Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: LindyBill who wrote (91358)	12/19/2004 8:28:10 AM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793895

A new Vietnam parallel Cori Dauber The logic of this piece is perfect: if military officers oppose this war, it's because they oppose this war. On the other hand, if they support the war, it might be because they support the war. Or, it might be because as the war effort goes south it becomes increasingly important to them, on a human and personal level, to insist that the war is worth all the cost. We Back You' Separating the Warriors From the War By Rick Atkinson Sunday, December 19, 2004; Page B07 washingtonpost.com ....Since before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, military communities in both the active and reserve forces have closed ranks. For them, their core affirmation is again personal, not political, although they instinctively and legally follow the military hierarchy and the commander in chief. The senior officers among them, by tradition and training, offer their best advice on tactics and strategy, then hew to the decisions of their superiors. But as this war grinds on, as these dead stack up, soldiers and their families are faced with the appalling suspicion that their troops are risking their lives in a cause that is uncertain at best and illegitimate at worst. While some voice private doubts, others insist -- often with increasing stridency -- that the war is justified, that the insurgency can be crushed and that naysaying undermines both national will and troop morale. I admire their steadfast faith, even as I recognize the dilemma. To disbelieve seems too much like betrayal. Skepticism and dissent appear inimical to service and sacrifice. If they are increasingly "strident," (does that mean vociferous?) it isn't because they are more and more under pressure to defend the war effort, it must be because they have doubts. I do believe this means that the people you should least believe in their arguments in defense of the war, are military officers, because they're the most invested in the effort personally. Nothing personal, you understand. We're sure you believe what your saying. This is an attack on your judgement, not your integrity after all. And the logic, of course, can't be beat. Better then, to simply be distrustful (er, I mean skeptical) of the pro-war testimony of any military personnel. For their own good of course. It is interesting to note that this is a military affairs reporter who seems to be experiencing Vietnam-guilt of a unique kind. He writes, about supporting the soldiers, as the son an Army family: For us the affirmation was not political, it was personal. We tried not to confuse the warriors with the war. Yet over the years as the war dragged on, the dead stacked up and the country splintered, that distinction became harder to sustain. The suspicion that our soldiers were risking their lives in a bad, lost cause soon became so searing that many of us insisted the war was righteous and winnable. To admit otherwise felt like a betrayal of those we loved; it also implied that we had been duped. We closed ranks with the policy as well as with the troops. We conflated the warriors and the war. So did the country, in ways that became toxic.

To: LindyBill who wrote (91358)	12/19/2004 8:29:33 AM
From: JDN	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793895

Those that oppose NASA, must surely oppose modern electronics and many other marvelous discoveries that make our life better. Knowledge almost always pays dividends FAR GREATER then the cost of obtaining such. No private company is going to do research for the pure benefit of learning. Without NASA we would not be where we are today. I was personally present when we launched our first satellite into space, people were SO PROUD even though the soviets laughed and called it a grapefruit. jdn