Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

I was for the war in Iraq now I am against it. It is not because we didn’t find weapons on mass destruction. It is not because Saddam Hussein wasn't a threat. Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi received medical treatment in Baghdad before the war. Al Qaeda had camps in the north of Iraq which produced the near catastrophe of the Ricin poisoning of London; which was foiled by intelligence agents of Britain. No, I have switched sides because enough is enough. War needs to stop. One side needs to quit being the aggressor.

Let's win the war on terrorism by refusing to fight it. Instead let's tighten our defenses and curb our aggression internationally. We don't need military bases in Germany. The South Koreans spit at our soldiers while they defend their sovereignty. To hell with them. Let's close all of our military bases abroad and instead focus on our national defense. A strong navy, a strong army on the border, and a liberal immigration policy. This will keep us safe. A strong FBI and a national focus on terrorism at home. These things will keep us safer than a ridiculous notion of changing a millennia of culture in the middle east.

After 911 there was a time for offence. We have broken the back of Al Qaeda and now is the time for defense. Let's stop giving the world a reason to hate us. And let's kill every motherfucker who would do our country harm, but let's do it in a defensive state of mind. Let them come to us. We ARE capable of catching them.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

my thoughts as well for the most part

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

To illustrate this point, I have an example:

I was in the Army recently (post 9/11) and I understand how our defense works, most likely better than the public (no superiority here, I was military intelligence, and worked exclusively on project 'noble eagle' which deals with domestic terrorist cells). We have hundreds of thousands of troops abroad, dealing with a threat at its "heart" when we should be more worried about its "arms".

I lived in Connecticut and went to school at Western CT St. University in Danbury. Since I had never seen the big apple, me and a couple of drunk friends decided to catch the last train there on a friday night. I boarded, and the whole way there the only person I saw was the conductor who punched my ticket. My friend's bag had metal in it, and an illegal substance, but his bag was never checked. We pulled into Grand Central Station, and went on our way.

If I had had a biological or nuclear weapon, what would have stopped me from just placing it in the station, then hopping into a car and getting the hell outta dodge? Not a damn thing, yet we spend however much money to put airborne soldiers in the 1st in Germany.

This is part of why I cashed out of the Army.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

You do realize that isolationist policies of the past have been disasters, don't you?

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

I have an idea. Instead of forcing our young kids to go fight our wars for us, lets make the military 100% voluntary. Then only people who volunteer to fight for us will be in harms way. I think this idea could work. Like it?

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

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a liberal immigration policy.

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You recommend a liberal immigration policy. Don't we have that already? Virtually anybody can get here who wants to come, legal or not. Plus, how would that keep us safer? Allowing more people in would seem to put us at greater risk of allowing in terrorists. I would think restricting immigration might make it easier to defend the country.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

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You do realize that isolationist policies of the past have been disasters, don't you?

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"There you go again," Ex. Making with facts and no hyperbole. When are you gonna learn? Jeeze, man, you really do enjoy rainin' on tha "Whirled Peas" parade(s), dont'cha?

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p.s.
"Why can't we all just get along?"

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

I wouldn't call you a traitor. You've just changed your mind. And, IMO, you've demonstrated the mindset of so many Americans of today. If the problem takes more than 30 minutes to 14 days to solve, hell, just muck it.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

" Al Qaeda had camps in the north of Iraq which produced the near catastrophe of the Ricin poisoning of London; which was foiled by intelligence agents of Britain."

I'm glad you switched sides but seriously - those "al Qaeda" (not really, but regardless) camps were in areas of Iraq that were, thanks to the no-fly zones, independent of Iraqi government control; and the "ricin plot" turned out to be completely imaginary: no ricin was ever found, no evidence was ever presented that linked the "ricin" conspirators to Iraq, none of them were convicted on ricin related charges, and the only deadly use of ricin is to inject it directly into people.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

You are against the war for mostly the wrong reasons. Credibility is something that takes years to build and is quickly gone. Bush has destroyed our credibility with the world by his bungling of just about everything. When you tell people you are invading another country for a very specific reason you better be right.

It's amazing to me how much people freak out over terrorism. We are in more danger from crazy Americans going postal on a subway than we are from foreign terrorist. You're more likely to die from a drunk driver than by terrorists. You're more likely to die from heart disease due to a poor diet than by suicide bombers. All it took was a few crazy rednecks to carry out the Oklahoma City bombings. And they didn't need funding from a foreign multi-millionaire to do it. As an Asian-American I am in more danger of getting killed by a bunch of racist punks than I am from foreign terrorists.

