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Never Forget
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respect
Why can't there be Veterans Month?
Ok, I'll probably get downvotes but... WHY? Fighting for Corporate Interests is a good thing now on ZH? This site is going the way of BI hitting every angle of media for clicks. Do we need a Human Day to celebrate everyone getting fucked by the Fed? Maybe a Winners Day where everyone gets a fucking medal.
Let me ask you something....
Do you think the guys and women that went and fought thought they were fighting for some large geopolitical war machine? Or do you think they really thought they were doing the right thing for their country?
Personally, I get angry when I see a guy with no legs on TV asking for money to have a ramp built at his house. I think the government that sent them to get their legs blown off should foot the bill for everything they need for the rest of their lives.
The Presidential candidates talk about lowering business taxes. I am for that. But I think there should be a corporate surcharge for any company with overseas operations, and that money should be put into the VA. Period. No exceptions, no exclusions, and tell Congress to keep their fucking mitts off of it.
If we are keeping the world safe for commerce...there should be some sort of "cost" to everyone for that. It would also tip the balance of the pressure put on the government to fight these stupid wars.
They don't know any better, they are raised and taught that way. Doesn't mean I have to support it. Stupid people do stupid stuff every single day, I don't congratulate them.
I was raised and taught to be stupid but I decided that wasn't right and fixed myself.
Happy and safe Armistice day, everybody.
Let me ask you something, genius. How old are you? At what age did you "fix" yourself? How did you reach such grand epiphanies?
I would really like to know, because you are very liberal in using the word stupid, and your iconoclastic viewpoints indicate someone who is naive at the least, and has a lot left to learn about the world.
If you are really anti-war, and not simply a fearful little dirt bag, direct your anger and insolence toward the political class. Exhibiting contempt for young men who are willing to saddle up and sacrifice all for what they believe to be right is something that I find disgusting. People who would die for your sorry ass and the way of life you enjoy deserve so much more. Hopefully, you will someday gain the maturity to realize that blaming the soldier is the same as blaming the victim.
Do victims go around blowing up people with guns? Those 'victims' are hitmen for the state.
edit:
In addition, if people were not brainwashed into worshipping these state enforcers, wars would be over tomorrow.
Some victims don't come home. Others return blind, missing limbs, forever immasclated as they struggle to cope. Still others return physically whole, but suffering unending mental distress. All have had big chunks of their lives taken and relationships affected. None exits the same person as entered.
but to a man, they signed the fucking forms! they followed ordahs. LOL.
and that's what you sometimes get for following orders without thinking.
Exactly. If you can't do the time... don't do the crime.
The suggestion that we should be thankful for these brainwashed imbeciles travelling to a foreign land to invade the homes of innocent civilians and murder their men, women and children is utterly repulsive. That we should pay homage to them for getting themselves harmed in the process? Ha!
I tell you what... If they want my thanks, then these cannon fodder should put down their weapons and just go home.
the civilian leadership, at least for the past generation, doesn't deserve those in uniform.
The last time I checked, we didn't have a Conscripted Military Service. I understand that some people choose to join the Military because they are "Patriots" or it's a family thing, but they also get College Tuition and other niceties (such as learning a trade). It is disheartening that people with good intentions are used as tools by a Hierarchy that doesn't care about your life or theirs. Maybe they're naive, maybe they're not. I do believe they know what they're getting themselves into before they take the oath. All these "perks" do come at a price. The purpose of a Military isn't what it used to be. It's primary purpose was to defend our country, now it's a means to meddle in the affairs of others.
Dup
Check your fire OJ. You're shooting friendlies.
I was raised to believe that the wars our country sends us off to are just, and that we have the full support of our people and leaders. I believed that because nobody told me it was not so.
I joined the Marines at age 17 and requested the infantry.
More than a dozen close friends never came home alive from Iraq. They never had the chance that I had to realize the lie that had been presented to us. They were good men. Young men, but good men that would probably run into a burning building to save selfish immature ZH trolls even at their own peril. They did not understand geopolitics or the Federal Reserve or the deals we have with the Saudi's and the Gulf States. They were men that knew the peril of their service and understood what service and sacrifice really means. Some proved it more than others. I came home. I have a wife and kids and I educated and bettered myself. I'm still an asshole jarhead, but I'm one that actually has the ability to make a difference, even if it is only local. I have the opportunity to now help pull down the veil. They did not. If they were here, they would likely be doing the same.
Libertarians have a hard time digesting war and the military, and rightly so, but sometimes, bad people from the other tribes need killing and not everyone is up to the task. Forget the recent brushfire wars. They are not and were never necessary. Think Valley Forge or Saratoga. It's easy to say killing is stupid, but it doesn't stop the asshole that's shooting at you. The world is a hard place outside of the West. The worst day in the US is cake compared to most places combat units are currently deployed. Maybe that's why so many vets are pissed off and have joined in the liberty/libertarian movement. We know what it's like to not have freedom. We know what it's like to give everything you have and not need to post it on Facebook so we feel good about ourselves. Mainly everyone just wants to work, make some money for their work, have a good time and get laid. I bet I worked 120 hours a week when I first joined. I barely cleared $12K a year. Don't confuse these men with the shitbirds flipping your burgers or making your coffee that can't put in a full week without missing a day or coming in 30 minutes late for their shift. My colleagues and I were probably 15 years more mature than than our counterparts upon completing our first contract.
