From: Fred Martin (mung@in-touch.net)
Date: Thu Feb 06 2003 - 02:17:27 PST
Most all of us get our news on the Iraq thing on the nightly news and
form our opinions of whether or not we should go to war from there. I
must admit....if you listen to the news from another country....(as with
your shortwave receiver or modern ham rigs)....it appears that our news
is somewhat biased....it's as if we are being conditioned....to get us
in the mood for war....that it is the right thing to do. Well, I guess
that they (the politicians who create wars) have to do this and keep
shoving this stuff at us or the anti war clan will get ahead of them and
the crowd will turn in their favor. So....if you are going to form an
opinion about it....be well informed. Don't just side in with a friend
or neighbor who says "Hell no....we won't go!" Look it over carefully
and don't just take Dan Rather or Peter Jennings words for your final
decision. Now I may be getting my butt in a sling here as I have never
rode a political horse, light or dark....but it is obvious what is going
on. My appologies for the lack of mil-veh content here and I don't think
that my saying about tha mule goin blind is appropriate in this
case....I think that's what the politicians want us to do though. Your
comments please.
Fred Martin
Steve Grammont wrote:
> David,
>
>
>>We see every day on the evening news
>>that the group of anti-war protesters are growing. It does dishearten us.
>
>
> One should never confuse a lack of support for military action with a
> lack of support for the military men and women who will be tasked with
> that action. In fact, most domestic anti-war protesters state very
> strongly that they value the lives of their military men and women so
> much that they do not want to see their lives thrown away in pursuit of
> goals they feel are inconsistent with the spirit of their nation.
> Unfortunately, there is legitimate reason to not fully trust political
> leadership. They have shown themselves fully capable of allowing its
> military personnel and/or civilians to be sacrificed for futile and/or
> poorly conceived and/or immoral actions in pursuit of corrupt and/or
> flawed policies. There is no nation on Earth that has a clean record in
> this regard, so I am not singling out any one government.
>
> Here in the US we live in a Democracy. No one side should be able to
> shout down another, especially when it is sizeable, simply because they
> "don't want to hear it". Dialog over disagreements are what makes a
> nation strong, not weak. Beacuse the US' military power is so vast and
> intergal to world stability, it finds itself in the akward position of
> needing to hear the voices of citizens from other countries on how the US
> conducts itself since its actions rarely just affect US interests. Of
> course, the US has the inailiable right to disregard such voices if it so
> chooses, but it should never shut out feedback from both friends and foes
> when setting orth policies. To do so would be pure folly and play right
> into the hands of terrorists all over the world.
>
> In short, do not be disheartened by those who take issue with the
> political leadership and decisions you are being asked to carry out.
> Especially those protestors here in the US. Instead, thank US
> protestors for being a part of the Democratic system and, by and large,
> having your safety and the safety of the civilians you protect at the
> forefront of their concerns. Also thank others for voicing their
> opinions because this is one world we live in and we must respect the
> fact that what we do potentially affects more than our own interests. On
> the other hand, condem and alienate any protestor which can not seperate
> the individuals tasked with following lawful orders from those who issue
> them (i.e. politicians). Such people have nothing positive to contribute.
>
> I have many friends in the military. In fact, one of my best friends was
> mobilized yesterday (Naval Reserves) and ships out next week to a hot
> spot. If we are to go to war against Iraq I feel it is my obligation as
> their friend and a citizen of this fine country to be sure war is the
> best option. I've been listening to the UN meetings all day today in
> order to help determine this in my own mind.
>
>
>>... it is all of you most of all I hope we make proud.
>
>
> Whatever happens, I have no doubts that you will. I wish you and your
> shipmates a safe and speedy return from your mission, whether it involves
> combat or simply being positioned to keep the peace. One can not have a
> strong Democracy without a strong military, which is something nobody
> should forget.
>
> Steve
>
> P.S. One of my good friends worked various positions on the deck of your
> ship in the early 1990s.
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Wed Apr 23 2003 - 13:25:25 PDT