"Support Our Troops" - is this an automatic requirement?

[JayKeeley]

Let's see if we can get two heated discussions going simultaneously (see: nazi thread #17).

Anyway, I'm curious. If the USA (and allies) decide to go to war in Iran, and then North Korea, and then Syria, and then Papua New Guinea, Falklands (again), and then a final attack on the Indonesian survivors of the Tsunami, at which point can we drop the moniker of "support our troops"?

Just assume that there is an unprovoked attack on an innocent country, do we automatically HAVE to say, "Well, I don't agree with the war but I have to support the troops"?

Can this be reversed? Meaning, if we decided not to support the troops then would there be less chance of the war even starting? I wonder if this devout support of the armed forces just provides a free for all carte-blanche war mentality....

 

[Hell Mike]

If you want me to step in to turn the heat up a bit you have to make a topic about something people actually care about, as in no fucking OMG IM USA WORLD CAPITAL AND IMPORTENT

 

[JayKeeley]

Yeah, but this can apply to any country. If Sweden goes to war, do you automatically have to support your troops because it's the socially acceptable thing to do?

If you're an American soldier in Iraq, and you freely voted for Bush, then do I still have to support you because it's the socially acceptable thing to do?

EDIT: Isn't it easier to support troops when you know they're getting f'd over by their own government? No pension, no medical, no post-war traumatic stress counselling. US soldiers are screwed over by the army, but hey, if they vote for the man who runs the company...

 

[Hell Mike]

Sweden is the wimpiest country there is, we wouldn't even gotowarif somecrappycountry like monaco took a dump on our king's bald head and said ALL SWEDES SMELL LIKE POOP THATS WHY I POOPED ON THE KING'S HEAD HAHAHA so the question is rethorical, but personally I would only support the troops if I felt the war was justified.

 

[JayKeeley]

Sweden is the wimpiest country there is, we wouldn't even gotowarif somecrappycountry like monaco took a dump on our king's bald head

What about Norway?

 

[Hell Mike]

NATO. Then again, Norway celebrates 100 years of freedom (free from us) on may 17 this year, I think that would be an EXCELLENT date to reconquer that rich country full of large-chested women (it's because they only eat fish) and oil (because they're sandniggers at heart)

 

[J.]

I don't want any of our troops to die (mainly because we need a lot of them to avoid a draft), but it's hard to "support" them when you have shit like Abu Gharib prison stuff, and TV clips of redneck American troops acting like shooting Iraqis is target practice.

I'd still like someone to tell me what we're doing in Iraq. I still do not know. Oh yeah, we're spreading freedom, democracy and liberty.

 

[JayKeeley]

NATO. Then again, Norway celebrates 100 years of freedom (free from us) on may 17 this year, I think that would be an EXCELLENT date to reconquer that rich country full of large-chested women (it's because they only eat fish) and oil (because they're sandniggers at heart)

And they still kill Whales just for the fun of it.

 

[Hell Mike]

Rape, degrading prisoners, beating prisoners up etc etc has ALWAYS been a part of war. War is about killing your enemies, not about saying YOU'RE IT so they run home cryingand won't come out until next week. I hate people, they are stupid. If I had iraqi prisoners I'd take pictures of them building human pyramids too, but not naked since I don't really like naked men. And I'd force them to cook for me and if they poisoned the food I'd yell.

 

[Hell Mike]

And they still kill Whales just for the fun of it.

don't forgetthe baby seals

 

[MajestikMøøse]

The USA is in a bit of a problem

50.000000001% of the population wants war
49.999999999% of the population doesn't want war

guess who's in power?

I propose that the USA divides, makes the Coastal republic of WashOregfornia, the Northeast Republic (because I can't cum up with a clev0r name) and the midwest becomes Jesusland, and Jesusland can then declare all the war they want.

AMERICANS: THIS IS WHO REPRESENTS YOU!!!!

please tell me that you're going to have a civil war already so that we Canadians can go to our caves and hide while you throw nukes around and kill one another stupidly and generally raise the average IQ of the world a little bit.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

hehhehheh

I said "cum"

 

[ProgMetalFan]

I've grappled with this issue myself. I know several people who are over in Iraq risking their lives in this godforsaken war. I suppose I do support the troops in that I don't want them to die or suffer injury... except the black-hearted rednecks that like to force prisoners into simulated sodomy. How can I not support the troops? They're mostly poor nobodies... often with no other option than getting their education paid for by the government. They're pawns in this twisted game or war... and their lives are expended for the personal ambitions of the neo-con warhawks controlling the three branches of American government.

 

[Chromatose]

just about every other day here at the office i'm bombarded by emails about supporting our troops and stacks of cards stating GOOD LUCK!/ KILL THOSE SANDJEWS! / COME HOME SOON! / etc, that always ask for my signature to be added along with a note of well wishes. I delete the emails and never sign the cards.

But along with these cards, my officemates send them magazines, foods, toiletpapers (nonscented), and they email back saying OH YES THANKS TO YOUR FAT OLD WOMAN ASSES WE CAN FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

but does this support really make a difference?? I don't think so, they'd be there fighting regardless of whether or not they got poptarts in the mail.

 

[J.]

I don't know if it's possible, but I support some of our troops, mainly because I feel sorry for some of them.

It is in no way fair to require a soldier who has completed his 4 years of service to go through another tour. That just pisses me off. I'm glad many of these soldiers have taken the battle to court. Of course, the many Americans sitting at home watching The SImple Life will call this individual unpatriotic. It's all a load of horseshit.

 

[Crimson Velvet]

What's with the Norway-hate, people?!

 

[Hell Mike]

We're just jealous of your oil and chicks and cranky because it should be a province in Sweden

 

[Crimson Velvet]

Ironically enough, many norwegians seem to be jealous of swedish girls...

 

[Hell Mike]

Our chicks are hotter butyours have bigger breasts

 

[SonOfNun]

I support the troops by being against the war. I want them to be home eating cake with their kids and watching football, not getting shot at. These people who go all "ribbon mania" with the support our troops crap are armchair patriots that don't really do anything to support the troops, they just sit at home and watch the war on TV and agree with it. In the first debate, John Kerry said we must differentiate the warriors from the war, America simply fails to do that. You are not obligated to support this illegal war effort because you feel sorry for or want to support the troops. In fact, you should be doing just the opposite. I'm not saying that we make this another Vietnam where everyone shat on the troops that came home because they didn't agree with the war, I'm saying we get them out of this war and give them every form of support they need to try to go back to a normal life, whether that help needs to come financially or psychologically. The greatest patriot is he who can see when something is wrong with his country and fight to put an end to it, not the one who nods along to every government whim.