L.A. Times Editorial: U.S. Troops are Imperialists and should not be supported

[Divinus Arma]

HOLY SMOKES!!!

Can you believe this nut? What a douche bag. He deserves a swift kick in the cajones.

Quick blurbs:

But blaming the president is a little too easy. The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they're following orders or not.

But when you volunteer for the U.S. military, you pretty much know you're not going to be fending off invasions from Mexico and Canada. So you're willingly signing up to be a fighting tool of American imperialism, for better or worse.

I know this is all easy to say for a guy who grew up with money, did well in school and hasn't so much as served on jury duty for his country.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/...mment-opinions

[Strike For The South]

meh California sucks. Libreal nuts with homoerotic tendinces there nearly as bad as ohio and just below New york in terms of absoulute suck factor

I do sympathize with people who joined up to protect our country, especially after 9/11, and were tricked into fighting in Iraq. I get mad when I'm tricked into clicking on a pop-up ad, so I can only imagine how they feel.

This guys is an ass plain and simple. He just wants to be outlandish and thats pretty easy. He can stick a light pole up his ass and be outlandish. Glad he is in the minority

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I suggest we draft him via popular demand. I mean, he hasn't done anything for this country yet.

[Lemur]

Who would want to serve with him? No, until we institute prison batallions, this man has no place in our armed forces.

What a complete and utter loonbat.

[Reenk Roink]

Whoa, I know there are many perspectives but from LA Times???

[Papewaio]

Quite tongue in cheek, then a few paragraphs have interesting points amongst the digs.

Besides, those little yellow ribbons aren't really for the troops. They need body armor, shorter stays and a USO show by the cast of "Laguna Beach."

...

I know this is all easy to say for a guy who grew up with money, did well in school and hasn't so much as served on jury duty for his country. But it's really not that easy to say because anyone remotely affiliated with the military could easily beat me up, and I'm listed in the phone book.

I'm not advocating that we spit on returning veterans like they did after the Vietnam War, but we shouldn't be celebrating people for doing something we don't think was a good idea. All I'm asking is that we give our returning soldiers what they need: hospitals, pensions, mental health and a safe, immediate return. But, please, no parades.

Seriously, the traffic is insufferable.

[Major Robert Dump]

Considering that people who didn't agree with the handling of Iraq were labeled by conservatives as being anti-soldier and anti-american both before and after the President admitted that "mistakes were made", he is just falling into the stereotype like you wanted him to.

I don't agree with what he is saying or how he says it, but read the article again. You want to demonize people who dissent, well there he is, mission accomplished.

What does supporting the troops mean? What does supporting the war mean? What was the last thing you did for a soldier, the last sacrifice you made for your country? Does it bother anyone but me that we can run a major war abroad without the people back home batting an eyelash? Or are you just another spoiled fat ass with a yellow ribbon sticker on your Escalade?

[Strike For The South]

Considering that people who didn't agree with the handling of Iraq were labeled by conservatives as being anti-soldier and anti-american both before and after the President admitted that "mistakes were made", he is just falling into the stereotype like you wanted him to.

I don't agree with what he is saying or how he says it, but read the article again. You want to demonize people who dissent, well there he is, mission accomplished.

What does supporting the troops mean? What does supporting the war mean? What was the last thing you did for a soldier, the last sacrifice you made for your country? Does it bother anyone but me that we can run a major war abroad without the people back home batting an eyelash? Or are you just another spoiled fat ass with a yellow ribbon sticker on your Escalade?

Its not the fact hes dissenting its the fact that he is trying to be smug or hip by doing it

[Proletariat]

What does supporting the troops mean? What does supporting the war mean? What was the last thing you did for a soldier, the last sacrifice you made for your country? Does it bother anyone but me that we can run a major war abroad without the people back home batting an eyelash? Or are you just another spoiled fat ass with a yellow ribbon sticker on your Escalade?

'Supporting the troops' means just that. Supporting the f$cking troops. I joined after 9/11, being well informed about the choice I made. I'm still serving and although yellow ribbon magnets make me sick with their misplaced, self-righteous, I'll-just-sit-on-my-ass-while-others-do-the-dirty-work, smarminess, it doesn't help when you have high up senators from the Democrats comparing servicemen with Nazi and Communist torturers and jailers.

Quit pretending it's the right that has scapegoated the left as cowardly, anti-military types. The left has done a fine job of distancing themselves from the military and leaving this one wide open for right wing politicians for the last 20 years or so, through their constant disparaging and maligning of the military in anyway they can for more vote pandering.

[Major Robert Dump]

'Supporting the troops' means just that. Supporting the f$cking troops. I joined after 9/11, being well informed about the choice I made. I'm still serving and although yellow ribbon magnets make me sick with their misplaced, self-righteous, I'll-just-sit-on-my-ass-while-others-do-the-dirty-work, smarminess, it doesn't help when you have high up senators from the Democrats comparing servicemen with Nazi and Communist torturers and jailers.

Quit pretending it's the right that has scapegoated the left as cowardly, anti-military types. The left has done a fine job of distancing themselves from the military and leaving this one wide open for right wing politicians for the last 20 years or so, through their constant disparaging and maligning of the military in anyway they can for more vote pandering.

