Want to turn a Repub into a bleeding heart liberal? Do it with a uniform.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

See - if you murder someone point blank on the streets of America, then you are a threat to society. It isn't enough to lock you up, we MUST give you the death penalty.

If you are in uniform and murder someone point blank, then it is the fault of A) your leadership B) the trauma of war C) the person who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.


If you lead a life of crime here in America associated with poor role models or lower socio economic possibilities - three strikes and you'll be doing slave labor in a privatized prison for 25 to life. If you loot in Baghdad, enjoy killing the enemy and even get quoted in papers saying something to the effect that you enjoy shooting people (as has occurred with troop interviews numerous times) then you do it because you only joined the military because there are no good jobs available in the state where you came from.

If you want to dog pile your enemies in nude homoerotic poses here at home and film them- you are predatory, unable to be rehabilitated, and a danger and you will be ferreted out and made to register as a sex offender for the rest of your natural days.
If you do it in Iraq, your actions are no worse than a fraternity hazing, you didn't mean any harm and besides...they were the enemy..


Where am I coming from? Simply put, numerous times on this board crimes or war have come to our attention and some will be quick to jump to the aid of the perps as though those crimes weren't *REALLY* their fault.

Bring the crime home, minus the uniform..and a whole other set of explanatory principles for why we must obtain a pound of flesh are set in motion.

Interesting. eh?

[annabanana]

1. interesting

Yes, many people here think that unsophisticated kids, put in horrific curcumstances and at risk of their lives, may be traumatized and do things that would have been otherwise unthinkable for them.

[havocmom]

3. She shoots.... she scores! And the rest of the DUers cheer

wildly.

Nailed that one, ya did, annabanana!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. I'm simply saying those same circumstances exist on the streets

of America and are less than forgivable here

[wtmusic]

10. Poor babies never larned that electro-shocks to the genitals

was torture...

Gimme a break. :eyes:

[wtmusic]

2. It's the fundamental racist assumption

that brown people are worth less than white.

[mattclearing]

4. Or the HST fallacy that

Somewhere someone in charge knows what they're doing.

[annabanana]

5. huh?...where?

Did you read something I didn't?

[wtmusic]

9. The brown people of Baghdad

are less entitled to basic human rights than Americans. Their species of sovereignty is less valid than American sovereignty. Their religion is...you get the picture.

[dolo amber]

6. Which makes people's obsession with

sun tanning even MORE incomprehensible... :wtf:

edit: Oh, and spot on as usual, nsma. ;)

[bloom]

7. And if college professors

were handing out "A"s (and gold stars) to the ones who killed the most they would be locked up as well.

But put a uniform on someone and have them hand out medals to people who kill and they get saluted and promoted.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. kick

[Coventina]

12. Right on NSMA!!!!

:yourock:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. thanks

[AndrewJacksonFaction]

14. My .02 cents.

Just my .02 cents. It really does not bother me that our troops enjoy killing people. That is their job. Just as long as they don't bring that mindset back to the streets of America or any place else for that matter, during a time of peace. I think this mindset helps them cope with the horrific things they do when they are the theater of war. The problem is when they are not able to turn these feelings off when they get back to society. But yes there 2 different rationals applied to war/peace, uniform/no uniform. The uniform is supposed to indicate they are working.

[Coventina]

16. You think enjoying killing can be turned on & off like a switch?

:eyes:

[manic expression]

15. Exactly right

That is completely correct.

[Cleita]

17. You nailed it NSMA.

Maybe Charlie Rangel has a point in bringing back the draft. If everyone has to go into the military like in WWII,Korea and Vietnam, it would level out the demographic of the ordinary soldier. Maybe a lot of the volunteer military have a murderous mindset that would get them thrown in prison or executed if they weren't in the military.

Also, if I remember correctly the war hawks weren't so keen on waging war for the sake of war, when there was a good chance they or their children would be the ones to fight it.

On edit: Before anyone jumps me about this, I am only saying what Charlie Rangel said. I'm not sure that I personally agree with him. All I know is the military was a more respected and less getapo-like institution when everybody had to do their duty.

[info being]

18. Its all about obedience to authority...

That's why they call them Authoritarians. That's their core value: obey authority. Uniforms are designed to manufacture authority.