Man I Am Mad!!!!

[DoctorP]

From what I've seen of my friends who joined the military, they got out with no money and no useful skills to help them get a job. Sure they weren't the most driven guys to begin with, but their time in the military seemed like a complete waste of time as far as the paths of their lives were concearned.

Maybe the fact that they weren't the most driven people to begin with was the problem with having no money and no skills!

1. If you are single, you pay for no food, no boarding. That's about $700/month you could save if you wanted to! Most guys get out broke because they go out drinking all of the time and piss their money away on "buy me drinkie" girls all over the world!

2. No skills? Let's see, you leave the service after 4 years of working in the IT field. You get $60,000-$100,000 of schools for free while in service along with all of the qualifications/accredidations. Not to mention that while you are in you can go to college for free (except books). Why would you get out with no skills? Oh that's right, you failed to apply yourself after school. That caused you to be a nuisence at work which gets you on a working party detail which takes you away from work! You get out...put your former supervisor down on a Job application as a reference, and he tells the truth! You are a worthless piece of shinola and he wouldn't hire you if you were the only candidate! (usually this won't happen, military takes care of their own even if we don't like you!) The fact is, the way you carry yourself tells a lot about you! IF you aren't worth a crap the world will know anyway!

You guys think freedom just fell out of the damned sky one day?

No way! We had to fight tooth and nail for it! And sometimes you have to keep fighting for it or someone else will take it away!

You don't have to take away freedom to get freedom.

No you don't...but you do have to fight in order to keep it sometimes! Nothing in life is free! And sometimes maybe you should give back for some of the freedoms you are enjoying....like being able to express your feelings on this board!

 

[Brooker]

@CC1....
You have all the makings of an Army recruiter.

CC1 wrote....

sometimes maybe you should give back for some of the freedoms you are enjoying....like being able to express your feelings on this board!

How many people on this board are not from America and are still somehow remarkably able to express their thoughts without having to kill people to do it. We Americans think we're so special because we're free to do things most people in the "free world" just do and don't waste a lot of time bragging about. What benefits do I have that someone from Australia doesn't have? But Australians don't feel the need to kill others or occupy other countries to do it.

I don't buy into all that "You owe it to your country" propaganda. That's just what they tell young men to get them to sign their lives away. If you've decided to "serve your country" that's fine, but don't tell me what I should do. I don't owe you or this evil government a damn thing.

 

[Mike Cash]

You seem unable to distinguish between a government/administration and a country.

 

[DoctorP]

@CC1....
You have all the makings of an Army recruiter.

Thanks, but no thanks! I spent 3 years as a Marine DI, that was enough!

How many people on this board are not from America and are still somehow remarkably able to express their thoughts without having to kill people to do it. We Americans think we're so special because we're free to do things most people in the "free world" just do and don't waste a lot of time bragging about. What benefits do I have that someone from Australia doesn't have? But Australians don't feel the need to kill others or occupy other countries to do it.

I don't buy into all that "You owe it to your country" propaganda. That's just what they tell young men to get them to sign their lives away. If you've decided to "serve your country" that's fine, but don't tell me what I should do. I don't owe you or this evil government a damn thing.

Brooker, I'm not trying to sign anyone up. If you feel so strongly about another country...say Australia...feel free to move there! Last time I checked, Australia wasn't considered a Superpower in the world! (not a knock agaist Aussie's) They are not expected to help other countries in need...but they are one of our allies and usually follow us and offer assistance wherever we go!

 

[Brooker]

CC1 wrote....

If you feel so strongly about another country...say Australia...feel free to move there!

People always say, "Well if you have a problem with America or you don't want to be in the military, then why don't you leave." I used to say that when I was young, but then I got more realistic. Usually people who say that aren't actually suggesting it, they're just trying to give a subtle "up yours" to whoever they're saying it to.

