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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (78578)	10/18/2004 8:40:08 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793782

>>And no one wants to die for a half-hearted effort, by a leader who doesn't believe in the cause. I think the point you are making should be emphasized. The military do something which none of the rest of us are asked to do -- kill and be killed. Both of which are extraordinary. Doing your duty by showing up for work on time every morning, working in an office all day long and then going home to your own neighborhood cannot reasonably or meaningfully be compared to the soldier's life. You might also mention the fact that they would rather not be asked to kill others in a fight they don't believe in. Once upon a time we did not care what our military thought, they were supposed to do what they were told, like robots. Now they have autonomy as to whether to enlist, but when they commit themselves for a term of years, they lose much of that autonomy, and must follow orders whether they believe in them or not.

To: greenspirit who wrote (78578)	10/18/2004 3:01:42 PM
From: Neeka	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793782

Oh, goody (I know you're cringing LB ;). I'm glad you brought this subject up again Michael. I went to many of the online dictionaries, but I found the most comprehensive explanation and discussion as well as several links to people with opinions and important papers regarding patriotism at wikipedia. Your response to kholt pointed out that people in the military make choices, and its been speculated here that some of our military personnel will opt out or refuse to reenlist when their term of service expires. This is as close as wikipedia comes to mentioning politics and patriotism ( I read a good deal of what is written there but I may have missed it) so the question is still on the table. Would it be unpatriotic for those in the military to make the choice to leave rather than serve under a CIC they don't trust or with which they disagree? Patriotism and politics Patriotism can be both for or against the current government of a nation. Supporters of the current government may hold the opinion that patriotism implies support of one's government and its policies, and that opposition to the government's policies amounts to treason. But in other instances, rebellion against a corrupt or tyrannical government may be justified as an act needed to save the nation, and thus is likewise motivated by patriotism. And btw.........have I thanked you recently for serving our nation? If not I'd like to do so now. Thank you Michael for serving out nation. For devoting a large part of your life in defense of our nation, and for sacrificing your time in that effort. I know you could be safe, at home with your wonderful family. I'm sure your children might ask why you must be gone for long periods of time. But I also suspect that they are more in tune with the reasons behind your efforts, and that they are very proud. Please tell as many of the Europeans you meet that when it comes to the WOT, there are millions of us that appreciate what their countries are doing to destroy terrorists and that when it comes to that struggle, we would stand beside them if it came to that. ;) M For some reason, SI won't allow me to link us to wikipedia? Is anyone else having a problem with linking sites? en.wikipedia.org