PSA for those angry about Afghanistan

[nadinbrzezinski]

soldiers are not making policy, so if you want to complaint, please direct your anger here

http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

And here

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

And of course here

http://www.senate.gov/

These are the people who make policy.

I know I am plenty angry at the policy in Afghanistan, but I know soldiers do not make policy. So instead of ragging on the grunts, send a few love letters, keep them respectful, to the addresses given.

That is all...

[havocmom]

1. Yup

:thumbsup:

[bluestateguy]

2. Who was ragging on the troops in the field?

Did I miss a thread somewhere that did that?

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[Enrique]

7. if that's a troop

then it's a troop posting propaganda, and I say rag away.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. That;'s lousy propaganda then

and I suggest you take a nice course on how propaganda works. Some colleges even offer those courses in the History, poli sci or sociology departments. I suggest highly you do that. A few marketing departmetns will also do that from time to time. They just call it MARKETING.

Yes, photos of smiling kids have been taken by military forces for over a century, no those photos do not include concertina wire.

This IS closer to what you are thinking



So is this



And so is this

?size=67&uid=DBCAB730-354C-4D72-A8B3-FD91DEB2DA17

care to compare and contrast?

[Enrique]

16. yeah it's lousy propaganda

but it is propaganda and no one should feel intimidated by the claim that the poster is "the troops".

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. No I ratther prefer to use the term US Soldier or US Marine

read into the manipulation of language and how using TROOP, which is more properly plural, robs us of the individual and makes them even more distant. Thank those who know how to do the propaganda that you even use the term used by them.

[Enrique]

19. I meant troop as in something we have to support

if you don't like something someone claiming to be a troop said, you're NOT SUPPORTING THE TROOPS.

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. Feel free to insert words

I just said that I am angry at the policy, but I know the individual soldier, airman, marine or sailor (In a few cases coastie) does not set policy. I rag those who do. Feel free to do the same.

By the same, this photo reminds me of the many photos my kids took at work. Spontaneous, while on the move. Nothing like the ones taken by press or proper PR departments. Why perhaps I get it.

Now I invite you to do as I do, RAG ON THOSE WHO ESTABLISH THE FUCKING POLICY. They are the ones responsible.

[Oregone]

28. Honestly, while you may want to rag on those who establish the policy...

...it keeps "the individual soldier, airman, marine or sailor" from pursuing more depraved lifestyles. Hell, the people I know who went into to those fields were the guys I played ball with who weren't skilled enough to become cops or real estate agents, and didn't exactly have the demeanor to be Mary Kay salespeople. So give credit to where credit is due...those policies keep the families of those people fed, and it keeps em off the street. Those policies you hate create heroes out of the less savory. Without that, you would have no one to send care packages to, and thus, no activity to make your heart flutter on Christmas Eve.

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. Yeah I know all people who go into the military

are ignorant fools...

This is another broad brush, if I've ever seen one.

And even if that broad brush of yours was the case, do the soldiers establish policy?

NO.

[Oregone]

34. No, and many insurance claims investigators do not establish policy either

They are just doing their job. Saving their families' lives. Send them a Gucci purse for Christmas already.

[TexasObserver]

58. Agreed.

[TexasObserver]

57. No one.

It's a delusion.

[Oregone]

4. They are just doing their job

Like claim adjusters at insurance companies and lobbyist, but a little more hands on.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Let me know when a PFC sets policy

[Oregone]

6. Everyone is just following orders, doing their job, bringing home a paycheck

keeping their household in a house, from starving



Thats why Im putting a care package together for some Blue Cross/Blue Shield workers this Christmas.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Ah snark... instead avail yourself

of those addresses and chiefly USE THEM.

It is OUR JOB to bring them home, not to rag on them. This ain't blue cross\blue shield where quitting is easy.

[Oregone]

11. Quitting BCBS isn't easy

For some people, not denying claims may mean their family misses Christmas dinner.

Its all our jobs to do our jobs. Without tax revenue, those soldiers in the field will be shooting blanks at the Afghan people.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Once again, you can quit ANY civilian job at any time

without jail time involved.

I know this is hard to comprehend.

Oh and in time of war in the field it might mean a firing squad. You are telling me that Blue Cross will assemble a firing squad?