We'll consider your comment as one of naive, unintentional ignorance as opposed to intentional slander.
The US Military might not actually "spread freedom and democracy" or "keep you safe at night" at a local level, but I assure you the fighters are your ally even if neither one of you understand why. Same for a lot of cops, you just don't know which ones.
I encourage you to pick up Robert Heinlen's book Starship Troopers and give it a read. No, not the cheesy 90's sci-fi Denise Richards movie. The book has depth and makes a point to study the relationship between veterans, civilians, citizenship, rights, and sacrifice.
With that being said, to all the other Marines on ZH I'd just like to say, "Kill"
Semper Fidelis
LongRifle
Fox 2/4
Interesting post LR and it gave me pause for thought; appreciate that. Allow me to play the devils advocate for a bit.
Yes, the young that join are often (though not always - there are a lot of 'gun ho' types out there) naive and most probably have no idea of what they are fighting for. Brainwashing starts young among the state. But I'd like to draw an alalogy...
A lot of young naive inner city youths (once again not always - there are also a lof of gun ho types) are coerced into joining the gangs of their particular area. A lot of the time this is not even by choice, it's a matter of "join us or we'll kick your head in or worse". Nearly all gang violence and deaths is gangs on other gangs and this goes for bikers too. A lot of these young and full of cum types feel they are 'protecting their territory' (sound familar?) yet no one batters an eyelid when they get shot or maimed. No one cares that they are socially disenfranchised and mentally fucked up. We all cheer when they are jailed and have the key thrown away only to continue the exact same warfare inside the jails.
I know it's a stretch, but as your post indicates things are not always black and white.
Yes, it is a stretch. A big one.
If you're ever looking for a hit of fiction in the vein of Starship Troopers, might look into Armor and The Forever Wars.
Fuck those that believe there is no 'Service, Before Self'.
You get what you pay for, assholes.
Long Rifle:
I would be glad to have you guarding my 6 at any time. I'll take point.
Fuck the trolls
I'll saddle up and go with you.
I just had to circle back to this thread, as it seems there are a lot of our citizens are busy directing their hatred toward the soldier instead of the leaders and policy makers. The inability to discern the difference the 20 year old kid following his society's beliefs, and the 50 year old banker, politician, or industrialist deciding where to light the next fuse is something that I find disturbing.
Spit on us now, but when things eventually fall apart these same weenies will be praying for warriors to come and save them. Same as it ever was. Europeans are busy re-learning this lesson right now.
great post LR, but, frankly, you're wrong.
those "fighters" are my allies if they stay in their own country and guard its borders.
once they cross into another country without provovation and kill innocent people without cause and promote terrorism, they are the perpetrators, they are the praetorian guard that keeps the corrupt, defunct, roman empire shambling along instead of allowing it to collapse so something better can rise up in its place.
i don't doubt that many of them are competent and work hard and take great risks. but, there's no good reason for them to do so. i'd rather they get some marketable skills and produce something of value for their fellow human beings, instead of engaging in a "career" of destruction and death.
well put, stack.
Pleading ignorance after committing a heinous crime is no excuse.
If these morons didn't pick-up and fire the guns... there would be no wars.
And you feel sorry for the dope that had his legs blown off... what about the brown-skinned parents holding their dead babies in the rubble of their house? Should the US government build them a ramp to get from their SUV with their plastic bags full of plastic crap... just in time for the big game?
You should be ashamed.
The rest of the world is sick and tired of paying the price for the pathetic existence of you and yours.
There would be no wars!!!! Are you kidding or just plain stupid. No, you would be speaking German or Japanese. Don't be a fool into thinking there would be no wars. You would just be a conquered slave or body to be tossed in a big hole with many more. Wake up.
These guys fight for their buddies not the evil men/women who sometimes send them off. WWII fully a just War and yea I feel sorry for the guy that got his legs blown off. Not sorry for your heartless attitude.
"you would be speaking German or Japanese", eh? Boy, you are making a lot of assumptions here. I don't know where the person you replied to is from, but personally I would have much rather have spoken German than Russian, which half of Europe ending up doing due to the allies' support of the murderous Soviets.
Of course, if the poster is American, then you should have no problem explaining how the Germans would have crossed the ocean to take on North America when they couldn't even take Britain. A Pyrrhic victory, regardless. Soon America will be speaking Spanish and...well, just about every language except English.
@DoubleDumDum:
If no soldiers picked up and fired guns... there would be no wars.
Think about it brainiac. Applies to all sides. All of us. One planet and we're all in this together... so you better start to give some positive thought towards how we're going to survive. Hint: war, hatred, murdering and pillaging to be victors over a barren wasteland are not parts of that answer.
I'll help you a little... if nobody's grandmothers baked cakes... there would be no grandmother baked cakes on planet Earth. Can you cope with that complex concept? Now try to put down the senseless indoctrination you take for granted and think a little broader...
