Strange that so few people get that...

[MrScorpio]

[malthaussen]

1. Maybe a closer parallel than appears at first...

Some wars are begun and perpetuated by a special class of soldier known as "generals." These soldiers have almost nothing in common with the run-of-the-mill soldiers who pay the largest price for warfare, but because of high profile and lots of publicity, they disproportionately influence our conception of soldiers, and hence of war.

Something of the same could be said of the poor, when the rare example of welfare fraud is given disproportionate attention in order to condemn the entire class of citizens.

-- Mal

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Swivel chair generals (Rs & Ts) are same as silver spoon entrepreneurs (trust fund babies).

Arm chair admirals and swivel chair generals send other people's sons (and daughters) to war.

Silver spoon babies and children of ivy league alumni, who think they are hot-shit business leaders because of their inheritance, blame the poor for being poor. They forget what a difference early childhood poverty makes, and bad nutrition makes. They've never lived in an inner city food desert or a house with no books.

Yes, some of the poor parents do make bad choices, like buying $150 sneakers for a kid instead of a month of fresh fruit and vegetables. But those are much more the exception than the rule, despite all the right wing bullshit propaganda about welfare queens.

[pitbullgirl1965]

25. Beautifully stated. n/t

[L0oniX]

7. "high profile and lots of publicity" Jessica Lynch ...one honest soldier exposed the lie. n/t

I got to wonder though if she was raped given the track record of the military. The whole "rescue" meme was a farce. Iraqi doctors and staff were giving her care when she was rescued by brave soldiers from free health care. Yea they were taking care of here after she went down in a blaze of enemy bullets in the form of a ...traffic accident. After that I figured that the majority of "info" coming from the military was/is bullshit propaganda. I maintain that opinion to this day.

http://www.jessica-lynch.com/
On April 24, 2007 she testified in front of Congress that she never fired her weapon and was knocked unconscious when her vehicle crashed. She woke up later in an Iraqi hospital. She blamed the media and the military of lying for their own gain. She said during her testimony, "They should have found out the facts before they spread the word like wildfire."

[PowerToThePeople]

3. K&R

[Orrex]

4. The general sat

and the lines on the map
moved from side to side.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. Or...

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches in Black Masses

[Crow73]

5. Well said

[L0oniX]

6. I've heard that if you are poor it's because you are a sinner. How does that work with banksters?

[TrogL]

24. It's called Prosperity Gospel

Bankers do just fine.

[valerief]

8. If soldiers and mercenaries didn't protect the 1% and their interests, who knows what kind

of world this would be?

[bahrbearian]

11. It's not the soldiers fault they are just following orders. It's when they stop following orders ,

all Hell breaks out, Like peace.

[valerief]

22. If they weren't there to follow orders, they wouldn't have to follow orders. nt

[hue]

9. K&R!!

[DeSwiss]

10. K&R

[midnight]

29. DeSwiss, do I read this as a sarcastic note of selfishness among those claiming to be christian?????

[DeSwiss]

31. You may.....

[midnight]

33. That's what I thought-thanks...

[bahrbearian]

12. Equating being poor to fighting wars is pretty lame.

Soldiers have a little more say in what they want. Like they have the choice of being a Conscientious Objector or being an enabler.

[Bandit]

14. Not since the draft ended.

Now ALL soldiers are volunteers. There are no Conscientious Objectors

[awoke_in_2003]

16. Are they truly volunteers?...

Or is it the only way for many to have a future?

[pitbullgirl1965]

26. Backdoor Draft

Exactly.

[bahrbearian]

19. I think we need the Draft and We can draft according to wealth.

the wealthy would be the 1st. Since they can afford the time off to fight without disrupting their families

[raouldukelives]

20. I don't think we have volunteers either. They have to apply and may not be accepted.

Then they secure a paycheck and benefits.

[quakerboy]

32. Not true

It does happen that people undergo conversions and become conscientious objectors after having joined the service. Not often, but it does happen.

[awoke_in_2003]

15. How many soldiers...

were people that had no other prospects in life?

[bahrbearian]

18. Well that is kinda my point, but if the Military took Poor disabled, or Old ?

would they fight?

[rhett o rick]

30. I think a lot of those "volunteering" for the armed forces are doing so because they are poor.

Our economic system is forcing them to join.

[KarKar]

17. That IS really lame.

Soldiers have a choice as to weather they inflict pain and suffering upon other human beings. And don't give me that following orders blame the Generals crap. A lot of people are in poverty because of the choices made by soldiers to fight in wars and inflict pain and suffering upon others. You will find no absolution from me for the sins of soldiers.

[TimeToGo]

23. Well

It's a generalization all around and gets us nowhere. A soldier to war is not the same as the poor person to poverty.

[ladyVet]

34. Not all soldiers are sinners.

Not all soldiers would follow orders they knew to be wrong.

When I joined the USAF, I had no prospects. My area was in a recession, and people weren't hiring. I signed up, so I could have a job, and because I thought I was doing good for my country.

I don't know about the rest of you, those who have served, or still are serving, but we were taught the UCMJ and the Geneva Conventions, and were told it was our duty and obligation to NOT follow unlawful orders.

So keep your all-encompassing crap load about soldiers to yourself. Put that broad brush away, before you hurt yourself. You want to be angry at someone? Be angry at the people who start these damned wars, who profit from them, who delight in the horror of them.

What if they gave a war, and nobody came?

I used to see a poster with this saying when I was a kid (I had a big peace sign), and the quote has stuck with me. I wish there were no more wars, but blaming the lowest people on the rung is no productive.

[dipsydoodle]

21. No doubt about that.

.

[midnight]

27. Our soldiers need a welcome wagon of sorts..... This is too sad...