I don't know enough about Iraq to comment but the Canadian Forces are activiely involved in fighting in Afghanistan. I believe in what Canadian troops are doing over there because I was reading in a news magazine about hot a taliban unit beheaded a boy because he gave some food to a afghan police officer, the boys dad tried to save his son but they hung him for interfering. I imagine there are similar stories like that in Iraq. So support the troops don't disrespect them.

Ummm...i think everyone agrees that he deserves to keep the money. I said multiple times that i was in no way saying that he should have to pay it back. What i am saying is that there is more than one side to everything, no matter how strongly YOU feel about it.

I surely have not seen anyone disrespect them. I believe most here truely support and love them.
Kat

A comment on the recruiting situation:

After 9/11, this country was 100% united. I hate George Bush, but he was our leader and I was behind him. If the call would have gone out for 40+ males to enlist, I would have been first in line.

Now the country is sharply divided. However, a clear majority now oppose the Iraq invasion. Very few are enthusiastic about Bush's cause, making for a difficult recruiting climate.

Bush said, "We will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them". And I said, "Right on, George". Now there is strong evidence that many terrorists, including Osama Bin Laden, are hding out in Pakistan on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Yet we do nothing about it.

With a legitimate cause, like going after Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan/Pakistan, chasing down and eliminating those who attacked us, there would be no recruitment problem. But as it is, enlisting to fight in George Bush's war of choice in Iraq is not going to be something that many Americans choose to do.

i read about this yesterday at usatoday.com
its crazy...

i read about this yesterday at usatoday.com
its crazy...

Using our anger at an atrocity
to start a war for their own benefit!

Is that what you mean Mac???

So, the general consensus is that we should just wait for them to attack us before we kick some ass? Well...that just seems silly. The best defense is a good offense. I have said it before and i'm saying it again - Iraq most certainly DID have WMD's. I don't care what you read in the newspaper or what you heard the government say. There is plenty going on over there that the public does not know about - and rightfully so. If you want all the information, you need to enlist. I was in that first wave of soldiers - they had them, trust me.

And please don't tell me that you honestly believe we are doing "nothing" about Al-Qaeda in the Afghan/Pakinstan area. You have got to be kidding me! Of course we are there - just because you aren't reading about it, doesn't mean it's not happening. The idea that we are just in Iraq and not still searching for the people who choreographed 9/11 is just completely absurd.

cb,

So you're telling me that the enlisted men/women have full knowledge of the existence of WMD's yet none of this information has made its way to the president's desk? Or, the president has the information and is keeping it a secret?

I'm trying to be fair here, but you're asking us to believe some really far-fetched stuff.

No, i'm not saying all enlisted soldiers know there were WMD's, not at all. What i am saying is that due to my particular MOS, i know for a fact that there were. I also know that sometimes, the public does not need to know every little thing that happens. Of course the President knows. It's less about the existence and more about the origin of these weapons. There are certain things that open up big cans of worms that are better left closed. It becomes the lesser of two evils: do we admit the findings and disclose the origins, which would start a whole new wave of tensions with a completely different country? Or do we just leave it alone and have the whole US pissed? Lesser of two evils. Not everything is black and white.

cb, I am trying to take you seriously, but you are making it very difficult.

The president would be completely vindicated if WMD's were found, but he's keeping it hush-hush? Come on, cb. Get in touch with reality.

cb is actually correct. Politically, for the nation as a whole, better to keep some things quiet irregardless of what the damage said knowledge may have on one person, including the President.
Necessary equipment and supplies for those WMD would have come from nations friendly to the U.S. and very possibly from some American companies. So where not telling the public is killing Bush's reputation keeping it quiet is keeping the public from being outraged at friendly nations.

Tell you what Mac - you keep chilling here, complaining and thinking i'm "out of touch" and let the big boys take care of things.

cb is actually correct. Politically, for the nation as a whole, better to keep some things quiet irregardless of what the damage said knowledge may have on one person, including the President.
Necessary equipment and supplies for those WMD would have come from nations friendly to the U.S. and very possibly from some American companies. So where not telling the public is killing Bush's reputation keeping it quiet is keeping the public from being outraged at friendly nations.
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To a very fine point karma!
You must remember that they used that as a reason for going to war in the first place!

We dont need serial #'s and manufacture model #'s!
We do ask to be told the truth about whether or not there were any!

Reality Brother!!!!

What happened to the topic here?

The problem is that people will want to know the how and why. People will want to know who gave what, sold what, when, in what quantities.
Come on Fanta that's the reality!

Then when it come out even more anger. Will the public then want to take on whoever provided the supplies, technical help and equipment to produce WMD's? Will they be willing to shut down American companies if the case be?
That's the reality.

I dont see any heroism in being a soldier.....killing another human being over politics......OIL!!!!

Its not like someone came into your home and you defended yourself......you go into their country and kill their people. That is heroic????

Defending your home, family in your own back yard is heroic!!!

RED DAWN!!!! WOLVERINES!!!

i JUST decided to hijack this thread with my own thoughts......ok bring it!!!

thas nothin new gyps

So what's going to a foreign land to protect it's population from a group trying to prevent them from leading the lives they want? Which forces farmers to grow and harvest poppies at gunpoint?