You are an unfortunate illustration that many on our planet have yet to evolve to a state of intelligence that will ensure mutually assured survival of our and all other species.
'These guys fight for their buddies not the evil men/women who sometimes send them off'
Wake-up... they THINK they are fighting for their buddies... however really they are fighting for evil.
For every soldier that dies in war, 10 civilians die. I care not for your heartless ignorance of these innocent victims.
You, sir, are a fool.
Bullshit. If we'd remained out of WWI 2.0, Hitler and Stalin would have exausted each other's war machines. Instead, we allied with an even more muderous madman, to defeat a murderous madman. Russia did the heavy lifting. Mounting evidence indicates that if we had kept selling shit to Japan, rather than an embargo, Pearl Harbor would never happened.
Sorry. We are already there, pal. Ever, since the ratification of the Constipation we traded a slave master abroad, for a slave master in our backyards. Mmmm...the ugly stench of Nationalism.
The only respect we can show to Veterans, is in endeavoring to NOT CREATE MORE FUCKING VETERANS. PERIOD!
Hey Nanny, can you edit your post and drop the italics so i can upvote you please?
You can upvote.
Click just beside the user name and then 'tab' across - you will see a little tilde (or whatever it's called - looks like ~) next to the up arrow, tab again andit will move to the down arrow.
clever
I already speak German. And Russian.
So what?
Scarcity is governed by the aggressive use of force. Always has been, always will be.
@Dame Ednas Possum I usually don't reply to posts about war and veterans and neocon policy. As this board gives testament currently, it's a hot button issue and I'm admittedly conflicted. I'm about as sick of the war machine as anyone but your take goes too far. If the "morons" in 1776 hadn't picked up their muskets, the great "American experiment" would have never been tried in the first place (even though it's closer to a nightmare today). If my moronic grandfathers hadn't enlisted with hundreds of thousands of other men, we'd today be fighting the wars of the imperial Japanese or Nazi government. Is it not possible to feel sorry for both the kid that got his legs blown off AND the brown-skinned victims? You should probably let go of some of your anger - it'll take a toll on your health. I believe it's possible to see the tragedy in both cases and I'm not "ashamed" to feel that way. They're both victims. Lastly, regarding your final comical comment, I don't give two shits what the rest of the world thinks about US foreign policy. I think we're capable of figuring out that it sucks on our own, and a growing minority of us are eager to let Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East fend for themselves, mainly because I'm going to laugh out loud watching their socialist dreams collapse under the weight of having to fund a military budget of their own for the first time in 70 years. Now that's a price you will truly have to pay, comrade.
Thank you, Mortimer.
Typical American... they think it's all about them.
My post is directed at all peoples, not just the extremely selfish, naive, deluded and aggressive 5% of the global population that you represent.
Ah yes, the dominant 5%.
Tell me Dame Edna, where do you live?
If you are in Europe, are you feeling a little differently about things today than you did yesterday? Many in Europe are, you know.
So the 40+ Countries that the USSA has overthrown or attempted to over throw was all to defend the USSA from a takeover from foreign enimies?
http://williamblum.org/essays/read/overthrowing-other-peoples-governments-the-master-list
I respect veterans that defend their nation from an invasion. US had never been invaded by anyone. Pearl Harbour was a sham designed to invite us into the Europe's land redistribution game after the outcome of the war had already been decided by the Russians that were in it from 1939.
In other words, I have no respect whatsoever for US vets which are either invader or henchmen, acting on behalf of their corporate masters.
Quoting Carlin: "I do know this: you strap on a gun and go struttin' around some other man's country, you'd better be ready for some action, Jack. People are touchy about that sort of thing."
Here is an example of a vet that has earned respect.
"Advice for those considering joining the military"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8rbHwMXMT8
So you're saying that the War of 1812 was not real? The British never burned Washington or invaded Louisiana? Andrew Jackson lied about beting then in the Battle of New Orleans, immortalized in the song by Johnny Horton? And then there was that minor invasion of Alasken islands during WW II.
You'll make a nice bitch soon JuliaS. Enjoy rape ? You had better because without the soldiers your curse and disdain you're going to be the life of the party.
It's obvious from your illiterate post that you're a classy guy.
Sadly, you're right, OJ. The troops deserve respect for their naive sacrifices, but they deserve our scorn for not educating themselves enough as to who's actual interests they're killing others for. It sure as hell ain't for Old Glory... in truth it's that ugly hexagon in a blue field.
Very true... except that the scorn for their heinous crimes is infinitely greater than any respect for their naive stupidity.
>I think the government that sent them to get their legs blown off should foot the bill for everything they need for the rest of their lives.
Skip the middle man and just give him your money. The government will just keep your taxes as they do now.
Or better yet... donate your own life and time working to care for your gloriously crippled heroes.
Oldballplayer,
You may like this article.
Robert Heinlein, speech at the Naval Academy on patriotism, 1973
Today, in the United States, it is popular among self-styled 'intellectuals' to sneer at patriotism. They seem to think that it is axiomatic that any civilized man is a pacifist, and they treat the military profession with contempt. 'Warmongers' - 'Imperialists' - 'Hired killers in uniform' - you have all heard such sneers and you will hear them again. One of their favorite quotations is: 'Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.' What they never mention is that the man who made that sneering remark was a fat, gluttonous slob who was pursued all his life by a pathological fear of death.
