tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post114440248891080877..comments2023-10-22T05:25:40.433-04:00Comments on Ramblings of an Idle Insomniac: Of protest and dishonor.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915186427167408768noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144678931537155392006-04-10T10:22:00.000-04:002006-04-10T10:22:00.000-04:00Shayna: You know, I think that I'd have a lot les...Shayna: You know, I think that I'd have a lot less problems with it if they were upfront about stop loss. If they need more recruits, the answer isn't to fleece the people who, despite all that has been done that's caused people to turn away from military service, are coming to them anyways. The answer is incentives. And if the rich fuckholes who put Bush in office want to continue this war so badly, then they can forgo their goddamned tax cuts and do this right.<BR/><BR/>And like I said to Cowgirl, they probably do have every right to be there. So do the protesters. To me that sounds like a balanced, Democratic solution, so long as the protestors are conducting themselves productively.<BR/><BR/>Candi:I reject entirely the idea that Abu Grahib existed in a vacuum. The Bush Administration has done nothing to convince me that they weren't behind this the whole way, especially since Bush himself said, as he signed an anti-torture bill into law, that he reserved the right not to follow it. not enough to convict a suspected criminal, but when you control the flow of information on a matter, the burden of proof is shifted to your shoulders. I believe that our current administration has done more to shun and disgrace our military than any demonstrators could.<BR/><BR/>However, even if I'm 100% correct and this was all mandated from above, you're right. Dressing up as Nazis is sickening and disrespectful. And that I'm certain they did these things with good intentions doesn't absolve them.<BR/><BR/>I can't imagine going to enlist if a war I utterly disagreed with was on the horizon. I don't believe that patriotis requires it. My understanding of patriotism forbids it in fact. Then again, I've been accused by some as having overly convenient understandings of certain words so who knows.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17915186427167408768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144639795158768782006-04-09T23:29:00.000-04:002006-04-09T23:29:00.000-04:00I see the recruiters alot.. and I always give them...I see the recruiters alot.. and I always give them a smile and I wish they knew how much I felt for them and their families.. To dress as a Nazi is damn sickening... we do abide by the Geneva Convention rules and a few bad apples break those rules this does not mean that the entire military should be shunned and disgraced! I would have been one rude bitch to those assholes and I am embarrassed for their lack of respect for brave men of our military! I am not for this shit about to happen in Iran ..in fact it scares the hell outta me and I do NOT thisk we can afford to invade or attack that country.. Bush needs to get the hell out NOW!... But as a patriotic American .. I am still going to accompany my boy this October to enlist! <BR/><BR/>Some people are just asses!Omhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13591688849274854873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144635141630166262006-04-09T22:12:00.000-04:002006-04-09T22:12:00.000-04:00Wow.. Patrick... a great post. I think,just maybe...Wow.. Patrick... a great post. I think,just maybe, you should post this over at BIO. I really like this one.<BR/><BR/>You are so right... to be against this war is one thing... but what that theater group is doing is appauling. To me they are slapping our soldiers in the face... <BR/><BR/>Granted you say that you are not in agreement with what our military is doing to recruit... How should they recruit? Obviously right now... they are desperate... and frankly, they seem to be doing all they can to get soldiers to protect and serve. We need soldiers... they need volunteers to serve or we might see the draft again. But... that's just what I fear.<BR/><BR/>You amaze me with your talent... So smart and so young... but so wise beyond your years.Day by Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11676406859306246660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144619872145545412006-04-09T17:57:00.000-04:002006-04-09T17:57:00.000-04:00Well, the reason the military draws protest for "d...Well, the reason the military draws protest for "don't ask, don't tell" policy more than other organizations is because it is funded by our tax dollars and is often a large part of the basis of the opinion foreign nations form of our country. <BR/><BR/>I'll take my targets when they come as far as it goes, but I think that the military should be a high profile target, because when it comes to protecting our country, the stakes are higher.<BR/><BR/>I don't know much about the role of women in the military. My position is that all military jobs be based on merit and ability and nothing else.<BR/><BR/>Religion is often a tricky target. Some people instinctively shy away. For my part, I believe that everyone has the right to do whatever they will so long as no other person is harmed as a result. This means that I support a lot of rights that others shy away from. It also means that I reject the idea that freedom to practice religion means carte blanche.