Originally Posted by mmarsh

Lets be Honest the only place conservatives WOULD want war protesters is at the bottom of the ocean. They are always "outraged" whenever there is a protest. So thats nothing new.

I can't really argue with you there, but in this case I think there is an a concensus amognst everyone here that this is truly going too far. Like I said before, if they were protesting at the White House or Congress I would probably ignore this protest like most others, but this truly is different that the others.

But Luke and the other anti-war protesters dismissed the message of the counter demonstrators. "We know most of the George Bush supporters have never spent a day in uniform, have never been closer to a battlefield than seeing it through the television screen," Luke said.

Well neither has this Luke bastard, how is it that he can say that he speaks on behalf of the wounded soldiers if he has never worn the uniform himself? I did not make it to basic because of my knee but I did prepare myself for the reality that I could get wounded or killed in battle and what these protestors are doing is IMO one of the lowest things and person could do.

I don't usually approve of using "goon squads" to break up protests like this, but this is different then most protests. If a group of people went in their and busted some skulls I wouldn't shed a single tear for any of those protestors who were injured.

What do you think the response would be by the protestors if several service men walked out and asked them to leave?

Originally Posted by mmarsh

Doody

I would say that I am very concerned for the troops welfare. The longer they stay in Iraq the more concerned I grow for their welfare. Espically when I consider the sacrifices that they make not to be worth the benefits of us being there. What would you have me do? I am sick to my stomach about causaulty reports coming from Iraq.

I am not too sure of your background in the military so I will make no assumptions. If you remember correctly, I have been to Iraq and my wife is about to go over there. I firmly belive that in a time of war, soldiers should worry about the task at hand. For any soldier to participate in anti war protests will do absolutely nothing for the mission. Time should be spent getting ready for war.

As a soldier, I have no control over where I go. I can all I want, but the fact is I am going. Regardless if we made a mistake by going to Iraq, we must complete what we went there to do. To pull back now would be to dishonor all those, good, bad and innocent, who have died in that conflict.

2 things really take care of troops in a time of war; training and equipment. The better the training is, the less casualties will occur. My signature shows my feelings on that. Equipment is another biggie. You do not have to tell me that we could have been better prepared for Iraq equipment wise. I was within eyesight of the front in the old vietnam era flak jacket. Everyone else around me had the new IBA.

You may feel bad about those causality reports, but I should feel worse. My wife is weeks away from deploying. I have been a soldier ever since high school and I do not know how it is to be a civilian looking in on this matter. I know my mom hates the fact I am in the military. If every mom throughout history had her way, there would be no soldiers to fight wars. I am willing to be a soldier knowing full well I could die as a result. If I were to die, the last thing I would want is ANY type of protest with my name used.

The question is how to "support" soldiers like me who know the consequences of being a soldier in a time of war.

Ahh thanks for the love, Rich.

Benjamin has also reportedly praised the Cuban regime of Fidel Castro. Benjamin told the San Francisco Chronicle that her visit to Cuba in the 1980s revealed to her a great country. "It seem[ed] like I died and went to heaven," she reportedly said.

Code Pink, the group organizing the anti-war demonstrations in front of the Walter Reed hospital, has a controversial leader and affiliations. As Cybercast News Service previously reported, Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin has expressed support for the Communist Viet Cong in Vietnam and the Nicaraguan Sandinistas

And that about sums it up.

Despicable human beings.

Doody

I'm a civilian with a strong interest in military history. I never served (although I regret it). I thank you (and others) for your service however.
Best wishes for you and your wife.

While I thought this war was a mistake from the start I agree that we cannot leave immediatly. But neither can we stay indefinatly as that would lead to even more needless deaths. As Chuck Hagel said "Stay the course is not a government policy". We need an exit stategy. We all know what happen in Vietnam because we didnt have one. We need a plan and stick to it. The problem is we have NONE and the war goes on, and on into limbo.

I fully agree, The lack of suitable equipment is a disgrace, that failure should have cost Rumsfeld his job. Truly unbelivable incompetance.

You're right, I have no comprehesion how you must feel. I'll be honest, I am not jealous.

mmarsh, one thing has disturbed me a little about your profile and some of the things you said, here are my conclusions. Either A.) You are French, in which case I do not know why you keep saying "we" in regards to the troops in Iraq or B.) You are an American, in which case the question is why do you have a French flag as you country? French ancestry?

Those people have nothing better to do than annoy wounded argh *disgusted*

Originally Posted by Damien435

mmarsh, one thing has disturbed me a little about your profile and some of the things you said, here are my conclusions. Either A.) You are French, in which case I do not know why you keep saying "we" in regards to the troops in Iraq or B.) You are an American, in which case the question is why do you have a French flag as you country? French ancestry?

I'm sorry, I admit its a little misleading but it is accurate.

I am a dual-national French-American. I grew up in America. I fly the Tricolours is because I currently live in Paris (work for international company). If I were ever to move back home I would change it back to stars and stripes. Unfortunatly on this board there is no way (that I discovered) to fly two flags.

mmarsh, you can buy a verity of flags in the forum PX using your mil bucks.

I understand you a bit more now I see you are a dual citizen

Oh, you and I definitely agree on Rummy. I have never liked him. After he "forgot" to tell Bush about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, I felt he should have been canned.

Originally Posted by Doody

mmarsh, you can buy a verity of flags in the forum PX using your mil bucks.

I understand you a bit more now I see you are a dual citizen

Oh, you and I definitely agree on Rummy. I have never liked him. After he "forgot" to tell Bush about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, I felt he should have been canned.

Just on that, I'm an Australian living in the US (I'm a resident but not a citizen). Is it misleading to fly both flags? - I didn't know I could fly both.
Thx

Would you not like to see the darft brought back and a large number of these people called to serve in the Army.