I propose to prove that that baboon on watch is morally superior to that fat poltroon who made that wisecrack. Patriotism is the most practical of all human characteristics. But in the present decadent atmosphere patriots are often too shy to talk about it - as if it were something shameful or an irrational weakness. But patriotism is NOT sentimental nonsense. Nor is it something dreamed up by demagogues. Patriotism is as necessary a part of man's evolutionary equipment as are his eyes, as useful to the race as eyes are to the individual. A man who is NOT patriotic is an evolutionary dead end. This is not sentiment but the hardest of logic. Just a snip from the speech. Give it a full read.Only an ignorant fool would praise that croc-of-shit hateful propaganda.
Patriotism is only one step away from eugenics. It is the epitome of blind faith.
Military service is a noble profession, but only if defenseive, as is the case with Mexico. They are constitutionally bound to keep all troops at home. If all armies were to be kept on home soil only, their task would be a noble one, and the most egregious crime of invasion could be dealt with more obviously. I'm looking at you, USA, Israel. and Saud.
Kids are naive, that's why they are used as soldiers. It is their parents, though, and their communities who egg them on to go fight the good fight and save us from an overseas menace who should see more clearly. Soldiers who have not yet achieved an age of majority are by definition not responsible for their decisions (and have no business in an army.) Child soldiers aside, they should know better. The conditions on the battlefield are always worse than imagined... but a contract is a contract, and that's what the prosecutor would say in a case of desertion.
We are all ultimately responsible for our own actions, and we have to live with them for the rest of our lives. I think this is where PTSD comes from, and rightly so. Everyone deserves their own bad dreams, whether or not they should have known better is moot. These days, however, with the advent of the internet, there is no excuse not to know. And with over 1,000,000 civilian deaths (Afgh,Iraq,Viet,etc.) for 5-50,000 military deaths, it isn't war anymore, it's slaughter... and it sure as hell ain't defensive.
Ultimately, it is the government that knowingly sends our children to their deaths to protect their economic alliances. Whether that is done under the guise of democracy, communism, or any other -ism is the big lie. Direct democracy has only ever existed in ancient Greece. Switzerland and Libya under Gaddafi come close, but democracy in the Western world has never existed, mostly just monarchy and fascism; the Roman Empire was not democratic, so how can any system based upon it be (USA)? Capitalism begets competition and competition begets war. There is nothing democratic in capitalism. "Every man for himself" is a divisive force, not a uniting one.
To the winner goes the spoils and the ability to control the truth about the past, usually in textbooks, which all future soldiers must read. We must all share the blame... and wake ourselves, and each other, the f**k up.
Besides, Heinlein was born in 1907 and was himself exposed to a fair bit of propaganda.
"His childhood was spent in Kansas City, Missouri The outlook and values of this time and place (in his own words, "The Bible Belt") had a definite influence on his fiction, especially his later works, as he drew heavily upon his childhood in establishing the setting and cultural atmosphere in works like Time Enough for Love and To Sail Beyond the Sunset."
He was a science fiction writer and was discharged from the navy in 1934. I wonder what he would say about MODERN warfare and the warped concept of patriotism in today's exceptional Amerika.
Quoting an old relic to support a modern concept is disingenuous, at best. Asking Columbus what he thinks of slavery to support an argument for it in modern times would be equally stupid.
"Do you think the guys and women that went and fought thought they were fighting for some large geopolitical war machine? Or do you think they really thought they were doing the right thing for their country?"
False choice. The answer is neither. They had no idea what to do with their lives but wanted a stable income that didn't require burger flipping. Free room, board, healthcare, daycare and education if you have children, comp'ed college tuition, and then a pay cheque on top. All for the price of what? Their freedom to come and go? Their freedom to think independantly? They weren't using those prior to enlisting, which is why they did. Being told what to do is the whole point! Fucking cut the false heroism shit.
Well where are the Elders? where are the Wise Men in society? where have all of these people gone?
In the Native community the Elders have the truth and the wisdom that they pass on to their children.
Why don't the Mothers and Fathers and Grandparents pass on these truths and wisdoms on to their offspring? Why haven't they shared this knowledge of the MIC and the USSA's desire to rule the world and invade and kill inocent countries and their citizens.
The familiy has been broken in the white communities of North America, we are more concerned with the latest I gadget or a new car or a Fancy house while keeping ourselves in debt up to our eyeballs. This is what our elders have taught us.
Sweet Jesus... never thought I'd see the day someone would advocate raising taxes on corporations here in ZH.... and with no loopholes or exceptions no less!
"But I think there should be a corporate surcharge for any company with overseas operations, and that money should be put into the VA. Period. No exceptions, no exclusions, and tell Congress to keep their fucking mitts off of it."
And .gov keeping it's mitts off of money! It's insanity I tell ya!
If we are keeping the world safe for commerce...
...we would jail or hang the Banksters for the blatant [/outright] manipulation they pull off at the expesne of everyone who is not...them.
