislation). Under Islamic law, an Iraqi Muslim female may not marry a non Muslim male. However an Iraqi Muslim male may marry a Muslim, Christian, or Jewish female.[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

Marriage of a Muslim to a Non-Muslim
Muslim women in Iraq are legally prohibited from marrying a non-Muslim. Therefore, the non-Muslim male must convert his religion to Islam and file a petition with the Social Status Court to declare that he is Muslim.

Muslim men in Iraq are permitted to marry non-Muslim women if they are Christian or Jewish only. If the woman belongs to any other religion, she must convert to Islam.[/FONT]

Hell of a way to spread democracy by turning the clock backwards, turning women into second class citizens, force gays back in the closet while here we hypocritically push for gay marriage.

Iraq was an abysmal failure, except for the few that became filthy rich especially the haliburton types, trillions of tax dollars wasted that could have reinvigorated the economy and shore up infrastructure or at the very least paid off debt.

 

[OutHouse]

^^ its islam not democracy.

 

[Macamus Prime]

http://news.yahoo.com/panetta-iraq-close-u-war-102108022.html

It's officially over. Thank God.

Thank you to all the men and women in our US military who were part of this war.

God Bless them and their families. I hope they live the rest of their lives in peace, health and happiness.

 

[cybrsage]

The war tax should be any active duty combat soldier should not pay federal income tax.

Money earned in an active war zone is already tax exempt.

 

[cybrsage]

http://news.yahoo.com/panetta-iraq-close-u-war-102108022.html

It's officially over. Thank God.

As of Thursday, there were two U.S. bases and about 4,000 U.S. troops in Iraq

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=235&sid=4274925

I bet those 4,000 troops don't think it is over.

Thank you to all the men and women in our US military who were part of this war.

God Bless them and their families. I hope they live the rest of their lives in peace, health and happiness.

On this we agree.