If these conditions change I may be perfectly willing to live in a less open society to gain more security. But a few attacks by a group which is now on everyone's radar is not gonna worry me one bit as I live my life.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

We have torutured, raped, and killed innocent
people and this has been documented. We provided
Hussein with the only 'mass' weapons he had which
were chemical weapons that he used against Iran.
We have a secret police at home that puts people
in jail and they disappear, no lawyers, no trial,
nothing. Funny, I thought that was what we were
blaming Saddam for. Bush says, Iraq is a now a
breeding ground for terrorists. Thats funny, it
wasn't four years ago. The terrorists who hit the
WTC and Pentagon came from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, etc.
none from Iraq.

And most importantly, this could have all been done
much faster and efficiently at the end of the first
gulf war, but Daddy Bush left the rebels to die under
Saddam... Im amazed how long you war supporters hold
on under your idealistic visions.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

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I have an idea. Instead of forcing our young kids to go fight our wars for us, lets make the military 100% voluntary. Then only people who volunteer to fight for us will be in harms way. I think this idea could work. Like it?

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I'm confused, are you being sarcastic?

Last I checked everyone one that is serving in the US Armed Forces VOLUNTEERED for these jobs and know damn well the consequences they face. I did 12 years and not once did someone "make" me sign the dotted line.

Oh wait, or did they just think Uncle Sam was gonna give them a free ride to college with nothing in return?

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

This post is an indictment of military recruitment standards.

The sarcasm was dripping.

Young men and women sign up to defend our country...not to engage in unnecessary wars by incompetent, dishonest Presidents. Just because you might need money for college in return for service doesn't mean one forfeits the right to fight for something worthwhile. They're not slaves to be used for any purpose.

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I'm confused, are you being sarcastic?

Last I checked everyone one that is serving in the US Armed Forces VOLUNTEERED for these jobs and know damn well the consequences they face. I did 12 years and not once did someone "make" me sign the dotted line.

Oh wait, or did they just think Uncle Sam was gonna give them a free ride to college with nothing in return?

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Go for it
 

[ QUOTE ]
I have an idea. Instead of forcing our young kids to go fight our wars for us, lets make the military 100% voluntary. Then only people who volunteer to fight for us will be in harms way. I think this idea could work. Like it?

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Absolutely.

But you realize that volunteer means NOT getting a compensation or a salary for it!

When you are a volunteer fireman or a lifeboat crewman, you are supposed to get a uniform (at best) and expenses (at best) and not become a civil servant drawing a salary every month.

A lot of people cannot see the difference between "volunteer" and "mercenary". Today's professional armies are not "volunteer armies"; they are mercenary armies -- hence, all those soldier statements about this being "there job", et cetera. They are right. It's a job.

So, yeah, absolutely, let's have volunteer armies everywhere, where all the citizens will be free to vote on the merits of every specific call to action by the government with their feet -- or their guns, as the case will be.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

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Just because you might need money for college in return for service doesn't mean one forfeits the right to fight for something worthwhile. They're not slaves to be used for any purpose.

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No they are not slaves but they swear an oath stating this:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962)."

So you sir are wrong, they DO enlist to engage in whatever the President and/or his officers see fit, whether it be dying in battle or scrubbing toilets.

And yes, they do get paid for their services, so they in fact are a professional military but by voluntary means. Plenty of other countries have professional militaries but you HAVE to serve...they consider it your duty to your country.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

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So you sir are wrong, they DO enlist to engage in whatever the President and/or his officers see fit, whether it be dying in battle or scrubbing toilets.

And yes, they do get paid for their services, so they in fact are a professional military but by voluntary means. Plenty of other countries have professional militaries but you HAVE to serve...they consider it your duty to your country.



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nh

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

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lot of people cannot see the difference between "volunteer" and "mercenary". Today's professional armies are not "volunteer armies"; they are mercenary armies

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Apparently you can't either. Today's US army is not a mercenary army.

Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
lot of people cannot see the difference between "volunteer" and "mercenary". Today's professional armies are "volunteer armies"; they are not mercenary armies

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Apparently you can't either. Today's US army is not a mercenary army.

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Jesus H. Christ, Mary and Joseph! Did I ever fluck up. Thank you for noting my stupidity. My haste to get started on 4-5 hours of errands is no excuse.

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Re: Call me a traitor, for I have switched sides
 

You were right the first time.