There are disability benefits for life. I believe up to $8k per month.
That's just cold
No you won't OJ...
Because some of us will never forget this, this, this or what gave us illegal occupation(s) and invasion(s) in the first place based on a lie that killed more than 2,800 American lives that American service men and women veterans and active duty alike know was a lie just like Vietnam.. the Gulf War... Kosovo/Serbia... since "the war on humanity" started but kept volunteering anyway!
To tell me to put a "yellow ribbon" on the bumper of my car supporting the troops is like telling someone by "proxy" that you support ISIS and these document(s)!
Oh... lest I forget... Happy Veterans Weekend!!! Hope the meds go well for you leading us into the "Greatest War" which will thankfully end your continued treason and the rest of America hopefully first should you choose to start it as we always do!!!
Because breasts are more important to society than men who sacrificed their lives. Save the boobies, have a whole month for breast cancer, but fuck the veterans.
Saying our priorities are out of whack is like calling the sky blue.
this world would be a much better place if there were far more boobies and far fewer men sacrificing their lives.
...who the real enemy is
no vix slam today?
Gotta have a day off every now and then.
I am curious as to what exactly is the specific action, if any, of a recent veteran (say since 1965) that earned your respect.
I suggest that everyone read Lawrence Vance over at LewRockwell.com, as he is both eloquent and relentless in his condemnation of military (empire) workship in this country:
Let it not be lost on you and the fucking idiot you responded to that there is a GIGANTIC CHASM of difference between the valiant men and women that volunteer to serve their country and military empire or war for oil, or whatever else comes out of that festering sore under your fucking nose, you cretinous sack of shit. You and that hedgeless idiot too.
Please downvote if you're too stupid to understand that simple and salient point.
Then shouldn't we have a day of "respect" for all the valiant men and women that choose to become government workers: DMV clerks, postal workers, tax collectors, ATF agents, garbage collectors, meter maids, state university professors, et cetera?
We should have a special one to celebrate your kind of stupid, if you think that's anywhere close to the same, that's for sure. Sorry dickless, you sound like the kind of selfish person that thinks this country exists just so you can do what you do and you have no moral sense of obligation to give anything back and have no respect for people that do. IOW, you're one of the people the commenters here ALWAYS rail about.
Stupid, dickless, selfish...
I usually stop reading, and rarely reply to, a comment when I get to three: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies
However, I will make this exception for you.
Feel free to keep supporting the war mongers and money men as they throw children in the meat grinder. At this point, however, you cannot honestly say that you don't know the truth. The US military hasn't defended America, or done anything deserving my respect, for a very long time.
I am sure you won't fail to give a patriotic wave at the fully-loaded Apache gunships flying low over your town in a show of force this weekend.
May the peace of the Lord be always with you!
HH, I frequently read your comments, and have read many of your posted articles, as well as checking out your web site a few times. You are obviously educated, erudite, and experienced in many facets of life. Anyone who spends much time here soon comes to understand much more abut the ways that International finance, multi-national corporations, and corrupt politicians manipulate, obfuscate, and control the actions of nations. With the confidence of that knowledge, it is easy to be against the largely illegal and predatory military adventures we have engaged in throughout much of this nations history.
Let me just say that I think you are sitting a little high in the saddle on this subject. I don't recall anyone saying a solitary thing about "supporting the war mongers and money men as they throw children in the meat grinder." That is a view I simply do not find supported by this blog, and certainly not one I share. You are wise enough to know that it is almost impossible for the average young man in the range of 18-25 to gather enough knowledge and confidence to reject the natural notions and instincts to protect his country and loved ones, and essentially become an outcast as regards the vast majority of peers.
During my (and I'm guessing yours, too) time of service, there was no choice short of desertion when the draft notice arrived. It is a much different world now, unfortunately, and there is no draft notice. On the other hand, America was attacked on 9-11 and there was a surge in volunteers to fight and defend. You could almost feel those raging hormones. You know that virtually all of our troops were motivated by patriotism and a belief that what they were doing was right, don't you?
Hate those sitting in the boardrooms of the MIC and multi-nationals that buy the politicians, hate the bought political class, hate the banksters who profit regardless of who wins. They all deserve our contempt, and worse, but it isn't the wounded warrior who is to blame, and expressing contempt toward soldiers as a class says more about you than it does about them.
Oh, and please let's not have 50 comments on how 9/11 was an inside job. You get no argument from me on that subject.
If you give positive reinforcement for killing people you increase the likelihood that others will want to kill also.
@ H H
Don't let the Unicorn Shitting Skittles get under your skin.
We'll put them up front when the time comes.
It's amusing when these aggressive military apologists have to attempt rational debt in defence of their psychopathic thought processes.
The bile they spew looks back at them from their monitor... and yet they still think it makes sense!!!
Obviously complicit in the crime... and desperately attempting to rationalise and justify the nonsense in the course of subconsciously soothing their guilt.
that monthly pension check gives a might incentive to justify the psychopaths global domination death cult
Some of us have already been up front. Mybe you can go next.
So it seems that everyone has forgotten Vietnam and the protests about that war.
Don't these people who sign up for the war have Elders of wisdom?
