"I support the troops, but not the war"

[Nitro]

...what do those of you who say this mean by this? It seems extremely hypocritical.

I ask out of sincereity, since I can not understand.

[Sirc]

...what do those of you who say this mean by this? It seems extremely hypocritical.

I ask out of sincereity, since I can not understand.

For instance, in the Vietnam war troops would return to yells of "baby killer" and "murderer". People who did this supported neither the war or the troops.

You can respect the fact that our young men and women are putting themselves in harm's way for their country, even though you may not agree that the war is justified.

[Nitro]

What if their perception of reality is wrong? Are they defending the country (which I could understand if this was truly the case even though I don't agree with it since I'm a pacifist) or defending profits of multinational corporations or some other malevolent agenda? Did the soldiers do enough research concerning what conflicts they are getting themselves into before joining the fight? I tend to think not.

They may be putting themselves in harms way out of ignorance on a particular issue, which would be carelessness on their part, don't you think?

[Wiper]

...what do those of you who say this mean by this? It seems extremely hypocritical.

I ask out of sincereity, since I can not understand.

I think you mixed up political decision with those who execute them. The troops don't decide where to go they only agreed to do what they are asked to do by law in service for their country. Since a majority choose the government/president they gave the responsibility to make such decisions and so (indirectly) support the war also.


Kinda the who is more guilty question, the assassin or the one who hired him/her?

[Sirc]

What if their perception of reality is wrong? Are they defending the country (which I could understand if this was truly the case even though I don't agree with it since I'm a pacifist) or defending profits of multinational corporations or some other malevolent agenda? Did the soldiers do enough research concerning what conflicts they are getting themselves into before joining the fight? I tend to think not.

They may be putting themselves in harms way out of ignorance on a particular issue, which would be carelessness on their part, don't you think?

When you enlist in the US military you effectively sign away your rights to choose your own battles. You do what you're told to do. And you are pretty much mind-controlled with government propaganda before and while you are doing it.

Ultimately the US has a volunteer army filled with people looking for work, an education, and possibly a career. It sucks when reality sets in and we actually go to war. Once you're in you can either get with the program or decide that you won't fight. Deciding to not fight has some very harsh repercussions.

[Pure_Evil]

When you enlist in the US military you effectively sign away your rights to choose your own battles. You do what you're told to do. And you are pretty much mind-controlled with government propaganda before and while you are doing it.

Ultimately the US has a volunteer army filled with people looking for work, an education, and possibly a career. It sucks when reality sets in and we actually go to war. Once you're in you can either get with the program or decide that you won't fight. Deciding to not fight has some very harsh repercussions.
Once again, we agree........:eek:

[JIMINATOR]

troops can refuse illegal orders, but good luck with that in a war situation. The reality is that heavy continuous stress leads to bad decisions and as a result you see people being tried after the fact by other people that cannot understand why they did what they did. Supporting the troops means understanding that they don't have much choice in the matter.