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

To: Ish who wrote (103713)	3/9/2005 8:38:48 AM
From: unclewest	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793757

Lowering standards, stuff is too advanced for idiots. Draft, don't want to be there. Probably won't learn or give 100%. Here is an email from a SEAL and friend for many years. He nails an outstanding perspective imo. UW, The media and politics are to blame for the enlistment shortfalls. A video is shown of a troop shooting previously wounded sheethead on the floor in Falluja. He is second guessed mercilessly. Pulled off line and grilled, innocent or guilty, his life will never be the same, never mind the combat he has already endured, his friends lost. Video is shown of a few assholes taking pictures of themselves humiliating prisoners at Abu Gharaib prison. Soldier waves goodbye w the arm of a dead asshole to a video camera. Uncool maybe, criminal, no. Army Lt. points a gun at the head of an asshole to get vital info, mind you he did not shoot the guy, yet his career is over. A USN Seal shines a flashlight attached to his pistol onto the faces of the newly captured so a PICTURE can be taken, and they are done, cooked. Hot intelligence reveals a solid hit on bomb factory, two crumbs shot at close range at the site, after advancing, after warnings not to do so. That Lt. is toast. The newly freed anti-American fascist female Italian journalist wounded while speeding toward an American checkpoint on the most dangerous road in the world, now claims she was setup deliberately. A politically motivated investigation will follow, and some American troops will be barbequed. Video after video after video and then the commentary from the liberal media attached to that. And then we hear about the prosecutions and sentences. I have been investigated for things I did not do. It sucks. Any idiot knows that innocent people are sometimes wrongly convicted or just made examples of. You would have to drag me kicking and screaming into any service that would not fully protect me for doing anything in a time of war in combat that was not an obvious crime. Enlistment and reenlistment bonuses will NOT cut it for the folks we really want in our military, if I thought they joined for the money they can buy their own fkng coffee from now on. They joined for the same reasons we did, and it aint about the money. Our troops are not mercenaries. I have yet to hear of a single parade anywhere to publicly honor our returning troops. Where is the fkng tickertape, they deserve it. Besides the media, I blame whoever is responsible in the military and the politicians for letting our troops be dragged through this bullshit of second guessing them in the heat of battle. There are huge and clear differences between expedient necessity during combat, poor judgment as a soldier, and criminal behavior. Fix that and no more recruiting problems. Humble opinion. DD