Active duty soldiers coming out against the war

[Bill Haywood]

A petition drive has begun. Here are a few comments from active duty signers.

I joined up two weeks after I turned 17 because I wanted to save American lives. I wanted to be a hero like any American child.

I supported the war when I joined because I thought it was justified. Only after my own research and the truth coming out did I learn how wrong I was, how--for lack of a better word--how brainwashed I was.

Now I know the war is illegal, unjustified and that our troops have no reason for being there.

When I saw an article about the Appeal in the Air Force Times I went online right away and signed it and have encouraged others to do the same.

I supported the war in the beginning. I bought everything Bush said about how Saddam had WMDs, how he was working with Al Qaeda, how he was a threat to America. Of course, this all turned out to be false.

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Why do soldiers hate America?

[AlexM]

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Now I know the war is illegal

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And that one bit makes me think that it's now that he's brainwashed. Probably both really.

[Copernicus]

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Now I know the war is illegal

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And that one bit makes me think that it's now that he's brainwashed. Probably both really.

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Some brainwashed, some with "buyers remorse", signing up for the benefits without anticipating the fact that the terms of their duty might include combat. Typical of the petitioners is likely to be the dentist who received her entire college/dental training from her branch of service (Navy I think, but not sure), and then suddenly realized she was a conscientious objector...just after graduation, suprise surprise surprise

[bdk3clash]

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Typical of the petitioners is likely to be the dentist who received her entire college/dental training from her branch of service (Navy I think, but not sure), and then suddenly realized she was a conscientious objector...just after graduation, suprise surprise surprise

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"Typical"? Do you have any more information about this particularly crafty and duplicitious conscientious objector? (A cursory Google search didn't reveal much.) What makes you state that her situation is typical of conscientious objectors?

[Copernicus]

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Typical of the petitioners is likely to be the dentist who received her entire college/dental training from her branch of service (Navy I think, but not sure), and then suddenly realized she was a conscientious objector...just after graduation, suprise surprise surprise

[/ QUOTE ]
"Typical"? Do you have any more information about this particularly crafty and duplicitious conscientious objector? (A cursory Google search didn't reveal much.) What makes you state that her situation is typical of conscientious objectors?

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What makes you unable to read and interpret?

1. I said that typical petitioners are likely to be like her. There is no definitive statement that they are.

2. Where did I ever make a generalization about conscientous objectors?

[bdk3clash]

OK, what makes you state that typical petitioners (for conscientious objector status) are likely to be like the above-mentioned dental trainee? Have you found any information or references about her?

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Where did I ever make a generalization about conscientous [sic] objectors?

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I guess I misinterpreted you stating:
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"Typical of the petitioners is likely to be the dentist who received her entire college/dental training from her branch of service (Navy I think, but not sure), and then suddenly realized she was a conscientious objector...just after graduation, suprise surprise surprise"

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as meaning that the typical conscientious objector objects out of personal convenience. My apologies. (no sarcasm intended.)

[Copernicus]

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OK, what makes you state that typical petitioners (for conscientious objector status) are likely to be like the above-mentioned dental trainee? Have you found any information or references about her?

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Where did I ever make a generalization about conscientous [sic] objectors?

[/ QUOTE ]
I guess I misinterpreted you stating:
[ QUOTE ]
"Typical of the petitioners is likely to be the dentist who received her entire college/dental training from her branch of service (Navy I think, but not sure), and then suddenly realized she was a conscientious objector...just after graduation, suprise surprise surprise"

[/ QUOTE ]
as meaning that the typical conscientious objector objects out of personal convenience. My apologies. (no sarcasm intended.)

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Havent been able to find anything. I heard her lawyer interviewed on a radio show a month or so ago.

My assumption regarding the profile of the typical petitioner is based on the relatively small size (~.1% of the enlisted population) of the group, and knowing that it is common in contractual arrangements for a party to whine and look for an escape clause when the contract becomes more of an incovenience than they anticipated.

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Here is an alternative theory:

Just found this story on the AP Newswire:
" A dozen Army and Marine recruiters who visited high schools were among the personnel caught in a major FBI cocaine investigation, and some were allowed to keep working while under suspicion, a newspaper reported Sunday. So far, 69 members of the military, prison guards, law enforcement employees and other public employees have been convicted of accepting bribes to help smuggle cocaine."

So my assumption regarding the profile of the typical petitioner is based on the relatively small size (~.1% of the enlisted population) of the group, and knowing that it is common for cocaine addicted drug addicts to be delusional, paranoid, and willing to sign anything.

[Mickey Brausch]

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Havent been able to find anything.

[/ QUOTE ]Typical.

Well, I would speculate that the percentage of persons who volunteer to serve in the American armed forces in order to get citizenship (thus, making the American armed forces something like the French Foreign Legion [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]) is higher than the percentage of "dentists" among petitioners against the ongoing Iraqi war.

Mickey Brausch