Well your friends are going to be in for a shock if they are ever called into active/front line duty.

In regards to the money, I think it is good that the army gives folks the chance to go to school, support their family.

However, it is more than a fair exchange considering the price the soldiers may be asked to pay - active/front line duty.

And come'on, you can't really believe that the military can function w/the soldiers questioning their orders all the time, or picking and choosing the wars/battles in which they will participate. Can you?

You are totally ignoring the point. I clearly said that it is important that a state has an army, as everyone already has one.

No, murder is murder. Intentionally killing somebody is murder, although, there are mitigating factors (Self-defence etc)

And NO thanks to the State and it's ARMY, eventually/potentially you WONT have the ability to say anything on these drug forums, nor criticise anything in ANY way. Armys do not DEFEND FREE SPEECH, the state GRANTS US IT.

War should only happen if necessary - to prevent genocide etc - not for economic means.. USA clearly murder people... Look at Hiroshima? Nuking a country and killing 100,000 people or something?

No thanks.

Since I have been on disability ( 2000 )I have spent allot of time reading.

I also have watched a lot of documentaries. Not the ones on the 3 news channels. Mostly PBS and independent journalist.

The independent gives you a bias reporting. Not done for television ratings.

From what I have learned. Bush had to pull out most of the High Tech military machinery.

Also most of the military personnel that could speak the language. When he decided to invade Iraq.

That left the small amount of troops that had originally went in to AFAGANISTAN.

The war went from trying to find Bin Laden and fighting the Taliban. To trying to build a country that was never rebuilt after the Russian war.

So what happens is the Taliban come back ten fold.

We have to go back to fighting the Taliban and rebuilding there country.

Oh and trying to destroy as Meany poppy fields as we can will doing all the rest.

There is so much corruption , it is a no win.

I could go on Stacy, But I know , we just aren't going to see eye to eye.

But were still friends.
C

Chuckee, just because they are journalists you think it is correct?

Some Special Forces have been in Afghanistan since the start. I've got one friend that has been there the entire time, home for 6 months a long time ago.

The Taliban is one of the biggest issues concerning Bin Ladin. Who do you think has sheltered him for so long?

Chuckee our military is not YET in that kind of position where we have to choose, that is not to say one day it won't be, budget cuts, etc.

Exactly right - the military could not function at all if the soldiers questioned every order from their superiors.

The ONLY time you are allowed to refuse an order is if the order you are given is blatently illegal or a violation of the Geneva Convention. But you better be 100% sure of the illegality so you can prove your case later on.

As far as money goes, the pay for enlisted men is absolute cr*p. You don't do it to become rich. As for the guys who do it for two or four years, they get the best deal of all. Thee hots and a cot, medical care, etc, and when they leave Uncle sam will pay for their schooling. Plus there are thrift savings plans, etc....if they play their cards right and can keep themselves disciplined they can have a nice chumk of change when they leave.

I was in for just short of nine years. Thank God I took advantage of the thrift savings program, or I would be in deep financial trouble right now. Plus I'm taking advantage of the GI Bill to get schooling to get certified in what I did before I enlisted - however I have had to take a LOA from school to give my back some rest. Same reason why I can't work at the moment - there is only one job in the civilian world that I know, and I can't do it at the moment for fear of aggravating my back. I'm due to return to school next month, and hopefully I will be able to get back to work within the next few months.

I think it is a bad thing that anyone has soldiers on their streets and fighting on their soil.

And I believe that WHAT we did after 9/11 was a faulty political decision made by faulty politicians. Umimaginably faulty and unbelievably stupid, extremely manipulative, and caused untold death, destruction, and misery.

We was duped.

Yes, the Special Forces went in right away, along with the CIA and a sh$tload of cash to pay off some of the warlords.

Bris made the point earlier: "..we've been drilled with the obligation to Country being equal to obligation to God from the cradle." That is very strong in this country. Then our leaders use that motivation to send our soldiers into wars that may be questionable. The reasons are spun, worded carefully, and fed to us. Repeatedly. Every day. And to question that is called unAmerican. (although it is very American to question everything, those in power have it much easier if we don't ask the hard questions.)
That is what I mean by "being duped." They may be young, eager to please, they want to be good, they want to do the right thing. "For God and Country."

Are you from the UK?