I watched part of a show last week that had "Napalm Girl". The 5 year old Vietnam girl running naked with her flesh hanging off of her from the napalm burns. it was this photo of her that was published that truly got the people protesting the war. It was this photo that may have been what ended this war. Again this war that was started from a lie that the USSA used to start the war "Bay of Tonkin "
Did everyone forget the tragedies of this war and the previous wars.
Vietnam war's 'napalm girl' Kim Phuc has laser treatment to ...
it may seem that the folks forgot .... but it was a scientific and methodical plan to eradicate the memory of the events, people and song that made the era what it was, and why people actually talked to each other about "war" and not "war".
The psychopaths knew they had to destroy all three of the above : events, people and song.
Take control of the radio, kill the messengers and demolish our event centers, RFK stadium, for instance... Candlestick Park, for instance ..., in New York City, demolish Roseland, demolish Palladium, demolish Dancing Halls across the country.... constantly bombard us with crappy new "celebrity" "star" BS .... forcing almost the lazy parents to go along with the new styles and attitudes....
destroy that and you destroy our culture ... what band are you going to see tonight ?
oh, you're not ...
what DJ did you hear last weekend? oh, you didn't ...
Pickleton, get back in the pickle barrel then make some more dumb ass cannon fodder kids with your beautiful wife (?) , stat! your country needs you at this dark hour!
On the contrary, Pickleton, there is no difference whatever between the two, as was articulated several decades ago by someone who knew whereof he spoke:
"Why, of course the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. … But after all, it’s the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it’s always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it’s a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to greater danger. It works the same in any country." — Nazi Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering
And let us remember that the founding fathers, fearful of getting caught up in Europe's endless wars (good luck with that), wanted no standing army at all — http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/the-founding-fathers-warned-again...— which is why I don't "support the troops," as they are made up of the same dupes that the American public generally is.
Of which you are obviously one.
Unfortunately, for us, there is little profit in that, and less work for government employees.
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/military-spending-united-st...
jefferson, madison, franklin, et al plus eisenhower, spinning in their graves at 598.5 billion rpm's
Not counting the "Black Budget" that Pickleton no doubt thinks is spent on fighting "terrorism," when of course it's spent on a war of terror on the American people and the rest of the world:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/national/black-budget
Annual petrodollar investment in the Pentagon's defense budget will drop by nearly that entire $600B amount.
It begs the following question: "Where in the future will funding for such an unproductive activity come from?"
Obviously rhetorical.
The answer appears to be MyRA accounts.
Onward Soviet!
I read somewhere last night a comment I thought was cool; the US military spending is a giant inflating balloon, Russian spending is a needle.
-answer found-
Or maybe not found...
@ Hedgeless Horseman,
Completely OT but what the hell.
You seem to be able to post images within your posts at will. You sometimes post relevant images, but you also post a lot of bullshit images of such trivial and inconsequential things as the food Mrs. Hedgeless is feeding you that particular night.
Tell me, is this ability limited to buddies of the Tylers, people with special permissions, or can anyone post images on a post?
There have been many times when I would have liked to add a relevant image to a post and saved myself a thousand words. Somehow, I cannot do so. Is it a lack of knowledge on how to use the posting tool, or is it something else?
How can I add images to my posts?
Can anyone else explain?
all you do is drag the picture onto the comment window. here's a picture of how I used to live in France ;-)
I suspect the green stuff is "writer's block".
ok that appears to have failed. never mind.
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Lmao! Too funny man.
You did exactly what I did.
Thanx for the attempt to assist though ;)
HH has posting Priveleges. Maybe you haven't noticed his articles that published here from time to time.
I will reserve my opinion on the quality of it, but yeah, I have seen HH's stuff published here before.
I thought it was a matter of privilege (isn't that always the case?) but I wanted to be sure I wasn't missing something.
Thanx.
He protected the cash flow and maintained the dollar as the worlds reserve currency so your sorry ass could party at Woodstock.
I curious as to what specific action You EVER done to earn any respect.
That would be a question for a person claiming to respect me.
I'll happily stake a claim...
by challenging dangerous fools with the truth.
Tradition, patriotism, and propaganda are powerful forces. Good people can and do get caught up in them. ZH readers are among those who know how shitty the Public School system is, so why do we expect young people to have adequate critical thinking skills, especially when those skills are not taught in public schools?
All I'm saying is, people do join the military with good intentions without really knowing what they're getting into. Since '65? Hell, most Vietnam Vets were drafted. What choice did they really have in the matter? Should we disrespect them because they didn't run off to Canada? I think not.
I know veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and most of them now know that they've been used, for basically nothing. That's just one reason so many have PTSD and other issues.
Any who enlist at this point are either willfully ignorant or are asking for what they get. It's no secret that the govt can't or won't even take care of those who've already served (V.A.). It's pathetic...
2/3 of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers.
I stand corrected. Apparently, it is one of the most common myths about that war. Still, 33% is a big number...
The average age of the G.I. in 'Nam was 19 (26 for WWII) 97% of Vietnam era vets were honorably discharged.
76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working
class backgrounds
75% had family incomes above the poverty level
23% had fathers with professional, managerial, or technical occupations.
