5 Canadians Killed In Afghanistan
- Thread starter JBeee
- Start date
The journalist killed was from Calgary,my neck of the woods,long time no see Johnny.(zig/paleoguy)
Now we just need Karra here and it will be like old times.;-)
Thanks Cliffy...I'll try to get on a decent connection (trip to town!) and have a peek.
That's quite an observation. Why don't we take that rather strong paragraph apart and have a close look at it.
"Robots" - Sorry, I don't see that...they're obviously all human beings.
"Retarded" - I assume you mean there is something wrong with their thinking processes. Have you ever looked into the kind of training and discipline required to be successful in the military? I don't think a so-called "retarded person" would be in the forces for long, even if they got by the recruitment process. Besides, isn't "retarded" a bit of a slur these days...politically incorrect?
"Failed high school" - Hmm...you must have better stats than I because I couldn't find that one anywhere. Not that it would bother me one way or the other - the military provides training for each one of their jobs so it's kind of a moot point. Besides, given what I see being taught (and how it's being taught) in some high schools these days would further reinforce my opinion that it's not a big deal.
"They join because they want to blow **** up." Are you sure about that? I'd be interested in hearing how you came to that conclusion.
"they're trained to follow unthinkingly into moronic wars..." - I'm pretty sure they have to be able to think in order to carry out any job in the military, including the handling of bombs and guns and all those other scary things. Wouldn't you agree? I mean, it's quite a bit more demanding than sitting in front of a computer, typing emotionally-charged "thoughts" about what's on one's mind without any sense of accountability attached to it. No, if I had to compare the two extremes (posting vs. a military job), I'd say the military would win in the thinking department, hands down. There are exceptions, of course.
"...and really have no thoughts of their own or opinions." Well, I've met a few service people and every one of them had lots of thoughts and opinions of their own. Did you meet some different types in your experiences?
"they're barely human and it's disgraceful." One of the qualifications of being a "human" is having emotions. I'm pretty sure our soldiers have those, and they likely get exercised in a broader fashion than yours. And they have some training and discipline to help keep them under control, and I suspect you do not. Or if you did, it didn't stick. At least, the indications from your post lead me to think that way. I figure if you wrote it, you must believe it.
"Disgraceful" doesn't even come close to fitting the reality of a person laying down his/her life in service of their country. Quite the opposite.
LET'S EXAMINE THIS MORE CLOSELY...
So now that we've had a close look at your statements, I find that I am not in agreement with them. As Canadians living in a free country, we all have the right to express our opinions. However, there is an old expression ("lest we forget" - you might have heard it during the last Remembrance Day ceremony you attended) that should be a reminder to all of us free people of how we ended up being free. Many people actually fought and died to defend our freedoms, and perhaps World War II is the big example. If we had not gone to war against Hitler, we might be living in a whole different world today. Without freedom. And, perish the thought, without an Internet! Who knows?
ARE WE GETTING SMARTER?
Now I realize that we're all better educated today - statistically speaking - than we were back in WWII days. But, I caution you to avoid the mistake of thinking we're any smarter these days. Oh sure, we have tons of information available to us - millions of websites, for example - but information all by itself is useless, unless you do something with it. When you get right down to it, the only purpose it really serves is to allow us to make decisions. And that requires thinking. And smarts.
TAKE A BREATH AND LOOK BACK
Now, in your mind, you might think that the world is a much different place today than it was in WWII...and it is. But I'd like to remind you that humans haven't really evolved all that much since then. You'd think we have, but we haven't. We still have emotions, we still have selfishness, we still tend to think we're always right, we get upset when things don't go our way, and...well, you get the picture, I hope. The point is, wars get started because of things humans do.
Yes, we'd like it if there were no wars ever again. But, chances are, these bothersome humans will continue to do what they do. We'll keep trying to change that reality and I sincerely hope we do. We can never stop trying.
However, in the meantime, I am quite thankful that we still have enough dedicated people in this country to stand up to people who disagree with our lifestyles and freedoms and risk their lives to ultimately protect people like you and me. I'm talking about our military.
WHY IS THERE A WAR?
In case you have missed the original point of why we're overseas, it might be worth remembering that at the root of it all, there are some people whom we refer to as radical extremist Muslim terrorists - who do not agree with our free lifestyle, or our basic values. Not only do they disagree with them, they want to kill us and anyone else who doesn't fit in to their version of life. Yes, Canadians, or at least those of us who don't subscribe to their rules.