I am an American. That's just a fact. I have to do the best I can given my hand in life. I think this country needs more people who question things and go against things that aren't right. It keeps the system honest and keeps things in check when they get out of hand. Being American doesn't mean you're incapable of doing wrong (although many Americans seem to think so - "If it serves us, it's right.").

To be honest with you though, I'm not sure what would be a more responsible move for someone who disagrees with their government, to leave and no longer be held accountable for those wrongs or to stay and try to change them. It seems perhaps you think it's more responsible to leave. I haven't decided, but it's something I do give a lot of thought. I've lived outside of America before and I could do it again. But the reality of the situation is that most people just don't have the option to pick up and move to another country, so don't be so quick to suggest it.

mikecash wrote....

You seem unable to distinguish between a government/administration and a country.

You're right. I'm loyal to this country, but not to this government. But in a war the lines between a government and a country are very difficult to distinguish. But in the case of this war in particular, it seems the war belongs to the government not to the country and the people, so they can have it. Around here the war is about as popular as a tropical skin disease.

 

[DoctorP]

I am an American. That's just a fact. I have to do the best I can given my hand in life. I think this country needs more people who question things and go against things that aren't right. It keeps the system honest and keeps things in check when they get out of hand. Being American doesn't mean you're incapable of doing wrong (although many Americans seem to think so - "If it serves us, it's right.").

To be honest with you though, I'm not sure what would be a more responsible move for someone who disagrees with their government, to leave and no longer be held accountable for those wrongs or to stay and try to change them. It seems perhaps you think it's more responsible to leave. I haven't decided, but it's something I do give a lot of thought. I've lived outside of America before and I could do it again. But the reality of the situation is that most people just don't have the option to pick up and move to another country, so don't be so quick to suggest it.

Brooker, good post! But please realise that I am not trying to say "Up yours!!" If I wanted to do that, I would come right out and say it! Nor do I believe that it is more responsible to leave the country. It goes back to what I have said in many threads, and this is something that I have always believed in. If you are gonna ***** about something, offer up a way to change it! Many people reply..."well that's not gonna do any good!" Well, it's a lot better than just bitching! When you make a complaint, but you offer up a viable solution on how to fix it, you are helping the people that you are complaining too! By just complaining and offering no solution, you are becoming part of the problem!

I too live in another country. (by choice) But I continue to serve my government by performing my job to the best of my ability. I don't hold a weapon, I don't kill anyone. I am providing a service to my country and in return, it is giving me security (job) and a steady paycheck, and an opportunity to live abroad! I too make complaints from time to time, but I always offer up a way to correct the problem. By doing that, there is no excuse for not making the necessary corrections. It may not mean that it gets fixed, but now that adds more fuel to my argument....and eventually it is going to fall on the ears of the right person and action will be taken!

 

[Brooker]

I agree.

Here's what I wrote earlier in this thread....

I too believe that people who don't vote have no right to complain. And since (as you could probably guess) Bush was not my choice, I've got a lot of complaining to do.

Sure, we do a lot of venting on this site. We didn't come here to save the world. But if it's solutions you want, here they are....

1) Get Bush out of office. He can only make things worse.
2) Return complete control of Iraq to the Iraqi people and get the hell out of there. That region is a long way off from any kind of stability and we certainly don't want to be the ring leader in that circus.
3) Try to patch things up with our allies and get more international support in dealing with Iraq.
4) Never put ourselves in this position again.
5) Reduce our dependance on oil by switching to alternative forms of fuel so that we don't have to deal with such regions to get the resources we need.

P.S. Shortly before the Iraq war started I sent letters to my Congressmen and Senators praising them for the things they were doing that I aprove of (such as Jim McDermott who appeared in "Fahrenheit 9/11" and is the man, and I'm proud to have him representing my state - he went to Iraq before the war started to speak out against the war thus going against most of his colleagues) and scolding them (Maria Cantwell didn't stand up against the war enough, I thought) for what I didn't aprove of. My voice has been heard.