[Rob]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Ok...blanket statements like this only belittle the person who posts. I'm against the war, I'm not a hippie, I'm almost 23, and I've been to quite a few places outside the states. I don't think simply being born somewhere requires you to have "pride". In fact, I'm downright ashamed of many of America's undertakings...past and present. Besides...when we see people fighting against us and the pride they have for their countries we call them zealots. And really...a good portion of the world lives just as well if not better than us. I'll agree that they shouldn't bring back prior enlisteds...maybe ask them first if they want to sign on for another hitch, but not force them. And yeah...the newbies will learn, but that's a waste of money and time that doesn't need to be spent. If you want to be proud just because you were born on a particular piece of land, that's cool. But don't think that anyone else is less of a person because they don't feel the same way.

Whoever has the ad populum sort of "love it or leave it" mentality is clearly thinking backwards. I do enjoy living here...but I'm pretty sure I'd also enjoy living in Germany or Spain or Japan. That said as much as I do like living here, I'm not willing to fight in what I find to be an unjust conflict to prove it. If someone were invading the country or posed a very real threat to us (and the countries that do we've ignored), I'd be right there with my M4 in hand. But until that happens people need to drop this whole "fight for your freedom" bullshit. NOBODY at this moment is fighting for my freedoms...they're too busy fighting for the freedoms of a country half a world away. Just because some of you are enlisted doesn't mean you have to support the war. Does it mean you still have to do your job? Sure. But do you really want to be away from your family and in harm's way fighting someone else's battle? I don't and I won't. Like I said before, I'll go to jail before I join in this orgy of lies, spin, and mistrust. Does that make me less of an American? Not at all. In fact it perhaps makes me more so since we've always been a nation which desent has clearly benefited us. So if you're in the military, good for you. That's not sarcasm...if that's what you wanna do then that's cool. Just don't pretend that those who aren't are any different than you.

Now...go and listen to a copy of Dead Kennedy's "When Ya Get Drafted". All will be made clear.

Whatever man...I'm not going to sit here and argue with you but if it wasn't for the military you wouldn't be able to sit there and say "I'm not willing to fight blah blah blah...."....and when I said out of the country I meant to third world countries that don't have the options we do....I'm sure you've never been to the Middle East or Korea....