IT'S HAPPENED BEFORE
Back before and during WWII, there was a guy named Hitler who had a very similar problem. He wanted to eliminate Jews. There were a lot of details involved, as there are today, but the bottom line is, we went to war over it. Things haven't really changed all that much, as I pointed out earlier.
YOU WANT CHANGE? GET OUT AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
So, you might disagree with some of the political decisions being made today in terms of the war, you might think we should just not have a military or ever get involved in a war. Good for you...if you have that, or any other constructive opinion. I encourage you to get out and do something about it...there are many ways you can influence things, but keep in mind - nothing is instant and nothing is easy. You won't get "your own way" just by saying things...you really have to work for them. We may have faster food these days, but we don't have faster decisions. We have processes to follow, procedures to implement, and all the other democratic safeguards in place so that things don't get out of control.
ARE WE SMARTER OR JUST BETTER EDUCATED THAN WE USED TO BE?
You see, we have so many educated people nowadays - who all have different viewpoints and are all convinced that they're right and no one else is - that we end up fighting about things like war. Seems odd, doesn't it?
Please don't blame the soldiers for being in a war - we put them there. The least we can do is have some respect for this system our educated people have built and we have a responsibility to support them. And give them the respect they deserve.
It is a convienient thing that the young are so innocent as to think their uniformed elders all have the best interests of humanity at heart. The memory of these young people will be forgotten just as fast as the headlines announce the next victims of this hateful global war for hateful global bankers. There is the old problem which left unsolved will only fill more graves with us for them. They depend on our deaths for their lives. We are their soul food. When we applaud the recently deceased heros we applaud their masters and we welcome the death of our own friends and families.
Well DB, I certainly respect your opinion. Not everyone looks at it that way though...one that comes to mind is a friend of mine who lost her 21 year old son last year in the war. She and the rest of her family feel that her son gave his life in the pursuit of a worthwhile cause.
Being of Scot descent, I always listen to the pipes with a wistful heart. No other instrument quite so easily mimics the anguish felt by all who listen.
It was so good of you to remind us that once again we will be honoring the brave men and women of our Canadian Armed Forces.
Happy New Year, JBee.
Then she and her family have prepared the way to loose another. It is not uncommon for the family of the fallen to ease their own guilt by hiding in the flag and seeking the company of others who have made the blood sacrifice of the issue of their own wombs on the alter of the gods of war. This they invariably find easier than the truth.
Ask her if she had one wish what would she do. Be prepared for a considered lie.
She's no different than the millions upon millions of mothers who have send their children over the hill to the next valley for the gold of the others, and every time it was a good cause.
If your Post is Off-Topic, or Abusive with Name Calling and such, or you
are Quoting this type of behavior...don't be surprised if your Post is
either Edited or Removed. Moderators can't be everywhere, all the
time...but we eventually stumble across most things, and it
happens faster when someone reports this behavior.
are Quoting this type of behavior...don't be surprised if your Post is
either Edited or Removed. Moderators can't be everywhere, all the
time...but we eventually stumble across most things, and it
happens faster when someone reports this behavior.
Never will we forget them, never! They will live on in the minds and hearts of all who knew them and loved them. They will live on in the minds and hearts of all who fought beside them. They will live on, DB, maybe just not in your heart and mind.
DB, if you'll pardon my saying so, I think that's a rather harsh response.
I find it a bit paradoxical that you feel so strongly against war, yet you're not demonstrating much human feeling for someone who lost a son.
I surely won't be asking any questions about her wishes, as - in my opinion - it falls under the category of "none of my business." And it's also none of yours. That little shot about "a considered lie" is a bit over the top too.
Sometimes I think we'd all be further ahead if we just took a deep breath and thought for a moment before we get so carried away with broadcasting our opinions that we forget that we're communicating with human beings who have real feelings. Just a bit common sense, I think...
Oh common sense. What has that to do with war? All the training and all the flag waving has one purpose and that is to eliminate any trace of common sense.
They're less likely to be forgotten by those of us who have heard so many conflicting stories of why they're over there that we no longer have a sensible answer.
What a waste....
Your opinion,you got the gunpowder thing wrong so I dont expect you to sling anything but tounge in cheek comments from now on.;-)
The dead are always forgotten Mowich. How else could the living be convinced to make the exact mistakes again and again?