79% of the men who served in 'Nam had a high school education or better.
91% of veterans of actual combat and 90% of those who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their country. 66% of Viet vets say they would serve again, if called upon. 87% of the public now holds Viet vets in high esteem.
Helicopter crew deaths accounted for 10% of ALL Vietnam deaths. Helicopter losses during Lam Son 719 (a mere two months) accounted for 10% of all helicopter losses from 1961-1975.
http://mrfa.org/vnstats.htm
"...(M)ost Vietnam Vets were drafted. What choice did they really have in the matter? Should we disrespect them because they didn't run off to Canada?"
Speaking as someone who was drafted in '69, yes.
I agree that the School sytem sucks but were all these young men born without parents and grandparents? Don't they know anything about the USSA.
"Never Forget"
Don't worry, they won't let me.
Totally.
Delusion.
Truth and honor is better.
Ending the "Empire of Chaos" and the return to a Constitutional Republic is the ultimate tribute we could provide our men and women of the armed services.
-- Eric Dubin, Managing Editor, The News Doctors
Ramirez bio, did he "serve" or just another neocon pundit/parasite?
+++ to ZH for this post ... my grandfather is retired U.S. army, served in WWII ... he breaks my balls to no-end & i can't wait til he does it again this saturday when i take him to breakfast ... wont be able to do it forever
give him "War is a Racket" authored by Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler, a great Armistice Day book for all ages
I gave it to my 14 year old son for his birthday.
Who wrote it after having a full, celibrated military and cilvilian career being the BIGGEST racketeer.
really? how much did he make? details please or you're a lying fuck...and the three stooges were annoying and over promoted kikes, FYI
Good one
I call bullshit. Prove it
This coming from neocon/zionist shill makes me so angry I actually sitting here, as a vet, and as someone who has donated money several times to the wounded warrior project - I literally am struggling to compose myself enough to write this.
The US government fucking abandons injured vets to such a degree private organizations have had to step up all over the country.
Meanwhile it spends billions arming and funding the very terrorists they were told they had to fight over there so we dont have to fight them over here.
And the Iraq war was very largely the deliberate result of a hijacking of us policy by Zionist Jews who wanted to smash Iraq for years - for Israel. they were a necessary if not sufficient reason for why we went to war.
It was not 'for oil' and oil did not pay for the wars. The petrodollar was dying anyway and you dont spend 3 trillion and destroy whole cities just to get a dictator to sell only in us dollars. War profiteering, control of Iraq's bank, and Greater Israel were the primary reasons.
And most Jewish people were against the wars. But so great and pervasive is Jewish power generally that even a dedicated warmongering minority of them, not representative of what the large majority of American Jews wanted, were able to engender a policy coup.
The Zionist traitors that set up the Office of Special Plans to fabricate evidence the cia would not provide did not want war on Iraq after 9/11 cor any reason but Israel -as Bin Laden remained on the loose in AfPak and insufficient troops were used (then reduced further to deploy to Iraq) had deep ties to Israel and did not want to destroy Iraq for the petrodollar - it was for Israel.
http://mycatbirdseat.com/2013/06/the-machiavelian-threefold-game-of-the-...
http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2004/01/lie-factory
http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=western_support_for_islam...
And Ramirez is their idiot shill.
Every fucking cent going to Israel, or Egypt or anywhere else from this country should be going to the victims of the neocon policy coup.
And then some.
And fuck any craven faggot Israel Firster cunt who downvotes the absolute truth of what I wrote.
Fuck off to Israel you disgusting pukes.
wow, made my day, fucking great post
I don't disagree with what you have posted except to say that it is not primarily about Israel. The US will abandon Israel in the future when the real shit hits the fan. This is really all about containing Russia via oil and gas manipulation.
It is always about containing Russia.
For Zbig and his crew it is. It is not for the Zionists.
Dont make the mistake of thinking there is a unified deep state.
And the Zionists also have their own agenda in ukraine and russia as should be obvious.
The US government is hijacked by Zionists. It is not going to abandon israel. The parasite will suck its blood until the host dies.
russia and the middle east are about Zionist conquest. Even if other groups like zbigs are not.
"The US will abandon Israel in the future when the real shit hits the fan"
Israel will abandon the US when it is necessary to do so, parasites, hosts etc etc
Please take a harder look at WWP. I used to donate as well, until a Marine buddy of mine enlightened me. The CEO takes home $375K/yr, they are anti 2nd Amendment, and it's just not a terribly efficient charitable organization. I had to cancel my monthly donation three times and threaten them with a fraud complaint to get them to stop drafting my account. I'm not saying that they don't do good things, but as my Marine friend said, "If you really want to help a vet in need, find one and give him/her the money directly."
The Wounded Warrior Project is a business, no more a charity than Goldman Saks. Just try and start a company, any company, with the words "Wounded" in it. Or the word "Warrior" in it. Or the word "project in it". You'll be slapped with a lawsuit a mile long for copyright infringement!
These guys are selfish bastards who are taking most of the money for themselves and they don't want any competition. Just look at their salaries!
Icarus
Fortunate to have all of my limbs, but I did spend many a night walking the halls of Landstul hospital trying to comfort these who didn't.
