Posted on 02/08/2005 11:21:51 AM PST by NorCoGOP
MADISON, Wis. -- Pop quiz, hotshot: Who made the following statement last week? "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight, you know? It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you. I like brawling."
A. Abu Musab al-Zarkowi
B. Osama Bin Laden
C. Saddam Hussein
D. U.S. Lieutenant General James Mattis
If you guessed D, congratulations. You now understand that one of our U.S. Marines made a comment so outrageous that he is now on par with the worst of the terrorists. General James Mattis said that, "it's fun to shoot some people" and "it's a hell of a hoot" while speaking to a group in San Diego about strategies for the war on terror. General Mattis has commanded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he now has blood on his hands because by making that comment, he immediately put our U.S. troops in more danger. His service in the marines is no longer honorable.
I have a long history of military service in my family, as do millions of other Americans. My uncle ran the Pensacola Marine Base and flew both Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. He also served in Vietnam, and in Beirut he flew a helicopter to try and free the Iranian hostages. My grandfather served in World War II in Pearl Harbor at the time of the horrific bombings there. I also have a very good friend who is currently serving in Iraq.
Military service is a priceless asset to the United States of America as our last line of defense against those who want to kill us, and I cannot thank the U.S. military enough for putting their lives at risk in the most heroic of fashions so that we can continue to live peacefully in this wonderful country. But there is one virtue that 99 percent of the military holds dear to this day: They serve their country not because it's a "hoot" or a fun little game to kill people, but because in the absolute last lines of defense, they must kill to protect us. In other words, 99 percent of the military does not enjoy killing.
Lieutenant General James Mattis is not a hero; he is a terrorist. By making that statement, he instantly recruited more terrorists to murder our good men and women serving in Iraq. Like the Abu Ghraib torture situation and the Mi Lai massacre in Vietnam, General Mattis re-emphasized the negative stereotype of the U.S. Marines as "killing machines" and "evil, vindictive murderers." He should be dishonorably discharged from the military immediately.
However, thus far his superior officer General Mike Hagee is defending these indefensible, pseudo-treasonous comments by saying, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war." It is an unfortunate reality to have to kill while we are at war, but it is a complete lie and distortion to insinuate that the majority of our troops enjoy killing.
General Mattis' statements do two extremely dangerous things. No. 1, it will cause the death of more U.S. soldiers, as the Abu Ghraib incident did after it was exploited and played countless times on Al-Jazeera television. No. 2, it adds fuel to the fire for a small sector of the Sandonista-left in this country that see the United States military as an evil institution with evil people in it that love to kill. A caller on my radio show re-emphasized this ridiculous position on Friday, when he called the U.S. military a bunch of "killing machines" who enjoy murdering people. The other ridiculous sentiment comes from the crypto-fascist, Kool-Aid-drinking, Sean Hannity right, who believe that we can say and do whatever we want to others because we are the U.S.A., and we are a superpower.
The people with this opinion are also fools. If we claim to have the "moral high-ground" over the terrorists, then we have to act that way. We can't avoid the Geneva Conventions like these same people wanted to do with Abu Ghraib, and we can't have people in the military who say to the whole world that they get some sort of sick pleasure out of killing others.
What General James Mattis did when he said "It's fun to shoot some people" is beyond my comprehension. If you defend his statements, then you must realize you are spitting in the face of every single person in the United States military and every single veteran. Mattis is not a hero, but a terrorist and an inhumane piece of human debris. He is a Benedict Arnold in our effort to fight terrorism and is a disgrace to this country. We must do everything we can to keep the General James Mattises of this world out of the conceptual image of the U.S. military and this great country.
He said:
Leftist Journalist = Terrorist Sympathizer/Traitor
So, any leftist journalist is, in his opinion, a terrorist sympathizer and/or a traitor.
He then goes on to say that:
They give aid and comfort to the enemy and should be treated like any other traitor.
Therefore, any leftist journalist is a terrorist sympathizer and/or a traitor and should therefore, in his opinion, be assaulted or murdered by returning US servicemen.
Don't misquote or misrepresent something just because you're a pacifist.
I'm not a pacifist. I'm just opposed to people on the internet who want our servicemen to act like Saddam's thugs.
Maybe you think that our servicemen are the type of people who would enjoy assaulting or murdering journalists, but I don't.
