Posted on 05/17/2004 7:20:20 AM PDT by Nexus
Just now, looking for copy...
"But there's a concept you need to warm up to: the Army serves us, not the other way 'round."
Not sure what military you served in but we protect the people. Even snobs such as yourself.
" we are responsible for everything you do. Some of us (frankly, not many on this site) take that responsibility seriously."
Why how arogant of you. Too bad you are NOT one of the responsible ones.
"We're not armchair QBs. We're the owners"
I find it hard to believe that someone who claims to have "served" has such a small minded view of our country and our military.
You sir ARE an Armchair QB.
No, you served at pleasure of the 'CNC', who is the duly elected representative of the people. I guess you just misunderstood.
"I guess you just misunderstood."
He doesn't have time to get tripped up on things like facts, the constitution and the classes we got on "Chain of Command".
Yup, you really have to read the fine print on them darned contracts.
My guess is that he skipped all the stuff about learing to shoot M-16's, tossing hand grenades and upholding the constitution and the orders of the officers over him and went right to the part about "money for college."
Women need not apply.
"Hey, if a kid doesn't have enough money for college, or he wasn't the right color for a scholorship, the service is a great deal."
I didn't mean it that way. I highly recommend the service. Been doing it for the last 12 years myself.
My reference to the college money was the people who came in to get the money and had no intention of ever putting themselves in a position of doing any of those silly war things.
I actually had a guy in a foxhole next to me in Somalia say "I only came in for the college money I never wanted to get shot at."
Actually the Armed Forces serve at the 'pleasure' of the United States Congress. The President is only commander when the Armed Forces are called into action. Which opens another whole can of worms about standing armies and the issue of whether their very existence is Constitutional. Either way the code calls for allegiance to the Constitution of these United States first and foremost and not to a specific leader
Wrong. The President is the CNC whether we are at war or not, and he is the top wrung in the chain of command, whether we are at war or not. Congress is a completely seperate branch of government and has no authority over members of the Armed Forces. Where do you people come up with this stuff?
A cyanide-based gas and mustard gas were used at Halabja, not Sarin. In addition, the fatalities it seems were NOT down to Saddam but the Iranians. So says Dr Stephen Pelletiere the Central Intelligence Agency's senior political analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war and a professor at the Army War College from 1988 to 2000:
"You can't kill that many people using gas, in a concentrated period, in terrain such as exists in northern Iraq.
"In fact, it would be very difficult to kill even 5,000 in this way.
"The great majority of the victims seen by reporters and other observers who attended the scene were blue in their extremities.
"That means that they were killed by a blood agent, probably either cyanogen chloride or hydrogen cyanide. Iraq never used and lacked any capacity to produce these chemicals.
"But the Iranians did deploy them. Therefore the Iranians killed the Kurds.
"The Iraqis did fire mustard gas into Halabja, after the Iranians had attacked and occupied the town, but despite its fearsome reputation mustard gas is an incapacitating agent, rather than an efficient killer.
"Slightly more than two per cent of those exposed to mustard gas attack can be expected to die.
"Iran had always supported its 'human wave" attacks by using a non-persistent form of mustard gas which would allow shock troops to occupy Iraqi positions once Saddam's troops had retreated.
"The Iraqis had learned to develop a heavier, more persistent form of the gas which was designed to slow down the enemy advance.
"Unfortunately for the spin-doctors, much of the mustard gas that was used at Halabja, which is a border town in a much-disputed territory, carried the Iranian signature."
http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/siteinfo/newsround/iraq2.html http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ssi/bios/prev/spelletiere.html http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/11-18-98.html http://www.rense.com/general30/blair.htm
"Which opens another whole can of worms about standing armies and the issue of whether their very existence is Constitutional. Either way the code calls for allegiance to the Constitution of these United States first and foremost and not to a specific leader"
Spoken like someone who knows NOTHING about the oath someone takes when sworn into the armed forces and spoken like someone who know nothing about how the military and the government actually works.
YOu liberaltarian guys crack me up with your "interpretation" of the Constitution and how this country works.
There's a saying that applies to you billbears it goes like this:
"It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people wonder if your a fool...than to open your mouth and confirm it."
Get the hint? Probably not.
Let me get this right...you saying with what you posted that the Kurds that were there...the Iraqi army and independent observers are lying when they say it was the Iraqi's gassed the Kurds?
Interesting.
Thank you kindly, my FRiend...MUD
You are more than welcome, FRiend :-)
Surely you do not follow the reasoning of another certain poster that we need no standing army?
What we 'need' and what is required by the Constitution unfortunately has become two different things. Of course I would define a standing army as one that's not strewn all over God's creation as we currently have.
If the standing army was only based in certain strategic coutries for bases(protecting our nation in the process) and mostly here..you think the Constitution does not allow it?
Were you for the war in Afghanistan?
I think the Constitution is quite clear what should be allowed and not allowed. And yes, I was for the war in Afghanistan. I had reservations but overall I was for those attacks
We have had a standing army for decades.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.