+1 on that. 501(c)(3)... only in America, gotta love it
Well Said and no offense - but a meaningful job for those that can. Shit economy doesn't help, but a lot of guys have a lot of pride and would starve before a handout. He'd probably scrub your toilet and then take the money
Respect for veterans should begin by not sending young men to wars that serve no purpose other than to line the pockets of a chosen few.
Amen.
Obama has no plan...he isn't even trying to line pockets....he just does it to divert attention from his agenda
Maybe the Vets should spend more time teaching the youth as well as the elderly who seem to have forgotten the truth about the USSA American Sniper has warped Americans' fragile little minds
Oddly enough, I'm one of a number of vets ( 1/2 dozen) at a mid size college working on a teaching degree. We all agree that one of our challenges in getting hired will be that the usual libs in charge won't take a chance on us because we might not fit the usual lib mold. Sure - they'll take us in inner city schools - but anywhere else - dunno. That being said, speaking for myself, I think now that my eyes are open - I'm better qualified.
It's all just a fucking joke!
To hose who said: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE today
SO WHAT?!?
WILL YOU ENLIST ALSO?
WILL YOU GIVE HIM A MONTH OF YOUR SALARY?!
OR ARE IT ALL EMPTY WORDS THAT THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE PUT IN YOUR MOUTH!?!
if you see how veterans are handeled in America, you can only be a fucking hypocrit to mention "veterans day"
If you feel that you're a patriot because you celebrate veterans day, you're a hypocrit!
I've just finished reading The Chief Culprit by defector and military analyst Victor Suvorov, sub-heading Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War II.
It is a serious eye opener. History's greatest invasion force was assembled in eastern Europe in 1941 and it was not Hitler's but Stalin's.
Western Europe, while pitying the bloodlands to the east, should actually be thankful that the murderous German socialist beat the Russian one to the draw.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_offensive_plans_controversy
Oh wait Transgender Day of Remembrance is Nov 20...not the 13....Obama will be celebrating that. Wonder what he did yesterday...I think he was meeting with organize for action fascism day.
let's narrow it down: golf, taking it in the ass, a presser, more ass play, then dinner with the kids and bed, oh and some xanax, sleeping pills and bourbon to numb the conscience, lather rinse repeat
from a zionazi responsible for the quest for empire this is a disgusting image and thought.
First off, I'm a vet who is partially disabled and have been diagnosed with PTSD ..
We really, really and truly want to help our vets? (myself included who has not had a permanent job since the summer of 2012) We can do the following .. (as the "consent of the governed")
1) Help Amb. Lee Wanta ..
a) Disburse the $45 billlion ($45, 000, 000, 000) for veterans affairs.
b) Disburse the $100 billion ($100, 000, 000, 000) to prosecute, jail, and execute the perps responsible for these wars.
2) Deploy the Wanta Plan
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/01/11/another-thwarted-attempt-to-hija...
https://app.box.com/s/hfgvcqg7gqh7i27at6sv53ywu87lwarp (Read Me First)
BTW, ZH perhaps you should think twice the next tme you cite Reuters ..
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/11/13/reuters-blasted-by-russia-for-fa...
Veterans's Today is not a credible source.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m-ZY0R1HdQ
Great posts, all saying things that I could only verbalize with a select few that understand what is going on
The old guy in a wheelchair is a USS Liberty veteran, right "Ramirez" you POS neocon shill?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3_EXqJ8f-0 war is a racket that externalizes as much cost to the purveyors as commercially possible.
I know a Seabee who wanders around his assigned Island watching private contractors get paid to do their work. Yes it is fucking disgusting how they have farmed out military work to the highest bidder and bythat I mean the company that paid the most in contributions to his or her favorite congress person or party. We are so going to get our clocked cleaned when the shit storm rolls through.
After reading all of these competing posts I have to ask myself if we were able to divide the country into two countries, one in which they were able to eliminate the military, and one where all of the warriors went, in which country would each of us want to raise our children? I know my answer, but if our differences as a country are really that fndamental, then maybe we just need two countries.
Why not expand this semi-religious and uber-patriotic "Veteran's Day" to ALL government employees?
I'm a 12 year VN era vet. I left because I realized I was cannon fodder. I was a dumb sob when I got out, but at least I understood that. I also felt like my family deserved more of me. Nearly blew that, because of attitudes & habits picked up in the service. Today's vets are all volunteers.They deserve only what they were promised by contract. They deserve our help because of the price some have to pay for making that decision...the one to volunteer. It ain't real for most until there's a draft.
There are two reasons there is no draft today;
what kinds of attitudes and habits?
I would like to thank ZH and their commenters. I was always skeptical about the value of my service and saw a lot of crazy shit go down while I served, it was not until reading ZH and the comments that the hazy notion that it was ALL bullshit came into focus.
I will add though, that playing with powerful and very fast hardware was a fucking blast anyway.
So no need to thank me for my service, the pleasure was mine.
It is a rite of passage for many human male adolescents to test themselves as warriors.
It's always good to know that much about ones self.
If only for that reason, it was worthwhile.
I had to upvote your honesty.