Yep.
I know many soldiers who would "love" to shoot someone like OBL.
Some, and I don't agree with this, even pray for war. There are those who join the military to play the game.
War is about killing and destroying. You can package it how you want, but it’s about making other people dead and making things broke (That’s the end state). Now you can be precise in targeting, selection of weapon matched against target, doctrine……to minimize collateral damage but the result is that the military goes somewhere because we plan on making people dead.
People who complain about his speech fall into one simple category. Pacifists. Even if they don’t admit this to themselves, they are fundamentally opposed to killing because that’s what the whole ruckus is about. He didn’t say anything that is a war crime, or even morally objectionable. The “pacifist” sees this differently though. He locks on these words like a heat seeker. Ultimately the General spoke in plain words and stated the obvious. But it’s the reality of war which the pacifist opposes.
The General did what is expected of a Marine; he wasn’t PC. But someone who thinks like him has is heart and priorities in the right place to lead men in battle.
Red6
There's a rush on the homefront too when the troopship is on the tide and the war is about to start. I'd never felt anything like it. I don't know why but this was different from Desert Storm. It seemed like we were holding our breaths for months and when we finally released the hounds there was the same sort of relief the poster was talking about, albeit on a much smaller scale.
I was beating the drum for war. I didn't see what else we could do at the time. It sure is easy when the sun is shining, Saddam's in a prison cell, and we haven't lost any americans for a while, to carp and criticize what the military is doing, and has done.
No war is ever over in a couple of weeks it would seem. I support our troops, I support our mission, and I support our CinC 110%. I loved what Matthis said. I only get angry when it seems that the leadership is placing the lives of Iraqi citizens who may be terrorists ahead of the safety of our men. I wish they would stop that because many times they end up protecting the terrorists who proceed to keep terrorizing those same civilians until we finally go in and put a stop to it.
Sorry for the long post. I just wish we'd go in with the iron fist and get this over with. War isn't something that should be dragged out. Guess they're afraid they'll lose our allies if they do that.
Amen, sir!
Not if he didn't get caught, Mod.
No, Casey, you dumbass. He's NOT on par with the worst of the terrorists. He's KILLING people who would MURDER innocents. He enjoys his job. I don't see a problem.
Gah! Leftists piss me off.
Punk works for me.
I'm guessing this guy never played a video game where you shoot the bad guys.
Maybe he needs to think about why those games are fun.
The base was closed for 2 weeks. Museum opened up about 3 months ago. There are now many buildings that can't be used until renovated.
What about you, Casey? No mention of your "service". Also, I find your family history in the military highly suspect since you name Pensacola as a Marine installation and no helicopters were flown out of Beirut for Operation Eagle Claw. Those were Marine MH53s flown from the decks of the USS Nimitz steaming in the Arabian Sea, far away from Beirut. Seems to me you're embellishing at best or outright lying to lend legitimacy to your ignorant rant against a man who knows of what he speaks.
I'm sorry, you're right. In my--admittedly short--life's experience, I've yet to understand the pleasures of taking another man's life. I'm sure when I grow up and get out of this hot tub I'll understand; but for now I think killing for country is a duty, killing in self-defense is justified, and killing for fun is insane.
Maybe the wording isn't perfect but any real vet will tell you the concept is right. Let's just agree to disagree on this point.
It is rare to see the truth so well articulated and free from politically correct constraints. Though a civilian, I understand what you are saying to the core.
And I am with you and agree 100%.
You honor me, truly. Thank you for your kind words. You are also very perceptive; I am much more at peace with myself as a conservative than I ever was as a liberal. My experience on the left only cements my conviction that liberalism and radical leftist philosophy is and has been, terrible for this country. And thank you for your support for Derek and Nick. See you in the canteen, sometime then?
I agree. My favorite quote of Patton's
"We'll win this war, but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans that we've got more guts than they have; or ever will have. We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-b*tches, we're going to rip out their living Godd*mned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun c*cksuckers by the bushel-f*cking-basket. War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt off your face and realize that instead of dirt it's the blood and guts of what once was your best friend beside you, you'll know what to do!" -- George S. Patton
Very good point. The liberal media does not care that Jihadists not only kill but torture, rape, plunder, pillage, behead and even worse things.
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