Flag waving.......Flag burning

[Imran Siddiqui]

Imagine...Soccer Mom in F-350 with a "My Son is an Honor Student" bumpersticker, Jesus fish, with a large American flag in the bed of the pickup (w00t).

No problem with that. Let them drive that if they want. How many soccer moms drive pickups rather than minivans though?

You ask how many people use pickups as pickups? Most of them, I'd wager. Pickups are expensive. For the same price you can get a minivan or SUVs. Most soccer moms and suburbanite fathers will go for a minivan or SUV anyday over a pickup. The only people I've really seen that drive a pickup for uses other than a pickup are those that have both them used for VERY cheap or those that got it from their parents.

[Dis]

btw I'm a navy vet, but strangely flag burning does not affect me.

I have never been that symbolic in my life though.

Words affect me more than a flag.

But I do consider myself patriotic though. One of the reasons I joined the military. If I only joined just for the money, wouldn't that make me a mercenary?.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Dissident
I don't do that.

But I do realize I live in a pretty nice country. And I will do what it takes to prevent that country from being taken away by terrorists.

And yes they can defeat us. they have already succeeded in spreading a large amount of fear throughout the U.S.

But the point is, that has nothing to do with Iraq, which is at least one thing that the protesters are protesting.

It shouldn't be surprising that the same people who attended candlelight vigils are now protesting the war. the vigils were aabout praying for peace and mourning the dead. what's happening now is about destroying peace and creating more dead. They are the oness being consistant here, even if they occassionally seem like morons.

It's been said over and over that it took only 18 months for Bush to squander the good will of the world. That applies to at least some of the US as well.

[Kramerman]

(what do you think boot camp is for?).

err... military training?
yes, some military men are uber-patriotic, but most of these are military people because they are patriotic, they are not patriotic as a result of being military.


is that understandable what I wrote? i need to go to bed

[Asher]

Originally posted by Kramerman
err... military training?

Military training is only part of it...
It's indoctrination, too. Everyone wears the same clothes, everyone shaves their head, everyone is trained and they salute the American flag each morning(?), that kind of thing.

It all works brilliantly at the end, but it is a form of indoctrination mixed in with training...

[Imran Siddiqui]

But the point is, that has nothing to do with Iraq, which is at least one thing that the protesters are protesting.

But the more intelligent protestors, I hope, can see the 'terrorist' reasoning for going after Iraq (namely getting a foothold in the ME which can aide us right in the middle of the maelstrom).

[Dis]

I posted above about Iraq.

The right reason we are doing it for (we are doing it for several reasons) is for the Iraqi people

Do the protestors not care about them?

Don't answer. I already know the answer to that. They only care about themselves and their friends and getting attention.

[Dis]

and I never saluted an american flag in boot camp!!

althought that does seem strange come to think of it


or maybe I did? I never paid attention.

We were mostly in formation. And I don't think we saluted while in formation. Damn, I'm starting to forget that stuff.

I never placed much importance on saluting . Including officers

[Kramerman]

Originally posted by Asher

Military training is only part of it...
It's indoctrination, too. Everyone wears the same clothes, everyone shaves their head, everyone is trained and they salute the American flag each morning(?), that kind of thing.

It all works brilliantly at the end, but it is a form of indoctrination mixed in with training...

perhaps, but im sure most of them were ready to die fighting for their country before enlisting, and not prepared to be ready to die for their country in boot. And the indoctrination must suck, cause during Veitnam, most draftees who were anti-war or indiffernet towards it before shipping off continued to be, and only grew more bitter towards the US during their service.

A lot of other people join the military also for just the adventure, or for the educational benefits, and could care less about "the ultimate sacrifice".

[Asher]

Originally posted by Kramerman
perhaps, but im sure most of them were ready to die fighting for their country before enlisting, and not prepared to be ready to die for their country in boot.

Oh, no doubt. Unless they're drafted.

[Dis]

I think we can all agree that a volunteer military is the way to go. It makes things so much easier on so many levels.

[MattHiggs]

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

But the point is, that has nothing to do with Iraq, which is at least one thing that the protesters are protesting.

But the more intelligent protestors, I hope, can see the 'terrorist' reasoning for going after Iraq (namely getting a foothold in the ME which can aide us right in the middle of the maelstrom).

We already have Turkey and Israel for that, as well as Kuwait and, of course, our good pals in the House of Saud. There may be good reasons to invade Iraq -- I won't argue that point here -- but whatever the reaason, it's got f*ck all to do with terrorism.

[Cinna]

Originally posted by Dissident
I posted above about Iraq.

The right reason we are doing it for (we are doing it for several reasons) is for the Iraqi people

Do the protestors not care about them?

Don't answer. I already know the answer to that. They only care about themselves and their friends and getting attention.

That has got to be one of the most pathetic things I have ever read. Like I said before, Americans rarely put common sense and their patriotism together.

[Guynemer]

I'm going to point out the blatantly obvious here, since some seem to have forgotten it:

Most who burn the flag don't hate the American people; they hate the American government. I really don't understand why people take it so personally.

On the flip side, I don't understand all the Poly folks who have taken to sporting the Iraqi flag... that shows support for Saddam, not the Iraqi people.

There are so many people so full of **** on this board...