“I said I didn’t know anything about you other than what you wrote on this thread” No. You said, “Every post you’ve written indicates that you’re an anti-military leftist.” I was responding to that.
“I’d like to see proof that you’re not.” Prove that someone is not ______ (fill in the blank.) Can’t prove this negative as much as you can’t prove the negative that you’re a _____ (fill in the blank.) Using the argumentum ad ignorantiam is intellectually dishonest.
Now, to your specific questions:
Are you an American? My whole life (Or, because it’s funny, to quote Rick Baline: “I’m a drunkard.”)
Do you support Operation Iraqi Freedom? The dust on my boots from Iraq and Afghanistan should answer that.
Do you support our troops? In thought, word and deed.
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Are you a pacifist? As much as Ike was. “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”
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Are you a Democrat? “There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.” Alexis de Tocqueville
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“The fact that our military has endured what most of us could never deal with IN ORDER TO KEEP US SAFE and come back strong, and LESS suicidal or violent than their peers...” IMHO, “LESS” is immaterial. Through April, the Army reported 64 confirmed or potential active-duty suicides, compared with 39 confirmed suicides in the same period last year. The 129 confirmed suicides for all of 2008 marked a record high since the Army started tracking them in 1980. (20.2/100K Mil avg & 11/100K Nat’l avg.) They are stressed, they are suffering and putting one’s head in the sand or using “patriotic platitudes” won’t change the facts.
Query: What’s an acceptable number of military suicides?
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“...is an indication of their strength and stability.” It’s a sure indication that combat changes everyone — some more than others. It’s our responsibility to give the necessary and appropriate treatment to those who need it — both service members and thier families — and make sure they are neither punished nor ostracized for seeking help.
Query: Do you believe that?
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“it is fair to believe that you are anti-military, just like CNN and the NYTimes.” To quote Gates, “The press is not the enemy.” They aren’t our friends, but they aren’t the spawn of Satan, either.
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“What you think of our military and their mission.” A little broad, would you not say? Maybe at a later date or after a more refined question
Query: “What do you think of life, death and immortality?”
Your "queries" are fascinating. Many on this thread supporting our troops have indicated that even one suicide is unacceptable. OF COURSE one suicide is unacceptable - in the military or in civilian life. This is a horrible situation, and my first response was to pray for all involved, including this dear man's family. It was your citing suicide statistics without any supporting statements or disclaimers that made you suspect. If you are unaware of the leftist tactic of stating such evidence in order to accuse our troops and belittle them, then you need to become aware of that vile tactic and not emulate it. The casualty count, the suicide rate, the murder rate - all have been celebrated by the left as fodder to turn the American people against our military, President Bush, and OIF. Your list of partial information pointed to the probability that you were doing the same exact thing here. The greatest lie is that which contains the greatest amount of truth. What you left out was critical. Your omiting your support for the troops was critical.
Of course I absolutely believe that everything possible should be done to deal with the effects of serving this nation in combat. Our personal experience has been that help has been readily available to all who are returning - and obviously the presence of this clinic at Liberty is an indication that it is being dealt with in the field as well. Your insinuation that any of us here think differently is reprehensible....especially those of us with families involved.
As to the Gates quote, it is terribly naive. The press is not only in bed with the enemy, it is indeed the enemy. If you trust anything the NYTimes says about our troops, you are also naive.
I still want to know what you think of the mission in Iraq. It is not as broad a question as you have said, and it is quite relevant to the discussion and your insistence on citing statistics without corresponding support of the men and women in uniform. I wonder why you have continued to evade answering it?
btw, anyone can claim anything on the Internet, so my believing that you indeed have served in the military without any supporting evidence would also be naive (Leftists also do that all the time). Once again - what is your rationale for refusing to answer basic questions about your views on the military until now? Why the lack of straightforwardness? Why the contortions to avoid declaring your intention?
You could have saved us both a lot of time by being up front and honest. There must be some reason you were not.