[Oregone]

14. No firing squad, no...

But your family may potentially starve, or you may get shot supplementing your income while moonlighting as a diamond thief. We are all working for our survival here. Please assemble your care packages accordingly.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Thanks for admiting then that this is not the same thing

and as to care packages, I do send them to the troops. Unlike you I get it. PfCs do not establish policy. So I reserve my ragging of those who do. That is the President of the United States, my rep in Congress and my two senators. I suggest you do the same thing. Keep your anger, but FOCUS.

[Oregone]

17. No its not. They wear uniforms. Soldiers are sexy

They make me wet. And I'm a man.


Though I will admit, the characters at Disney Land also get me hot and heavy. Especially Yosemite Sam

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Well thank you, I guess I should get back into uniform then

:banghead::


Some people round these parts are down right predictable, and predictably clueless as to how the real world works.

[Oregone]

24. Well, conforming to and accepting the failures of the real world is an absolute virtue

If I weren't so clueless about it all, Id give it a shot.

But regardless, I have an entire crate of IPA here and a few hours to kill before a party, so Ill throw my two cents in anyway.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. If you want to change the world you first need to understand

how it works.

But hey, go on have a wonderful time at the party.

[Oregone]

29. Why would I want to change the world?

What would I have to chuckle at in my free time?

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. Then what are you doing in a political board?

Ploink have a good life.

[Oregone]

35. Lately, laughing

Merry X-Mas


The War is Over.

[arcadian]

37. Like the Spice Highway, H1N1, and fake Afghan photos?

The Spice haighway is the key, not oil, spice, or silk, it was silk wasn't it? What crazy concepts will you come up with next? :rofl:

[jonnyblitz]

8. I haven't looked at the thread since this morning after i became

annoyed by somebody making a nasty comment about the afghan citizens (paraphrasing) "always looking for a handout" so I haven't been back since then. I missed the troop bashing. I am an ex-troop(navy).

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Usual suspects, and some of us answered it

[arcadian]

20. You like breaking DU rules don't you?

[jonnyblitz]

39. surprisingly I am not hypersensitive to "troop bashing". I am a

virulent anti-war person even though i am a vet. i never take "troop bashing" personal though I am sure other vets and active duty do so i will only speak for myself. most of the kids(and they are kids) once they get there are only concerned with keeping themselves and their buddies alive and don't even pay attention to politics. :hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. Yep, they fight

for each other, mom, apple pie and the American way are for home front consumption.

:-)

Hell, when them lead mosquitoes fly you don't care bout nothing more than getting out of this one alive, assuming brain is registering the danger that well that is.

[Oregone]

41. If they didn't shoot their guns, Al Queda would eliminate apple pie?

Would they sterilize potential moms and ban credit cards too?



Honestly, I don't care much for apple pie, but keep your hands off our little virgins and our plastic!

[Goldstein1984]

23. Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen...

All of them are serving the country, and they have no control over the Commander-in-Chief

As a former Marine, I prefer "Marine," "Soldier," et cetera to "Troop," which someone correctly pointed out is plural.

I always thought is was kinda cool when they called us "warriors."

But all will be thanked, not spit upon, by me for their service.

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. Been readying the Age of Unreason and Jacoby

goes into the reasons this "troop" was done.

If you write in the newspaper, 10,000 soldiers will deploy in country well it sounds like 10,000 individuals. 10,000 Troops has a different effect. So the DoD came up with this jewel of language manipulation. Why I have now chosen to use the proper term, US Soldier, US Marine, et al. What is amazing is that those who claim to be the least susceptible to the propaganda now use the world "troop" unerringly.

Oh and thanks for your service. (Which has also become a tool for RWers to say sure I am glad SOMEBODY ELSE is doing it)

We should really have a thread discussing language manipulation and all that. Not just tonight.

[Goldstein1984]

42. Jacoby's book is excellent

Language manipulation would be a great discussion. But, agreed, not tonight.

[TexasObserver]

44. Is it "ready" yet?

The OP is a nice propaganda piece. You get free military benefits, do you not - benefits we as a nation provide you because your husband served? Your medical. Your discounted purchases at base exchanges. All supported by those you lambaste as not doing enough for the troops, of not lavishing the troops with enough praise and adoration.

