Should US Military be subjected to politicization?

[Bandit]

Why should Rush Limbaugh or Air America be on Armed Forces Radio? Don't we feel the military has enough to deal without being subjected to politicization? If Rush Limbaugh repeats daily that Liberals are enemies of America and you are a soldier in a firefight and happen to be a Liberal can you trust your fellow soldiers to come to your aid if need be? The military should not be a place of political divisions. Cohesion is of utmost importance so why the politicization? Especially in this day and age of overinflated rhetoric. Hatred abounds on talk radio and it is designed to divide Americans. I would hope our military is for all Americans and not just Republican Americans but with the daily onslaught of propaganda from the likes of Rush and the other right wing kooks I have serious doubts. I just don't think it should be allowed.

[Sammy Pepys]

1. I don't like it so much either, but....

...these are living, breathing guys and gals, not automotons. They have political interests just as much as we do, and should be allowed some indulgence of that, regardless of what it is.

I also don't think that soldiers are going to consider the political leanings of their fellow soldiers in something like a firefight.

[Bandit]

5. Well I believe you are very wrong about that

I remember well how "Hippies" were despised by many soldiers during the Vietnam Conflict. I believe some are dead for no other reason than they were considered "Hippies" and not worth support. Why should it even be a concern?

[Sammy Pepys]

6. I'm wrong that soldiers should be allowed...

...to hear political content on the radio or anywhere else?

[bluestateguy]

2. I just think that the troops should be allowed to criticize US policy

Not to disobey orders, but they should be allowed to criticize US policy without fear of being slapped with a court-martial.

[Skelington]

7. A soldiers opnion is not relevant to the political landscape.

And I say this as a retired soldier, 23 years. A soldier in the theatre of operations is not given the luxury of an opnion, his thoughts and feelings should not be used by civilian personel to achieve civilian goals. Even if those civilian goals are percieved to be in the best interest of the soldier, soldiers are trained and assigned for a specific purpose, and that purpose does not include political opnions.

I cannot agree that injecting the cancer of personal political opnion, into military unity is in the best interest of the soldier. Military operations are NOT conducted according to "popularity" polls, or opnions.

I think I understand what you mean, and to a point I agree, however, the idea of a soldiers words being used for civilian political gain is dangerous, a soldier's duty sometimes requires him/her to complete objectives that bring them to question their own moral fabric, asking for their opnion on that objective will fill tomorrows body bags. Political and Military life are not easily mixed.

Semper Fi

[genie_weenie]

3. This is a huge problem

It really impacts those mid-range officers and higher enlisted not yet at the 20 year mark. Toe (or is it Tow) the republican party line, buy into the El Drugbo and Aryan Skelecoulter rhetoric that Liberals are weak on defense or actively anti-american and push this down onto the young impressionable LTs and junior non-NCOs.

I had a particularly acrimonious encounter with my Gunny last year in Iraq, where he threatened me with official and "unofficial" punishment if I keep producing my underground NCO newsletter. But, I shan't bore anyone with that story.

[msongs]

4. other views should also be on armed foreces radio not just repubs

views. why is the republican party given carte blanche access to military and nobody else is?

Msongs
www.msongs.com/democratsmugs.htm