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17915186427167408768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144557761907257822006-04-09T00:42:00.000-04:002006-04-09T00:42:00.000-04:00Cowgirl: I'd gladly put my life on the line for f...Cowgirl: I'd gladly put my life on the line for freedom of speech and protest and liberty. The main reason I haven't enlisted is that I can't trust that I wouldn't be called to put my life on the line for a cause that's hateful to me. Not quite sure what that makes me. I admire your resolve.<BR/><BR/>As for whether or not the Marine recruiters belong on the campus, it's pretty much moot. A protest wasn't going to send them away. I can see myself being in a position to turn them away and declining, and still joining the protest. A reason I failed to cite for supporting the protest is the exclusion of gays. But my friend touched upon that.<BR/><BR/>Miz B: And what Bush learned was how to lie like Nixon and get away with it like Reagan.<BR/><BR/>Alice: Darfur may well warrant the comparison, but even as such I don't think making it would further the cause.<BR/><BR/>Indeed. The message should be what's remembered. Not the tactics used to get it across.<BR/><BR/>Miz B: I'm not a vegetarian, but I do think that there is a signifigant body of argument for animal rights. The problem is in its abrasiveness. Should be noted though that effectively carrying a message to enough people to make a difference is a daunting task.<BR/><BR/>Cowgirl: Sometimes it's necessary to go the extra mile to get attention. But too many protests don't have a sense of where the line is, or (sadly) that there's even a line to be looking for.<BR/><BR/>Sar: Spot on. And there will always be people who endeavor to distort the message of a protest. But that isn't to suggest that one must do whatever is possible to make sure they don't have an easy job of it.<BR/><BR/>Pia: And right there is the reason my generation needs to hear what you have to say. The tactic of isolating the easiest people to defame and making them out to be the prime representatives has been going on forever, and even in this age where information is more availible than ever, the tactics still seem to work. It's a rough sceneAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17915186427167408768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144464180007529942006-04-07T22:43:00.000-04:002006-04-07T22:43:00.000-04:00Excellent, albeit hella long, post Wombat. ;) Pro...Excellent, albeit hella long, post Wombat. ;) Protests are tricky. By the very essence of protesting, you're seeking to shed attention on the cause you're fight for/against to evoke change where it isn't otherwise forthcoming. The problem is the measures taken to get that attention can be so off the wall that the message gets distorted or worse, lost.<BR/><BR/>Hey thanks again Wombat for the birthday nod here and at Belle! :)Sarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00898887379236020609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144443057977579462006-04-07T16:50:00.000-04:002006-04-07T16:50:00.000-04:00I ditto Alice and would add that when you describe...I ditto Alice and would add that when you described the theater protest it brought to mind tactics used by PETA. I am an animal rights activist and a vegetarian for 14 years now (MY GOD do I feel old saying 14 years!!!!) and feel that though what they wish to achieve is noble and I back 100%, their tactics are so sensationalistic and in-your-face that it shuts people off from any discourse and willingness to join the cause. I have had many friends become vegetarians and all because I never even spoke of the subject unless asked... I think much more could be done via different tactics with most causes...Miz BoheMiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12684634451330079565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144427740486981942006-04-07T12:35:00.000-04:002006-04-07T12:35:00.000-04:00Nice post wombat. To me there is no “perhaps” abou...Nice post wombat. To me there is no “perhaps” about it it was an unnecessary war. That is hardly the point I realize that.<BR/><BR/>I agree with your stance on the protest in Chicago only in that to compare anything or anyone to the Nazi's is indeed a great slam in the face of Jewish people and humanity everywhere. There is nothing to compare and hopefully never will be although I believe Darfur is getting close.<BR/><BR/>As for your friends response: It is right on in that informed discourse usually is more effective in making points that people, in the end, will take home with them and consider.Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02465484210397122019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024126.post-1144425751220016512006-04-07T12:02:00.000-04:002006-04-07T12:02:00.000-04:00Very well put and I agree with your stance on it a...Very well put and I agree with your stance on it all.<BR/><BR/>Sad thing is what the current administration learned from Vietnam is to not let any images leak through as it will make things go downhill for them very fast indeed!<BR/><BR/>Great post Wombat!Miz BoheMiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12684634451330079565noreply@blogger.com