Yeah, its funny, isn't it, two-party politics? How I'm a piece of sh*t because I share a party affiliation or some fringe ideas with someone I never voted for or whos district I never lived in or someone who gets busted in an integrity snafu, or you're a piece of sh*t because you share a party or some fringe ideas with someone who you never voted for or whos district you never lived or someone who gets busted in an integrity snafu

Be that as it may, you being a soldier it must make you terribly angry to be compared to a Nazi because of the actions of a few. Just as it makes me terribly angry to be told that criticizing the actions of my government makes me anti-american or a coward or anti-soldier. We are terrible, terrible people. Want to go boar hunting this weekend?

[Xiahou]

I don't agree with what he is saying or how he says it, but read the article again. You want to demonize people who dissent, well there he is, mission accomplished.

Are you saying it is or isnt ok to criticize him for his statements?

Does it bother anyone but me that we can run a major war abroad without the people back home batting an eyelash?

What do you think would be an appropriate level of sacrifice for the average citizen before we can deploy troops?

[Major Robert Dump]

Are you saying it is or isnt ok to criticize him for his statements?

What do you think would be an appropriate level of sacrifice for the average citizen before we can deploy troops?

1. I'm saying it's okay to criticize him, because thats what he wants and thats what you want. I'm telling you, this is tongue in cheek. The current situation with Iraq and the war on terror has degraded into a "you're an imperialist" vs "you're a coward" debate, where both sides use the lowest common denominator to judge one another.



2. Do you really want an answer to that question? Are all of you ready to crap your pants and have your dead relatives roll over in their graves?

A WAR TAX. At the least. I mean, for gods sake its a war.
Without getting into debates over sliding scales of percentages and who will be taxed more/less the easiest method requiring the least paperwork and beauracracy would be a flat tax levied on top of local/state sales tax to goods purchased with the exception of certain essential things like groceries. I'm talking about something like a friggin 1 or 2 cents on the dollar, which would go directly into the operating budgets for the military and not subject to being appropriated by Congress. This tax can be voted on every congressional session as a single issue item, so it doesn't sneak under the radar when the war or "conflict" is over. This tax revenue and how its spent can be public information for generalized expenditure info, and open records for federal elected officials to view per diem expenditures. Note: only this revenue is up for review, so because its only supplementary the classified can still stay classified as its not falling under this "war tax." There will be nothing in this spending info that will help the enemy.

It's a war. Involving our country. At the least, we could have a war tax.

Now, if you are talking about realistically, not hypothetically like the war tax, what kind of sacrafice "before we can deploy troops" I honestly don't know. Nor do I know after we deploy troops. I suppose forcing everyone to write letters and send over cookies would be a little silly, at best. Calling or writing to your representatives and telling them to vote on certain legislation does about as much good as calling The IRS 1-800 number and expecting To find a person on the other end, and trying to "support the troops" via your votes for public officials and said officials platforms seems like a good idea except, ya know, they are elected officials and pretty much forget what they promised the second they enter office.

I have my ways. And it doesn't involve a bumper sticker.

[Proletariat]

Active duty military already have access to the best hospitals, pensions and mental health provided in this country. I don't really see what's tongue in cheek about it, maybe him just trying to be cute.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I will give him kudos for intellectual consistency. He is certainly not trying to "have his cake and eat it too." Our soldiers are the willing tools of imperialism and therefore not worthy of praise is dead-arse wrong, but at least internally consistent.

Since I support the war effort thus far, I have no qualms about believing Joel here is wrong soup to nuts.

Lemur', did you mean Sov-style penal battalions? As in "double-time it through the minefield to clear a path" units like they did in the Great Patriotic war? You scamp!

[Papewaio]

Just read some of his other articles, he has a consistent 'style'

How to apologize to a feminist ... seems he likes roasting sacred cows.

Mind you he sums up his ego nicely in another column:

So I can't figure out why I don't lie. It's not that I chose journalism because I'm obsessed with unearthing truths. I chose journalism over novels, sitcoms or screenplays because it came with a steady paycheck. Plus, they print your name at the top of what you write in big letters. You try finding a staff writer's name in sitcom credits.

I think it's because I'm desperate to be noticed for who I am, and a fabrication wouldn't satisfy my ego. The kind of fame that Frey and the woman who writes under LeRoy's name and even Oprah — whose public persona seems so far from her real persona — seems unsatisfying. Also, making up things seems really hard.

[Proletariat]

Just read some of his other articles, he has a consistent 'style'

Great. I just got worked up over the fishwrap version of Maddox. Still can't believe he's employed by one of our major papers. Only in California.

[Lemur]

Did you mean Sov-style penal battalions? As in "double-time it through the minefield to clear a path" units like they did in the Great Patriotic war? You scamp!

Someone's been reading my diary! And here I thought the unicorns and care bears on the cover would ward you away ...

[Redleg]

I normally steer away from the LA Times because there are simply better papers out there. So what this individual says or doesn't say really has no impact on me at all.

Seems a bit of tongue in cheek editorial commentary - but in some of his points he does take it a tad to far.

But like Lemurmania said - off to the penal battalion for him..