And thank you for not using it to make assumptions and personally attack my character as some Paul supporters on this forum have done.
I'm curious...why did you want to know?
Several reasons. What I was taught in boot camp was rules of conduct expected of soldiers and sailors in war. For those rules to work war must be fought as an all out offensive. You number one concern is winning for your nation, for your friends fighting beside you, and for your own preservation. You get shot at I expect the right to shoot back if it kills innocents so be it that is war. This is not a policeman in Chicago or Bugtussle in Arkansas this is a U.S. serviceman engaged in war. In war there can be no innocents. That is my major beef with Bush and company.
If a soldier suspects house A is giving him live fire and harboring a gunner even by duress IMO he still has a moral right to take them out and has an obligation to his fellow troops to do so. This is why the war in Iraq will not be won. The enemy uses those insane rules of engagement and our limited targeting against us. They did it in Korea, Nam, Gulf War one and now. That despite what the soldiers you are embedded with say is not how it is done and they were unfortunately taught wrong by PC leaders which have taken over government and the military. The Court Martial are sickening. I say scrap the Geneva Convention once and for all. It's our enemies rule book they use against us in war.
I am against nation building period. War is an absolute punishment against a nation and it's people period and in some cases Divine judgment where no person is left standing. That is war and anything less is tyranny by leaders telling troops and citizens that what they are doing is war. It gets no mention that the people of Iraq and other such nations the people themselves ALLOWED dictators to remain in power. That is what separates us from other nations was intolerance for tyranny and we broke off from Britain's crown rule. The people of Iraq have yet to take their own freedom into their own hands. As such when this is over their clerics whom they also refuse to toss out will give them their new Saddam and they will follow. Not one U.S. service members life is worth that not a one. We should have never tried to save Iraq. I can back the morality of this. Look up the conquest of Joshua. Look at his success's and failures our leaders could learn much.
I believe war is such a ultimate act it should only be taken as a last resort. I am not anti-war but many can not and will not except what war requires of man and nation to win it including George W Bush and most of congress. If that is not the intent then stay home War can never under any conditions be kinder and gentler. Leaders who try to go there using kinder gentler policy are tyrants unworthy of leadership and get good soldiers killed for nothing in return. Korea, Nam, Gulf War One. Iraq????? were on that same dead end path.
This is not at you personally. But I feel the war in Iraq is purposely being dragged out so contractor friends can milk the taxpayer for all it's worth as in the acts like LBJ did. LBJ like Bush was itching for any reason to go to war. Sadly his term has been all about feathering the nest of long time friends be it political or business. His trade policies make that clear also. I do not trust Bush. I stopped trusting him when our plane was forced down over international waters by China. Another LBJ type scenario.