I do not supportthe troops, nor can I

[William_WaLLace_]

Support the troops, oppose the war! Oxymoronic at best. This seems to be the new mantra of most anti-war activists. Can one support troops who wage war while opposing the war itself? How do we separate the instrument of war (troops) from the arm of war (President). How can you vilify the commander in chief while exonerating his weapons of war? It defies logic, except to the extent you can feel as if you are patriotic in some sense by supporting the troops and not the president.

I could almost try to sympathize with those who try to support the troops and oppose the war, no one wants to be un-patriotic. But, at a certain point one must ask what type of troops are you supporting? How do you justify the killings of children, women, and civilians. I can not support the instruments of war while opposing only its leaders. It can also be argued that if people began to not support the troops this President would be forced to get the troops out of Iraq faster and end US occupation faster. Even the calloused President will not be able to turn a blind eye to people if they begin not too support the troops. Here are a few incidents of troop behavior, certainly they are not fact, but they were taken from a dependable website, and you can choose to believe or not, also hopefully the pictures I upload do not lie.

Here is one allegation of rape June 9: US forces stand accused of raping Iraqi teens aged 14 and 15 in Suwaira, 150km south of Baghdad. An Iraqi newspaper run by Sunni Muslims traded charges on Monday with the United States-led occupation authority over the alleged rape of two Iraqi girls by US soldiers, a claim denied by the coalition. The newspaper, As-Saah said one of the girls died after she was raped by 18 soldiers while the other was killed by her family.

Here is a quote from one of your beloved troops, maybe SoCalDem is sponsoring him for a care package?
Marines admit to indiscriminately shooting civilians and leaving them to die in agony. "You can't distinguish between who's trying to kill you and who's not. Like, the only way to get through s*** like that was to concentrate on getting through it by killing as many people as you can, people you know are trying to kill you. Killing them first and getting home."
And in an admission that directly contrasts with the line coming out from the Pentagon's spin doctors, Specialist Corporal Michael Richardson added: "There was no dilemma when it came to shooting people who were not in uniform, I just pulled the trigger."
"It was up close and personal the whole time, there wasn't a big distance. If they were there, they were enemy, whether in uniform or not. Some were, some weren't."

I may stand alone on this issue. I may face the wrath of DU as well, but it is simply my hope to give you some food for thought on your rationale to support the troops. Can you continue your unwavering support for those who kill civilians and children? Maybe you can, I can not.

Here are some picures for you to ponder while you blindly support the troops:







Of course there are more, but I think these make necessary points without getting too graphic, the Iraqis have been exploited enough.

[Skinner]

1. I'm locking this.

It's inflammatory.

Skinner
DU Admin

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TNOE]

3. I applaud your bravery

and forthrightness - but you know you're going to really get beat up for this in here. But I hear you and I understand exactly what you are saying. Until the world becomes a more compassionate place where war will never again be satisfactory as a means to any end, this is where we are and this is where we need to be. From your standpoint comes the question and dilemma for our future - hopefully after this war many, many, many fewer men and women will ever sign up for the military - regardless of the education that it offers and education is about the only thing it does offer anymore. Even the poorest of poor can obtain financial aid for college. If this administration has not shown its complete disdain for children, men and women, I don't know what else could probably teach them. Those poor uneducated, confused men who just want to kick some ass will hopefully always be in the minority. War is ugly, always has been and always will be - but it gets uglier and uglier and it is not the way for enlightened human being to resolve any conflict.