It's a soldier's duty to follow orders. It's a human's duty to know when following those orders is immoral. It's a human's duty to know when they're being used to promote war propaganda.

[Goldstein1984]

45. Nothing is free--it's earned

I'm not sure what you're getting at.

You sound (read) angry.

[nadinbrzezinski]

46. Some people are just angry at all times

also some people are envious, nor do they understand that those EARNED services are not free.

Nor do they understand the nature of what is an illegal or a legal order.

I have almost given up on trying to explain this to the willfully clueless. Jacoby goes into that too.

We will do our discussion on language after the holidays. A re-read of at least some of 1984 would be in order... or at least some Poe and psychological story telling.

[Goldstein1984]

47. Sounds good

Now at my daughter and grandchildren's to spend the night and the holiday. Because of you last post, I brought along "1984."

I'm trying to avoid the angry responses. I enjoy having my ideas challenged. There's also a time when people just have to agree to disagree; when facts are not in dispute, but interpretations and world views prevent a common perspective. I think this is where semantics come into play.

Looking forward to the exchange, nadinbrzezinski

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. Enjoy your family

I am, after all the medical fun is over.

Oy.

[Goldstein1984]

49. Enjoy

[TexasObserver]

51. That certainly explains your OPs.

All that "readying" you do should help, but it doesn't seem to do so.

[TexasObserver]

50. Earned by us, but free to those who receive government largess.

It's free if you don't pay for it.

If you need to believe your health care is more important than health care to civilians, that's more evidence of delusion on your part. If you need to believe you "earn" your benefits, you're free to that delusion, too.

The military is the best example of socialism in our country, particularly the health care provisions. It's ironic, because some of the noisiest voices in the U.S. are from military families who benefit daily from socialism that clothes them, feeds them, houses them, and provides them with medical care. That you believe socialism is fine for military but should be earned by others is part of your problem. Soldiers are government workers. No more. No less.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Oregone]

31. "Warrior"?

Teehee.

They should all call you Gladiators and make a bad ass blockbuster about you all

[Goldstein1984]

43. "Warrior" is cool, but seldom used. I think to most people it

implies offensive war, and everybody knows the United States only ever fights defensive wars.

Already plenty of movies glorifying and exaggerating war.

[arcadian]

26. Photo has been discredited, nadin:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7313257&mesg_id=7317864


What do you have to say about that?

[Oregone]

36. Im sure they "could of" taken a picture like that today

Maybe the lighting would of been a tad different, a bit past the winter solistice and all.

Those troop dudes can do most anything. Im sending some jpg metafile editing software for Christmas

[arcadian]

38. Maybe they used a Terminator type time machine to send the digital camera back in time.

They incased it in human flesh and sent it back. nadin? Care to comment? It's possible right? Right?

[arcadian]

30. nadin? Care to comment on that photo, being totally discredited?

[TexasObserver]

55. Good luck getting a response from the OP about the bogus info.

When a poster pulls things from their ass, this OP is what you get.

[TexasObserver]

56. Still waiting for the OP to acknowledge the photo was bogus?

[Cid_B]

60. Remember Occam's Razor...

Which is more likely?

Either

A) I am insidious propagandist with an ax to grind and it somehow benefits me to post a photo that was taken a year and a half ago of some kids but at the same time claim that it was taken just that day, while ignoring the fact that obviously everyone knows that Afghanistan is a frozen tundra at this point in time. Also, I am intelligent enough to have a complex plan of propaganda that uses technology but at the same time I use a photo that some might take negatively with razor wire and while using my master worldwide technology plan I do not know enough to remove a timestamp.

or

B) The camera date wasn't set.... oh and maybe there is different weather in different parts of this ginormous country.

[TexasObserver]

61. Remember the Maine ...

[Cid_B]

59. This is the funny bit...

... you obviously put time and effort into trying to discredit my photo and after a deep inquiry came to some conclusion. The funny part is that you are just dead wrong. I took that photo day before yesterday. Hell if I know if the camera date is set right. Wasn't even my camera.

It is kind of satisfying because normally on the intertubes you never really know, except in this case, because I took it.