self censorship

[Pudge714]

Reading this thread reminds me why I don't post or read politics. limon who generally comes off as fairly level headed individual is coming off as an extremist.

I agree with most of what KKF had to say.

[guids]

Bruiser,

your post must be a joke, I really thought you were much smarter than that, and could resists the propaganda, or are you just trying to feel better about yourself? Id say a number of those troops are better educated than yourself.

According to a comprehensive study of all enlistees for the years 1998-99 and 2003 that The Heritage Foundation just released, the typical recruit in the all-volunteer force is wealthier, more educated and more rural than the average 18- to 24-year-old citizen is. Indeed, for every two recruits coming from the poorest neighborhoods, there are three recruits coming from the richest neighborhoods.


f, for example, we consider the education of every recruit, 98% joined with high-school diplomas or better. By comparison, 75% of the general population meets that standard. Among all three-digit ZIP code areas in the USA in 2003 (one can study larger areas by isolating just the first three digits of ZIP codes), not one had a higher graduation rate among civilians than among its recruits.

n fact, since the 9/11 attacks, more volunteers have emerged from the middle and upper classes and fewer from the lowest-income groups. In 1999, both the highest fifth of the nation in income and the lowest fifth were slightly underrepresented among military volunteers. Since 2001, enlistments have increased in the top two-fifths of income levels but have decreased among the lowest fifth.

Allegations that recruiters are disproportionately targeting blacks also don't hold water. First, whites make up 77.4% of the nation's population and 75.8% of its military volunteers, according to our analysis of Department of Defense data.

Second, we explored the 100 three-digit ZIP code areas with the highest concentration of blacks, which range from 24.1% black up to 68.6%. These areas, which account for 14.6% of the adult population, produced 16.6% of recruits in 1999 and only 14.1% in 2003.

[Hoya]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
limon: what uses of force do you view as legitimate? Were the operations against the Taliban, for example, legitimate in your opinion?

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self defense is legitimate. if someone has a gun pointed at you you can shoot but you cant say well we think he has a gun somwhere in his house but we have no proof, and the bullets cant reach us and the inspectors say otherwise but were gonna drive over and shoot him anyway. you also cant say hey you're kid is a criminal so were gonna kill the whole family. with great power comes great responsibility.

[/ QUOTE ]

So what is your answer to the question that was asked?

[guids]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes, I have many stupid and irrational beliefs but i never let anyone know what they are becuase I know they are stupid and irrational, and I dont want to end up having people thinking Im a complete douche bag, like many are thinking about the OP.

[/ QUOTE ]

Didn't you just post a couple weeks ago that you don't care what anyone thinks about you?

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Sometimes mia, on a stupid message board i dont always tell the truth, and will use fiction to get in a passive agressive burn.



Honestly enough though, after the reading the article I do take the douche bag comment back, the author of the article is a smug hippy douche bag though, but a couple of his points are spot on, although in regards to Iraq, I dont think they apply. The soldiers/democrats/republicans all agreed that there were WMD, unfortuently it was too late and a war was already started, so the soldiers imo, are blameless in this regard. I dont think any solder should follow thier leaders blindlessly, but pulling out or going AWOL would do much much much more harm than good at any point during this war, so I support them.

[gumpzilla]

One thing I was going to say earlier but couldn't frame quite right is this. The Bloods and Crips argument about poor people with no other option is kinda cute, and not wholly without merit. But, I think one significant difference is that the Bloods and Crips presumably have no legitimate activities, whereas I think that most will agree that there are cases where there are legitimate uses for the military. So I don't think the comparison is entirely valid.

[guids]

Actually there are, if you get a chance, watch Bastards of the Party a docu on HBO, these two groups werent started entirely as traditional "street gangs", there were sects taht were started to ward off white teenagers in california that would go around beating up blacks in the 50/60s, and others that did a lot for the community.

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually there are, if you get a chance, watch Bastards of the Party a docu on HBO, these two groups werent started entirely as traditional "street gangs", there were sects taht were started to ward off white teenagers in california that would go around beating up blacks in the 50/60s, and others that did a lot for the community.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's interesting, but I'd say what they started for and what they are now are probably very different beasts. I'd imagine that being a Republican now means something different than being a Republican in 1864, too.

[Boris]

Limon - You don't care if American troops die in Iraq? That's pretty effin sick. You should do the moral thing and move to another country. I'm also curious when was the last time you made a "moral" choice that would land you jail for a year or more.

[dethgrind]

Guids, could you post some links about those demographics for the troops? I was a bit surprised by that info and would like to read more.

[crookedhat99]

This argument is so silly because it centers around a pretty much meaningless phrase that has a lot of spite tied in with it. No one wants the troops to die. Some people want the rebels to die, some don't. Everyone supports the values we are trying to perpetuate through the war. It is disagreed upon whether this is the right way of perpetuating the values.

I think it's immature of limon to say 'I don't support the troops', because it's a misleading way of conveying his thoughts about the war in a way that he knows will incite people.

I also think it's ridiculous that politicians who don't support the war have to add the clause of supporting the troops.